Chapter 19

Just as Pei Ji’an pulled the restless Lu Nong into his arms, she suddenly leaned in and bit his lip. Startled, he quickly pulled back.

He thought Lu Nong had woken up.

But upon closer inspection, he realized she had her eyes closed, her lips curling into a smile. She was even smacking her lips as if dreaming about something delicious.

Pei Ji’an: “…”

Pei Ji’an could only sigh in response. Before he could react, Lu Nong’s restless mouth came after him again. This time, she didn’t bite; instead, she licked and then sucked on his lip.

Pei Ji’an felt an unfamiliar sensation tingling at the back of his neck. The stimulation was unlike anything he had experienced before.

Just as he was about to push Lu Nong away, her crafty little tongue brushed against him, and he inadvertently loosened his grip. Seizing the opportunity, her tongue darted in between his lips.

It was like a fish diving into the sea, happily creating waves.

The sea was supposed to be the fish’s domain, commanding it completely. Yet this clever little fish was fearless, playfully claiming every inch of the sea as if it wanted to infuse its scent into every corner.

The sea hesitated, trembling at the unexpected intrusion, yet the fish continued to stir up the waters, bringing a strange yet intoxicating pleasure, leaving the sea unable to resist.

At some point, the sea slowly calmed down, dancing along with the fish as it frolicked. The splashes created a soft “tsk tsk” sound, turning the night moon a shy red as it hid behind the clouds.

For the first time, the sea tasted a sweetness it had never known.

It resembled the sweetness of the fish.

The next morning, Lu Nong woke up, smacking her lips. Huh?

Her mouth felt a bit sore… Wait, can dreaming make your mouth tired?

She got out of bed and looked in the mirror, only to be shocked by the sight. Her lips were red and slightly swollen, looking strangely seductive, resembling marks left by a passionate kiss, or rather, a particularly intense French kiss.

But she couldn’t possibly have kissed herself. Why did her mouth swell from dreaming about eating watermelon?

Did she bite her own lips?

Lu Nong felt her heart sink. Just when she finally slept peacefully, now she had to deal with an unruly mouth. Was she grinding her teeth in her dreams?

Wait a minute…

Now, the question was whether Pei Ji’an had heard her grinding her teeth.

Ah!!! Lu Nong silently screamed in her mind.

Thankfully, Pei Ji’an had already left for work.

She breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of her bedroom, just in time to bump into Pei Zheng coming upstairs. He looked at Lu Nong with a strange expression, focusing on… her lips.

Lu Nong quickly covered her mouth, feeling utterly embarrassed.

Pei Zheng’s face shifted as realization dawned on him. He thought, “No wonder my stepmother wanted to give his dad that special chicken soup… Bah, what am I even thinking?”

Lu Nong observed Pei Zheng’s expression change within seconds, landing on a mix of anger and embarrassment as he shot her a glare.

“……” What’s his problem?

Not wanting to deal with him, Lu Nong brushed past him and entered the bathroom.

Pei Zheng did not let Lu Nong go. He followed Lu Nong into the bathroom, leaned against the door and said, “You actually took down my dad’s iron tree. You are amazing.”

Lu Nong, who was washing her face, was filled with confusion. “???”

When did she manage to win over Pei Ji’an? She didn’t even know about it herself!

“Are you feeling alright?” Lu Nong asked, puzzled, as she glanced at Pei Zheng through the mirror while applying toner.

After applying the toner, she pulled out some face cream.

Pei Zheng watched her pick out a bottle from among the bottles and jars that he couldn’t tell the difference from, and then began to apply it repeatedly in an orderly manner. It was hard to describe. He had never seen a woman who lived as delicately as Lu Nong. Her way of life was different from others.

Pei Zheng dismissed his thoughts, rolling his eyes as he responded, “Hmph, boring.”

With that, he stood up and left, leaving Lu Nong in the bathroom, completely confused.

After washing up, Lu Nong went downstairs to find something to eat. Pei Zheng was there too. He sat on the sofa and talked to the kid, “Call me brother, brother~brother~”

“Guo Guo, Guo Guo.” the child mimicked earnestly.

Pei Zheng shook his head, “No, it’s Brother~Brother~Brother. You were calling me that a few days ago, why don’t you call me that suddenly?”

“Guo Guo,” the child insisted.

“Fine,” Pei Zheng covered his face, completely flustered by the cuteness, and immediately gave in. “Guo Guo it is, but don’t call anyone else that, got it?”

He playfully threatened the child, lifting him high into the air.

The cub giggled, “Guo Guo, want.”

As Lu Nong walked past the two playful figures, she headed into the kitchen. She served herself a bowl of bird’s nest and then opened the fridge to get out a container of ice cream, lifting the lid to check its contents.

It looked pretty good. The top layer of strawberries had frozen into a glaze, and the ice cream beneath had become a bit icy since it hadn’t been stirred in a while. However, it was still good enough to eat.

In this sweltering summer, just like modern young people pairing beer with goji berries or coffee with dangshen, Lu Nong decided to create a new way to enjoy bird’s nest with ice cream.

One spoonful of bird’s nest, one scoop of ice cream, and happiness rivaled that of the immortals.

Suddenly, Lu Nong felt a chill sweep over her. She turned around and saw Pei Zheng staring at her with a reproachful look while holding the baby.

Pei Zheng: Observing in secretjpg.

Lu Nong: “…”

“Eating alone!” Pei Zheng accused.

Lu Nong: “I didn’t mean to!” Well, she kind of did.

“Do you want some?” Lu Nong raised the glass of ice cream in her hand.

“Yes!” Almost before Lu Nong finished asking, Pei Zheng immediately nodded, afraid she would refuse.

He had already seen the extra cups in the fridge and had opened it last night. They were icy cold, topped with a layer of strawberries that made his mouth water.

Pei Zheng was suffering from the summer heat. His eyes lit up the moment he saw the ice cream.

However, adhering to the principle of not touching someone else’s food, he had put it back secretly. He had asked Aunt Wu, who told him the ice cream was made by Lu Nong, so he had been watching her closely. He had stayed home all day, lurking on the first floor.

Finally, he got to eat the ice cream he had been dreaming of. Pei Zheng took a big spoonful and put it in his mouth. Wow, it’s delicious!

The creamy and sweet flavor mingled with the fruity aroma of strawberries, far tastier than simple sweet ice pops.

The baby was less fortunate, though. The ice cream was too cold for him, and even the strawberries on top were off-limits. He could only watch his greedy mother and merciless stepbrother enjoy it without him.

Feeling sorry for the baby, Lu Nong scooped a few spoonfuls of sweetened bird’s nest and fed it to him, letting him enjoy something sweet.

With the sweet treat, the baby quickly perked up.

“I didn’t expect you to have some redeeming qualities,” Pei Zheng said.

Lu Nong shot him a sideways glance. When she first met Pei Zheng, she thought he was the typical brooding male lead from a novel who had fallen from grace. At that time, he indeed had an intimidating aura, with sharp eyes and a cool demeanor.

However, once they became familiar, she realized it was all an act. Pei Zheng was clearly imitating Pei Ji’an, but he didn’t quite pull it off. Pei Ji’an’s coldness was genuine, his eyes always conveyed a sense of scrutiny and quiet evaluation. Sometimes Lu Nong felt as if Pei Ji’an could see right through her when she stood in front of him.

In contrast, Pei Zheng was too immature. He could put on a facade in front of unfamiliar people, but he completely let loose around those he knew.

It made her reflect, what a good young man, but what a shame he had such a loose tongue.

After finishing, the two adults and the baby sprawled lazily on the sofa.

“Stepmother, if you make strawberry popsicles every day in the future, I might begrudgingly accept you,” Pei Zheng said with a feigned struggle.

Lu Nong: “…” Thanks for that.

Young man, do you realize your character is in tatters?

You’re so desperate for food that you even call her stepmother. Do you still remember the time when your little friend Shen and you were one being sarcastic and the other pretending to be stupid?

Master Wang Jingze^[1]Wang Jingze (王敬则) was a military leader during the Southern Qi dynasty (479–502). He is best known for helping overthrow the unpopular emperor Xiao Baojuan. In 501, Wang Jingze supported Xiao … Continue reading truly did not disappoint me; the essence of humanity is: ‘It really is delicious.^[2]The phrase “真香” (zhēn xiāng), meaning “it really is delicious” or “it smells/tastes good,” is a popular internet meme in China. It originated from a reality … Continue reading

After having the bird’s nest and half a bowl of ice cream, Lu Nong ate a bit of breakfast. Today, she had to go to school to restore her student status, preparing to attend classes with the current third-year students starting in September.

Lu Nong planned to complete two years of courses in one year to graduate early. By 1965, schools would be closed, and she needed to be cautious in all aspects starting this year.

Thinking about the need for caution reminded Lu Nong of her uncle’s overseas connections. It would be best to write to him this year, informing him about the changing domestic environment, so they would stop sending things back and refrain from allowing her cousins to return to China without permission.

Lu Nong felt confident enjoying herself in 1963 because society was still quite vibrant at that time. People didn’t dress uniformly as they would from 1965 onward, and Western-style restaurants and cafes were still operating.

Moreover, aside from wearing a few nice clothes, she didn’t act out of line in public. Besides, who didn’t have a couple of nice outfits at that time? It wouldn’t make sense to report someone for wearing a nice dress in 1963 and then return to complain in 1966.

To further justify her confidence, her parents were workers, she had contributed to society as a nurse, her late husband was a martyr who sacrificed for the country, and her current husband was also a soldier.

As long as she didn’t make any drastic mistakes, no one would dare to touch her. Just her former husband’s status as a martyr was enough to keep her safe. After all, who would dare to trouble the family of a war hero?

Just like in the novel, although the original owner died young, she passed away when Gu Huai was eight years old, right during a time of fervent political movements. Even Pei Mingxia, the eldest daughter of the Pei family, followed her professor husband to the cow shed, yet the original owner remained unharmed and untouched by her uncle’s influence.

Thinking of this, Lu Nong sighed. Even though Gu Weiguo had passed away, he was still using his afterglow to protect the one he loved. But the original owner…

If she wasn’t mistaken, the original owner had never genuinely accepted Gu Weiguo and Gu Huai, as she always remained detached from the world.

She didn’t belong here.

Indeed, Lu Nong had made an astonishing conclusion after trying to recall her memories and the original owner’s memories before she turned sixteen.

When recalling the original owner’s life at sixteen, it felt as though she were the original owner herself, fully immersed in her joys and sorrows. But when she tried to remember what should have been her own memories, it felt like watching someone else play her role in a movie—so out of place.

So Lu Nong guessed that she was the true Lu Nong of this era, while the original owner was the modern Lu Nong.

They had exchanged lives at the age of sixteen. She lost her own memories and inherited those of the modern Lu Nong. As a result, she believed she was the modern Lu Nong, gradually accepting modern thoughts and values, while the original owner inexplicably remembered everything but couldn’t force herself to fit into this era.

Lu Nong didn’t know where the original owner had gone, but she sincerely hoped the original owner could return to the modern world so that they could truly go their separate ways.