Chapter 9: You Are My Window
The conversation between the two was interrupted by a few classmates who suddenly appeared. After getting the certificate, Fang Hui dragged Mu Xiaoya to a nearby cafe.
"Cappuccino and a slice of black forest cake, you buy it." Once they entered the cafe, Fang Hui prompted Mu Xiaoya without a trace of politeness.
"Alright, big sister, is there anything else?" Mu Xiaoya cooperated harmoniously.
"That's all for now, this big sister will add some more after finishing those." Fang Hui shook her head like a tsundere, then went to find a seat inside.
Mu Xiaoya smiled and went to the front desk to buy cakes and coffee.
Fang Hui took a sip of her coffee and swept a glance to the black coffee in front of Mu Xiaoya. She frowned, "How can you drink black coffee, so bitter ah."
Mu Xiaoya blanked, then soon gave a response. After going abroad, she was too busy because of her study and work, she often stayed up late to catch up with her design draft, so she developed the habit of drinking black coffee. But she remembered that the her right now didn't like drinking it.
"I haven't slept well recently, this is just right to spike me up." Mu Xiaoya casually searched for an excuse.
"Uncle and auntie didn't agree." Fang Hui guessed.
"It wasn't that they disagree, just that they're still considering it."
"Consider? When did uncle and aunt ever 'consider' your decision and not just support you wholeheartedly? If they're considering it, then that means they disagree." Fang Hui's envy was that Mu Xiaoya has a pair of liberal and democratic-minded parents, unlike her controlling parents.
"They will agree." Mu Xiaoya answered confidently.
"There's no use even if they don't agree since you already got your marriage certificate." Fang Hui said in ridicule.
"That's right ah." Mu Xiaoya suddenly remembered that Bai Chuan also seemed to have said something similar last night, and at once, she can't hold back the laughter from her mouth.
"You're still laughing?" Fang Hui reminded her, "Seriously, Bai Chuan is autistic, does he even know what marriage is? Marriage isn't just a sudden impulse to get certificate, although your husband's looks is good, but then you have to spend the rest of your life with him together ah. And after that, you guys will have children…ah, does he know how to have children?"
"Fang Hui!" Mu Xiaoya glared at her friend with a huff, at first, she's still talking about serious things, how come it got more and more outrageous the more she talked.
"You guys…did it yet?" As soon as her thoughts deviated, how could it turn back? Fang Hui wasn't afraid of Mu Xiaoya glaring at her as her words became more explicit.
"What are you thinking about?!"
"Ahh, you haven't." With just a glance at Mu Xiaoya's look, Fang Hui already knew that the newly-married couple was still pure and indistinguishable from a white paper. "No, I have to check. If that autistic person can't do that, you should leave him as soon as possible ah." Saying this, Fang Hui really grabbed her phone and started checking.
"You- enough!" Mu Xiaoya was feeling ashamed and angry as she grabbed Fang Hui's phone.
"Okay, okay, won't tease you anymore." Fang Hui saw Mu Xiaoya became anxious and stopped teasing her. "When are you planning to hold the wedding?"
"Maybe… it won't be held." Mu Xiaoya said hesitantly.
"Also, after all, there's an old person that recently died." Fang Hui nodded in understanding.
When referring to Grandma Bai, Mu Xiaoya couldn't help but glanced at the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"The bracelet on your hand was given by Grandma Bai?" Fang Hui noticed Mu Xiaoya's expression and guessed.
"En." Mu Xiaoya nodded her head.
"This bracelet doesn't look cheap, ah, looks like the elderly were satisfied with the granddaughter-in-law." Although Fang Hui didn't understand jade, but this kind of flowing water jade, as long as it's genuine, the price was definitely not low.
Mu Xiaoya only smiled silently.
"By the way, how about Bai Chuan's parents' attitude with you?" Fang Hui asked again, "Aren't you going to study abroad next month? Will his family agree with you going?"
"I… won't study abroad." Mu Xiaoya answered.
"You're not going?" Fang Hui frowned, "You even gave up studying abroad for Bai Chuan?"
"It's not for Bai Chuan, I myself don't want to go anymore. I thought about it and decided to open a studio with you." Mu Xiaoya originally wanted to talk with Fang Hui about it, so she took the chance as Fang Hui asked.
She and Fang Hui both studied footwear design, but in the second half of her senior year, when they were about to graduate, she and Fang Hui made completely different choices. She applied for a post-graduate degree from SG design institute and intended to continue her studies.
"You want to open a studio with me? Didn't you say that it would be a loss to open a studio with us as unrecognized university graduates?" Fang Hui was surprised. When she said she wanted to open a studio, Mu Xiaoya tried to interrupt her. Fang Hui knew Mu Xiaoya was being worried, but she didn't care. Actually, she wanted to open the studio for fun, it didn't matter if she lost money because her dad was rich.
"You said it yourself, if you lose money then you just lose money, anyway, your sister is rich ah." Mu Xiaoya said exaggeratedly.
In her past life, Fang Hui's studio wasn't very successful, and Fang Hui herself supported the studio with her own money. If it was before, Mu Xiaoya naturally wouldn't choose to open a studio with Fang Hui, but now she just wanted to do a job that she likes and spend the next four years in ease.
"I almost forgot, you're married to a rich man now, of course you won't lack money~"
"That's right." Mu Xiaoya responded with a smile. Actually, she had some savings. When she was in college, she sold several shoes design to some manufacturer, after the sum was deducted with her own spending, they amounted to two-three hundred thousand. It's enough to use it as an upfront investment for their studio.
"Then we should go see some rooms this afternoon, how about I make an appointment with the agent?" With Mu Xiaoya's joining in, Fang Hui immediately became full of energy.
"Okay." Mu Xiaoya readily agreed.
After school, Mu Ruozhou and his wife went to the market to buy vegetables together, then slowly walked home. When they were discussing whether to cook meat or fish for dinner, they suddenly found two people standing upright in front of their door, carrying many gift boxes in their hands.
"Teacher Mu, Teacher Shen."
"Mr. Bai, Mrs. Bai?" Mu Ruozhou blanked for a moment, then realized the other party's intention of coming to their house.
Although he and his wife somewhat can't accept their daughter's sudden marriage, they still can't keep people outside their door.
"Teacher Mu, Teacher Shen, regarding the marriage between Xiao Chuan and Xiaoya, our Bai family has been rude." As soon as they entered, Bai Guoyu apologized first.
"Mr. Bai doesn't need to do this, Xiaoya had told us that the marriage was her own decision." Mu Ruozhou wasn't an unreasonable person as this matter wasn't the fault of the Bai family, instead, it was their own family's daughter that married herself out.
Bai Guoyu and his wife looked at each other, both of them knew clearly that although Mu Ruozhou said it politely, he was actually reluctant to marry his daughter to Bai Chuan. They knew about this point, and they had already prepared their hearts prior to coming here.
"Teacher Mu, Teacher Shen, in fact, we're here today to formally discuss our children's marriage." Li Rong said.
"How do you want to discuss it?" Mu Ruozhou frowned.
"Teacher Mu, Teacher Shen." Li Rong said sincerely, " About this marriage, I know that our Xiao Chuan is unworthy for your Xiaoya. If Xiaoya was my daughter, I also won't agree to marry her to an autistic husband. However, I'm Xiao Chuan's mother, in my innermost heart and selfishness, I really wish for this wedding to continue. And so, we're here today to seek your consent for our family's Xiao Chuan."
Seeking the approval of the woman's parents should be done by the groom himself, but Bai Chuan was an autistic patient, it was impossible for him to do it, so Bai's family's couple can only come themselves. By chance, this point was what Mu Ruozhou and his wife minded the most, but they still listened to them patiently.
"Xiao Chuan has autism, he lives in his own world and it was difficult for anyone to enter it, this is also the point that you're worried about. But what we want to tell you is that inside Bai Chuan's world, there's a place for Mu Xiaoya." Li Rong said, "Bai Chuan's grandma said this sentence in her sick bed, she said, Xiao Chuan's world is really small, so small that it can only hold himself. But when he opens up for someone, that person will be his whole world. For our son, your daughter's existence has this kind of meaning."
"Of course we know that what we said have no power to convince you, hence we brought Xiao Chuan's doctor with us. If it's convenient for you, can you listen to his professional opinion?" Li Rong asked for their consent.
The doctor in charge of Bai Chuan? Mu Ruozhou and his wife looked at each other, then agreed with Li Rong's suggestion.
Bai Chuan's doctor, Professor Feng, was the leading figure in the field of Autism. In order to visit Mu family today, Bai Guoyu personally went to the hospital to invite him, and now, Professor Feng has been waiting inside the car.
Bai Guoyu went outside and invited Professor Feng in. After a brief greeting, Professor Feng didn't rush to introduce Bai Chuan's condition, but instead, he put up a few videos regarding Bai Chuan's treatment.
In the first video, Bai Chuan was still very small, he looked like he was seven or eight years old. He was sitting quietly in the chair while drawing pictures, very focused, he always ignored Professor Feng no matter how much the Professor wanted to communicate with him, until Professor Feng asked him, "Is the girl in the painting your friend?"
"Mu Xiaoya." Bai Chuan's childish voice was clearly transmitted from the video.
In the second video, Bai Chuan had grown a bit, he was about eleven or twelve years old. He was reading a comic book.
"Xiao Chuan, why do you suddenly want to read comic books?"
Bai Chuan didn't give a reaction.
"Is this comic book interesting?"
Bai Chuan didn't care.
"Who bought this book for you?"
Bai Chuan replied after a moment passed, "Xiaoya."
Later, two-three videos were played one after another, most of the content were familiar with each other: when Professor Feng had no way to communicate with Bai Chuan, as long as he mentioned Mu Xiaoya, Bai Chuan would then give some responses.
Professor Feng later explained, "I have come across many children with autism. Some of them do not speak at all, some can't even recognize their own family, a minority of them would express their desires, and very few of them have recovered to Bai Chuan's condition. Bai Chuan's recovery can be said as a miracle in the medical records that I studied, and it was because he almost recovered his ability to socialize."
"Of course there's still a gap between this ability and that of a normal person, but as long as he's willing to go out, he's entirely capable of living independently." Professor Feng said, "The reason why he can recover well is because there's a window between his world and ours. This window, most autistic patients may not have in their lifetimes, but Bai Chuan is very fortunate to have two of this window."
"One is Grandma Bai, and the other one is Mu Xiaoya."
Mu Ruozhou and his wife's mood became complicated, and they couldn't help but look again at the last frame of the video. In the video, Bai Chuan who looked like a teenager, was painting. On the drawing paper was the back of a girl, she was sitting on the grass and looking at the distance, colorful flowers cushioned her puffy skirt. The color of the painting was bright and lively, the brilliant joy appeared vividly from the paper.
That was Mu Xiaoya in Bai Chuan's eyes.
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TL NOTE:
B- Bai Chuan~ ༼☯﹏☯༽ My heartt!!! (இ﹏இ`｡) ?
