Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 289 - 284: Truly Reassuring

Chapter 289: Chapter 284: Truly Reassuring

The New Year arrived as scheduled, and the sound of firecrackers crackled outside. When it was time for dinner, Qin Guanglin hung a bundle on the door outside, lit it, and ran back into the house to close the door.

Bang bang pop pop.

The year was considered wrapped up.

"Ah, another year has just flown past; it feels like it disappeared in the blink of an eye..."

After settling down, Qin’s Mom remarked while looking at the dumplings on the table.

Why is it just the two of them celebrating the New Year again?

Why is it still just the two of them?

She couldn’t help feeling anxious. To her, twenty-five was a dividing line. Before twenty-five, you feel like a child no matter what, but once you pass twenty-five, you immediately feel old.

Without even a transitional phase.

Qin Guanglin knew what she wanted to say and kept his head down, silently eating his pork and scallion dumplings.

From being called "brother" to "uncle," he was more anxious than anyone, yet being anxious was useless.

He regretted not working harder when young; at twenty-six, he only had a little over two hundred thousand in savings.

He couldn’t compare to those elite folks who started with a yearly salary of a hundred thousand right after graduating and had already saved a million.

There was no comparison.

In the eyes of ordinary people, by the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, you should have savings of at least five to eight hundred thousand. Over two hundred thousand was far too low.

But Qin’s Mom didn’t let it go; seeing that he wasn’t speaking, she bluntly asked, "How long do you plan to date He Fang?"

"Date... maybe another two years," Qin Guanglin replied, still looking down evasively.

"Two years?!"

"Ah... why that look? Isn’t it normal to date for a few years?"

"What’s normal about that? Stop, stop; put down your chopsticks for a moment." Qin’s Mom tapped on the table with her chopstick, "Listen to me, how old will you be in two years?"

"..."

"Twenty-eight, you’ll be twenty-eight... And then you two will just start thinking about having kids?"

"Uh..."

"See, if you delay having kids for a year or two, you’ll be thirty." Qin’s Mom looked distressedly at him as he still chewed on the dumplings, "Thirty—I was disciplining you when I was thirty."

"..."

Qin Guanglin swallowed the dumpling in his mouth and thought carefully; it did make some sense.

"Maybe... that’s just fate."

"?"

Qin’s Mom almost hit him with the chopsticks, "What are you blabbering about?"

"Nothing, just that I met an old man..."

"Stop spouting nonsense. Did that old man tell you you should date for many years? Bring him here; I want to see him."

"Eating and you’re talking nonsense... Let’s just eat properly, and we can talk after." Qin Guanglin was displeased; the rule of not talking while eating was definitely aimed at them.

"I think you need a scolding, and now you bring up fate, isn’t it just about you making an effort? He Fang is such a good person, and here you are, dragging your feet, wasting time. If she runs out of patience and leaves, I’d like to see where you would cry."

Qin’s Mom prattled on, snapped up a dumpling, chewed, and swallowed before continuing, "That who..."

"Why aren’t you using any vinegar?" Qin Guanglin interrupted.

"...why do you care whether I use vinegar or not, that who..."

Seeing his mom’s manner, blaming everything on him, and he couldn’t say that He Fang wasn’t anxious, he resignedly said, "No more that who, she won’t run away—you know of the god of marriage? The old man who ties the red string. Once tied, nobody can escape."

"Why do I find you getting all superstitious?" Qin’s Mom wondered.

"Do I?"

"What do you think?"

"At any rate, there’s no need to rush." Qin Guanglin spoke while eating, "Or you know, my aunt mentioned a fortune-teller who’s very accurate. Why don’t you let my aunt help you consult him to see if it’s really the case—everyone else believes in this, why don’t you?"

"I believe in ghosts."

"..."

...

He City.

The He Family was crowded, with five people including little guy He Cheng, making the New Year atmosphere much warmer.

He’s Daddy sat on the balcony, savoring the firecrackers outside with occasional sips of his liquor, truly enjoying the moment.

He Cheng held a yogurt in one hand and the remote in the other, half-lying on the sofa watching TV. The New Year was the happiest time for him, having all kinds of food, drinks, and fun.

An old man and a young boy, two leisurely folks with nothing else to do, just waiting for dinner.

He Shan was rolling out dough in the kitchen, while Zhao Qing and Fang were making dumplings.

"Living in Luo City for these few years, you’ve learned quite a lot," He Shan, watching Fang’s somewhat skilled movements, felt rather emotional.

Going out alone was the fastest way to grow up. He used to worry about her getting married when she grew up, but after attending university and working for two years abroad, she seemed like a different person.

"I know a lot now. I’ll cook later."

"Go ahead, if you turn it into noodle meat soup, we might as well not eat it." He Shan didn’t quite trust his sister, although she looked proficient in making dumplings, who knew if that was the only trick she had learned?

It was hard to say.

"Fang, you and Guanglin have been talking for quite a while, haven’t you?"

Zhao Qing didn’t stop her hands, placing the filling into the dough and pinching it to form a dumpling, then she asked.

"It’s been a long time," Fang nodded.

"Then, has he ever mentioned when...?" As Zhao Qing spoke, He Shan’s dough rolling slowed down, and he looked up at his sister.

Two years after graduation, twenty-four years old—neither particularly old nor young.

In Luo City, twenty-six or twenty-seven was the golden age, with lots of people pursuing, but in He City, people started getting married at twenty-four, and waiting until twenty-six was considered a bit late.

Usually, it felt like Fang had just graduated and nothing was urgent, but at New Year’s, he suddenly realized that his sister had grown up and it was time to talk about marriage.

"Marriage, right? He did mention it," Fang said naturally, "After the New Year, next year he plans to buy a house, and the year after, we plan to get married."

"Is that so?"

Zhao Qing and He Shan exchanged glances, pondering for a moment before saying, "Marriage is not a game. You need to think it through... How does his family treat you?"

"His family? They treat me very well. It’s just his mom there, and she always likes to invite me over for meals... Oh, right." Fang seemed to remember something and raised her hand to grab her phone, but seeing the flour on her hands, she gave up, "I’ll show you later, then you’ll understand..."

"What?" Zhao Qing was curious.

"He drew some drawings, quite interesting."

Zhao Qing didn’t know which drawings. He simply responded and continued, "Have you guys ever fought?"

"No."

"No?" Zhao Qing was skeptical, looking at her doubtfully.

How could two people together never argue?

Like her and He Shan, their kids were already in elementary school and they would still argue sometimes.

Fang thought for a moment and then said, "Well... it seems we did argue once."

"What do you mean it seems? You either argued or you didn’t." He Shan couldn’t help but interject, "What did that guy argue with you about? How was it resolved?"

"Look at you, acting like a detective. Do I have to recount the argument to you in detail?"

Fang pouted, and seeing He Shan choked up a bit, she couldn’t help but laugh, "Okay, I’ve been writing novels, made some money, and then donated it without telling him... It caused a little friction because I didn’t discuss it with him."

"Over money?" Zhao Qing frowned, "How much did you donate?"

Writing novels as a side-income and still causing arguments by donating it, this Guanglin...

"Eighty thousand."

"How much?!"

Zhao Qing’s voice rose by eight tones, and He Shan also halted his rolling, stunned as he looked at Fang.

"Just got it published, then donated all of it." Fang shrugged, "So he thought it was a big deal that I didn’t consult him, just a minor conflict, but we talked it through and resolved it."

"..."

"..."

"Cough... not to dwell on the eighty thousand," He Shan curbed the urge to ask about what kind of novel she wrote, and continued, "It’s your eighty thousand that you earned, you decide how to use it, why should he be upset with you?"

Zhao Qing also moderated his expression, nodding in agreement with what He Shan said, "You’re just dating; what does it have to do with him?"

"I use his stuff, stay at his place, and he supports all my living expenses." Fang blinked her eyes and continued, "Plus, he’s been saving hard to buy a house, and he’s never been stingy or frugal about what he buys for me."

"..."

"..."

"You guys... have been living together?" Zhao Qing glanced at He Shan, pursing his lips and asking Fang.

They always thought Fang was working in Luo City, staying in the hostel during weekdays, only doing things expected of boyfriends and girlfriends on weekends... At most, being more clingy during winter and summer vacations.

"Yes." Fang showed no embarrassment at all, "We’ve been living together for two years."

"So, right after graduation...?" He Shan couldn’t help but ask.

"Yeah, right after I graduated when I hadn’t found a job, I moved in with him. He went to work every day, and I stayed home writing novels."

Zhao Qing ran out of things to say, exchanging a glance with He Shan.

What could they do? It all seemed sneakily planned out—buy a house this year, get married next year.

It unexpectedly spared them the worry... not at all!