Chen Zhouren agreed.
Jiang Wanju’s parents were genuinely shocked that their daughter had suddenly returned home and even more shocked that she had brought a man with her.
The man wasn’t a local specialty she brought back from France.
He was Jiang Wanju’s friend.
After their initial surprise, her parents became extremely warm and welcoming toward Chen Zhouren.
Zhouren simply said he “bought the plane tickets through a friend,” brushing it off casually. He was already a seasoned smooth-talker, and dealing with a pair of parents who dearly loved their daughter was something he handled with effortless ease.
Jiang Wanju simply told her parents he was a friend, and they believed her. They tidied up a small side room for him to rest in.
The timing of their arrival was perfect. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve. Jiang Wanju woke up early, startling her mother.
“You’re not sleeping a bit more? Aren’t you tired from the time difference?”
“No,” Jiang Wanju said as she opened the cupboard. “Mom, do we still have any noodles at home?”
“You child, the first thing you want after coming home is hot dry noodles?” Her mother laughed, bent down, and pressed her slightly rough palm against Wanju’s cheek. “Did you miss home that badly?”
The noodles for hot dry noodles were different from regular noodles—they had to be alkaline noodles, round and thick, and took longer to cook. The house had instant sauce packets, but Jiang Wanju mixed her own sesame paste with oil and water. When the noodles were done, she lifted them out and rinsed them in cold water. She divided them into two large bowls, mixing one with the sauce packet and the other with the sesame paste, then topped them with chopped onions and scallions.
There were still some dishes of Black Duck braised snacks in the fridge: lotus root slices, tied kelp knots, gluten pieces, and some duck bones and duck hearts. She took them all out, then chopped tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and apples to make a fruit-and-vegetable salad.
Done.
Her parents had gone out for their morning run at the park. When Chen Zhouren woke up, he saw Jiang Wanju bustling around on her own. Standing beside her, he pressed her hand gently. “You don’t have to go to so much trouble. Something simple is fine.”
Jiang Wanju asked, “Did you sleep well last night? The room is small. Not the best conditions.”
Smooth talker.
Jiang Wanju had already decided not to listen to anything he said.
She poured the vinaigrette over the salad and carried the whole plate of food to the table. Jiang Wanju handed him a pair of new chopsticks. “Eat.”
Chen Zhouren really did eat a lot. Jiang Wanju had cooked enough for three people, but she herself ate less than half a portion. The rest all ended up in Zhouren’s stomach.
There wasn’t much to see on New Year’s Eve anyway; the tourist spots were empty, but the streets and shops were decorated with red lanterns everywhere. Even though fireworks were banned, the festive atmosphere was still strong.
Lunch was ordered by her mother. Watching the way Jiang Wanju and Chen Zhouren interacted, her mother clearly didn’t believe the “just friends” explanation. She assumed her daughter was just shy and chose not to expose them, though she clearly saw through it.
Her father was calmer. He chatted with Zhouren a little. If politeness didn’t restrict him, he would definitely have investigated the man’s background and his entire family by now.
Like every household in the country, the New Year’s Eve dinner was the most elaborate meal of all. Right before they sat down, Jiang Wanju whispered to Zhouren, “We can’t finish the fish. We have to leave some—‘surplus every year.’”
Zhouren pinched her cheek. “What? In your eyes, do I look like some starving ghost? You think I’ll eat your family into poverty?”
“Ow, ow, ow—” Jiang Wanju slapped his hand in annoyance until he let go. “You’re the one with the biggest appetite here.”
Zhouren sighed dramatically. “Seems like eating too much gets a man disliked. Next time I visit, should I bring a whole pig on my back?”
Jiang Wanju rolled her eyes. “How did one pig suddenly become a donkey?”
From the kitchen, they faintly heard her mother calling her name. Jiang Wanju answered and quickly went to help.
Zhouren stayed on the balcony. After a long moment, he smiled to himself.
He turned off his phone.
It was the New Year—no need to go looking for discomfort.
The dumplings were wrapped by her parents together, round and plump as they floated to the surface. Shepherd’s purse and pork filling, a traditional flavor, fragrant and comforting. The TV was on, lively and loud. Outside, someone secretly set off firecrackers. Her father laughed, “Who’s the brave soul ignoring the ban? Just wait, the property management is going to come catch them.” The source of this chapter is NovelPing.
Zhouren clinked glasses with her father. Neither drank much, just a few small sips.
Dinner was early. By the time the Spring Festival Gala’s first comedy sketch began, they had already finished. Everyone helped clear the table—except for Zhouren. As a guest, he couldn’t lift a finger.
Jiang Wanju brought out sunflower seeds, peanuts, candies, and fruit. As expected, they watched the gala while cheerfully complaining about it.
Zhouren’s phone stayed silent the entire time. Not a single ring. But right when her parents were chatting most enthusiastically, he suddenly stood up, saying he needed to take a call.
Jiang Wanju followed him.
She found Zhouren at the far corner of the balcony, behind the shelf covered in pothos vines where he couldn’t be seen from the living room. He wasn’t on a call—he was silently smoking, not saying a word.
When he saw her, he put out the cigarette and smiled. “Looks like I got caught lying.”
Jiang Wanju walked closer. “Give me one too.”
Zhouren hesitated for two seconds and lowered his head to take out a cigarette, but she grabbed his tie and tugged him down instead.
From the living room came her parents’ animated conversation, laughter, the TV’s cheerful noise, songs and performances.
Jiang Wanju stood on tiptoe and kissed Chen Zhouren, a kiss that tasted faintly of tobacco.
Author’s Note: Kisses kisses kisses~