Chapter 37 What are you arching for! I'm...
On the eve of National Day, Xie Tang packed two sets of clothes and prepared to leave.
Shortly after the car drove out of the garage, Chu Song called.
He got straight to the point: "What are your plans for National Day?"
"Going back to my hometown to visit my maternal grandparents."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Xie Tangren's heart sank suddenly, sensing something was wrong, and he hurriedly asked, "Brother Song, do you have any plans?"
Where are you now?
"Near home." Xie Tang looked out the window, thinking that his plan to visit his parents was probably going to fall through—nothing was more important than Chu Song's affairs.
Just as she was mentally preparing herself, she heard Chu Song's deep voice clearly say, "I'll go with you."
Xie Tang was stunned for a moment, almost unable to believe her ears.
"Hmm?" she responded subconsciously, then her nails dug quietly into her palm—the distinct pain told her it wasn't a hallucination.
An indescribable excitement surged through my chest like a tide.
After a few seconds of calming down, she tentatively said, "Brother Song, you don't have to accommodate me. Are you going back to the old house? I can go with you..."
"Are you driving back?" he interrupted her.
"yes."
"Drive over here, I'm at the company," Chu Song said before hanging up the phone.
Xie Tang held the phone, her fingertips slightly cool.
He was so busy, yet he was willing to spend time accompanying her back to her hometown.
The feeling of gratitude brought by this gesture weighed heavily on my heart.
Fearing he might change his mind, Xie Tang didn't bother to pack his luggage and drove straight to Huasong Building.
Chu Song received the message and soon went downstairs, getting into the passenger seat: "How long will it take to get there?"
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, four hours." Xie Tang turned her head to look at Chu Song, who was resting with his eyes closed.
His brows were furrowed with weariness; he had clearly overexerted himself these past few days, and she felt a pang of heartache for him.
Traffic flow on the road was relatively smooth.
Before getting on the highway, Xie Tang specially bought a large bag of snacks at the supermarket to stock up.
She calculated that the four-hour drive would allow her to arrive before the holiday.
However, things took an unexpected turn when the navigation system suddenly announced a serious car accident ten kilometers ahead, resulting in three deaths.
It was this ten-kilometer journey that took them a full four hours of traffic.
Xie Tang looked at the slowly crawling traffic outside the window, and a growing sense of irritation arose in her heart.
However, when his gaze fell upon Chu Song, who was fast asleep beside him, his agitation strangely dissipated by more than half.
She stared at him openly, a secret joy in her eyes.
The afternoon sunlight shone on his peaceful sleeping face, softening his usual coldness and seriousness, making him appear exceptionally gentle.
The cramped space inside the car seemed to isolate them from the outside noise, leaving only the two of them, silently sharing this peaceful companionship.
She gently rubbed her temples to dispel her fatigue.
The traffic struggled to move forward, finally passing through the ten-kilometer stretch, only to be caught in the evening rush hour.
Vehicles from all directions brought the highway to a complete standstill.
Xie Tang's patience was about to run out, and to make matters worse, the news forecast predicted a strong thunderstorm that evening, accompanied by short-term heavy rainfall and strong winds.
When Chu Song woke up, the sky outside the car window was already low and covered with dark clouds.
Large raindrops pounded against the car window, and distant lights flickered and blurred in the rain, making the night seem unusually heavy.
Xie Tang felt guilty—he should have had a relaxing vacation, but he was stuck on the road because he accompanied her back to her hometown.
She handed over the snacks.
Chu Song shook his head, stretched out his arms, and asked for directions.
Xie Tang bit her lip, not daring to admit that she hadn't even finished half the journey.
Chu Song looked down at his phone, and after a moment said, "There's a service area three kilometers away. Let's go there to rest first."
"good."
Half an hour later, they drove into a service area.
The rain was pouring down, with dense raindrops pounding against the car roof, leaving only a hazy curtain of water and a faint glimmer of light between heaven and earth.
The service station was crowded with people, and Xie Tang and Chu Song were starving.
Faced with only a few noodle shops, Chu Song had no appetite, yet he could not bear the hunger in his stomach.
Xie Tang asked him, "What do you want to eat?"
Chu Song showed little interest. "Whatever."
Xie Tang searched around but couldn't find anything that suited his taste.
Chu Song stopped her: "Don't bother looking, just buy some pads."
Seeing that he was really hungry, Xie Tang bought fish noodles at 7-Eleven, filled them with meatballs, seaweed and tofu skewers, and also bought some snacks from a food stall.
In the corner of the rest area, a table piled high with lunch boxes is greasy and mottled.
Chu Song stood to the side with the food, watching Xie Tang carefully tidy up, wiping the table five or six times with wet wipes before it was barely presentable.
Catching a hint of disdain beneath his calm expression, Xie Tang felt a pang of sadness, worried that he might regret accompanying her on her journey.
"It's clean," she said softly.
Chu Song then sat down, frowning as he examined the food in his bowl, then looked at Xie Tang with suspicion in his eyes.
Xie Tang was both amused and exasperated: "Sorry, the service station is like this, but I can guarantee it's clean. It's on me if you get food poisoning, okay?"
Chu Song nodded, tentatively took a bite of the tofu skewer, chewed slowly, and swallowed. It didn't seem so bad after all.
Xie Tang breathed a sigh of relief, secretly praying that his stomach would cooperate.
Raindrops shimmered and cast hazy shadows under the dim streetlights, making the crowds seem even more bustling.
"Why...why did you want to come with me to see my grandparents?" Xie Tang hesitated all the way before finally asking the question.
Chu Song gazed at the approaching traffic in the distance, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "As payment for your help in investigating the truth behind my sister's car accident?"
Just payment? Xie Tang didn't speak, biting into her tofu skewers.
Chu Song didn't know what she was thinking, and said in a low voice, "In a few days, you'll have to come back to the old house with me. Grandpa has something to do."
"Okay." Xie Tang noticed his eyes darken, and her heart sank as well.
The rain was pattering.
An elderly woman carrying a basket selling zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) approached and enthusiastically promoted them: "Young lady, these are homemade, made with the finest ingredients. Want to try some? If you don't like them, you don't have to pay!"
Seeing Xie Tang hesitate, she handed her one directly.
Looking at the old woman's eager eyes, Chu Song inexplicably thought of the witch who handed out the poisoned apple.
Xie Tang couldn't bear to refuse and took a bite—a savory meat rice dumpling!
Mushrooms, fresh meat, shrimp... it tasted exactly like my mother's cooking.
She exclaimed with delight, "Delicious! Auntie, are you from Huishi?"
"Yes!" the woman smiled.
Xie Tang smiled and nodded, buying two.
Seeing that Chu Song's bowl of food was almost untouched, she scooped up a spoonful of rice dumpling and fed it to him.
When the spoon was brought to his lips, Chu Song was taken aback.
Xie Tang then realized she had used the spoon, and her face instantly turned red: "Sorry, I forgot..."
Chu Song lowered his head and took a bite of the savory rice dumpling, chewing slowly, his gaze falling on her flushed face. "Hmm, it's quite delicious."
With the embarrassment lessened, he picked up another zongzi and peeled it open.
Watching the elderly woman weaving through the crowd, calling out her wares, repeatedly rejected but always smiling, Xie Tang was deeply moved.
When the older woman approached again, she waved and said, "Give me ten more."
The woman was both surprised and hesitant: "So much! Can we finish it all? Don't buy it out of pity for me."
Xie Tang smiled and said, "There are many people in my family."
The older woman chatted with her while packing zongzi for her, mentioning her daughter, who was about the same age as Xie Tang and was pursuing a master's degree.
Xie Tang looked at her face, which was brimming with pride, and paid the bill with a smile.
In the car, Chu Song asked, "Is it because you really love to eat, or because you pity her?"
"We have both, but her cooking is really delicious." Xie Tang lowered her seat and took out her iPad. "It's still raining heavily, and we're stuck in traffic anyway, how about watching a movie?"
Chu Song nodded.
She chose a suspense movie and handed him a big bag of snacks.
Chu Song doesn't have the habit of eating snacks, so she simply uses it as a pillow.
Halfway through the movie, Xie Tang was exhausted from days of caring for her, and soon she fell asleep with her head tilted to the side.
The screen's light and shadow flickered on her face, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Chu Song gazed at her quietly for a long time, then took the blanket from the back seat and gently covered her with it.
Inside the car, only the whispers of the movie and Xie Tang's soft breathing remained.
Chu Song turned down the volume and continued watching the movie beside her.
Before the rain had stopped, he opened another movie.
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Xie Tang woke up groggily and found the car parked at the foot of a secluded mountain.
She instantly snapped out of it and looked at Chu Song, who was scrolling through his phone: "This is..."
"I followed your navigation." Chu Song looked up, unable to hide his surprise. "Your grandparents live in the mountains?"
"They want peace and quiet after retirement," Xie Tang explained with a smile. "They're very content tending to this orchard. Cars can drive in."
A dozen minutes later, the car stopped in front of a dilapidated two-story old house.
Xie Tang took the keys and got out of the car, but the courtyard gate was pushed open from the inside.
An elderly woman with a full head of silver hair, deep wrinkles, but bright eyes stood at the door. When she saw Xie Tang, she smiled brightly and said, "Tang!"
"Grandma!" Xie Tang bent down and hugged her.
Grandma Yuan Aochun let go of her, looked her over again, touched her hand, and said with heartache, "You've lost weight and look haggard. Have you not been eating properly?"
"It's alright." Xie Tang had barely finished speaking when her grandfather, Xie Kun, walked out with a stern face, followed by a yellow dog and a restless goat.
The goat was nudgeing his waist with its head.
Xie Kun slapped the sheep's head away in annoyance, but as soon as he saw Xie Tang, his eyes crinkled with laughter: "Girl, you're here! Your grandma was talking about you yesterday!"
"That's called telepathy!" Grandma said with a smile.
At this moment, Chu Song got out of the car, his tall and upright figure particularly eye-catching.
Xie Kun squinted his old eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over her up and down, his tone stiff: "Girl, who is this?"
Xie Tang quickly introduced.
Chu Song lowered his posture and respectfully greeted her as well.
Xie Kun's gaze fell precisely on the rings on their fingers, and his face darkened: "Married? When did this happen?"
Xie Tang smiled sweetly and said, "We just got our marriage certificate, so I brought him to meet you two."
Xie Kun stared at Chu Song's well-dressed appearance and snorted, "Dressed like a respectable person... an insurance salesman?"
No sooner had he asked than the goat behind him nudged his back with its head. The old man slapped it on the head in frustration, yelling, "What are you nudging me for! I'm not a cabbage!"
Xie Tang was both amused and exasperated, realizing that her grandfather was trying to intimidate Chu Song by saying those words on purpose to provoke him.
She gently shook Chu Song's arm, signaling him not to take it to heart.
Chu Song glanced down at his wrinkled suit sleeves and loose tie, and smiled helplessly.
He really does look like an insurance salesman.
Instead of being angry, he expressed remorse for his own rudeness.
Yuan Aochun, however, was quite fond of Chu Song. The young man was fair-skinned, well-behaved, and exuded an air of nobility.
She gently patted Xie Kun's arm and said tactfully, "What kind of eyes do you have? Look at her figure, complexion, and demeanor, how does she look like an insurance salesman?"
Then, turning to Chu Song, she smiled kindly and said, "Ah Song, may I call you that?"
Chu Song nodded politely: "Okay."
"Come in and sit down, I'll make you some tea."
Xie Kun snorted in dissatisfaction, then led the dog and sheep out the door without any regard for hospitality.
“Brother Song, that’s just my grandfather’s personality, don’t take it to heart,” Xie Tang explained in a low voice while Yuan Aochun went to the kitchen to boil water. “He probably brought you to see him because he’s unhappy that we got our marriage certificate.”
Chu Song looked at her, a smile flashing in his eyes, and softly hummed in agreement.
Seeing that he didn't mind, Xie Tang smiled with relief: "I'll go tidy up the room, you can rest in bed for a while."
"Okay." Chu Song stood up and looked around the room. It was clean but empty, with a chilly atmosphere.
The kitchen connects to the yard, where there is a tall sycamore tree and roses and wild roses in full bloom.
A bluestone slab stands beside an ancient well, its water crystal clear.
In the swallow's nest under the eaves, baby birds chirped merrily.
He stood in the courtyard, his mind unusually calm and peaceful.
Yuan Aochun brewed some Pu'er tea and called him into the house.
"Let me do it." Chu Song took the tea set and invited her to go first.
Yuan Aochun didn't stand on ceremony, holding her teacup and watching him slowly sip his tea with delight in her eyes.
Chu Song felt somewhat awkward under their gaze and could only maintain a polite smile.
Yuan Aochun told him to relax and asked about his acquaintance with Xie Tang.
Chu Song mentioned Xie Tang when she was six years old, that mischievous, clever, and eloquent little girl.
Yuan Aochun found it fascinating; it was completely different from the exceptionally sensible Xie Tang she remembered.
Not long after, Xie Kun returned carrying a large bunch of freshly picked rose grapes. Upon smelling the aroma of tea, he immediately glared at her: "Why did you take apart the Pu'er tea I had hidden?"
"Wasn't it meant for Atang?" Yuan Aochun retorted. "Atang is here, and she even brought her grandson-in-law. On such a special occasion, what's wrong with drinking some Pu'er tea?"
Xie Kun said with heartache, "I wouldn't even dare to drink it myself!"
"You're so stingy!" Yuan Aochun rolled her eyes at him. "Go wash the grapes."
Xie Kun snorted and reluctantly carried the grapes away.
Yuan Aochun smiled and explained to Chu Song, "Don't mind him. He's just tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He actually dotes on A-Tang. He only dislikes you because he knows she's married."
Chu Song could feel their affection for Xie Tang, and nodded with a smile: "I understand."
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Author's note: Today's update is complete~ It's raining heavily here, and the sky suddenly turned dark. Cherish the weekend and do things that make you happy.
P.S.: Remember this older woman; she's the mother of a supporting female character who appeared earlier. They'll have some interaction later in the story.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 09:55:09 on April 20, 2024 and 11:39:10 on April 21, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw a landmine: Tong'er 1; thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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