The old scenery was like spring, unchanged in the slightest.
Jiang Mian, familiar with the path, walked to her doorstep. Next door was Granny Hu's house.
The bronze-wood door opened with a push. Granny Hu, bending down, placed a wooden basin by the wall, "Come, come, sit down."
Her warmth was fiery. She poured two cups of tea and handed them over, "When you were little, Mianmian loved my pot-stewed chicken the most. Today, Auntie must make a meal for you."
Jiang Mian smiled, "Auntie, you don't need to busy yourself. I love whatever you make."
Granny Hu couldn't stay idle. She rolled up her sleeves and lunged towards the chicken coop in the yard, "You wait, I'll catch one right now."
In a moment, she held a flapping old rooster, "How's this? Not bad, right?"
Ji Zhixiu's gaze subtly sharpened. Although the yard was kept clean by Granny Hu, the chicken droppings on the ground were still too conspicuous.
Seeing his stiff movement, Jiang Mian suppressed a smile, "Let me help Auntie, together."
"No, no, no. You've finally come home for a visit. How can I let you do any work? You take your husband around and introduce him to our place."
Jiang Mian couldn't refuse, "Then I'll have to trouble Auntie. I'll eat an extra bowl of rice later."
"Good, good, good! You're always the most appreciative!"
Granny Hu went to cook, leaving only the two of them in the main hall.
Now it was Jiang Mian's turn to tease Ji Zhixiu, "The dignified CEO Ji, are you not used to this place?"
Ji Zhixiu sat on a small stool that didn't match his posture, looking inexplicably pitiful and amusing. Jiang Mian couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, "Hahaha... Ji Zhixiu!"
"What are you laughing at?"
"Don't you think you and this place are completely out of sync? Hahaha."
The CEO, dressed in a suit and tie, stood in this setting, and even the room seemed brighter.
Ji Zhixiu felt both annoyed and helpless. A hint of indulgence flashed in his eyes, "Thinking about growing old here with you, raising a few chickens and ducks, doesn't seem so bad anymore."
A blush spread across Jiang Mian's cheeks. He spoke sweet nothings so easily. This man was becoming more and more unrestrained.
...
"I was afraid you'd be waiting anxiously, so I didn't prepare many dishes. Just four dishes and one soup. Mianmian... Oh right, I don't even know your husband's name?"
"Ji Zhixiu."
Granny Hu nodded, "Xiao Ji, don't mind it. It's all simple home cooking."
Hearing "Xiao Ji," Jiang Mian almost laughed out loud. Perhaps no one in this lifetime dared to call Ji Zhixiu that.
Ji Zhixiu's gaze swept over her as she snickered, and he said calmly, "How could I? It's us who are intruding. You've gone to too much trouble, Auntie. Besides, the food you made looks very delicious."
Granny Hu beamed, "Young man, you speak so nicely. Come, try it."
Saying that, she picked up a chopstick of food and was about to put it in Ji Zhixiu's bowl.
Jiang Mian's eyes froze. One of CEO Ji's fastidious habits was to never share food with others, even though Granny Hu hadn't used these chopsticks before.
Just as she was about to stop her, she saw Ji Zhixiu proactively pick up his bowl, "Thank you, Auntie. I'll eat as if I'm at home. You don't need to serve me, Auntie. I won't be polite."
Granny Hu was increasingly pleased. The young man was handsome and had a good temper. It seemed Mianmian had finally found someone she could rely on for the rest of her life.
"Good, good. Then please eat whatever you like. Where will you stay tonight? Do you want to sleep at my house? I'll clean up the guest room."
Granny Hu's son's family all worked out of town. She was capable and didn't want to bother her son's family. She was also reluctant to leave her homeland, so she had always lived here.
Jiang Mian shook her head, thanking her for her kindness, "No need, Auntie. I'll go back and tidy up."
She didn't want to trouble Granny Hu, who understood, "Alright, then if you two need anything, just come to my house."
"Thank you, Auntie."
After dinner, the two returned to the house next door. Ji Zhixiu had already had people clean up this small courtyard. He had always kept people on standby here over the years, and it showed no sign of decay.
Jiang Mian looked at the pomegranate tree in the yard, "In the past, when autumn came, Grandma would pick pomegranates for me."
Ji Zhixiu looked up. The tree was still alive, but it wasn't the season for fruit yet. The little girl back then had also given him pomegranates, perhaps picked from this very tree.
Jiang Mian looked at every scene and object here and asked strangely, "You asked Xiang Long to clean this place up in advance, but why does the house look exactly the same as when I left?"
When a house is not lived in, it loses its warmth.
But this place was as it was when she left, as if her grandmother would walk out smiling and call her for a meal at any moment.
She paused, thinking of a possibility, and looked up at Ji Zhixiu, hoping for confirmation, "Could it be... could it be that my mother came back after I left?"
Ji Zhixiu couldn't bear to shatter her beautiful fantasy and nodded, "Perhaps."
Jiang Mian smiled, "Maybe if we stay here for a few days, we'll meet her when she returns."
Her memory of her mother was extremely vague. She only remembered growing up with her grandmother, and her mother only visited a few times during holidays.
At some point, she never saw her mother again.
As for her father, he was an invisible man she had never met. Never having met him, she had no feelings for him.
Jiang Mian simply assumed her father had died long ago.
In a few moments, her mind raced with thoughts.
"Won't you take me to see your boudoir?"
The man's deep voice broke her reverie. Jiang Mian came back to herself, grabbed his wrist, and smiled, "Let's go, I'll take you upstairs."
Jiang Mian's room was on the second floor. The second floor had a solid wood staircase, which made a slight creaking sound when stepped on.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Jiang Mian's small attic was right there. She pushed open the door, "Welcome to my world."
The window sill in Jiang Mian's room was a carved wooden window. When opened, it faced the riverbank, offering a distant view of vast misty waters. Occasionally, a boatman would pass by, a picturesque Jiangnan scene, full of poetic charm.
Ji Zhixiu casually picked up a notebook from the table, his brows twitching slightly. He lightly uttered, "Today, I ate a lot of food. Grandma's cooking is too delicious. I was so happy while eating, but now I'm so upset. I'm so worried I'll become a little fatty and no one will want me..."
Jiang Mian was startled and reached out to snatch it back, "Give it back to me quickly..."
This was too embarrassing. It was her old diary. She hadn't expected Ji Zhixiu to see it.
Ji Zhixiu, relying on his height advantage, leaned against the desk, holding the notebook high, a smile in his eyes, "I haven't finished reading it yet."
"You're not allowed to read it!" Jiang Mian said in embarrassment and anger.
"I insist on reading it."
"How did I not realize CEO Ji was so shameless before?"
"It's not too late to find out now."
Ji Zhixiu flipped through it a few times and returned it to her, "You were so cute when you were little."
Jiang Mian said fiercely, "As if you've seen me when I was little."
Ji Zhixiu subtly paused, "Perhaps I have."
"You were in Kyoto, and I was in Jiangnan. How could that be possible?" Jiang Mian, not noticing his emotional change, put the notebook away. "I haven't been back in a long time. I wonder if the water heater at home still works."
"It works," Ji Zhixiu said confidently.
Jiang Mian didn't take it to heart, "I hope so. I'll go check. You wait here for me."
"Okay."
While she was away, Ji Zhixiu looked around the room.
Jiang Mian's room was simply furnished, with a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf and wardrobe. The bookshelf held novels a little girl would like, as well as some trinkets.
His fingertip lightly brushed over a music box on the table, dust-free, only showing the patina of age. It seemed this place had been well cared for.
Soon, Jiang Mian returned, her voice preceding her, "Axiu! The water heater at home really still works!"
She thought it would be broken after so long without use. It seemed to be of good quality.
"We don't need to go out to bathe tonight."
Ji Zhixiu nodded, "Then let's wash up first? We'll visit Grandma tomorrow."
Jiang Mian nodded, "Then I'll go wash first."
Half an hour later, Jiang Mian returned, drying her hair, "Axiu, I've prepared your things and put them on the washbasin."
The July weather in Jiangnan was neither hot nor cold. Jiang Mian wore a long-sleeved pajama set, and a slight breeze made her feel refreshed.
When Ji Zhixiu returned after his shower, Jiang Mian couldn't help but blush. It seemed that Nuwa had been particularly favored when creating Ji Zhixiu.
With his innate good looks and family background, Jiang Mian sighed inwardly, it was no wonder Shen Tingyu was so persistent in pursuing him.
Ji Zhixiu, seeing her lost in thought, was in a good mood, "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Mian patted the side of the bed and coughed lightly, "Actually, there's something I need to tell you. My bed is too small, two people can't sleep on it. You'll sleep in my room tonight, and I'll sleep in Grandma's room."
Ji Zhixiu strode over to her, his long legs stepping forward. The rich mint scent emanating from him after his shower entered Jiang Mian's nostrils, causing her to momentarily lose herself.
"I want to sleep with you," he said, leaving no room for refusal.
Jiang Mian rolled her eyes, "Brother, look at your height. How can this bed accommodate you?"
Her voice was sweet, with an unconscious touch of cuteness.
"Two people can't even move their hands and feet. That would be too difficult for my husband, wouldn't it?"
When she acted cute, Ji Zhixiu found it hard to resist. He finally agreed, "We can sleep separately, but how will you compensate me?"
He looked at the young girl leisurely.
To get him to agree, Jiang Mian quickly whispered something in his ear. Then she walked towards the door, "Alright, alright, I'm going to sleep."
Ji Zhixiu also feared provoking the young girl to anger, so he didn't say more, watching the girl's almost fleeing back.
He let out a hearty laugh.
As soon as Jiang Mian returned to her grandmother's room, her phone rang.
Xiū: [Can't sleep alone.]
Jiang Mian stared at these four words and suddenly smiled.
Jiang Mian: [I'm going to sleep, goodnight hubby, mwah mwah.]
Ji Zhixiu looked at the sachet hanging on the bed and sighed, "Such an ungrateful little thing."
Jiang Mian slept very well that night, without any dreams.
The next morning, she got up early and saw Ji Zhixiu returning from outside, already covered in morning dew.
He was carrying some food in his hand.
"You're up? Come and have breakfast."
Jiang Mian smiled sweetly, "Hubby, you got up so early to buy me breakfast? I'm so touched."
Ji Zhixiu said with a nonchalant expression, "I had Xiang Long buy it."
Xiang Long: "..." He clearly bought it himself after his morning run, didn't he?
"I don't care, even if Xiang Long bought it, it was hubby's order." Jiang Mian opened the takeaway box. It was her favorite xiaolongbao.
Ji Zhixiu saw through her thoughts at a glance, "It's no use saying sweet words. Don't forget what you promised me last night."