Zheng Jin licked his finger and turned another page of the Global Guide to Watches that Zheng Su Nian had bought for him.
He said, "Su Nian, look at this clock. Sigh, once I retire, I’ll visit the British Museum."
“If you really want to go, we can go next May for the holiday,” Zheng Su Nian replied, banging pots and pans in the kitchen. “No need to wait until retirement.”
“No, I need to save up for your wedding,” Zheng Jin said seriously. “You keep delaying marriage, but there will be more expenses.”
“There you go again,” Zheng Su Nian hurriedly came out of the kitchen, holding a hot pan with a cloth. “It never ends, does it? It’s either marriage or kids. Can’t you focus on something else?”
“Oh, so marriage and kids mean I have no ambition?” Zheng Jin said, growing angry. “You’re almost thirty, still no steady girlfriend. Every time I mention it, you get mad. How can I not be worried?”
“Dad,” Zheng Su Nian stabbed the ladle into the rice. “If you keep this up, I won’t eat.”
Zheng Jin grumbled and went to eat. As he ate, he muttered to himself. When Zheng Su Nian looked at him, he feigned outrage: “What? You won’t let me talk, so I can’t even talk to myself?”
Zheng Su Nian had run out of patience.
Why do people get like this as they age?
After finishing dinner, Zheng Su Nian washed the dishes and returned to his own place. He wasn’t the type to keep in close touch with old friends, nor did he enjoy socializing. Zhang Qi was far away in the U.S., and Pei Shu had disappeared completely. His days consisted mostly of replicating paintings at the Forbidden City and occasionally catching up with Bai Yun Sheng. With his father getting older and his health not what it used to be, Zheng Su Nian spent most of his free time at home, keeping the old man company.
Occasionally, though, he would dream of Shao Xue.
The settings of these dreams always changed, as did the people who appeared. But Shao Xue was always wearing the blue and white school uniform, walking just three steps ahead of him.
He never managed to close the distance.
By the time they reached outside, it would start snowing, or perhaps a thick fog would roll in—never good weather. When he looked up again, Shao Xue would be gone.
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