Chapter 20

The girl’s back was straight, her neck slender.

With her sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm, her wrist bones exposed, her fingers that touched the emerald green herbs appeared even more delicate and fair.

“I can read,” Ying Zijin leaned back and lazily looked up, “Everything is in the books.”

Fu Yunshen found that when she gazed at him with those misty eyes, full of distant fog and imminent rain, he somehow found himself at a loss for words.

Who could resist that?

After a few seconds of eye contact, the man bent a finger and lightly tapped the girl’s forehead, “You’re not allowed to read those kinds of books in the future.”

“Don’t want to,” Ying Zijin was fiddling with the electric pressure cooker, her head lowered, “That would be no fun.”

She even planned to buy some novels of the current era to relieve the boredom.

“Is big brother treating you to a meal?”

“Don’t want that either.”

Super heartless.

“…”

The girl spoke again, “At most—”

Fu Yunshen’s gaze softened as he looked at her.

She was quite serious, “I’ll take you with me to read it.”

Fu Yunshen’s expression paused for a moment, his lips curving up in a smile, “Take me with you to read it?”

Is that even a thing?

Ying Zijin yawned, feeling sleepy again, her eyes half-closed, “Mhm, after I learn how to shop online first.”

Fu Yunshen observed her languid manner but realized she was genuine in her thoughts, with no ulterior meaning.

Indeed, still a child.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

Fu Yunshen glanced at Ying Zijin to make sure she wouldn’t blow herself up, then stood up to take the call outside.

“The Seventh Young Master, come quickly,” it was Nie Chao who called, “We’re just waiting for you.”

Fu Yunshen casually said, “Nothing important, hanging up now.”

“Didn’t we agree to throw you a welcome party? How is that not something?” Nie Chao said, “Hurry up, at King Club, we’ve put everyone together for you, oh, and those few buddies of yours are here too, they’re all waiting for young master you.”

Fu Yunshen’s brows lifted, “How come I didn’t know I had such a thing?”

“Hey, it’s just a title, right? Aren’t we all from the Shanghai City wealthy families circle?” Nie Chao urged, “It’s the afternoon, what are you doing? Come have a drink with your brothers. Why do you never come when I call you?”

“I’m accompanying a child, so I won’t be going,” Fu Yunshen leaned against the door, “You guys have fun.”

On the other end, Nie Chao’s face showed shock as though he had been struck by lightning, and two words sprung to his mind—

Beast!

He even laid hands on such a little sister!

In the VIP room, the other young masters from wealthy families hadn’t heard the content of the call, but they were somewhat astonished to see Nie Chao’s expression: “What did The Seventh Young Master say?”

“Oh… he said he’s not coming,” Nie Chao came back to his senses after a while, “You guys go ahead, I’m going to make another call.”

As Shanghai City’s most diligent dude, he was determined to get the latest gossip firsthand.

**

Three hours later, the electric pressure cooker beeped.

Ying Zijin opened her eyes and lifted her hand to open the lid.

A light fragrance wafted out, refreshing the spirits.

Inside the pot, the perfectly formed pills were a deep green color, not too many or too few, exactly fifty.

She packed the pills in a medicine bottle she had purchased in advance, tidied up the mess on the floor, and pushed open the door.

The man was leaning casually against the wall, his slender fingers tapping on his phone. Hearing the noise, he looked up, “All done?”

Ying Zijin hadn’t expected him to be waiting outside, and was momentarily taken aback, “Why didn’t you come in?”

“I’m afraid of disturbing you,” Fu Yunshen said lazily, without saying much else.

He lowered his head, looked at the medicine bottle the girl handed him, and raised an eyebrow: “Kidney tonic?”

“No,” Ying Zijin slung her backpack over one shoulder, “It’s for prolonging life.”

It had the effect of tonifying the kidney, but it could also nourish the liver and stomach.

“Hmm? I need to prolong my life at this age?” Fu Yunshen asked with interest. Despite this, he still carefully stored the medicine bottle and then asked, “Shall we eat?”

“I need to leave the city for a bit,” Ying Zijin glanced at her phone, “I’ll treat you to a meal in a few days.”

“Leave the city?”

“Yes, returning to Qingshui County.”

The medical facilities in Qingshui County couldn’t compare to those in Shanghai City.

Wen Fengmian had lived a frugal life. He definitely wouldn’t be willing to spend the hundred thousand the Ying Family gave him. It had been a year, and who knew how he was doing now.

“Today is January Fifteenth…” As if remembering something, Fu Yunshen’s eyes turned colder, and the smile at the corner of his lips faded.

But as he turned his head, the peach blossom eyes were alight with laughter once more, calling out, “Kid.”

Ying Zijin turned her head: “Hmm?”

“Brother has nowhere to go today,” he said, drawing out his words, with a hint of laughter in his platinum-colored pupils, “What do you think, should you take me in for a bit?”

“…”

**

By seven thirty in the evening, the sky was completely dark, with fireworks occasionally bursting in the night sky.

Wen Fengmian took out flour from the old-fashioned refrigerator and had just reached the cooking counter when he started coughing violently. It took a while before he could stop.

Just as he was preparing to boil water, someone knocked on the door.

After cleaning his hands, Wen Fengmian coughed a few more times before going to answer: “Who’s there?”

At this late hour, it would be unusual for someone to drop by.

When he opened the door and looked out, he was stunned.

The girl stood under the eaves, her black hair touched by the moonlight, hazy, and not quite clear.

Even after a year apart, she hadn’t changed.

Wen Fengmian swallowed hard, not daring to believe.

His voice trembled severely, and it took him a long time to utter two words: “…Yaoyao?”

“It’s me.” Ying Zijin supported his arm, steadying him, “Be careful not to fall.”

Without a hint of emotion, she tested his pulse and had her assessment.

Wen Fengmian’s health was even worse than she had initially thought.

Years of heavy labor had already crushed him.

After getting a definite reply, Wen Fengmian didn’t snap out of it for a long time.

He stood dazed for a while before grasping her hand, his tone both urgent and harsh: “Yaoyao, why did you come back from the Ying Family? Aren’t they with you?”

After looking the girl up and down, his expression grew more serious: “Tell dad, did those people mistreat you over there?”

A very ordinary sentence could easily strike at the heart, making one crumble.

“Nothing of the sort happened. I just had the time today to come and see you,” Ying Zijin pressed down on Wen Fengmian’s shoulder and smiled lightly, “I was wrong not to visit you this past year.”

If she could have come to her senses earlier, the events of a year ago wouldn’t have happened.

Only then did Wen Fengmian’s worries subside, and he turned to wipe his eyes, trying to calm his breathing, which was still violently fluctuating, and his voice still trembled: “That you could come back… dad is already very happy.”

After all, considering the words the Ying Family had said, he thought he would never see her again in his lifetime.

Ying Zijin helped him into the house: “Is it just you at home?”

“Yuyu has classes today,” Wen Fengmian coughed again but then gave a laugh, “However, she should be back soon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than outside the courtyard—

“Dad, I’m back. I bought some meat today so tonight we can…”

The words stopped abruptly upon seeing the girl.