After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xiaoli lay back down on the bed.
Zong Jia put his phone on the bedside table and lay down next to her. "It's not even 7 o'clock yet, want to take a nap?"
She hesitated for only two seconds, then said, "I'll take a nap a little longer."
When Jiang Xiaoli woke up around nine o'clock, she went to the bathroom in a daze. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she felt much more awake.
"Ayu, what should I say to Uncle Xiao and Xiaoyu?"
Zong Jia pushed the steaming hot pancakes towards her, saying, "Isn't there a perfect example right here in our lives? We can use other people's stories to ask ourselves questions."
"Ready-made examples?"
"Auntie, Xue is 19 years younger than Le Ge. Isn't that similar to the current situation?"
She beamed and then stood up to kiss him on the cheek, saying, "This is a reward for your clever little brain!"
She quickly finished her muffin and coffee, then called Qiao Xing'er. "Auntie, can I ask you something?"
Jiang Qingxue's voice came through, "Mom, Sister Xiaoli must be looking for me!"
Qiao Xing'er asked with a smile, "Xiao Li, tell me who you're looking for?"
Jiang Xiaoli chuckled softly, "Ah Xue, let me chat with my aunt for a while, and then I'll call you back later, okay?"
Jiang Qingxue obediently replied, "Okay, Sister Xiaoli, I'll wait for you!"
Qiao Xing'er coaxed the little girl to play aside, "Xiao Li, what's wrong?"
She then asked, "Aunt, I just wanted to ask you, did you and Uncle agree to have another child back then? Or was it an accident?"
Qiao Xing'er immediately perked up, "Xiao Li, something happened to you?!"
Jiang Xiaoli quickly denied it, "No, no, I didn't. Aunt, I just wanted to ask you, when you were pregnant with Xiaoxue, you were considered an older mother. What were your thoughts, Uncle's, and Brother Le's?"
Although Qiao Xing'er didn't know why she asked the question, she still shared it with her.
"It was indeed an accident that Ah Xue came into the picture. At first, your grandparents and your uncle were all worried about my health and advised me not to have her."
But I don't think so. My little darling chose me, so I should take good care of her. Look how adorable Xue is now!
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and agreed, "Yes, Xue is very cute. What about Brother Le? What's his attitude?"
"Haha." Qiao Xing'er couldn't help but laugh when she thought of her son. "Back then, he had just gone to study in the United States, and the family cut off his source of income. He thought we really didn't want him anymore and were planning to have another child, so he specially ran back to Chongqing to make a fuss with me!"
"Hahahaha!" This story is really funny. "Brother Le is hilarious. What happened next?"
"Later, when Ah Le found out it was an accident, he didn't want to upset his pregnant mother, so he gradually improved his relationship with his family."
Jiang Xiaoli said with a smile, "Axue's arrival really played a big role."
“Of course!” Qiao Xing’er smiled at her daughter and said, “A-Le and A-Xue are both my treasures.”
She nodded. "I understand, thank you, Auntie."
After hanging up, she called back, "Hello, I'm looking for Jiang Qingxue."
"Sister Xiaoli!" Jiang Qingxue's happy voice rang out, "It's me this time!"
The two chatted for a while before Jiang Xiaoli promised to give the little girl a limited edition Snow White doll before coaxing her to hang up the phone.
The two of them snuggled up on the sofa, and Zong Jiayu asked, "Have you thought about what to say?"
Her eyes darted around. "That's about it. We'll talk about Uncle Xiao in person when he gets to New York. As for Xiaoyu, Brother Le is still in Oxford. I'll contact Xiaoyu again when he returns to China tomorrow."
Zong Jiayu laughed and said, "Are you planning to start by saying that Brother Le thought he was abandoned by his family?"
Jiang Xiaoli reached out and pinched his waist. "You know too much!"
After dawdling for a while, they arrived at a creative restaurant that had recently become very popular in New York City, just before noon.
This store is very crowded, but the good thing is that it's by reservation only, so you don't have to queue like at the burger shop I visited yesterday.
Just as their appetizers were served, two familiar figures came into Jiang Xiaoli's view.
It was Ruan Jiajia and Quan Wenyan.
Ruan Jiajia said with delight, "Haha, what a coincidence! We've run into each other again. You must have asked around about the hottest restaurants in New York right now, right?"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and nodded, "That's right. Let me guess, is your destination that little bar with delicious casual food or that cruise ship restaurant this afternoon?"
Quan Wenyan laughed, "It seems our plans were exactly the same. We chose a cruise ship, so we can enjoy delicious food while admiring the Manhattan skyline at night."
Zong Jia shrugged. "Looks like we won't be meeting tonight."
At this point, the restaurant waiter, seeing that they knew each other, asked for their opinions and moved Quan Wenyan and his companion to sit next to Jiang Xiaoli and her companion.
Ruan Jiajia kept glancing at the menu and then at the food on the table next to her.
She couldn't help but ask, "Jiang Xiaoli, how would you rate this smoked salmon?"
Jiang Xiaoli had already noticed her hesitation. "I can only give you one piece of advice: don't order it."
"Haha." Ruan Jiajia was someone who would listen to advice, so this time she didn't hesitate and decisively chose the roasted lamb chops.
The two tables of people were having a great time discussing the food.
After the meal, Quan Wenyan joked with a smile, "If we happen to meet again tonight, please tell me what the quality of the light meals at the pub is like, and whether they're worth trying."
Zong Jiayu responded with a smile, "We'd also like to know if the Manhattan cruise dinner is worth the price."
After parting ways with the young couple, they casually wandered around an art museum to pass the time.
Zong Jiayu, holding her hand, asked, "Little Pear, are you in a good mood today?"
Jiang Xiaoli nodded, "Yes, it's probably been a long time since I've made any new friends, so it feels kind of interesting."
After strolling around and looking at a few paintings, she turned to her and asked, "Ayu, did we choose the wrong place? I really don't have much artistic talent, so I can't understand what these paintings are trying to express."
Zong Jia chuckled lightly, "Unfortunately, I don't understand it either."
They exchanged a glance, their smiles deepening. Jiang Xiaoli suggested, "Don't waste the tickets, let's take a walk around to digest our food before we leave?"
"Okay, whatever you say."
As they wandered further in and saw more realistic paintings, the two gradually realized that they weren't entirely art idiots after all.
Suddenly, Ye Biao muttered, "The painter—Quan Wenyan? There shouldn't be many people with that name, right?"
His voice drew Zong Jia's and their attention.
When Jiang Xiaoli stood in front of the painting Ye Biao had mentioned, her memories gradually returned.
She shook Zong Jiayu's hand, "Ayu! I know why the name Quan Wenyan sounded so familiar!"
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