The Warmth of Everyday Life

It was another peaceful workday.

The nine-to-six wage slaves yawned as they crowded onto the subway, as usual, while students used their nimble frames to claim the few empty seats.

Dania had her arm linked through Xiao Ling's, her head resting against him as she dozed drowsily.

The subway was bumpy, hardly a good place to sleep, and standing up made it even harder for her to drift off.

Xiao Ling felt his arm growing a little numb, but he didn't dare move. If he upset this little blueberry cupcake, she wouldn't be easy to pacify.

Dania had originally planned to sleep until she woke naturally, but Xiao Ling had dragged her out of bed. After all, he was going to pick Chisa and the others up and bring them back to his home today. It would also be a chance for her to see someone from her hometown.

And besides...

"If Dania gets to see Sigrika, she'll probably be happy."

After all, in the game, the two best friends Sigrika and Dania belonged to different worlds, and parting was a lesson they were destined to face. But this was the real world. Just because they couldn't meet in the game didn't mean they couldn't meet in reality~

Still, aside from his numb arm, there was another very real problem facing him.

Dania really did attract too much attention!!!!

She was still groggy and probably didn't notice much, but Xiao Ling could feel that the two of them had unwittingly become the center of attention in the subway car.

There was no helping it. A naturally beautiful girl like Dania, stunning even without a trace of makeup, was just too overpowering. He, on the other hand, looked somewhat down and out, and the contrast made the other people on the subway feel jealous without realizing it.

Xiao Ling felt as though the looks the others gave him were knives stabbing into him, each one demanding to know how he had managed to find such a beautiful girlfriend.

What else could he do? He could only lower his head and keep playing on his phone. As long as he didn't meet their eyes, he wouldn't feel guilty.

Good heavens, taking Dania out alone was already like this. If he brought the other four beautiful girls along too, he'd really suffer social death.

Although his inner monologue was running wild, Xiao Ling had done a decent job of keeping up appearances. He was, after all, something of a hidden rich second-generation heir now, and he'd learned a little from his family about how to handle this sort of situation.

So at most, the people on the subway judged him with their eyes, but none dared come over and pick a fight. To outsiders, Xiao Ling looked like a cold blade, and anyone who ran afoul of him was sure to bleed badly.

Besides, no one wanted to invite trouble. Finding such a beautiful girlfriend was his own accomplishment; all they could do was say the grapes were sour because they couldn't reach them.

After enduring the ordeal, Xiao Ling finally saw the subway reach their stop. Without wasting a moment, he pulled the still-dozing Dania off the train.

Dania gave a lazy stretch, fully extending the graceful curves of her body. The morning sun lit her gently, giving her an ethereal, dreamlike air.

"What time did you go to sleep last night?" Xiao Ling asked.

"...Huh?" Dania was momentarily confused. Then she touched her chin with her index finger, frowning slightly as she recalled, "I think it was pretty late... But I didn't check the time. I was too busy gaming, and when I felt a little sleepy, I just went straight to sleep."

Well, now it's not Lament's erosion affecting her sleep, but electronic opium... Xiao Ling thought with some dismay.

"Stay up gaming less often, unless you want panda eyes." Xiao Ling flicked her forehead and gave her a stern warning.

"Got it. I'll do it again next time." Dania covered her forehead and playfully stuck out her tongue.

After that little interlude, Xiao Ling led her out of the subway station. They passed a few traffic lights and took several turns before arriving in a small alley.

The alley was nowhere near as bustling as the place Xiao Ling had taken her before. It looked rather shabby and rundown. Most of the people there wore ordinary clothes, too, so she and Xiao Ling looked like phoenixes among pheasants.

Some aging signs, the calls of older men along the street, and the aroma of food wafting from various little eateries together gave the alley its own warmth and lively atmosphere.

It was a great shock to Dania. In Solaris, no one would even notice if a place like this disappeared, but in this world, the people here could also live and work in peace and contentment.

"It's really been a long time since I came back..."

Xiao Ling was quite surprised. The place where Chisa and the others now lived was the very place where he and his mother had once struggled to survive.

The alley might not have been very prosperous, but it held a great many memories of his childhood.

"See that Shaxian snack shop? The owner is a really good guy. His mixed noodles are delicious, and the portions are big and cheap. Back when I was short on money, I'd go there and order a five-yuan bowl of mixed noodles. If I wasn't full, I'd ask him to add some more noodles for free. He seemed pretty upbeat, always cheerful every day."

"Oh, right, and that breakfast shop on the right. Their steamed buns were only five jiao each, and they were huge. Three or four of them would stuff me. When I really couldn't afford a meal, I'd buy a few dozen and ration them out each day. They could last me quite a while."

Xiao Ling pointed out all the old shops to Dania, sharing traces of the life he had once lived there as he went.

His relatives treated him and his mother well now, but he had never forgotten the time when the two of them had depended on each other.

Life had been hard then, and it had felt as though there was no end in sight. But looking back now, it felt rather like the clouds had finally parted to reveal the moon.

"Want something to eat?" Xiao Ling asked the little foodie beside him.

"I want to try those big steamed buns you said cost five jiao each."

Dania couldn't help feeling that Xiao Ling was exaggerating. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing was believing, so she had to try them herself.

"Sure."

Xiao Ling took her hand and walked with her to the breakfast stall.

"Hey there, handsome, beautiful! What can I get you today?" the stall owner greeted them warmly.

The owner was a middle-aged woman with a somewhat plump face and a kindly look. Seeing Xiao Ling and Dania approach, she deftly opened a steamer basket, releasing billows of steam along with the aroma of the buns.

"Do you still have those steamed buns for five jiao each?"

"No can do, young man. Prices have gone up. Five jiao won't get you a thing here now," the woman said matter-of-factly.

"Has Uncle Li stopped working?" Xiao Ling suddenly mentioned a name.

"Hey, you know my father-in-law?" The woman's eyes lit up. "The old man's not in good health now, so he can't do heavy work. My husband's away working, and since I'm home looking after the kids, I help my father-in-law mind the stall too."

"I see..."

That made sense. Once people grew old, they had to get some proper rest.

Xiao Ling didn't continue chatting. He just asked the woman for a few steamed buns. He had just paid and was about to leave when she suddenly cried, "Oh!"

"What is it?" Xiao Ling asked, puzzled.

"I remember now! I've seen you before! Wasn't your childhood name Xiao Yu?" The woman had finally recognized the person before her as someone she knew from years ago, and she was quite happy. "You were only this little back then, not even as tall as this stall. Now you're a whole head taller than me!"

"I grew up," Xiao Ling said with a smile.

"Is this young lady your girlfriend? She's so pretty!" Before anyone could react, the woman pinched Dania's cheek, leaving a thin layer of gray dust on her fair little face.

"Tell you what, I'll put a few more buns in for you. No need to pay extra. You just focus on making things work with this young lady. I'll wish you two a lifetime of happiness together right now!"

Without giving Xiao Ling a chance to refuse, the woman stuffed a few more buns into the bag and promptly sent them on their way.

Dania couldn't eat another bite after putting away two steamed buns.

"What do we do now? That lady gave us too many. I can't finish them." Dania looked at Xiao Ling with a hint of reproach, the dusting of flour still clinging to her cheek.

"Then save them for later," Xiao Ling said with a grin.

Dania rolled her eyes in exasperation. It was actually pretty cute.

"Where are we going now? You didn't bring me here just to reminisce about your childhood, did you?" Only then did Dania ask Xiao Ling the purpose of their trip.

"To pick someone up." Xiao Ling took a warm steamed bun from the plastic bag Dania was carrying and stuffed it into his mouth, then carefully wiped the dust from her cheek.

"Who?"

"You'll know soon enough."

Munching on their steamed buns, Xiao Ling and Dania walked all the way to the end of the alley.