18. After running, let's feed the cat.
As the new week begins, Mu Jia's vacation is gradually getting back on track.
The old house has been uninhabited for more than half a year and needs to be cleaned and tidied up little by little.
When it comes to housework, Mu Jia is the type who, although she doesn't do it often, does it thoroughly when she does it, with a level of meticulousness that rivals professional housekeepers, leaving no corner untouched.
So she spent most of the week meticulously working on it, and apart from accidentally straining her back while taking down and washing the curtains, everything proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.
She even chose a weekend to go home for lunch.
Seeing that Yuan Mei's health had fully recovered and there was no trace of the previous accidental acute gastroenteritis on her body.
As she expected, Yuan Mei brought up her relationship with Xiao Yu again at the dinner table, but Mu Jia just laughed it off.
However, she and Mu Xiangming didn't ask any further questions, probably because the positive feedback from her aunt and uncle after their last meeting had taken effect.
After dinner, Yuan Mei made plans to go to a beauty salon for a spa treatment with some friends and hurriedly left. Mu Jia helped Mu Xiangming clear the dishes, and after they were done, the two went downstairs for a walk to digest their food.
After walking around the park downstairs, Mu Jia couldn't help but ask, "Why did you suddenly decide to go to Singapore by yourselves? We could have gone together when I got back."
"It was your mom who suggested it. She's retiring in a little over a year, and she said she hadn't used up her accumulated seniority leave yet, and it would be a waste not to use it." Mu Xiangming looked innocent. "I happened to have some annual leave too, so I went with her."
"Of course I know it was her suggestion..." Mu Jia said helplessly, "But Dad, you can't just go along with everything Mom does. Do you really treat her like a little princess? Look at this time, you two went out on your own, and Mom suddenly started vomiting and had diarrhea and ended up in the hospital. I was so scared!"
"Okay, okay, it was an accident this time!"
Looking at the cheerful Mu Xiangming, Mu Jia felt speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
When Yuan Mei was young, she was beautiful and came from a good family, so she had many suitors.
Among her many suitors, Mu Jia's maternal grandmother, Zhong Sufang, did not think much of Mu Xiangming. Deep down, she felt that he was not a promising prospect with great ambitions, but at most just a handsome face and a set of fancy tricks to make young girls happy.
But Yuan Mei just couldn't resist a man who was so obedient to her and put her first in everything.
Today, it seems that Yuan Mei's choice back then was not wrong. The two have been married for nearly 30 years, and Mu Xiangming still listens to her and adheres to the principle of putting her first in everything.
Mu Jia remembered that she had told him and Yuan Mei that she did not want to get married.
She snapped out of her reverie and saw Mu Xiangming humming a little tune and playing with the neighbor's corgi. Her youthful appearance was still faintly visible in his features.
She suddenly wondered, what if the other person treated her the way Mu Xiangming treated Yuan Mei?
If there really were such a person, would she be willing to go that far with him?
For the past week or so, my evening schedule has been like this: if there's a meeting, I'll be in a meeting; if not, I'll mostly be hanging out with Xiao Yu and his gang of "friends."
Speaking of the fact that although she was nominally on vacation, she still had to hold meetings with foreign countries from time to time, separated by the ocean and a full twelve-hour time difference, even Xiao Yu couldn't help but feel indignant on her behalf.
Mu Jia didn't have many complaints. The company didn't have many employees working in the Latin American region to begin with. Her job was often called a vacation back home, but in reality, it was just a change of location and a more flexible online work schedule.
So she turned around and comforted Xiao Yu, "It's okay, they're paying you a decent amount anyway. Besides, I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night, but I often get sleepy while I'm in a meeting, and it works better than any sedative or melatonin."
The meeting ended at 3:30 a.m. local time that night.
Before the meeting, Mu Jia drank two cans of black coffee to stay awake. Now, with her blood circulating, the caffeine was kicking in, and since she couldn't fall asleep anyway, she decided to put on some clothes and go downstairs for a walk.
I originally wanted to bring Mimi along, but when I went to the living room, I found that Mimi's sleep schedule was much more regular than hers, and she was lying in her bed snoring.
So she went downstairs alone.
Just as I stepped out of the residential compound, my phone suddenly vibrated.
It was Han Yan, the HR manager for the Latin America region. She answered, "Hello, Sister Yan."
The two had met in an online meeting just ten minutes earlier. This time, the other party skipped all the unnecessary pleasantries and got straight to the point: "Jiajia, I know you want to transfer back, but I really can't make that decision on my end."
The woman's voice carried a genuine sense of apology and regret.
Mu Jia's fingers tightened around her phone, but her voice remained calm: "Yes. I know, Sister Yan. It's okay."
A night breeze carrying a faint scent of the sea rushed in through her chest, making Mu Jia instantly regret not putting on an extra coat before rushing downstairs. She pressed her hand to the slightly loose collar of her cardigan and silently took a breath. "Okay, thank you, Sister Yan. I'm sorry to have troubled you. I'll treat you to dinner when we get back."
"Okay." Mu Jia took another deep breath silently. "Thank you, Sister Yan."
"You're welcome. Speaking of which, it must be midnight in China, right? You should get some rest. See you next time!"
"Okay, goodbye, Sister Yan."
After hanging up the phone, Mu Jia continued walking forward.
There were hardly any pedestrians on the street. The temperature difference between day and night in Pinghai in autumn was huge, and the damp coolness in the air gradually seeped into her thin cardigan.
But Mu Jia walked slower and slower. The security conditions in Latin America are generally poor, and there are not many opportunities for a person to walk safely in deserted streets late at night or in the early morning.
After circling the nearby beach, she wandered aimlessly back into the residential area.
In the darkness of night, looking up, all you can see are dark windows.
A study abroad once showed that the suicide rate is highest in the early morning hours.
The surroundings were too quiet, and she suddenly couldn't help but wonder if everyone behind each seemingly peaceful window was still fast asleep.
Anyway, anyone still awake at this hour is probably not a normal person.
As I walked, I arrived at my own building.
Looking up, I suddenly saw someone sitting at the beginning of the long stone steps in front of the first gate downstairs.
Judging from his build, he's a man.
She felt a jolt in her heart and almost retracted her earlier assertion that the security situation in her country was much better than in Mexico.
But it was her own front door, and she wasn't wearing much clothing at the moment, so she couldn't just pass by her house without going in.
After hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to bite the bullet and step forward.
When they got close enough to see each other clearly, a gasp escaped uncontrollably: "Chu Chiyi?!"
The man looked up when he heard the sound.
He was dressed casually, wearing a black sporty windbreaker.
In the darkness, Mu Jia rolled her eyes, took a few steps forward, and angrily questioned, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Did you come here just to scare people?"
He said, "I go for a morning run."
"Morning run?" It was still pitch black all around. Mu Jia thought it was an absurd joke, but her hand still instinctively reached for her phone.
Beijing time, 5:20 AM.
It seems it's indeed about time for some of the older gentlemen to get up and do their morning exercise...
So, maybe it's not actually that outrageous?
But she quickly realized a new problem: "You're sitting here while you're jogging in the morning?"
“We’re done running,” Chu Chiyi said, his expression unchanged. “Come and feed the cat.”
"Fine." Her lips twitched slightly. "Don't even mention feeding cats, even feeding tigers has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you want, please continue, Mr. Chu!"
"Move aside, don't block my way!" she said, stepping past him.
Unexpectedly, the man, who was still sitting there, raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. "Wait a minute."
Since that incident in the car, the two haven't been in contact at all for over a week. He unilaterally declared that they were even, but she's still inexplicably furious.
"Mu Jia, come home with me."
"...What nonsense are you talking about?" Mu Jia turned around. "Stop pulling and tugging, let go!"
"Didn't you say last time that you wanted to move back to the city center? I've already packed everything up."
Mu Jia paused for a moment, then snorted coldly and gestured with her chin toward the upstairs, "Look carefully, I own a house in the city center!"
“I know,” Chu Chiyi said, his hand still on hers, “but living here will be seen by others.”
The next second, Mu Jia suddenly flinched like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and flinched away from his hand, yelling, "Stop acting crazy and get out of here!"
But he just couldn't shake them off...
Chu Chiyi paused for a second, and perhaps having figured out why she was angry, he suddenly explained, "What I mean is, every time I stay here, you don't let me come."
"..."
Seeing that she didn't speak, Chu Chiyi suddenly asked again, "Are you cold?"
Before she could say anything, she suddenly felt a hot, cup-shaped object in her hand.
She looked down and, by the light of the street lamp downstairs, saw that what she was holding in her hand was actually a cup of porridge.
The milk buckwheat porridge, judging from its stylish packaging, comes from Chen Ji, the street corner shop where there's always a long queue every morning.
Who said there aren't any conscious, normal people awake at this time?
There are still the most dedicated owners of time-honored breakfast shops, and steaming hot porridge and rice.
Mu Jia came to her senses and realized that they were still in the same position. She wanted to go upstairs, but Chu Chiyi was sitting in place, holding her wrist.
Moreover, the other party didn't seem to have any intention of letting her go.
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