Zhan Xi stayed in the bathroom for a long time, making Luo Jingyu worried.
He sent her a WeChat message, but she didn’t reply. He walked to the guest bathroom door wanting to knock, but then realized that even if she answered, he wouldn’t be able to hear her, which would only make her anxious.
After lingering at the door for another five minutes, Luo Jingyu still couldn’t help but knock.
When the knocking sound came, Zhan Xi was listening to Fang Xu talking.
He said: “I admit, sometimes my attitude towards Xiao Yu isn’t good, but his attitude towards me isn’t any better! Yes! I just think he doesn’t need to climb up in this industry, it’s really a very niche field. Isn’t it enough that he has food to eat now? His yearly income equals four or five years of other office workers! He has no education, this is the career path I planned for him. If you think it’s not good, fine! You do it then, I can just end the partnership with him!”
“Knock knock knock.” The gentle knocking sound had already rung three or four times.
Zhan Xi glanced at the guest bathroom door and spoke faster: “Mr. Fang, you misunderstand, I’m not suggesting you end your partnership with Xiao Yu, and you don’t need to keep bringing up ending the partnership. To be honest, you’re not afraid of ending it, and neither is Luo Jingyu. He has his skills, you have your channels. You can find other people who do hot-pressing flowers, and we can find other people with channels. I only have one request today – I hope you can show more respect to Luo Jingyu at work in the future and stop using his deafness to attack him. Is it so hard to acknowledge his excellence? Giving him more confidence would benefit both of you.”
“After this phone call, do you think he and I can still work together?” Fang Xu almost wanted to laugh. “You must be very young too? Just as naive as him. I won’t hold those things you just said against you. Let’s do this – tell Luo Jingyu I’ll still help him with this month’s custom orders, but regarding the autumn hanfu festival, have him give me a definite answer by the end of May. If he wants to do it, do it well. If not, forget it. Let me tell you Miss Zhan, you all think too highly of Luo Jingyu, he’s not that amazing! A deaf person is inherently deficient, he’ll never amount to much! You talk about me PUA-ing him, what a joke, would I bother? What I tell him is all truth! And what’s this about me not being able to keep him? Why would I want to keep him? Is he the only one who can do hot-pressing flowers?”
The knocking stopped, but the small light bulb on the guest bathroom wall lit up. Zhan Xi looked up, knowing Luo Jingyu had gone to press the doorbell to get her attention.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that for today.” Zhan Xi didn’t want to continue talking with Fang Xu. The message had been conveyed, and the cherry blossom tree incident basically confirmed Fang Xu hadn’t told the truth. He had been speechless earlier, and would likely show some restraint in the future.
Before hanging up, Zhan Xi still wanted to emphasize one more thing: “Mr. Fang, I’ll say this one last time – our request is not to end the partnership. Luo Jingyu only wants fairness and respect. Before, when you bullied him, no one stood up for him. Now he has me, and I won’t let him be hurt casually anymore. Please remember this point. Goodbye.”
She hung up the phone, lifted the toilet lid, and pressed the flush button. Then she felt it was unnecessary – such tricks to fool ordinary people wouldn’t work on Xiao Yu.
Zhan Xi opened the guest bathroom door to find Luo Jingyu standing there with a key in his hand, seemingly debating whether to force the door open.
Seeing her come out, he let out a sigh of relief and immediately wrapped Zhan Xi in his arms.
Held against his tall, warm body, Zhan Xi nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck, then pulled back to cup his cheeks and give him a kiss.
Luo Jingyu signed: [What happened? Long time.]
Zhan Xi made a face, clutching her stomach to show “pain”: “A bit of a stomach ache.”
Luo Jingyu immediately became worried, thinking about what they had for dinner and why Huanhuan would have a stomach ache. Zhan Xi quickly reassured him: “I ate some bad food at the cafeteria at lunch, was feeling a bit unwell in the afternoon. It’s nothing, I’ll be fine after some sleep.”
She led Luo Jingyu back to the sofa. Before calling Fang Xu, she had already comforted Luo Jingyu, telling him not to mind what Fang Xu said, that person was a bit bad and was deliberately trying to hurt him.
Luo Jingyu didn’t understand these things, half-believing and half-doubting, not understanding why Fang Xu would deliberately hurt him and what the purpose was.
Zhan Xi didn’t know how to explain it to him. Seeing his expression was normal now and noticing it was getting late, she put on her jacket saying she needed to go home. As usual, Luo Jingyu walked her back to the eighth floor.
Standing at the door of 802, they hugged for a while before Zhan Xi asked him: “Xiao Yu, have you thought about ending the partnership with Fang Xu?”
Luo Jingyu nodded, then gently shook his head, signing: [Very difficult.]
Zhan Xi asked again: “Have you thought of any solutions?”
Luo Jingyu nodded again, typing: [I have thought about it, I want to ask Teacher Xu.]
Zhan Xi said softly: “Xiao Yu, I think Fang Xu must be lying to you. That cherry blossom tree you made was very good, I saw it myself! Everyone liked it a lot, there shouldn’t be people laughing at you. Even if there were, it must have been very, very few people. You can ask Teacher Xu about this too, she should know.”
Luo Jingyu shook his head after reading her lips. How could he dare ask Teacher Xu about the cherry blossom tree? If others were laughing at him, Teacher Xu might scold him for embarrassing her.
Zhan Xi persuaded: “Trust me. Even if you don’t ask Teacher Xu, you can ask friends you know who do hot-pressing flowers. You must know at least one, right?”
Luo Jingyu thought for a moment before typing on his phone: [I will go to Shanghai in May, study, Teacher Xu can meet face to face.]
“You’re going to Shanghai to study?” Zhan Xi asked in surprise. “For how long?”
Luo Jingyu signed: [One month, half.]
Zhan Xi asked: “One month? That long?”
Luo Jingyu shook his head and signed again, emphasizing “half” for Zhan Xi to see: right index finger extended horizontally, thumb making a stroke at the middle of the index finger.
Zhan Xi tried to understand: “Ah, half a month?”
Luo Jingyu shook his head again and signed from the beginning. Zhan Xi couldn’t guess anymore and tugged at the front of his clothes, pouting: “How long exactly? Tell me!”
Luo Jingyu had to type it out: [1 month and a half.]
“One and a half months? Ah…” Zhan Xi pursed her lips. “That’s so long?”
Luo Jingyu smiled, patted her head, and signed: [Time will go by quickly, wait for me to come back.]
Such short sentences Zhan Xi could already understand. Of course, when Luo Jingyu signed to her, he would go slower, making each gesture very clear, unlike the casual natural way he signed when communicating with his family.
He was already very satisfied, always feeling that the distance between him and Huanhuan was getting closer and closer.
Zhan Xi was still unhappy and signed: [Time goes by slowly.]
Luo Jingyu: [Very fast.]
Zhan Xi: [Very slow!]
Luo Jingyu was amused by her, laughing to show his big white teeth, making a low “he” sound in his throat. He pulled her into his arms again, giving her a good squeeze, lowering his head to press their foreheads together, his right hand pinching her cheek as he smiled softly.
He seemed less dejected now, which made Zhan Xi feel relieved. She knew Xiao Yu wasn’t that fragile – how could he be easily hurt by Fang Xu!
She tilted her face up to peck his lips, saying: “I’m going in now, you go back and get some sleep too.”
Her breath blew softly on Luo Jingyu’s face, making it tickle. He smiled and nodded, stroking her back a few more times before they reluctantly parted ways and went to their respective homes.
After spending a few hours with Huanhuan, Luo Jingyu’s mood had improved considerably. Huanhuan said Fang Xu was deliberately trying to hurt him and had lied about the cherry blossom tree incident, but he really couldn’t understand what benefit Fang Xu would get from doing this.
He thought he really wasn’t cut out for business. If he really ended the partnership with Fang Xu, he would definitely have a hard time at first. Not being able to hear was really troublesome – things that everyone else seemed to understand, he just couldn’t figure out.
Luo Jingyu had always felt he wasn’t smart, more like a slow bird that had to start early and make up for natural deficiencies through hard work. He was very afraid that one day Huanhuan would find him stupid.
Huanhuan was so smart, while he was not only stupid but also stubborn. Just now, even though he wanted so badly to confide in Huanhuan, he had sulked for a long time. Thankfully Huanhuan hadn’t gotten angry.
Luo Jingyu thought that as a man, he should be more mature and braver. In the future when encountering such things, he couldn’t be so fragile. He needed to be strong, to let Huanhuan rely on him, to protect her, love her, take care of her, not the other way around becoming someone she had to protect.
What right did a coward who cried at the slightest difficulty have to dream about marrying Huanhuan?
—
A few days later, Zhan Xi took the civil service exam interview and felt her performance was average.
During the interview, there was a question like this: The unit wants to conduct a fire safety publicity activity. The leader asks Xiao Wang to choose one partner from three colleagues. Xiao Li is outgoing with strong work abilities but has conflicts with Xiao Wang; Xiao Liu is quiet and hardworking but stubborn; Xiao Zhang has a good relationship with Xiao Wang but is lazy and likes to take credit for others’ work. If Zhan Xi were Xiao Wang, who would she choose? Why?
Zhan Xi: “…”
She knew this kind of question was quite open-ended and wasn’t sure if it was testing interpersonal relationships or self-awareness. After thinking about it, she answered from her own perspective, choosing the second person – the quiet Xiao Liu.
As for the reason, she analyzed all three people thoroughly, feeling her answer was well-argued.
The interviewer’s expression was quite peculiar at the time. After coming out, Zhan Xi thought carefully for a long time and realized the best answer should have been the outgoing Xiao Li!
Everything should be based on what would help the work be carried out better! For a publicity activity, naturally an outgoing person would be more suitable. How could she use personal likes and dislikes as a reference?
Zhan Xi regretfully wanted to scratch the wall. When she saw the question, she had immediately eliminated Xiao Li because she really disliked dealing with people she had conflicts with. And the second one, Xiao Liu – that was deadly! He reminded her of Luo Jingyu, who else could she choose?
Within the agreed time, Luo Jingyu completed and shipped the two custom orders Zhan Xi had taken. Both Miss Fu and Mrs. Wu were very satisfied and told Zhan Xi they would look for Teacher Luo again if they needed anything in the future.
At the end of March, Fang Xu opened the custom order link in the online store. When chatting with Luo Jingyu on WeChat, he was much more polite, as if nothing had happened.
Fang Xu also listed some of Luo Jingyu’s ready-made samples online – small accessories, small ornaments, single flowers, each one unique, with custom orders available through private messages.
This kind of business would be very scattered, mostly coming from old customers. Luo Jingyu knew he wouldn’t be too busy in April and planned to spend some energy continuing to experiment with his waterproof resin.
During the Qingming Festival holiday, Luo Jingyu was going with his family to sweep the graves of his grandparents’ generation. Zhan Xi and Zhan Jie had also arranged to return to their hometown. Qin Fei naturally wasn’t going, and she also kept Weiwei in Qiantang.
When Zhan Jie drove with Zhan Xi, the atmosphere in the car could only be described as gloomy. Zhan Xi sat motionless in the passenger seat, stealing glances at her brother’s lifeless face, thinking that the power of the Qingming Festival was truly mighty.
After driving silently for a while, Zhan Xi wasn’t afraid of death and felt she should still talk to her brother.
She asked: “Brother, how are things with sister-in-law now?”
Zhan Jie: “…”
Zhan Xi: “Have you two talked since then?”
Zhan Jie: “…”
Zhan Xi: “Tell me about it, I can give you some advice. When Mom asks later, I can also coordinate with you on what to say. Otherwise, if I know nothing, we’ll both be nagged to death by her.”
This reasoning made sense, and Zhan Jie’s expression finally softened. He spoke: “We talked. She said she’s tired, doesn’t love me anymore, so wants a divorce.”
“…” Zhan Xi asked, “You don’t still think sister-in-law has someone else, do you?”
Zhan Jie said coldly: “She doesn’t.”
“Then, then what do you think?” Zhan Xi said, “You need to comfort her properly, apologize, promise to be a good husband and father in the future. If you show good behavior, sister-in-law might forgive you. You two haven’t reached that point yet, Weiwei is still so young, you definitely don’t want to divorce, right?”
In Zhan Xi’s impression, although Zhan Jie and Qin Fei had arguments, they hadn’t reached the point of divorce. No one had cheated, there was no domestic violence, no gambling debts or anything like that – just some emotional problems that could still be fixed.
Of course, the one in the wrong was definitely Zhan Jie. Zhan Xi lived with them for five months and saw everything clearly.
Zhan Jie huffed angrily and asked back: “Why should I comfort her? Why should I apologize? Do you also think I did something wrong?”
Zhan Xi was so shocked her jaw almost dropped: “Brother! You still don’t think you’re wrong? Haven’t you heard of widowed-style marriage?”
Zhan Jie: “What?!”
Zhan Xi: “…”
Since there was nothing else to do on the road, Zhan Xi simply started analyzing things for Zhan Jie. This time face to face, Zhan Jie couldn’t escape and had to listen to his sister’s opinions with a stiff face.
Zhan Jie and Zhan Xi had very different personalities. Zhan Jie was like their mother, Zhan Xi was like their father, but with some differences – Zhan Jie didn’t have their mother’s ability to manage household affairs and that concern for children, while Zhan Xi, compared to their father’s attitude of staying out of things, had more of a helpful nature.
“Have you been influenced by Mom?” After criticizing how Zhan Jie didn’t care about anything big or small at home, Zhan Xi talked about the relationship between Chi Guilan and Qin Fei. “All these years, Mom only sees sister-in-law’s faults and no merits. You’re sister-in-law’s husband – can you really not see her good points? Sister-in-law is truly a good person, takes care of the home, is capable at work, keeps your house in perfect order, and has raised Weiwei well. Mom doesn’t live with her so she chooses not to see these things, but are you blind too? In Mom’s eyes, you and I have no faults, but is that possible? I’m very clear about what my faults are – I used to be so introverted and timid, but now I’m working hard to change. What about you? You don’t really think you’re perfect, do you?”
Zhan Jie: “…”
Zhan Xi: “Every time we go home, Mom always badmouths sister-in-law, and I never see you defend her. You just try to smooth things over, comfort her in private and that’s it? Every time it’s like this, Mom becomes more unrestrained. I’m also timid and don’t dare speak up, but you need to say something! Otherwise, how hurt must sister-in-law feel? If Mom dared to randomly criticize my boyfriend, I would definitely talk back right then and there.”
When saying that last sentence, Zhan Xi thought of Luo Jingyu. Ah, even thinking about it felt so sweet.
She had a boyfriend now too!
She always thought Xiao Yu was a super good person, and after dating she found he was even better. They’d been together for over a month and hadn’t fought at all. Xiao Yu had never done anything to make her unhappy – he was especially gentle and considerate, attentive and knew how to care for people.
Although he couldn’t hear, it didn’t prevent him from being a warm boyfriend. Every minute spent with him, Zhan Xi felt nothing but happiness. Such a good person – if Mom dared to bully him, Zhan Xi would really be very very very angry!
Zhan Jie sighed: “I just thought if I endured for a moment things would get better. You know Mom’s temper, right? If I talk back to her, wouldn’t she explode? Then the fight would get worse and there’d be no end to it.”
Zhan Xi shook her head: “Not necessarily. The main issue is you haven’t done this from very early on, so it’s left aftereffects. Sister-in-law has already despaired, knowing you won’t help her. But she’s not weak, so she chose to confront Mom herself, which only made Mom dislike her more. So the key problem is still with you.”
She turned her head and said very seriously to Zhan Jie, “Brother, you really need to handle this problem well. Your marriage can still be saved. Sister-in-law’s dedication to the family all these years is her contribution, while you’ve just been inactive. If you stay inactive now, then it really can’t be saved.”
Zhan Jie thought for a while, then suddenly smiled: “What’s going on with you, Huanhuan? You talk about these relationship matters so knowledgeably now, so understanding? Have you found someone?”
Zhan Xi blushed and quickly denied: “No! I’m already twenty-four, don’t always treat me like a child. Even your son knows you’re not close to him. If you really divorce, Weiwei will definitely go to sister-in-law.”
Zhan Jie was unhappy: “That won’t do! I definitely want my son.”
Zhan Xi laughed at his response: “With you working overtime every day, wouldn’t Weiwei starve? Besides, Weiwei definitely wouldn’t want to go with you. He’s been raised by sister-in-law since he was little.”
Zhan Jie was annoyed: “Shut up! Don’t talk about this anymore. I’ll handle it when I get back.”
Zhan Xi shut up and closed her eyes: “Drive slowly, I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
When she woke up, they had arrived in Fuqin Town. Chi Guilan saw only the siblings had returned and pulled Zhan Jie into a room to talk. When they came out, both their faces were red.
“Just divorce her! Go ahead and divorce! Are you afraid of her?” Chi Guilan angrily slammed the table with a “bang”. “I’m so angry! I need to call her parents and ask how they raised such a daughter!”
Zhan Xi, who was eating sunflower seeds in the living room, was dumbfounded. Zhan Jie was also very frustrated and grabbed his mother’s arm, shouting: “Stop making trouble, okay?! I’ll handle this myself. I don’t want a divorce! Don’t go provoking Qin Fei and her family anymore! Right now I’m the one who’s wrong, not her. She wants the divorce, not me! Get it straight! If you keep making trouble, we really will get divorced!”
Chi Guilan stared wide-eyed and said: “So what if you divorce! The house is your premarital property, she can’t get any of it. The car is in your name too, and the child will definitely go to you. What are you afraid of?”
Zhan Jie gaped in shock: “What am I afraid of? I’m afraid of losing my wife!”
Chi Guilan snorted: “Jie, you’re only thirty-five. Many men at thirty-five aren’t even married yet! You’re tall, not bad looking, have a good job, own a house and car – do you really think you couldn’t find another wife? Mom’s not bragging, but you could even find someone in their twenties!”
Zhan Xi almost choked on a sunflower seed shell, thinking her mom had such mysterious confidence. If she were asked to marry a man like Zhan Jie, she’d rather become a nun.
Zhan Jie had done some self-reflection lately, and after being lectured by his little sister the whole way, he maintained clarity: “Mom, I’m begging you, please, this matter you absolutely must not interfere or make trouble. I’ll handle it myself. I’m telling you clearly now – I don’t want to divorce Qin Fei, I still love her in my heart. I don’t want to lose my wife, and Weiwei can’t lose his mom. Do you understand?”
Chi Guilan: “…”
Zhan Xi spit out a sunflower seed shell, feeling it was time for her to step in. She got up to comfort her mom: “Mom, brother and sister-in-law are both in their thirties, and you’re almost sixty – why are you still trying to manage them? Calm down, let brother handle it himself. If they really divorce, where would brother find someone as good as sister-in-law?”
Chi Guilan was about to speak when she heard this, but this time, their father Zhan Qiang spoke up: “You’ve all told you not to make trouble, are you not listening? Huanhuan is right – you’re almost sixty, mind your own business. You worry about everything – why don’t you go work as a judge at the court?”
After saying this, their father went to check on the vegetable garden in the yard with his hands behind his back. Chi Guilan looked at Zhan Jie, then at Zhan Xi, and angrily slammed a chair on the ground: “You’ve all grown wings! Are you all rebelling or what?!”
Before coming home this time, Zhan Xi had again transferred all the photos from her phone to her computer. Now she had so many photos of Xiao Yu, and they would also take selfies together sometimes.
She had once shared their selfies in the [Four Little Fairies] group chat, making Yao Ying and Zhao Qingqing squeal excitedly.
That selfie didn’t use any filters – Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu had their faces pressed together, with a background of lush greenery on the 1504 balcony that made the two young people’s faces look especially vibrant.
Luo Jingyu looked very handsome in the photo, with neat hair, fair skin, a lean and smooth facial contour, delicate yet three-dimensional features. He wore a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, holding a white cat in his arms, his eyes bright and clear, smiling warmly and beautifully.
Zhan Xi looked just as good – her long dark brown hair fell softly over her white sweater, backlit by the sun to create a golden edge. Her smile was bright and brilliant, with sweetness that seemed to seep through the screen.
[Yao Ying]: Ahhhhhhhh!!!! You two look so good together!!!!
[Zhao Qingqing]: Ahhhhhhh I’m dying!! When are you two getting married??? I’m already looking forward to your baby, it will definitely be a super beautiful little angel!!!
[Yao Ying]: Wuwuwu waiting for the red bomb!
[Zhao Qingqing]: When are you bringing your man out to meet us? I want to see this gorgeous face wuwu!
Egg Pudding: Okay~ [shy]
[Yao Ying]: I’m so sour! @Zhao Qingqing, it’s just us two left! Let’s cry together!!
[Zhao Qingqing]: Emmm, actually I have some news recently too [shy]
[Yao Ying]: [Oh my god][Oh my god]
[Yao Ying]: I’m going to leave the group wuwu…
Only Luo Xinran knew Luo Jingyu was deaf. Zhan Xi hadn’t told her other two roommates about this, feeling it wasn’t the right time yet.
Luo Xinran private messaged her.
Luo Xinran: Are you two getting along well?
Egg Pudding: Super well, couldn’t be better!
Luo Xinran: Slept together yet?
Luo Xinran: Then how can you say it couldn’t be better? Haven’t even test-driven yet. If this part isn’t good, everything else being good still needs to be discounted!
Egg Pudding: [Mushroom squatting in corner.jpg]
After just one day apart, Zhan Xi was already missing Luo Jingyu terribly.
That evening, they didn’t chat on WeChat but switched to QQ, which Zhan Xi had hidden in a very discreet folder.
Happy Egg: Xiao Yu Xiao Yu, what are you doing?
Big Fish: Just finished showering.
Happy Egg: Wow! Picture of beautiful man after bath, let me see [pitiful]
Luo Jingyu immediately sent a selfie – wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt showing his long arms, right hand running through his wet hair, cheeks still slightly flushed from the shower. This time he wasn’t smiling, his dreamy gaze looking especially deep and romantic.
Zhan Xi wished she could jump through the screen to hug him.
Happy Egg: Yingying, I miss you so much so much so much, do you miss me? [kiss]
Big Fish: Miss you, miss you a lot [kiss]
Happy Egg: Xiao Yu look! QQ has a whale emoji!
Big Fish: There’s an egg! [smirk]
Big Fish: [my eyes hurt]
…
After playing with uncommon QQ emojis for a while, the two little students finally talked normally.
Happy Egg: I’m coming back tomorrow afternoon, riding in my brother’s car, he’ll take me home.
Big Fish: What do you want to eat? I’ll buy groceries.
Happy Egg: I want salt and pepper pork ribs~
Big Fish: [okay] Anything else?
“Huanhuan.” With a click of the door lock, although Zhan Xi was startled, she calmly swiped away QQ and opened WeChat instead.
Chi Guilan sat down on her bed and glanced at her phone, asking: “What are you playing with? Chatting with someone?”
“No, just reading articles from public accounts.” Zhan Xi showed her mom the screen.
Chi Guilan didn’t pursue what was on her phone further and asked: “When will the interview results come out?”
Zhan Xi answered: “About a month, late April.”
“You said on the phone it felt average, so there’s no hope?”
“Mm.” Zhan Xi said, “I think I got one question wrong.”
Chi Guilan sighed: “Ah… Just treat it as gaining experience. There are several more exams in the second half of the year. Now you know what interviews are like, you’ll do better and better.”
Zhan Xi blinked, the words she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue but she ultimately didn’t speak them. She had to submit her transfer application this month – she didn’t know how Mom would react when she found out.
Most likely unhappy, disapproving, so Zhan Xi had to act first and explain later. Better not to hint at it now.
Chi Guilan chatted with her daughter for a while, asking about her daily meals and routine. This time her daughter’s appearance satisfied her very much – compared to having a gloomy face every day during Spring Festival, Zhan Xi’s complexion was rosy white and she looked much prettier.
“How many pounds now?” Chi Guilan pinched her daughter’s arm. “Have you gained some weight?”
“A hundred pounds.” Zhan Xi was tall, so a hundred pounds wasn’t fat. Xiao Yu even said she should gain a bit more. She felt if she kept being fed by Xiao Yu like this, she would get chubby from happiness.
“You’re eating well. I was worried every day that you’d be eating takeout.” Chi Guilan stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Huanhuan, Mom wants to ask you, why are you only staying one night this time?”
Zhan Xi said: “I want to rest for a day back home. One day is enough for tomb sweeping, and brother is leaving tomorrow too.”
“What about May Day?” Chi Guilan asked. “How many days are you coming back for May Day?”
“That’s still a month away.” Zhan Xi chuckled. “I’m pretty busy at work this month. I might have to work overtime during May Day. We have training in May.”
Chi Guilan seemed very disappointed: “When you were in college, you still had winter and summer breaks, so Mom could see you for a few months each year. Now that you’re working, we barely see each other all year.”
Zhan Xi tugged at her hand: “Mom, we all have to grow up. You take good care of yourself, get along well with Dad and Grandma. My brother and I will be fine in Qiantang too. Don’t worry about me, I’m really capable now! No takeout, I cook for myself every day!”
“That really is capable.” Chi Guilan smiled with her face full of wrinkles. “You’re still obedient. Your brother just makes people worry – a man in his thirties who can’t even handle his wife, now talking about divorce. I bet Qin Fei must have someone else.”
Zhan Xi quickly denied: “Mom, sister-in-law absolutely doesn’t have anyone else. Brother is certain of this and I can guarantee it too. Please don’t guess wildly or interfere in their matters. Their conflict is really because brother is in the wrong. Don’t criticize sister-in-law in front of brother anymore. Brother didn’t take it seriously before but now he’s very anxious. Let him handle it himself – this can still be fixed.”
Chi Guilan grumbled: “I know, I know, making it sound like their divorce troubles were stirred up by me. What does it have to do with me?”
Zhan Xi: “…”
After her mom left, Zhan Xi waited a while longer before secretly opening QQ under her blanket.
Big Fish: Huanhuan? [kiss]
Big Fish: [egg] Mom caught you?
Happy Egg: I’m back! Wasn’t caught, I was just chatting with my mom.
Big Fish: You didn’t finish – what else do you want to eat tomorrow?
Happy Egg: Whatever else you want to make, everything you cook is delicious, I like it all!
Happy Egg: I just bragged to my mom, saying I don’t eat takeout anymore and cook for myself every day! I’ve even gained weight [I’m the prettiest]
Big Fish: You’re not fat, you can get fatter.
Happy Egg: [terrified] No!!!
Big Fish: What did your mom say?
Happy Egg: She said I’m capable~ [shy]
Big Fish: You should tell your mom your boyfriend is capable!
Happy Egg: I want to tell her that too! My boyfriend is the most handsome, best, and most capable!
Big Fish: I went to my grandparents’ graves today, I told my dad, mom and sister that I have a girlfriend now.
Big Fish: They said they want you to come home for a meal and meet them
[Happy Egg]: Isn’t it too early? I’m not ready yet…
Luo Jingyu looked at Zhan Xi’s reply message and rubbed his nose before responding—
[Big Fish]: Don’t worry, I didn’t agree, I said it was too early.
[Happy Egg]: I’m sorry, Xiao Yu, I really feel it’s a bit early.
[Big Fish]: It’s okay, it was my fault. Our photos are my phone wallpaper, they saw them [covering face]
[Happy Egg]: What did they say about me? [awkward]
[Big Fish]: Said you’re very pretty, very cute, said I’m not good-looking enough, don’t deserve you [tears]
[Happy Egg]: [fish][crying laughing] Don’t make things up, don’t you know what you look like?
[Big Fish]: I know, I’m a handsome big fish! [smug]
While chatting casually with Zhan Xi on QQ, exchanging emojis back and forth, Luo Jingyu’s mind wandered to the scene from earlier that day when he had lunch with his family after sweeping the graves.
He had been careless – his phone wallpaper and lock screen were both photos of him and Huanhuan. When he placed his phone on the restaurant table, Yan Yajuan easily spotted it.
Luo Jingyu had no choice but to admit she was his girlfriend. Yan Yajuan was so happy she wanted to go pray at a temple, and immediately started asking about the girl’s situation:
From Tongxian, which counts as greater Qiantang area – that’s good, that’s good.
Twenty-three and a half – perfect age!
College graduate! Oh my, Xiao Yu really did well!
White-collar office worker!
Both parents alive, plus a married brother with kids – very good!
1.69 meters – quite tall! Only about half a head shorter than Xiao Yu, they match well!
As for her face – no need to mention, beautiful as a flower.
Until the final question, Yan Yajuan signed: [Why is she deaf? Congenital or acquired?]
Luo Mei, who knew a little bit about this, immediately looked at her brother. Luo Jingyu had already frozen.
He signed: [She can hear.]
Yan Yajuan was very surprised. After glancing at her son-in-law, she asked again: [Then what’s wrong with her? Is it her legs too?]
Luo Jingyu: [She is a healthy person.]
Yan Yajuan stared at Luo Jingyu for a long time before finally raising her hands to sign: [Xiao Yu, listen to Mom – you two aren’t compatible.]
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