Section 1

On the cargo ship, peppermint candies cost five cents each, and even children from very poor families can afford them. Yet, his mother refuses to buy him one, nor does the elderly nanny who takes care of him at home. Despite having everything else in the household, what he desires most is simply a peppermint candy

Originally, after drinking espresso late at night, I didn't want to sleep. After taking a shower and with my mind occupied, I felt even more energized. As I dried my hair and stepped outside, Xia Sheng had already been carried back to the bedroom, while Bai Xiyan was pouring drinks at the bar.

When the young lady saw Liu Jinzhi was also present, she recognized him as the secretary she had summoned, nodded at him, and then went to the courtyard to warm up

Lin Le also understood Miao Tong's style of doing things and had no objections: "Alright, then I will wait for your call"

Liu Jinzhi held a cup of hot tea at the door, and although Bai Xiyan could not see, he was able to mimic the girl's movements as soon as she mentioned a technique called "step forward and draw the sword".

This is a plea for mercy

"I took the photo, otherwise how could I still be alive to go to Northeast China to photograph the rime? However, I lack the goddess aura, but I definitely have the goddess quirks."

Although Luo Youning found it difficult to deal with Xiao Tong, he never cared to borrow someone else's words

Zhuo Yue's heart of gossip blazed fiercely, rising up: "So, did you take the photo?"

You cannot see it, but I certainly want to see it

Although Zhuo Yue brought it up again today, Miao Tong has already come and gone twice, and she had no intention of returning since her last departure. Therefore, she does have the time, and the subject matter is of interest to her, especially since she will be working with Lin Le.

For her, it does not matter whether Ruisha is in a relationship with Luo Youning or with anyone named Chen Youning, Zhang Youning, or Li Youning; it is none of her business

Seeing his unfortunate expression that one would want to avoid, Zhuo Yue laughed heartlessly

After that unpleasant meeting with an old friend, Miao Tong simply forgot about it

Bai Xiyan held the report, feeling both amused and exasperated: "I can't see it again, just dictate it directly, you are truly being overly sentimental."

The two continued to discuss photography until after 10 o'clock, when the driver, Xiao Mo, who had been waiting at the door and had smoked half a pack of cigarettes, finally saw Miao Tong come out

"Well, after crying for a while last night, he said he wanted to wait for you, so I had no choice but to leave him here," Bai Xiyan said as she put down the book and went to warm her hands, looking into her eyes. "It is not easy for an elder sister to take care of a child."

Bai Xiyan listened more clearly, and now put down the wine cup, her expression becoming even worse: "Aren't you going back to study?"

Liu Jinzhi feels that his boss only requires him when he finds it bothersome

Your life and worldview are encapsulated in this cup of Kambolun. Espresso with cream, an intense bitterness and an equally intense sweetness

"There is nothing so artistic about it; it is merely a matter of personal preference," Miao Tong said. "You seem to be more mature and composed than before."

In the later stages of her pregnancy, Zhuo Yue developed hypertension, and as the New Year approached, Qiao Yun's surgery schedule became fully booked. Although Qiao Douding was on holiday, she was still a young child who needed care, and could only help with minor tasks like serving tea and water. Therefore, Miao Tong took Aunt Zhang with her every day to prepare soup all night long to take care of Zhuo Yue.

Master, you no longer care for me! I still want to take good care of my skin and find a beautiful girlfriend

Bai Xiyan tapped on the glass surface, startling the guppies that were crowding on the water's surface to snatch food, causing them to scatter in all directions: "Explain it to me clearly"

Bai Xiyan let out a "humph" and with an expression that was indescribably proud, said: "Why should you care about me?"

People can be deceitful. After observing the eyes of animals for a long time, one loses the desire to look at humans

Miao Tong let out a dull "ah," truly unable to recall who Bai Xiyan could be angry with. Every day, he practiced self-cultivation and even hired a champion of Tai Chi sword to learn Tai Chi sword daily. He thought to himself, could it be that she was hiding that matter? After all, even though Bai Xiyan rarely left the house, he had extraordinary abilities. If he found out, he would definitely get angry, and suddenly his mood soured a bit. He muttered to himself, "Could it be that he found out?"

I am not blind to begin with... Alright, just a little. " Bai Xiyan groped to push another cup back to her, saying, " What kind of coffee would Lin Le take you to drink at this late hour? "

Bai Xiyan wanted to ask why, yet felt that she had no desire to know her thoughts at all. After hesitating back and forth for quite a while, she finally touched her hair and said: "If you want to do it this way, then go ahead."

You are a brave warrior who is not afraid of pain. I will send you the photo once I have processed it. Lin Le has never been able to argue with her; he is not good at thinking and summarizing. He approached Miao Tong for other matters, and after some pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "Xiao Tong, I have a job that you might be interested in. My friends and I are preparing a cultural documentary that records the lives of elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I can conduct the interviews and then upload the recordings online for you."

One still needs to find someone to keep an eye on her; letting such a lunatic out could easily lead to a relapse of old issues. Bai Xiyan certainly does not feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her. He has never underestimated women; he has not forgotten the incident where a seemingly cultured and well-mannered young lady went mad and kidnapped his son before committing suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Can't you wait until your eyes are better before learning

However, the content is quite similar to what he had in mind, merely accusations of seducing the sponsor, using means to obtain citizenship, and destroying the sponsor's family, among other unfounded charges. Bai Xiyan frowned upon hearing this and instructed his secretary to burn those few pages of paper in front of the lighter and throw them into the lotus vase

Lin Le and Miao Tong had not seen each other for nearly a year. Miao Tong was studying abroad, and he traveled extensively to capture photographs of natural landscapes and animals. After leaving Zhuo Yue's home, the two went together to a nearby shopping mall's café for coffee. Lin Le ordered a latte, while he ordered a Caffè Breve for Miao Tong.

I wish to transfer my household registration out

The originally fair-skinned young man had two patches of highland red on his face, wrinkled and cracked. Upon entering, he covered his face and coquettishly said to Zhuo Yue: "Master, do you still have any face masks? The foreign brand you used last time, the one that costs fifty yuan for just one application."

Lin Le took a few more photos of her. When she spoke, there was a sparkle in her eyes. The background was a river of cars outside the floor-to-ceiling glass, with layers of light cascading onto her face, soft and gentle - like the translucent wings of a dragonfly.

Now we have run into a confrontation

Everyone is preoccupied with their own affairs; where would they find the time to interfere in others' emotional lives

"How can you still be drinking?" Miao Tong exclaimed, "You don't seem like a blind person at all"

Lin Le could not help but slap his thigh: "Master, please spare me. She doesn't like me at all; she's simply a narcissist. I went there to work, but she insisted that I take a photo of her with the Tibetan antelope, and she wanted it to capture the essence of a snow goddess!"

The last time Xie Ling came, he insisted on drinking this bottle of red wine, but Bai Xiyan couldn't bear to open it for him. If she had known that Miao Tong would drink it down like a cow chewing on peonies, she wouldn't know how to feel heartbroken. However, since she wants to drink it, Bai Xiyan does not stop her, knowing that she does not want to discuss this topic with him

It would be good to renovate it, and it would be best to also refurbish the ancestral hall, so that every time we return to pay respects to our ancestors, my elder sister won't complain about it being insufficiently dignified

The bar counter is an aquarium, housing beautiful tropical fish that swim back and forth. The ripples of the water dance across his face, accentuating the liveliness and beauty of his features, yet strangely, it brings a sense of tranquility to Miao Tong.

Miao Tong opened her mouth, momentarily unsure of where to begin. She tilted her head back and drank the red wine, then poured another half glass: "Is it really impossible not to mention it? It's just the same old things, the words that everyone insists on hearing. Do I still want to live?"

Hmm. Miao Tong looked at his face, a bit foolishly, "You don't know?"

Upon returning home, Bai Xiyan had indeed not yet fallen asleep. In the living room, only a floor lamp was lit. Xia Sheng was sleeping with his head resting on Bai Xiyan's leg. One hand was gently patting the child, while the other held an e-reader, with headphones inserted in his ears.

On the way home, Xiao Mo said to her: "The sir was in a very bad mood today, and I don't know who it was with"

Miao Tong cradled his face with her cool hands and playfully kissed him, asking, "Is Xia Sheng sleeping over here?"

You still understand my preferences

It is quite detailed. Besides what is necessary to know about where Xiaotong is pursuing further studies, who else has inquired about it

Miao Tong and the books were not absorbed, lost in thought. Xiao Mo, unable to ask anything, silently drove on.

You can rest assured about this. Liu Jinzhi thought it through, but you must be on guard against your second sister doing something impulsive again. After her divorce, she returned to your hometown. The old steward who had served your mother and his family have been living in the servant quarters to take care of the house, so the place is quite well-maintained. However, the horse-head walls of your family, which were built during the late Qing Dynasty, have not withstood the wind and sun very well, and your second sister has found someone to renovate them again.

Xiao Mo asked: "What do you know?"

Liu Jinzhi felt that he was worrying unnecessarily, and after checking the time, he realized it was also time for the kindergarten to dismiss.

Bai Xiyan originally had something else on his mind, but being the astute person he was, he could tell from Miao Tong's rare tone of submission that there was definitely something going on. He discreetly felt her pulse and ambiguously responded with a soft "mm".

While Liu Jinzhi was in the middle of a conversation, Bai Xiyan's Tai Chi sword instructor arrived, a robust young woman with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Liu Jinzhi had watched her competition video, where she wielded the soft yet powerful Tai Chi sword, impressing foreign judges who couldn't help but exclaim "wow! wow!" in admiration

Zhuo Yue couldn't help but exclaim that none of these disciples were unworthy of his acceptance; they were all truly filial. Lin Le had been away recently, but the daily phone calls to pay his respects had never ceased, and the first thing he did upon returning was to bring a large pile of supplements to report to his master

Liu Jinzhi said: "Luo Youning, and the old master of the Zhao family"

However, Miao Tong was not accustomed to making hasty decisions on matters, and nodded, saying: "Alright, I will think it over and get back to you."

Miao Tong held the small wine glass, gave it a slight shake, and had no intention of savoring the wine, her mind entirely occupied with what Xiao Mo had said about his temper. She observed Bai Xiyan's expression for a while; no matter how she looked at it, it was neither warm nor cold, which made her even more certain. She quietly asked, "Do you already know?"

Lin Le adjusted the aperture of the camera: "Hey, both you and *the book*, nearing thirty, should start to look a bit more like men." He raised the camera towards Miao Tong's face, her half-lowered eyelids and faint smile, the tenderness that remained after being washed by the storm, "I haven't taken your picture in a long time. Now I don't photograph people anymore; landscapes and animals are much more authentic."

I instead feel that this kind of deception is the most genuine. Most people, in order to survive, engage in activities they do not enjoy and say things they do not mean, skillfully employing a protective facade like a chameleon. When they are hurt, they still smile and say: "Ah, that hurts so much." At that moment, others will casually comfort you, saying: "Time will heal everything." Indeed, time can heal wounds, but it is precisely at that moment that the pain is truly unbearable.

Liu Jinzhi did not associate this matter with Luo Youning, taking off his glasses and slowly cleaning them: "By the way, Zhu Yuke has returned from her recuperation abroad. It is said that she has recovered from her depression and has returned to work at the television station, although she is now working as a producer behind the scenes"

Even if Miao Tong does not speak, Bai Xiyan has plenty of ways to find out, after all, he is not supporting Liu Jinzhi for nothing. Liu Jinzhi is very methodical in his work, and within just two days, he prepared a formal written report for him.

Zhuo Yue smiled while peeling an orange for him to eat: "Isn't the one who chased you all the way to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau last time enough?"

"That is too expensive for me, it would be a waste for you to use it. Just buy a couple of supermarket products when you pass by the supermarket on your way home."

In fact, I personally find it uninteresting. The professor who was guiding me has had some disagreements with the school, and he has now been hired by an Ivy League institution in the United States. I initially enrolled in that course specifically because of him... I know you are worried that I might be wronged. I originally planned to tell you after the New Year, just to avoid making you think too much and get upset

Miao Tong did not pick up on his words: "I will go take a shower first"

Miao Tong, feeling slightly tipsy, leaned over the glass table and deliberately inserted her finger into a small hole left for feeding the fish, allowing the little fish to come over and nibble at it

Where are people not real