Chapter 29 The Date
After the fireworks were finished, Si Xiaotie ran over, called out "Mom!" and then talked to his aunt, "Auntie, did you see that? My brother and I set off so many beautiful fireworks!"
Si Yun squatted down and touched the two approaching children. "I see them, they're so beautiful."
She picked up Si Xiaotie, then took her son's hand, "Come on, Auntie will give you New Year's money."
Si Yun prepared two large red envelopes, and Lin Ke also prepared one. The two children each took one and were overjoyed.
After taking a shower, Qin Mancheng and Si Xiaotie played for a while longer, and then went back to their rooms to sleep around 10 p.m.
After Lin Ke finished putting the child to sleep, she returned to her bedroom.
The old house has many rooms, and each room on the second floor is a small suite. The room they are staying in is on the east side, so it gets plenty of sunlight every morning.
This was Si Yuming's room before the wedding, then it became their bridal chamber, and even after they moved out, it remained here.
Lin Ke went to the walk-in closet to find pajamas to prepare for a shower, talking to the man who had already showered and was lying on the bed, "The kids finally have a holiday, should we stay until Xiao Tie goes back to school before moving back?"
"What did Si Yun say to you?"
"She didn't say anything to me, but I felt so sorry for her."
Si Yuming did not agree immediately.
Lin Ke found some clothes and came out, standing by the door. "Most importantly, Si Xiaotie is too noisy during the holidays. I have to prepare for interviews for more than a month. How can I have time to deal with her? It's good that the two kids have each other."
The man thought for a moment, then looked over and said, "Xiao Tie and I live here. You can go back to live over there when you want."
“Si Yuming, I’m an adult, I’m not that fragile. We can live together…” Then he remembered something, “I haven’t discussed it with my sister. What if she disagrees?”
Si Yuming smiled, got out of bed, walked to her side, and looked down at her. "I'll talk to her."
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
"My dad called and asked us to come back, did you..." Lin Ke's voice unconsciously grew softer and softer under the increasingly intense gaze of the other person.
The lighting had become ambiguous at some point, and the woman's eyelashes fluttered, casting small, trembling shadows under her eyelids.
At first, they each followed a steady rhythm of breathing, but gradually they all lost their composure.
"It's time to go back."
As he drew closer, he bent down slightly and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
Lin Ke's breathing became rapid and out of control. He forced her to back away until she was pressed against the dressing table in the walk-in closet.
Si Yuming slipped his hand through her slender waist and lifted her onto the table with a single movement.
"manage......"
They hadn't had much intimacy lately, so he was a bit impatient. He was kissing her fiercely and his movements were rough. Lin Ke couldn't take it and pushed him away.
But to her surprise, the hands that were binding her waist slid down to her thighs and penetrated her without giving her any room to breathe.
"Si... um..."
The curtains in the walk-in closet weren't drawn. Although it was their own yard outside, the sight of it made Lin Ke's heart tighten to the extreme. She struggled and resisted, "No... the... curtains!"
The man finally heard this, and stepped back slightly, his cloudy eyes looking terrifyingly deep.
Lin Ke braced her hands against his chest, her heart pounding, her breathing heavy. "What's the rush..."
In an instant, she was lifted into the air and picked up around the waist.
The direction wasn't towards the bed, but towards the window.
The curtains were drawn.
Her waist was grabbed again, and her hands were forced to press against the window.
As the clock struck midnight, the couple reached their peak simultaneously.
......
The first day of the Lunar New Year.
Lin Ke was awakened by the noise of two children playing downstairs. The noise was making her head buzz.
The seat next to her was already empty. She turned her head to look at the curtains that were not fully drawn. Strong light arrogantly pierced through the gaps and lazily spread over the soft quilt.
It looks like it's going to be a nice day.
After calming down, Lin Ke got up and tidied herself up. She was still a little weak from the commotion last night, and she couldn't help but curse at the man while taking a shower.
Going downstairs, Si Yun was the only one in the living room; the noisy child was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Ke and Si Yun didn't get along, but she was never coy. She spoke and communicated as usual. She took a sip of the breakfast left on the table, picked up a piece of bread, and asked, "Where are Xiao Tie and the others?"
Si Yun raised her chin to indicate the backyard.
Lin Ke nodded and went to the backyard.
There's a swimming pool and flower beds in the backyard, but it's winter now, so the pool is dry, and the glass greenhouse isn't planted with any flowers.
Si Xiaotie's voice came from the greenhouse. Lin Ke walked closer, lifted the tarpaulin, and looked inside.
The two little figures were back to back, seemingly digging for something. Si Xiaotie was huffing and puffing, while Qin Mancheng was some distance away from her.
At her call, Si Xiaotie, now a dirty little kitten, turned around abruptly, his little voice as loud as ever, "Mommy!"
"What are you doing?"
Qin Mancheng: "Auntie, we're digging for earthworms."
Lin Ke then noticed the small shovel the girl was using to plant flowers.
"Did you find it?"
"Not yet," Si Xiaotie said sadly. "It seems the earthworm babies are still hibernating."
Lin Ke laughed: "Then you can dig slowly, and remember to wash your hands and face when you're done."
"Um!"
She returned to the living room, but Si Yun was no longer there. The housekeeper was preparing lunch in the kitchen.
Lin Ke went upstairs to her room, drew back the curtains to let the sunlight stream in, and lay down on the bed, listening to the two children talking softly downstairs while watching interview videos on her phone.
As I watched, I felt sleepy and drifted off to sleep.
She didn't know when a soft, fragrant little one had snuggled into her arms, and she reached out to pull her closer.
Before anyone knew it, the curtains were drawn, and the child's father lay down on the bed, and the family of three began a sweet afternoon nap.
When she woke up, Si Xiaotie, who had been lying in the middle, was nowhere to be found, and she was being held in someone's arms.
As I moved, a voice came from above, "Let's go out for dinner tonight."
"Okay, then tell Auntie not to prepare dinner later."
"Just the two of us."
"?" Lin Ke's mind went blank for a moment before she belatedly realized what the invitation meant.
Is this... a date?
Before I got pregnant, I had a few meals alone, but after I got Si Xiaotie, I never had any of those meals, in any sense.
She opened her mouth to confirm, but the man continued on his way, saying, "The company will be very busy after the Spring Festival, and you also need to prepare for the exam. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find the time."
"oh……"
"Mother!"
Suddenly, a small figure entered from outside the door. His loud voice extinguished the blush that was gradually rising on the woman's face. Lin Ke quickly left his embrace, then hurriedly gathered her clothes and looked for slippers.
"They're here."
...
When I went downstairs, I realized that we had guests at home.
Meng Jing and Ning Shuxia, Si Yun were entertaining them.
Meng Jing turned around and saw Lin Ke, then explained, "We have a lot of people at home, so we came here to find some peace and quiet, and also to visit Sister Si Yun."
Ning Shuxia called out, "Sister Keke."
Ning Shuxia is only twenty-two years old. She is beautiful and has a cheerful personality. Thanks to Si Xiaotie, the two had chatted on WeChat when they last met. Lin Ke walked over and smiled, "Welcome. Have you eaten yet?"
"We've eaten, we've eaten. No need to bother, we'll just have a cup of tea." Meng Jing asked, "Where's Yu Ming?"
The little girl in Lin Ke's arms quickly chimed in, "My dad is still sleeping, he's such a lazybones!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a man appeared on the second floor, smiling helplessly, "Si Xiaotie."
"hey-hey."
While the adults were talking, the two children went to play nearby. Si Yun asked Ning Shuxia, whom she was meeting for the first time, "Shuxia, are you still in school?"
"yes."
"What are you studying?"
International trade.
"I heard that your brother has been doing a lot of business in South Africa these past two years?"
"Right, I'm not quite sure."
Si Yun then asked Meng Jing, "Meng Jing, did you spend some time in South Africa before?"
"Yes, Shuxia's brother and I are good friends, but business is not good there, so we have to gradually move to China."
Si Yuming joined in, and they continued the conversation along this line. Ning Shuxia gradually got bored and wanted to talk to Lin Ke, but she had disappeared.
There was no other way; she really didn't want to hear about these annoying work-related issues and national affairs, so she quietly moved to the children's play area behind the sofa.
"What is Xiao Tie playing?"
Si Xiaotie: "My brother and I are playing with Lego!"
Qin Mancheng obediently asked, "Auntie, do you want to play together?"
Ning Shuxia pouted and shook her index finger, "No, no, no, I can't call you auntie, I have to call you sister."
Qin Mancheng smoothly changed her mind, "Then, does sister want to play with us?"
"want."
Ning Shuxia took off her slippers, sat on the blanket, bent her legs, and rolled up her sleeves, striking a pose. "Come on, let Sister Shuxia see what you've put together."
Miniature LEGO sets—aren't these much more fun than anything from South Africa or North Africa?!
On one side of the sofa, Meng Jing shifted his gaze and watched for a few seconds as an older child played a game with two younger children, a slight smile playing on his lips.
After finishing building a small castle, Ning Shuxia went to the kitchen to get some water while they were still chatting.
Lin Ke, who was washing fruit, poured some for her, asking, "Is it okay if it's warm?"
"Okay, thank you, sister."
Lin Ke poured some water and handed it to him, asking, "How are you? Are you adjusting well?"
"What? Marriage?" Ning Shuxia took a couple of sips, holding her water glass. "That's great! He only comes back for three or four days a month, so the rest of the time is all my own. How awesome is that?"
Lin Ke smiled and poured herself a glass of water.
Although both marriages were arranged, Meng Jing and Ning Shuxia were much simpler than them. Ning Shuxia was born into a cultured family, and the two families were of similar social standing, so she wouldn't suffer much hardship.
Ning Shuxia, however, had many questions. "Sister Keke, I heard that you were also forced to marry Si Yuming back then?"
"It wasn't forced."
"Hey, they're pretty much the same." Ning Shuxia came closer. "Sister Keke, do you love your husband now?"
"......"
Ning Shuxia didn't press further, but continued, "Sister, let me ask you a question. I don't really want to sleep with him. Is there any way to make him not touch me?" As if she had found a side, she said very sincerely, "I can't tell my mom and the others about this. None of my friends have had any serious relationships. I really have no experience to share."
“Actually, I’m not against arranged marriages. It’s all just to appease my parents anyway. I can just get a divorce in a couple of years. But this whole thing is a bit of a hassle. How can I stay with someone I don’t love? And…” Ning Shuxia’s voice trailed off, “He’s already thirty…”
Lin Ke was truly taken aback by the girl's directness. She curled her lips and said, "Brother Meng Jing was very good to me when we were little. Isn't it a bit immoral for me to teach you to stay away from him now?"
The girl immediately felt discouraged. "Yeah, what should we do then?"
She thought for a few seconds, then looked over and asked, "Okay, so should I ask how to sleep peacefully with someone I don't love?"
Lin Ke said seriously, "I think it doesn't matter whether you want to or not. If you don't want to have a relationship for the time being, you can just be open and honest with Meng Jing. He's not an unreasonable person."
Ning Shuxia thought about the strange feeling she had when the drunk man hugged her on their wedding night, and she couldn't push him away no matter how hard she tried, and he kissed her. Her heart skipped a beat. "Never mind, let's talk about it later."
Si Xiaotie came over to play with Sister Shuxia, but Ning Shuxia put down her cup and continued to mingle with the other children.
Lin Ke stood still, lowered her eyes, and smiled.
She couldn't answer those questions.
Her relationship with Si Yuming developed so naturally that they were already married. She never thought of avoiding it, nor did she feel unwilling.
Later, sex gradually became detached from the relationship and more like a marital obligation, yet it was also something that tightly bound them together, apart from Si Xiaotie.
Meng Jing and his wife left around 5 p.m.
Lin Ke and Si Yuming saw him to the door. As the car drove away, Si Yuming glanced down at his watch, then looked back at Lin Ke and asked, "Shall we leave at six?"
Lin Ke had almost forgotten about this matter after entertaining Meng Jing and the others that afternoon. But now, as they made eye contact, the subtle feelings in her heart slowly resurfaced. After a few seconds, she looked away and said softly, "I'm going upstairs to put on some makeup."
"Um."
Si Xiaotie was playing the piano in the music room with her brother, her little hands strumming randomly. Lin Ke pushed open the door and raised her voice to speak to her, "Xiaotie, Mom and Dad are going out tonight. You, your brother, and your aunt will be home."
"Okay~" the girl replied haphazardly, not having heard clearly, and continued playing her piano.
After playing for a while, Si Xiaotie finally got tired and wanted to find his mother. So he went to the living room and asked his aunt, "Auntie, where's my mom?"
"I don't know."
Si Xiaotie turned and went to the kitchen again, "Grandma Li, have you seen my mother?"
"It's upstairs." The aunt had just finished baking the small cakes and took one out for her. "Try it, Xiao Tie."
Si Xiaotie, an absolute cake lover, instantly forgot about his mother and sat on a small chair to enjoy the delicious treat.
She puffed out her cheeks and blew on it several times very carefully, then used a small spoon to scoop it into her mouth one spoonful at a time. After finishing, she didn't forget to praise, "Grandma Li, it's so delicious! You're great!"
Halfway through her meal, she saw her mother, who was wearing a pretty dress, exchange a few words with her aunt and then head straight for the door.
Si Xiaotie hurriedly jumped off the chair and ran over, calling out urgently, "Mom, where are you going?"
Before her mother could answer, she saw her father sitting in the car waiting by the door.
Si Xiaotie understood immediately!
With red eyes, a pout, and a few pearls falling from her lips, she asked pitifully, "Mommy, don't you want Little Iron anymore?"
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Author's Note: One chapter as usual, 100 small red envelopes~
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