Mother and daughter communicate in a quiet valley with elegant orchids

  Hahaha...

  "Kafi, what's wrong?" Lin Tianxiu looked at her daughter in surprise as she laughed wildly.

  "Lucky is really formidable, actually one stick has smashed the house to pieces, and even notified the property management to stop water, electricity, and gas, and then froze several credit cards in Dad's hands..." Kafi looked at the materials sent from home and couldn't help but laugh, just thinking about what kind of situation Lucky would be in when she got back home? Didn't expect it to be so exaggerated, the power of resistance far exceeded her expectations!

  "Your stepfather actually let Xiao Jin's husband move into the house, what is he thinking?" Lin Tianxiu looked at the information in her hand and sensed something was off.

  "What's wrong, Mom? Is something wrong?" Kafi suddenly remembered that her mother hadn't seen these materials yet.

  "Thinking of your stepfather's ways!"

  "What's wrong with him? Is there something strange about his behavior?"

  "He shouldn't be so weak, no matter how good his character is, there are some things that have a bottom line."

  "Mom, you're not going to tell me that he deliberately let Xiao Jin's husband move in just to provoke Lele into taking action and driving them away, are you?" Ka Fei said nonchalantly.

  But right after that, Kafi's expression changed, why can't it be?

  Her stepfather may have feelings for Xiao Jin and will not drive her out of the house, but he has no feelings for Xiao Jin's husband. It is best to let Lele take action, and everything is done with Lele's intention, without anyone's instruction, and he will not bear any responsibility.

  "It's entirely possible that Wang Jiye, although not great at business, has a good grasp of human nature. He's extremely accommodating to his loved ones, but when it comes to outsiders, he won't be so polite. Remember how we used to deal with those business rivals?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Some of the plans were thought up by your stepfather, and we specifically implemented them."

  "Mom, you mean my stepfather is a very formidable person?" This seems to be quite different from the impression of his stepfather.

  "In what aspects? In business, he is clueless. When it comes to handling relationships between people, especially with relatives who share the same bloodline, he is easily influenced by past emotions and handles things in a muddled way. However, if he can think calmly, he should be quite formidable!"

  "I didn't know my stepfather had this side to him!" Ka Fei also didn't bother to investigate whether her stepfather's actions towards Xiao Jin were intentional or unintentional, anyway the current result wasn't bad!

  Xiao Jin can't stay in Chengdu for much longer!

  "By the way, mom, do you know about Lele's situation?"

  "What's wrong?"

  "Fourth place in the National Wushu Championships' staff competition, and third place in the National Computer Competition's re-examination. The organizing unit arranged for me to receive unified training at Tsinghua University during the winter break, to participate in this year's computer finals..." Ke Fei waved the materials in his hand.

  "This is incredible!" Lin Tianxiu took over the documents from his daughter's hands with a hint of surprise.

  "Yue'er is now very interested in martial arts. Last time she and Lele went to participate in the Martial Arts Championship, it seems like they plan to sign up this year..."

  "What about Xia and the others?"

  "It's okay to adapt in Beijing, I've communicated with them a few times before and sent many encouraging emails, but it's still quite troublesome without an adult taking care of me by my side."

  "It's better to read in boarding school!"

  "Alright, mom, here's the latest news from home, take a look when you have time, I'm off to school!" Kafi pointed to another stack of documents on the table and packed up her things to head back to school.

  "Leaving so soon? Won't you stay a little longer?"

  "No, Daniel is looking for me on that side!" Kafi gives her mom a goodbye kiss and walks away with her backpack.

  Made an appointment with Daniel to attend a social gathering organized by their association.

  Apart from the New Year's Eve activities, Kafi was also quite grateful for Daniel's help and would not refuse his invitation.

  "Afternoon, don't wait for me to come back, I'm going to Daniel's community to play, how about you?" Habitually called Lan Qi to tell him where he was going.

  "Our association has some other arrangements, you go and have fun, by the way, Lata said his family welcomes us to go and play."

  "Let's talk about it later when we have time! We just went to disturb others during the New Year, and it's not good to go again now!"

  "I say so too, let's go again after a while."

  "Alright, I won't say any more. It seems Daniel has arrived, and I can hear the commotion he's causing!" Kafi heard the familiar exclamations from outside and smiled as she bid farewell to Lance.

  "Go and have fun!" Putting down the phone, Lanchi's mouth corners floated up with a smile. Maybe it was habit or something, but now Ka Fei would unconsciously seek her own opinion whenever she did anything, asking herself if she should participate. Everything was her habitual behavior, completely unaware that all her actions were reporting back to herself. What does this represent?

  He's not in a hurry, some people are suited to whirlwind romances, but he prefers a warm and gentle relationship. He likes to guard her, watch over her, feel her presence, and slowly merge his own breath with hers... so far, only he has been able to do that with Ka Fei.

  Caffy followed Daniel, who had an androgynous appearance, through the streets, and although she was used to people's astonished gazes at Daniel, Caffy still teased him.

  "You're really a troublemaker!"

  "Shut up, when are you free to come to my place? My dad still remembers your tea-making skills and my grandma is very interested in you."

  "Okay, this semester is not as busy as last semester, and I've basically adapted to school life already."

  Laughing and chatting, the two walked into the photography club's gathering.

  "Is the club you chose fun?"

  "It's okay, I basically passed the primary training, although I'm not as good as those who have been practicing for many years, but the coaches all praised me for having a talent for foil fencing!"

  "Really? Our Harvard foil is very strong, let's strive to represent our Harvard in the competition?" Daniel said, not quite wholeheartedly, after all, Caffee's level was right there!

  "Daniel, don't laugh at me, maybe I'll really be able to participate in the competition next time!"

  "Haha, it's good that you're confident, but don't be too confident, those are all national-level masters!"

  "Shut up!"

  The party was being held at Lehman Hall and by the time Katie followed Daniel there it was almost 7:30.

  Although it was the first time to meet Daniel's friends, but strangely, why did these people seem to know each other? Was it because of attending their performance last time? No, that can't be right either. Last time's show, I didn't have much contact with them!

  Lam Kaifei looked at Daniel strangely.

  "Because you're the only Chinese person here! And you're my model too!" Daniel said proudly, as he was the president of the photography club and had every right to be proud.

  When Daniel introduced Kafi to everyone, he called it 'Oriental Mysterious Valley Orchid'!

  Mysterious Valley of Lonesome Orchids?

  Caffee looked at Daniel in puzzlement, "Am I mysterious?"

  "China is so mysterious! Not everyone understands China!"

  "Why use 'empty valley and secluded orchid' to describe it?"

  "Hehe, still remember the photo of me receiving the award?"

  "Really." Does it matter?

  "You should still remember your expression in the photo? What's not a deserted valley and a lonely orchid?"

  "Oh?" Kafi found himself unwittingly becoming a celebrity in the photography club.

  Daniel's photos of her won the gold medal at Harvard University's photography contest. According to the club's rules, Daniel will have his award-winning work printed and hung in the association's office, so almost everyone in the association is familiar with this photo. The girl in the photo was taken very vaguely, very beautiful, that kind of elegant and calm temperament makes many people who like photography want to find the girl in the photo as their own model, unfortunately, this kind of photo was taken by Daniel when he traveled to China, it is said that the mysterious oriental model, everyone's interest in the model has become more intense.

  Everyone was originally disappointed that they had never seen the real person, but unexpectedly, Ka Fei actually performed at last year's Christmas party. Although she wore a wig, some members also noticed her black hair and eyes. At the time, everyone just thought it looked familiar, and it wasn't until a classmate returned to the club and happened to notice that photo again that they suddenly remembered having seen this girl somewhere before.

  Under everyone's unanimous request, Daniel had no choice but to bring Kafi along and satisfy everyone's curiosity.

  "So that's how it is!" Kafi laughed and shook his head, looks like gossiping is indeed a common human nature!

  Kaiyun quietly listened to Xia complaining on the phone about how dissatisfied she was with her life in Beijing, how rich her classmates were, wearing all branded clothes and going to high-end places, and so on. Her eyebrows gradually furrowed, a hint of displeasure floating into her eyes.

  Xia continued to describe how one of her classmates had a birthday party, and her father, who was the boss of a company, didn't even blink an eye when he booked a "money cabinet" KTV room for his daughter. Everyone played all night, and it's said that the expenses for that evening ran into several thousand.

  She herself didn't even realize the envy and resentment in her tone. She and Hong's grades had always been average, so they couldn't enjoy the huge bonuses at home like before, and living with others made it impossible to get whatever they wanted like their cousins did. Although Ka Fei and his family hadn't treated them unfairly, buying them whatever they needed, in Chengdu they didn't feel much different from others. Now that they were living alone in Beijing, staying in the school dormitory, compared to those who commuted from home, she realized that there was indeed a difference with others, and the huge economic disparity still put some pressure on her.

  "Isn't 300 yuan a month enough for living expenses?" Kaiyun keenly felt some changes in his cousin, the former simplicity, purity and down-to-earthiness seemed to be gone, now what made Kaiyun feel was a very materialistic girl, was it because she had been away from her family for too long? Or was it because of her youth, lack of self-control, seeing the prosperous world of Beijing and being unable to control herself?

  "Not really, just thought...". Xia found her own slip of the tongue and didn't know what to say anymore, suddenly looking a bit flustered. This brother-in-law had extremely sharp insight and was always able to keenly perceive the other person's meaning, as Kafi had said more than once.

  He and Ka Fei are truly favored by heaven, their parents have money, they themselves also have skills, now they already have hundreds of millions in assets.

  It's fake to say I'm not envious, but what's the use of being envious anyway?

  Xia was very grateful to San Yi for bringing herself and Hong out to live and study together, and even solved the Beijing household registration for herself and Hong when they went abroad. However, on the other hand, Xia still had a hint of resentment in her heart - why wasn't San Yi her own mother? Why didn't her own parents have such abilities?

  "What do you think?" Lin Kaiyun asked without relaxing, a short two years of getting along couldn't change a person's nature, and with just a little temptation, they would change, wasn't that what Qing was like?

  "Do you think the world is unfair? Do you think people are not equal to each other?" Kaiyun's hand holding the phone stiffened, having already made one mistake with Qing, he absolutely couldn't make a second mistake.

  "No, I know, without you guys, Hong and I wouldn't have achieved what we have today." Xia's voice was a little down.

  "Hua, we did those things not because you need to repay us for anything, but simply because you are our relatives and we are willing to help you. However, other people's help is never long-lasting or reliable."

  "Brother, I..."

  "I and Ka Fei are studying and living in the United States, and the adults at home are not in Beijing either. You all have to take care of yourselves now, your future is in your own hands, no one can rely on anyone else except yourself, and you are now the only ones who can rely on each other. Think about it, your horizons have broadened, your thinking has changed, but your parents and siblings are still in the same old place, their lives need to be changed by you. Change doesn't mean giving them a lot of money, but rather sharing with them the new things and new ideas you've come into contact with, encouraging them to move forward. Only by seeking change can people develop further..."

  "Brother, I understand."

  "You and Hong are already in the third year of high school, not young anymore. What were we doing during our third year? We were fighting hard for the entrance exam, and Kaifei and I both entered No. 7 Middle School with very high scores. How about you now? This is not the time to care about trends, clothes, or fashion, Xia. Don't disappoint us. We brought you from Hebei to Sichuan back then, and now we're sending you to Beijing. Haven't you ever thought about why?"

  Kaiyun hopes that these words can cause Xia to pay attention, the formation of a person's character is influenced by external factors, but more depends on one's own heart.

  Don't let me down, Xia!

  "Don't say any more, I know. Everything we have now is given by you, without you, there wouldn't be the present me and Hong. " After a moment of silence, Xia's tone was filled with sadness and a hint of indignant anger.

  "Xia, don't talk nonsense. We helped you not to get your gratitude, but because it's what a relative should do. We thought you had potential and shouldn't spend your life in the countryside, so we brought you to Chengdu to live with us. You've been living with us for almost two years, and you still don't understand? Everything we have now didn't fall from the sky or was given by others, it's what we achieved through our own hard work, step by step. Are you envious of others' wealth, power, and influence? That's their stuff, and it will never be yours..."

  Don't let me down, Xia!

  "Xia, you shouldn't have forgotten how our family's kid spent the three years in high school, what time we got up every day, what we did, what we watched, and what we studied. Don't you have any feelings about that? How is it that after being in Beijing for less than half a year, you've become so different from before? The things you care about are all brand names, fashion, and entertainment... We sent you to Beijing not to follow the trendy forefront, but to give you a better learning and living environment, to let you receive a higher level of education in Beijing, not to compare with others..." Kaiyun's tone gradually became stern.

  "Xia, don't let us down, we've already had a wake-up call, I don't want to see another one. Recognize yourself, what should you be concerned about at your age? What should you be learning? Have you forgotten the words Lele and I said when she didn't want to study? To change our fate, besides studying hard, we have no other way..."

  "We don't have parents who are high officials, we don't have a lot of money, and we aren't even people who grew up in big cities from a young age. Compared to many kids in the city, we're already at a disadvantage, but we want to reach the same endpoint, so what should we do? Others walk, we run!"

  No one looks down on you except yourself!

  "Nobody can disrespect you except yourself..."

  "Looking at us now, who can say we are inferior to others, and who can say we are from the countryside?"

  "Brother..." Xia's face turned from red to green, then white, her eyes flickering uncertainly. Kaiyun's words were extremely sharp and direct, leaving no room for her to save face, directly hitting the most genuine thoughts in her heart, exposing her most unbearable and selfish side, making it impossible for her to refute or defend herself.

  These words are extremely heartbreaking and also very hurtful. In brother's eyes, am I just like Qing that materialistic and ungrateful?

  No, it's not!

  Xia felt extremely wronged and held the phone, sobbing uncontrollably. Her brother was only that gentle in front of Ka Fei, wasn't he?

  Something I've always known, why does it still feel so painful?

  After all, they have been together for almost 6 years, and I haven't even been with them for 2 years!

  Is it really a matter of familiarity breeding contempt?

  "If you really think that way, then I have nothing to say. All we've said and done is in vain. You're a huge disappointment!"

  He hung up the phone and didn't bother to listen to Xia's crying or grievances on the other end. With school, work, and his own part-time job piling up, he was already at his wit's end and had no extra time to be a psychological counselor for a young girl, sacrificing himself to save others. All he could do was remind her that if someone wants to grow up, they have to rely on themselves!

  For Kaiyun, the relationship with Xia is still a bit distant. Moreover, Kaiyun also has some resentment in her heart, why can't Xia be like Kaifei who matured early, like Yue'er who listened to her words, like Lele who was obedient, like Yang Zhen who understood things, or like Hong who had self-awareness.

  Helping her is because of the reluctance in my heart, it's out of a sense of responsibility rather than obligation.

  Not helping her, no one would blame, after all, it's each other's business. However, for the person being helped, a good thing that is abandoned halfway is worse than a bad thing, giving her hope and then despair.

  But who in this world has to be responsible for another person's life?

  We give you an opportunity for development, but you can't expect us to accompany you, help you and spoil you all your life.

  In some ways, Kaiyun is also quite cold-blooded. Perhaps the relationships between people are indeed different after all. If Kaifei were crying now, perhaps Kaiyun would put down everything in her hands to take care of Kaifei. Unfortunately, it's not her!

  "Although brother's words were a bit too much, but, Xia, you know, you've really changed a lot!" Hong hugged the crying Xia and comforted her in a low voice.

  "Do you think I'm wrong too?" Xia looked at her cousin with reddened eyes.

  "He Lan, Xiang they are better off than us, aren't they? We can now study in Beijing and enjoy the best education. He Ge and Kai Fei travel together domestically with their brothers, and we have new clothes to wear every year. What more could you be dissatisfied with?" Hong Di said, expressing her own views.

  "You shouldn't say that, it hurts brother's heart too much. Brother and Kafi are struggling in the US too, you've read Kafi's blog, even someone as strong as Kafi cried..."

  Xia whispered and cried, constantly reflecting on her actions, was she wrong?

  After listening to her sister Hong's words, Xia thought deeply about the changes she had undergone in the past six months for the first time, wondering what had made her become like this.

  I shouldn't envy those rich classmates, I shouldn't compare myself with them, I shouldn't be so fond of vanity, I shouldn't use Kofi and Gege's name to interact with my classmates, but...

  Compared to my classmates in Beijing, I and Hong are like a country bumpkin, not knowing how to play musical instruments, nor dance, without any special talents. The English that was impressive in Chengdu seems ordinary among my classmates in Beijing, many of whom have very fluent spoken language skills. What do I really have to show off?

  Watching other classmates speaking eloquently, they and Hong couldn't help but feel envious, imagining themselves becoming the center of attention like them, becoming the object of everyone's concern.

  Perhaps it was heaven's pity that gave me such an opportunity, and the letters sent back from Harvard in the US by Kaifei and her brother Kaiyun became my objects of pride, letting everyone know that Lin Kaifei is my sister and Lin Kaiyun is my brother, they are studying at a famous American school...

  Although Hong stopped herself, the envious glances from everyone at that time made her drunk, and she took the emails and photos sent back by Kafi as a capital for showing off.

  But why am I still feeling unhappy?

  Several wealthy friends in the class often invite themselves out to play, and a monthly living allowance of 300 yuan is simply not enough. It quickly becomes apparent that they are struggling financially, but it's embarrassing to say this in front of friends because others look at them with incredulous eyes. Isn't Lin Kaifei your sister? She has a patent worth 7 million, how can you be short of money?

  At first, it sounds funny that Ka Fei's money is hers, not mine, why should I have the money? But after listening to it many times, there is resentment. Ka Fei gave Yue Er an allowance of several hundred to thousands, but only 300 for herself and Hong, why is it so unfair.

  Why isn't San Yi her own mother? Why did she have to grow up in Hebei, and why didn't she grow up with Ka Fei? Why...

  It seems that I have always been thinking about how much I can get, but never considered whether I deserve to get these things. These things are gifts from others, yet I take their kindness for granted. What right do I have?

  Xia asked herself, with a hint of sadness, she had been spoiled, hehe!

  Hong's words reminded Xia of the efforts she and her brother had made when they were studying in Chengdu.

  They insisted on getting up at 6:30 every day to read books, insisting on reciting an English article every day, insisting on practicing calligraphy every day, insisting...

  How could I have forgotten?

  How could they have forgotten their past sacrifices?

  They always feel that what others get, they should also get, but how can they forget that without hard work, there will be no gain?

  Recalling the efforts of Kaiyun and Kaifei, Xia still feels a bit chilled to the bone. After Kaiyun received funding from Kaifei, he wanted to invest in companies and frequently contacted various major corporations. At first, he suffered many losses and setbacks, and had to work until 1 am every day just to learn more about business knowledge. How could it be that in less than half a year, he has already forgotten everything?

  "Survival of the fittest, it's a law of nature. If humans helped these antelopes, wouldn't that be unfair to the lions? Nature is fair, not to one particular species, but to all species. To exist in this world, you have to pay the corresponding price, there's nothing to complain about..."

  Kafi's witty remark suddenly flashed into my mind, it was when we were all watching Animal World together, at that time I felt heartache for those antelopes being chased by lions and blamed humans for not helping them, Kafi said.

  So rational, so cold-blooded!

  Survival of the fittest is the law of nature!

  Don't want to be eliminated? Then become the fastest running antelope!

  Or become the lion that can hunt down the upper antelope!

  Mother-daughter exchange

  "Mom, I want to ask you something. What feelings do you still have towards my biological father and his family?" It was a weekend evening, and Kafi was lying on her mother's bed, having a rare close conversation with her mother.

  "How did you suddenly think of asking this?" Her mother looked at her daughter with some surprise.

  "There's nothing, I just suddenly thought of this today and wanted to know your evaluation of my two fathers." These words were also exchanged with her mother in her previous life, but it was already after she had started reading for her master's degree. By the time she had matured mentally and could guide her mother, leading her to calmly face her marriage, it seemed like it was a bit too late, as her mother no longer had the time or age to pursue what she wanted at that point.

  What about now? Now that we've all grown up, I'm at least 10 years ahead of schedule in asking the same question, and today's mother is absolutely not the mother from back then. Today's mother, whether in terms of experience or ability, is far more mature than the mother in my memory who was over 40 years old. She can now calmly face all sorts of ups and downs in life.

  Lin Tianxiu fell into thought for a moment, recalling her two ex-husbands she had been with before, thinking of their good qualities and their bad ones, getting lost in memories of the past.

  "Your biological father, Zhou Mingli, is a very selfish person. He doesn't believe in love and has some personality defects. When he was young, due to the extreme poverty at home, he developed an obsessive pursuit of material things. The discrimination he suffered from others when he was young also made him overly concerned about what others think of him, his suspiciousness is too heavy..."

  His brother Zhou Mingwen is also a selfish person, preferring sons to daughters. His daughter Zhou Yunjing has a pretty good personality, but unfortunately, as a teenage girl, she lacks nutrition and didn't develop well. It's said that at home, all the good food was given to her younger brother first...

  Kafi nodded, all of these were things that happened in the past. Now that everyone had matured and met again in Chengdu, they chatted about old times. Kafi had heard Da Biao Jie mention them before. But since she had sent money to Da Biao Jie, her life should be much better than it was back then.

  "Your great aunt He Lingyu can only be said to be average, not as selfish as Zhou Ping, slightly better, but with too little insight..."

  "Zhou Ting is ill and can't take care of He Yan, but He Yan is actually quite mature. However, if it were your biological father and Zhou Mingwen who came to educate her, they would eventually make He Yan rebellious."

  "Zhou Jie is not bad, has good luck, her husband Qin Gang is a very good person, very down-to-earth. I actually had prejudices against her before, thinking she was no good, not a good woman, with too casual private life. It's also because she found this honest man Qin Gang that she's doing okay now."

  Hehe, now that I've seen more of the world, I think her way of doing things isn't necessarily wrong. It's a lifestyle, being in contact with different men, figuring out who doesn't suit you, and finally finding one that does, then grabbing onto him and getting married - it's actually not a bad way to do things."

  "Really?" Kafi smiled at her mother, never expecting her mom's thoughts to change so much.

  "You know, in our time, relationships between men and women were very serious. There was a saying that bad women would eventually marry good men, while many good women would end up with unsatisfactory husbands. But what is a good woman, and what is a bad woman? It's just the perspective of people back then, who thought that women shouldn't have too much contact with men. Generally, when men and women were together, it was through introductions by others. As long as they didn't dislike each other, even if there wasn't any feeling, they would still get married. There were very few women who dared to continuously date different men... at that time, this kind of woman would be considered unseemly, a bad woman in the eyes of everyone..." Mom's eyebrows and eyes were filled with smiles as she described the unique marriage phenomenon of that era.

  "What's your view now?"

  "Actually, many people's views are constantly changing. Look at how much our family has changed in just a few years. Six years ago, I absolutely couldn't have imagined that one day I'd be living in the US, watching my daughter and her friends attend world-renowned universities. Do you think my views could still be the same as before?"

  Mom smiled and joked, everything is really like in a dream, these years have changed too fast, so fast that people can't adapt.

  "What about my stepfather Wang Jiye?"

  "He's actually a good person, very good, a good husband and a good father. Isn't he good to you?" With her daughter's affirmative nod, Lin Tianxiu slowly fell into deep thought, reminiscing as she spoke, "Wang Jiye isn't a bad person, perhaps all men have some selfishness. These past few years our family has developed too quickly, so fast that I'm having trouble adapting. Your father is more suited to being a traditional intellectual, teaching and educating people. He's not adapted to the business world. He was deeply educated in tradition, with filial piety as his top priority. He wouldn't dare go against your grandmother's wishes. His brother Wang Chengye has ulterior motives, and his sister Lili isn't someone to be trifled with either. They're all plotting against our family. He's a good person, but he doesn't have the ability to maintain this household. If we continue this marriage, it will harm both of us..."

  "What about him and Xiao Jin?"

  "Actually, after some things passed, I thought it through. Who doesn't make mistakes in this world? If you don't make mistakes, how can you improve? During that time, I was indeed a bit exhausted and didn't have the mood to socialize with his family anymore, and I also cooled down towards some of his behaviors, so at that time I strongly demanded a divorce..."

  "Was it an impulse? Mom, you regretted?" Kafi was still a bit surprised that her mom would regret it. At the time, seeing how heartbroken and disappointed her mom was, she thought leaving might be for the best, but now her mom regretted it. Had they made a mistake back then?

  "A person's emotions can't be controlled by reason, now that I've come out and seen more of the world, I've met many excellent men, but there are almost none who truly have feelings." Lin Tianxiu's tone was a bit down.

  "How could this be?" It doesn't make sense, Mom has met so many excellent men, can't she see anything in any of them?

  "Kafi, do you know? My thoughts and ideas have been branded with a mark from that era. And after achieving some success, when I go to interact with those people, I always feel a sense of instability. I don't understand their past, I don't understand their family, I don't understand their background. Moreover, it's hard for me to easily trust them. Who can confirm whether they are looking at your money or you as a person? Who can guarantee that their family relationships are not complicated at all? Who can affirm that you will definitely accept them?"

  "Mom, I promise you this: as long as it's someone you like, I'll absolutely accept him, on the condition that he treats you well!" Ka Fei hastily raised his hand to show his determination, and absolutely couldn't let himself become an obstacle to his mother finding a second spring in life!

  "Hehe, but I don't have much heart to accept other men!"

  "Mom, doesn't that mean you still have feelings for dad?" Does it mean they'll have another chance? Ka Fei pondered her mother's words and after a while, she figured out the implication. It seems mom is the slow-burning, nostalgic type. She said so herself, that she's clever and good at understanding people, but why can't she accept others in terms of emotions? Turns out it's genetic!

  "How to say it? Anyway, I don't have any feelings for other men......" Lin Tianxiu seemed to feel a bit embarrassed discussing these emotions in front of his daughter, and rubbed her hair, "Don't just ask me about myself, what about you and Lance? Even a blind person can see that Lance has feelings for you. In the past, I've noticed those few boys all had a crush on you, but you seemed to never have any reaction. This time you came over, it seems like you've finally come around?"

  The two mother and daughter chattered away, more like close friends than parent and child, sharing their innermost thoughts with each other.

  "Hehe" Ke Fi smiled, "It should be Lan Qi, I have a good feeling about him. When he says the same words as others, it sounds more comfortable. We've been together for so long and are used to living with everyone. If one day he's not around, it would really feel a bit unusual. When he's not here, I occasionally think of him. When other boys give me hints, I always compare them to Lan Qi in my heart, thinking that they either don't have Lan Qi's gentleness, or his handsomeness, or his personality..."

  "Alright, alright, I know. In your eyes, Lan Qi is perfect." Lin Tian Xiu couldn't help but interrupt her daughter's lengthy argument.

  "I'm perfect in his eyes too." Kafi said without modesty.

  "Hmph." Lin Tianxiu suddenly burst out laughing and happily hugged his daughter, "Yes, my daughter is of course perfect, that's how she is in my heart. Alright, listen to the judge's formal announcement, Miss Lin Kaifei, you're in love!"

  "Thank the judge for his verdict, thank CCTV, thanks to the audience in front of the TV, thank my friends who have been caring about and supporting me, thank..." Ke Fei was in a great mood, cracking jokes as he used to.

  "Stop messing around, what's with CCTV?"

  "Oh, nothing, just said casually." I remembered now, CCTV hasn't changed its name yet.

  "But, Ka Fei, Mom doesn't object to you dating, but there are some things that need attention. You..." The mother hesitated and seemed a bit embarrassed.

  "Mom, are you referring to boys and girls?"

  "Do you know?" Lin Tianxiu's face turned red as he looked at his daughter, strangely, it seemed like the roles had been reversed. Why was he the one blushing while his daughter appeared extremely calm? Lin Tianxiu wondered to himself.

  "Mom, this is America. This kind of knowledge is only hidden and reserved in China, but it's very common here. Of course, 'common' doesn't mean casual, but rather that everyone treats it as a normal thing, not as mysterious as it is back home. I've been reading medical books since I was young, do you think I wouldn't have come across this kind of knowledge? A professor even mentioned in class that to prevent AIDS, people are encouraged to use condoms during ***, and some people even give out condoms as business cards..."

  Kai Fei remembered when he first met a stranger who handed him a condom as if it were a business card, and solemnly reminded himself.

  "Please use a condom!"

  How embarrassing! How flushed with shame!

  It's okay now, I'm used to it!

  "Uh, uh, you guys..." Lin Tianxiu didn't know what to say.

  "Mom, don't worry, I'm still very conservative, Lance is also a gentleman, we haven't crossed the Rubicon yet!" Kafi hurriedly assured her mother.

  "Oh!" Lin Tianxiu let out a sigh of relief, "Actually, I'm not against you guys..."

  Wait a minute, what am I saying? Am I actually encouraging my daughter and her boyfriend to sleep together? Stop it.

  "Cough cough, actually what I mean is, you're all still young and not quite suitable..."

  "Mom, don't worry, I'm studying medicine too, I know that premature *** is bad for the development of both boys and girls."

  "Cough cough, I'm relieved then." Lin Tianxiu was still taken aback by his daughter's straightforward words.

  Alas, how did my daughter become so mature? She's almost 15 years old. What are other 15-year-old girls doing? It seems like they're still at the age where they're just starting to develop feelings for boys. Why does my own daughter seem like she's been through a lot and has a wise-beyond-her-years air about her? Talking to her is nothing like talking to a kid, it's scary how mature and rational she is.

  Having been to so many places and seen many precocious kids, but someone like my daughter who has almost the thinking of an adult seems to be very rare. Is my daughter really a genius? Can she understand things that others can only grasp after five years in just five months, making her thinking mature to the point of being frightening?

  Lin Tianxiu was frightened by her daughter's words, and she began to think wildly. Kafi sat beside her, quietly observing her mother's profile, smelling the fragrance of her mother's body after a bath. The feeling of happiness spread, from a young age, she had been communicating with her mother like friends, it can be said with certainty that without her mother's encouragement, heart-to-heart talks and meticulous care, she would not have grown up so healthy, so lively, so natural, almost no one could tell that she came from a divorced family.

  Kafi closed her eyes happily, as long as it was what her mother wanted, she would go and fight for it, as long as she could be happy, that was her greatest comfort!

  I hope this happiness can last a little longer!

  I slept comfortably on my mother's bed and woke up early the next morning. My mom was already up.

  "Mom, Mom, I'm hungry..." Rarely lazy, Ka Fei naturally acted cute towards her own mother.

  "Kafi, get up and have breakfast." Mother came over with a cup of warm water in her hand and handed it to Kafi naturally.

  Looking at the steaming porridge and several small dishes in the living room, for some reason, Caffee suddenly felt an urge to cry, feeling too happy!

  Memories of past lives flashing in Ka Fei's mind, constantly impacting him. His brain is filled with memories of his mother getting up early every day for 6 years to make breakfast for him during his junior high and high school years, worrying that the food from small restaurants would affect her daughter's physical development. Every morning, a cup of warm water, hot water bottles in bed on winter mornings... everything was so unforgettable, so blissful, although ordinary, yet deeply etched in memory...

  "Kafi, Kafi? What are you spacing out for?" Her mom looked at her in surprise as she suddenly spaced out.

  "It's okay, mom, I just feel so happy being your daughter!" Kafi suddenly hugged her mother and said with deep emotion.

  "You are my daughter, and I am happy!" Lin Tianxiu didn't understand, but still hugged her own daughter and said what was in her heart. Really, this daughter is excellent and considerate, making herself laugh even when she's asleep!