Yet, she remained demure, not letting it show on her face. Only her choices for the items they acquired became more meticulous, her pickiness more severe, and the things she bought decidedly higher class—not ruling out the intention of spending a little more private time alone with Cheng Ying.

It was nearly dusk when the two arrived home. Cheng Ying saw the house was pitch black. The sales clerk had left, and the old woman hadn't returned yet.

Cheng Ying said, "No one's cooking. Let's go to Uncle Gan's place to eat."

Having wandered around for half the day, both were parched and genuinely too lazy to cook.

Chi Wu opened the car door to start unloading, placing the numerous bags and parcels into the rear storage area. He switched on the yard light. "It’s this late; Uncle Gan and the others should have finished eating. We’ll eat here. I’ll cook."

Cheng Ying glanced at the sky and agreed it made sense. "Suit yourself. I’m too lazy to move. I’ll call Grandma. If Uncle Gan doesn't bring her back, you go pick her up."

Chi Wu nodded and headed into the kitchen to cook. He was truly the paragon of a good husband.

Cheng Ying looked down at her feet. If she had been wearing high heels, her soles would be blistered after a day like this. Fortunately, she wasn't vain and wore the layered cloth-soled shoes the old woman had handmade.

The phone call connected, and Uncle Gan answered.

After much chatter, he finally passed the phone to the old woman. "Yingzi? Hearing you two young ones chat makes my heart ache! I see you several times a day, do you have to talk on the phone too? Is it free? Your nephew is a little warm, and I'm worried. I won't be coming back tonight. Make sure you lock the door!"

Cheng Ying listened to the old woman rattle off instructions, clearly worried about using up too much phone credit.

She kept her own words brief. "Oh, the child is so small, it shouldn't be overly strenuous. Is he okay? Don't delay things; perhaps you should go to the hospital."

The old woman replied, "We just got back from the hospital. It's a minor issue; wiping him down should suffice. The doctor doesn't dare prescribe medicine for such a big child. Your aunt and the others have no experience. I’m watching him, it's fine, Yingzi, that..."

Cheng Ying listened intently, but the old woman trailed off. Cheng Ying prompted, "Grandma. Is there anything else?"

This elder sister was a bit dense and failed to consider the old woman’s feelings.

The words hovering on the old woman's lips remained unsaid. Did the girl pay any attention to what she’d said during the day? If the child hadn't been feeling unwell, she truly wouldn't want to stay here; she worried about the two children being home alone.

Thinking of these vexing matters made her even more anxious. "Nothing. Lock the doors, read a book if you have time. Alright, I'm hanging up now!"

With that, the old woman clicked the phone off—every extra moment cost money.

The old woman remained by the phone for a good while, her expression shifting unpredictably. Some things simply couldn't be said. The troublesome child would have to figure it out himself.

Cheng Ying wondered what was wrong with the old woman. She had just finished her exams and hadn't even relaxed, and now she was starting to urge her to read again. And the way she hesitated before speaking—whatever she had to say surely wasn't about that.

Could it be that the old woman had hidden money in some dusty corner? She must want Cheng Ying to watch over it carefully. Cheng Ying pursed her lips before finally hanging up.

Chi Wu was indeed a new model of a good husband who understood his wife. Knowing Cheng Ying must be tired after a full day of shopping, and quite thirsty, he brought out a small basin of cold noodles, two small cold dishes, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes in gravy, along with a sesame paste drizzled with chili oil. He served it in under half an hour.

Cheng Ying popped a small cold dish into her mouth. "It’s cold. Grandma must be stingy with the refrigerator contents now, isn't she? Isn't she worried about the electricity bill?"

The old woman was reluctant to put anything in the newly bought refrigerator, wiping it down with a cloth every day. Cheng Ying sometimes wondered if she was meant to enjoy the appliance or suffer because of it.

Chi Wu replied, "No, before I left, I put the cucumbers inside. I snuck them in; Grandma doesn't know."

Cheng Ying mixed a large bowl of cold noodles, adding the ingredients. "You’re practicing deception, going against orders. Grandma is operating under the cover of darkness; she never suspected you were capable of such things!"

Chi Wu added a mouthful of shredded cucumber to Cheng Ying's noodles with his chopsticks. "Are you going to tattle? Who am I doing this for?"

He then lowered his head to eat. Cheng Ying felt the atmosphere shift slightly to something... charged.

How did it turn into that with just one sentence? What exactly was her relationship with Chi Wu? How could such a charged atmosphere arise? This was entirely improper.

The cold noodles suddenly tasted bland. Cheng Ying scooped a spoonful of chili oil into her own noodles.

Chi Wu thought to himself, You have to get used to it eventually. I won't be discouraged.

Cheng Ying’s temper flared quickly and subsided just as fast. Midway through the meal, she forgot everything, primarily because the food suited her palate so perfectly. "Oh, this bowl of noodles has completely relieved the heat of the day!"

Chi Wu smiled, pleased. Who understood Cheng Ying better than he did? He didn't even need to ask; he knew exactly what she wanted to eat. He doubted Yingzi could find a man better than him.

Cheng Ying also spoke from the heart. "Besides Grandma, only the two of us can truly eat in harmony."

Chi Wu said, "That’s why childhood sweethearts make better partners; everyone is familiar with each other."

As soon as he said it, Chi Wu regretted it. Wasn't he ruining the mood? He didn't dare look at Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying countered, "Look at my mother and your father; they weren't childhood sweethearts, yet they live just as harmoniously. You, young man, are inexperienced because the child is young. There will be a time you regret this, and then you'll be begging your older sister for freedom."

Chi Wu felt that while the cold noodles were good, he was full and suddenly had no appetite. "I still like the things I liked when I was little. Have you ever seen me change my preferences?"

Cheng Ying fell silent. This troublesome child had only one flaw: he was single-minded, stubborn, and would stick to one path until the end, refusing to turn back even after hitting a wall.

Who understood Chi Wu better than she did? Even now, his woolen vest couldn't keep his waist warm, yet the troublesome child cherished it like treasure. "Oh, why is this noodle so spicy?"

Cheng Ying didn't answer Chi Wu’s question. She turned and saw a thick layer of red chili oil in her bowl.

Chi Wu took Cheng Ying's bowl, pouring the noodles and the chili oil into his own. Then, he carefully prepared a fresh bowl of noodles for Cheng Ying and placed it in her hands. "I knew you couldn't handle that much spice, yet you insisted on scooping chili oil into your bowl."

He then picked up his bowl and continued eating. Cheng Ying felt the noodles in her hands weighed a thousand pounds. If this were in the past, such a scene wasn't uncommon. Cheng Ying had always accepted Chi Wu eating her leftovers without a second thought.

Anything she didn't like, she gave to Chi Wu; anything she did like, she monopolized, including Chi Wu’s padded jacket. Cheng Ying disliked her own flowery padded jacket and had always claimed Chi Wu’s new one. She never thought much of it before, but today, it felt wrong.

But given today, given their current relationship, Cheng Ying could barely eat. For the first time, she reflected: was she too casual with Chi Wu? How could she let the young man eat her leftovers? Was this relationship perhaps too intimate?

Yet, after sharing meals for so many years, wouldn't it be hurtful now to ask the young man to put down his bowl?

Cheng Ying felt terribly conflicted. Unknowingly, she had guided their way of interacting to be somewhat askew. Perhaps she bore some responsibility for it becoming this way. The meal left both of them feeling troubled, though it was undeniably delicious, and she ate until she was quite full.

If they weren't eating, there was nothing to do, which only emphasized the awkwardness. That’s why Cheng Ying ate until she felt stuffed.

After eating, Chi Wu went to take a bath.

Cheng Ying reclined in the East Room, watching television. What was playing wasn't clear; it was hard to focus with the muddle in her head. She scrutinized how she had often taken advantage of the young man over the years.

Lately, Chi Wu had been constantly reshaping Cheng Ying’s understanding of him. Never mind the confusion that morning, but Chi Wu’s behavior over the last two days—Cheng Ying had to admit the boy was serious. He truly had a maternal fixation. Furthermore, the boy actually possessed a sense of responsibility.

All sorts of chaotic thoughts spun in Cheng Ying's mind.

As for Chi Wu, after his bath, he returned to his West Room. Looking at the brand-new bedding, he was delighted. Even though no one was around, his face was flushed crimson. The old woman certainly knew how to care for someone.

Then Chi Wu climbed onto the kang to warm the bedding. To be honest, in the middle of summer, the ritual of warming the covers could practically be skipped.

But Chi Wu was happy to fuss over it himself. He pulled the two quilts toward him, then pushed them away, tossing them back and forth. He could amuse himself that way for half an hour.

In the end, would it be better for them to be close, or for one to be at the head and the other at the foot of the kang? Chi Wu finally laid the quilts out side-by-side.

Chi Wu’s budding young heart fluttered. He had many hopes, many anxieties, a bit of excitement, and some nervousness. In short, his hands and feet felt scalding as he busied himself alone in the West Room.

As time passed, Chi Wu’s expression grew increasingly grim. Had Yingzi changed her mind about coming over? Did the old woman not scold her into it, so she planned to slip by unnoticed?

Chi Wu’s mind was consumed by worry: would Yingzi come over or not?

And if he went to call her to sleep, wouldn't that be too... forward? Chi Wu paced back and forth between the kang and the floor.

He heard the grandfather clock outside strike ten times. Chi Wu, with a dark face, lifted the curtain and went into the East Room. Fortunately, Yingzi wasn't asleep yet; she was still reclining on the quilt, watching TV.

But what was on the television? Chi Wu asked, "Are commercials really that fascinating?"

Cheng Ying hadn't considered the issue of where to sleep. To her, sleeping location was irrelevant. With someone like Chi Wu, there was no gender gap whatsoever; there was no threat. The issue the old woman raised was nonexistent.

So she genuinely hadn't thought about it; she was just too troubled to sleep.

Cheng Ying nodded vaguely. "They're alright."

She didn't know what was even playing on the TV.

Chi Wu sat next to Cheng Ying, watching TV with a dark expression. He couldn't let the girl slip by. Their interactions needed to form a habit; Cheng Ying had to internalize the consciousness that her sleeping place was in his West Room. This guidance had to succeed.

Chi Wu felt he was at a critical juncture; this was the first step in spousal interaction. Otherwise, what would make them husband and wife? Though it was only superficial, Chi Wu dared not imagine the substance.

He felt immense pressure dealing with Cheng Ying. He knew where her boundaries lay. Cheng Ying paid little mind to minor skirmishes.

Chi Wu slapped his arm with a smack. "Mosquito!"

Cheng Ying looked bewildered. "Mosquitoes bite in May?"

Chi Wu maintained his stern expression. "Is my welt fake?"

With that, he turned and left. After a moment, he reappeared from who knows where with a bottle of mosquito repellent and sprayed vigorously into the room.

Cheng Ying coughed. "Ugh, can you calm down? Is that how you use pesticide? Besides, even if there were mosquitoes in May, they wouldn't bite humans!"

Chi Wu insisted, "If it's a mosquito, it sucks blood. Wipe them out quickly!"

Cheng Ying got up and walked to the West Room to sleep. There was no way to stay in this room anymore.