Chapter 663: Chapter 364: Handover of the Little Western-Style Building
Last night, it wasn’t just Wen Shulin waiting for Chen Cheng to come inside.
Li Ya and Mei Xiang didn’t sleep a wink either, the two of them exchanging glances, imagining countless possibilities.
Let’s go back to last night.
“Sister Meixiang, when do you think Uncle will come?” Li Ya tossed and turned, asking this question so many times she’d lost count.
Mei Xiang glanced at the time, it was already three in the morning, “He should be here soon, right? Just wait a little longer.” She said this, but in her heart, she wasn’t sure.
“But I’ve been waiting so long…” Li Ya said with a pout, “Doesn’t Uncle like me anymore?”
“How could that be?” Mei Xiang consoled her, “Brother Cheng must’ve been delayed by something.”
She was also a bundle of nerves; with such a good opportunity, why hadn’t Chen Cheng come in yet?
“Is he coming or not…” Li Ya frowned, “Logically speaking, if he didn’t like me, Sister Meixiang, why are you still here?”
Mei Xiang was taken aback by Li Ya’s words, but soon regained her composure, though she too began to overthink, “Li Ya, do you think Brother Cheng might…”
“Might what?”
“Sister Xiao Er and Aunt Wen went to bed early, so in the entire courtyard, it’s just the two of us, Miss Meng, and Yu Xinwei who are still up.”
“Do you mean Uncle went to them?”
“Then why else hasn’t he come yet?” Mei Xiang countered.
Li Ya frowned deeper, then realized, “No, no!”
“What’s wrong?”
“The two of us are sharing a room, Uncle wouldn’t dare come in!” Li Ya sat up briskly and started getting dressed, “Sister Meixiang, I’m switching rooms and then I’ll message Uncle!”
Mei Xiang saw her about to leave, “Can you find the way? It’s so cold outside.”
“No problem! No problem!” Li Ya hastily put on her clothes, jumped out of bed, and prepared to dash outside.
Mei Xiang watched her rush about, feeling full of worry, and quickly got up to put on a coat too, “Wait for me, I don’t feel at ease letting you go alone.”
Li Ya was in no mood to wait, she had already opened the door, and a gust of cold wind blew in, making her shiver, but this didn’t lessen her determination to find Chen Cheng.
The two of them tiptoed through the corridor, everything around them was silent, only the sound of their footsteps echoed loudly in the still night.
Li Ya kept glancing back as she walked, urging Mei Xiang, “Sister Meixiang, hurry up!”
Mei Xiang jogged a few steps to keep up, whispering, “Keep it down, don’t wake the others.”
When they reached the center of the courtyard, Li Ya suddenly stopped, and Mei Xiang nearly bumped into her.
Li Ya’s eyes were wide open, pointing ahead, her voice trembling with excitement and nervousness, “Sister Meixiang, look!”
Mei Xiang followed the direction she was pointing and saw Wen Shulin walking towards the greenhouse.
“Mommy actually…” Li Ya was in disbelief.
Mei Xiang was also stunned, she never expected the usually proud Wen Shulin would lower herself to sneak around looking for Chen Cheng.
The two girls exchanged a glance, Li Ya whispered, “Sister Meixiang, what should we do?”
Mei Xiang sighed helplessly, “Seems like Brother Cheng won’t be coming tonight.”
Seeing Li Ya looking a bit down, “Let’s go back.”
Li Ya took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
Even though she knew about her mother’s relationship with Chen Cheng, she never thought her usually principled mother would do such a thing.
“Hmph!” Li Ya wasn’t sure whether to be angry, but in the end, she simply followed Mei Xiang back to their room dejectedly.
Once back under the warm covers, both girls stared at the ceiling, “How could this happen?” Li Ya was puzzled.
“Yeah, how could Aunt Wen do such a thing?”
…
…
In the kitchen, the four of them looked at each other.
Li Ya didn’t answer Wen Shulin’s question, just stared at her intensely.
Wen Shulin thought her earlier “boldness” might have troubled Li Ya, she quickly walked over to her, “Sweetheart, what’s with the pout?”
“I…”
Before Li Ya could say anything, Chen Cheng spoke up, “Just in time, we have to eat tangyuan on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Come, hurry.”
“Right, Mr. Chen made lots of tangyuan.” Wen Shulin said with a smile, “Isn’t it your favorite?”
“I…”
Li Ya had a million things to say, but when she met Chen Cheng’s stern gaze, she swallowed her words.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Li Ya said, “Sister Meixiang hogged the blankets.”
“What? Oh! Sorry!” Mei Xiang immediately understood, and bowed deeply to Wen Shulin, “Sorry, Aunt Wen, I didn’t take good care of Li Ya.”
Wen Shulin was well aware of her daughter’s temperament, “It’s okay, Mei Xiang. Come on, let’s eat some tangyuan.”
The three of them sat at the table, looking at the round, white tangyuan in their bowls and the busy Chen Cheng at the stove, all distracted.
“Oh? You two are already up?”
Xiao Meier returned from washing up and entered the kitchen, “I thought you’d sleep a bit longer.”
Wen Shulin warmly invited, “Xiao Er, come sit down. We were just waiting for you.”
Chen Cheng also turned around and said, “The new batch of tangyuan will be ready soon.”
About seven to eight minutes later, the five of them gathered around the small dining table.
Xiao Meier smiled and said, “Sister Lin, back in my hometown, it’s tradition to eat tangyuan on the first day of the New Year, so Xiao Cheng made these. I hope you all like them.”
Wen Shulin smiled gently back at Xiao Meier, “Xiao Er, these tangyuan look so enticing, I absolutely love them.”
But Li Ya just kept her head down, absentmindedly poking at the tangyuan in her bowl, not really having an appetite.
Mei Xiang sneaked a glance at Li Ya, then looked at the others, taking a bite, “Delicious!”
Xiao Meier turned to Li Ya with concern, “Li Ya, why aren’t you eating? Is it not to your taste? Should I make you something else?”