Shen Chi Yan walked in with unease, but did not see Song Qi Nian. Before he could speak, Liu Xiao Ying, standing beside him, asked with a smile, "Where did Nian Nian go? Why isn't she home?"
"Tie Zhu's mother hasn't had a good appetite lately and wants to eat frozen pears, so I asked Nian Nian to take some over."
Liu Xiao Ying snorted, "I saw her eating a chicken leg this morning, how could she have no appetite? Isn't there some ulterior motive?"
Liu Xiao Ying originally wanted to say that everyone knew Zhang Tie Zhu liked Nian Nian. Ever since Nian Nian arrived in Qing Jiu Village, he came to pester her daily. It was obvious to anyone what he was up to.
The old woman glared at Liu Xiao Ying and said with a dry laugh, "What are you thinking about? A Yan, come, sit, sit, sit."
Shen Chi Yan saw the exchange of glances between them and smiled innocently, then took out all the gifts he had brought.
"Grandma, I'm very sorry for visiting so late. I heard you fainted from high blood pressure, so I brought you some supplements to lower it."
Shen Chi Yan opened his suitcase. Besides a change of clothes, it was filled with gifts for the old lady.
Mrs. Gao was overjoyed, "Oh my, you coming is enough, why bring so many things?"
Shen Chi Yan continued to smile, "I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring much. Please make do with it for now."
Liu Xiao Ying saw the supplements like "Lingzhi" and "Dang Shen" and exclaimed, "Aren't these very expensive?"
Shen Chi Yan was about to say they weren't, but seeing the old lady staring at him, he curved his lips and said, "As long as Grandma is healthy, nothing else matters."
"Oh, Old Mrs. Song, you are truly blessed."
The old lady also smiled from ear to ear. She never expected her granddaughter-in-law to be not only handsome but also so filial and eloquent.
Nian Nian would surely be happy with him.
Shen Chi Yan had always been arrogant and aloof; people always flattered and pleased him. This was the first time he had ever tried to please someone.
He found it quite novel.
He figured that even if Song Qi Nian didn't want to see him, with her kind nature, she wouldn't turn him away.
But to win Song Qi Nian back, he needed an ally, and the best candidate for this ally was undoubtedly Grandma Song.
Liu Xiao Ying didn't stay long before leaving. Shen Chi Yan, seeing that an hour had passed since he arrived and Song Qi Nian still hadn't returned, began to feel impatient.
The old lady saw Shen Chi Yan constantly looking towards the door and knew he was thinking of Nian Nian. She got up and said, "A Yan, Nian Nian didn't take her phone when she left. You sit for a while, I'll go to Tie Zhu's house and call Nian Nian back."
Shen Chi Yan had no intention of waiting at home and immediately got up to follow the old lady. "I'll go with you."
He had already waited two days, and now he didn't want to wait another second.
"It's alright, Tie Zhu's house isn't far, I'll be back soon."
Shen Chi Yan said nothing, but his body followed the old lady out the door.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after Song Qi Nian delivered the frozen pears to Zhang Tie Zhu's house, she was about to leave when Zhang Tie Zhu's mother pulled her aside to chat. The woman also prepared a large table of dishes to entertain her.
Song Qi Nian politely declined several times, but Zhang Tie Zhu's mother said, "Nian Nian, have you grown accustomed to the delicacies of big cities and now dislike the simple fare of the countryside?"
Song Qi Nian quickly waved her hands. Unable to refuse the enthusiastic invitation, she stayed for lunch.
During the meal, Zhang Tie Zhu's mother chatted about this and that. Song Qi Nian felt very uncomfortable. She quickly finished her meal and left, using the excuse of going home to cook for her grandmother.
Zhang Tie Zhu hurried to catch up with her, carrying a bag of persimmons.
"Nian Nian, let me walk you back. I also brought you some persimmons from our own farm, they're very sweet."
Song Qi Nian waved her hand to refuse, but Zhang Tie Zhu didn't seem to notice. He smiled at her, "Let's go."
After saying that, he walked towards Song Qi Nian's home on his own. Song Qi Nian sighed, thinking he meant well, and didn't say anything more.
On the way back, Zhang Tie Zhu chattered incessantly.
"Hey, do you remember Yang Xue Mei? She got married at eighteen. Her husband's family always wanted a son, but she had three daughters. Her husband would beat her daily, it was so miserable."
"And Da Xiong, he married a city girl. That woman is fierce and cruel, often beating Da Xiong until he was black and blue. Da Xiong is like a grandson in front of her."
Song Qi Nian's head ached from Zhang Tie Zhu's incessant chatter. Honestly, she had left Qing Jiu Village after the age of ten and didn't have much of a memory of those people anymore.
However, this Zhang Tie Zhu was truly noisy. As a man, instead of working hard, he liked to gossip about others' affairs.
Alas, normally she felt her grandmother's house and Zhang Tie Zhu's house were quite close, but today they seemed so far away!
As she rounded a bend, Song Qi Nian subconsciously looked towards her grandmother's house and saw her grandmother who had come out to look for her.
Song Qi Nian smiled, and then she saw a familiar figure standing in the wind and snow. Her expression changed slightly, and she abruptly stopped.
Was she hallucinating? Or was it a delusion?
That person... why did he look so much like Shen Chi Yan?
Zhang Tie Zhu, who was happily chatting, saw Song Qi Nian stop suddenly and asked confusedly, "Nian Nian, why aren't you walking anymore?"
Song Qi Nian ignored Zhang Tie Zhu, her bright eyes fixed on the figure by the door of the house, her mind buzzing.
At the same time, Shen Chi Yan also saw Song Qi Nian, and next to her, a tall, burly man covered in acne scars.
His dark eyes instantly turned cold. That must be Zhang Tie Zhu!
At this moment, Grandma Song's voice rang out, "A Yan, Nian Nian is back."
Shen Chi Yan smiled and nodded, "Yes, I see. The road is slippery, I'll go pick her up."
Grandma Song smiled with relief.
Shen Chi Yan walked towards Song Qi Nian step by step. He wore a suit underneath and a woolen overcoat on the outside. As he walked against the wind and snow, he looked like a deity.
Zhang Tie Zhu was also stunned. When their village's Yang Da Fu bought a trench coat and leather shoes to show off, everyone praised him. But compared to this man, Yang Da Fu was nothing.
As he walked, Shen Chi Yan's eyes were fixed on Song Qi Nian, unwilling to look away for even a second.
Although he and Song Qi Nian had been together for three years, they had missed too much in between.
This time, he would not miss her again, no matter what.
He started walking slowly at first, then broke into a run. The injury in his leg had not yet healed, and every step was a piercing pain, but he seemed oblivious, running towards the woman he loved the most.
Finally, he ran to her. Unable to contain the surging love and regret in his heart, he held her tightly in his arms.