Chapter 90: Chatting, Warming by the Fire, and Cats

(1)

The rain drizzled steadily.

From afar, occasional firecrackers and fireworks were still being set off sporadically, like the fading echoes of the New Year’s celebrations.

The Jiangnan water town, with its white walls and black tiles, was slowly becoming quiet—though some people still drove around, carrying things to pay New Year visits, it was nowhere near as lively as during the peak days of the festival.

Wang Xinru sat by the stainless steel wood stove at the door, warming herself by the fire.

A lazy yet polite tabby cat lay stretched out on the doorstep—enjoying the warmth of the flames but still not stepping inside the house.

In the stove, several small potatoes, barely larger than thumbs, were roasting.

Above them, a piece of glutinous rice cake was skewered on some old chopsticks, slowly crisping over the fire.

It was the eighth day of the lunar new year.

Although most people had returned to work, students of Xiao Cheng No. 2 High School still had several days off.

Their winter homework had long been finished, so now was the perfect time to leisurely enjoy these relaxing moments.

A faint vibration came from the phone resting on the small table.

She picked it up and lit up the screen to see a QQ message from Zhu Ying.

“Today I rode in a red sports car with Xiaojing, it looked super cool!”

“Where did you and An’an go to play?”

Wang Xinru cradled the phone in both hands and quickly typed a reply to Zhu Ying’s message.

However, there was no immediate response.

Whether Zhu Ying was busy or the signal was poor, Wang Xinru didn’t know.

She looked at the phone for a while, then placed it back on the table.

Instead, she picked up the now-crispy glutinous rice cake, exhaling its warm steam with a “hiss hiss,” tossing it from left hand to right and back again, before finally tearing off a small piece to eat—the rest remained on the chopsticks to continue roasting.

The old black-and-white television in the living room was playing local news from the small town.

Though the stories were trivial, they reflected the ordinary and quiet lives of local residents.

Here, one could see disputes between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, as well as local festivals.

Sometimes, the station even did live street interviews—maybe one day someone they knew would appear on screen.

The hosts on local channels all spoke in dialect, with only a few programs aimed at a broader audience being broadcast in Mandarin.

In reality, outsiders rarely watched these local stations; they were mostly watched by elderly locals who had little entertainment to pass the time.

“The Ye Ancestral Temple is especially lively on the eighth day of the new year. Reporters caught a glimpse of the ‘Ye Family Heiress’ from Qingye Pharmaceuticals. Though only her profile was shown, she still looked youthful and beautiful. It’s said that maintaining such a young appearance costs over ten million yuan annually. Qingye Pharmaceuticals’ recent heavy investment in cosmetic and medical drugs may well be related to this heiress…”

The local station’s reporters always spun some gossip into the news, making it feel unserious and frivolous.

Wang Xinru gently bit into the glutinous rice cake.

The crust was crispy while the inside was chewy.

Even without any seasoning, it tasted especially fragrant.

Her phone vibrated again—another message from Zhu Ying.

Wang Xinru stuffed the rest of the rice cake into her mouth, cheeks puffed, and picked up the phone.

“There’s a deserted beach by the forest. We might’ve run into the Ye Family Heiress today.”

“The heiress?”

Wang Xinru looked up and saw the black-and-white TV freeze on a sports car.

Although the color was unclear, it was probably the car driven by the Ye Family Heiress.

“You actually met her? That’s so cool.”

“And she was super easy to talk to!”

Right after that, Zhu Ying sent another message: “Xiaojing and I ate instant noodles by the beach. Xiaojing’s dazed look while staring at the sea was so cute!”

“I want to see.”

“Wait, I’ll send you a picture message!”

“Awesome~”

Wang Xinru replied with an eye emoji filled with hearts, then laughed at herself, “Haha… maybe that was a bit too direct?”

The fire in the stove was burning bright.

The small potatoes had turned golden.

Wang Xinru carefully poked them out one by one with a thin wooden stick, brushing off the ashes, blowing on them to cool, and peeling off their thin skins.

Freshly roasted potatoes were the best to eat—even without salt, there was a faint savory flavor.

Chewing for a while, one could even taste a subtle buttery aroma.

Of course, the flavor was even better with butter, pepper, and chili sprinkled on.

Wang Xinru tossed a potato skin near the tabby cat’s mouth.

It lowered its head to sniff, then eagerly gobbled it up.

Animals actually like warm food quite a lot. Many rural cats and dogs don’t like raw meat much, but once it’s heated, they’ll nibble at it even if it’s not meat.

A picture message arrived only after Wang Xinru had finished two small potatoes.

It contained two photos just taken with a phone.

In the first photo, An’an was staring blankly at the distant sea, half a mouthful of noodles hanging from her lips.

The second showed An’an facing the camera with a helpless smile after realizing she had been caught on film.

“How is it? Cute, right?”

“Cute.”

A faint smile appeared on Wang Xinru’s usually sour face.

***

(2)

Zhou Chao sat before his computer, running three auto-battle sessions of Menghuan Xiyou in the background.

Meanwhile, he had several chat windows open, talking to different people separately.

Ni Shifou Dong Wo De Lei: “Are you coming to the old house on the mountain for tea tomorrow?”

Chao Ren: “Are you trying to get me to do hard labor again?”

Kuanghuan: “Zhou Chao, do you know I rode a red Porsche to the seaside today? It was insanely cool!”

Chao Ren: “You hooked up with a rich woman?”

Kuanghuan: “An older sister took us there. That seaside villa is hers.”

Chao Ren: “Damn, who did you run into?”

Xiaoye Wo Wudi: “Dummy, wanna play CF?”

Chao Ren: “I’m ghost hunting in Menghuan.”

Xiaoye Wo Wudi: “What era are you living in still playing that lame turn-based game? Come play some gun battles, something real men play!”

Chao Ren: “Wait, I’m about to eat.”

Xiaoye Wo Wudi: “Screw you!”

Nuren Yao Jianqiang: “Zhou Chao, a girl asked me why you blocked her.”

Chao Ren: “Ignore her, that woman is annoying.”

Nuren Yao Jianqiang: “You really know how to play the field, huh…”

Chao Ren: “It’s called courting, you idiot—Hey, you working again?”

Nuren Yao Jianqiang: “Just started today.”

Chao Ren: “Delivering water in this heavy rain?”

Nuren Yao Jianqiang: “Gotta earn more money, right?”

Ni Shifou Dong Wo De Lei: “If you know, why aren’t you coming?”

Chao Ren: “Damn, at least pretend.”

Kuanghuan: “I sent you a picture message, just took some photos on my phone.”

Zhou Chao picked up the BlackBerry on the desk, which beeped with a new message.

It was a picture message from An’an.

The MMS contained two photos: one showing the red sports car from the front, the other a panoramic shot taken at the garage door—including several cars parked nearby.

He opened the local group chat and scrolled back through previous messages.

A group member had posted a front-facing photo of the Ye Family Heiress from Qingye Pharmaceuticals.

Though slightly blurry, her beauty was evident.

The heiress usually kept a low profile; locals knew of her but didn’t know what she really looked like. So anyone with a chance to catch a glimpse would not miss it.

“Looks like it really is the heiress… She still looks like a college student.”

“The one who took you to the beach is probably the Qingye Pharmaceuticals heiress herself.”

“Zhu Ying and I were guessing too. Most likely her.”

“Not most likely, ninety-nine percent sure—too bad she’s married.”

“Damn, you really dare to think big!”

“You don’t get it. Men have to dare to dream. Without dreaming, how else do you find a beautiful girlfriend?”

“That’s not just beautiful, she’s insanely rich…”

“Are you and Zhu Ying freezing by the sea breeze?”

Zhou Chao chuckled, casually shifting the topic.

“A little cold, but the sky is high and the land is wide. The scenery is really beautiful.”

“Haha, want me to pick you up later?”

“Will a motorcycle do?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? What about a rain poncho?”

“Rain ponchos leak.”

“Then have the heiress send you out.”

“Ugh, dealing with rich people is too stressful. I’m counting on you later, Chao ge!”

“What time?”

“Probably around two or three in the afternoon.”

“Alright, leave it to me!”

***

(3)

Fang Qiang stood motionless outside the convenience store.

His head hung low but he couldn’t help glancing up now and then.

Inside, a man bought some snacks and daily necessities.

At the checkout counter, he browsed the condoms, finally choosing a red-packaged one and placing it on the counter.

“How much in total?”

“Seventy-nine yuan.”

The man nodded and promptly handed over a new hundred-yuan bill.

After receiving his change, he looked refreshed and a little expectant as he left the store carrying his bag.

Fang Qiang finally couldn’t resist looking at him, but the man’s gaze was elsewhere, unaware of Fang Qiang’s presence.

He got on an electric motorcycle, turned a corner, and rode away.

Fang Qiang recognized him.

He had thought he had forgotten.

But the moment he saw him, he remembered.

Clenching his fists, the sound of his own ridiculous past promises echoed in his mind, and he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“In the end, it’s just that she didn’t want me… right?”

“Hey, you big oaf, what are you doing blocking the doorway?”

At that moment, a somewhat familiar voice called out.

Fang Qiang looked up and saw a tall girl standing not far away, awkwardly scratching his cheek.

“Uh… Zhang Qiqi…”

“Working part-time again?”

“Yeah…”

Zhang Qiqi seemed in a good mood today. She smiled and gave Fang Qiang’s shoulder a firm pat.

“Alright, keep it up!”

“Huh? Oh, thanks…”

“Don’t mind it. People move forward, so you have to look ahead too, right?”

She glanced back at the electric motorcycle disappearing from sight and gave his back a stronger pat.

“Do you have time in a few days to help me clean up?”

“You really don’t hold back…”