Qin Nian had mentioned on WeChat that she wanted to visit, but Sangyue had been so busy that she completely forgot about it.
“I said you could come, but why bring so many things? You even gave Taiyang a puppy.”
This was a massive favor. Those few boxes of yellow peaches she had sent could not possibly repay a debt like this. Sangyue hated owing people favors, and she and Qin Nian were not nearly close enough to justify such generosity.
“As long as Taiyang likes it,” Qin Nian said, shifting over to make space on the sofa.
Most of the sofa was empty, but Li Sangyue glanced at it and chose not to sit there. Instead, she sat down near the door.
Her mother had warned her to keep her distance from young Alphas during her heat cycle, especially since her pheromones were currently unstable. It was better to be cautious; she did not want any misunderstandings or to give the villagers an excuse to gossip.
“Taiyang definitely loves it. She has always wanted a puppy.” Sangyue had mentioned this in passing during a chat once, but she had not expected Qin Nian to take it to heart.
On the table sat the gifts Qin Nian had brought, all for her family. Sangyue asked Qin Nian how much everything cost so she could transfer the money. Since they were not relatives or close friends, she did not feel right accepting so much for free.
Earlier, her mother had told her that they could keep the suppressants and the puppy, as long as they paid Qin Nian back, but the nutritional supplements and silk scarves should be returned.
“There is no need to be so formal with me. I could not very well show up as a guest empty handed. Aside from the suppressants, which cost a bit, the rest really was not expensive. The puppy was found through a friend.”
Qin Nian realized that while Li Sangyue seemed friendly and agreeable, she actually had strong defenses and a clear sense of boundaries. Coupled with a mother whose defensiveness was at a nuclear level, Qin Nian knew it would take a lot of effort to move their relationship forward.
Li Sangyue felt quite awkward. “We have not known each other long. On my grandmother’s birthday, you even had your sister in law deliver a gift in person, and I have not even thanked you properly. Now you have brought all this. I really feel uneasy about it.”
There was something else. While checking her orders, Sangyue noticed several addresses listed as the office building she had visited before. She suspected Qin Nian had people buy from her livestream. Those easy going “big bosses” who paid promptly might also have been contacted by Qin Nian. If that were true, she owed Qin Nian a debt of gratitude so large she could never repay it.
“Just think of me as your friend.”
“I do not have any friends as wealthy as you. The pressure is too much,” Li Sangyue said honestly.
Qin Nian blinked, reflecting on whether she had been moving too fast lately. She had not fully considered Sangyue’s feelings. She had intended to take things slowly, even thinking about giving Sangyue money through a third party while pretending not to know, allowing the mother and daughter to continue their quiet life in Yangtoubu. That was what Sangyue’s mother wanted, after all.
But she had quickly dismissed that idea. She had feelings for Li Sangyue, and Taiyang was her biological daughter. She could not accept the idea of another Alpha stepping in one day to take her place, or Taiyang calling someone else “Mama.”
“Then, starting from now, slowly get used to it.” Qin Nian allowed a hint of Alpha assertiveness to show.
Li Sangyue’s expression nearly crumbled, though she felt a tiny bit flattered. “It seems I really am quite charming then, if even you want to be my friend.”
“Indeed.”
“That night, she was like a startled little rabbit beneath me; scared, yet passionate.” Qin Nian often revisited that memory.
“Have we met before? You look so familiar to me.”
“Think about it carefully.”
“I have, but I just cannot remember.” Sangyue had once suspected her memory was playing tricks on her.
“If we really had met before, where do you think it would have been?”
“Hmm.” Li Sangyue thought seriously for a moment and then shook her head firmly. “We definitely have not met.”
She and Qin Nian were from two different worlds. She did not have the means to enter Qin Nian’s world, and with Qin Nian’s status, she certainly would not have frequented the places Sangyue used to go. It had to be a glitch in her memory.
To stop herself from overthinking, she decided to go out and play with Taiyang and Wangcai. Leaving Qin Nian alone in the living room felt rude, so she invited her along.
Qin Nian was more than happy to agree.
In the osmanthus tree, the bird nests had increased from one to two. The newly hatched chicks were chirping for food, while the mother bird, holding a worm, perched on the wall. She did not dare fly down, anxiously looking around for the large, fat orange cat to leave.
Bajiao was specifically waiting to ambush the mother bird and was not about to move. He was currently lying in the shade, licking his paws and washing his face.
Wangcai was still small and could sleep in a crate for now with an extra pad. Sangyue did not need to worry about any of it; when Qin Nian decided to give the puppy, she had prepared everything: dog food, bowls, treats, a bed, toys, and even a small dog house that just needed assembly.
Qin Nian was now helping Taiyang assemble the little house. Wangcai seemed to know it was for him; he was very excited, wagging his tail and circling them. He picked up the parts needed for the house and brought them to Taiyang, looking at her with bright, beady black eyes as if begging for praise. When Taiyang stroked his head and called him a good, smart boy, he got even more excited, bouncing around like a lion dancer and running across the yard to show everyone how happy he was.
Sangyue had nothing to do with the assembly. She sat on a small stool eating cherry tomatoes that her mother had just washed. They had planted quite a few of these in the garden behind the house in the spring; red, yellow, purple, and green. They were sweet, fresh, and perfect for snacking. She could eat a whole bowl by herself.
“Do you two want some fruit?” She finally asked after eating for a while, her conscience finally kicking in.
Two similar faces turned toward her at the same time, both wearing the same speechless expression. “Only now you think to ask?”
Li Sangyue looked away guiltily.
“Mama, you are just sitting there watching.”
Taiyang wanted her mother to help build the dog house, but Sangyue could not understand the diagrams. She had installed two pieces incorrectly, which Auntie Qin had silently dismantled and fixed. Feeling defeated, Sangyue had simply given up.
Li Sangyue propped her chin in her hand and said righteously, “I do not know how to do it.”
She would only be in the way. In times like this, not helping was the biggest help she could offer.
“I will cheer for you both,” she cheered, making a gesture.
Taiyang gave up any illusions of her mother’s help. “Mama, just stay sitting then. We will show you when the house is finished.”
Sangyue was not entirely heartless. She trotted over with the bowl of cherry tomatoes, picked the sweetest, juiciest looking one, and fed it to Taiyang. Just as she pulled her hand back, Qin Nian glanced at the tomatoes and lifted her dirty hands. The meaning was clear.
Without needing any instructions, Li Sangyue immediately selected a bright red tomato and fed it to her. Qin Nian’s warm lips brushed against her fingertips. The sensation was like an electric shock that made her heart skip. She quickly pulled her hand back and stuffed a tomato into her own mouth to hide her reaction. Unfortunately, this one was sour. Her face instantly crumpled in pain.
“Mama, the cherry tomatoes you grew are not sweet!” Sangyue ran to the kitchen to complain.
Li Ningjun picked one up and ate it. “No, they are not sour.”
The grandmother tried one and did not find it sour either. “Did you eat one that was not fully ripe?”
“Maybe. Do not eat them then, Xiaoyue. Take them outside for the chickens.”
“Okay.”
“Is the little house finished? If not, leave it for now. Dinner is almost ready; have them wash their hands,” the grandmother said.
“I will go call them.” It had been quite awkward just now, and Sangyue was not quite ready to face Qin Nian again.
“That Xiao Qin is really a good person. She has a way with children. And I noticed that our Taiyang looks a bit like Xiao Qin. Do you think it is fate? Where else would you find two people who look so much alike? If Xiao Qin does not mind, I would almost want Taiyang to call her Godmother to bring the relationship even closer. We could visit like relatives.”
The grandmother had finally noticed the resemblance.
“Don’t just come up with things on a whim. What Godmother?” Li Ningjun was the first to object. If it were not so awkward to say it out loud, she would have kicked Qin Nian out long ago.
After the grandmother mentioned it, Li Sangyue also felt that Taiyang and Qin Nian looked alike. When they had both looked at her earlier, she had been momentarily dazed. But as for the Godmother idea, it was out of the question. She had only known Qin Nian for a few days. To suddenly ask someone to be a godmother would be far too abrupt and strange. Besides, there were many traditional superstitions regarding such roles; one could not just do it lightly.
“I was just saying it in passing. It is not like I am actually going to do it.”
“Even saying it is not okay.” Li Ningjun glanced outside. If some people did not learn their lesson, they would never remember.
Li Sangyue went out to tell them to wash their hands for dinner. Seeing Bajiao still waiting under the tree to ambush the bird, she reached out and rubbed his fat belly several times. Bajiao hissed, his fur standing on end as he tried to scratch her.
She laughed and ran away.
Bajiao was furious, yowling in the yard. The mother bird took the opportunity to fly back to the nest and feed her chicks.
Dinner was prepared by the grandmother and mother. The grandmother had made cornmeal flatbreads, stir fried pork with wood ear mushrooms, spicy chicken, and shredded pork in bean sauce. Her mother had made a big stew with meatballs and crispy pork; they had been eating a lot of stew lately; along with a cucumber and century egg salad, lotus root and pork bone soup, and two vegetable stir fries. It was a very lavish home cooked meal.
Since there was a guest, the grandmother had intended to move the coffee table and set up another dining table, but Qin Nian said it was not necessary. She said it felt more lively for the whole family to be squeezed together like this.
“The whole family?” Li Ningjun gripped her chopsticks tightly. “Who is family with you?”
Qin Nian acted as though she did not see Li Ningjun’s darkening expression. Taiyang sat to her right. After their experience building the dog house, Taiyang no longer avoided her and even invited her to sit there.
That seat usually belonged to Sister Tuan, who was now pushed into the furthest corner. She had to stand up and stretch her arm just to reach a piece of chicken.
Li Sangyue divided the chicken into two plates to make it easier to reach.
Looking down, she saw that Taiyang’s bowl was constantly being filled. Qin Nian was serving her, even using a separate pair of chopsticks. Taiyang did not mind at all. Once she finished, she even pushed her little bowl forward, signaling for Qin Nian to give her more meat.
Li Sangyue’s hand trembled as she held her chopsticks. Her daughter was certainly not being polite with Qin Nian.