Seven Years of Nurturing

Liang Zonghuai is a distant relative she barely has anything to do with,

and also a contradiction she respects, cherishes, and is deeply fascinated by,

yet wants to avoid at all costs.

Blurb:

The damp night wind sweeps through the narrow alley by the school gate. Her friend suddenly reminds her, "Xiaoyi, is that man across the street looking at you?"

Lin Yi looks up in that direction.

Under the streetlight, the man's deep blue coat blends into the night. A half-smoked cigarette rests between two fingers, and he watches her with a gentle gaze, his back slightly bent.

One extra glance is all it takes for Lin Yi's newly settled heart to start pounding wildly again.

"He looks familiar. Isn't he your uncle?" her friend cries a moment later. "Hey, he's coming over!"

Lin Yi is caught between staying and leaving,

and her thoughts are pulled back to that unbearable midnight.

Liang Zonghuai was drunk. She sat by the sofa, her heavy heartbeat drowning out the irritating night breeze. As if possessed, she leaned in and kissed his lips.

-

On New Year's Eve many years later, she still has to call him Little Uncle in front of their elders. The city is alight, and Liang Zonghuai leans back on the sofa, drinking one glass after another.

"You should slow down," she reminds him lightly. "You might get drunk."

For once, Liang Zonghuai drops his usual seriousness. "So what if I do?"

The atmosphere suddenly turns strange. An old Hong Kong New Year comedy plays on the projector screen, but its dialogue and the crackle of firecrackers are drowned out.

"Planning to sneak a kiss again?"

Seven years later, he finally asks her that question, emboldened by the alcohol.

Reader's Guide:

1. The title of this novel is inspired by Chen Xiaoqi's "Seven Years of Nurturing."

2. There is a significant age gap between the leads. They are not on the same household register and are not related by blood. There are no intimate scenes before the heroine reaches adulthood.

3. The author specializes in calm, everyday stories: a little bittersweet, but sweet overall.

4. The blurb was posted on 2023.09.16 and has been screenshotted.

5. The hero has an ex-girlfriend, and the heroine does not engage in any of the behavior described in item 3. If you dislike this, please don't read.

Theme: Be true to yourself and to your choices.