Chapter 17: Raw mulberries warmed her skin with her fingertips...
In Sheng Weiyao's opinion, Zhuang Mowen was a very good person: gentle, polite, wealthy but not arrogant. Sang Fu was even better: intelligent, straightforward, focused and organized, kind and lovely.
Sheng Weiyao would be happy if they could be together.
She swore that it was not for her own graduate career that Sang Fu persuaded Zhuang Mowen.
"Yes."
But Sang Fu gave Sheng Weiyao these two words without hesitation. She looked at Sheng Weiyao's brows that suddenly drooped, pursed her lips, and said, "But there may be exceptions."
Sheng Weiyao's brows lit up with joy: "What?" Could it be that there was a chance of recovery?
Sang Fu said: "If Professor Zhuang or I had someone we liked, we might have separated early."
“…”
Sheng Weiyao was listless: "Forget it, talking about love with you is like playing the lute to a cow."
"No," Sang Fu disagreed. She asked seriously, "Weiyao, have you ever heard that true husband and wife can't be partners?"
"So?"
"So we all need to have a spirit of cooperation, stay sober, and prevent the relationship from deteriorating, so that the cooperation can end successfully."
Sheng Weiyao: "..."
Okay, she could never win the argument with her. Sang Fu usually either didn't refute her, or whenever she refuted her, she always had reasons and evidence.
"You're practically ruthless and loveless, written all over your face," Sheng Weiyao said, giving up completely. "If you were to travel through time and space into some fantasy novel, you'd definitely cultivate the path of ruthlessness."
"Thank you." Sang Fu smiled with her eyes curved, leaned on her shoulder and thanked her sincerely.
…
In November, the evergreen trees on both sides of the road still stood tall. After returning from Sheng Weiyao's house, Sang Fu immediately got down to work.
This was probably the busiest period during the writing of the book. For the past half month, Sang Fu could be said to have been typing in her room all day long except for eating and sleeping.
Zhuang Mowen also had a lot of free time. He often had to travel to other cities on business, and he would inform her before leaving.
If you are leaving at night, tell her in person; if you are leaving during the day, Sangfu's mobile phone will receive a concise and clear message including the time and place.
Most of the time she was invited to give lectures, and occasionally to attend seminars that she was not very familiar with, which would last for two or three days.
After typing the last word of that unit story, Sangfu's tense nerves relaxed slightly. She sank her shoulders, stretched, and pounded her sore neck before turning her head to look out the window.
The nights of late autumn come faster and faster. It is still early, but the sky has turned gray. The branches in the distance are bare, and the wind blows hard, making people feel cold just by looking at them.
She had dinner alone again today.
Zhuang Mowen's flight back was later. After the lecture, the local school arranged a dinner to keep him, so Aunt Zhao didn't prepare any food for him.
An hour after Sang Fu finished her meal, she felt like eating some fruit, so she left the bedroom and called out to Aunt Zhao upstairs.
Aunt Zhao should be at home at this time. If Zhuang Mowen is not there, she will wait for Chuyi to eat for one to two hours before taking him out for a walk.
But after Sangfu's voice fell, there was no response.
She walked downstairs in confusion, turned a corner at the stairs, and the panoramic view of the living room came into view, but she could not see Aunt Zhao.
"Aunt Zhao is back home."
A familiar and gentle voice came from afar. Sang Fu turned her head slightly and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Zhuang Mowen who had arrived home at some point.
He was wearing a smoky gray coat and looked exhausted. He was helping Chu get ready for going out without even looking up.
Chuyi looked over his master's shoulder and smiled foolishly at Sangfu, as if to say hello.
"You came back so early today."
In fact, Sang Fu also wanted to follow suit at first and go to the airport to pick him up, just like Zhuang Mowen did when she came back from her trip, but was rejected by Zhuang Mowen.
She knew that she was a bit rigid, and she wanted to treat others the same way they treated her.
She was messaging him on her phone.
[I'll pick you up when you get off the plane.]
He probably hadn't officially boarded the plane yet, so he replied quickly: [Pick me up?]
Sanfu: [Yes.]
Zhuang Mowen: [Why do you say that suddenly?]
Sangfu: [Because you will come to pick me up, I should pick you up too.]
She was typing while replying and put it aside after replying. Sang Fu didn't know what Zhuang Mowen was thinking. She only remembered that he took a long time to reply.
Zhuang Mowen: [Thank you for your kindness. I appreciate it.]
Zhuang Mowen: [But for now, I can drive back by myself. If I get tired someday, I'll probably have to trouble you.]
After he finished speaking, he seemed to be afraid that the words would sound awkward, so he immediately sent a "smiling" emoji - the kind that looks sarcastic in the eyes of young people.
Of course, Sang Fu knew very well that Zhuang Mowen would not be sarcastic to her.
The matter was dropped like this, and Sang Fu didn't ask any more questions. In short, she had secretly made preparations. If Zhuang Mowen needed her, she would definitely rush over.
"The dinner ended early, so I changed my flight to the nearest one." Zhuang Mowen pulled Chuyi's leash and turned to look at her with a gentle look. "Do you have something to ask Aunt Zhao?"
"Oh," said Sanfu, "it's okay. I came down to find some fruit. Do you want some?"
Zhuang Mowen shook his head.
Sang Fu went to the refrigerator to find an apple, washed it, took a bite and walked out of the kitchen, but found that Zhuang Mowen was still standing there and had not left.
He heard footsteps and turned to look at her again.
She met his gaze, confused, but she didn't stop. Sang Fu slowly swallowed the apple in her mouth. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Zhuang Mowen ask, "Do you want to go out for a walk together?"
This was the first time he asked this question. Before this, they had always maintained a lifestyle of not disturbing each other. Sangfu was very surprised and was stunned for a moment: "Now?"
"Well, now."
She thought of the miserable state she faced every time she went out at night in junior high school and asked in a low voice, "Are you not going to run?"
Zhuang Mowen's smile deepened. He patiently replied, "I'm not running. I'm just walking."
Sanfu paused and nodded: "Okay then."
She had been locked up at home for half a month and felt as if she hadn't breathed the outside air for a long time. She felt stuffy all over. Even if Zhuang Mowen didn't say it, she really should go out for a walk.
Hearing her answer, Zhuang Mowen chuckled. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Sang Fu walking straight towards the door.
Before he could say anything, the door was pushed open and the cold wind rushed in. Sang Fu, who was wearing indoor home clothes, shivered all over and closed the door in a daze.
She turned around and met Zhuang Mowen's gaze. She seemed to sense his hesitation. There was a hint of embarrassment in Sang Fu's calmness. "I haven't been out for so long that I forgot it's so cold outside."
Just for a second after being blown by the cold wind, her cheeks immediately turned red, the same color as the apple in her hand.
Zhuang Mowen didn't know why, but he couldn't help but smile just by seeing her slightly red cheeks.
Is it interesting? It seems not. He vaguely feels that there may be a softer reason, but he has not yet discovered it.
Fearing that she would be even more at a loss, Zhuang Mowen suppressed his laughter and said softly, "Go up and change."
Sang Fu walked quickly past him. He stood in the living room and waited for about ten minutes before Sang Fu appeared in his sight again.
She was wearing a lambskin jacket and a corduroy skirt with a blue plaid hem. The brown color was very suitable for autumn. She looked literary and elegant, which enhanced her scholarly air.
In fact, Sangfu is not tall, just 1.6 meters. She may be two or three centimeters taller when wearing shoes, but she has a good proportion and is thin, so she does not look short from a distance.
"Let's go."
Sang Fu walked over quickly again, the tips of her black hair on her shoulders trembling.
She paused in front of him and asked, "Professor Zhuang, what are you laughing at?"
Zhuang Mowen: "Did I laugh just now?"
"Yes." Sanfu walked forward, opened the door, and asked casually, "Are you in a good mood?"
When Chuyi saw the door open, she wanted to run over excitedly. The topic she casually brought up was hastily brushed aside, and Zhuang Mowen did not speak again.
In front of me, Sangfu walked out of the door, and Chuyi followed her legs with his butt twisted and looked very servile.
Zhuang Mowen slowly followed him out.
He seemed to be in a really good mood.
…
This was Sanfu's first time walking the dog.
After they left the house, Zhuang Mowen asked her, "Do you want to hold hands for a while?"
Sang Fu looked at Chuyi's physique and said worriedly, "Will I be able to hold it?"
"No, it won't explode." Zhuang Mowen's voice was steady as he handed her the leash. "And I'm here, I'm watching."
His hand was still some distance away from the end of the rope, with the end empty and facing her. Only after Sang Fu raised her hand and tightened her grip did Zhuang Mowen slowly let go.
There is nothing much to say about Chuyi except that he is fat and greedy. Just like Zhuang Mowen said, he doesn't act recklessly and is very well behaved.
However, a medium-sized dog is still a medium-sized dog after all, not to mention that Chuyi is almost eating his way to a large size. If he tries hard enough, he can probably catch up with Sangfu in weight.
Usually, I saw Zhuang Mowen holding hands with one hand, and I thought it was easy, but now she still finds it difficult even with both hands.
Basically, as long as Chuyi saw something interesting and a little faster, Sangfu would be forced to speed up and couldn't stop.
Is she walking the dog, or is the dog walking her?
Within two minutes, her back was sweating.
Sang Fu pursed her lips and wanted to tell Zhuang Mowen that she didn't want to take a walk anymore, but suddenly she felt a heat beside her. It was Zhuang Mowen who was leaning over.
He didn't say anything, but the rope in front of Sanfu's hand was firmly grasped by him the next second.
“It’s quite powerful.”
Now, all the strength was distributed to Zhuang Mowen. Sang Fu's arms loosened and she was finally able to walk at her own pace.
She took a breath and admitted defeat: "I can't hold it back."
"Give it to me." Zhuang Mowen took the rope.
She was wearing warm clothes, but her hands were facing the wind, and they were extremely cold. The backs of her white hands were red, but her palms were a little warm.
Sang Fu was just about to put her hands in her pockets to warm them up, but at this moment, she felt a heat on the back of her hands, and her movements were stopped by this warmth that did not belong to her.
Zhuang Mowen's fingertips were warm and he pressed them lightly on her skin.
It was more like he was trying to stop her, half-heartedly. He said in a low voice, "What's wrong with your hand?"
If Zhuang Mowen hadn't asked, Sang Fu wouldn't have cared. Only after he asked did Sang Fu think of looking down.
Her hand struggled slightly in his palm and turned over. Only then did Sangfu realize that the heat in her palm was caused by the friction of the rope.
A red mark caused by the rope lay in the palm of her hand.
Sangfu had experienced many such bumps and bruises. She pinched her fingers and said, "It's probably the rope that rubbed me. It's okay. My hands are cold."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hand she wanted to withdraw was wrapped up without warning.
It was still gentle, like a ball of warm cotton, bringing a hint of warmth to her cold skin.
Sang Fu didn't react, but her clenched fists loosened in an instant.
She was stunned for a moment before looking up.
"Professor Zhuang?"
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