The days passed like flowing water, one after another, drifting away.
In Beijing, a sunny and windless weekend was rare in winter.
Mu Wen slept until late in the morning, got dressed, and carried her little cushion to the Book Building. This was her favorite way to spend a weekend.
She would find a few books, look for a quiet corner, toss her little cushion onto the floor, sit down cross-legged, and read.
Mu Wen loved reading.
Reading was her happiest pastime.
Her hometown was so remote that if you traveled another hundred kilometers or so, you could reach the border. The adults around her often talked about grasslands, seeds, and staying indoors through the winter.
At first, everything she knew about the world came from books.
There had never been a library in her small hometown, only one bookstore. The bookstore did not have many books, so whenever Mu Wen had free time, she would go there to read.
Her father drove long-distance trucks. Besides bringing home food from all over the country, he also brought her books from all over the country.
Whenever she had a weekend free for reading, she would usually sit there until around four in the afternoon before buying a few books and leaving.
She especially liked buying books from the Book Building. The employees would tie her books together with pretty string before handing them to her.
She would carefully carry them away, as if she were carrying some rare treasure.
On the way home, she would pass several snack shops. She would stop for Guilin rice noodles with a braised egg.
Outside one of the nearby restaurants, people dressed as Qing Dynasty “palace maids” and “eunuchs” stood by the entrance.
Every time Mu Wen passed them, she would speed up and run past, as if she were afraid they would drag her inside and turn her into an eunuch.
The funniest thing was that one day, she actually saw Xie Chong there.
The restaurant entrance was very narrow, and several people were directing him as he drove his car inside.
Mu Wen watched him from a distance for a few moments.
She imagined what Xie Chong would look like dressed as an eunuch.
It was hilarious.
Then she thought:
At least Xie Chong can finally have a good meal this time. He won’t have to worry about someone’s saliva landing in his food.
Fortunately, he did not see her.
And that was the only time she happened to run into him.
After that meal, she did not see Xie Chong again.
They spoke twice on the phone about the renovation. He always sounded busy.
“Just make the decisions yourself. I trust you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”
Then he would hurriedly hang up.
Mu Wen was quite bold.
Since he had told her to make the decisions, she naturally dared to do so.
Besides, her master had just welcomed a little princess into his family and could not keep up with all the work.
Almost all the clients were now being handled by Mu Wen.
In a short time, she had become an experienced hand.
On workdays, she either drew designs or went to construction sites.
During the day, she traveled all around Beijing, gradually becoming familiar with the city.
Every construction site had a different style.
Recently, one of the projects was almost finished. It was already beginning to look like a real home.
She imagined someone living happily there in the future, and a huge sense of accomplishment filled her heart.
That day, Mu Wen stayed at the Book Building until a little after three.
Then the post office called and asked her to come pick up a package.
Something Ge Yunqing had sent had arrived.
As soon as she picked it up from the post office, Lin Weisen called again.
He asked her to accompany Xie Chong to look at various household appliances and check their measurements.
Mu Wen looked at her huge box and immediately refused.
“Master, can we go tomorrow? If I go now, I have to take this back to the dorm first, then rush to the mall. By then, the stores will almost be closing.”
“All right.”
Mu Wen hung up and immediately began figuring out her route home.
She wanted to take the bus and bring the box back herself.
She did not want to take a taxi.
She had plenty of strength, after all.
She crouched down and lifted one end of the box, resting it on the top of her foot.
Before she could make her next move, Xie Chong called.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I’m at the post office. What time are we going tomorrow?”
“Let’s go now.”
Xie Chong said, “I’ll come pick you up.”
“I have a lot of stuff… You…”
Before Mu Wen could finish, Xie Chong had already hung up.
Ten minutes later, his car stopped in front of her.
He saw Mu Wen, dressed so warmly that she looked like a fluffy little bear, sitting on a huge box covered in layers of tape.
She was holding several books in her arms.
Looking at the enormous box, he asked,
“What’s in there? Are you trying to dispose of a body?”
Mu Wen had already used up all her strength fighting with the box.
She looked up at him pitifully.
“Didn’t we agree to go tomorrow? Look at me. Do I look like I can go anywhere right now?”
“Stand up.”
“I don’t want to. I’m tired.”
Xie Chong stepped back two steps, opened the car door, and motioned for Mu Wen to get in.
“You’re not going to throw away my box, are you? These are treasures my mother sent me.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Xie Chong pulled her up and put her into the car.
Then he walked over to the box, bent down, and lifted it effortlessly into the trunk.
The box had traveled more than a thousand kilometers from home to Beijing.
It was covered in dust and dirt, and now it had also left some marks on Xie Chong’s coat.
After getting into the car, he said to Mu Wen,
“You’re paying for the dry cleaning.”
“Then I might as well have taken a taxi home just now.”
Mu Wen said, “I didn’t ask you to come. You people forced me to work overtime on the weekend.”
Mu Wen was probably the most “stingy” person Xie Chong had ever met.
He was certain that if he had not come, she would have taken that huge box onto the bus even if it exhausted her.
When doing business, Xie Chong had often heard clients complain that they had to “stretch every yuan as far as possible.”
He had always looked down on that attitude.
Now he had finally met someone who could stretch one yuan into four pieces.
Suddenly, he felt that people who only split it into two were actually living pretty well.
“First we go to the mall, then we eat, and finally I’ll take you home.”
Xie Chong announced the schedule decisively.
Afraid that Mu Wen would choose some “strange” food again, he warned her,
“I’m deciding what we eat today.”
“Does that count as a work meal?”
Mu Wen asked.
“I can’t treat you in return because I don’t have money.”
She pulled out her little wallet and showed it to him.
“Look. I really have no money.”
Xie Chong gave it a quick glance.
“Why are you like Grandet?”
“I’m different from Grandet. He has money but refuses to spend it. I genuinely don’t have any money.”
“If you had money, would you spend it?”
“That depends on who it’s for.”
After saying this, Mu Wen saw Xie Chong give her a cold stare.
She immediately pressed her lips together.
Mu Wen had already accompanied clients to look at appliances several times, so she was now very familiar with the process.
For Xie Chong’s whole-house customization, they had to decide on all the appliances in advance and reserve the correct space and measurements.
It was exhausting.
When they first met, Xie Chong had clearly said that he would put a lot of thought into the furnishings.
Now he did not want to put any thought into anything.
The only thing he seemed willing to put effort into was pushing Lin Weisen and Mu Wen to work harder.
Just like now.
Once they arrived at the store, he sat down while Mu Wen went around looking at everything.
He was considerate enough to have the salesperson bring her paper and a pen so she could take notes.
“You’re not participating at all?”
Mu Wen asked.
“It’s your home. At least learn something about the appliances and their specifications.”
“I am participating.”
Xie Chong said.
“My participation is that I came here.”
Mu Wen could not help throwing a small punch in his direction.
She really wanted to hit him.
Someone as lazy as him would never survive by begging for food in her hometown.
At least a beggar had to be good with words!
Xie Chong did not move.
He simply made Mu Wen run back and forth.
Within his line of sight, she would choose different models and show them to him.
He would nod.
Then she would go discuss the specifications with the salesperson.
Once everything was settled, she would run back to him, sit beside him, and give him a report.
Mu Wen had very energetic legs.
She ran back and forth without complaining about being tired.
Besides, all clients were like this.
Xie Chong was already considered a pretty good client.
At least he was generous, and he did not make unreasonable demands.
Xie Chong watched her carefully study everything.
She had a sharp mind.
All the spaces and measurements from the drawings she had made were already stored in her head.
When looking at appliances, she could quickly sketch out their shapes and explain everything to Xie Chong.
She would tell him what the final result might look like if they chose a certain model, and how certain factors might affect the result.
She explained every detail carefully.
Xie Chong did not say much.
He simply listened.
Actually, Xie Chong had not been having a very good time lately.
It felt as though everything had been going wrong.
In business, he had repeatedly encountered dishonest people who went back on their promises.
He had also fallen out with Jiang Wu.
Then a close friend had suddenly betrayed him.
In short, nothing seemed to be going right.
So listening to Mu Wen made him feel strangely comfortable.
The renovation money he was paying was completely transparent.
There was no financial complication between them.
She was putting her whole heart into renovating his home.
Every word she said was based on what was best for him.
There were many details he had not even had time to consider, but Mu Wen had already thought of all of them.
At least she would never take advantage of him.
Mu Wen kept talking.
“Would this work? What about this?”
Xie Chong did not answer.
She looked up at him.
“Is it okay or not? Say something!”
The way she eagerly waited for his answer was so vivid and genuine.
For a moment, Xie Chong could not remember anyone he had recently met who was as sincere as she was.
“It’s fine,” he said.
His eyes fell on her hands.
Because she often held a pen, she had developed slight calluses around the joints of her index and middle fingers.
Mu Wen followed his gaze.
Then she openly spread out her hands.
“What’s there to look at? Go look at the hands of high school seniors. They all look like this!”
“Are you tired?”
Xie Chong asked.
“I see you running back and forth, and you seem to get more energetic the more you run. Aren’t you tired?”
“I am tired. Are you paying me overtime?”
“No.”
“Then why are you asking?”
She deliberately gave him an annoyed look.
“I’m tired.”
Xie Chong said.
“I’m tired from sitting.”
He stood up.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Let’s finish looking first. Otherwise, the store will close.”
Mu Wen wanted to finish everything that day instead of putting it off until tomorrow.
But Xie Chong said,
“Eat first. If we can’t finish, we’ll continue tomorrow.”
“Do I have to work overtime tomorrow too?”
Mu Wen pretended to be unhappy.
“When I was looking for an internship, I specifically chose one that had weekends off!”
Xie Chong grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.
“Come on. Let’s eat.”
Mu Wen was actually hungry too.
But she could not let a client pay for her meal.
She suggested that they eat separately and meet up afterward.
Xie Chong stopped moving and stared at her.
His gaze was so frightening that Mu Wen wanted to hide behind one of the display refrigerators.
After intimidating her enough, he turned and walked away.
Mu Wen followed closely behind him.
There were not many food options in the mall.
Xie Chong looked at everything and found nothing appealing.
Mu Wen casually pointed things out.
“This one! Hunan food. Great with rice!”
“This one! Hot pot. Bubbling and nice and warm!”
“This one! Northeastern food. Huge portions and very filling!”
…
Xie Chong did not want any of them.
In the end, he drove Mu Wen to a restaurant serving local Beijing cuisine.
The restaurant looked impressive from the outside.
Once they entered, the interior was even more elaborate.
Mu Wen normally avoided this kind of cuisine in the cafeteria.
Now she was angry but did not dare complain.
Xie Chong asked what she wanted to eat.
She said anything was fine.
So Xie Chong quickly ordered several dishes.
The last time they had eaten together, he had been too busy protecting his food from the crowded stall to talk to Mu Wen at all.
This time, things were quiet.
But Xie Chong did not know what to talk about.
He felt gloomy and negative.
Nothing seemed interesting.
That was fine.
Mu Wen knew exactly what to talk about.
She quickly took out the drawings she had prepared and began trying to convince Xie Chong to make the decisions immediately.
She wanted to sleep late the next day.
Xie Chong felt as if tiny insects were buzzing inside his ears.
He took the drawings away, placed them under his phone, and asked Mu Wen,
“Where are you from?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m from Inner Mongolia.”
“Did you ride horses to school?”
Xie Chong asked deliberately.
He did not want to look at the drawings.
He simply wanted to relax a little.
“I could ride a horse from the moment I was born!”
Mu Wen deliberately played along.
“Where I come from, anyone who can’t ride a horse gets their entire family punished.”
The corner of Xie Chong’s mouth lifted.
He finally smiled.
“So, can you really ride?”
“I can!”
Mu Wen immediately became excited.
“I really can! When I was little, I went with my mother to visit relatives in the pastoral area. Yes, my mother has relatives there. They put me on a horse, and I somehow figured it out by myself. I could ride!”
“That impressive?”
Xie Chong asked again.
“Then can you do horseback riding properly?”
“No, I can’t.”
Mu Wen laughed.
“I only know how to ride freely at full speed. Can you?”
Xie Chong had learned horseback riding from a young age.
It seemed that all his friends had been sent to learn it too.
Strangely enough, although he liked horses, he did not really like the sport itself.
He simply liked being around horses.
He liked watching horses get their hooves trimmed, feeding them, and giving them water.
Jiang Wu was an excellent rider.
They had met at a riding school.
Jiang Wu was the daughter of one of the riding instructors there.
Xie Chong suddenly fell silent.
Fortunately, the food arrived.
Mu Wen did not really like this kind of local cuisine, but she hated wasting food even more.
The dishes were rich and heavily seasoned, but they were perfect with rice.
So she ordered two bowls of rice and started eating enthusiastically.
Seeing how much she enjoyed the food, Xie Chong’s appetite returned as well.
He began eating heartily.
At that moment, Mu Wen looked at him again.
She suddenly felt that Xie Chong was not much different from her male classmates.
They all had one nose and two eyes, and when they ate, they were all energetic young men.
Xie Chong looked much more pleasing to her like this.
He was actually a pretty good person.
Except for that unpredictable personality.
“Have you eaten with other clients before?” Xie Chong asked.
“Does a boxed meal count?”
Mu Wen had once eaten a boxed meal with a client at the building-materials market.
That client was quite something.
He had bought a detached house of more than 600 square meters, yet he insisted on going to the building-materials market to eat.
They had boxed meals there, and Mu Wen had paid for it.
Of course, she would not really spend her own money.
After returning to the company, she had asked Lin Weisen to reimburse her.
Xie Chong found her story rather amusing.
“I won’t let you pay. But you can get an official receipt and have your company reimburse you.”
Mu Wen immediately waved her hand.
“Oh, no! We definitely can’t do that!”
Xie Chong shrugged.
After eating, he did not leave immediately.
He had to sit there for a while, drink some water, and eat some fruit.
The whole routine took forever.
Mu Wen kept rolling her eyes inwardly.
By the time they finally finished, the mall had already closed.
Xie Chong drove Mu Wen home.
When they arrived, he got out to carry the box.
But the box had finally given in after its long journey.
It had split open.
Xie Chong looked inside.
There were milk tablets, milk curds, milk skin, packets of milk tea, a knitted sweater, and a pair of gloves.
Mu Wen opened a packet of milk tablets and put one into her mouth.
The rich milky flavor spread through her mouth.
She suddenly missed home.
Her eyes became a little sore.
She gestured for Xie Chong to open his hand.
He did not understand, but he did as she asked.
Mu Wen grabbed a large handful of milk tablets and placed them in his palm.
“Eat them. You’re in a bad mood today. You’ll feel better after eating these.”
Xie Chong’s breathing stopped for a moment.
For some reason, he had the faint feeling that she had just comforted him.