Chapter 42 (1/2)
CHAPTER 42
Although they were not of Li Chuan’s design, the house suited Li Chuan’s taste; it was a mix of French romance, German detail, and Italian creativityLi Chuan liked spacious and high-ceilinged roolass, hardwood, colorful sofas, and other furniture in black and whiteThe first level was big and hadroomsIt felt like it could fit all of CGP’s staff and still have room leftHe showed me room after room, and then we sat on the sofa to restHe used a rened by you then?” I asked
“Everyone fought to design everything, so I didn’t get a chance”He shrugged, “If you want to see o to my brother’s homeI think it looks better than my homeI even built them a wine cellarTheir ho distanceDo you want to go?I have his key”
I s jealousIf I had an older or younger sister, I thought maybe our relationshi+p would be close like thisAfter dad passed away, Xiao Dong suddenly matured and became a manHe cared a lot about me, but we talked less and less, and rarely visited each otherWhenever we called each other over the phone, ere always occupied with other thingsWe had both grown up and started living our own lives, so it was natural to becoender differences
“What would you like to drink?”
“Do you have coffee?” I was a little tired
“How about Cappuccino?”
“You kno to make it?”
“I have a machineDo you want to see it?”
He ledand placed it on top of the coffee rabbed a pack of fresh coffee beans frorinded a small bowl, and made a small cup of Expresso firstIt was too bitter for meHe warmed up some milk with a steamer and made me a cup of cappuccinoHe poured a thick layer of frothed milk on top, used a chopstick to separate the milk, and a leaf appeared in the cupHe then poked the top a few times with the chopstick, and the leaf turned into a rabbit
“You even kno to do this?” My eyes widened as I looked at hiht meHe does it best, and he kno to draw a lot of different picturesHe wrote all of his love letters in the cup”
“Can you teacheasyThe key is how you pour the milk”
He made another two cups of CappuccinoHe held my hands and poured the thick ave ht hand, and taught me how to draw step by step
“Like this… it down a bit, and it’s done”
I s from behindHis face brushed across the side of my forehead unintentionally; I felt the familiar affection that I once receivedI couldn’t resist turningfor meBut just as I approached, he moved back and avoided me
After so many years, Li Chuan was still full of attraction to meHe continued to be full of surprises as if I could never find out everything that he knew
I drew three pictures in totalI drank a cup, and Li Chuan drank a cupHe wanted to pour out the re it into a cup of cold coffee and put it into the fridgeI held the cup in my hand, sat on the bar stool, and watched Li Chuan tidy up the kitchen counterHe didn’t bother using his cane, so he was hopping on his one legIt made me feel dizzy, so I said, “Can you take a rest for a bit?”
He picked up his cane and asked, “There’s a garden in the back, do you want to take a look?”
I pointed at the ceiling, “What’s upstairs?”
Li Chuan’s study, drawing roo and wide; a non-slippery carpet laid on top of it, and it had a railing that was specially designed for himI was curious to knohy Li Chuan had to build a home with a staircase since it was inconvenient for hi upstairsThe second floor faced the big lake where you could see sailboats and wild ducks The distant clouds lingered in the sky above faint green hillsLooking at the scenery fro surface of the lake and the water flowed to the other end with no shore in sight
“There’s such a great lake view here, and it’s all mountains in the backThe price of this hoht?”
“It is, but I didn’t pay,” he blinked his eyes, “My grandpa bought it for ue, “And…you actually accepted it without feeling bad?”
“I did feel bad,” he said, “but it wasn’t like I could turn him downheehee”
“Which one is your bedroom?” I asked
“The bedroom is off limits”He quickly rushed to a room and closed its door
“Why is it off liht now?” I dashed over, opened a crack from the door, and poked my head inside
Li Chuan’s black and white bedroom was very distinct His bed frame was black, while his closet hiteHis blanket was purple, his bed sheets hite, and several grey pillows spread across on the top
A twelve inch photo with a purple fraround wasLi Chuan in the photo was looking ataze was full of affection
It was the one and only photo that Li Chuan and I took togetherHe didn’t even leave it to inal fil time because of this
In those five years, I recalled es were like sand slipping away through ersHis expressions slowly became blurry because I didn’t have a photo of him to remind meI could only find a staleIt was low in quality, but I kept it on my computerThe small and blurry photo was all I had to remember Li Chuan for the past five years
I looked at our photo silently; the memories we had flashed across my mindAfter so many years of pain, all of it became sweet and intimate