After the exhibition concluded, Shang Shixu and his group had matters to attend to and left first.
Aile and the others took the high-speed rail that evening, whereas Jiang Muzhou planned to stay for two more days before returning.
After seeing them off to a taxi, he hailed one for himself and headed home.
Home is a haven for the weary traveler, and for Jiang Muzhou, it was truly so.
Knowing he was coming back, the family had prepared a table full of dishes.
They were all his favorites: sweet and sour pork ribs, Coca-Cola chicken wings, steamed sea bass, braised prawns in oil.
For a meal meant for four people, eight dishes were prepared all at once.
As soon as Jiang Muxue returned, she feigned jealousy, saying, “Brother, hurry and eat. I certainly don’t get this kind of treatment at home.”
Jiang Muzhou placed a chicken wing into Jiang Muxue’s bowl. “You should be content. I’m the one eating takeout every single day.”
“I want to eat takeout too, but Mom won’t allow it.”
“Since I’m home for the next two days, whatever you want to eat, I’ll buy it for you.”
Jiang Muxue’s voice instantly turned sweet. “Thank you, older brother.”
Their mother, Sun Jing, disagreed. “Stop eating that junk food. Xiaozhou, living away by yourself, you also need to learn how to cook. You can’t keep eating outside food all the time; it’s not hygienic.”
Once on this topic, Sun Jing was like an opened floodgate. Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop.
Parents are just like this, worrying endlessly about their children. The mere thought of their children eating junk food would cause them to nag on and on.
Meanwhile, young children never want to eat home-cooked meals every day and always yearn to eat out.
Only someone like Jiang Muzhou, who had been eating takeout long-term, could truly appreciate that home-cooked food is a supreme delicacy.
Jiang Muxue lowered her head to eat her food, casting sideways glances at her brother and making funny faces. Jiang Muzhou knew she was communicating how she, too, was subjected to Sun Jing’s non-stop nagging at home.
Hearing Sun Jing, Jiang Muzhou pacified her by saying, “I know, Mom. Tong Hui even gave me a pot last time, so I cook a bit whenever I have free time.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Jing swatted away Jiang Dad’s hand as he was about to pour wine for Jiang Muzhou. “Drink a little less. It’s rare for the child to come back.”
Smiling, Jiang Muzhou accepted the wine bottle from his father and poured a drink for himself. “Precisely because it’s rare that I’m back, I need to keep Dad company for a few drinks.”
Jiang Dad cast a smiling look at Sun Jing. “What man doesn’t drink?”
The Jiang family members all had a high tolerance for alcohol, so Sun Jing let the matter rest and stopped bothering them. “Xiaohui’s mother brought me quite a few dried goods last time, saying she brought them back from Hangzhou. Take some with you when you leave.”
“No need, he already gave me a whole box.”
“I heard from Xiaohui that your current company is quite good?”
Jiang Muzhou took a bite of food. “Average. It’s not very big; there are currently only six or seven people. Once I get back, we’ll need to recruit more.”
Looking at her two children with gratification, Sun Jing happily said, “Xiaoxue’s job has finally been settled too.”
Jiang Muzhou turned his gaze toward Jiang Muxue.
Not expecting Sun Jing to bring the matter up so quickly, Jiang Muxue straightened her posture and proudly raised her chin at Jiang Muzhou. “I passed the civil service exam, taking first place in the written test and second in the interview. It’s basically locked in. I was planning to wait until I officially started work to tell you, but I didn’t expect you to come back so soon.”
Jiang Muzhou knew she had been preparing for the civil service examinations all along; piles of study materials filled her room, and every time he called home, she was studying.
She used to say that if she didn’t pass on the first try, she would take it a second time, having set a personal limit of three attempts at most.
Never did he imagine she would pass on her very first try, and with a very high score.
With a three-year age gap between them, they had shared a close bond since childhood, so he immediately sent her a substantial digital red envelope to celebrate her passing the exam.
Seeing the monetary gift on her phone, Jiang Muxue declared that her brother currently ranked first in her heart. Promptly, Jiang Dad also transferred a red envelope over.
“This is from both your mother and me.”
Upon seeing a five-figure sum in the red envelope, Jiang Muxue instantly changed her tune. “Right now, my dearest mom and dad are in first place in my heart.”
Then she turned around and looked pleadingly at Jiang Muzhou. Annoyed, Jiang Muzhou gave her head a light tap. “Eat your food.”
The first day back home is always full of joy, bringing the comforting peace of returning to a familiar nest when arriving back in a familiar environment.
By the second day, however, things started to feel a bit off. Jiang Dad had not yet retired and went to work at the hospital during the day, leaving the retired Sun Jing at home to keep the brother and sister company.
With the three of them at home, Sun Jing began inquiring about Jiang Muzhou’s personal life. Learning that he still did not have a partner, her expression grew worried, and she was already contemplating mobilizing her extensive family network of relatives to set him up on blind dates.
Even though Jiang Muzhou insisted he was in no hurry, Sun Jing had already contacted the senior great-aunt of the family who possessed the widest connections.
During dinner on the third day, Jiang Muzhou brought up his plan to return to Beijing.
Under the table, Jiang Muxue secretly messaged him on her phone: What’s this? You’re thinking of running off after just two days?
Jiang Muzhou glared at her and began typing a reply.
Jiang Muxue’s phone lit up: Don’t be so smug, your turn is coming up soon.
Jiang Muxue: Anyway, I’m not in a hurry. Haha / emoji
Just as she was pondering what to give Jiang Muzhou to take with him, Sun Jing noticed the two of them playing on their phones at the dining table and snapped with dissatisfaction, “Put your phones away, both of you! Playing on phones while eating.”
Jiang Muzhou laid his phone face-down on the table, while Jiang Muxue puckered her lips and shoved her phone into her pocket.
At that moment, Jiang Muzhou’s phone rang, and the three people at the table turned to look at him.
Picking up his phone and seeing who it was, he stood up and said, “It’s a call from my boss, I’ll take this.”
Walking out to the balcony and answering the call, Shang Shixu’s voice came through: “Are you still in Suzhou?”
“Yeah. Have you returned to Beijing?”
“Not yet, I was delayed here by some matters. When are you heading back?”
Jiang Muzhou glanced back at his family eating dinner in the dining room. “Tomorrow morning.”
After saying something to someone near him, Shang Shixu asked Jiang Muzhou, “Shall we head back together tomorrow morning, then?”
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Muzhou replied, “That works. Once we’re back in Beijing, you can drive your car directly away from where you left it parked. It’s just sitting there gathering dust, and I haven’t even washed it for you.”
Shang Shixu chuckled twice on the other end. “How do you always remember that?”
Jiang Muzhou retorted, “Since it’s in my custody, don’t I have to be responsible for its safety?”
“How should you be responsible?”
That remark sounded remarkably like a woman asking a man how he intended to take responsibility.
Clearing his throat, Jiang Muzhou changed the subject. “How are we traveling tomorrow? Are we taking your car?”
With a lot of ambient noise around Shang Shixu, he likely had many people with him, prompting Jiang Muzhou to consider ending the call.
The other end replied, “Send me your location, and I’ll pick you up at eight o’clock tomorrow morning to head to the high-speed rail station. We can take the train back together.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow.”
Hanging up the phone, Shang Shixu offered a word of apology to Mayor Li.
Over the past two days, he had accompanied Mayor Li on tours of various sites within the industrial park. Having long entertained the idea of building a factory in Suzhou, Shang Shixu found Mayor Li’s personal push for investment and the policy incentives offered quite tempting.
With a smile, Mayor Li looked at him. “Little girlfriend?”
Laughing off the remark, Shang Shixu deflected, “No way? Nothing like that.”
Being teased like this was a frequent occurrence given his age, and Shang Shixu had grown accustomed to it. In any case, he kept his private life a mix of half-truths, and nobody ever pried too deeply.
Mayor Li let out a hearty laugh. “Since there isn’t one, Suzhou is famous for producing beauties, and there are many eligible and outstanding single female comrades right around us. If you’re willing, I can certainly pull some strings and build a bridge for you.”
“Marriage is still a bit far off.”
“You aren’t in a hurry, but isn’t your family?”
Within a few sentences, Mayor Li had steered the conversation back to his family affairs.
“No rush, I’ll talk about it in a couple of years.”