Chapter 191 You Probably Haven't Seen a Truly Impoverished Student, Have You?
Charles was kinda stumped on how to respond to Luna. He realized he'd been acting like a jerk lately; he could've handled things way better.
Growing up as the heir, his grandpa and dad taught him how to be a good successor, but they never showed him how to love or care for someone. So, he totally missed how Luna was feeling. He was still single because he never felt the need to take care of a woman or be taken care of by one.
Seeing Charles's tense face, Luna gave him a gentle smile. If this was back when they first started hanging out, she would've probably thrown the sweater at him. But now, she got him better and knew he was just naturally bossy and blunt.
"You don't have to think fixing a sweater is overly frugal. It's my thing, like how I love translating and archaeology. Translation work not only gives me some extra cash but also makes me feel good. It's a win-win," Luna said.
Luna wasn't mad at all; she was just being real, which made Charles feel relieved. "I really haven't seen anyone fix clothes these days. I didn't think about your hobbies," Charles said.
He was just glad Luna wasn't upset. Without even realizing it, when he was with Luna, he started to care about her likes and dislikes.
Luna shook her head with a smile, her hands still busy. "This sweater cost ten bucks, not much, but I like it. If the mending doesn't look good, I won't wear it out. I want people to see me as clean and put-together."
"Don't think I'm so pitiful. I'm actually doing pretty well; at least I have a house waiting for me. You probably haven't seen real poverty up close," Luna said.
Her words made Charles think. Then he said, "I went to private schools from kindergarten through high school, and I went abroad for college."
He said it without worrying Luna would overthink it. Bright City had tons of private schools, with tuition ranging from twenty to two hundred grand a year. For an average family with one kid, picking a private school that cost twenty to thirty grand a year was pretty normal.
Luna continued, "In college, I had a roommate who wore her school uniform all year. The school gave it to her, so she didn't have to pay for it, and it was her best piece of clothing."
"In winter, she'd layer all her clothes under the uniform, but she'd still be freezing. She never wore a sweater or a hoodie; the only thermal wear she had was bought by me, Summer, and Emily together. We told her it was an extra set Summer's mom bought, and since none of us could wear it, it'd be wasted if she didn't take it. Only then did she accept it. Sometimes, we'd get an extra meal and force it on her, saying we couldn't finish it, but not every day."
"Giving too much would make her feel like we pitied her. She had her own pride. For four winters in college, she wore that thermal wear. When she had to wash it, she had no replacement and would wear her summer uniform underneath."
"Once, I went to the water room to get water and saw her washing her hair there. It was late, and no one else was around. She walked over to a discarded cream cake box, scraped the cream off with her hand, and ate it quickly. I knew she hadn't had dinner that night."
"My first reaction was to pretend I hadn't seen anything. I also saw her take leftover food from classmates to eat in a secluded place. In four years of college, I never saw her eat any meat dishes in the cafeteria. So, what reason do I have to feel sorry for myself?" Luna said honestly.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
