1 Chapter 1: A Girl Called Chuin Hua
"Clash!" an empty beer bottle smashed onto the ground leaving a thousand tiny shards.
"Honey!" a woman gasped.
"GET ME MORE BEER NOW!" the man commanded.
"But honey-"
"I'M NO HONEY OF YOURS! NOW GET ME MORE BEER!"
"But-"
"NOW!" Raising another beer bottle, the man prepared to strike the woman.
"Stop!" a child rushed over to stop the man, struggling to cling onto the man's arm.
"GET OUT, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" the man shouted as he pushed the child away into a dark corner. The child landed with a thud and was left half conscious. The man raised the beer bottle once more...
"CRASH!"
"!!!"
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"Hey Xiao Hua (little flower), do you want to go to a cafe today to hangout?"
"I'm sorry Xiao Xia (little shrimp), but I have to go to work today."
"Xiao Hua, all you do since you came to college is work, work, and work. The Winter holidays are coming up and you haven't hung out once since school started." the girl named Xiao Xia whined.
"I'm sorry, I really can't."
"Hmph, you're so mean."
"You do know that she has no choice. How else would she pay for her personal needs? She's lucky enough to get a scholarship." another voice helped.
"Thanks, Xiao Xue (little snow)." Xiao Hua answered with a smile.
"What, you're on her side!" Xiao Xia was surprised.
"I never said that I was on her side. I haven't said the second part yet," Facing Xiao Hua, Xiao Xue continued, "even though I know that you need that job to pay for food, you really should take a break sometime." Xiao Hua's smile immediately turned into a frown.
Xiao Hua gave a sigh. "When I say I have to go to work, I'll definitely go to work. No one can stop me. I'm not starving just so I can hang out with you guys."
"Psh, I bet she has other reasons." Xiao Xia muttered.
"Yet, we all know that deep down, you worry the most for her out of the four of us. You worry about us even more than us worrying about ourselves." a third voice joined the conversation.
"Who said I was, Xiao Mi (little rice)."
"I have to agree with Xiao Mi with this one, Xiao Xia," Xiao Xue remarked. "You worry a lot about us even though you don't show it. You were the one that got our friendship as close as it is today. Remember when you suggested giving each other nicknames just so we could spend the afternoon with each other? That was the first time us dormates properly had a time ti get to know each other. You even thought of nicknames beforehand in case if we couldn't think of anything. Although the nicknames were not very creative, what matters is the effort."
That was true. Even though Xiao Xia usually didn't show it, deep down, she cared about the three girls so much that their lives were ahead of her own. All the times that she has offered food for Xiao Hua when Xiao Hua didn't have enough money, all the times that she had comforted Xiao Xue when Xiao Xue was suffering from a breakup, all the times that she had stood up for Xiao Mi when she was being bullied. Even the nicknames, though Chuin Hua to Xiao Hua, Bing Xue to Xiao Xue, Zhang Mi Mi to Xiao Mi, and lastly, herself, Gu Qing Xia to Xiao Xia were not very creative, she put the effort and thought of the names herself before suggesting to give nicknames to each other just to make sure that things went smoothly.
"Okay okay, you got me. But anyways, Xiao Hua, be careful when going to work." Xiao Xia responded.
"Don't worry, have you forgotten about my martial arts skills?"
"I know I know, but just in case."
"I know. I got to go now, bye girls."
"Bye."
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"I hope the girls aren't too upset, especially Xiao Xia," Chuin Hua muttered to herself during work. "I really have neglected the girls a bit. I'll definitely make it up during the winter holidays."
"Hey, Chuin Hua, hurry up, bring this mango pudding to Table 7."
"Oh yes ma'am, right away." Chuin Hua pushed her thoughts to the back of her head and hurried to get to work.
____________________________________
"Phew, finally done." Chuin Hua said to herself as she walked towards the bay. She sighed.
"Mother, I hope you are in a better place." she finally said. Recalling the memories of begging on the streets with her mother, Chuin Hua shed a single tear. If it wasn't that education was free in this country and having the luck of being born a smart child, Chuin Hua wondered where she would be instead. She still remembered the day her mother bled to death, leaving a pool of blood on the cold floor.
"Painful memories" she thought. As Chuin Hua gazed at the sun setting on the seemingly neverending ocean, a group of seabirds circled above creating a whirlpool in the sky. A once in a lifetime experience was an understatement to the beautiful sight.
"Are you proud of me mother? Is this your message that you're proud?" Chuin Hua hoped. Her eyes gleamed with light.
"Whoosh" a strong gust of wind blew by.
"!!!"
