’After all she’d sacrificed and endured, this little bit of humiliation was nothing.’
But Lin Nian never expected an uninvited guest to show up while the barbershop was so busy. Looking at the familiar yet strange Li Xiaomei, Lin Nian quickly put on a smile and went to greet her, saying, "Hello! It’s been a while. You’re looking younger and younger."
Li Xiaomei was thoroughly pleased by the compliment.
It had to be said, as someone with more life experience, she knew exactly what Lin Nian was thinking.
Besides, Lin Nian was sensible and obedient, and she had doted on Xiao Feng, which Li Xiaomei had once considered a rather good quality.
It was just a shame her family’s circumstances were so poor.
The wife of her son, Xiao Feng, had to be someone who could improve his standing in the future—not a country girl like Lin Nian, who hadn’t even gone to college and had suffered a miscarriage.
But with so many people in the salon, and Li Xiaomei being particularly concerned with her reputation these days, she simply said to Lin Nian, "Are you free right now? Come outside, let’s talk."
"Alright." Lin Nian had a pretty good idea what Li Xiaomei wanted. ’I know this woman well. She was one thing when she was just a nurse, but now that she’s suddenly a rich man’s wife—something she worked at for so long—she must be bursting with pride.
’But no matter what, her reputation is the most important thing to her.’
But whether it was Sun Lili or Li Xiaomei, Lin Nian didn’t really see either of them as a threat.
In truth, there was only one rival she was ever wary of.
And that was Qin Jiao.
Meanwhile, Qin Jiao, the very person Lin Nian dreaded so much, was being pulled into a tea house by Shen Yi. They had been running around all day and had accomplished a lot, but they were also completely exhausted. For lunch, they had only eaten some bread and hadn’t had a proper meal.
Qin Jiao was feeling the fatigue. Even though her body had been transformed by the Spiritual Spring Water and was much healthier, she had walked far too much today.
If she had a pedometer, it probably would have shown at least thirty thousand steps.
But Shen Yi said, "No matter how busy or tired you are, your health is the most important thing. Don’t think you can just ignore it because you’re young! If you won’t take care of your body, your husband certainly won’t approve!"
’His words started out normally enough, but that last part felt a little off.’
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Qin Jiao followed him into the tea house. Shen Yi proceeded to order a huge spread of afternoon tea, with all sorts of dim sum.
Har gow, steamed chicken feet, pineapple buns, stir-fried noodles... Shen Yi had ordered enough food for three or four people.
Qin Jiao was speechless. "There’s no way we can finish all this!"
"We can finish it. After we eat, we can take a walk in the park by the river to help digest and enjoy the scenery."
"Alright." ’He already ordered, so we might as well eat. We can just take home whatever we can’t finish, anyway.’
Qin Jiao gazed at Shen Yi’s profile, which looked especially warm under the restaurant’s orange lighting.
Without looking up, Shen Yi placed a steamed chicken foot on Qin Jiao’s plate. A smile played on his lips as he said, "What’s wrong? Stunned by how handsome your husband is?"
"...Knock it off, you. And for the record, your current title is ’boyfriend.’ Try not to forget that."
Shen Yi’s brows furrowed. "It’s just a matter of being made permanent after the probationary period, right? Jiao Jiao, don’t you feel like with the way things are between us, it would be hard for this to end in anything but marriage?"
"What, you think you’ve got me in the bag? That I couldn’t possibly live without you? People can get divorced even after they’re married, and we haven’t even gotten our marriage license yet."
Shen Yi quickly corrected himself. "No, I’m not the one who has you in the bag—you’re the one who has me wrapped around your finger. That’s why I’m going to do everything in my power to treat you well, so I can get promoted from intern to full-time employee ahead of schedule."