Chapter 133: Chapter 23 Romance on the Balcony
「Noon.」
After lunch, the two of them officially set off.
Su Daqiang hadn’t earned his name for nothing. The snow on the road had been completely cleared, leaving the way ahead smooth and unobstructed.
When they reached an intersection, Si Ruoqi suddenly said, "Just drop me off here, okay?"
"Oh?" Sun Dasheng looked at her in surprise.
She had reverted to her icy beauty persona. It was as if she wasn’t the one who’d been playing those little games in the hotel. Women really are good at pretending.
After finding a spot and parking the car, Sun Dasheng sat and watched her get her luggage from the trunk. She retrieved her suitcase and walked slowly toward the front of the car, her expression still cold.
"Remember! If that woman doesn’t want you anymore, come find me."
Then she turned and left with a flourish.
Watching her receding back and recalling her words, Sun Dasheng found it rather amusing. He didn’t say anything more, though. He knew she had her pride. She’s like a proud ice phoenix. Freed from the shackles of her family, she’s sure to soar even higher in her career. Trying to keep her like a canary is impossible.
The thought of a canary made him turn the car toward the villa.
The man’s arrival delighted the two women. They each wrapped an arm around him, one on the left and one on the right, and exchanged New Year’s greetings.
"Brother Sun, Happy New Year!"
"Do you have red envelopes for us?"
It had only been a few days since the New Year, but it felt as if they hadn’t seen him in a whole year. The two women clung to him, refusing to let go.
"Alright! There are some local specialties from my hometown in the car. Go on and bring them inside." Sun Dasheng gave each of them a light smack on the behind, sending them to work.
"Wow! Is this cured sausage? We eat this for the New Year back home, too! It’s been so long since I’ve had it."
Both Jiang Ziyan and Xiang Yiren were thrilled. After so many years in Shanghai City, it had been a long time since they had eaten cured sausage from their hometowns. Although you could buy it in the markets, it was never as good as the homemade kind. Their hometowns were both in the central region of the country, so many of their dining habits and customs were quite similar.
"If you like it, take it all inside," Sun Dasheng directed from the side. "Leave that cured meat, though. You can bring everything else in."
He had heard that people from Sichuan enjoyed cured meat, so he had prepared a good amount of the smoked variety for Wu Xiaoli. Her family was from Sichuan, but since there were no men left in her household—her father had passed away and her brother was in prison—she hadn’t gone home for the New Year.
After they had moved everything, Sun Dasheng was about to leave when Xiang Yiren asked from the car window, "Brother Sun, are you coming over for dinner tonight?"
Seeing the flirtatious look on her face, Sun Dasheng replied with a teasing smile, "Do you want me to come for dinner, or do you want me to come eat you?"
His words would have made most women lower their heads in shyness, but Xiang Yiren was undeterred. She even shot him a seductive glance. "Brother Sun, whatever you want to eat, who could possibly stop you?"
Then she pulled Jiang Ziyan, who was standing behind her, into her embrace and added with a wicked grin, "Come over tonight, and you can have two dishes at once."
Sun Dasheng was tempted. What a New Year’s special. Having two dishes at once would certainly be more satisfying than just one.
"Be good, wash up, and wait for me tonight," he said before driving away.
"Sister Yiren, is this really okay?" Jiang Ziyan was more reserved and still not entirely comfortable with this sort of thing. Her heart hammered and her face flushed just thinking about the evening ahead.
In response, she received a smack on the backside. "What’s not okay about it? Don’t you worry one bit. Your sister will be leading the charge; you just need to follow my lead."
Xiang Yiren had put a lot of effort into coaching the younger woman. That lazy man who gets to reap all the benefits really ought to give her a big medal for this.
What she didn’t know was that Sun Dasheng had already been thinking about these things. He was still considering what kind of reward to give her. Now that she had shown such initiative, he felt he had to show his appreciation. As the most sensible and trouble-free woman in his life, her actions set an example. If the others saw it, wouldn’t they all scramble to learn from her?
「Wu Xiaoli’s House.」
The front door was adorned with large, red New Year couplets. A knock on the door was answered in the next instant, as if the person inside had been waiting all along.
"Brother Sun, you’re here!"
Wu Xiaoli, dressed in loungewear, ushered him in. She bent down to patiently help him change his shoes, then took his coat and hung it on a rack. She was the very picture of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Without asking if he’d eaten, she led him to the sofa. She returned from the kitchen with a small bowl of noodles topped with a poached egg.
"There’s an old custom: dumplings for departure, noodles for arrival," she explained. "I wasn’t sure if you were hungry, so I just made you a small bowl to start. If you’re still hungry, there’s more in the pot. I’ll get you another helping."
Sun Dasheng hadn’t been particularly hungry, but this bowl of love-filled noodles whetted his appetite. After finishing the first small bowl, he had another. Seeing him slurp down the noodles, Wu Xiaoli’s eyes, watching from the side, filled with joy.
"Where’s your auntie? I don’t see her," he asked after finishing and handing the bowl to Wu Xiaoli.
"There’s a card room downstairs in the complex. Mom seemed bored and doesn’t really like watching TV, so I suggested she go play cards with the other old ladies."
Wu Xiaoli took the bowl and went to wash it in the kitchen.
When she came back out, the room was now filled with new items.
"These are smoked cured meats I brought back from my hometown for the New Year. I heard you guys like it, so I brought some especially for you."
Before Sun Dasheng could finish speaking, a soft body lunged at him.
"Thank you, darling."
"Is there any need for ’thank you’ between us?"
Sun Dasheng intended to gently push her away so she could put the things away, but he found she wouldn’t budge.