Is Chapter 19 not allowed?
Lin Qianyi walked over and opened the main door, pulling aside the rolled-up cloth curtain at the entrance. This way, the room felt cooler, and having the door open wouldn’t draw much attention. Otherwise, if two people were resting inside—even in separate rooms—who knew what others might think? Fortunately, the layout of her building was decent. Her door didn’t directly face a neighbor’s, and her apartment was relatively independent, with a corridor and windows on the outside. There were only three units per floor, and the other two were separated from her by the stairs. Even the closer neighbor, Sister Lanxiang, wasn’t one to meddle.
Lin Qianyi handed Meng Junchuan a pillow and went inside to take a nap. When she woke up, Meng Junchuan was sitting on the sofa reading.
“Awake?” he asked, putting down his book.
“Mm. Did you nap?” she replied, noticing he didn’t look like someone who had just woken up.
“Just a short rest,” Meng Junchuan said, refreshed after his brief nap.
Lin Qianyi sat down, and Meng Junchuan poured her a glass of water. Still a bit drowsy from her nap, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked soft and alluring. Meng Junchuan’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he didn’t dare. Lin Qianyi lay on the sofa, gradually waking up fully, while Meng Junchuan couldn’t take his eyes off her cute little expressions. She was so adorable and tempting, yet he still held back—who was more tortured here?
“Fruit?” Meng Junchuan asked, his voice a little hoarse.
“Mm,” Lin Qianyi nodded slightly. Meng Junchuan quickly brought her some fruit.
“Drink plenty of water—it’s hot today,” he reminded her. Lin Qianyi noticed his voice sounded hoarse too, assuming it was the heat. Meng Junchuan had no choice but to drink more water. No matter what, he was determined to hug his little one before leaving today.
That evening, Meng Junchuan cooked again, with Lin Qianyi guiding him. Since they had eaten a lavish lunch and hadn’t finished all the food, dinner was simple. They didn’t need to make meat dishes again—they just reheated the leftovers, stir-fried some green peppers with eggs, and cooked a vegetable dish.
After dinner, Meng Junchuan tidied up the kitchen. He had bought plenty of cured meats and sausages for Lin Qianyi at the supply station that day, and stored the leftover dishes properly. Once finished, the two sat in the living room drinking tea, eating fruit, and chatting.
Time flew, and it was almost time for Meng Junchuan to leave. He felt frustrated at how fast it went—it seemed like he hadn’t been there long at all. Lin Qianyi watched him dawdle, feeling a sweet flutter in her heart. Meng Junchuan struggled internally: should he hug her or not? Would she get upset? But he just wanted to hug her—surely hugging his girlfriend was allowed.
“It’s time to go,” Lin Qianyi reminded him.
Meng Junchuan stood up, and she followed. He reached out, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into his embrace. Lin Qianyi was startled and instinctively pushed, causing his body to stiffen.
“Not allowed?” he asked in a low, disappointed voice.
Lin Qianyi realized she had overreacted. Hearing his tone made her heart ache a little. She relaxed and let go of her resistance. Feeling the change, Meng Junchuan hugged her more boldly. Lin Qianyi softly leaned against him, and oh, his embrace was so comfortable. Having been single for twenty-five years, she had never been held by a man like this.
Meng Junchuan was satisfied, finally holding his little one—soft and fragrant. After a long hug, he reluctantly let go, noticing Lin Qianyi’s cheeks were pink again. His lips curved into a smile.
“Let’s go,” Lin Qianyi said, blushing as she guided him toward the door.
They went downstairs, and Meng Junchuan reluctantly started the car under her gaze. Once he left, Lin Qianyi’s cheeks remained warm, and she realized her heart had quietly been affected. This natural, effortless feeling was really pleasant.
She hugged a pillow on the sofa, smiling, but there were still chores to do. In the heat, all the things the young master had bought needed proper storage—thankfully she had her space to store them. Otherwise, where would all that stuff go?
She put away items that needed to go into the storage space and left the rest outside. Looking at the fruit, she realized they couldn’t eat it all—there was still a watermelon, apples, and peaches, which was fine. The plums and apricots were a bit sour, and she wasn’t particularly fond of them. Lin Qianyi decided to make dried apricots and dried plums. She had seen videos on how to do this before.
She took out her tablet, found a video for making dried apricots, and followed it. She did the same for the plums. It was simple, just requiring a bit more sugar, and didn’t need the storage space—everything could be done outside directly.
Lin Qianyi marinated the apricots and plums, each cut into quarters, with sugar. After letting them sit long enough, she gave them a brief boil. Once cooked, she covered them with plastic wrap to let the flavors soak in overnight, planning to put them out to dry on the balcony the next morning. With the sun shining so brightly, it was perfect for sun-drying. After finishing this, Lin Qianyi tidied up, took a shower in her space, and then went to sleep in her room.
The next morning, she took out the apricots and plums that had soaked overnight and placed them on large round bamboo trays lined with white cotton cloth. One tray wasn’t enough, so she used both she had at home. She then put the trays out on the balcony to bask in the sun.
After that, Lin Qianyi had breakfast and got ready to go downstairs. As soon as she stepped out, she was once again greeted by the warm, eager glances and enthusiastic greetings of her neighbors. She noticed that her popularity seemed to be growing rapidly. Wherever she went, people greeted her warmly, their faces full of friendly smiles.
“Qianyi, off to work?”
“Qianyi, you look so energetic today!”
“Qianyi, that outfit looks great on you!”
Lin Qianyi smiled politely in response and leisurely rode her small bicycle toward the office building. Upon arriving, she was met with another round of enthusiastic greetings. It took some effort to make her way through the crowd and enter the office.
“Qianyi, good morning!”
“Qianyi, you’re here!”
“Qianyi, you look especially beautiful today!”
“The hot water in the thermos has already been filled!”
Inside the office, the excitement continued. Sharp-eyed female colleagues noticed Lin Qianyi’s stylish outfit and immediately gathered around her.
“Qianyi, is this a new outfit? It looks amazing!”
“This outfit really shows off your figure.”
“Qianyi, you were tall already, now you look even taller.”
“How did you make this part?”
“How did you make this pocket like this?”
“The collar must have been tricky to make.”
Women were always enthusiastic about clothing. Lin Qianyi didn’t show impatience; she carefully answered all their questions and generously explained how she had made the outfit.