Lawrence Winters pressed the switch, and the floor-to-ceiling windows' pink tulle curtains, tinged with a bit of Morandi gray, automatically closed.
The bright moonlight softly streamed in through the veiled curtains.
Thinking about returning to school for classes after the New Year festivities made Lawrence feel stifled, wishing the holiday would never end.
But she had a very open-minded personality, and having followed her uncle Nick Zeller in the practice of Heavenly Master, she had learned quite a bit about the Celestial Path Sect's philosophy of "letting things take their course, and doing nothing is great."
No matter how upset she got, she would calm down after sitting for a while.
She used her phone to turn on the Bluetooth speaker in her room and played her latest favorite song on repeat, cheerfully grabbing her pajamas and heading to the bathroom for an essential oil bath.
Soon, the Minnan language hit song "Song of the Young Generation of Datian" began to play loudly in her bedroom.
"Don't leave, dear man, it's not time to return yet.
On both sides of this long road, fearing you might not step confidently!"
"Keep going, keep going, holding the hope closely.
Continuing steadfastly, fearful of missing opportunities."
"Yah-ee yah-ee-yo, yah-ee-yo-way yah-ee-yo..."
On the tenth floor of the same building in Apartment 208, the Osborne parents had already heard the doorbell and then the sound of someone opening the door with a key.
"It's Kenneth who's back! It must be Kenneth!" Mother Osborne beamed with joy, rushing to the door in two steps.
Before she could steady herself, the door was already open.
Brooke Osborne was the first to walk in.
Mother Osborne seemed to overlook her, skirting around to grab the hand of Kenneth Osborne, who followed her in, almost in tears with excitement.
"Kenneth, you're finally back! Ever since you left home for school, I've been counting down the days at home, waiting for you to return!" Mother Osborne held Kenneth's hand, casually pushing his suitcase toward Brooke, saying, "Brooke, everything's ready in the kitchen, just waiting for you to cook."
Brooke had raised her brother since they were young, keeping the household chores in perfect order, and was especially known for her excellent cooking.
The Osborne family usually relied on her for meals.
Father Osborne also approached with a smile, looking down proudly at his son who was taller than him, patting the back of his head, "Kenneth, you're back, was the journey smooth?"
"I heard there was an issue with the high-speed rail, and it scared me so much I almost called a car to the station to pick you up," Mother Osborne finally broke into tears, pulling Kenneth to sit on the sofa in the living room.
Kenneth appeared very good-natured, his speech accompanied by a hint of a gentle smile, especially bright and beautiful when directed at his parents.
"Dad, Mom, I'm fine. The high-speed rail was just a bit delayed, not as bad as the news made it out to be." He deliberately downplayed the seriousness of the incident to avoid worrying his parents.
Most parents have quite the imagination.
They especially fear something will happen to their kids away from home, and they'll imagine their child as the main character of bad news after seeing just a bit of it.
In reality, how many people actually become the main character?
Most people don't even qualify as a side character, essentially just minor passersby.
While good fortune might not come their way, neither do bad things.
"Really? Then why were you away for so long?" Mother Osborne redirected her unease and trepidation onto Brooke, giving her a stern look, "Outside, you look like a public official, yet you can't handle even the simplest tasks."
Brooke sheepishly smiled, tying on an apron, patiently asking Kenneth, "Kenneth, what would you like to eat? Your favorite loaches are already fried, just need a bit of heating. There are also some steamed dishes, just need a moment in the steamer."
"I've also made honey-braised pork, stuffed tiger skin peppers, white-boiled shrimp, garlic Romaine hearts, and a cold dish of three filaments that'll be ready soon."
"Do you want it vegetarian or with meat?"
The cold dish, "three filaments," is a specialty salad in River City, typically enjoyed in the summer, but with widespread greenhouse vegetables, it's available even in winter.
Father Osborne put on his reading glasses, inspecting the kitchen counter, saying, "The vegetarian three filaments are shredded tofu, oyster mushrooms, and black fungus; the meat version is shredded pork, green pepper, and potato. Kenneth likes both, so why not make both?"
"Use the braised pig head meat I bought, slice it finely, it'll be delicious without being greasy." Mother Osborne nodded repeatedly, reminding Brooke, "Remember to briefly fry the potatoes to remove the raw taste, otherwise they'll cause bloating."
Afterward, she examined Kenneth closely, concluding, "You've lost weight, much more than during the summer break."
Kenneth smiled wryly, "Dad, Mom, it's late today, just something simple will do. Sis has had a long day, no need to make so many dishes, I'm not hungry."
"How could that be?" Before the parents could protest, Brooke disagreed, "Kenneth, you only come back once every six months, and I'm happy to cook for you."
She cheerfully walked into the kitchen, even humming a tune, showing no signs of the heartbreak from her husband's recent infidelity.
Kenneth saw that Brooke was determined to maintain the façade, so he had to cooperate, not mentioning Gregory Quinn at all.
He stood up, smiling at his parents, "Dad, Mom, I'll go take a shower first. During the New Year's period, the high-speed rail was crowded, look at me, I'm all stale."
"No need, you're the most dashing young man in the neighborhood!" Mother Osborne was most proud of her son.
Smart and studious aside, the most impressive was his incredibly handsome appearance.
And as he grew older, more mature, he transitioned from the delicate porcelain-like beauty of his youth, although beautiful, he seemed fragile.
Now he had gradually settled down, like a rare piece of high-quality jade, revealing unmatched brilliance through the passage of time.
In this age, handsome men are rarer than beautiful women and are truly a scarce resource.
Watching their precious son's silhouette disappear around the hallway corner, Mother Osborne contentedly remarked, "The Wealthiest's wife recently mentioned matchmaking, wanting her daughter to meet our Kenneth."
Father Osborne turned on the TV, scoffing, "You mean Keith Newman's daughter? She looks okay, but her brain doesn't. Our Kenneth is so smart, can't marry a dumb girl."
"The problem with one parent becomes the issue of the whole family, we must be cautious for Kenneth."
"Of course I know that, do you have to say it?" Mother Osborne gently hit Father Osborne's arm, gesturing towards the kitchen, "It's just a meeting, whether they become a couple depends on their fate. See how polite they are? They offered to take him to a movie and gave us a case of fresh shrimp, supposedly flown in from the coast."
Father Osborne leaned back on the sofa, smugly, "Haha, that's nice. Besides the shrimp, they also offered half a pig, said to be organic, raised by their rural relatives."
"Given today's meat prices, half a pig costs thousands."
"That's why I agreed to let Kenneth go to a movie with Sarah Newman tomorrow." Mother Osborne happily took out a movie ticket, "Look, it's a new film in the big auditorium, with the best couple's seats."
"Make sure you explain it clearly to our son, even if they can't be a couple, they shouldn't become enemies." Father Osborne glanced at the movie ticket, hoping Mother Osborne would explain the situation and its implications to Kenneth.
"You don't need to worry about that." Mother Osborne scoffed, "Our Kenneth isn't just a bookworm. He has high emotional intelligence, better at handling relationships than us seasoned folks! —Why should you be concerned?"