Chapter 190

"The cruelest thing isn't being born blind, but losing your sight after witnessing beautiful scenery." This thought suddenly surfaced in the girl's mind. Hua Xin put down her water glass, rested her hands on the sink, and quietly looked at herself in the mirror. Just like she looked at "herself" six months ago. But back then, her emotions and eyes were clearly filled with panic, while now she was so calm. Time flies. The girl gently removed a long hair that was stuck to her ear; it must have fallen out when she was tying her hair into a ponytail. Unconsciously, she had been a girl for half a year. Some male habits remained, but not as strong as before. Tying her hair, washing her hair, knowing what to do when she had her period, women's underwear, paying attention to how to wear skirts and stockings... these things sounded so perverse and unbelievable to her former self. How could a grown man like her have the opportunity to know these things? So... was she really a girl now? Was all of this really just a fragile dream? A lost and bewildered look appeared in Hua Xin's eyes. Coming to her senses, the girl hesitated, placing her right hand on the back of her left. The faint water stains stood out starkly against her fair skin. What if it was all a dream? When she woke up, she would still be that lonely, penniless shut-in. She wouldn't attract Xia Yan's attention by pretending to be a girl, nor would she have any further interaction with Xia Yan. Her troubles and anxieties would vanish. She could be the same as before. Why worry about being exposed, being captured and dissected, or... Hua Xin gently pursed her lips, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her. She knew exactly what she was thinking. With a slight pressure, her fingernails easily left a red mark on her fair hand. It hurt. Like being pricked by a needle. But... "It's not a dream," Hua Xin murmured softly, as if in a dream, touching the red mark with a smile and a sense of relief. Then, let it continue like this. Until the day she could end reality and her beautiful dream. 148. Just one quilt?? 6k4 "Dumplings, dumplings, delicious dumplings?~" "Beef, beef, so fragrant beef??~" "Spare ribs, spare ribs, spare ribs~" "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, fun sister-in-law~..." Uh?, something strange seems to have wandered in. Hua Xin was slightly silent, then once again brilliantly ignored the rather strange last sentence, immersing herself in the joy of checking the long-stored delicacies in the refrigerator. The day after tomorrow is the New Year!!! It's the most important festival of the year?! [It's never wrong to be polite, I wish all the girls in the world marry a good boy, and the two of them will always be together~ I wish all the children in the world are smarter than scholars...] Just thinking about that joyous festival, Andy Lau would bring this background music that she had heard since childhood to the streets and alleys and on television. Don't think that the girl had never left home before, but she had never missed the Spring Festival Gala every year. Although it got worse every year, it still held significant meaning for Hua Xin. She had endured a year of hardship, scrimping and saving to the bare minimum for survival, all for the sake of indulging a little during the short New Year holidays... The girl sniffled, tears welling in her eyes as she thought about it. Looking at the bags of frozen food in the freezer, she felt no disgust, but rather a sense of relief, as if she were seeing her beloved son, whom she had raised for years, finally getting married. All of this was the result of her own hard work. Today... today was finally the day of harvest!! "Little spare ribs, hehe, my little spare ribs..." Hua Xin, moved to tears, gently stroked the cheap, frozen lump of spare ribs. The extra stripes and ribs were obvious to anyone who frequently shopped for groceries; it wasn't just spare ribs. It was more like spare rib scraps than spare ribs. Most of the frozen food on the second and third shelves was of the same quality. Pre-made dishes like shredded pork with garlic sauce and Mapo Tofu... frozen pork and scallion dumplings and three-delicacy dumplings, along with clumps of frozen vegetables like cabbage, kelp, and frozen tofu—cheap foods. Add to that the hot pot base in the crisper drawer and a can of meat nearing its expiration date, and these constituted all of Hua Xin's sources of joy throughout the New Year. Although she ate hot pot with Xia Yan, and enjoyed crab roe noodles and takoyaki—things she'd never eaten before—after the festivities, reality had to return. People, after all, understand the importance of moderation... Our ancestors didn't follow Napoleon into France, nor did they follow Lincoln to unify the North and South under the Union Jack. For ordinary people like us, simply living happily is already something to celebrate. The girl took a small plastic bag from the hidden compartment and then closed the refrigerator door contentedly. These things were meant for the New Year's Eve dinner later; for now... she planned to use the shrimp she had to make a perfect shrimp and fish cake noodle soup! "The noodles I snagged during Singles' Day are still stored away in my little cubicle as a food reserve! Now's the perfect time to eat them!" She took two bags of noodles from the supply depot and skipped over to the kitchen. Luckily, the kitchen window was airtight, otherwise she'd be freezing again. "I'm a winter gourmet, I love noodles and hawthorn..." "One tube of Thirteen Spices a day, la la la la la la..." Hua Xin hummed a homemade tune as she tore open a bag of noodles. Today, she'd have a proper noodle meal, then play games with Chun Qiu all day, right? What to play... chess or LoL...? The two options had barely crossed her mind when she immediately dismissed the latter. Her movements paused for a moment because of the painful memories she didn't want to face. She remembered that night, a night that could only be described as a disaster. The League of Legends S14 World Championship finals... After a long day at the cat café, Hua Xin rushed home to watch the match, and on this rare day outside of the holiday, she prepared some snacks and sugary drinks. Most of them were gifts from Xia Fen and Li Xue. The match was marketed as the strongest all-Chinese team in history versus LPL's eternal nightmare. If this momentum were built up, a little hype, combined with the game's natural traffic and audience reach, would be enough to make it the most entertaining and impactful episode of the year. It's safe to say that whether you're a female or male esports player, this is an irresistible match! It seems like a fateful duel, carrying the hopes of their respective regions. Although she knew it might be very difficult to win... but... the girl expressionlessly lifted the lid of the boiling water pot, the steam that rushed out resembling the sugary drinks Hua Xin had spilled in a fit of anger that night. But who could have imagined that she had stayed up all night watching the match from 10 PM until 4 AM to finish watching the final...