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Chapter 154: Let’s keep our shared secret.
Uncle Lin was in good spirits today and personally arranged the dishes, all made with seasonal ingredients. The dishes placed near Chen Wengang were braised water bamboo, chestnut chicken, and steamed lotus root with meat. Uncle Lin pulled out a chair for Zheng Bingyi, who smiled at Chen Wengang from across the table, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gathering together.
Chen Wengang responded with a slight smile.
Zheng Bingyi spread out his napkin, and Huo Meijie also pulled out a chair to sit down. She flicked her hair as two young people came in from outside.
Leading the way was Zheng Maoxun, who had been out doing something and returned home just in time for the meal.
Following behind Zheng Maoxun was a thin figure.
Chen Wengang was taken aback; he only now realized that Mu Qing had returned to the country. Zheng Baoqiu hadn’t told him, and he had no idea when it had happened.
Mu Qing’s expression was indifferent. He entered the hall, dragged a chair back, and sat down by himself.
This seemed to explain why Zheng Baoqiu said he seemed like a different person—his pupils were dark, his face taut and somewhat gloomy, and his eyes seemed to see nothing and no one. Previously, Mu Qing had been attacked, leaving a scar on his cheek. After years of treatment, the scar’s color had faded somewhat, but the wound was too deep to fully heal; it was still quite noticeable.
Moreover, it now seemed that the old incident had brought him more psychological damage, giving him a sense of having given up entirely.
Although Zheng Bingyi did not reproach him, the atmosphere in the room, which had just eased, tensed up again.
With a ding, Zheng Baoqiu’s spoon hit her plate.
She cleared her throat and looked around. Huo Meijie, due to past disagreements, ignored Mu Qing. She took her youngest son from the nanny and fed him a few spoonfuls of egg custard. For a moment, the only sound in the dining room was the noise of feeding the child.
Zheng Yucheng was missing from the table, said to be on a business trip.
The helpers served each person a bowl of water, caltrop, and lily soup. Uncle Lin said, “The water caltrops are freshly delivered. Autumn is dry; this soup is perfect for moisturizing the lungs.”
A bowl was placed in front of him, and Chen Wengang thanked him. At this moment, Mu Qing looked up and glanced at him.
His gaze then fell on Huo Niansheng. Huo Niansheng clearly noticed but just smirked and let him stare. Mu Qing’s eyes were intense and complicated. Suddenly, his elbow bumped into Zheng Maoxun beside him. Zheng Maoxun frowned, but ultimately said nothing.
After the meal, Zheng Bingyi went to his room for a nap. Mu Qing patted his butt and went straight back to his room.
Zheng Maoxun finally let out a sigh, curling his lip, “What does he want? Always acting half-dead, who is he putting on a show for? It’s just a scar on his face, nothing can be done about it. Is he planning to live like this forever?”
“You talk too much,” Zheng Baoqiu glared at him, “Did you see Wengang-ge’s dog?”
“What dog? Where?”
“You’ve been home this long and haven’t noticed anything new in the yard? Go on, don’t get in the way.”
Halley followed its owner to visit, playing by itself in the Zheng family’s garden. Zheng Baoqiu had already played with it, and now Zheng Maoxun was sent out to keep it company. Soon, barking came from the yard. Zheng Baoqiu waved to Chen Wengang, signaling him to come upstairs.
Huo Niansheng put his hand on his shoulder, and they went to the small study together.
This time, she had finally bought the perfect gift, giving it to Chen Wengang—a lapel pin with a soft, bright blue gemstone.
Zheng Baoqiu boasted, “Cornflower blue, from Kashmir. It’s no longer produced; you can’t find it on the market!”
Huo Niansheng took the box and looked at the certificate of authenticity, “Unheated, not bad.”
“How about it?”
“Thoughtful.”
He packed the item and placed it in Chen Wengang’s hand, who carefully put it away as if it were a precious treasure.
Zheng Baoqiu rolled her eyes and smiled mischievously, “If it catches my cousin’s eye, it means I haven’t chosen wrong.” She tugged at his sleeve with a hint of meaning, “But the budget is another matter. Cousin, I’ll be leaning on you for the next two months.”
Huo Niansheng also laughed, pretending to be serious, “If you really can’t afford to eat, you’re always welcome to come to our house as a guest.”
“Who does the cooking at your place?” Zheng Baoqiu asked curiously, “A nanny?”
“Where could we afford a nanny? We have to cook for ourselves.”
“Really? You actually have to cook yourself?”
Chen Wengang laughed as they bantered. Huo Niansheng, with his hands in his pockets, pretended to scare Zheng Baoqiu, “Yes, that’s the rule. So remember, when you come to our house, you have to peel garlic too.”
He looked around, noticing that the bookshelf had many more picture books and storybooks, neatly arranged in two rows at the bottom where children could reach them.
The study’s furnishings had also changed a bit. The desk was now rounded at the corners, though the small round table under the window was still the same.
Zheng Baoqiu pointed at it, “Do you remember how we used to like squatting here to do homework?”
Huo Niansheng took the initiative to sit on it, “The light is good, but the space is small. How did you fit?”
She said, “So we had to fight for this spot, even lining up and bickering. At that time, Wen…”
Zheng Baoqiu stopped mid-sentence, almost blurting out that back then, Chen Wengang and Zheng Yucheng were always on the same team, and they often won more than they lost. She paused and changed the subject, telling a joke instead: “Back then, Wengang-ge was three grades ahead of me. We went to the same school, but in different grades. The teachers were always the same bunch. I was so clever, guessing they might assign the same holiday homework. I pestered my Wengang-ge to dig out his assignments from three years ago for me to copy. Unexpectedly, my English essay was discovered by Ms. Lere. I couldn’t understand how she had such a good memory, remembering every student’s every piece of work so clearly.”
Chen Wengang leaned against the bookshelf, quietly watching her laugh.
Huo Niansheng also smiled as he looked at her, “What, did your Wengang-ge uphold justice and report you?”
“Him? Impossible.” Zheng Baoqiu sneered, “Later, I found out that Zheng Maoxun, that fool, didn’t do his homework either. He snuck into my room and took Wengang-ge’s assignments, copying the essay word for word—was he out of his mind?”
Huo Niansheng laughed cooperatively. He reached out his hand, and Chen Wengang, with a pressed smile, came over and shook it.
Huo Niansheng, with his legs crossed, criticized Zheng Baoqiu, saying, “So improper behavior is always discovered.”
They chatted until the evening before bidding farewell and heading home.
On the way, the wedding planner called. Huo Niansheng was driving, so he tossed the phone over and said, “Answer it for me.”
Chen Wengang answered. The planner wanted to schedule time for their wedding photos and discuss themes.
Chen Wengang put it on speaker, responding with “uh-huh” as needed. Huo Niansheng also responded a few times while driving, laughing all the while.
After hanging up, Chen Wengang asked suspiciously, “What exactly are you laughing at?”
“I’m actually not laughing.” Huo Niansheng said, “I was just pondering the term ‘wedding photos’—who’s going to wear the wedding dress?”
“I’m not wearing it.” Chen Wengang immediately dismissed the possibility: “You?”
“I can,” Huo Niansheng said, “I don’t mind. Life is about trying different possibilities. That’s what experiences are for.”
“I agree with your experiencing it,” Chen Wengang said, turning to look at him for a moment, then turning back, “I also agree to have a place for it in our family album; even hang it on the photo wall. But if you’re trying to use reverse psychology on me, it’s never going to happen.”
Huo Niansheng wasn’t discouraged. He laughed again. Halley was lying obediently in the back seat. Huo Niansheng glanced at it through the rearview mirror.
Chen Wengang immediately defended its rights, “If you want to dress it up, you need to ask for its opinion first.”
“Won’t make it difficult, just have it as the ring bearer,” Huo Niansheng laughed, then asked, “What about the wedding speech?”
“I haven’t finished writing it yet.” This was also something the wedding planner required—each person had to write a segment, and Chen Wengang suddenly felt troubled. “They didn’t even tell me how long it should be or if there’s any format?” It also had to be kept secret and not shared with the other person in advance.
“I don’t believe a top student like you would be stumped by this. Hurry up and write it; you’re not one to procrastinate on assignments, are you?”
“I need to give it careful consideration.”
“So, can I have a deeply touching speech from my partner that will make everyone in the audience cry?”
Chen Wengang smiled helplessly and said, “I’ll do my best.”
He suddenly made a joke, “If there’s enough time, over a couple of lifetimes, I’d be willing to tell everyone every detail about Master Huo’s deeds. I’m sure at least one story would bring the guests to tears. But I fear that afterward, the media will proclaim that we’ve gone mad, unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.”
Huo Niansheng paused and said, “Good point, let’s not do that. Let’s keep our shared secrets.”
Chen Wengang smiled, suddenly feeling a strange tightness in his chest, “Yes, secrets indeed.”
Huo Niansheng chuckled softly, repeating, “Secrets.”
Chen Wengang looked out the car window. They passed by a construction site where workers were smoking and operating excavators. Under the giant scoops, cement low walls collapsed with a crash. At the next intersection, a newly opened mall had hung a red banner announcing a grand opening sale, with two inflatable mascots enthusiastically waving at the entrance. This city was constantly changing. He once thought he would face everything in the future alone.
Since he had someone with whom he shared secrets, Chen Wengang no longer understood what loneliness was.
The days continued to be busy, passing quickly one after another.
The foundation had connected with a few new projects and was currently in the assessment phase. Chen Wengang attended the fifth group meeting at school. Their PhD advisor, who first met them, was a kindly old man who became quite verbose in his professional field. Initially, some classmates sighed with relief, thinking this professor wouldn’t scold anyone. While he didn’t scold, he had already driven two students to tears with his relentless questioning.
The turmoil caused by Cheng Bo also gradually subsided. The police were still tracking the scam gang’s whereabouts, but the details were confidential. It was only known that Cheng Bo had seemingly disappeared during this period. However, according to Lu Chenlong, Cheng Bo hadn’t gone anywhere and was mostly hiding at home, unable to flee his troubles. Many “repay your debts, it’s a matter of course” notices were posted outside the Cheng family home.
Of course, this led to a few false alarms requiring police intervention—officers made several trips to mediate, finally persuading the equally defrauded relatives and friends to remain calm and patient, urging them not to harass other victims intentionally.
Every morning and evening on Jiangchao Street, neighbors continued to go out for walks, and daily topics reverted to mundane matters.
A young couple from the previous street, who got married last year, had a new baby but were overwhelmed with childcare. Two elderly people from the street behind had passed away, with their children quietly holding the funeral and posting obituaries in the newspaper. Old neighbors discussed these events in a matter-of-fact tone, and Grandma Zhou also shared her thoughts with Chen Wengang and others, lamenting that all the old folks on this street were passing away one by one.
Prompted by this, she realized she didn’t have a suitable photo of herself, so she asked her grandson, Yu Shanding, to take her to a photo studio to get a nice frontal shot. She was so pleased with the photo that she showed it to her friends, and two of her old lady friends immediately asked where she had it taken, saying they wanted to prepare early to avoid looking too old later.
After the renovation of the old town area, the houses here had been refurbished, and the infrastructure had been upgraded, but time seemed to stand still, with many things appearing unchanged.
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