In the afternoon, the bright sunlight scattered, falling onto the cement ground in front of the bungalow, onto the tea table, blending with the faint aroma of tea spilling from the teacups.
Lying on the deck chair, Jiang Ning had his eyes closed, brewing sleepiness.
On the neighboring deck chair, Xue Yuantong was less restful; she pinched a few pine nuts and peeled them one by one to eat.
Within the brown shell of the pine nut, the kernel presented a natural ivory white, with a much richer aroma than sunflower seeds, crisp and refreshing in texture.
Xue Yuantong peeled several, then encountered a closed pine nut, and was at a complete loss on how to start.
The pine nut's shell was very hard; Xue Yuantong considered biting it with her teeth but feared breaking them.
She was very afraid of such accidents; back in the village, there was an old man whose teeth were very strong, he could even open beer bottles with his teeth!
