Wen Xue felt somewhat troubled looking at this bowl of chicken soup, but didn’t say anything. Holding the bowl with both hands, under He Yan’s gaze, she obediently took small sips. Even though her taste buds weren’t fully awakened, her tongue could still taste how delicious the soup was. The temperature was slightly hot, perfect for drinking in winter, warming her stomach after it went down.
“It’s delicious,” she said with a faint smile, pursing her lips.
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. “The chicken soup here is famous. Even restaurant owners have specifically come to buy Sister Mei’s recipe. I’ve tried theirs, but it’s not as good as Sister Mei’s own preparation.”
This pot of soup was generously portioned, using free-range hens that weren’t fed with feed but raised on a farm eating grains and insects.
Simmered over low heat for several hours, it only needed a bit of salt to taste perfect.
After drinking the soup, Wen Xue slowly ate the chicken leg. When He Yan was about to add more soup and meat to her bowl, she quickly spoke up: “No more, I really can’t eat anymore. I’m so full.”
The last few bites of meat, she had barely managed to swallow.
“Alright,” He Yan put down the soup ladle. “There’s still half a pot left. It would be a pity to throw it away. We’ll take it with us later.”
Though he said it matter-of-factly, when he spoke these words, his eyes were on her, also seeking her opinion. His thinking was simple – the chicken soup was nourishing, and she seemed to like it, so they might as well pack it up for dinner or a late-night snack.
“Okay.” He Yan wasn’t picky about food. He enjoyed the braised fish and cabbage on the table, adding rice to his bowl again shortly after.
Initially, Wen Xue hadn’t paid him much attention. Having eaten her fill, she began to space out, gazing at the plants in the yard without focus, her eyes wandering until they inadvertently settled on He Yan’s face. She noticed he had lost a lot of weight too. She still remembered how he emerged from the train station last Spring Festival – seemingly tired but actually spirited and confident. Now, there was an inescapable gloom between his brows.
She thought perhaps she was too weak. Clearly, he had suffered much more profound grief than she had, yet he could still pull himself together. It was truly remarkable.
“Want some more?”
Feeling her gaze, He Yan looked up, thinking she wanted more food. “Sister Mei’s fish is quite good.”
Wen Xue hadn’t been hungry at first, but watching him eat two consecutive bowls, she inexplicably nodded. “Alright.”
But she had learned to be smart this time – she didn’t let him serve her, feeling that if he did, the rice would surely pile up like a small mountain.
She only took a small half-bowl, following his suggestion to mix it with fish broth. Paired with the sweet and refreshing cabbage, she surprisingly finished every last bite.
…
The consequence of overeating was that when she got back in the car and it jolted along the road, she grew increasingly drowsy. Unable to resist the sleepiness, her head nodded gradually before tilting to the side as she fell asleep.
He Yan occasionally glanced at her. He very much wanted to wake her up – after all, it was winter, and sleeping in the car could easily lead to catching a cold. But as he opened his mouth, he caught sight of the dark circles that even her long, curled lashes couldn’t conceal, and swallowed his words. Instead, he could only slow down while looking through the windshield to track the sun’s path, allowing the warm afternoon sunlight to fully envelop her.
Eventually, the car stopped in a parking lot near the park, where even the wind carried warmth.
The temperature difference between day and night was significant in winter. While the nights brought biting cold winds, the daytime temperatures were quite comfortable. At this moment, some people had taken off their padded coats and were strolling around the lake.Wen Xue hadn’t slept long, only about half an hour, but when she groggily opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the sparkling lake surface not far outside the window, shimmering with Gem-like colors. Next, childish chatter reached her ears—a young couple blowing bubbles with their two daughters. Finally, a deep, slightly hoarse male voice:
“Awake? Are you cold?”
She slowly turned her head to look at He Yan. With his sharp eyebrows and buzz cut, his left arm rested lazily on the steering wheel while his right hand held a phone. He only wore a smoke-gray sweater—where was his jacket? Already slow to react, she belatedly realized upon waking that his jacket was draped over her.
“Not cold.” She quickly returned the jacket to him.
He Yan raised his hand to point toward the lake. “See? Go take a walk down there. There should be a vending machine—buy two bottles of water for me.”
Wen Xue followed his gaze and replied, “Okay.”
When she got out of the car, the moment her feet touched the ground, a breeze brushed against her face, lifting her hair. As she walked further along the lakeside path, sunlight streamed down through dappled tree shadows. Subconsciously, she glanced back—the dusty black Jeep remained parked about ten meters away.
Inside the vehicle, He Yan seemed to have been watching her the whole time. Seeing her look back, he made a “go on” gesture with his hand.
Despite the distance, she still responded, “Alright.”
After waking up, Wen Xue had felt slightly cold when getting out of the car, but she warmed up again after walking for a while. Soon, she spotted the vending machine He Yan mentioned and bought two bottles of mineral water. The weather was pleasant, and the park was crowded with visitors. Perhaps because she’d napped, she felt unusually less tired than she had in a long time.
By the time they set off again and reached the Residential Building where He Yan rented a room, it was already 4:30 in the afternoon.
Following him inside, Wen Xue felt a strange sense of childhood nostalgia. The factory dormitories where her parents had worked were just like this—a single corridor connecting numerous rooms. Nowadays, even in the old city districts, few Residential Buildings with this architectural style remained, as most had been demolished.
“Most residents here are acquaintances,” He Yan said casually, carrying the suitcase ahead of her. “Mainly couples, all good people. I live right below you—just shout if you need anything.”
Wen Xue observed the peeling walls and uneven steps worn down by footsteps, finding it all curiously novel. As she privately wondered if the rent here was cheaper than elsewhere, rapid footsteps descending the stairs interrupted her thoughts.
Before the young woman in a woolen dress reached their floor, her rich perfume scent drifted up to them.
“Ah!”
The woman halted abruptly. With the New Year approaching, everyone was slacking off at work—she had clocked out early at 4 PM after slacking all day, prettied herself up, and planned to hit the night market with her boyfriend after he finished work.
Of all times, she had to run into her boss. What terrible luck!
On the verge of tears, she stammered, “Brother Yan…”
Sure enough, He Yan scanned her up and down. “You’re not at work? Skipping?”
“Brother Yan…” The woman nervously twisted her bag strap. “Well, I—”
Only then did she notice Wen Xue behind He Yan. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating—since when did their perpetually single Brother Yan accompany a young woman?”Huh? Brother Yan, who’s this?”
He Yan stopped pursuing the matter of her leaving early and gestured with his chin. “Perfect timing. Help her tidy up the room.”
Seeing how rushed he seemed to leave, Wen Xue said softly, “That’s not necessary. I don’t have much stuff, I can manage on my own.”
“No no no, you can’t! You need me!”
The young woman immediately took the bedding from under He Yan’s arm and hugged it, smiling brightly. “Let me introduce myself first. My name is Zhao Na, everyone calls me Nana. And you?”
“Wen Xue. ‘Wen’ as in ‘hearing,’ ‘Xue’ as in ‘snow.'”
“Wow, so they heard it was snowing when you were born, right?”
Wen Xue smiled faintly. “Probably.”
“How lovely!”
The three of them walked single file to the room that had been cleaned by maintenance. It wasn’t large—only about ten square meters—and was divided into sections. The walls were plain white, and aside from an iron-framed bed and a simple wardrobe, there was nothing else.
He Yan scanned the room and called out to Nana in a low voice. Understanding immediately, she said, “Brother Yan, I’ll definitely help her get everything organized. You can count on me!”
“Alright.”
He Yan checked his wristwatch. “Is your Manager Wu still at the company?”
“Yes, yes!”
Shifting his gaze from the watch to Wen Xue’s face, He Yan thought for a few seconds before saying thoughtfully, “I need to go to the company. I’ll probably be back late. If anything comes up, just call me directly. If I don’t answer, try a few more times.”
Wen Xue nodded gently. “Okay.”
Nana’s eyes darted back and forth, barely keeping up with the conversation. She glanced from He Yan to Wen Xue, nearly unable to contain her curiosity. But when she caught sight of her boss’s stern expression, she reluctantly sealed her lips.
He Yan: “I’m heading out now.”
Wen Xue hummed in acknowledgment.
Quick-witted and sharp-eyed, Nana waited until she was sure He Yan had gone downstairs before darting to the corridor. Leaning over the railing to watch him get into his car outside the Residential Building, she patted her chest and muttered to herself, “Scared me to death.”
…
The Jeep’s engine was loud enough for Wu Yuejiang to hear from his office. After setting aside the printed contract and tossing it onto the opposite desk, he caught sight of He Yan’s tall figure approaching from the corner of his eye. “Where have you been all afternoon? I called but you didn’t pick up.”
“Didn’t I reply to your message? I was busy with something.”
“I didn’t have time to message you.” Wu Yuejiang set down his pen and eyed him suspiciously. “Something’s off with you. Where did you actually go?”
He had noticed He Yan acting strangely since the afternoon two days ago—clearly distracted.
Yesterday and today, he had outright disappeared.
This set off alarm bells for Wu Yuejiang. A few months back, He Yan had gone through a period of depression, even going so far as to transfer his shares to him at a bargain price. Enraged, Wu Yuejiang had thrown a punch, abandoning all pretense of cultivation and quality. He had to lay down the law: anyone who dared to abandon their responsibilities wouldn’t remain brothers. That had snapped He Yan out of it.
Could it be that after visiting the temple a few days ago, he was back to feeling disillusioned and wanting to become a monk?
“Went downtown.”
He Yan pulled out a chair and sat down, flipping casually through the contract. “There’s something I need to tell you. I brought someone with me. Split Sister Cai’s workload with her. I’ll cover her salary; you don’t need to worry about it.”
Wu Yuejiang: “…”
Fine. As long as it wasn’t the temple, he could have gone to America for all he cared.
He adjusted his glasses. “Who?”
“Wen Xue.”He Yan remembered something very important and picked up the landline on the desk to dial a number. As soon as the call connected, he frowned and asked, “What about the heater I told you to buy yesterday?”
Wu Yuejiang was still processing the impact of the name “Wen Xue” when he suddenly heard “heater” and looked over in surprise.
Wang Yuan’s voice on the other end of the line was so loud that even Wu Yuejiang could clearly hear him shouting: “Bought it, bought it! Brother, I’m picking out a hot water bottle now—the fluffy ones are so cute! I tested it, and it’s really warm to hold in your hands! Oh, and the shopkeeper said they also have foot warmers. Want some?”
He Yan helplessly moved the receiver slightly away from his ear. “Buy them.”