The Language of Love

Ch-3 Cherry blossoms

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Weiwei is living with her relatives in Shanghai.

(My use of mandarin may be wrong. So, feel free to correct me.)

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Rewritten on: 12.05.2021

(A few days later)

"Weiwei, do you want to go out for lunch today? Now that you are going to live in China for the next few years, you better get used to the food here. If you go out with friends, you will have at least some idea about the food."

"Bro, why is everything we do together somehow related to college? I am attending college here, not preparing for some secret spy mission! So enough with it!"

"As you wish. But we are leaving in five minutes. "

"Alright, now shoo. I have to change my clothes now. Shoo, shoo, shoo."

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They went to a noodle stall and were both enjoying their beef noodles.

"Hey, eat up quickly. We won't have much time later."

"Why?"

"Because I want to sketch something that caught my eye on the way. "

"What the!? You are going to study computer science and you are crazier about art. Why don't you just study fine arts instead?"

"I am crazier about computer science. That's why I will apply for computer science and animation. Best of both worlds."

"If needed proof that my baby sis is actually intelligent, I just got it."

"Oh did you? I didn't know that you ignored my report card that dad sent every year to grandpa."

" Uncle Zhang said that you didn't know about it!"

"You don't know me at all do you? Do you really think that it will escape my notice dad sent my report card to everyone through the family chat? If need confirmation that my big bro is dumb, I just got it."

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Chen Bao had brought Weiwei to an under-construction site being done by his father's company. His father's company wasn't very big, this site could easily be the biggest project they had received in a decade.

"So, what do you think? Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah, if I worked a place like this, I don't think I'd want to go back home even."

'那很好(That's good. )' Chen Bao thought. 'She seems to like China so far. She is continuing her education here, if takes a job and settles here as well, that will be really good.'

"Whatcha thinkin' about? You're smiling so weirdly, all serene and calm, like some monk or something."

" 没什么。(Nothing.)"

"Then let's go outside, I wanna sketch those cherry blossoms outside the building."

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Weiwei dragged her cousin out to a bench under a tree. She loved plants, of all shapes and sizes. But cherry blossoms, these were different. She could never explain her attraction to this particular species. She told herself that it was because she felt closer to her mother when she near this flower, but deep down she knew it was a lie. She just couldn't explain it.

As she took out her watercolor set, notebook, and pencils she felt like nothing else existed. Just her, her colors, and those lovely cherry blossoms. Minutes flew as she sketched.

"Yeah, alright. I'll get it. Bye." Bao hung up on the phone and said "Weiwei, I have to go and get some stuff from the convenience store down the street. don't go anywhere and don't talk to any strangers till I come back. Ok?"

"Ok. Oh! Get me some of those rice crackers we ate last night, will you Baobei? They were so delicious." (Baobei means baby in Chinese. She's teasing him)

"Hahaha..." Bao laughed. "You little foodie, do you think of anything other than food, art, and codes?"

"No, I don't!"

"I'll be back before you know it, bye."

"Bye-bye."

Weiwei let out a breath and checked around. Seeing that her brother was nowhere in her sight, she let out a breath.

"Why s it that I can't help but feel a little regret. Did I make the right choice? It may be easy for me to get a job within China, but it will be difficult for me to get one outside China with a degree from Qing University. Maybe I should let things play out, who knows, I might have my own little happy ending here? But for now, I really wish that someone would tell me what to do. I don't have a single clue about what I should do next."

Weiwei often spoke her thoughts out loud, as if her mother could really hear her. She wiped her eyes and started to paint. Her practiced hands moved with grace and ease. She had a clear picture of what she wanted to paint in her mind and executed her ideas flawlessly. If she did make an error, she blended it into her painting so well that one couldn't really detect it.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, and flowers started falling to the ground gently.  Weiwei just left her sketchbook on the ground and started to twirl, arms spread out and petals raining around her. Moments like these, she wanted them to last forever. When there was not a care in the world, just her and the things she loved.

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"Eh... Weiwei, you have petals in your hair, did something happen?"

"No, grandpa. I was sitting and painting the cherry blossoms near the site of the project being done by Uncle's company when the petals started falling. It looked so mesmerizing that I didn't notice some of them were in my hair too. "

"If anything, it only makes you prettier. Only you can pull this off so gracefully, my dear. "

"It is truly a miracle that I can still be down to earth and modest with all your puffery."

"What puffery? I am just saying the truth. My granddaughter is so pretty that she turns heads no matter what she is wearing. "

"Alright, enough praising me. It's time to take your medicine grandpa."

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Ok, so I just forgot that I had written a really important chapter and I hadn't published it. I was writing the next chapter when I noticed this. I don't guarantee that this won't happen again. But I am really sorry for this delay. So, as compensation, a rather very important character will be introduced in the next chapter. I wanted to keep him under the wraps until the sixth or seventh chapter but that will be too late, won't it?