Chapter 40

The next day, Lin Nanzhi woke up early. When she went downstairs, she found that the Wen family was still asleep. After freshening up, she noticed a set of keys hanging on the wall near the door, took them, and went out.

Most residential areas have breakfast stalls nearby, so after stepping outside, she casually looked around and saw many options. She noticed a stall with quite a few customers and decided to line up to buy some breakfast to take back.

As soon as she got in line, she felt subtle glances directed at her. Lin Nanzhi pretended not to notice. However, a gray-haired elderly lady enthusiastically pulled her aside for a chat and even warmly invited her to visit her home.

After politely declining the old lady’s invitation, Lin Nanzhi quickly took her food back to the Wen household. Upon returning, she realized it was only 6:45 AM. She placed the food in the kitchen to keep warm, grabbed a meat bun for herself, and headed upstairs to work on her novel.

Due to her past study habits, she had always woken up before 6 AM to study—memorizing vocabulary, solving math problems, and tackling chemistry exercises before writing her novel. Over time, this had become second nature.

She wasn’t sure how long had passed when her phone suddenly rang, pulling her out of her focus. Stretching lazily, she picked up the call and saw that it was her mother.

“Hello, Mom.”

“You’re up?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m busy right now, but don’t worry, I’m safe. I didn’t stay at a hotel. The mom of the friend I told you about insisted on taking me to their house.”

“A friend’s house? Is this friend reliable?”

Lin’s mother was still uneasy.

After all, Lin Nanzhi had never traveled far before. She had barely even left their city—except for the times she visited the hospital when Lin Nanye was sick. Now that she had gone so far away on her own, to an unfamiliar place, her mother couldn’t help but worry.

What if she ran into bad people? If something happened, they wouldn’t even know.

Understanding her mother’s concerns, Lin Nanzhi smiled and reassured her, “He’s reliable, don’t worry. I’ll be back in a few days.”

Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. She got up to open it and saw Wen Jiunian standing outside. He smiled and asked, “Am I disturbing you?”

“No, what’s up?”

“Nothing. My mom asked me to call you down for breakfast.”

“I already ate. Can you let Auntie know I’ll come down after I finish my work?”

“Alright.”

Wen Jiunian turned and went downstairs. Meanwhile, Lin’s mother, still on the phone, asked, “Your friend is a boy?”

“Uh… yeah, but he’s already in his twenties, so don’t overthink it. And I know how to behave. Gotta go!”

Not knowing how to explain further, Lin Nanzhi hurriedly ended the call, afraid her mother would start asking unnecessary questions.

Lin’s mother stared at her phone, speechless. She hadn’t even finished talking. With a sigh, she sent Lin Nanzhi a message before putting her phone away to continue her work.

Checking the time, Lin Nanzhi saw it was only 8:30 AM. Remembering Wen Jiunian’s words, she went downstairs and found the Wen family setting up breakfast. When Wen’s mother saw her, she smiled and asked—though her tone carried a hint of reproach, it wasn’t unpleasant.

“Zhizhi, why did you go outside to buy breakfast? What time did you go out? You woke up so early!”

Lin Nanzhi smiled and explained, “Back home, I usually study at this time, so I’m used to it. Also, I wasn’t sure if I could make breakfast that would suit your tastes.”

To graduate early, she had always maximized her time—waking up earlier than the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have achieved her current academic standing.

“You’re a guest here! How could we let you make breakfast? Don’t do it again. If you’re too hungry in the morning, let Jiunian go buy it for you.”

“Mom, am I really your son?” Wen Jiunian frowned.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but he felt like his mother was being too biased.

“No, I picked you up from a trash can.”

“Really? My mom told me I was a free gift for topping up her phone bill. I thought everyone had the same experience,” Lin Nanzhi joked, making the entire family burst into laughter.

For breakfast, Lin Nanzhi had bought buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk. Wen’s mother also made oatmeal and fried eggs. Under her warm hospitality, Lin Nanzhi ended up eating some more.

—–

After breakfast, Wen’s father left for work, and Wen’s mother decided to go grocery shopping, bringing Lin Nanzhi along while Wen Jiunian tagged along to carry the bags.

The morning market was bustling with people. The fresh vegetables looked vibrant and green. Lin Nanzhi followed Wen’s mother, watching her select ingredients.

Suddenly, Wen Jiunian picked up a purple vegetable that resembled a snake at first glance. Startled, Lin Nanzhi yelped and took a step back, only to realize it was just a vegetable.

Wen’s mother glared at Wen Jiunian and smacked him on the back without hesitation, making him flinch.

“Wen Jiunian!”

Lin Nanzhi, speechless, tried to hit him too, but he dodged. She instinctively chased after him before remembering that his mom was right there.

When she first met Wen Jiunian, he seemed like a polite, gentlemanly, and handsome young man. But after getting to know him better, she realized he was quite mischievous. He had scared her so many times that she had gotten used to chasing after him to get revenge.

Now, doing this in front of his mother was a little embarrassing.

Fortunately, Wen’s mother didn’t mind. She was too busy haggling with the vendor. Lin Nanzhi took the opportunity to get closer to Wen Jiunian and stomped on his foot, making his face contort in pain.

The vendor, who was familiar with the Wen family, chuckled at the scene and asked Wen’s mother, “Sister Wen, is that your future daughter-in-law? She looks good with your son. She’s beautiful—seems like she’s of mixed heritage. Where is she from?”

“She’s from the neighboring southern province. I’d love for her to be my daughter-in-law, but she’s too young,” Wen’s mother sighed.

Her son was already twenty, almost twenty-one, yet he still didn’t have a girlfriend. She had no idea when she’d get to have grandchildren to dote on.

“Really?” The vendor looked surprised, glancing at Lin Nanzhi, who was currently pulling Wen Jiunian’s ear. “She doesn’t look that young—seems around seventeen or eighteen?”

“No way, she’s only twelve. If she were seventeen or eighteen, I’d be thrilled and would definitely consider it.”

“Wow, only twelve? No wonder! She does look tall—I thought she was already eighteen.”

Wen’s mother sighed and paid for the vegetables. As they moved on to the meat stall, they spotted Lin Nanzhi and Wen Jiunian already there, buying some pork tenderloin and ribs.

“Auntie, let me carry that for you,” Lin Nanzhi offered.

“No need, you’re too little.”

Despite her words, Wen’s mother handed all the bags to Wen Jiunian. Lin Nanzhi, amused, took out her phone and snapped a picture, making a peace sign while capturing Wen Jiunian in the frame.

“If you scare me again, I’ll expose you,” she joked.

Wen Jiunian: “….”

Still, Lin Nanzhi had a conscience—after putting away her phone, she helped carry some of the lighter bags, though Wen Jiunian only let her take the vegetables.

After buying some fruit, the three of them headed home.

Back at the house, Wen’s mother plopped down and pulled Lin Nanzhi to watch a drama with her. Meanwhile, Wen Jiunian resignedly went to wash the fruit.