Chapter 43 Today, I'm going to be a beast.
Jiang Ran: Actually, my birth chart is also very auspicious for you; I'm very lucky for my husband.
Su Mu assumed Jiang Ran was just saying sweet nothings: "...Young Master Jiang, you're so cute."
The two of us video chatted before bed.
The cotton quilts in the countryside are heavy but not very warm, so Su Mu was wearing clothes when Jiang Ran brought up the fact that he had actually matched Su Mu's birth dates with his own.
Su Mu was bewildered: "...When? You did something like this behind my back?"
Jiang Ran lay on the bed, burying her face in her arms, leaving only her eyes showing, feeling a little embarrassed: "Before, I had a crush on you but felt it was hopeless, so in a moment of delusion, I decided to take some crooked paths..."
crooked ways? How crooked?
Su Mu remembered that there was a time when Jiang Ran subtly inquired about his birth date and time, asking very detailed questions, even specifying the exact minute of his birth. Su Mu only found it strange at the time and casually mentioned it without giving it much thought.
So that's where it's used.
“I found a Taoist priest who was supposedly very effective,” Jiang Ran continued, “and wanted him to perform a ritual or make some kind of talisman, basically to make sure we were together for life. I thought at the time that even if it was forced, I would accept it.”
Su Mu: "...You didn't actually drink the talisman water, did you?"
No wonder my mind is a bit abstract right now.
Jiang Ran said sullenly, "Of course I didn't drink it. I'm not really stupid. Wouldn't that be like drinking ashes?"
“Mumu, you interrupted me, I haven’t finished yet. That Taoist priest looked at our birth charts, calculated for a long time, and finally told me that there was no need to perform any rituals. He said we were destined to be together, a true destiny, the kind that can’t be broken up, and I was quite happy.” Jiang Ran recalled, “But after calming down, I thought he was lying to me. Don’t all charlatans say the same thing? Anyone can say nice things.”
"But to be honest, even if it was just a few nice words, I would have been willing to be fooled by him. I was in such a bad mood during that time."
Su Mu thought Jiang Ran was a bit silly, and felt a little sorry for her, but he was more concerned about the price: "How much did it cost?"
Jiang Ran blinked and said a number: "2000".
"But Mumu, he's really amazing. He even said that my daughter's position is quite clear. When I heard that, my heart skipped a beat, and I felt like I wanted to die."
"I thought I was really doomed. I wondered if you would have to marry someone else and have children before I could get married again? So I was really depressed during that time. I would avoid you whenever I saw you, let alone confess my feelings."
As Su Mu listened, he recalled that there seemed to be a period of time when Jiang Ran would sigh whenever she saw him, as if she would burst into tears if she looked at him for too long.
“Young Master Jiang,” Su Mu said, both amused and exasperated, “how can you be so feudal and superstitious? You even hired a Taoist priest and performed rituals? I can’t believe you came up with that idea.”
Jiang Ran: "Mumu, in our family's business, luck is often part of strength. My dad always consults the almanac before discussing any projects."
Most other people's unrequited love stories are like a bittersweet tale of youthful pain.
Jiang Ran's unrequited love story is interspersed with a self-conquest-themed fantasy drama, the delicate and sensitive feelings of a young boy, and even a bunch of metaphysical and heretical elements are forcibly mixed in.
But if the Taoist priest who took his two thousand yuan really had some skill.
“That’s great,” Su Mu said. “We should only have Xiao He as our child.”
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Ran's focus instantly drifted to something completely different. He was silent for two seconds, then his voice came through, low and tinged with barely suppressed shy excitement: "That's great! Does that mean we can... go without condoms from now on?"
Su Mu: "…………"
In fact, they had already been in a state of nothingness many times before.
Jiang Ran underwent tubal ligation surgery.
In addition, after many times, the two of them had to admit that sometimes it was indeed more comfortable without that barrier, as body temperature and touch were more direct without that barrier.
Jiang Ran, who was initially a novice who would cry easily and couldn't even speak clearly, gradually figured out some tricks, learned how to cooperate, how to control the rhythm, and even occasionally turned the tables and made Su Mu lose control.
But now, Su Mu is living in Ren Ran's old house. The house is quite old, the walls are not soundproof, the wooden doors don't close properly, and outside the window is a silent village, with the occasional bark of a dog making the night seem even deeper.
Su Mu immediately lowered his voice, frantically rummaging through the side pocket of his backpack to pull out his earphones, and warned into the phone, "Keep your voice down, this is the countryside, you city person, tone it down."
Jiang Ran said, "Rural talents are not conservative, otherwise how could so many children have been born in the past?"
Jiang Ran complained, "How can I hide it? I haven't seen you in so long. Counting the days, it's been almost a week. I finally saw you in a video, and you've become famous again."
"When I saw those comments, and the close-up analysis of your hands... I just couldn't help but get angry."
Who can blame them? Su Mu in that video is just too handsome.
In that dusty, rustic courtyard, dressed in old clothes, he still looked so good sitting in the heavy excavator driver's seat. His profile was strong and clear in the thin winter sunlight, his brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes were focused, his fingers rested on the cold control lever, and the veins on the back of his hands were clearly visible.
The background is a desolate mountain and a dilapidated old house, but Su Mu sitting there exudes a kind of calm and reliable, yet unruly gentleness. That contrast, that strong and primal charm, can precisely strike the heart even through the screen.
As Jiang Ran scrolled through the endless stream of adoring comments, the old vinegar in his heart was completely overturned. The sourness rushed straight to the top of his head, mixed with longing and possessiveness, making his chest feel suffocated.
As he watched Su Mu in the video, he wondered how this person could be so popular even when operating an excavator. At that moment, his only thought was that he wanted to call her "Mom."
Of course, it doesn't mean the literal meaning.
It was an indescribable emotional shock, a mixture of extreme admiration, pride, and a slight loss of control. How could his Su Mu, his lover, be so beautiful? So beautiful that even across thousands of miles, he wished he could fly over immediately, pull him down, hide him in his arms, and not let anyone else see him.
Besides, why can't he call out?
Jiang Ran thought to himself that he had even eaten his wife's milk.
Su Mu's phone screen glowed faintly in the darkness.
"...Have you finished venting?" Su Mu said into the microphone, his voice low. "Then I'll hang up now, it's a bit cold here."
Jiang Ran's voice immediately came through the receiver: "I've finished venting, but I haven't gotten aroused yet!"
Su Mu: "…………"
Su Mu was momentarily speechless and subconsciously shrank his neck.
"...It's so far," Su Mu said, "what exactly do you want?"
That's what he said, but he could almost guess what Jiang Ran was going to do next.
Jiang Ran chuckled on the other end: "Mu Mu, you know perfectly well that distance has never been a problem."
Su Mu wore fleece-lined thermal underwear here because she was afraid of the cold, but Jiang Ran was only wearing pajamas in the heated room in Jiangzhou.
Su Mu almost wanted to tell the microphone to stop being so provocative.
Jiang Ran gave him a vivid and sensual performance.
Jiang Ran is indeed not very good at speaking the kind of blunt and explicit dirty talk.
He had a strict upbringing and was surrounded by respectable circles. He used the same few words over and over again when he cursed, so he was better at mixing dirty and sweet together, saying the most indecent things in the most serious tone. And because Jiang Ran herself was well-mannered and had a clean background, what she said always carried a hint of pure desire, not dirty, but alluring.
Every time they were intimate, Su Mu listened to what sounded like a progress report on the tunnel project.
Let's get to the point: exploration begins.
We've made progress to the quarter-thousandth mark, encountered some resistance, but overall it's going smoothly.
One-third complete, continuing in-depth work.
Halfway through, continue to accelerate.
Once the project reaches its final stage and is completed, traffic can begin to flow between the two locations.
Su Mu was wearing thick cotton pants, which were much harder to take off than Jiang Ran's. He felt embarrassed and cold, and was flustered. In short, after that night, Su Mu felt that even his phone was a little dirty.
Jiang Ran, after only a few days of Su Mu's departure, had clearly become somewhat sexually repressed.
Su Mu overslept the next day, and he really wanted to punch someone. This guy could actually amuse himself even through a screen.
They still call him that kind of name.
Su Mu casually scrolled through his phone and saw that Jiang Ran's social media account, which he hadn't used in a long time, had posted a few photos in its latest update.
The photo was taken on the day he confessed his love to Jiang Ran. In the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window, the golden rays turned the dust particles in the air into swirling gold dust.
Jiang Ran smiled, his face turned to the side, his eyes curving into crescents, revealing a row of neat white teeth. Su Mu leaned on his shoulder, his expression still a little dazed, but the corners of his mouth were upturned, and his ears were bright red.
Two young faces, gilded with a fuzzy golden edge by the excessive sunlight, happiness almost overflowing from the pixels.
To subtly highlight his identity, Jiang Ran deliberately chose several of the most intimate photos: a close-up of their intertwined fingers, a profile of Su Mu kissing his forehead, and a photo of their foreheads touching, their noses almost touching.
The atmosphere was so rich, so rich that you could almost smell the cloyingly sweet scent in the air through the screen.
This move was like dropping a bombshell into the fan base, causing the comment section to explode rapidly.
—? ? ? The sasaeng fans are dissatisfied again and are coming out to assert their dominance.
—Oh my god, I just found out that two handsome guys on the internet are actually a couple?! This is so painful!
—Hahaha, that's hilarious! Before, when I was urging this guy from the 985 university to post more photos, his account seemed to be dead. Now that his wife is popular again, he's suddenly alive! So I wish this forklift guy continued success!!
Su Mu leaned closer to take a look and saw that Jiang Ran's reply was, "Wishing the forklift driver continued success."
Jiang Ran: You're so evil.
This was followed by a frustrated emoji.
Su Mu simply couldn't bear to look.
In order to allow Su Mu and his team to set off for the Spring Festival earlier, Ren Ran's hometown specially moved the reunion dinner to noon on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. The eight-immortal table in the main room was polished to a shine, and dishes were laid out on it. The homemade smoked bacon was cut into thin slices and looked shiny with oil. There were various stewed meats, a bowl of steamed eggs sprinkled with scallions, as well as stir-fried cabbage and tofu soup.
It wasn't a lavish meal, but it was piping hot.
For families like theirs with weaker kinship ties, celebrating the New Year is more of a formality. At the table were the grandparents, Ren Ran, and three or four members of Su Mu's team. The elderly woman didn't talk much, but kept using serving chopsticks to put food on the guests' plates. A smile graced her wrinkled face—a genuine radiance born from the lively atmosphere.
Outside the window is a desolate winter mountain view, inside is the warmth of food and the kind gaze of an old man. When the family will reunite seems to be really not that important.
After the meal, while helping to clear the dishes, Ren Ran stood by the stove washing the dishes, the water splashing loudly.
She suddenly spoke very softly: "Teacher Su, my grandparents... this is the first time they've been so happy. In previous years, it was just the three of us, so quiet and lonely. This year, with you all here, they've smiled so many times."
Ren Ran's year was probably not good. The city failed to give her the answers she wanted, leaving her only with deeper confusion and exhaustion.
But it's good to be back with family for the New Year. The warmth and comfort of home has a strange healing power, like a basin of lukewarm water, slowly softening the bones that have been frozen stiff outside. Grandpa and Grandma won't ask her how much money she's made, whether she has a boyfriend, or when she'll settle down. They'll just put the biggest piece of cured meat in her bowl and say, "Ranran's lost weight."
That's how people are. When the year ends and the last page of the calendar is torn off, it's as if all the hardships and joys of the past year can be ritually packed up, sealed away, and thrown into a corner of memory.
Those fleeting, radiant moments of happiness, like this warm family reunion dinner or the genuine smiles in the eyes of loved ones, will be carefully tucked into one's heart, warmed, and carried forward, sustaining one for many years to come.
Before leaving, Ren Ran's grandparents took out several red envelopes and insisted on giving them to everyone in Su Mu's team.
The red envelope was very thin, made of the most ordinary red paper, with a golden "福" (good fortune) character printed on it. Su Mu couldn't refuse, so he took it. When he did, he could feel a thin banknote inside, probably ten or twenty yuan.
After dinner, the team had to go their separate ways. Xiao Ai was catching the evening train back to her hometown in the north, and another guy was going to a neighboring city to see his girlfriend. Everyone packed up their equipment and said goodbye.
The return journey was surprisingly smooth.
Unlike the bumpy ride on the way here, the minibus drove smoothly, and the scenery outside the window rushed past. Su Mu leaned against the window, and his phone vibrated once in his palm, then again.
It's news from Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran: Where are we?
Jiang Ran: Are you cold on the way?
Jiang Ran: [Image]
Jiang Ran: [Image]
Jiang Ran: [Video]
In the last video, Su Mu clicked on it. In the video, Xiao He was being held by Su's mother. Su's mother gently patted his belly and said that the baby would grow up quickly if he ate. Xiao He seemed to understand what she was saying and smiled.
Su Mu watched the video, his fingers touching the cold screen, as if he could feel the child's soft, warm cheeks from a great distance.
At this time of year, he would pack his bags and rush to Fenghuang Village. The Spring Festival travel rush, the noisy station, and his parents' repeated urging and reminders on the other end of the phone—his direction was clear, his steps were weary, but his sense of belonging was distinct.
This year is different; the wheels are turning, and the destination is Jiangzhou.
That city where he studied and now settled down. There's no smell of cooking smoke from the chimneys of his childhood, no familiar local accent, but there are windows with lights on, people waiting for him to return, and a tiny life carrying their blood.
He gained more family. Jiang Ran's parents, Jiang Ran's relatives, and the little creature that miraculously blended his bloodline and temperament with Jiang Ran's.
However, he really missed Xiaohe. When he was at Ren Ran's house, there was a baby in the village, held in his mother's arms, with rosy cheeks, gnawing on his little fist.
Su Mu's gaze was immediately fixed on Xiao He, and he stared at him for a long time, his mind filled with thoughts of his little crane. What was he doing? Was he blowing bubbles again? Was he crying?
Longing is like a thin thread, one end tied to his heart, the other end, far away and firmly, tied to that house in Jiangzhou with its warm yellow light.
With each kilometer the wheel rolled forward, the line tightened a little more, making him eager to return home.
Su Mu: Wait, we'll be there soon.
The journey was incredibly smooth. The plane was on time, the luggage came out quickly, and there was no queue for a taxi. When he arrived at the airport arrival level, less than three hours had passed since he sent a message to Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran was waiting at the exit, wearing a long, off-white down jacket, open to reveal a white sweater underneath. His hair was a little messy, as if he had grabbed a handful in a hurry before coming out. He was looking down at his phone, his brows slightly furrowed, when Su Mu approached with his suitcase and his footsteps sounded, and he suddenly looked up.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Ran's eyes lit up almost instantly. He strode over, not even bothering to touch the handle of the suitcase, and pulled Su Mu into his arms.
His arms were pulled tight, so tight that Su Mu's back bones ached slightly. The soft fabric of the down jacket rustled against him. Jiang Ran buried her face in the crook of his neck, rubbing against him haphazardly.
"Mumu..." he mumbled, and then his lips pressed against hers, moving haphazardly from her forehead to her cheek and then to her chin, wet and hot.
Su Mu was held so tightly by him that she couldn't move, and could only turn her head slightly to say, "Calm down!"
Jiang Ran calmed down and hugged his head tightly: "Do you know how I've been spending these days alone in this empty house?"
"...I haven't washed my hair for two days."
Jiang Ran: "Really? It doesn't taste like anything."
The family, including Jiang's parents and Su's parents, went out for a mutton hot pot meal. Jiang Ran had booked the restaurant in advance; the private room was well-heated, and the glass windows were covered with a thick layer of condensation.
A large copper pot sits in the center of the table, its milky white broth bubbling and steaming, carrying a rich and mellow aroma of mutton. Thinly sliced mutton rolls are quickly dipped in the broth and change color. Dipped in a special sesame sauce and fermented bean curd seasoning, they are eaten, and the warmth immediately spreads from the throat to every part of the body.
Jiang's mother ladled out a bowl of milky white soup, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to Su Mu, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Mu Mu, I've seen your video online! It's really well made."
As she spoke, she took out her phone and showed it to Su's mother next to her: "Look, our Mumu is so photogenic! With such hard work, the film is sure to be a huge hit!"
Jiang's mother's tone was filled with undisguised pride: "What a capable little treasure."
Jiang's father succinctly commented, "Very insightful."
Mr. and Mrs. Su sat on the other side, their faces also beaming with smiles.
The meal was very enjoyable, and everyone was happy. After the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang offered to take Mr. and Mrs. Su out for a stroll, explaining that they had planned some activities for the next day and that since their in-laws were visiting, they should experience them.
Xiao He was also picked up by Jiang's mother with a smile: "Baby, come to our place tonight, so you two can relax a bit."
Two pairs of parents, with their children, got into the car chatting and laughing.
Only Su Mu and Jiang Ran remained.
Back in the apartment, the warmth and familiar homey smell greeted him. Su Mu bent down to change his shoes, about to say, "I need to take a shower first, I smell all over," but before he could finish the sentence...
Jiang Ran pressed herself against him from behind. Her arms encircled his waist, and her hand slipped directly under the hem of his down jacket. Even through the sweater underneath, he could feel the heat of her palm. Then, that hand began to move downwards, groping to unbutton his jeans.
The metal buckle made a slight clicking sound.
Su Mu froze: "...Hey, Jiang Ran, at least let me put my luggage down first."
Jiang Ran didn't respond, but her breathing became heavier. She lightly bit his collar and pulled it down, saying, "Hehehe, I'm going to be a beast today. You can't cry out to heaven and earth now."
The buttons on her trousers were undone, the zipper was pulled down, and then Jiang Ran threw them away with a flourish.
After throwing it away, I discovered that there was another layer of thick, light gray corduroy trousers inside my outer pants.
So Jiang Ran threw it away again with great flair.
I also found a pair of thermal leggings.
Jiang Ran: "…………"
Su Mu: "...You know, it's really cold in the countryside in winter."
-
A note from the author:
The domineering CEO ripped off his outer pants, fleece pants, thermal underwear...
When he learned that the boy he had a crush on was going to have a child, Young Master Jiang had already made up his mind that he could only be with the boy after he had been married before.
When he later learned the child was his, Young Master Jiang exclaimed: "Fate is truly wondrous!" [sunglasses emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com