Ms. Yingqiu warmly took Xu Lai's hand, "You've finally arrived."
Xu Lai greeted, "Hello, Auntie, it's been a long time."
Ms. Yingqiu led her directly inside, without even glancing at Zhao Qingyun.
Zhao Qingyun smiled helplessly and went to Uncle Wang's trunk to get her luggage.
As soon as Xu Lai entered the house, she felt a wave of warmth. Grandma Jiang was sitting on the sofa. She had originally wanted to get up and wait for them at the door, but her legs had been weak lately, and the doctor had advised her to sit and rest. Who knew that she would fall asleep while sitting.
Xu Lai walked up to her and softly called out, "Grandma."
Grandma Jiang opened her eyes. "Xiao Lai, oh my, you're here!"
Xu Lai smiled and said, "Yes, I've come to celebrate the Lunar New Year with you."
Grandma Jiang glanced towards the door. "Where's Qingyun?"
Just as Xu Lai was about to speak, Zhao Qingyun appeared carrying a suitcase. "Grandma, I'm only a few steps behind. Have you missed me these past few days?"
Seeing him like this, Grandma Jiang couldn't help but say, "Don't flatter yourself. I think you've gotten lost. You haven't been back for a while, and I'm afraid you can't find your way home."
Xu Lai chatted with Ms. Yingqiu and Grandma Jiang for a while, when she heard the housekeeper say that dinner was ready. She wanted to go to the kitchen to help serve the dishes, but Ms. Yingqiu told her to just sit and eat.
"Don't bother, just sit and eat. Let the father and son get the bowls and chopsticks." Ms. Yingqiu handed her the bowls and chopsticks.
Xu Lai nodded, holding her chopsticks, her mind wandering. This was very different from her family's situation, where the women did most of the housework.
Zhao Qingyun brought the chicken soup to the table and said to the housekeeper, "Aunt Zhang, why don't you have some too?"
Aunt Zhang waved her hand: "It's alright, it's alright, you guys eat. I've saved some food for myself, I'll just eat some in the kitchen."
Aunt Zhang worked for the Zhao family for many years, and she almost never ate at the table. Sometimes when Mr. Zhao was away on a business trip, and only Ms. Yingqiu and Grandma Jiang were at home, she would not eat at the table either.
Aunt Zhang was unwilling, so Zhao Qingyun had no choice but to give up, and Zhao's father invited everyone to eat.
The Zhao family uses a rotating dining table. Zhao Qingyun was worried that she wouldn't be used to it, so he leaned over and whispered, "If you want to pick up a dish, just turn it in front of you. Don't feel embarrassed."
Ms. Yingqiu, with her sharp ears, heard it but remained silent, thinking to herself that she should remove the turntable tomorrow.
Xu Lai nodded. They would occasionally exchange a few words at the dinner table, and it wasn't as quiet and serious as she had imagined.
After dinner, Ms. Yingqiu led her to the guest room on the third floor. "Xiao Lai, you can stay here for the next few days. Qingyun's room is next door. If you have any questions, you can ask him, or you can go to the second floor to find me."
Xu Lai nodded and took her suitcase inside. It was clear that the room had been carefully decorated, and the air was filled with the scent of gardenias, which smelled very familiar.
Xu Lai followed the scent to its source and found a flameless diffuser on her bedside table, which was exactly the same as the one in her room.
She picked it up and looked at it, and then she knew the answer in her heart. She figured that Zhao Qingyun must have told Aunt Jiang in advance, and that she had prepared it specially.
Xu Lai felt a long-lost warmth in a strange home, as if someone finally cared about her preferences and thoughtfully prepared for her.
She had just opened her suitcase when she heard a knock on the door. Xu Lai said, "Come in."
Zhao Qingyun turned the doorknob and went in to see her tidying her clothes.
He couldn't help but ask, "Are you really planning to sleep here alone?"
Xu Lai was somewhat puzzled, "Then where will we stay?"
Zhao Qingyun coaxed patiently, "How about we go to my room?"
Xu Lai's face flushed, and her voice rose a little, "Zhao Qingyun! What are you doing? This is your parents' house."
Zhao Qingyun was amused by her, "What are you thinking? I'm just worried that you'll be cold sleeping alone at night."
Xu Lai pushed him out, saying, "No need, the room has underfloor heating, and Aunt Jiang has also prepared an electric blanket."
Zhao Qingyun raised an eyebrow. His mother had even prepared an electric blanket? She was quite well-prepared. She had even shut him down with that excuse. It seemed he would have to be shameless.
While Xu Lai was taking a shower, she heard a noise outside and wondered if Zhao Qingyun had come over.
After I came out of the shower, sure enough, he was leaning against the headboard, looking at something.
She leaned closer to take a look and found it was a photo album.
Xu Lai was instantly captivated, staring intently at Zhao Qingyun. Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, "It's getting late, you should go to sleep. I'm going back."
Xu Lai was taken aback. Seeing that he was about to get out of bed, she hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his clothes. "Let's sleep here. I do feel a little cold."
Zhao Qingyun couldn't help but smile and continued, "Isn't there an electric blanket? That's enough."
Xu Lai hugged him, "An electric blanket can't compare to your comfort."
Zhao Qingyun nodded, "Alright then, I'll reluctantly stay here."
Xu Lai pointed to the photo album in his hand, "Can I take a look at this?"
Zhao Qingyun handed it over, saying, "Look if you want." He had deliberately brought it over to tempt her into keeping it, so there was no reason for him not to let her see it.
Xu Lai opened the book; the front of the book contained photos of Zhao Qingyun as a child, some at 100 days old, others at one or two years old.
Looking at his childhood photos, she couldn't help but be charmed. Xu Lai couldn't help but wonder if his future children would look a lot like him.
She continued flipping through the photos and found pictures of him from elementary school, middle school, and high school. One photo was particularly well taken; he was holding the class flag, his profile was striking, and his nose was high and straight.
This must have been taken by Aunt Jiang secretly, because it's not a direct shot of her face, and she seems to have noticed the camera, with a hint of impatience in her eyes.
As he grew older, fewer and fewer photos were taken of him, and by the time he went to university, there were only a handful.
Xu Lai couldn't help but ask, "Why did you take so few photos in college, and most of them are group photos with your uncles, aunts, and grandmother?"
She had seen the previous ones and knew that the Zhao family took a family photo every year during the Spring Festival, and the most recent one was last year's.
Zhao Qingyun explained, "Although I went to university in this city, I don't go home often. I usually stay in my own apartment."
Xu Lai nodded, then asked, "Didn't you ever have a boyfriend in college?"
Zhao Qingyun glanced at her and asked, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Xu Lai glared at him and said, "You dare to lie to me?"
Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, "I've never really dated anyone, but I'm sure I've had crushes on some people, but we didn't end up together for various reasons."
Xu Lai nodded. That made sense. He was already thirty years old. If he had never been moved by love even once, she had reason to suspect that the person next to him was gay.
After looking at the photos, Xu Lai turned hostile and said, "Alright, you've warmed up my bed, you can go back now."
Zhao Qingyun looked at him with disbelief. "You're just using it and then throwing it away?"
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