Chapter 230: My dear, are you a little happy?
The night was dark, and the voice-controlled lights above the corridor emitted dim light, and the weak light shone on the old, rusty iron door.
Xu Xian stood at the door, hesitating, holding the key that Jiang Shibai had found from under the carpet in front of the door. The warmth of his palm gradually seeped into the cold metal, and the two temperatures blended together.
"Xianxian, open the door first, go in, take a shower, and change your clothes to avoid catching a cold." Jiang Shibai stood beside her, touched her wet hair encouragingly, and whispered.
Xu Xian came back to his senses after hearing that, and his confused and surprised eyes fell on his angular face, as if he wanted to see something from it.
But the man's expression was too calm, as if he had done something insignificant.
"You, bought it back?" Xu Xian's throat was itchy, and the tears in his scarlet eyes had finally faded away, but now there seemed to be signs of a counterattack.
She was led upstairs by him in a daze the whole time. When she saw the familiar iron door and watched him take out the key from under the carpet with ease, she realized what he meant by going home.
The house that carries her memories for more than 20 years is her home.
But the so-called home has long since changed, with only the rusty door in front of me remaining the same as before.
There were still names of her family of three carved on the lock with a knife when she was a naughty child, but they had long since become blurred and the specific words could not be seen clearly, only faint traces remained.
Jiang Shibai's eyes were gentle as he patiently explained, "Well, I originally wanted to bring you and mom to open it as a wedding gift, but I didn't expect you to find the gift first, so the surprise was ruined."
After visiting Lao Ji Noodle House, he asked Wang Bai to buy back the house at a high price, and reproduced its original appearance bit by bit through various channels and his mother's memories.
The original plan was to bring her and her mother back the day after the wedding, but I didn’t expect the accident to come earlier than tomorrow.
I was busy with the funeral afterwards, and I was also afraid that bringing Xianxian here would bring back memories, so I kept delaying it.
Who would have thought that she went home without saying a word.
Xu Xian's throat tightened, her nose felt sore, and the finger that inserted the key into the keyhole trembled slightly. She held her breath and took a deep breath until she unlocked the two locks in front of the door.
When I pushed the door open, the house was pitch black. The light from the street lamp on the balcony opposite the door was pouring in. The furnishings in the house were not very clear, but there were vague outlines.
It was as if she was back to an ordinary rainy night in the past, when her parents were working overtime and she pushed open the door and went home alone.
With a "click", the light of the incandescent lamp poured down from the ceiling light, revealing the familiar furnishings in the room, exactly the same as before she packed all her luggage and left.
The accident happened so suddenly that year that she had to sell the house in a hurry and at a very low price, and it was bought by a family in urgent need of housing.
One day a year later, she was under great pressure from work and came back to see the house for some unknown reason. Someone happened to open the door and came in. The furnishings inside had changed drastically and there was no trace of their original appearance.
The furnishings in front of me now are exactly the same as they were three years ago.
A photo of their family of three hangs in the living room, the second hand of the old clock on the wall is ticking, a "Fu" character pillow is placed on the sofa, and various succulents are on the shelf in the corner of the balcony.
The whole house seemed to be filled with wind, without any unpleasant smell or any sign of people, but every detail was full of life.
The decoration has not been made to look old and is as new as ever. Apart from that, there is no difference from the home back then.
She stood at the entrance, her legs felt weak and she didn't dare to take another step inside.
Jiang Shibai took out two pairs of slippers from the entrance cabinet like a magic trick, one black and one white. He squatted down, took off the wet slippers on Xu Xian's feet, and put on new ones for her.
"The water and electricity in the house are all working properly. Go take a shower first. I'll cook for you. I'll have Wang Bai bring you firewood, rice, oil, salt, and clothes later."
Xu Xian was like a puppet, being brought by Jiang Shibai into her old room. The room was full of girlish pink, and posters of the male stars she once liked were pasted on the wall.
The bed, desk, wardrobe, and makeup mirror, every object is the same as before.
Jiang Shibai filled the bathtub with warm water, gave her instructions, and left her alone in the bathroom.
He knew she needed time alone to process everything.
Xu Xian stood there in a daze for a long time, until her feet felt slightly numb. Then she took off her wet clothes and lay down in the bathtub. The warm liquid wrapped around her and she closed her eyes comfortably.
After an unknown amount of time, a deep voice came from outside. Jiang Shibai stood at the door with a frown and knocked on the frosted glass door. "Dear, don't soak for too long. The meal is almost ready. Put your clothes on the bed and you can come out."
The room was filled with mist. Xu Xian opened his red eyes and said loudly like a little rabbit, "Okay, I'll be right out."
When she changed her clothes and went to the living room, the man scooped the contents of the pot into a bowl with his back to her. His back was straight, his broad shoulders swayed with his movements, the white shirt on his back was slightly wrinkled, his pure black trousers wrapped around his thighs, and his long legs were pleasing to the eye even when swaying casually.
The white light and shadow fell on him, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The formal business suit he wore gave him a somewhat cold feeling, but the rising steam added a touch of fireworks.
There was a familiar smell in the air, like the sweetness of pasta.
Xu Xian walked slowly into the kitchen and saw tomato and egg dumpling soup in the pot. The unique smell of sesame oil was not obvious, but there was a layer of oil in the bowl.
Seeing this boiling hot dumpling soup, her heart seemed to be hit by something and began to beat violently.
"Did your mom teach you how to make the dumpling soup?"
Her grandmother was a native northerner. When she was alive, she loved making dumpling soup. Her mother inherited the skill, so naturally, their family also made it often.
Her father usually cooks at home, and tomato dumpling soup is one of the few dishes her mother can make.
The tomato and egg dumpling soup in front of her brought out memories that were buried deep in her mind.
She hasn't tasted this tomato and egg dumpling soup for more than a year since her mother's condition worsened.
Jiang Shibai asked Xu Xian to get a spoon while he placed two bowls of dumpling soup on the dining table. He then pulled out a chair and asked her to sit down. "Well, I asked Mom, and she said you would like it. It's just that I can't make it the same way."
The taste of mother's food is unique in everyone's memory and cannot be replicated.
He can only follow the process and the taste will definitely be different.
Xu Xian's white fingers held the spoon, her eyes fixed on the white bumps in the bowl. A tear fell into the bowl without warning. Jiang Shibai stretched out his long arm and gently wiped the red corners of her eyes with his slightly rough fingertips.
"Don't cry, you've become a little kitten. Your eyes will be swollen tomorrow and it won't look good anymore."
She finally calmed down, and Jiang Shibai didn't want to make her cry again.
Xu Xian pressed her pale lips into a straight line, nodded vigorously, scooped up a spoonful of the fragrant dumpling soup, and put it directly into her mouth. Seeing this, Jiang Shibai rarely stopped her.
The next second, as he expected, the boiling hot dumpling soup touched the tip of his tongue. Xu Xian made a slight "hiss" sound and quickly spit it back into the spoon. He frowned and stared at the white dumplings in the spoon with an unfriendly look.
"My dear, concentrate on eating." Jiang Shibai saw her lively expression, and the stone that had been weighing on his heart for several days finally felt a little lighter.
Xu Xian raised his eyelids, stared at him angrily, and said in a cheeky tone, "It was obviously you who didn't remind me. This is all your fault."
Seeing her being spoiled and arrogant, Jiang Shibai's thin lips rarely pulled out a smile, like the snow that had been frozen for thousands of years melting, "Okay, it's all my fault for not reminding you in time, I accept the punishment."
As he spoke, he extended his dry, broad palm, with the wrinkled palm facing upwards.
Xu Xian clapped his hands lightly, and the sound of his palms touching was like breaking a barrier, adding a touch of warmth to the deserted room.
Jiang Shibai took her soft, boneless palm and rubbed it as if he was massaging her to avoid hurting her.
"My dear, are you a little bit happy?"
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