Chapter 37 A Newlywed Couple
Outside the window, the moon and stars are few, and the night hangs over the sparsely leafed trees, like a deep blue swamp.
Xu Yuewei lay on her side on the bed, facing the moonlight streaming through the glass window, and dozed off for a while.
I suddenly woke up and remembered that we should eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice.
In the north, dumplings symbolize reunion, but she hadn't eaten homemade dumplings in a long time.
When I'm alone, I'm too lazy to make dumplings, so I buy frozen ones. But as soon as the water boils, before I can even add cold water three times, the dough becomes mushy and the filling loses its flavor.
At this time, she would miss the dumplings that Ye Wanzhi made.
After three years of honing her culinary skills, she can cook delicious dumplings. Xu Yuewei especially likes the celery and pork filling, which is so delicious that she really wants to share it with her loved ones.
On her birthday in her sophomore year, July 12th, Xu Yuewei asked Ye Wanzhi to make celery and pork dumplings. She secretly kept a few and packed them in her pocket, making an excuse that she was going to sing karaoke with friends, and ran to her rented room to bring them to Jiang Shiyan.
Then I found out he didn't like celery. He said, "It has a weird taste. I'll eat the ones you make, but I won't eat the ones your mom makes."
He heated water in the small electric pot she bought him. The fresh dumplings were cooked in the hot water, making the skins more chewy and not soft at all, but they still ended up in her stomach.
She chewed with her cheeks puffed out, looking somewhat serious. He laughed when he saw this: "Didn't you say it was delicious? Why the expression?"
She said, "I'm wondering how much Sichuan peppercorns and five-spice powder I should add to mask the celery flavor."
She met his slightly widened eyes, which were filled with surprise, and said very seriously:
"After all, I love to eat them. Making dumplings is such a hassle, I'm not going to make you any extra fillings."
He looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn't even blow on it to cool it down; before he could taste the filling, he burned his tongue.
She quickly fed him a bite of cake. The room-temperature cream was too hot to handle, and it melted in his mouth along with the celery, making him frown, which made her laugh happily.
He took a sip of water, then kissed her without a word, their kiss lingering and sweet, more cloying than cream.
If we have a home, and if we stay together in the future, I promise to accommodate your tastes.
If the house is on the top floor, you should make sure to place soundproofing devices under the musical instruments to avoid disturbing the downstairs neighbors.
If that family is lucky enough to own a plot of land, we can start by planting roses to practice, and then try other flower varieties until it becomes a brightly colored garden like yours.
I long to leave that awful home and run to you every day.
On her 20th birthday, Xu Yuewei made this wish.
...
Tonight, Jiang Shiyan's harsh words made her flee on the spot. After returning to her room, she felt more and more aggrieved, like someone with keloid scarring who only realized it later.
Even if she slept with someone else, how could he casually imagine her starting a family?
He knew perfectly well that she had a peculiar obsession with the concept of home.
Similarly, Xu Yuewei vaguely felt that he felt the same way. She had once wondered anxiously if it was because of this chance encounter that he liked her, since he lived alone and she was the only one who had entered his world.
However, this answer is now worthless; a meal of dumplings is far more appealing.
Xu Yuewei dragged her tired body out of bed, intending to go out to find food.
It was past 8 p.m., and even if the restaurant was still open, there probably wouldn't be any hot dishes left. She glanced at the map and was surprised to find an area called "Barbecue Area".
Outdoor self-service BBQ?
Xu Yuewei decided to try her luck. Following the map, she walked out of the hotel along a boardwalk. There was flowing water under the bridge. It was amazing that there was still running water on such a cold day.
The wooden boardwalk occasionally creaked from years of neglect. There were no forks in the road. She walked slowly, and gradually felt something was wrong.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that after crossing the bridge, there was no sign of a barbecue grill on the land ahead; instead, a low wooden hut appeared.
The map shows an open-air layout, but it turns out to be an indoor barbecue restaurant with a mountain forest theme?
Driven by this curiosity, Xu Yuewei walked over quickly.
The windows of the wooden cabin let in a warm yellow light, exuding a sense of modern security in the mountain wilderness.
Xu Yuewei pushed open the door, and a wave of warm steam rushed in. She felt her whole body expand inside her down jacket, the kind of heat that made her feel like she was about to sweat.
It turned out to be a hot spring.
To her right was a stone-walled hot spring pool, luxuriously unused, with a cartoon snowman sitting inside.
They probably worried the guests would get cold in this weather, so they put out warm air from the air conditioner overhead. No wonder it's so hot.
Xu Yuewei waved to the waiter who came to greet her, and was about to turn around and leave when two men walked out from behind the wall that was blocked by the corner.
She knew one of them.
Xu Yaochen had a buzz cut, which made him look much more refreshed. He was wearing a bathrobe with a large V-neck and was laughing heartily with his companion next to him, his eyebrows and eyes beaming with smug satisfaction.
Until he saw her, he reverted to his familiar look, with his eyebrows drooping.
His laughter paused for a moment, then he said to his companion, "I think I left my shower cap in the tub. I'll go look for it."
As he turned around, Xu Yuewei called out to him, "Xu Yaochen!"
His companion asked in surprise, "Your friend?"
Xu Yaochen's expression changed slightly, looking somewhat unnatural: "My former neighbor."
Xu Yuewei didn't correct him, but stared at him intently.
His companion raised his chin suspiciously, trying to smooth things over: "They're greeting you."
Xu Yaochen covered his mouth with his hand and said, "She used to pursue me, isn't this embarrassing..."
His companion glanced at the woman with interest and nodded knowingly: "Come on, I'll go back and help you get your shower cap."
But Xu Yuewei called his name again: "I have something to ask you, I'll wait for you here."
From the outside, this hot spring cabin should have only one entrance and exit.
Xu Yaochen disappeared around the corner as if she hadn't heard anything. Her companion glanced back at her, perhaps thinking that this woman was truly affectionate.
The waiter offered to bring her a stool, but Xu Yuewei declined and simply stood by the snowman waiting.
She took off her down jacket but was still sweating profusely; the heat of the hot spring felt like a sauna to her.
Xu Yaochen seemed to be having a contest of breath-holding with her, not afraid of getting dizzy from soaking too long, and thus lingering in the water for a long time. Or perhaps she just felt that time was dragging on, when in reality it hadn't been long at all.
Xu Yuewei rolled down the collar of her sweater and fanned herself by the collar.
There was no movement from the spot they were keeping watch on, but a sound came from the door behind them.
The second time she saw Jiang Shiyan walking in from outside the door, Xu Yuewei, unlike before when Jin Shu was by her side, could only tighten her grip on her down jacket.
Unlike the time in the banquet hall, this time Jiang Shiyan stopped, slowly lifted his drooping eyelids, and carefully looked her up and down.
She sweated even more profusely from the tip of her nose, while he still felt refreshed, carrying the chill of the night.
At that moment, a very dangerous thought sprouted in her mind. She actually thought that it would be great if he could hug her, like forcing herself to eat a celery dumpling.
In the end, however, he only threw her a boomerang:
"Is the Fog Bridge big? How come you and I are everywhere?"
This has the same effect as a hug.
The coolness flowed back towards her in the opposite direction of his path.
She felt a mix of hot and cold sensations, as if she was about to develop a fever.
Xu Yuewei stopped waiting and left the cabin.
*
The wedding began the following day.
As a bridesmaid, Song Jinshu couldn't be with her. Xu Yuewei sat alone among the guests. When she encountered familiar faces, she would politely chat for a few words. Although she was not quite at ease, she was not completely unable to move around.
I heard that a beautiful outdoor scene has been set up on the lawn near the racecourse. Jinshu went to shoot the outdoor video early this morning, but the formal wedding will start at 11:18 and will be held indoors. Everything has been planned.
The wedding was surprisingly simple, unlike any other wedding she had attended, except that the hall was larger, the decorations more elaborate, and the couple's attire more expensive.
As Xu Yuewei admired the sights, she tried to find people, but there were too many people, and she couldn't see Xu Yaochen or Jiang Shiyan at all. She couldn't help but wonder what she had come here for.
During the meal, she went to the restroom. Before she came out of the stall, she heard people gossiping as they came in.
"I really want to know who Jiang Shiyan said he was going to pursue."
"Judging from what he said, it must be about his ex-girlfriend, right?"
"So who is it? The circle is only so big. What if his ex-girlfriend is here too? Because think about it, he wouldn't want to be associated with Meng Jiao even if he had a girlfriend, right? That must have been before that, right, right, right, back in high school or college, right?!"
"Indeed, you're worthy of being called Sherlock Holmes!"
"This is such a simple logic. Did he have a boyfriend in high school?"
"I don't know, but I remember there was a rumored boyfriend."
As soon as she finished speaking, the other woman laughed:
"Didn't you hear what happened yesterday? That woman was humiliated by him and said she didn't know him, and then she actually went to wait outside his room. It was so dramatic."
"Really?" She paused, then grasped the key point. "Wait a minute, they must know each other, right? Otherwise, how could rumors start? Something feels off."
"Maybe he's annoyed by her pestering him? Does he look like he's pursuing someone? I really want to know what's going on, someone tell me the inside scoop..."
Xu Yuewei listened quietly. One of the voices sounded familiar. She slowly remembered the face. It was a high school classmate. They had taken the same car up the mountain yesterday and chatted for a bit.
After the two left, Xu Yuewei, who had been clinging to her younger brother and ex-boyfriend, was finally able to boldly press the flush button.
When she got back, she was just in time to catch the bouquet.
Ironically, the moment the bride raised her hand, the men were more eager than the women.
Xu Yuewei no longer had any desire to get married. It was Song Jinshu who pulled her over: "Help me grab it. If you succeed, it's on me. I want this omen!"
A group of people crowded at the entrance, as if taking a group photo.
Song Jinshu abandoned her immediately in order to seize a superior geographical location; what a fickle friend!
Ke Long Muyu turned her back to them and called out, "I might not be able to throw it very far, sisters!"
"Stand still! Once you're in position, don't move! Whoever gets thrown to you gets to keep you safe, don't scramble around like a swarm!" Someone was directing the order.
Jin Shu was in front, so Xu Yuewei moved to the back row. There were mostly men around her, and she awkwardly crossed her arms.
"Three, two, one!"
Xu Yuewei thought the bouquet wouldn't hit her, but she misjudged the situation. The bouquet was top-heavy and the path it took to fall became steeper, and it was about to hit her head-on.
Her first reaction was to close her eyes.
The expected feeling did not occur.
She opened one eye and saw a hand covering her forehead, with a silver ring on its index finger, broad metacarpal bones, and long, powerful fingers.
Xu Yuewei turned around in disbelief and watched Jiang Shiyan squat down and pick up the bouquet that had fallen at her feet.
Then, he put the rose that she had said was her "favorite" into her hand.
"It's hers," he said.
Xu Yuewei looked up and saw that among the faces that turned around in front of her was that of her high school classmate.
The other person stared at her in astonishment, as if they had been splashed with sticky juice from a sliced ​​watermelon.
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Author's Note: Sending them to the bridal chamber [rose emoji]
After this major plot point, things will start to get sweeter (not really sweet, anyway, the female lead's side is pretty sour). [droopy-eared bunny head]
As I anticipated, this article should be more than halfway through.
By the way, Teacher Jiang's birthday is October 30th. They are a Cancer woman and a Scorpio man, hahaha.
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