After a brief pause, Wen Chongyue gestured for her to continue eating the cake, saying, “Let me think about it.”

Xia Jiao finished her entire small cake, not wasting a single bite.

On the way home, Wen Chongyue stopped briefly in front of a flower shop. When he got back into the car, he handed Xia Jiao a bouquet.

It was a large arrangement of soft pink and pale blush flowers, featuring pearl acacia, asters, jade vine, sweet pea, bridal wreath, and pink roses—over ten types of flowers beautifully combined. The soft fragrance filled the car as Xia Jiao held it close, taking a deep breath of the lovely scent.

Xia Jiao’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, “These flowers are so beautiful! Did you pick them out?”

“I have no idea how to choose flowers,” Wen Chongyue replied, shaking his head. “I know nothing about them. The florist arranged these.”

Xia Jiao gently touched the delicate bridal wreath and the fresh, slender cornflowers. “The florist here really knows how to combine flowers, they look so gentle and lovely.”

Wen Chongyue focused on driving and said, “I noticed you’re quite good at caring for plants. The flowers you arranged at home last time were great. You have a talent for it.”

With the soft fragrance of the silk green moss and pearl acacia surrounding her, Xia Jiao felt relaxed. She shyly responded, “It’s not talent. I took a flower arrangement elective in college for a while.”

“Oh? I have an aunt who runs a flower studio in Suzhou,” Wen Chongyue said thoughtfully. “You should meet her next time. I think you two will have a lot in common.”

Xia Jiao felt her cheeks flush. “Actually, I’ve only learned a little bit.”

She held the flowers in her arms, and even after finishing her meal, she still maintained a tense posture, as if she were prepared for a lecture at any moment. As she looked down at the flowers, a unique and gentle focus spread across her face, as if the blooms in her embrace were priceless treasures. During the afternoon, when she tried on expensive diamond rings and wedding dresses, she hadn’t looked quite this radiant.

Wen Chongyue, glancing at her profile, noticed her sparkling eyes. She had her head slightly bowed, radiating a soft, almost shy demeanor.

It seemed she still felt a bit timid and hadn’t completely opened up to him, whether in heart or body.

The latter was easier to address. While taking a shower, Wen Chongyue asked Xia Jiao to pass him a clean towel he had forgotten.

Xia Jiao had washed up first, and her hair was already dry. Even though they were now married, she still seemed a bit shy, carefully keeping her distance even while passing the towel.

Wen Chongyue squinted slightly, wiping the droplets of water that fell onto his eyes from his damp hair. Through the gap in the bathroom door, he saw a cautious opening just wide enough for one hand to slip through.

A pair of delicate white hands appeared, holding out the towel.

“Here you go,” Xia Jiao said softly.

Her voice was very gentle, yet she had boldly posted comments online like, “This is where my pants stop today.”

Wen Chongyue grasped her wrist and pulled her closer. Xia Jiao let out a surprised sound as he pushed open the bathroom door and wrapped her in his arms completely.

The shower was still running, and warm water cascaded down. Xia Jiao shivered and said, “It’s cold.”

Being shorter, she felt the water’s impact more acutely, and she indeed felt a bit chilly.

Wen Chongyue lifted her up, holding her at eye level. “Are you still cold?”

Xia Jiao shook her head. Wen Chongyue was warm like a heater.

She doubted herself, feeling like she was indulging in a fantasy. Although she could easily gawk at the paper man online, she now felt timid being held by her legally recognized husband.

Xia Jiao cursed herself silently in her heart and reminded Wen Chongyue, “My clothes and hair are all wet.”

“Your clothes are wet,” Wen Chongyue replied. “Let me help you.”

With that, he finally set her down. Being taller, he leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder.

After a while, Wen Chongyue sighed softly. “Oh no, it seems like it’s getting messier.”

Xia Jiao’s face turned as red as an apple. Wen Chongyue straightened up and kissed her forehead. “It looks like we need to try a different approach.”

Xia Jiao thought he was being outrageous. In the humid, semi-enclosed space, she felt short on oxygen and was dizzy, on the verge of suffocation. Unfortunately, Wen Chongyue didn’t give her any freedom. She lost track of time and only escaped from the glass door when she felt as if she had been reborn.

Gasping for fresh air, she still hadn’t fully recovered from the sensation of oxygen deprivation when she found Wen Chongyue lying on one side of the bed, leaning down to snatch her breath away once again.

Faintly, Xia Jiao heard him ask, “Choose, the kitten or me?”

Xia Jiao was on the verge of tears. “You.”

“Who am I?”

“Teacher Wen.”

“My name.”

“Wen Chongyue.”

Wen Chongyue still wasn’t satisfied. “Louder.”

“Wen Chongyue,” Xia Jiao clung to his neck, looking at him with puppy eyes. “I choose Wen Chongyue.”

Xia Jiao didn’t know about others, but Wen Chongyue truly enjoyed hearing her call his name. He loved the sound, especially when he taught Xia Jiao how to express herself vocally.

Xia Jiao was relieved that the next day was the weekend, allowing her to sleep in without having to get up early for work. She finally woke up in the late morning, unfortunately missing breakfast.

This time, Wen Chongyue didn’t wake her up.

Having returned from the gym, Wen Chongyue had made it a habit to work out on Sunday mornings before going to pick out fresh ingredients and fruits. With ample time on weekends, he would prepare some slightly more complex dishes.

Half-asleep, Xia Jiao could smell the aroma of soup simmering.

Her phone next to her kept buzzing. Still groggy, she picked it up and saw a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: “I’m Song Zhaocong.”

Unknown: “Want to grab dinner together tonight?”

The message was sent at 9 a.m. Perhaps noticing that Xia Jiao hadn’t replied, the sender sent another message ten minutes later.

Unknown: “I’ve booked a table.”

Unknown: “What’s wrong? Are you not satisfied?”

Xia Jiao felt a headache coming on as if she had returned to those days when he relentlessly pursued her with bombarding messages. She simply replied to him twice.

Xia Jiao: “No need.”

Xia Jiao: “My husband has prepared the meal.”

After sending the message, she put down her phone, stretched, and slowly made her way to the kitchen, holding her stomach.

Wen Chongyue was sorting through the used ingredients, and a small pot on the stove was simmering away. Curiously, Xia Jiao leaned in to take a look at the dried ingredients. “Is this… octopus?”

“Yes,” Wen Chongyue replied with a smile. “Do you remember? I mentioned this was dried seafood sent by a friend from Guangzhou.”

Xia Jiao explored the dried goods and pointed to one. “What’s this?”

“Dried scallops,” Wen Chongyue answered. “In a couple of days, I’ll add this when I make corn, carrot, and water chestnut soup to enhance the flavor.”

Xia Jiao repeated, “Enhance the flavor?”

“People from Guangzhou are quite particular about their dried seafood,” Wen Chongyue explained patiently. “For instance, using fresh fish, squid, dried shiitake mushrooms, and dried sea worms can enhance the taste. For papaya soup, you can add squid for flavor. I don’t like using MSG. These seafood ingredients are enough to bring out the freshness.”

Xia Jiao took a deep breath, savoring the aroma in the air. She looked at the pot and then at Wen Chongyue. “What are we having today?”

“The lotus roots I bought today are thick and suitable for cooking traditional Chinese soup.” Wen Chongyue replied. “For lunch, we have lotus root and octopus stew with pork knuckle. Although it’s not summer, you drank too much the other day, so it’s best to eat something light to cool down.”

Xia Jiao’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. “Do we really have to eat according to the seasons?”

Wen Chongyue couldn’t help but laugh. While he was slicing carrots, he raised a piece to feed Xia Jiao. “Of course! Seasonal ingredients are meant to be enjoyed—spring rain is as precious as oil, and we should savor spring vegetables. Once spring bamboo shoots are in season, I’ll make you some braised fresh soup. Now, play for a bit, I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

With a sweet, fragrant bite of carrot, Xia Jiao raised her hand. “Teacher Wen, is there anything else I can help with?”

“Classmate Xia, could you classify the fruits on the coffee table for me?” Wen Chongyue quickly cut the carrot into small diamond shapes. “As a reward, you can have some strawberries first—sorry, we don’t have snake-skin fruit right now, so I’m not sure what other fruits you like.”

Xia Jiao paused for a moment, swallowing the entire piece of carrot.

Standing at attention, she declared, “I promise to complete the task!”

Wen Chongyue’s fruit was neatly organized. As Xia Jiao washed the fruits and carefully placed them in their designated storage boxes, lunch was ready.

Wen Chongyue also prepared stir-fried fish balls with fresh vegetables, stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms, crab with bitter melon, and celery with lilies. As Xia Jiao was from the south, she preferred rice as her staple. Therefore, he steamed rice using a mix of Thai jasmine rice and Northeast Wuchang rice, adding ground millet and corn for extra flavor, creating a fragrant dish.

Xia Jiao polished off two bowls of rice in one go.

Finally, Wen Chongyue asked her, “It’s the weekend. Why don’t you go out for a walk?”

At the mention of “going out,” Xia Jiao shook her head vigorously.

“No,” she replied without thinking. “All the things I like are at home, and outside there are only people I don’t want to see.”

Wen Chongyue laughed and said, “I’m honored to be one of the things you like.”

The soup that Wen Chongyue had simmered was delicious. Just as Xia Jiao was savoring the rich aroma, she nearly choked when she heard him, her eyes widening as she looked at him.

Wen Chongyue naturally reached out to pat her back. “Be careful, no one’s competing with you for it. If you like it, I’ll make it for you again next time.”

His tone was familiar and casual, and Xia Jiao sipped her soup in small mouthfuls.

“It’s fine if you don’t like going out,” Wen Chongyue said. “The meaning of life is to make yourself happy, and you don’t have to do things that disrupt your happiness.”

Xia Jiao asked softly, “Really?”

Wen Chongyue nodded. “Really.”

Xia Jiao put down her soup spoon, looking seriously into Wen Chongyue’s eyes. “Then, can we merge the two and reduce the frequency to three meals a day?”

Wen Chongyue narrowed his eyes.

“You said that,” Xia Jiao cautiously expressed her viewpoint. “Things that disrupt my happiness don’t need to be done. Staying up late chatting with friends, watching shows, and reading novels make me happy. Waking up comfortably in the morning, watching anime, and scrolling through Weibo also make me happy. But since we started living together, I haven’t experienced that double happiness for a long time. Of course, I’m not rejecting your company. I just want to say that if you could reduce the frequency a little bit, I would be very happy.”

She added, “After all, you just said that the meaning of life is to make oneself happy.”

Wen Chongyue asked, “What did I just say?”

Xia Jiao thought for a moment. “Really.”

“What’s the sentence before that?”

This one Xia Jiao remembered clearly; she answered without hesitation, “The meaning of life is to make yourself happy, and you don’t have to do things that disrupt your happiness.”

“That’s right,” Wen Chongyue said, “I take it back. Just pretend I never said it.”