0018 Visitor
Shen Xiaoyue's residence is a standard three-courtyard siheyuan, an estate inherited from his ancestors.
When Shen Yuxiu's grandmother was sent to the countryside as an educated youth, she met and fell in love with Shen Yuxiu's grandfather. She eventually stayed in Nansu and gave birth to Shen Xiaoyue.
After his grandmother passed away, the property was left to Shen Xiaoyue and remained vacant for several years until Shen Xiaoyue was transferred to another job a few years ago, at which point he moved in.
Zhang Gui was waiting early in front of the barbarian's gate, and he saw the familiar license plate number from afar.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the person sitting in the driver's seat was Song Ning.
The vehicle approached and stopped at the gate of the house.
Song Ning turned to look at Shen Yuxiu, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said proudly, "How was it? Was I a competent driver?"
Shen Yuxiu smiled faintly: "If there were no speeding violations, I think you would be even more competent."
"Who told that person to deliberately provoke us?" Song Ning said coldly.
"Yes, he was wrong. If you're not tired, I should still have enough points on your driver's license to take another penalty when we get back."
His cheerful and coaxing tone was particularly pleasant to hear.
Song Ning feigned a light hum and glanced at the fully parked garage: "Did the family buy another car?"
“They’re not from our family; they must be guests,” Shen Yuxiu said.
Song Ning rolled down the car window and asked Zhang Gui, "Do you have any guests at home?"
Zhang Gui was already waiting on the side, smiling broadly: "It's Director Shen's cousin. He came very early this morning. I'll park the car. You go in quickly. Director Shen went to the market early this morning and bought your favorite vegetables. He's preparing them for you inside now."
"Okay." Song Ning put the car in gear, handed it to Zhang Gui, and went inside with Shen Yuxiu.
The interior decoration is very simple, and the furniture has an old feel. There are only some bamboos that do not require much care in the yard, as well as a few sparse green plants and flowers in flower pots. Although the overall style is simple, it is clean and tidy, giving people a feeling of "stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life".
"Oh my, Director Chen, it's Yuxiu and Ningning!" Aunt Wang stood at the entrance of the main living room, holding a tray of tea and fruit, and called out happily to the kitchen.
Shen Xiaoyue hurried out of the side kitchen, wearing a gray checkered apron. He stood tall and straight, but his temples were streaked with white. He was so approachable that he didn't look like a leader at all, but rather like a househusband.
"I was just about to call and ask where you were when you arrived." Shen Xiaoyue's eyes were lined with wrinkles.
Two people came out of the living room. One was about the same age as Shen Xiaoyue and looked somewhat similar. The other looked familiar to Song Ning, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
"Do you need any help?" Shen Yuxiu asked.
"No need, there's only one soup left," Shen Xiaoyue said. "Xiao Wang, could you keep an eye on the fire in the kitchen?"
"Okay, I'll put the things down and come right away," Aunt Wang replied.
"I thought you were only inviting my brother and me to dinner today, I didn't expect there were other people." Song Ning looked at the two people in the living room, her tone joking, but she was a little unhappy inside.
If Shen Xiaoyue couldn't even see Song Ning's little temper, then he's wasted all these years as a leader.
He winked at Shen Yuxiu, who was about to say something but stopped after being glared at by Song Ning.
Shen Xiaoyue gave him a "you're really useless" look, and while untying his apron, he laughed loudly: "Haha, we're all family. Come on, Dad will take you to meet your uncle."
Shen Xiaoyue hung up his apron and walked ahead of Song Ning and Shen Yuxiu, not forgetting to turn back and wave to signal them to follow.
Song Ning followed slowly behind, unwilling in her heart, but her smile became even brighter and more obedient.
A very soft laugh came from beside her. Song Ning turned her head and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing," Shen Yuxiu said gently. "I just feel that this kind of smile doesn't suit you."
Song Ning immediately understood what Shen Yuxiu meant.
Today, Song Ning wore a white cropped, slit jumpsuit, black high-street studded casual pants, and dark reddish-brown wavy hair, paired with high-arched eyebrows and eyeliner. She certainly didn't look like a well-behaved girl at all.
After being told off by Shen Yuxiu, Song Ning simply stopped pretending and put away her stiff, fake smile.
“Yu Jue, this is my son Shen Yuxiu, and this is my daughter Song Ning.” Shen Xiaoyue walked to the middle-aged man’s side and introduced them, then turned to the two younger men, “Yuxiu, Ningning, this is your cousin.”
"Uncle."
Shen Yuxiu called out first, and Song Ning thought to herself that he wasn't her cousin, but she still called out after him.
For some reason, Song Ning felt that the junior standing next to Shen Yuqiu seemed to know her. He looked at her directly with a hint of joy and excitement in his eyes, but he didn't speak because the elder was speaking.
"Yuxiu has grown so much! When Jiayu was born, Yuxiu was only 8 or 9 years old. In the blink of an eye, he's a teacher." Shen Yuqiu chuckled, then said to the man beside her, "Jiayu, this is your brother Yuxiu. What month was Ningning born?"
“Du Bijia is older than Ningning. Ningning started school later and is 20 years old this year,” Shen Xiaoyue said.
"That's my sister. Jiayu, quickly greet her."
"Brother Yuxiu." Shen Jiayu called out to Shen Yuxiu first, and Shen Yuxiu responded.
Shen Jiayu then looked at Song Ning, her eyes filled with anticipation: "We're about the same age, calling you 'sister' would be too formal. How about I call you Ningning?"
"Just call me Sister Song Ning." We were already quite distant, Song Ning thought to herself.
"Sister Ningning." Shen Jiayu was disappointed, yet it seemed she had expected this.
Song Ning frowned slightly, but didn't say anything.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Shen Xiaoyue asked the kitchen, "Xiao Wang, is the soup ready?"
Aunt Wang came out of the kitchen carrying soup in both hands: "It's ready."
"Then let's not stand here, let's eat first and chat while we eat." Shen Xiaoyue beckoned Shen Yuqiu to walk towards the restaurant, and the two walked ahead. "It's no wonder that these younger people aren't familiar with each other. Since you moved to Wucheng, they haven't seen each other much. The last time I saw Jiayu was when he was about 10 years old."
“Yes, fortunately Jiayu is also in Changqing now, so they will have more opportunities to get to know each other in the future.” Shen Yuqiu turned around and said, “Jiayu, you should learn more from your brother Yuxiu when you have time.”
"I understand, Dad." Shen Jiayu walked beside Song Ning. "So you're Song Ning. It seems we're quite destined for each other."
As they spoke, the group walked to the round dining table. Shen Xiaoyue invited them to sit down. After Shen Xiaoyue and Shen Yuqiu sat down, Shen Yuxiu and Song Ning also sat down.
Shen Jia originally wanted to sit next to Song Ning, but after a look from Shen Yuqiu, she returned to Shen Yuqiu's side.
Aunt Wang served the food and arranged it neatly.
"Come on, pick up your chopsticks and see how my cooking is." Shen Xiaoyue took the first bite of food, then said to Shen Jiayu with a friendly smile, "Jiayu, have you met Ningning before?"
Song Ning raised her eyelids, glanced at Shen Jiayu, didn't recognize her, and then went to pick up some food for herself.
There were seven or eight dishes on the table, all of which were Song Ning's favorites. One of the dishes, a fish, required a lot of knife work to cook, but Shen Xiaoyue did it meticulously.
For this reason alone, Song Ning wouldn't want to spoil the fun.
“When I went back to see the old lady, I was on the same flight as Sister Ningning on the way back.” Shen Jiayu picked up a piece of food that Song Ning had just picked up.
It was him.
Song Ning raised an eyebrow, only then remembering Shen Jiayu. No wonder she felt that Shen Jiayu's youthful vigor was somewhat familiar.
“That’s fate. You’re about the same age and both live in Changqing. You can keep in touch when you have time,” Shen Xiaoyue said. “How is Auntie’s health? I haven’t been back to visit her for several years.”
"I'm in good health," Shen Jiayu replied.
Shen Xiaoyue smiled and said that was good, and then chatted with Shen Yuqiu.
Halfway through the meal, Aunt Wang came in from the door: "Director Shen, it's a call from the bureau, they say it's urgent."
Shen Xiaoyue put down his chopsticks and said, "You guys eat, I'm going to take this call."
After Shen Xiaoyue left, Shen Yuqiu asked a few polite questions about whether Shen Yuxiu was busy with work, but ignored Song Ning standing to the side. Song Ning didn't care much, as she was already used to it.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Shen Xiaoyue treated her like their own daughter, it didn't mean that their relatives would treat her as Shen Xiaoyue's daughter as well. It's just that Shen Xiaoyue clearly protected her, and they didn't dare to say anything to Shen Xiaoyue's face, but they had no shortage of gossip behind his back.
She still remembered that at Shen Yuxiu's grandmother's funeral, someone said that she was a jinx who had caused the deaths of her own parents, and now even Shen Yuxiu's grandmother had been cursed to death. After Shen Xiaoyue found out, she never had any contact with that relative again.
At that time, she told Shen Xiaoyue that it wasn't worth it for her, but Shen Xiaoyue told her it was worth it, saying that she deserved the best in the world, and that no one could slander the daughter of a hero.
But for Song Ning, ignoring those two brief encounters, that hero was nothing more than a stranger she had only seen in photographs since birth, and who had only seen photographs since death.
When Shen Xiaoyue returned after finishing his phone call, he had already changed into his police uniform. He walked over to Shen Yuqiu, who stood up upon seeing him.
Shen Xiaoyue grasped Shen Yuqiu's hand and apologized, "Yuqiu, I'm sorry, something has come up at the bureau, I have to go back. Please enjoy your meal."
“I understand, that’s how our job is, work comes first,” Shen Yuqiu replied. “I’m also going back to Wucheng this afternoon, I’ll go with you later.”
"If Jiayu has nothing else to do, why don't you stay here?" Shen Xiaoyue instructed Shen Yuxiu, "Yuxiu, Ningning, you young people get along well, have some more fun. Stay here tonight, don't leave."
"If you stay here, you never know when you'll be back." Song Ning picked up some food for herself.
Shen Jiayu was quite willing to stay, but since Shen Yuqiu didn't speak up, he didn't dare to say it either.
Shen Yuxiu glanced at Shen Jiayu, stood up and smiled, "Jiayu, stay. You can come back to school with us tomorrow."
“Alright, then you can stay.” Shen Yuqiu turned to Shen Jiayu.
Before leaving, Shen Xiaoyue called Shen Yuxiu out for a private chat, and then left with Shen Yuqiu after returning.
After Shen Yuqiu left, Shen Jiayu was no longer as reserved as before. He squatted down next to Song Ning with a grin and asked, "Want to go out and play this afternoon?"
Song Ning lay on a bamboo chair in the courtyard, scrolling through her phone, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.
She was angry, and Chen Yuxiu asked Shen Jiayu to stay.
Seeing that Song Ning didn't intend to pay attention to him, Shen Jiayu moved a chair from the inner room and sat down next to her: "I thought he was your boyfriend that day. I had heard that you two had a good relationship, but I didn't expect it to be this good, even closer than siblings."
"He's not so good either; he can be quite annoying at times." Song Ning looked at Shen Yuxiu, who had just come out of her room, tapped her phone a few times, and placed it in front of Shen Jiayu.
Seeing Shen Jia's confused expression, Song Ning said, "Didn't you ask me for your WeChat the other day?"
"I'm a little... flattered that you suddenly offered it to me like this." Shen Jiayu quickly opened her phone and added her on WeChat.
"Let's go out and have fun together next time we're free." Song Ning deliberately raised her voice, but when she saw Shen Yuxiu watering the flowers as if nothing had happened, she felt a little embarrassed.
Aunt Wang came out with a fruit plate and saw Shen Yuxiu watering the flowers. She quickly put down the fruit plate and went over to him, saying, "Yuxiu, you can't water these flowers at noon, or they'll get damaged."
Shen Yuxiu put down the watering can, his expression indifferent: "I saw that the soil was dry, so I thought I would water it, but I didn't expect it to make things worse."
"It's alright, it's alright. Luckily, I didn't water it much. I'll take it inside to cool off first. Please don't water it anymore." Aunt Wang squatted down to move the flowerpot.
"I'll help you." Shen Yuxiu rolled up his sleeves.
"No need, no need. You're dressed all in white, it'll get dirty." Aunt Wang carried flowers into a storage room.
"It's alright." Shen Yuxiu picked up another potted plant and followed behind Aunt Wang.
A tall and slender figure, even when carrying things, has an aesthetic appeal.
"Hey, go help me out." Song Ning rocked the bamboo chair and picked up a piece of fruit with a toothpick.
"No, there are only a few potted plants, do we really need so many people?" Shen Jia went to get the toothpicks that were placed to the side.
"Or should I go?" Song Ning glanced at him sideways.
"Never mind, I'll go. Why bother watering the flowers?" Shen Jiayu put down the toothpick, got up, and joined the group carrying the flowers.
After Shen Yuxiu and Shen Jiayu finished tending to the flowers, the three of them sat in the courtyard and chatted casually for a while until after dinner. Song Ning then went back to her room, leaving Shen Yuxiu and Shen Jiayu in the living room.
Song Ning's phone kept beeping, with message notifications popping up even while she was watching a show. Annoyed, she turned off the notifications and continued watching.
It was late at night when there was a knock on the door.
"Who?" Song Ning paused the video call, too lazy to get up.
"It's me."
Hearing Shen Yuxiu's voice, Song Ning got up and opened the door, putting on a sour face: "What is it?"
"I brought you a midnight snack." Shen Yuxiu was holding a bowl of sweet soup. "Dad cooked it for you and specifically asked me to chill it before bringing it to you tonight."
"Come in." Song Ning stepped aside and closed the door behind her.
Shen Yuxiu half-closed the door, but Song Ning, seeing this, turned around and closed the door again with a loud voice.
Shen Yuxiu calmly placed the soup on the dressing table: "Are you still angry? Are you angry with me or with Dad?"
Of course I'm trying to annoy you!
Song Ning glared at Shen Yuxiu.
She might throw a little tantrum at Shen Xiaoyue for not being informed, but she absolutely hated Shen Yuxiu.
He knew that Shen Jiayu had feelings for her, yet he still asked Shen Jiayu to stay, clearly intending to create opportunities for the two of them.
"I'm not angry." Song Ning sat down in a chair and stirred the small glutinous rice balls in the sweet soup.
Shen Yuxiu leaned against the dressing table, looking down at Song Ning, his gentle eyes revealing emotions that Song Ning couldn't understand.
“Ningning, it’s good to get to know more people.” Shen Yuxiu’s voice was gentle, calm to the point of being almost rational. “You’re growing up now, and you’ll have your own social circle. After you graduate, you’ll have your own job and career… By then, you’ll find that the world is big and wonderful, and some people and some things aren’t as important as you think.”
Hearing Shen Yuxiu's words, Song Ning's anger surged to her head. Before she could regret it, her words, filled with intense rage, blurted out: "Who I want to know and who I want to date, do I need you to worry about that? Besides, I know what's important to me and what's not. What does the world have to do with me? You're meddling way too much. Who do you think you are to me?"
Song Ning slammed down the soup spoon, staring at Shen Yuxiu with bloodshot eyes, her eyes glistening with moisture under the light.
That was her usual reaction when she was furious.
Knowing Song Ning as well as Shen Yuxiu did, how could he not know that Song Ning would be angry if he said those words? Yet he still said them.
He did it on purpose!
Shen Yuxiu looked directly into Song Ning's eyes, his gentle gaze unfathomable, like blue lake water, inexplicably melancholic.
Song Ning refused to look away first, but she didn't want to see his eyes anymore, so she could only stubbornly glare at him.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Shen Yuxiu seemed to give in, letting out a barely audible sigh.
"I was wrong today. I shouldn't have acted on my own initiative."
Shen Yuxiu ruffled Song Ning's hair, his expression a mixture of comforting a child and looking at an adult, his face full of contradictions. "Have some soup."
Song Ning slapped Shen Yuxiu's hand away, lowered her head and scooped up a spoonful of sweet soup. The soup was very sweet, but it made her so sad that she wanted to cry.
Once again, he pushed her away.
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