31 - What belongs to you, I won't give away

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During her summer vacation, Wei Ruxia accompanied her father to tour eight cities.  Although they weren't far away, each city had its own unique customs. Wei Ruxia experienced the culture of the different cities and the company of her father, and soon her summer vacation was over.

Before school started, the crew gave Wei Zishan a three-day vacation, so he was able to personally send Wei Ruxia home.

Getting out of the car, the blinding sun made Wei Ruxia squint her eyes slightly. She raised her eyes and looked at the yard. The flowers and plants in the yard were all blooming, just like when she came with her grandmother last year.

Compared to last year, Wei Ruxia's feelings about Ancheng were much more stable.  When she reached out to pick up the luggage her father handed over, she glanced at Luo Tang's house next door, and she was quiet. After Luo Tang went to Switzerland, he spent a while in Northern Europe. Yesterday she video called with him, and he said that he wouldn't be able to get home until tomorrow.

Wei Ruxia didn't go home during the summer vacation, but Wei Zishan hadn't been home for nearly four months. There were people who came to take care of it regularly, so it wasn't too messy.  He carried Wei Ruxia's suitcase and glanced at the flowers and plants in the yard as Wei Ruxia unlocked the door.

Wei Zishan wasn't good at gardening, but he loved flowers and plants, and he recognised every plant in the yard. So when he glanced at the yard, the strange little tree in the corner of the yard gave him pause.

"A pear tree."

When Wei Ruxia opened the door, her father who was carrying her suitcase behind him said flatly.

As soon as the door was opened, Wei Ruxia raised her eyes to look at the pear tree. Among the flowers and plants in a courtyard, the pear branches were decorated with a few leaves, which were particularly inconspicuous.

When she planted the pear tree, her father wasn't at home, so she still didn't know if he minded. Wei Ruxia gave an 'um' and looked back. Her father smiled, and just before she spoke, Wei Zishan lifted the luggage onto the path into the yard, and said, "Leave it there. The fruit will grow in a few years."

Her father's expression didn't change much, but the corners of his lips were pulled up, smiling with her, seeming to comfort her. Wei Ruxia felt like two drops of warm water had been dropped on her heart. She laughed and said, "Yeah, I like to eat pears."

The father and daughter entered the house while talking, blocking out the heat on the other side of the door. Wei Ruxia took her suitcase and returned to her room. The weather was still hot, so she took a bath and changed her clothes. She looked up to see the time and was about to go downstairs to pour a glass of juice.

Before returning to Ancheng, Auntie Li had told Wei Zishan that the refrigerator at home was full and there were fresh vegetables. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and Auntie Li would come over to cook at five o'clock.

The current tour had lasted a long time. In the first few months, Wei Zishan had almost no time to rest. While sending Wei Ruxia back, he would stay at home for two days until Wei Ruxia started school.

No matter where it was, Wei Ruxia was happy to be with her father. After summer break, the relationship between the two still wasn't as good as that of an ordinary father and daughter, but they were alright, and it was obvious that her father tolerated her a lot more.

For example the little pear tree, he knew that she planted it for her mother.

She went to the dining room and poured two glasses of juice. After Wei Ruxia had a drink, she took the other one and prepared to send it to her father. She was about to go upstairs when she suddenly heard the doorbell, Wei Ruxia put down the cup, got up and opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, the heat outside the door was also let in. Wei Ruxia squinted slightly, and it took a moment before she could see who was standing at the door clearly.

It was a woman.

The woman was dressed in a red dress with delicate makeup, her black hair was slightly wavy, she was beautiful and her figure was sexy. After Wei Ruxia opened the door, she took off her sunglasses. Her apricot eyes were extremely soft and charming. After seeing Wei Ruxia, she smiled at her and said, "Ruxia, right? I came to see your father. Is he there?"

The woman's face and smile were charming, she knew Wei Ruxia's name, but Wei Ruxia knew nothing about her. This happened because her father had mentioned her to the woman, but he had never mentioned this woman to her.

With her smile, Wei Ruxia stepped back and let her in first, and said, "Upstairs, what should I call you?"

She looked to be in her early thirties, but if she called her 'jie' she was worried that she might be the same age as her father, but if she called her 'aunt' she might be calling her old.

Unexpectedly, the woman didn't care at all. As soon as she entered the door, she stepped on the floor with her shoes, smiled and said, "Just call me aunt. I'm the same age as your dad."

"Hello Auntie Lin." Wei Ruxia called politely.

With a smile, Lin Ling took a look at Wei Ruxia. She was just about to talk to her when Wei Zishan's voice suddenly came from upstairs, "Why are you here?"

Wei Ruxia looked up and saw Wei Zishan standing in front of the study. He had changed into cotton and linen home clothes, and his temperament was a little more gentle within the elegance. Seeing Lin Ling, Wei Zishan frowned slightly, and focused on Wei Ruxia.

Lin Ling looked at Wei Zishan and said with a smile, "I heard Xinpei say that you were back in Ancheng, so I came to see you."

She was relaxed when she spoke, holding sunglasses in her left hand and a document slip in her right. Wei Zishan glanced at the file, pursed his lips and said, "Come to the study."

"Okay." Lin Ling replied, and Wei Ruxia nodded slightly and let her upstairs.

Wei Zishan opened the door and let Lin Ling in. He glanced back at Wei Ruxia, with mixed emotions in his brow. Just as he was about to say something, Wei Ruxia smiled at him, pointed to the dining room and asked, "Will Auntie Lin want to stay and eat together?"

"She won't stay." Wei Zishan looked at her smile, and finally didn't speak after hesitating. After he answered, he turned and went into the study.

Seeing them going back into the study to discuss matters, Wei Ruxia also returned to her room. It was only three days until school started and Wei Ruxia devoted herself to studying. Although there weren't any tutoring classes during the summer vacation, there also wasn't as much content to learn. If she wanted to have a chance, she only had this year to seize it. By this time next year, she wouldn't have any opportunities left.

After finishing two sets of mock tests, there was a knock at the door. Wei Ruxia looked up at the door and asked, "Dad?"

"Yeah." Wei Zishan replied, and said in a soft tone, "Take a break, it's time for dinner."

"Okay." After Wei Ruxia agreed, she closed her textbooks, got up and went out.

The two were sitting on opposite sides of the dining table, eating peacefully. Wei Ruxia had learned to eat well, and her appetite was larger than before, but Wei Zishan still had to control his diet. After eating a little, he raised his head to meet Wei Ruxia's eyes.

The two had their own pair of eyes and naturally each had their own concerns. Although Wei Zishan didn't grow up with Wei Ruxia as a child, there were also some advantages to only knowing her only after was so old. He could directly relate to Wei Ruxia as a friend. If there was anything to be said, both father and daughter could easily talk about it.

"Did she tell you anything?" When Wei Zishan opened the door, he saw Lin Ling and Wei Ruxia talking. Lin Ling said she didn't say anything to Wei Ruxia, but he still needed to confirm.

When she saw her father, she wanted to ask about her too. Wei Ruxia smiled and replied, "She asked me to call her aunt, saying she was as old as you."

"Yeah." Wei Zi relaxed his heart, laughed and said, "That's true."

Seeing her father's expression, Wei Ruxia also smiled to herself. She lowered her head and took a bite of her meal, and said, "If you want to find someone to accompany you, I think Auntie Lin is pretty good."

Wei Zishan’s smile was interrupted by Wei Ruxia’s words. A trace of doubt flashed through his eyes, and then suddenly he figured out something. He looked at Wei Ruxia’s contented expression as she ate, Wei Zishan smiled and said, “I'm fine, I like my life now."

He'd had his mother with him before, and now he had his daughter. He was actually very lucky. Even if he didn't have a partner, he always had relatives by his side. The trauma from more than ten years ago made him scared to develop any deep emotions towards others, but now the result of this 'trauma' was accompanying him to keep him from being lonely, and he felt that this was a good life.

Auntie Lin and her father only had a brief conversation in front of her. She didn't know the specific relationship between the two. In fact, she could detect that her father was still a little alienated from Auntie Lin, and he was slower to warm up to others. Auntie Lin was much more active, and the two were quite complementary in character.

Wei Ruxia herself had never been in a relationship, but she thought it was very important for the two to get along, because after all, they would live together for the rest of their lives.

The next day Wei Ruxia woke up early. Last night it had rained and dissipated the sultry heat in the air. In the early morning, there was a cool breeze and Wei Ruxia and Wei Zishan were trimming the plants in the yard.

She was talking to her father, and from time to time she looked up at the road outside. When a black car went by, Wei Ruxia raised her head and looked over, with a smile on her face.

There was a speed limit in the community, and the black car slowly passed by, the window opened, and Luo Tang's face appeared.

After a summer vacation, Wei Ruxia felt like she hadn't seen him for a long time, and when she saw his face again, she felt he was more handsome than before.

The young man was still fair, and his face was clean with black eyes. Looking at Wei Ruxia, he asked, "What are you doing?"

After speaking, the car stopped, Luo Tang opened the door and got out of the car and walked over.

He wore a white tee with a light-colored plaid shirt over the top. Luo Tang was fair skinned and clothes of various colours could make him appear to have a refreshing and clean temperament.

While still holding the scissors in her hand, Wei Ruxia walked to the courtyard wall and looked at the boy over the wall. She looked at the boy's brows and eyes, pulled up the corners of her lips, and said with a smile, "I'm waiting for you."

Her happiness hasn't abated at all and her light brown eyes flashed with smiles. Luo Tang looked back at her, his eyes crystal clear under his thick eyelashes.

The boy's throat moved slightly, and Wei Ruxia heard a shallow sound in his throat.

After Luo Tang, Yang Shuru also got out of the car. She looked at the two of them and smiled. After saying hello to Wei Zishan, Yang Shuru arranged, "Luo Tang, you and Xiaxia go to the pet shop and bring A'Mang back."

Luo Tang was traveling for the whole of the summer vacation, and Yang Shuru was with him, so A'Mang was sent to foster care in the pet shop.

After receiving the task, Wei Ruxia took off her gloves and washed her hands, and then set off to the pet shop with Luo Tang. The pet shop was near the subway station, not very close to their housing community. When they got to the pet shop and picked up A'Mang, Wei Ruxia was already sweating from the heat.

Holding A'Mang, Luo Tang looked up at her, and then took Wei Ruxia to the nearby supermarket to buy her an ice cream.

Opening the ice cream wrapper, Wei Ruxia took a bite and was instantly refreshed. A'Mang, who was standing next to her, wanted a bite so he nudged her. Wei Ruxia smiled and raised the ice cream, looking down at A'Mang, she said, "You have eaten all the ice cream at home, this is not for you."

A'Mang didn't understand Wei Ruxia's words, so he wagged his tail and had a go for it, but was restrained by Luo Tang. When he pulled back A'Mang, Wei Ruxia's eyes curved and she took another bite of ice cream.

On the road in front of the house, Wei Ruxia ate the last bite of ice cream. She looked up at her door and saw the red BMW parked outside, then she saw Lin Ling who had just gotten out of the BMW.

Lin Ling didn't seem to see her. She held the same document slip as yesterday, took off her sunglasses and went straight into her house.

Luo Tang had lived here since he was a child. Wei Zishan moved there a few years ago and had been his neighbour for a few years. He had never seen a woman enter or leave his home.

Seventeen or eighteen-year-old children didn’t understand anything, but they also understood everything.

Luo Tang was looking at her and Wei Ruxia raised her head to meet his gaze. She said 'umm' and then said, "She came yesterday to see my father. I call her Aunt Lin."

She could see the meaning in Luo Tang's expression, so she smiled and explained, "I don't know about the relationship between her and my dad, but even if the two are close, it doesn't matter. My dad has his own life, it doesn't belong to me alone."

Wei Ruxia's temperament had always been soft, and everything always seemed to be fine. Even when she said these words, there was a light smile on her face.

"Come to my house." Luo Tang took Wei Ruxia's empty ice cream wrapper and passed A'Mang's lead to her, saying, "We still have ice cream at home."

With A'Mang in her hand leading her forward, Wei Ruxia returned to her senses. She looked at Luo Tang and asked, "Didn't you say that all the ice cream at home had been fed to A'Mang?"

Throwing the ice cream wrapper in his hand into the recyclable bin next to him, Luo Tang turned and looked at Wei Ruxia. His expression was calm, his eyes were deep and clear. He looked at Wei Ruxia and said in a low voice, "I don't give away things that belong to you."

The author has something to say:

Tangtang: What belongs to you, I will not give to others, especially my heart.

I have been rushing to speed up the plot recently, but there are some things I’m afraid of being unclear.
College entrance exams tomorrow!

Thank you Jen for the ko-fi!! I have dropped some landmines on the author as per your request.

I have written up a guide for using JJWXC if anyone wanted to buy the book themselves (I actually wrote it a few days ago but just totally neglected to mention it at all, lol). The minimum ko-fi is actually about the equivalent points to buy the whole novel, I obviously couldn't buy it twice, thus landmines (money gifts for authors). The website is clunky and dated but not too hard to use. The guide is in the links above or here. It covers signing up, buying points and spending them on novels or gifts. If anything is confusing let me know.

I might do a second guide on the - uhhhhh - questionably useful search function for those wanting to browse the novels on JJWXC. Is that something people would be interested in?