Chapter 142 Enemies from a Past Life

Dong Yanyan walked along the snow-covered path with a stack of letters tucked in her pocket and two large gift boxes cradled in her arms. Before her eyes stretched a vast expanse of pristine white, and she cheerfully admired the frost-laden trees lining the village road. The feeling was simply dazzling. The grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts, older brothers, and older sisters she met along the way all cast curious and surprised glances at her.

"Today is my birthday," Dong Yanyan explained with a bright smile.

When she finally returned home, her mother let out an exclamation of astonishment upon seeing her laden with so many items.

"They're from my classmates. Everyone knows it's my birthday," Dong Yanyan brushed it off evasively. She carried the items back to the bedroom she shared with Nannan, then found a utility knife in her pencil case and sliced open the thick kraft paper wrapping. Two exquisitely packaged gift boxes appeared before her eyes. She opened one of them to reveal a lotus-pink trench coat. Pulling it out, she held it up against herself—it was gorgeous and fit her perfectly. Boys were always most accustomed to giving their girlfriends clothes and accessories; although it lacked originality, it was undoubtedly thoughtful. Folding the garment neatly and placing it back in the bag, she opened the second gift box. A gorgeous heart-shaped crystal box came into view, filled with liquor-filled chocolates wrapped in golden foil.

"So pretty! I want some too!" Nannan reached out to grab them, but Dong Yanyan was quick-witted and agile, scooping up the chocolates and running away. "No way, no way! I'm not giving you any!" she cried out as she fled.

Unable to catch up, Nannan stomped her feet and wailed in frustration.

Hearing the cries, their father rushed in from the west room with a dark expression and scolded, "Yanyan, why did you make your little sister cry again?"

"Big sister won't give me candy," Nannan pouted, looking deeply aggrieved.

"Dad, these are liquor-filled chocolates. Kids can't eat them, but adults can!" Dong Yanyan said as she popped open the box, peeled a chocolate, and popped it straight into his mouth.

Their father chewed thoughtfully and smiled. "Pretty good, not spicy at all. My little darling girl can eat these." With that, he reached out to snatch her box. Seeing danger ahead, Dong Yanyan grabbed the chocolates and ran again.

"My little darling, wait right there. Dad's going to win them back for you!" Their father scooped up Nannan and chased her into the west room.

"Mom! Look at what Dad's doing!" Dong Yanyan hid behind her mother and complained, "Dad is being so biased! He's robbing my things!"

Her mother chuckled helplessly and said to her father, "You too—a man of your age, fighting with a child over a bite of candy."

"Exactly! If you hadn't tried to steal them, I might have just given her some. Mom, taste one!" Dong Yanyan peeled another chocolate and popped it into her mother's mouth.

Seeing this, Nannan was completely heartbroken and slumped face-down onto the northern brick bed to sulk. No matter how Dong Yanyan coaxed her, she refused to lift her head, and even the chocolates lost their appeal.

"That stubborn temper is just like mine!" Dong Yanyan clicked her tongue in amazement.

"You can say that again. The two of you are stubborn beyond compare," her mother laughed.

Dong Yanyan smiled nonchalantly. "Well, didn't I inherit it straight from your esteemed self?"

Her mother curled her lips in disdain. "Do I look like either of you? By the way, who bought you this candy? Must have been pretty expensive, right?"

"Not expensive at all. Just a classmate who knew it was my birthday and mailed it to me," Dong Yanyan replied casually.

"A boy or a girl, Yanyan? Are you seeing someone?" her mother asked with probing curiosity.

"No way, just a regular classmate!" Dong Yanyan instantly and vehemently denied it.

"You're not that young anymore; it's fine if you're dating someone at school, but you shouldn't just accept expensive things from people casually," her mother admonished.

Dong Yanyan felt a tinge of surprise: since when had the old lady become so open-minded?

"I know," Dong Yanyan smiled. "I promise you, I will never take even a needle or thread from the masses, but some social courtesies still have to be maintained, otherwise no one will play with me."

"Yanyan is right. Among classmates, you have to spend money when it's appropriate. Studying far away from home, you need to get along well with your classmates so you can look out for each other after graduation," their father chimed in with a smile.

Dong Yanyan felt that his words were absolute truth! History had proven that back when she and Xu Cheng were struggling hard out in the world, only these classmates had supported them without any reason. Without them, she truly doubted whether she could have survived those bleak days.

Hearing her father speak this way, her mother grew slightly displeased. Her face fell as she muttered unhappily, "Did I say she wasn't allowed to spend money?"

Sensing the atmosphere souring and realizing the old lady was about to flare up again, Dong Yanyan quickly changed the subject. "Mom, we're not discussing money right now; we're discussing candy. By the way, when are we going to wrap the dumplings?"

"The dough and filling were mixed long ago—who knows when you slackers were planning to wrap them?" her mother smiled.

"Let's wrap them at noon, just in time for dinner," Dong Yanyan said with a smile. Then, leisurely and unhurriedly, she retreated to the east room to eat chocolates and read her letters. This was, after all, her very first love letter from her boyfriend.

She tore open the envelope, and a photograph fluttered out along with a piece of letter paper folded into the shape of a heart. She picked up the photo and burst into laughter—it was actually a portrait photo of him! In the picture, he was leaning against a window, his brows slightly furrowed, gazing into the distance with the cool, handsome demeanor of a male lead in an idol drama. Such a look felt wonderfully endearing.

Unfolding the letter paper, she was greeted by his familiar handwriting:

*Yanyan,*

*I started writing to you the moment I got home, hoping this reaches you right on your birthday. We've only been apart for a single day, and already I miss you. Last night I wanted to kiss you, but I was afraid you'd get mad and ruin the harmonious and wonderful atmosphere. I really miss the feeling of holding you, and I want to kiss you again. Just thinking about it makes my heart itch with longing. I'll make up for it now! Moma~~~~*

*...*

Reading further down, the writing grew increasingly brazen, bordering on outright obscenity. Relying on the fact that she wasn't around to talk back, he was shamelessly teasing her. Alternately exasperated and amused, Dong Yanyan felt a surge of helpless frustration. Fine, her parents wouldn't read her letters, but that didn't mean there weren't prying hands that might tear them open before they even reached her. In the countryside, people didn't care much for privacy; the general consensus was that someone else's personal business belonged to everyone and was meant to be shared. If an outsider were to lay eyes on this, she wouldn't be able to show her face in the village anymore, let alone spend the New Year in peace. What should she do now? Destroy it? She couldn't bear to. Not destroy it? No matter where she hid it, there was a chance someone might see it. She even entertained a wicked impulse: to write back and tease him mercilessly! With that fierce temper of her mother's, he'd better watch out for a severe dressing-down. On second thought, no—this concerned her reputation. What if, for the sake of momentary satisfaction, she left a bad impression on his parents? Everything would be ruined.

A perfectly good love letter had turned into a hot potato, leaving Dong Yanyan torn between laughter and tears. She refolded the letter paper and tucked the photograph safely inside her textbook so that every time she opened her book, she would see him.

"There's one from Xiaohan too!" Dong Yanyan excitedly tore open another letter!

Letter after letter was unwrapped until she reached the very last one. Glancing at the handwriting, she didn't recognize it. Checking the return address, it was from Songyuan.