When Zhang Xiulan reached the farm, some kids had already started working. They welcomed her cordially.
There were some poor kids, mostly orphans who helped watch the farm and took part in the small jobs such as mucking manures to fertilize the soil or harvesting the crop after sowing, etc, to reap some pocket money. They couldn't afford to attend school because even the nearest school was very far away from where they lived. Transportation fees cost a lot and even if they managed to pay them off, it was an easier choice for their parents to drop them out of school and let them learn a vocation or earn their daily wages.
Finally, they got a chance to begin their education journey thanks to a benefactor who donated a school building for unfortunate orphans and kids. The school would hold an opening ceremony to welcome a new school year in the afternoon of her arrival day to the farm.
With things that she bought on the way home after the appointment with Suying, Xiulan coveted to give the kids the handmade bookmarks that she personally crafted as a memory of their first school day.
At first, she didn't have the plan to go to the ceremony personally. But everywhere Hualing went, Xiulan followed. They were inseparable. Nothing could separate them. Not even the case with Tang Weimin. Hualing would be there, so she'd go too.
Hualing was a teacher at a primary school. Due to her current controversy with Weimin, the parents demanded her leave saying her influence would get their children in the wrong direction because cheating was the most sensitive matter in Jewel Country and no sane person could tolerate it. She was suspended for two months. So, she applied for a volunteer position for this school to fill her free time and to meet with Xiulan. She hadn't had a chance to meet with her yet.
***
Xiulan tied her hair up in a ponytail. She put on a simple sky blue dress with small white flowers on it which added to her fresh charm. When she arrived there, the ceremony had already commenced. Bai Hualing had to be with her volunteer group, so she took a seat by herself in the audience.
She heard the host present. On the wall behind the MC, she saw loads of pictures and paintings hanging there. She spotted a familiar masterpiece among them which reminded her of a striking overview of the city specifically from the rooftop of that particular hotel, which instantly brought a smile to her face.
She turned her head around to see if the owner of the painting was there. Her eager eyes widened in the hope of enlarging her field of vision so that she could find him sooner and faster. This time if she encountered him, she would surely wish him well since he said this day was his birthday. After all, she hated to be indebted to someone, let alone a stranger.
She was deep in her contemplation when the crowd applauded uproariously which drew her attention back to where it should be.
The presenter announced, "We appreciate your speech, Headmaster Wang."
He continued, "Last but not least, we humbly invite our main benefactor Li Jianyu who gave us a hand in every aspect possible, to deliver a peroration."
She noticed a man in a black tuxedo with a light smile tagged on his lips, stepping the graceful paces towards the center of the stage to give a warming speech.
Xiulan was stupefied by what she witnessed. The man in his formal suit radiated a cultured and mature aura, contrasting his casual look which she saw on the train.
'The patron who donated the school building and also the things needed for the kids is him!?' She howled loudly in her head.
He obviously was a man of integrity. No wonder he did her a favor by paying for her bill. She facepalmed at her dramatic stupidity to regard him as a jerk.
Xiulan quickly got a scapegoat which made her nod in satisfaction. She blamed her mother for all the intimidating stories which made her think of tragic plots.
It was unsurprising that a bad workman blames his tools!
'Li Jianyu.' She called out his name in her mind silently which subconsciously engraved on her heart in a completely effortless way.
Xiulan also learned there were two purposes for his painting. One was to show how the city looked to the kids in countryside who had never encountered the world outside and another one was to give them the motivation to work harder.
'A picture is worth a thousand words!' Zhang Xiulan was proud of him, grinning in her own excitement.
Li Jianyu summarized the struggles he faced when he was young and the hindrances on his way up to this place. He didn't leave out how he was thankful to his mother who single-handedly raised him. He highlighted the importance of the support of parents for their own children and how they influenced the children's future.
Xiulan patiently waited for him until he was free from receiving the gratitude and greeting from elders, parents and kids as she didn't want to interrupt his work.
"Hello, Mr. Li!" She bashfully bowed to him. She detected the delicate scent of his perfume which made her wonder if he always wore that fragrance.
Li Jianyu turned around and his eyes met with hers. A look of surprise lined his eyes.
"Happy birthday! I forgot to wish you back on the train. It was careless of me." She sheepishly murmured with nervous laughter. Li Jianyu smiled at her carefree attitude.
A sudden idea came across her mind. Zhang Xiulan hastily groped in her purse for the bookmark she exclusively made for herself. She handed it out to him proudly, "Here! A birthday present! I made it personally, putting lots of dedication and benevolence in it."
Jianyu attentively watched her detailed movements and took in her words while curling his lips up a bit. Her so-called birthday present rather amused him.
The bookmark was a flattened stick with a star-shaped transparent epoxy resin at the top adorning it with glitters and dried flowers within. With one look, it was adorable, with another, one could witness how neat and tidy it was crafted, emitting the careful effort of the one who made this little handicraft.
'It was such a mediocre gift, absolutely not suitable for a gentleman like him. How did my little brain come up with that embarrassing plan? He must be thinking of me strangely.' Zhang Xiulan regretted her careless behavior and gritted her teeth. If she could turn back time, she might come up with a better and more impressive plan. But on second thought, she was too lazy to turn back time and lived the same time twice.
To lecture her unsurprisingly shallow conception, she scolded herself. 'Next time, think twice before you do something!'
To her surprise, Jianyu wore a big smile with great pleasure while receiving it. "Thank you for your present. What a natty bookmark! I really appreciate it." The corners of his lips curled up amusingly while speaking warmly and gently. His whole face beamed, giving off his genuine appreciation towards this Xiulan thought was filthy and insufficient gift, wholeheartedly.
His smile made her day.
Xiulan drooled at his world-saving smile so immensely that she forgot to blink her eyes. Her respiratory system stopped working and her heart raced at the breathtaking sight before her. Her innocent pair of lips were pulled ajar by her devious muscles, her jaw was almost dropped. No heaven to say thanks to, her conscious mind didn't return to save her from this shameful expression which was rather ridiculous if one paid enough attention. Ineffable sensation crept through her body and her soul as she kept staring at the man before her. She failed to title the feelings she got as she had never felt like this in her whole life of twenty-five years.
Maybe that's because he bought her snacks! That's why her gratitude was urging her to feel that strange way? At the end of the day, food was the best thing that could ever happen in her life. Nodded in satisfaction, she was convinced.
Li Jianyu might be complimenting her as a formality. Still, it warmed her heart. She exerted a considerable amount of time and effort in making the heartfelt gifts and she wanted the receivers to like them as much as the endeavor she put into them.
To be honest, she assumed he wouldn't even take a glance at her shabby gift. Although she had no knowledge of Li's family among her father's business partners, he wouldn't be short of money for certain. After all, he supported building a school. She was even worried that the gift would offend his status and his pride as a man of a higher standard.
Jianyu gazed at Xiulan in delight. During his former encounters with her, the situation didn't give him a chance to closely scrutinize her appearance.
She had a pair of bright eyes with her cheeks slightly blushed. When she smiled, crescent-shaped eye smiles were visible on her big eyes with double eyelids. She wore a rose pink lipstick on her heart-shaped lips with a perfectly defined cupid's bow. A long and dark ponytail was swaying behind her slim frame with her tiny movements. All in all, she gave off a spotless vibe.
Their brief conversation was disturbed by a personal assistant of Jianyu. He excused himself politely before he got back to his work.
After the ceremony had wrapped up, Xiulan and Hualing returned to Zhang's mansion. She let Hualing stay at her home until she had done volunteering in the countryside.
"Xiulan?" Hualing called out her friend's name to check if she was alright.
Because Xiulan had been grinning from ear to ear since they left the school! She didn't utter a word and at this point, if she kept continuing like this, Hualing might go get a doctor to test out if something was wrong with her brain.
"Xiulan?" This time Bai Hualing raised her voice and nudged her friend while putting one of her palms on her friend's forehead.
"No high temperature!" Bai Hualing frowned and remarked. "Why are you so red, Xiulan? Are you feeling unwell? And what's with your big fat smile?"
Xiulan was carried away by a small chat she had with Li Jianyu before she was forcefully brought back to reality.
"You know what? A smile will gain you ten more years of life!" It would be thoughtless to disclose her thrilling experience while Hualing was currently facing difficulities. She should be focusing on her friend's well being, not the other way around, but it felt so new to her that she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She wondered if this was how people felt when they had a crush on someone for the first time in life. At the age of twenty-five, it might be late, but she welcomed and embraced this first-time emotions cordially. With a fish-eating grin on her face, she looked up at the moon that was beaming like the man she just met. Oh god, he looked so charming.