Chapter 287 - 284: Warmth on a Snowy Night

Chapter 287: Chapter 284: Warmth on a Snowy Night

After delivering the art drafts to the company on time, Qiuting couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

’Today’s tasks are done. Another fulfilling day.’

She locked up the company office and rode her bike out of Tsinghua Science Park. When she saw a small food stall on the roadside selling savory crepes, the fragrant aroma wafting through the air made her stomach rumble.

But one look at the price made her hesitate. A basic one with no extras cost five yuan. ’So expensive!’

She thought about it and decided against it. Five yuan was enough for two meals at the school cafeteria.

But... it smelled so good!

For a moment, two little figures—hunger and poverty—battled it out in her mind. Should she eat something delicious or save her money? She agonized over it for a long time without making a decision.

A blast of the Imperial Capital’s cold night wind made Qiuting shiver. She cupped her hands to her mouth, breathing a puff of warm air into them before rubbing them together quickly.

Just as she was preparing to pedal back to her dorm in one go, the telltale cough of a QQ notification sounded from her phone.

She pulled it out and saw it was a message from Brother Su.

[Brother Su]: Qiuting, did you deliver the drafts?

[Qiuting]: Delivered!

[Brother Su]: Thanks for the trouble. You could have just sent them tomorrow morning, you know. No need to rush.

[Qiuting]: No, no, no, tomorrow has its own tasks. Thank you for the support, Brother Su. I hope you’ll keep this up and not delay your drafts in the future. Keep up the great work!

Qiuting typed quickly. Ultimately, whether she could finish her work on time depended on whether Su Qing and Luo Peng submitted their drafts on schedule.

[Brother Su]: Don’t rush me...

[Qiuting]: smile.jpg

As she smelled the savory crepes in the air, her stomach started to growl again.

She swallowed hard. Suddenly, she really wanted to buy him a savory crepe. ’They say you can’t be hard on someone who’s just treated you. If I do this, maybe Brother Su won’t dare to delay his drafts anymore.’

She looked up at the sky, where snow was beginning to drift down. Taking a deep breath, she slowly typed.

[Qiuting]: Brother Su, could you come out for a bit right now?

◇

Seeing Su Qing changing his shoes so late, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but ask, "Nanny Su, where are you off to?"

Su Qing pursed his lips and said hesitantly, "Just finished the drafts. Going out for a stroll."

"Are you sure? It was snowing lightly when I came back. I wonder if it’s gotten heavier," Jiang Xia said.

"I know. I’ll be back soon."

Thinking that Qiuting probably didn’t have an umbrella with her bike, Su Qing grabbed his own on the way out.

As he stepped outside, the cold air made him shiver instinctively. Under the glow of a streetlight, Su Qing looked up at the swirling snowflakes and exhaled a puff of white breath.

’It really has gotten heavier.’

He found his bicycle in the shed under his dorm building. After putting on his gloves, he wiped the thin layer of ice off the seat and sat down, a chill immediately seeping through.

He pushed down hard on the pedal. The wheels turned, and flecks of snow fell from the chain with a soft rustle. He rode his bike toward the campus exit, leaving a deep track in the vast white snow, which was quickly covered by the falling flakes.

Half an hour later, Su Qing found Qiuting crouched at the entrance of Tsinghua Science Park. The fierce, snowy wind was whipping into the sheltered area where she sat. She was clutching two savory crepes to her chest, which still held a bit of warmth.

"I timed the purchase just right, but I didn’t expect them to get cold so fast. There’s only a tiny bit of warmth left," Qiuting said in a small voice, holding out the crepes.

Seeing her little face flushed red from the wind and snow, Su Qing said, exasperated, "Qiuting, you called me out this late at night just to buy me a savory crepe?"

She hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded emphatically. "I got hungry on my way here, and the savory crepes that lady was selling smelled so good I couldn’t walk away. And, well, to thank you for always looking out for me, I wanted to treat you to one."

Qiuting scratched her head, a little embarrassed. Her hair was dotted with snowflakes. ’I don’t remember it snowing this hard just now,’ she thought.

Su Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The girl was so naively innocent at times; he didn’t know what to say to her. They sold savory crepes at the university, too. She didn’t have to come all the way out here to buy one.

Still, he didn’t refuse her kind gesture.

He took the savory crepe from her. He could still feel a faint warmth. He took a bite. "It’s cold, but it’s edible."

Qiuting was full of regret. "I should have waited for you to get here before buying it."

As she spoke, she took a bite of her own. Mmm, so fragrant. It was delicious even when cold.

Su Qing noticed her hands were tucked into her sleeves. He didn’t need to guess to know they were surely red and icy cold.

He took off his own gloves and handed them to her. "Quick, put these on."

Then he looked around and saw an old woman pushing a cart, calling out as she walked, selling dough drop soup. Needless to say, on a snowy night like this, the soup must be selling very well.

"Qiuting, wait for me a second."

"Hey, Su—"

Before Qiuting could call him back, he turned and ran over.

Qiuting stared blankly at the leather gloves in her hands.

"Ma’am, two bowls of dough drop soup, please."

The woman saw the cold savory crepe in his hand and smiled. "Coming right up! Let me tell you, young man, my dough drop soup recipe has been passed down for decades. One bowl will warm you right up, chase away the cold."

Su Qing smiled and paid.

Two minutes later, he returned with two small disposable bowls.

"Qiuting, have some soup. You can dip the savory crepe in it," he said.

"You have it, Brother Su. I’m not cold," Qiuting said, shaking her head.

"I already bought them. I can’t eat two bowls by myself. Are you going to make me throw one away? That would be a waste of food."

Hearing this, Qiuting’s face reddened as she slowly took a bowl from him.

As a child who grew up in the mountains, the thing she hated most was wasting food.

Besides, she was supposed to be treating Brother Su to a savory crepe. How did it turn into him treating her to dough drop soup?

"Thank you, Brother Su."

"Don’t do something so silly again."

Su Qing sighed helplessly. He crouched down with Qiuting under the awning of the Tsinghua Science Park entrance. A bite of savory crepe, a sip of dough drop soup—the combination was surprisingly good.

"My grandma makes dough drop soup, too," Qiuting said suddenly, her thoughts turning to her grandmother. "But she doesn’t usually put minced meat in it, and it’s not as delicious as this." She was all alone in the mountains. Qiuting wondered if she was cold on a night like this.

"But I still like my grandma’s dough drop soup the best. The dough she makes is so soft and mushy, it sticks to your teeth."

Su Qing sensed something was off in her voice. He looked up at her and saw large tears rolling down her cheeks.

He didn’t know how to comfort her, so he just said, "Qiuting, your grandma would be so happy to know you miss her this much. She’ll always be watching over you from heaven."

Qiuting stopped crying, looked up at him with a mournful expression, and said, "Brother Su... my grandma’s still alive."

Su Qing’s expression froze.