Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If they were not in the Xu family home, he would be able to sleep on the same bed as Xu Moyan.
His trip to meet the in-laws this time only served to further strengthen Wei Zilin’s will. He was even more determined to get Xu Moyan settled once they got home now.
Xu Moyan turned off the lights and lay on her side on the couch. She could not fall asleep immediately, though, since she was thinking about Wei Zilin.
Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to staying with him. Now, she was somehow not used to staying under the same roof as him but sleeping in different beds.
Xu Moyan scratched her head. It felt like this was another one of the traps Wei Zilin had set for her.
Just as the house was feeling especially quiet, Xu Moyan heard the sound of her bedroom door opening.
Not long later, under the illumination of the dim moonlight, she saw Wei Zilin walk out of the room stealthily.
It was still quite terrifying to see someone so suddenly and quietly in the middle of the night.
Xu Moyan was about to get up, but Wei Zilin pushed her back down again.
He did not worry about the floor being dirty, either, and he just sat himself down. Although Li Lanying was busy with work, she was also very hardworking, and she would clean the house thoroughly every day. Besides, they put on slippers every time they came into the house, so they did not bring in too much dirt and debris either.
That was why the floorboards were not all that dirty at all.
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Why are you here?” Xu Moyan was worried her parents could hear them, so she spoke in a soft voice, feeling especially guilty.
Their house was not that big, with two rooms and a living hall, so noise was transmitted quite easily here.
“I couldn’t sleep since I was all by myself in there. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I came out for a look.” Once Wei Zilin saw Xu Moyan, he instantly felt relieved and secure.
His heart had been restless when he was tossing and turning in bed earlier, but now it calmed down. Under the pale moonlight, he looked at Xu Moyan’s rather sleepy face and then reached out to push her hair behind her ear.
He lowered his voice, but it sounded even sexier now.
“Besides, I didn’t give you a goodnight kiss earlier,” Wei Zilin said softly.
“…” Xu Moyan could not help but smirk at him inwardly. He had all those grand excuses, but this was still his ultimate motive, right?
Perhaps the gleam in her eyes was too obvious, selling out her innermost thoughts.
Wei Zilin chuckled softly and lowered his head, his kiss landing on Xu Moyan’s lips. He pressed his lips onto hers, wanting so much more.
The moonlight outside was too beautiful, the night was too dark, and there were only the two of them in the living room, so the atmosphere was too irresistible. Xu Qingrui and Li Lanying were asleep now, so they did not have to worry that her parents would appear. Wei Zilin could not resist this air of temptation, so he could not help but deepen the kiss.
Before he knew it, his hands were gripping Xu Moyan’s shoulders, and he was kneeling instead of sitting now, half of his body pressed onto hers.
“Cough. Why are you two still awake?” a voice said somewhat awkwardly.
No matter how thick Wei Zilin’s skin was, even he had to feel a little ill at ease now. He lay on Xu Moyan’s body stiffly for a moment, and it was only when he felt Xu Moyan’s mortified push that he hurriedly got up.
The two of them looked over and saw Li Lanying wearing a thin jacket of her nightclothes, an empty cup in her hand.
“You’re awake too, Aunty,” Wei Zilin said awkwardly.
Li Lanying gave him a look. She had no idea how to describe what she was feeling right now. “I was thirsty, so I came to get myself a cup of water.”
Wei Zilin feigned a cough. “I… I’ll go back to sleep now. You should rest early too.”
Li Lanying nodded. She did not want to make things too awkward for the two young ones, so she said, “We should all sleep early.”
After that, she casually went to the water dispenser to get half a cup of water, drinking it as she went back to her room.
Xu Moyan sat up and punched Wei Zilin in the stomach out of anger and frustration. “Geez, you!”
He could not even hold back at her parents’ place! Couldn’t he be just a little more careful?!
Her own mother bumped into them! That was just too embarrassing!
Wei Zilin was extremely embarrassed too, and he hurriedly covered Xu Moyan’s hand with his, coaxing her gently, “It was all my fault, don’t be mad. I’ll be good both tonight and tomorrow night.”
His attitude made Xu Moyan want to laugh, but she resisted the urge and gave him another playful lunch. “Then go back and sleep like a good boy!”
“If I had known this would happen, I should’ve come here on a weekend, and then we’d just have to stay for one night. Since we’re here during the holidays, we’ll have to stay for two. What torture,” Wei Zilin said in a low voice, regretting his decision for the first time.
Xu Moyan did not mind so much, though. Seeing how frustrated Wei Zilin was, she somehow felt her mood lighten.
She hurried him. “Alright, go on back now.”
Wei Zilin sighed and kissed her on the lips. “Okay, I’ll go back now. Good night.”
With that, he finally reluctantly went back to the room.
Xu Moyan was always a light sleeper, and she would wake at the slightest sound. She had no idea what Li Lanying told Xu Qingrui once she went back to their room earlier.
Nevertheless, the couple began taking turns, occasionally emerging from their room and saying that they needed the washroom. As a result, they woke Xu Moyan up several times throughout the night.
They said they were going to the washroom, but they would still go out of their way to poke their heads into the living room for a peek.
Xu Moyan narrowed her eyes. She saw everything, but the night was dark and her eyes were barely slits, so near-sighted Xu Qingrui could not see her clearly. He assumed she was still asleep.
Xu Moyan’s heart was oozing regret. Wei Zilin’s earlier actions had caught her parents’ attention, and now she had no idea how she should face her parents come morning.
…
Xu Qingrui and Li Lanying went to bed early and woke up early as well.
They were awake by half-past six the next morning. Neither of them had reached retirement age yet, and they usually woke up at this time before going to work, so they had made it a habit.
The sounds of them brushing their teeth and their whispered conversations woke Xu Moyan up. She could not go back to sleep, so she had no choice but to get up.
Not long later, it became clear that Wei Zilin had been woken up as well. The room door opened, and she saw him walk out.
When he saw Xu Qingrui and Li Lanying, Wei Zilin was so guilty that he had no idea what to say. It was a stark departure from his level-headedness from yesterday.
Xu Moyan secretly glared at him. He deserved it!
Wei Zilin did not miss the look Xu Moyan gave him, and it exasperated him to no end.
Thankfully, Xu Qingrui and Li Lanying let him retain some of his dignity, pretending that nothing had happened.
“What do you two want to eat for breakfast? Ask your dad to buy us some breakfast. Our Jin City is famous for our breakfast food, you know. There’s plenty of variety, and it tastes good too. I know a lot of our breakfast foods have been made famous outside as well, but I’m sure you can’t get this authentic Jin City taste elsewhere.”
When Wei Zilin heard that, he asked Xu Moyan, “What do you recommend? I’ve visited Jin City for business trips before, but I’ve never experienced an authentic local Jin City breakfast before.”
Xu Moyan thought it over and asked, “Why don’t we go down together and have a look? There’s a street outside the apartment compound that’s filled with all sorts of breakfast stands. It’s just like the night market last night.”
Wei Zilin’s interest was piqued by that as well. The city was teeming with marketplaces, and since he had to come visit Xu Qingrui and Li Lanying last night, there was no way he could explore the stalls.
On the drive here, though, he saw people milling about outside. Life here was very slow-paced and laidback; his heart calmed down just watching them.
Hence, once he and Xu Moyan freshened up for the day, they went out.
It was only when they left the apartment that they realized it was drizzling outside. The rain was light and thin, exactly like that line from Du Mu’s poem. (TN: Du Mu, a famous Tang Dynasty poet, wrote a poem titled “Qingming” that describes the light drizzle during the festival as passersby reminisce of their departed relatives.)
The apartment compound was not large, so they were soon outside.
Just as Xu Moyan said, the walkways on either side of the entrance were lined with food stalls.
Since it was drizzling, the stalls were also shielded by umbrellas. Nearby residents were sitting at the tables underneath the tables, sitting on short stools with their legs folded and bowls of hot congee in their hands.
There were fried dough sticks, sweet balls, deep-fried sesame balls, Tianjin pancakes, pan-fried soup buns, and cute fluffy white steamed buns.
There was even someone with a bowl of wontons in front of them, a fried pancake in one hand, and a few plates of side dishes before them.
There was a limited number of tables there, so many strangers had to share their tables. Jin City residents were quite talkative, so even if it was their first time meeting each other, they could easily start a conversation over a few bites of their meals.
The characteristic Jin City accent made them sound like a crosstalk performance, which resulted in quite the unique experience.
The two of them held hands, walking from one end of the street to the other before they turned and began walking back.
Xu Moyan thought that it would be great if they could spend the rest of their days like this. She would like such a mild, carefree, and peaceful life.
To be honest, she did not need a high-achieving husband. She just wanted to enjoy these days, peacefully walking the streets with him. It would be wonderful if they could keep strolling slowly through the streets like this, hand in hand, until their hair was white.
Xu Moyan could not help but turn her head and look at Wei Zilin. Even his side profiles, usually coolly handsome, looked a lot more gentle now. Perhaps his surroundings were rubbing off on him, but the corners of his lips were curved in the slightest of smiles.
Right now, the two of them were like an average young married couple who lived nearby.
When he noticed her gaze on him, Wei Zilin lowered his head to look at her. “What’s the matter? Are you feeling cold?”
Right now, the light drizzle was more like a thick mist. They did not need to use an umbrella, but their hair and faces were still getting slightly wet.
Xu Moyan shook her head. “I just thought it feels great to wander through the mist with you like this.”
“I concur.” Wei Zilin squeezed her hand, but then he frowned slightly and took off his coat, putting it over her shoulders. Now, all he wore was a thin shirt.
