Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 100: Two Bowls of Noodles

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Two Bowls of Noodles

Perhaps because he had slept too long in the afternoon, He Fang was brimming with energy at night, clutching his phone and dragging Qin Guanglin into the world of immortal cultivation.

The phone buzzed incessantly, and Qin Guanglin struggled to keep his eyes open as he tapped on the keyboard to reply, feeling like a falcon being boiled alive—and he was the falcon being stewed.

He had thought about saying goodnight a few times, but each time He Fang sent a message, he couldn’t help but respond, always thinking they’d chat just a little longer. Before he knew it, it was already past midnight, then one o’clock.

At some point, he couldn’t hold out any longer. His phone clattered onto the pillow, and with the lights still on, he fell asleep.

Morning.

The weekend sunlight streamed in through the window, landing directly on Qin Guanglin’s face. He half-opened his eyes in a daze, stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds, then hurriedly reached for his phone beside him.

Sure enough, after sending several messages without a reply, He Fang had asked if he was asleep, and then half an hour later had sent a goodnight message.

Falling asleep without even a greeting... That really wasn’t polite.

Qin Guanglin, holding his phone, thought for a moment and tapped out an explanation for his sudden sleepiness last night but didn’t get a reply. She must have gone to bed late too and not woken up yet.

He lounged in bed for a while before finally getting up to wash. Qin’s Mom and his aunt were already having breakfast in the living room. His aunt made a surprised sound when she saw him.

"A new hairstyle?"

Qin Guanglin couldn’t be bothered with her and went straight to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

"This looks much better than before. I’ve wanted to say, your old hairstyle looked as tacky as anything. Look at you now, just a little change and..." Seeing he wasn’t responding, the aunt turned to Qin’s Mom and rambled on.

"Your illness isn’t bothering you anymore, is it?"

Qin’s Mom was genuinely annoyed by this niece; as if nobody else knew, she needed to be the one to say it?

"... No, no." The aunt got caught off-guard by the sudden interruption, "It’s just my back, something or other... Ah, I can’t quite remember, but the doctor said it would be fine with some rest."

"You really should rest properly. Have you bought your ticket yet?" Qin’s Mom said with feigned concern.

"No rush, I’ll get it this afternoon."

"Since there isn’t much else to do, after we eat, I’ll go with you."

"..."

By the time Qin Guanglin had finished washing up, Qin’s Mom and his aunt had finished breakfast. He entered the kitchen, poured himself a bowl of porridge, and started to eat. Shortly after, he saw Qin’s Mom, dressed to go out, emerging from her room.

"Are you going out?" he asked casually.

Qin’s Mom glanced at the guest room door and gave Qin Guanglin a sly smile. "I’m going with your aunt to buy her train ticket."

"Buying one for today? Or for tomorrow?" Qin Guanglin couldn’t contain his glee, "Send her back as soon as possible, preferably today."

What a delightful weekend, all the good things happening at once.

He tried to tell Qin’s Mom to get her an early departure...

Before Qin’s Mom could finish her sentence, the guest room door opened, and the aunt appeared, neatly dressed, in the living room. The two women exchanged a look and ceased their conversation.

"Let’s go, sister-in-law." The aunt glanced at Qin Guanglin, held back from saying anything, and simply greeted Qin’s Mom as they prepared to leave.

Qin Guanglin gave Qin’s Mom a wink, signaling her to hurry up. Qin’s Mom lifted her head, reassuring him with a confident look.

If his aunt were to come and stay for a few days, they would all welcome her with open arms. Back when Qin Dad passed away, it was the aunt who frequently came over to help sort out affairs, and they often visited one another. In contrast, the aunt hadn’t been in much contact over the years, only seeming to remember this side of the family when she needed help.

In high spirits, Qin Guanglin gulped down the rest of his porridge in two or three spoonfuls, then ran to the kitchen for a second bowl.

It was nearly noon when He Fang woke up and messaged him back. Qin Guanglin arranged to meet her soon and went back to his room to pack the express parcel his aunt had sent in his bag, ready to go see her.

Delivering the package was the main aim, and the date was just a convenient extra—he made up a proper excuse for himself, slipped into the batwing top he had disliked the day before, sorted his hair in the bathroom with a couple of swipes, and, in high spirits, headed out the door to Luo City University.

Within five minutes, he went back into the house, grabbed a handful of candy for his backpack, and headed out again.

By the time he reached the university entrance, He Fang was already waiting, without an umbrella, just carrying a small bag, standing in the shade of a corner wall waiting for him to come over.

"Here, take this," Qin Guanglin said, approaching her and pulling out a package from his backpack to hand to her.

"What’s this?"

"For stomachaches. Just take it—"

"You keep it for now," He Fang interrupted, understanding what it was without letting him finish. "I’ll take it after I rent a place."

"Don’t you need it now?"

"I can’t be bothered with it in the dorm, keep it for now."

"Alright, you’ll be moving out in a few days anyway," Qin Guanglin stuffed the package back into his backpack, then took out an umbrella and opened it. "We’re supposed to go to Shengtian Square today, right? That’s what you said yesterday."

After wandering around so much the day before, He Fang hadn’t bought anything, only getting a stuffed toy from a claw machine. He felt like something was missing.

What kind of shopping trip lets a girl buy clothes for herself?

A sense of chivalry inexplicably stirred within Qin Guanglin, feeling uneasy if he didn’t buy her a couple of items.

"We’re not going there today."

He Fang didn’t follow his lead but instead pulled him towards another bus stop. "There’s another place I want to take you to."

"Where?"

"You’ll see when we get there."

Following He Fang to another bus stop, they got on the bus, rode a few stops, then transferred twice. When they finally reached their destination, Qin Guanglin was quite puzzled.

"Is this the place?"

"Yeah, let’s eat first." He Fang seemed to have planned this all along, leading him down a side alley.

"I think browsing Shengtian Square would be better."

He looked around, not seeing any large malls; across the street was a newly constructed building, covered with green protective netting, and the constant clatter of construction echoed from that direction.

"We shopped all day yesterday," He Fang glanced back at him. "Are you addicted now?"

"That wasn’t a whole day; we spent the afternoon watching a movie."

"Movie-watching is part of shopping, stop complaining. What do you want to eat?" She had already led Qin Guanglin to the entrance of a lane, entering a ramen joint to take a seat. "Their sliced noodles are delicious here; want to try?"

Qin Guanglin checked the menu on the wall—just some noodle dishes, not much choice—so he nodded: "Sure."

"Two bowls of sliced noodles, add an egg," He Fang called out to the owner, "One with extra spice, one with less spice."

"Okay, just a moment."

"How come you dine here?" Qin Guanglin said, looking around, puzzled. "It’s such a hassle to get here."

"Just ended up here wandering around sometimes," He Fang propped her chin in her hand, watching Qin Guanglin. "You’ve never been?"

"No," he shook his head. "Why would I come here for no reason?"

He Fang bit her lip, looking at him for a moment, "Homebody."

"Aren’t you one?" Qin Guanglin shot back, remembering that He Fang was quite the homebody herself; she had the nerve to call him that?

"How would I end up here if I were a homebody?"

"...Fine, I’m a homebody."