Chapter 458 - Take Care

"Do you think I eat inelegantly?" asked Xiang Wai as she suddenly looked up at Xiang Hulin who sat opposite her. Her face was devoid of any of her teasing manner or that mischievous glint that could be found in her eyes all the time. She was asking in all seriousness.

"Definitely not," answered Xiang Hulin certainly. "Did someone say something to you?"

Xiang Wai gave him a look, "With a father like you around, I don't think there is anyone who dares to say anything to me."

"Don't think so much about it then," remarked Xiang Hulin. "Also, don't you know there is an old belief that eating noodles with creating a 'slurping' sound brings good luck to anyone who eats it?"

"I actually wasn't talking about me slurping on my noodles," muttered Xiang Wai. 

"When did my daughter who doesn't even take wind and rain seriously, start thinking about people's opinion?"

Xiang Wai's eyes widened slightly when she heard that. That's true. She had never feared what others had to say. Why was she suddenly thinking about this bullshit? She really had lost her mind!

"Besides, your grandma loved the way you eat," told Xiang Hulin. Xiang Wai's body stiffened slightly when she heard that. "You grew up so much but you eat the same as back then. And mom used to say that if there is anyone in the family who knows how to appreciate food, that's our family's Wai." 

"Papa, are you missing grandma?" asked Xiang Wai.

Xiang Hulin's eyes lowered, "I am." He didn't deny her words. He was indeed missing his mother. Especially when he saw his daughter eating like that. He couldn't help recalling those moments.

And then they finished their meal in silence. It was only when Xiang Wai was rubbing her tummy when Xiang Hulin asked in amusement, "Is there space for more?"

"There is," she answered, looking aggrieved.

"Then drink some soymilk," suggested Xiang Hulin. 

Xiang Wai nodded her head and took the soymilk to drink. She had seen girls eating a bird's portion but she couldn't understand them. If she started eating like them, she'd faint even before the first drill of the day ended. Soldiers usually have a bigger appetite, to begin with, and she was no exception.

"What are your plans for the day?" inquired Xiang Hulin.

She looked at her watch and answered, "I have a flight to catch in about two hours from now."

"You're going back to Kia City or the Capital?" 

"I'm going to Kia City," replied Xiang Wai. "Ge is there and currently my team is also at the Kia District Base."

Xiang Hulin didn't ask her why she was leaving so soon when she only came yesterday morning. She neither asked her to stay. He already knew his daughter. "You are really like wind, drifting around."

Xiang Wai chuckled and rubbed her nose awkwardly, "It's not that I don't want to stay. It's just that you have to go to work. I will be alone at home even if I stayed and I am not that familiar with the city as well. All my acquaintances at the base have already transferred elsewhere."

"I understand," he gave her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to explain it all to me. Just go back but make sure to keep an eye on your brother if you can."

"Oh, you can leave that to me," replied Xiang Wai. "I'll make sure that he is recovering well."

Xiang Hulin stood up to leave but walked to her side. He patted her head lovingly and said, "Make sure to take care of yourself as well. Don't get injured. Don't be so impulsive as well."

"I'll try," she responded.

Xiang Hulin pinched her nose, "I don't care if you're impulsive. I can deal with the consequences for you. But be serious about your health. As I said, no injuries."

"I recover fast," she retorted stubbornly.

"I also used to say that when I was young but now, I have to suffer from the sequelae. And let me tell you, the feeling isn't all that good."

"I understand," she answered.

He bent down and kissed the top of her head, "I'm leaving now. I'll try to find some time to visit you."

After he left, Xiang Wai finished her glass of soymilk and stood up. Going back to her room, she looked for the backpack she carried here yesterday and rummaged through it. Finding her cellphone, she frowned and plugged it on charging. 

As soon as the phone turned on, she found a lot of notifications. 90 percent of the calls were from her brother. And that was to be expected. In the end, he even sent a text that read, "How many times do I have to tell you to charge your phone and carry it around with you?!"

Xiang Wai pursed her lips and scratched the tip of her nose. It was still her brother who knew her habits best. Just because she didn't pick up his calls, he knew what was up with her. She thought this ability was also really scary.

The only other person who had tried to call her was her mother. And seeing that missed call, even Xiang Wai forgot how to process it for a minute. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the screen again carefully, "Am I seeing things?" she asked herself but seeing how the name didn't change in front of her, her eyes narrowed down. "What has gotten into her all of a sudden?"

For the next couple of minutes, Xiang Wai was lost in her thoughts as she tried to make a decision. Whether to call her brother first or her mother? It seemed she'd have to call her mother first.

Sighing out, she clicked on the caller id and put the phone against her ear. She was waiting to see what made her mother actually think about her daughter all of a sudden.. After all, it wasn't every day she'd get such a privilege.