Chapter 422 - 424 Precious Gift
Jiang Xue listened to the man’s words, a gleam of triumph appearing in her eyes.
Xia Xiaonuan... all of this is your own doing! If there comes a day when I really leave Liang Shaochen, by then, the person he hates might not be me, but you...
...
Xia Xiaonuan walked out of the café alone, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, one by one, descending onto her head. She looked up, a delicate flake landed on her cheek and melted instantly.
Many small shops along the street had started to decorate, their windows filled with colorful paintings, small Christmas trees, and Santa Claus figures placed at the entrances. Workers were busily hanging lanterns beside the street lamps, creating a warm and festive atmosphere everywhere in anticipation of the upcoming holiday.
Only then did Xia Xiaonuan suddenly realize that Christmas was approaching.
When she was at the orphanage, her favorite holiday was Christmas, because at that time, the head of the orphanage would give everyone a new pair of socks in advance, and then everyone would hang their socks at the head of their beds. The next morning, they would find different gifts in their socks.
Colorful candies, sweet and glutinous chestnuts, little Santa Claus figures made of clay, an eraser, various colorful balloons, stickers, and if they were lucky, even a coin.
At the break of dawn, the children would wake up early, then excitedly take out their socks and pour their contents onto their small beds with a rustling sound.
Comparing whose gifts were the best.
Qiqi was always the most proud one, because she always received the most gifts. One year, she even got a little doll.
At that time, when she poured the doll out, all the children screamed in excitement.
None of them understood why skinny little Qiqi was always so lucky.
Then Nan Mo would burst out from the crowd, pretending to cry in front of Qiqi, saying, why do you have so many gifts? And I only have one chestnut?
Nan Mo would say this while biting into the chestnut, his delicate face would immediately scrunch up, "Waa, it’s spoiled..."
Everyone would laugh at Nan Mo until their stomachs hurt; but their envy for Qiqi only grew stronger.
They even called her their "little lucky star." Later, whatever she said, the other children would follow her lead.
Xia Xiaonuan was so foolish back then.
She actually believed she was the luckiest child in the world, thinking it was Santa Claus who came down the chimney while she was asleep, just to bring her the most and best gifts.
There was even a time when, while everyone was playing games around the bonfire, she sneakily took the doll and ran to the orphanage’s boiler room chimney, softly and earnestly thanking Santa Claus for being so good to her and giving her the gift she had always wanted.
Of course, she hoped to continue receiving more gifts in the future...
It wasn’t until after Nan Mo left that she slowly understood, there was no Santa Claus climbing out of a dust-filled chimney at midnight, face covered in soot, to distribute gifts to everyone.
When Nan Mo left, there was no one anymore to secretly put all their received gifts into her socks while she slept at night, no one who would quietly go to Mr. Li at the boiler room to pick coal for a month, till their ten fingers were all wounded, still laughing and telling her they got injured playing basketball at school.
Caring and clean-loving Nan Mo, washing his canvas shoes until they were white, his little handkerchief always exuding the fresh scent of laundry detergent, yet he endured a month in that dirty coal pile.
Only to use the earned "tips" to buy her a doll she desperately dreamed of having...