“You guys are so romantic! We went to Thailand.” The female classmate next to me couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “But when we were watching the ladyboy show, my husband was pulled onto the stage to dance with them. He almost took off all his clothes. It was so embarrassing.”
"Hahahaha—" The others laughed so hard they were bent over. After they finished laughing, they suddenly remembered something and looked at Chu Yi, who had been silent since the beginning of the conversation.
"Hey, Chu Yi, where did you and your partner go on your honeymoon? Come on, tell us! Isn't a prosecutor's romance a little different?"
Chu Yi looked ashen-faced and kept his lips tightly closed.
19. Chapter 19
Some people noticed her expression was off, exchanged glances, and were just about to change the subject.
Chu Yi spoke up quietly.
"We haven't gone on our honeymoon yet..."
"He's always busy with work and doesn't have any holidays."
"Ah, hahaha, is that so? I can understand. The prosecutor is serving the people." The students on both sides laughed awkwardly, some even exaggerating to the point of slapping their thighs and leaning forward and backward. Chu Yi silently picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water.
After laughing, the classmate next to him hesitated for a few seconds but still couldn't help asking cautiously.
"So...you two have never gone on a trip together?"
Chu Yi: "...Hmm."
With everything laid out clearly, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Besides, Chu Yi has never been a sensitive girl, so everyone spoke freely.
"No, don't people online say that you should go on a trip with someone before getting married? That way you'll know if you're compatible." The Thai classmate spoke up directly, always outspoken and never holding back.
"Besides, you two met through a blind date." She frowned and asked curiously, "Chu Yi, how's your married life?"
Chu Yi: "...Well, it's alright, nothing too dramatic."
"That's good." The female classmate visibly breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if she was afraid that she had been deceived.
"As long as the person is good, everything else is secondary."
"Mmm." Chu Yi nodded as if he had been taught a lesson.
Everyone started asking her about her married life, and Chu Yi gave a brief description. For some reason, the more she talked, the more heartbroken she became, and in the end, she couldn't help but feel sad.
"Oh, that's going too far!"
"Yes, he has no sense of fun in life. It really takes a lot of mental fortitude to live with a man like that."
"Let's not talk about anything else. My husband has taken time off work to take me on two trips this year. Men only care about what they do, not what they think. If he doesn't do it, it definitely means he doesn't care about you."
"Yes, that's exactly it."
"Chu Yi, you should go back and have a good talk with him!"
On the bus, Chu Yi leaned against the window, lost in thought. Her mind was filled with the chatter of everyone at the class reunion. Every word was reasonable and sharp, like whips waking her from her pretense of sleep.
Chu Yi remained silent, head drooping, and let out a long sigh amidst the bus's intermittent stops and starts.
Chu Yi took out her key and opened the door. She put down her bag and changed her shoes listlessly. The lights were on inside, and Qiao Anchen had already returned.
She went into the bedroom without saying a word, and silently took her pajamas to wash up.
Qiao Anchen looked up from his book and glanced at her with a puzzled look. Chu Yi's figure disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Chu Yi went to bed early that night. She wrapped herself in a blanket with her back to Qiao Anchen, closed her eyes, and deliberately emptied her mind.
She understood perfectly well that no matter how much she talked to Qiao Anchen, it would be to no avail, because even if he was eventually willing to change for her, it would be the result of her coercion, not something he truly wanted to do.
It was like when he accompanied her shopping, to the movies, or to Green Water Island to watch the fireworks.
The outcome is always disappointing.
All of this depends on his willingness.
Chu Yi didn't want to force someone to do something willingly.
In the end, she buried her head deep in the sand like an ostrich.
The next day, Chu Yi calmed down a lot after taking a nap. During dinner that evening, she spoke to Qiao Anchen in a calm and peaceful manner.
"By the way, we were talking about travel at our class reunion yesterday. When are we going to go on a trip together?" she asked casually while eating.
"We haven't even had a honeymoon yet."
Joan paused, then thought for a moment. "Do you really want to go?"
Chu Yi: "..." She thought she understood.
She lowered her eyes.
"It wasn't a matter of whether I wanted to or not, it's just that everyone else went, so..." Chu Yi looked a little disappointed.
"And I'd really like to go out with you, since we've never done it before."
Qiao Anchen stopped eating. After thinking carefully, he asked.
"If I have a vacation, can we find some time to go out?"
"...Hmm." Chu Yi had given up hope. She looked down and poked at the rice in her bowl, having lost her appetite.
Qiao Anchen started his holiday just before the Spring Festival. The two of them came to his parents' house for dinner yesterday. They originally planned to go back after dinner, but Tian Wan said she had already made their beds.
As a result, a heavy snow suddenly fell during the night, covering the ground, trees, and vehicles with a layer of white snow. When I opened the window on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I was so frightened by the cold air outside that I immediately closed it.
The return trip was also delayed. They couldn't drive, and walking would take almost twenty minutes. After breakfast, Chu Yi was bored and playing on his phone in the room, while Qiao Anchen was squatting in front of the cabinet fiddling with an old CD player that he had dug out from somewhere.
The two of them stayed in the room doing their own things, and the morning passed by.
As evening approached, Chu Yi suddenly received a call from the property management, saying that their windows were not closed properly and that the house could easily get wet in the heavy snow.
Chu Yi struggled to recall, and it seemed that a while ago she complained that the heating was too hot, so she opened all the windows in the house to ventilate. She hadn't prepared to stay overnight when she came over yesterday, so she hadn't closed them. Who knew it would suddenly snow.
Qiao Anchen, who was standing nearby, also heard the phone call. He tidied up the broken parts on the ground and casually said, "Let's go back after dinner."
“But the car probably can’t be driven either…” Chu Yi said. The main road had been cleared, but she had seen that the road in front of the community was still icy.
“It’s okay, let’s just treat it as a walk back.” Qiao Anchen was about to wash his hands when he opened the door. A moment later, his voice came from the living room again.
"First day of the lunar month, time to eat."
"Oh—" Chu Yi replied, and quickly got up.
Today's dishes were as plentiful as ever. Chu Yi felt like she was being fed every time she came here, receiving love from her parents along with Qiao Anchen.
Mr. Qiao and Tian Wan have almost identical tastes; both prefer bland food. This habit has also been adopted by Qiao Anchen. Chu Yi can eat anything, although he prefers spicy food, but he keeps it very low-key and has never mentioned it.
After all, Tian Wan's cooking skills are so good that even a simple dish of baby bok choy in broth can make people want to drink the soup. Chu Yi always eats it with great satisfaction.
But today is a little different. There's a rare dish of spicy chicken on the table, which is a Sichuan dish and is not commonly seen at the Qiao family's dinner table.
Tian Wan explained, "Recently, a new bride moved in next door, and her cooking is so delicious every day, so I went and learned how to cook it."
"Try it." Qiao Anchen suddenly put a piece of food on Chu Yi's plate, which attracted the attention of Qiao's father and Tian Wan. After all, it was very rare for Qiao Anchen to take the initiative to put food on someone else's plate.
"Okay, thank you." Chu Yi roughly guessed the reason; Qiao Anchen knew that she liked spicy food.
She lowered her head and took a bite of chicken.
To be fair, the taste was no worse than what she had at an authentic Sichuan restaurant.
"It's delicious." Chu Yi nodded and praised. Tian Wan smiled and was about to say something when she saw Qiao Anchen pick up the plate of food and place it in front of her alone.
"Then eat more."
Everyone stared at him intently. Qiao Anchen explained, "Chu Yi likes spicy food."
"Oh, is that so? Why didn't you say anything, Yizai? I've come so many times but I've never cooked you any spicy dishes." Tian Wan quickly spoke up, but Chu Yi waved his hand.
"No, Mom, I have a wide range of tastes. I love all the dishes you make, and I don't necessarily have to eat spicy food."
“Okay.” Tian Wan glanced at Qiao Anchen and teased.
"You two know each other best."
Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
It's probably that life and time that seemed meaningless at first, when you look back at a certain point, you realize that many things have changed imperceptibly.
Just like her and Qiao Anchen, they didn't do anything special, but they still grew closer day by day, gradually understood each other better, and their personalities and habits changed unconsciously, gradually becoming more compatible.
After dinner, the snow melted a little, the sky darkened slightly, and the snow reflected the light, revealing a strange brightness.
A thick icy path had been worn into the road, stained with yellowish-brown mud. Chu Yi pulled Qiao Anchen along, and the two slowly walked home.
The air wasn't too cold in the evening, and since I was warm from a meal, walking in the snow felt like a post-dinner digestion exercise, and I could also enjoy the snowy scenery of Lancheng.
This is how Chu Yi comforted himself.
In winter, the clouds are thick, the sun is hidden deep inside, and as night falls, the sky turns gray and the streetlights cast a dim yellow light.
The surroundings were so quiet that not a sound could be heard. After the snow on this winter night, everyone stayed in their warm houses and did not want to go out. Chu Yi heard her and Qiao Anchen's footsteps.
Crunch, crunch, the sound of shoes grinding against the snow.
She was wearing a pair of little boots, which were pretty, but not practical at all. They were only suitable for sitting in a car or indoors in the dead of winter. Once she went out, her feet would feel icy cold after just a few steps.
At first, I could bear it, but when I was halfway there, my feet felt like they were frozen, the biting cold accompanied by pain, and I couldn't help but slow down.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Anchen clearly noticed and turned to ask her, his gaze falling on her feet.
Are you tired?
"No." Chu Yi frowned, looking a little uncomfortable. "My feet are just so cold, it feels like water got in them."
"Let me see." Qiao Anchen took her hand, bent down, and took off Chu Yi's shoes.
The black cotton socks covering her feet were soaked with water, leaving large areas wet.
"It's probably snow water that got in." Qiao Anchen thought for a moment, took off her socks, took out a tissue from his pocket, and carefully wrapped her feet.
"It's not far anymore, just bear with it, I'll carry you back."
"Ah..." Chu Yi held onto Qiao Anchen's shoulder, watching him squat down in front of her, carefully wrapping her feet with a tissue and putting them into her shoes, then turning around to reveal his broad back.
"Come up."
"Okay." Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, then slowly leaned down. Just as she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, she was suddenly lifted into the air.