Chapter 8 - 7 Thank You, Dr. Gao
Jiang An had no choice but to obediently walk ahead, leading Gao Chuan upstairs. The old residential building was dilapidated, with a few flickering lights inside the worn stairwell that barely illuminated the path forward.
"Come in, Dr. Gao," Jiang An said, taking out her keys to open the door in the dim light, leading Gao Chuan inside.
The apartment was small in size, and the furnishings were rather simple; perhaps because it hadn't been lived in for a long while, dust pervaded the air.
"Sorry about this, Dr. Gao, it's been too long since someone lived here. I might need to clean up a bit." Jiang An, also realizing the clutter, picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the floor and threw it into the rubbish bin in the corner somewhat embarrassingly.
"No worries. Could I get a glass of water?" Gao Chuan followed her in and casually closed the door behind him.
Slightly startled, Jiang An came to her senses, hurried into the kitchen to boil water for her guest.
Gao Chuan watched the girl scamper into the kitchen and started to walk around on his own, observing the small but warm apartment. In the center of the living room hung a photo of a family of three by the seaside; the man on the left dressed in a pure white military uniform must be Jiang An's father.
In the photo, Jiang An looked just like a little girl, her childlike appearance hardly different from now, grinning at the camera. Perhaps it was the age of losing baby teeth, as the spots where her two front teeth should be were empty, paired with her round face making her look particularly adorable.
Gao Chuan stared at this old photograph, his lips involuntarily curling up in silence.
So she has always smiled like this.
Fifteen minutes later, Jiang An came out of the kitchen with a kettle of boiling water, and saw Gao Chuan browsing through the books on her bookshelf. Hidden behind golden-framed glasses were a pair of dark pupils; his quiet and earnest demeanor made him hard to interrupt.