Even at the main entrance, there were two very conspicuous red lanterns hanging.
Not to mention she was shocked, Huo Shenyan, who came down with her, was so stunned by the enthusiastic decorations that he stood there speechless.
A moment later, Aunt Qian from inside came out. She was still wearing an apron and ran to the door. She looked at Ni Jingxi and said happily, "Madam, you're back."
When Tang Mian learned that they were coming back, he quickly asked Aunt Qian to clean the house. He was worried that Aunt Qian wouldn't be able to keep up by herself, so he specially hired a cleaning team. Even the flowers and plants in the yard were trimmed.
Since getting off the plane, all Ni Jingxi has seen are familiar faces, including "Aunt Qian".
She called out, which made Aunt Qian show a slightly touched expression. Although she didn't know what had happened before, she could tell that something must have gone wrong since Ni Jingxi hadn't been home for a year.
Now that Ni Jingxi is back, she's happy for him too.
Old Xu behind them started unloading their luggage, and Ni Jingxi and Huo Shenyan entered the house together. When they reached the living room, Ni Jingxi looked at the painting hanging on the wall.
Huo Shenyan watched with her for a while.
Finally, Ni Jingxi's eyes revealed an indescribable emotion as she whispered, "This painting has always been here."
"Of course." Huo Shenyan thought she was upset, so he reached out and hugged her from behind, whispering, "It's always been there."
Ni Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief: "It's so expensive."
The man, who was about to speak, stiffened slightly, and all the tenderness he had just prepared vanished instantly. He shook his head helplessly.
When the two returned home, Aunt Qian had already prepared the meal.
Ni Jingxi hadn't had such authentic and delicious Chinese food in a long time. It's no exaggeration to say that she almost felt tears welling up in her eyes. She remembered that when everyone was chatting, they mentioned that a colleague had spent two years in Africa and, upon returning, ate a bowl of braised beef noodles at the airport, which brought tears to her eyes.
Ni Jingxi initially thought this was an exaggeration, but when she looked at the sumptuous feast on the table in front of her, she couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up with tears.
After finishing her meal, Ni Jingxi got up to pack her things.
Huo Shenyan, however, held her wrist and whispered, "Aunt Qian will take care of it later."
"So what do we do now?" Ni Jingxi asked, glancing left and right for a long time as she spoke.
It wasn't awkwardness, just a feeling of not knowing what to do. Logically, they had just gotten off the plane and should be catching up on sleep to adjust to the time difference.
But the thought of being with Huo Shenyan made Ni Jingxi feel a deep-seated nervousness.
I felt extremely shy.
That's not a good idea.
As expected, Huo Shenyan asked her, "Are you tired?"
Ni Jingxi hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering twice, and asked softly, "And you?"
Huo Shenyan lowered his head, his eyes deep: "It's alright."
The flight time wasn't short, and even though they returned on a private plane, it still wasn't as comfortable as sleeping in their own bed at home.
But men, how could they easily say they're tired?
After he finished speaking, Ni Jingxi across from him awkwardly said, "I'm alright too."
At this moment, Huo Shenyan could really tell that something was wrong with her. It was a strange feeling, not exactly aloofness, nor entirely shyness, but rather a rather complicated emotion.
After the two went upstairs and entered the bedroom, they were greeted by a pleasant fragrance.
It's the kind of food that's very light yet calming.
Ni Jingxi yawned, and Huo Shenyan reached out and patted her shoulder: "Go get some sleep, I still have some things to take care of."
Ni Jingxi nodded.
When she came out in a silk nightgown, Huo Shenyan had also changed into a set of loungewear, a cotton short-sleeved T-shirt and loose trousers, which looked quite comfortable.
Only Ni Jingxi had ever seen his home life.
After all, when he was out in public, Huo Shenyan always dressed impeccably, no matter the occasion.
Before their marriage was announced, someone posted a photo of him attending an economic forum. He was wearing a custom-made three-piece suit, and his clothes were so smooth that there wasn't a single wrinkle. The whole person exuded the word "abstinence".
However, the Weibo post from that marketing account read: "I really want to see what it looks like when he unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt."
That Weibo post was forwarded tens of thousands of times, and the comments section was filled with people clamoring to see it.
Ni Jingxi not only saw it, but also untied it herself.
"Why don't you rest first?" Ni Jingxi was really tired. The bed at home was specially made and so comfortable that she really felt like she was sleeping on a pile of soft clouds.
She lifted the thin blanket and got into bed, but Huo Shenyan shook his head.
He walked over and watched her lie down, then casually draped the blanket over her lower abdomen. "You should go to sleep first."
Ni Jingxi subconsciously grabbed his fingers. Because she was lying down, when she looked up at him, her eyes held a pleading look, and she asked in a soft voice, "Aren't you coming with me?"
Her voice was already beautiful, but now it had a soft, gentle quality unique to a spring afternoon, so soothing that it made you feel a tiny electric current coursing through your body.
That's fucking...
If it weren't for this immense self-control, Huo Shenyan felt he might not be human anymore the next second.
*
When Ni Jingxi got up, it was already late outside. She made a phone call to Tang Mi, since she hadn't told anyone she was coming back yet.
Tang Mi quickly answered the phone, her voice filled with surprise and delight: "Lord Ni."
"Where is it?" Ni Jingxi asked with a smile.
Tang Mi said, "Shanghai."
Ni Jingxi nodded: "That's a real coincidence, I'm also in Shanghai."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then Tang Mi screamed in surprise: "You're in Shanghai? You're actually in Shanghai? When did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?"
Sure enough, it's Tang Mi's style.
Ni Jingxi laughed at her question. She was nestled on the sofa in the living room when she caught a glimpse of a tall figure appearing at the corner of the stairs. She quickly said, "I just got back. Are you free these few days? Let's meet up."
Tang Mi: "Of course I'm free. I'm free right now."
Ni Jingxi watched as Huo Shenyan, wearing light gray slippers, slowly approached her. When he sat down, the sofa beneath her noticeably sank.
"Let's do it in a couple of days. I have some things to do tomorrow."
Without saying much, she hung up the phone.
Huo Shenyan looked at her and asked, "Tang Mi?"
"Yes, the company said they'd give me a two-week vacation. I can rest for two weeks and then go back to work." Ni Jingxi leaned back on the sofa.
She had always strived relentlessly, working hard so that everyone could see her efforts. This time, however, it was a time when she was too lazy to completely relax and rest.
Huo Shenyan asked her, "Where would you like to go for fun?"
Ni Jingxi shook her head without hesitation: "I don't want to go anywhere, I just want to stay home quietly."
This idea was quite unlike hers, but Huo Shenyan nodded: "Then lie down."
However, Ni Jingxi still looked at him and said, "Tomorrow I want to visit my grandma and my mom."
She hasn't visited their graves abroad in the past year.
My maternal grandparents only had one child, my mother, and my mother only had one child, her. If she doesn't go to pay respects to them, I'm afraid no one in this world will remember them.
It's often said that true death isn't physical death, but the moment the world completely forgets you.
Huo Shenyan reached out and ruffled her long hair, gently pulled her close to his shoulder, and whispered, "I'll go with you."
Unexpectedly, when I woke up the next day, Shanghai, which was sunny yesterday, was now covered with dark clouds.
Huo Shenyan didn't have the driver take them; instead, he drove Ni Jingxi there himself.
Before going there, Huo Shenyan made a special trip to the flower shop to buy fresh flowers and bring them with him.
When they arrived, a light drizzle had begun to fall. The two of them shared an umbrella and walked up to the top. Ni Jingxi then looked at the three tombstones standing side by side.
My maternal grandparents' graves are on the left and right sides, while my mother's is in the very center, as if the parents are gently embracing their child.
Ni Jingxi stepped forward and placed the flowers in her hand in front of the tombstone. She quietly looked at the photos of each person on the tombstone.
She turned to look at Huo Shenyan and said, "Suddenly I feel a little regretful."
Huo Shenyan looked at her calmly.
Ni Jingxi had a smile on her face, but her eyes were sparkling. She said softly, "You are the son-in-law that every mother-in-law dreams of, but unfortunately you have never heard my mother praise you."
It's truly a pity.
Ni Jingxi could even picture the scene: if her mother were still alive, the moment their marriage was announced, everyone would call her to congratulate her on having such a son-in-law.
But all of this was just a picture in her mind.
Huo Shenyan reached out and hugged her, finally unable to resist placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
After a long while, Ni Jingxi turned her head from his arms to look at the photo on the tombstone. It was a photo of her mother before she got sick, radiating youthful energy and looking particularly charming.
She blinked and whispered, "Mom, I'm sorry, I still couldn't bring Dad back."
Over the past year, she has contacted almost every journalist in the Middle East, but there has been no news.
She also understood that in a place like this, it would be too easy for someone to disappear without anyone noticing.
"I thought a lot before coming back this time. I've been bound by so many years of constraints." Ni Jingxi looked at her mother's tombstone and finally said what she wanted to say.
Huo Shenyan turned to look at her and couldn't help but take her hand in his.
They all knew what was binding Ni Jingxi. Ever since her father disappeared, the idea of finding him had taken root in her mind like a seed.
Until finally, it grew into vines that blocked out the sun, completely binding her.
She was so reluctant to move out of that dilapidated old house that she was afraid her father would not be able to find her or his way home when he came back.
As a result, this matter did not fade away with time; instead, it bound her tighter and tighter.
Especially when she learned that Huo Shenyan was involved in Ni Pingsen's disappearance, even though she knew that he had nothing to do with it and that it was not his fault, she still couldn't help but blame him.
This was the shackle in her life; she knew she was bound by it, yet she willingly succumbed to it.
Ni Jingxi tilted her head slightly, and the fine, continuous rain fell on her cheeks, leaving a faint trace at the corner of her eye.
Finally, as if making a firm decision, she looked at the tombstone and whispered, "Mom, I've decided to move on. So please forgive me."
It wasn't that she didn't want to bring her father back, but it was too heavy a burden, and the longer it went on, the tighter this burden bound her.