Chapter 23 Rainy Season: "Let's talk after we've kissed."
It was the pharmaceutical representatives who first noticed that Liang Yanzhe and Director Song had come out.
Lin Fei stood up, greeted Director Song first, and then walked to Liang Yanzhe's side.
Director Song had a good impression of Lin Fei and chatted with him for a while.
The two chatted for about three minutes before Ye Zhan interrupted them.
After the person left, Lin Fei met the gaze that had been fixed on her: "Your... gaze is so strange."
"Really?" Liang Yanzhe turned his face away. "Why are you at the hospital?"
"Of course I came to have dinner with you. I heard there's braised pork ribs tonight, and I want to eat them." Lin Fei followed Liang Yanzhe into the office and closed the door behind him.
In front of the coat rack, Liang Yanzhe took off his white coat and placed his black cotton-padded jacket in the crook of his arm.
"Let's go."
Lin Fei leaned against the door, the doorknob against his waist, his hands behind his back, gripping the doorknob.
When he walked up to her, she asked with a smile, "I came to the hospital to see you, don't I get a reward?"
"A reward? Why should we give a reward?" Liang Yanzhe's smile didn't reach his eyes.
Lin Fei took the initiative to claim credit: "I came all the way here to see you and have dinner with you, you should praise me."
Looking at the willful girl in front of him who was asking for a reward, Liang Yanzhe asked in a low voice, "Your special treatment was to have a heated chat with the pharmaceutical representative after arriving at the hospital, and then exchange pleasantries with Director Song after meeting him?"
"So, I should still praise you?"
"Shouldn't it be punishment?"
He looked down at her.
Lin Fei swallowed hard, her heart rate soaring. His interrogation filled her with both joy and elation, but she tried her best to hide her unusual expression.
"Recommending the senior's guesthouse to the pharmaceutical sales representative was just a side thing. I was exchanging pleasantries with Director Song because he walked ahead of you, and I couldn't just ignore him, could I?"
“You always have a lot of reasons, and every reason is reasonable.” Liang Yanzhe reached out and pinched a lock of her hair, gently stroking it, and said with a faint smile, “Feiwen, I’m very unhappy with what you’re doing.”
His words were sincere, but she seemed to treat their confrontation as a game, her excitement barely concealed.
He sighed helplessly.
"Alright, stop fooling around, let's eat."
Too much correction seems deliberate.
Lin Fei took Liang Yanzhe's arm, stood on tiptoe and touched his cheek: "Accept this kiss, and you're not allowed to be unhappy."
Liang Yanzhe raised his hand and touched his cheek, then chuckled.
Another half-hearted attempt at flattery.
Well, as long as she's happy.
The two bumped into Zhong Shuwen, who was coming down from upstairs, in the elevator.
He leaned against the corner with his arms crossed, looking extremely annoyed.
Lin Fei paused for a moment, then said, "Cousin, what a coincidence."
Zhong Shuwen snorted: "Unfortunately, I was waiting for you."
He stood between the two, forcing them to separate and cornering Lin Fei.
"Let's talk this out. This is a public place. Watch your behavior." Lin Fei, who had done something wrong, wondered where he could hide, but he couldn't even grab onto Liang Yanzhe's clothes.
Ignoring Liang Yanzhe's presence, Zhong Shuwen pressed him sharply, "Lin Shufei, you're really something. Now the whole hospital knows that I, Zhong Shuwen, arranged for Liang Yanzhe to go on a blind date with my sister in order to curry favor with him."
"Is this rumor really that outrageous? How come the people in your hospital are more gossipy than the grandpas and grandmas on the streets of Chunxi?" Lin Fei frowned. "My original intention was to spread the rumor that you two are as close as brothers."
“Who wants to be brothers with him!” Zhong Shuwen glanced at Liang Yanzhe. “He stole my grandfather’s attention when we were kids, and now he’s stealing yours. We’re incompatible according to the Chinese zodiac.”
It turns out that Zhong Shuwen had such a deep-seated prejudice against Liang Yanzhe, and had been dissatisfied with him for a long time.
"Brother, you're in your early thirties now, be more mature." Lin Fei patted Zhong Shuwen's collar and thoughtfully straightened it. "Let's dispel the rumors today and go to the cafeteria for dinner together!"
Zhong Shuwen sneered.
What kind of "breakthrough" is this? Going to the cafeteria together only confirms his behavior of currying favor with Liang Yanzhe.
Lin Fei reached out to Liang Yanzhe, making a miserable expression.
"Alright, the people are coming up." Liang Yanzhe took Lin Fei's hand and pulled her into his arms.
Lin Fei hid behind Liang Yanzhe and stuck his tongue out at Zhong Shuwen.
The temperature in Jiangdu has dropped sharply recently, and winter has officially begun. The weather forecast predicts snow tomorrow.
To get from the building where the department is located to the cafeteria, you have to walk along a 100-meter-long covered corridor.
The sky was overcast and the cold wind howled. In summer, the eaves were a good place to cool off, but in winter, passing by would feel twice as cold.
Lin Fei hid behind Liang Yanzhe, sticking close to him.
"Dr. Liang, please walk slowly, you're cold." She put her hands into the pockets of Liang Yanzhe's cotton coat to warm them.
Liang Yanzhe let her rummage through the bag.
Zhong Shuwen, whose hair was being blown around by the wind, twitched her lips and said, "Can't you two walk properly? What kind of talk is it to walk like conjoined twins?"
Before Liang Yanzhe could speak, Lin Fei said, "You're still here?"
Successfully provoking Zhong Shuwen, he retorted, "Didn't you invite me to dinner?"
"Alright then, Dr. Liang will treat us tonight, no need to thank me." Lin Fei reached into Liang Yanzhe's pocket and found his work badge and meal card.
She took out her work badge, looked at the passport photo, and exclaimed enthusiastically, "My husband is so handsome!"
Liang Yanzhe smiled, and the unease he felt vanished.
He put his arm around her shoulder and whispered to her, "Try to tone it down, don't tease him all the time."
Recalling the last time in the operating room, Zhong Shuwen reported the patient's vital signs to him in a sarcastic tone, and even the assistant felt that the atmosphere was not right.
“He must have flaunted his brother-in-law status at the hospital quite a bit, right? I’m helping you regain your home turf,” Lin Fei said. “There’s a popular saying online lately: if the husband is good, the wife isn’t.”
Liang Yanzhe laughed out loud.
Seeing the man finally smile, Lin Fei's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
It's not that I didn't sense that something was wrong with the man's emotions.
However, she is someone who habitually avoids conflict and doesn't like to seriously discuss who is right and who is wrong. If the rift is pointed out frankly, she may fall into self-doubt for a long time, wondering if she was not thoughtful enough, which might cause the other party to risk a falling out with her and have a talk with her.
I still prefer to quietly move on from the conflict.
For example, like this now.
The three entered the restaurant, where a colleague they knew greeted them.
Liang Yanzhe responded with ease and even introduced Lin Fei to several colleagues.
Colleagues also noticed Zhong Shuwen who came with them.
He was reluctant at first, but later he became numb to it.
Anyway, everyone in the hospital knows that Liang Yanzhe and Lin Fei are married. They are not only colleagues but also relatives, so there's no use trying to avoid suspicion.
Lin Fei still gave Zhong Shuwen face.
I sat on the same side as him during the meal and gave him an extra meat dish, telling him to eat more to replenish his body.
Like a cat whose fur has been stroked, he arrogantly stopped caring about her sarcastic remarks in the elevator.
"What are your plans for New Year's Day this year?" Zhong Shuwen asked.
Lin Fei sensed what he was about to say and quickly replied, "It's only a three-day holiday for New Year's Day, I don't have any plans."
I silently prayed that he would stop talking.
"Aren't you running your own business from home now? Don't you get to decide your own holidays?" Zhong Shuwen asked.
"Dr. Liang has only three days off, so I don't have any plans." Lin Fei winked at Liang Yanzhe across from her, hinting that he should help her.
Chung Shu-man spoke first: "I still have annual leave to take, and I'm planning to combine it with New Year's Day. You and I can go back to Hong Kong to celebrate the New Year together?"
He still managed to say it.
Lin Fei glanced at Zhong Shuwen and said coldly, "Brother, didn't you hear the polite refusal I made earlier?"
Their conversation about the port city only damages their relationship.
“I know you’re unhappy, but I still have to say it.” Zhong Shuwen looked a little helpless. “Grandpa has mentioned to me at least ten times that he wants you to come back to Hong Kong for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. You two are married now, so you can discuss where to settle down. I will also persuade Grandpa to make sure he doesn’t mention settling down in Hong Kong again. I’ve already tried to get the best solution for you. You should be able to visit him occasionally, right?”
He felt caught in the middle and was in a difficult position, feeling that saying these words would please neither side.
Lin Fei silently bit her lower lip.
I was still unwilling.
She believed that she had no worries at all if they didn't appear in her life.
"Next time," Liang Yanzhe said, protecting Lin Fei. "She's been busy with the opening of her new store lately, running around everywhere and hasn't had a proper rest. I'll go back with her during her next holiday."
Lin Fei looked at Liang Yanzhe as if he had seen a savior.
Zhong Shuwen hesitated for a moment: "Okay, you said it, I will pass it on to Grandpa."
Liang Yanzhe was Grandpa's favorite student; his words carried more weight than those of their own grandson.
Having escaped a calamity, Lin Fei would have cheered if it weren't for the fact that they were in a public place.
-
Lin Fei didn't return to Chunxi before the New Year, not because she found the trip troublesome, but because she was menstruating. She had menstrual cramps for the first two days and felt sleep-deprived and lacked energy for the next few days.
Aunt Ruo reports the progress to her every day, and everything is proceeding in an orderly manner, which makes her feel much more at ease.
Ying Shuiying personally visited to discuss cultural and creative design, bringing her daughter along.
When Qianqian saw Shunshun, she stopped playing with the toys she had specially brought and only wanted to play with the kitten.
Shunshun had been a stray cat before and wasn't afraid of strangers, so she quickly became friends with Qianqian.
With the cat helping to "take care of the child," their work progressed much more smoothly.
At Lin Fei's request, Ying Shuiying designed six postcards.
The card is inlaid with Zhuang brocade, and you can write on the right side.
The design of the patterns needs to be decided by Grandma. Her suggestion is five simple patterns, two of which should be dragon or phoenix patterns, or some cute patterns that young people like.
She also gave suggestions on color matching.
There are three styles of hair clips and hair flowers. This is relatively simple; you can make them as long as you choose the right fabric.
Finally, she also did a design.
— Commemorative badges and coins.
It's a bit like a commemorative coin in a museum, with a small piece of Zhuang brocade inside, embroidered with the Chunxi logo on the back.
Ying Shuiying tapped the screen with a stylus to show the details: "You can choose to make commemorative coins or not. I mean, in case Chunxi's tourism industry develops someday, your commemorative coins will be a must-have souvenir."
Lin Fei looked through the design drafts and saw that Ying Shuiying had put in a lot of effort to come up with so many plans in such a short time.
"You're a bit strange." Lin Fei rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought as he stared at the computer screen.
Ying Shuiying said irritably, "Boss Lin, if I gave you a perfunctory manuscript today, wouldn't you kick me out?"
She's an independent designer now, earning her own living by taking on commissions, and she doesn't want to ruin her livelihood.
“That’s not what I meant.” Lin Fei pointed to the design draft. “Your design perfectly matches my ideas.”
At first, she only had general ideas: postcards, hair clips, and hair ties.
She even rejected hair ties, worried that the Zhuang brocade pattern wouldn't be visible, which would make them unattractive to consumers.
However, Ying Shuiying still made a design draft, designing it as a square scarf hair tie, and the pattern was still clearly visible.
"Good is no good, bad is no good either. Our relationship isn't that bad, is it? You're taking what the neighbors say to heart?" Ying Shuiying pointed to her dark circles. "Have some conscience!"
Lin Fei exclaimed incredulously, "You actually want to curry favor with me?"
“Alright, I have my own selfish reasons too.” Ying Shuiying took a sip of water. “Developing Chunxi has always been something Jiang Hua wanted to do. Whenever people have trouble with him, he helps them as much as he can. I don’t want to see him so tired, so I thought I’d help if I could. Besides, Chunxi is also my home. We grew up there.”
"He didn't have even a hint of selfishness towards me." Lin Fei feigned heartache.
Ying Shuiying patted Lin Fei on the shoulder, warning her to stop being pretentious: "Of course I am. I definitely wouldn't do it if it were someone else, but you, Lin Fei, never fail to succeed."
"I'm afraid of heights, don't flatter me like that," Lin Fei said playfully.
Ying Shuiying, holding a water glass, leaned back on the stool and said wistfully, "Afei, I'm telling the truth. Developing a place isn't just about talking. People who haven't actually experienced it don't know how difficult it is. Jiang Hua is indeed capable, but he doesn't see things as clearly as you do. Take finding investors to develop Chunxi, for example. If you hadn't mediated between us, his relationship with President Song would probably have soured, and it wouldn't be like it is now, with President Song willing to sponsor my uncle's family to run a farm-stay picking business. So I'm very happy that you can come back to Chunxi to open a shop."
"Thank you for your trust, Ms. Ying." Lin Fei copied the documents. "I will try my best not to let you down."
Ying Shuiying was invited to stay for dinner, but she had to go to the airport to pick up Jiang Hua, who was on a business trip, so they had to reschedule for another day.
Before leaving, Ying Shuiying took Lin Fei's hand, thought for a moment, and then said:
“Afei, people used to say you were like the trumpet vine on the street corner wall, always trying to climb high and show off.”
"But after I left Chunxi, I saw countless flowers, and the trumpet creeper is still the most beautiful flower I have ever seen."
Lin Fei smiled.
"I believe that statement because it was made without any ulterior motive."
After seeing the mother and daughter off, Lin Fei lay on the sofa in a daze.
Her words before she left echoed in my mind.
Her image in the eyes of outsiders when she was a child was not very good.
He was too engrossed in thinking.
So much so that she didn't even notice Liang Yanzhe when he got off work and was already standing by the sofa.
"What are you thinking about?" Liang Yanzhe waved his large hand in front of her eyes.
Lin Fei said self-deprecatingly, "When I was a child, I was very stubborn. If anyone provoked me, I wouldn't listen to the adults' advice and would insist on making them apologize. The other person's parents threatened to tell my grandmother if I was naughty again. I got so angry that I actually slapped the person who bullied me. He cried so loudly that all the neighbors on the street could hear it. Later, they always liked to tease me, saying that I was like the trumpet creeper on the red wall at the street corner, arrogant, ambitious, and fond of showing off."
Liang Yanzhe loosened his cuffs and tie, casually placing them on the table to prevent them from bumping into her. Only after everything was tidied up did he sit down beside her.
As soon as he sat down, she rested her head on his lap.
He looked down at her: "What did he do to upset you?"
Lin Fei looked at him and suddenly smiled, her eyes welling up with tears: "Back then, no one ever asked me that question. When Grandma came, she didn't ask why, she just told me to apologize to him. I can understand Grandma. Because my parents were busy with work, I lived with her all year round. She was afraid that a child like me without parents around would be tripped up by others, so she tried her best not to make enemies."
"Can you tell me?"
Lin Fei said in a nonchalant tone, "He said my parents didn't love me at all, so they abandoned me in Chunxi. I know that's not true. My parents are busy with work, and they let me stay in Chunxi so that I could be taken better care of. That's all in the past. I was only unhappy for a few days because the person who insulted me didn't have as good grades as me. I could speak under the national flag, while he could only be criticized in the disciplinary office."
Liang Yanzhe gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips: "Were you very sad then?"
She just watched him quietly, and in his dark eyes, she glimpsed a corner of his heart that she had overlooked.
The girl's sadness was hidden, but it still lingers and has not yet been resolved.
Her lips couldn't help but turn down. She got up and hugged him tightly, saying with a wronged expression:
"I'm so sad, so incredibly sad. I feel like my heart is breaking."
"I want to see my parents and have them hug me."
Liang Yanzhe hugged her tightly and gently stroked her back: "Growing up has been hard work, you've done more than enough."
"Really?" She buried her face in his shoulder, wiping the tears from her eyes onto her shirt.
He chuckled softly, a tingling sensation spreading through his chest.
"Yes, you are indeed like the trumpet creeper, but a free-growing, indomitable trumpet creeper."
Lin Fei leaned against him, her mood gradually calming down: "Being with you feels...good, I feel completely at peace."
This may explain why she became so fixated on Liang Yanzhe six years ago.
He pulled his girl closer.
She probably didn't know that he felt the same way she did.
-
Lin Fei took Liang Yanzhe back to Chunxi to spend New Year's Eve.
She asked him if he wanted to go to his mother's place. If she remembered correctly, Liang's mother lived alone in Jiangdu. As for Liang's father, she didn't know anything about him; Liang Yanzhe had never mentioned him.
But Liang Yanzhe only said that his mother was very busy and didn't want to talk about it, so she wisely stopped asking.
On his way home after parking his car at the folk square, Lin Fei ran into a pharmaceutical representative he had met at the hospital.
Their team came over for a get-together today, and also to celebrate the New Year.
Zhao Xingxue asked, "I heard from Boss Song that there will be fireworks tonight? Fireworks have been banned for many years, and the holidays in the city have been quiet and deserted these past few years, without any atmosphere. If there really are fireworks, then it's definitely worth coming."
"They usually set off during holidays. You can go to the folk square tonight to check it out," Lin Fei asked Liang Yanzhe. "Do you want to go see it?"
He said, "I'll listen to you."
I arranged to meet Zhao Xingxue that evening, and the two of them went home first.
On the way, Lin Fei met a man who greeted her warmly and invited her to visit his home sometime.
Liang Yanzhe assumed they were good friends of the same age.
Lin Fei said, "He's the one I used to beat up when we were kids."
"You still have dealings with each other?" Liang Yanzhe asked, slightly surprised.
Lin Fei shrugged: "That's how it is in the neighborhood. We're neighbors, so it's best not to make things too tense. For the sake of the older generation, let's just let this matter go."
He held her hand, tightening his grip.
After arriving home, Lin Feizai carefully checked the progress of the recent renovations and only went to eat after confirming that everything was in order.
After nightfall, Liang Yanzhe and Lin Fei took a walk in the street, accompanied by Zhao Xingxue and the other five members of his team.
Lin Fei introduced them to the architectural style of the old street and told them some historical stories about it.
No need to memorize a script, you can speak directly to the house.
Some people who have lived in the old street for many years are not very clear about the history of these buildings.
Because someone passing by listened for a while and praised Lin Fei for speaking so well, saying that he had lived there for most of his life and still didn't know anything about it.
Liang Yanzhe asked, "Did you memorize this on purpose?"
“No, my parents studied ancient architecture design. They have a handbook with drawings of ancient buildings from many places, including Chunxi. I often look at their sketchbook, and I’ve researched a lot of historical materials in my spare time, so I naturally memorized them.” Lin Fei walked ahead with his hands behind his back, pointing to the roof. “Do you know why there are bats carved on the roof tiles?”
"Why?" He slowly followed her.
She said, "In our area, bats are considered auspicious and represent happiness, so the older generation would carve bats on the roof tiles when building their houses."
She has absolutely no interest in ancient architecture, yet she often flips through her parents' old sketchbooks, probably because... she misses them.
I still remember the picture book she looked through on the night of our engagement.
On important days, she must miss her parents to be flipping through picture books alone late at night.
"You know the stone pillar at the entrance..." Lin Fei was startled, "What are you doing?"
The man dragged her into an empty alleyway.
"The event is about to begin..."
The main street was bustling with people, and her heart pounded with anxiety.
Before she could finish speaking, he lifted her chin, kissed her, and said, "Let's talk after the kiss."
-----------------------
Author's note: Just two poor kids trying together to make the best of a good life [shy]
Sweet days are about playing those kinds of games (not really).
[Laughing][Laughing][Laughing] Still 66, asking for comments and nutrient solution from everyone, mwah!
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