Song Qiuyu herself didn’t even know what sort of feeling she had as she watched Jiang Xiao and an Old Lady with graying hair bicker over a single dime for several minutes.
“Tch, then just a dime less, but not a cent more!” The Old Lady glared at Jiang Xiao, her face full of disdain.
Watching Jiang Xiao successfully buy a bundle of fresh greens for fifty cents less, Song Qiuyu slowly blinked her eyes.
Who would’ve thought—this guy actually has some bargaining skills.
“Let’s go.”
There was a gleam of happiness in Jiang Xiao’s eyes as he deliberately showed off his spoils to her, the corners of his lips lifted in a smile.
“Little girl, you really shouldn’t keep such a stingy boyfriend. If you’re looking for a man, find one who’s generous with his money!” The Old Lady glanced at the dazed, seemingly very easy-to-swindle Song Qiuyu, and muttered with no good will.
“Mm?”
Song Qiuyu seemed startled.
Then, Jiang Xiao didn’t even look embarrassed at being teased; instead, he smiled and retorted, “This isn’t stingy—what the person I like calls this is a virtuous husband who knows how to manage a household and save money!”
With that, Song Qiuyu’s body instantly tensed, and even the Old Lady’s lips twitched twice.
There was really no way to argue with that.
“Ah, right, we’re not the kind of relationship you think we are, Old Lady…”
Song Qiuyu snapped back to her senses, her neck turning slightly red. The very first thing she did was purse her lips and explain their relationship.
But before she could finish, Jiang Xiao casually threw his arm around her shoulders.
As that faint, elegant fragrance of a young girl wafted around his nose, it inexplicably sent a jolt through his body, causing him to squint and briefly turn his face away.
“Let’s go, we need to buy fish. If we’re late, there might not be any left.”
“But… hey, Jiang Xiao, slow down!”
The Old Lady still wanted to say something, but the girl had already been whisked off by him to another stall, where they started a new round of haggling.
The Old Lady was speechless. Song Qiuyu was speechless too; she crossed her arms, eyes wide, her pretty face a little flushed with anger.
If this had been the Jiang Xiao from the start of the school year, he definitely would’ve obediently let her finish speaking!
So annoying!
She puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him, trying to make Jiang Xiao notice her mood.
After all, if you miss the best time to explain some things, going back to emphasize it later just makes it sound awkward.
“Song Qiuyu, you—” Jiang Xiao was about to ask her what kind of fish she wanted to eat, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw her little head slightly tipped back, her cheeks rosy, and her eyes shimmering with an indistinct watery light, staring unblinkingly right at him.
In those eyes, anyone could see the urgency and expectation.
“Uh, what kind of fish do you want to eat?”
Jiang Xiao’s heart suddenly started racing.
“Grass carp!” Song Qiuyu pressed her lips tightly together.
Jiang Xiao noticed she was angry, but pretended not to see it.
Of course he knew she was eager to make things clear between them, but tonight was different from other nights. Right now, he just wanted to watch her get flustered.
He was curious—whether it was the current Song Qiuyu, or the former Shen Xi, she had rarely shown such expressions or reactions before. [So, he nodded, his gaze shifting away from her flushed face, and continued haggling in earnest.]
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu tilted her head, glared at him twice more, pouted, sulked for a bit, and then her anger faded on its own.
Getting angry at him was like punching cotton, but if he ever got a girlfriend in the future, and still couldn’t read the room… Hmph, not everyone would be as easygoing as Shen Xi.
Shen Xi only seemed easy to talk to because she’d had ulterior motives from the start.
Helping this naïve Jiang Xiao find a wife and live a blissful life… what a long road ahead.
On the way back, Jiang Xiao was like the Zhuge Martial Marquis come to life, eloquently battling wits with all the vendors.
Every so often, he’d run into someone who’d lost to him before; before he even opened his mouth to bargain, the other party’s expression would already twist in contempt and prepare to surrender.
At this rate, would Jiang Xiao end up on the market’s *Blacklist?
Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but worry.
But she soon realized she was overthinking it.
After all, good-looking people always get special treatment.
And today, it was a one-plus-one-greater-than-two scenario—two good-looking people doing the shopping.
“Speaking of which, Jiang Xiao, that ‘virtuous husband’ thing you mentioned before—was that also something that Xixi told you?”
Back at the rental, Song Qiuyu tried to probe.
In the past, she would never have dared, but with the Jiang Xiao of today, not only did she dare, she even teased him boldly.
“That Xixi… she didn’t make you memorize the Virtuous Husband Code, did she?”
Her big, bright eyes widened, half mischievous and half sympathetic, sparkling so much they almost burned.
“Virtuous Husband Code?” Jiang Xiao pondered as he put the groceries on the kitchen counter.
“What’s that? She didn’t make me memorize it.”
Song Qiuyu secretly let out a sigh of relief—looks like her younger self wasn’t that wicked yet. Good, good!
“Qia’er just… handwrote a few requests, and recommended I read up a bit. After all, for couples who want a harmonious future, it’s something you need to learn.”
Jiang Xiao then looked at her with innocent eyes and said.
“Couples… Wait, as far as I recall, you two were just dating online, weren’t you? How did you become a couple already?”
Song Qiuyu sucked in a cold breath; that one sentence had too many hidden barbs.
Why on earth did you say that, Song Qiuyu!!
Jiang Xiao only smiled, saying nothing.
“She called me husband, I called her wife—doesn’t that make us a couple?”
Jiang Xiao didn’t look like someone mourning a departed lover at all, just a man utterly absorbed in the sweetness of new love.
As he spoke, he opened the overhead cupboard and pulled out two clean aprons. Since they were the same style and color, he handed one straight to her.
Song Qiuyu dazedly took it in both hands, lowering her gaze to stare at the simple-colored apron.
At the same time, alarm bells were ringing in her head—she’d gotten it wrong. Jiang Xiao wasn’t trying to walk out of the shadow of his departed white moonlight; this was clearly—he was simply viewing her departure with a more optimistic heart!
Has Shen Xi left? Even if she has, she’ll always live in Jiang Xiao’s memory, in Jiang Xiao’s heart, always accompanying him. Maybe that’s what it is?
“Then… did she ever practice Virtuous Wife Code herself, or set any standards for her own behavior?”
The girl, critically injured by her own barbs, struggled on.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Xiao was a little surprised; he hadn’t expected Song Qiuyu to say that.
But obviously, Shen Xi—or rather, the younger Song Qiuyu—never thought about self-restraint.
Selfish, unruly, lenient to herself and strict with others…
Jiang Xiao was stunned for a moment. If those labels were on someone else, he’d clearly feel disgust. But when they were on Song Qiuyu, somehow it felt different. Was he being double-standarded?
Seeing Jiang Xiao’s reaction, Song Qiuyu instantly understood, and really wished she could go back and give her younger self a good slap, and then a kick!
That level of scum would probably rank high across the entire internet these days.
At least she hadn’t scammed Jiang Xiao out of his money! One cannot—at least, should not…
“Ugh, forget it, let’s not talk about this! I’m hungry, let’s hurry up and cook!”
Song Qiuyu took a deep breath, her cheeks breaking into a sweet and playful smile as she put on her apron and took the initiative to handle the ingredients.
Her movements brimmed with diligence and caution, even a little clumsy cuteness.
Jiang Xiao also put on his apron.
He quietly watched her, handling the ingredients alongside her. When he saw her pick up the knife to cut vegetables, his heart was in his throat the whole time.
Even though he knew her cooking shouldn’t be bad, he still worried she might accidentally cut herself.
Fortunately, after chopping the vegetables, not a single one of her fingers was hurt.
“The water’s boiling! I’ll blanch the veggies now!”
Song Qiuyu called out loudly, carrying the prepared vegetables over to dump them in the boiling water.
However, after tipping the vegetables in, the side of her palm accidentally brushed against the edge of the pot!
The iron pot was already scalding hot. At that touch, she almost jumped out of her skin.
“Ah!”
A burning pain seared the spot she touched. She squinted her eyes in pain, quickly put down the plate, and let out a cry she could barely contain.
Before she could do anything else, a rough but hurried strength suddenly yanked her to the sink.
It was Jiang Xiao pulling her to the faucet, and immediately turning on the water, letting the cold stream rush over her reddened palm.
The pain from the burn eased.
Song Qiuyu’s heart skipped a beat.
Feeling the strength of the hand gripping her own, she looked up at Jiang Xiao’s tense, worried face, her lips parting slightly.
This tingling, overwhelming feeling in her chest…
What could it be?
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