Chapter 273 - Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Old Xia’s Train of Thought (1/2)
Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Old Xia’s Train of Thought
Translator: 549690339
Xia Libing of course remembered the chubby little girl from the video. The first time she went to Xiang Kun’s House for dinner, when Xiang Kun went to the next-door neighbor’s to “borrow rice,” she saw that little girl standing at the door of the next-door 706, “welcoming” Xiang Kun.
She didn’t find it strange that Xiang Kun was teaching the little girl to flip the coin, but as she watched the video, she noticed that the little girl’s coin-flipping technique seemed unique.
Clearly, her method was different from adults’, better suited to the size of the little girl’s fingers. If adults were to flip the coin in this way, it would be considerably more challenging.
So in her view, if Xiang Kun taught the little girl to flip the coin, the technique shouldn’t be like this.
The way it looked, it seemed more like the little girl had figured it out on her own, which also explained why she was so adept.
However, this only demonstrated that the little girl had a particular interest and talent in flipping coins, and there was nothing strange about it.
Next, Xia Libing watched the coin-flipping instructional video on Yang Zhen’er’s phone that Xiang Kun had sent her today, fiddled with it for a bit, and quickly mastered the trick.
“Old Xia, why don’t you join our bet as well… huh? Have you practiced before, Old Xia?” Yang Zhen’er hadn’t finished her proposal to involve Old Xia in their “coin-flipping learning competition”, when she already saw the coin fluently flipping around on Xia Libing’s slender fingers, and the coin’s flipping became faster and more skilled. It seemed as if the coin and Xia Libing’s fingers were originally one mechanical part.
Xia Libing flipped the coin over and placed it in her palm, saying, “I didn’t practice before, just learned it now, does this mean I’ve won?”
“Win what! Doesn’t count!” Yang Zhen’er glared at her and couldn’t help saying, “You and Brother Xiang, both are monsters, learning things way too freaking fast, totally inhuman!”
Tang Baona next to them couldn’t help laughing: “Zhen’er, have you ever won a bet against Old Xia?”
Before graduating from high school, Xia Libing always had short hair, only letting them grow after she lost a bet to Yang Zhen’er during the summer vacation after graduation.
The bet was simple, whoever could get Xia Tianhuo to call them “sister” first would win.
In reality, both of them had to call Xia Tianhuo brother, one was a cousin, the other a nephew.
However, while Xia Libing was still designing her sophisticated plan, thinking about manipulating her cousin to call her “sister”, Yang Zhen’er simply made a phone call, promising to introduce him to the beautiful female teachers in college and offered to treat him to a luxurious restaurant meal, forcing Xia Tianhuo to reluctantly, begrudgingly call her “sister”.
Old Xia took her loss gracefully, and started growing her hair long since then.
But after that, whenever there was a bet between the two sisters, Yang Zhen’er never won again.
“Sigh, I miss the simple and cute Old Xia, after she went to college and studied medicine and psychology, I can’t bet with her anymore. It feels like she can read my mind, knowing what I’m thinking.” Yang Zhen’er said with a sad face.
Tang Baona then asked, “Old Xia, how did you learn so quickly and flip so smoothly? Is there any trick?”
Xia Libing flicked the coin in her palm with her thumb. It returned to the back of her hand, positioned between her index finger and middle finger joint, and said, “Just control the position of the coin on the finger joint well, flick with the back finger, push with the front finger, have it flip into the position just between the middle finger joint and ring finger joint, then repeat the previous action.”
As she spoke, she demonstrated, flipping the coin smoothly and precisely, just like in the demonstration video that Xiang Kun sent them. It left Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er sighing helplessly.
“You sure know how to use the words ‘just need’, don’t you!” Yang Zhen’er said irritably. “We just can’t do what you asked! Old Xia, do you have any skills that us ‘mortals’ can also learn?”
After thinking for a bit, Xia Libing simply said two words: “Practice more.”
“Ah! Why do I have a sister like this, I really want to beat her up!” Yang Zhen’er turned her head and said to Tang Baona.
Tang Baona suppressed a laugh and said, “You can’t beat her…”
Yang Zhen’er was left speechless.
As Xia Libing played with the coin, she casually asked, “Were the jokes Xiang Kun and You Meng told today really that funny? I saw both of you laughing a lot.”
“They were quite funny!” Yang Zhen’er replied without thinking.
Tang Baona frowned and thought for a bit before saying, “Actually, the jokes they told weren’t that funny themselves, but it was the way they delivered them that made them so funny. It probably comes down to their performance skills. A lot of stand-up comedy on TV seems to work the same way. As for how funny the jokes were, the ones they told last night were actually more interesting. When I think more about tonight’s jokes, they weren’t that funny. I guess the atmosphere of their restaurant also had something to do with it. In a certain light and mood, with a group of friends gathered, it’s easier for people to get the jokes.”
Xia Libing thoughtfully nodded, then asked about the jokes Xiang Kun told at the restaurant last night when she wasn’t there, and whether he had told any other jokes during the months she wasn’t with them.
In Xia Libing’s view, Xiang Kun’s behavior and habits had been changing in the few months since she first met him in August.
At first, she thought her understanding of Xiang Kun’s personality was flawed and incomplete. But as they had more interactions, especially during Xiang Kun’s trip back to Citong City, when they shopped, cooked, and ate together, she realized her previous understanding of Xiang Kun wasn’t wrong. His behavior, which didn’t match his personality, must have stemmed from other inner motivations. She needed to analyze those actions themselves.
The song lyrics Xiang Kun gave her, handwritten in calligraphy, were a good example. From Xiang Kun’s later reactions, her analysis was correct, she just hadn’t reached a definite conclusion yet.
Today, Xiang Kun again performed comedy routines for everyone. It seemed like he was pressured by the group, but from the way Tang Baona and Yang Zhen’er described it, Xiang Kun had also voluntarily performed the night before. And from her observation today, it was clear Xiang Kun also wanted to perform.
Regardless of her previous judgement of Xiang Kun’s personality or today’s real observations, Xia Libing could determine that Xiang Kun was not the kind of person who wanted to please others through his own “performances” and strongly needed others’ recognition and praise.
Unless he was passionate about something, he would take the initiative to show it. Cooking fits this, wood carving barely does, and calligraphy is somewhat linked, but singing and telling jokes don’t.
On the surface, Xiang Kun was entertaining everyone and bringing traffic and attention to the restaurant, but Xia Libing felt that Xiang Kun had another purpose.
Just like when Xiang Kun gave her the calligraphy lyrics, she judged that Xiang Kun would only gift her something he felt was worthy. The lyrics, written on a piece of regular paper and barely neat enough to be considered satisfactory, did not fit her understanding of Xiang Kun.
In the same way, if Xiang Kun wanted to tell jokes, he would normally prepare carefully; he would tell funny and enjoyable stories.
From the reactions of others at the time, the effect was indeed good, but she noticed that everyone’s mood seemed to have started to rise not because of the actual punchlines of the jokes. It seemed like a defeated boxer, falling and convulsing before the punch even lands. The punch just intensified this reaction.