Chicken Broth with Shredded Dried Tofu.

Wen Chongyue pressed Xia Jiao’s chopsticks down, took a wet napkin to wipe his hands, and said to Song Xiao, “Ms. Bai is old and confused. I don’t like sweets, and it’s a waste to take them home. It just so happens that you feel the gift is heavy now, so you don’t have to bring it over.”

His words were slightly harsh, but Song Xiao just smiled, unfazed.

Yu Tan clearly didn’t welcome the unexpected guests. Proud as she was, she didn’t intend to set the table or prepare any utensils for the “guests.”

Song Xiao tapped her fingers on the table and changed the subject, turning to Xia Jiao. “Sister-in-law, look, the director still can’t bear to part with you.”

Xia Jiao replied, “I think all husbands are like that.”

She said this as she glanced at Wen Chongyue, noticing his expression soften a little.

Ah, Xia Jiao silently gave herself a mental checkmark.

It was just like that.

Confirming their married status seemed to make Wen Chongyue happy.

Song Xiao said, “Yes, newlyweds, I understand.”

In truth, the three of them didn’t have much to talk about. Xia Jiao wasn’t good at chatting with strangers, and neither Wen Chongyue nor Song Xiao had much to say either. Slowly, Song Xiao and Xia Jiao began talking. Song Xiao, with her lively personality, brought up the plants and flowers in Yu Tan’s garden. Xia Jiao talked a bit about it, and after two cups of tea, Yu Tan and Bai Ruolang finally came out.

Yu Tan was holding the bridge of her nose, her voice cutting through in fragments, “…It’s impossible. Xia Lin’s situation has nothing to do with you… Why is it fine for all of you to marry someone twenty or thirty years younger, but I can’t find a boyfriend younger than me by twenty years? You should clean up your own mess before coming to lecture me. At least I didn’t abandon my child for over ten years without caring.”

Bai Ruolang said, “You don’t understand my difficulties.”

“I see you’re doing quite well,” Yu Tan said, “Congrats, someone’s been thinking about you for decades, and you can still live comfortably as a rich lady.”

The conversation abruptly stopped. Bai Ruolang smiled and said goodbye to Wen Chongyue and Xia Jiao, while Song Xiao stood beside her. The moonlight was bright, and their silhouettes blended into the shadows of the rose leaves, as if swallowed by the flowers. Xia Jiao stared, a little stunned. In the dim light, Bai Ruolang’s eyes, though well-maintained, couldn’t hide the signs of aging, with wrinkles still visible at the corners.

Yu Tan was clearly in a bad mood. After the two left, she asked Wen Chongyue to come over and talk to her.

Wen Chongyue held Xia Jiao’s hand, “You can speak now, Jiao Jiao is not an outsider.”

Yu Tan hesitated for a moment before sitting down again.

To be honest, Xia Jiao didn’t know much about Wen Chongyue’s family. As Yu Tan spoke, Wen Chongyue held her hand, the cool summer night air making Xia Jiao sweat. She felt a little embarrassed, as if she had dirtied Wen Chongyue’s hand—but he didn’t mind and still held on.

Yu Tan said a lot and suggested that Wen Chongyue contact Bai Ruolang less. She was obviously annoyed by Bai Ruolang. In the meantime, she comforted Xia Jiao and told her not to pay attention to the other party – Wen Chongyue and his family all liked Xia Jiao very much and he should not care about other people’s opinions.

As they were leaving, Xia Jiao could still hear Yu Tan calling Wen Chongyue’s father. His tone was a bit displeased: “I told you a long time ago, don’t contact her. She ignored everything for over ten years, do you really think she would…”

The rest was unclear. The night breeze was gentle, and they strolled through the bamboo forest, the branches swaying. Suddenly, Wen Chongyue said, “Jiao Jiao.”

Xia Jiao replied, “Hmm?”

Wen Chongyue asked, “If I had really gone to help Song Xiao just now, what would you have thought?”

Xia Jiao said, “It’s normal.”

She heard Wen Chongyue sigh.

He said, “Can you use your little head to think about it for a second? Would you not be angry?”

Xia Jiao pondered and replied, “Well… maybe just a little angry?”

Wen Chongyue asked, “Why?”

Xia Jiao thought for a moment and said, “I can’t remember why… but I feel like you wouldn’t really help her, so this whole scenario is meaningless.”

Wen Chongyue didn’t say anything more. His hand rested gently on Xia Jiao’s head and softly rubbed it.

Xia Jiao asked, “What are you doing?”

Wen Chongyue answered, “Trying to suck the water out of that pretty little head of yours.”

Xia Jiao: “…”

Xia Jiao didn’t really see it as a big deal.

Wen Chongyue had already made his stance clear. Moreover, if Wen Chongyue and the other party were really interested in each other, he would not have chosen her in order to reject this marriage.

Xia Jiao had never been a greedy person.

Wen Chongyue’s conclusion was correct: as long as she didn’t do anything, she wouldn’t fail. Similarly, if she didn’t give hope, she wouldn’t be hurt by disappointment.

Whether people called her cowardly or fearful, Xia Jiao admitted she was like an incomplete, silly ostrich, most of the time burying her head in the warm sand, leisurely basking in the sun.

But unfortunately, Wen Chongyue didn’t want the little ostrich basking in the sun. He would grab her by the backside and press her down, tossing her around in a loud and fiery frenzy.

Wen Chongyue really was suited to be a teacher. He would teach Xia Jiao every embarrassing word, making her say it out loud. She hadn’t known that Teacher Wen’s lessons required so much student feedback, but now she understood. Sometimes, Teacher Wen needed her to make sounds, to repeat that they belonged to each other.

In terms of practice, there was a huge gap between the two of them. If there were to be a comparison, it would be that Teacher Wen was speeding down the highway, while Xia Jiao was still in kindergarten, riding a rocking horse and singing “Dad’s dad is grandpa.”

Apart from that, there was nothing else. After thoroughly exhausting Xia Jiao, Wen Chongyue still tied on his apron the next day, preparing breakfast in the kitchen and putting the lunchbox into her little backpack for work.

Yu Qingzhen had truly returned to work, and her mood had improved a lot. She even took the initiative to greet Gao Chan, making her feel uneasy. Gao Chan quietly asked Xia Jiao if this could be some kind of illusion.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Yu Qingzhen was extremely gentle all day. In the afternoon, she even took the initiative to offer milk tea. While Xia Jiao was organizing the flower materials, she overheard why Yu Qingzhen was in such a good mood.

It turned out she had fallen in love.

Gao Chan was in a good mood too. In the afternoon, the picky couple with a noticeable age gap came in. Mrs. Tang was clearly not satisfied with the alternatives, and was about to criticize when Mr. Tang said, “I think the flowers they chose are really nice. They look beautiful and suit you.”

Mrs. Tang looked a little uneasy, “Really?”

“Really,” Mr. Tang assured, “I’m sure they’re perfect for you.”

Mrs. Tang held his hand and said, “You have to come back early from your business trip. Remember, it’s our wedding anniversary and my birthday. You have to be back early, or I’ll be mad.”

It was strange. In front of others, Mrs. Tang had a forceful, no-nonsense tone, but when it came to Mr. Tang, she was soft and affectionate.

Mr. Tang gently patted her hand and said, “I’ll definitely be back early.”

After receiving his assurance, Mrs. Tang continued looking at the flowers in the shop, and Gao Chan smiled softly, introducing the flowers to her.

This time, Mrs. Tang didn’t criticize. She suddenly became surprisingly gentle.

Mr. Tang’s phone rang, and he went outside to take the call. Only Gao Chan and Xia Jiao stayed behind with Mrs. Tang. Perhaps because the arrangement had been settled, Mrs. Tang seemed much calmer. She even smiled and chatted with Xia Jiao, telling her she looked like a sister of hers.

Gao Chan complimented their harmonious relationship, but Mrs. Tang seemed slightly unhappy again.

It seemed like no one had been there for her to confide in for a long time. She suddenly poured everything out.

“Only recently has he started being nice to me,” Mrs. Tang said, “I know when he married me he was reluctant because my family pressured him… If it weren’t for his education and looks, I wouldn’t have wanted to marry him.”

When she said this, her tone lightened considerably. If Xia Jiao didn’t know her age, she would have thought she was a troubled young girl, just falling in love.

“…After we got married, he didn’t even get me a decent mirror,” Mrs. Tang said, displeased. “I’ve been asking for days, but he hasn’t bought it yet. At least he remembered to buy flowers…”

Gao Chan laughed, “Maybe Mr. Tang likes giving you special romantic gestures.”

Mrs. Tang gave her a sideways glance, “What Tang? His surname is Zheng.”

Gao Chan was taken aback, just as Mr. Tang entered. Mrs. Tang went up to him, slightly upset, complaining that the store staff couldn’t even remember his name. She went on for quite a while, and Mr. Tang, somewhat helpless, quietly comforted her. After the caretaker took Mrs. Tang away, Mr. Tang, who had come to apologize, was called over by her again. He helplessly made an apologetic gesture to Gao Chan and Xia Jiao.

Gao Chan held the order form and said, “I feel like Mrs. Tang… is a bit normal, but also a bit abnormal.”

Xia Jiao replied, “Maybe she’s just confused because of her age.”

Gao Chan nodded seriously.

The last customer of the day was the elderly man who frequently bought flowers. Today, however, he wasn’t alone. He was pushing a wheelchair, where a frail, white-haired elderly woman sat. The flower shop had installed a small ramp for handicapped access, and the elderly man smoothly pushed the wheelchair inside.

Xia Jiao smiled as she greeted the two elderly people.

The old lady had clearly just recovered from a long illness. She looked weak, but spoke slowly and gently, displaying great poise. The old man, who had previously been impatient, now lowered his voice and asked her what flowers she liked, asking Xia Jiao for a recommendation.

In the end, they chose nine roses. The old lady liked the number nine for its auspicious meaning. After paying, she had the old man slowly pushed away in his wheelchair.

Xia Jiao felt genuinely happy.

At first, when the old man had asked her to write the card, she had worried that the old lady might have been seriously ill. But now, seeing that they were still together, it warmed her heart.

It was the end of August.

The plant rack Xia Jiao had ordered finally arrived and was placed on the balcony. She couldn’t move it by herself, and since Wen Chongyue happened to be back in Beijing for the weekend and he wasn’t in Suzhou. The “Gentle God” from the store kindly helped move the items onto the balcony.

As a thank-you, Xia Jiao gave him some begonia cakes and red bean cakes.

Wen Chongyue didn’t return home until evening. When he arrived, Xia Jiao was debating whether to order takeout or cook some noodles.

Wen Chongyue first opened the box of snacks he brought for her, to temporarily satisfy her grumbling stomach.

After several days of eating “instant meals,” Xia Jiao was finally filled with the satisfaction of Wen Chongyue’s cooking.

He made a dish with water gluten as the wrapper, filled with fresh shrimp, minced pork, and chicken breast. The mixture was then boiled in chicken broth. After cooking, it was served as Three-Flavor Dumplings, accompanied by stir-fried Chinese water bamboo with green and red peppers in oyster sauce. The chicken used for the broth was separated, bones removed, shredded, and mixed with dried bean curd, shrimp, leafy greens, dried mushrooms, and eggs to make Chicken Broth with Shredded Dried Tofu.

As Xia Jiao was focused on eating, Wen Chongyue casually brought up the plant rack on the balcony. “Did the workers help install it?”

“No,” Xia Jiao replied, “A colleague helped.”

Wen Chongyue asked, “A male colleague?”

Xia Jiao nodded. “Yes.”

Wen Chongyue fell silent.

Xia Jiao wondered if Wen Chongyue thought it was inappropriate for her to bother a colleague for help.

Thinking this, Xia Jiao felt a little more at ease and explained, “The female colleagues don’t have much strength, so I asked him for help. Don’t worry, I gave him a gift. Just like you said, a little exchange. He’s very considerate at the store, so I gave him some cakes…”

Wen Chongyue asked, “He takes care of you at the store?”

Xia Jiao replied, “He’s nice to everyone, often treats us to milk tea.”

Wen Chongyue asked, “Did he treat you, or did he treat all of you?”

“Of course, all of us. Why would he only treat me? We can’t play favorites with colleagues,” Xia Jiao said, a little surprised. She added, “So don’t worry. I didn’t ask anyone to help me without giving something in return.”

Wen Chongyue said, “I’m not worried about that.”

Xia Jiao cautiously asked, “Are you worried that he might scare Wen Quan and Xia Mi when he comes to our home?”

Her eyes were clear, filled with confusion.

Wen Chongyue sighed.

He lowered his head: “Idiot.”