binnovel Chapter 274 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 12
Chapter 274 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 12
Lu Yan led her toward the group of children.
Jiang Shuwan's wrist was gripped in his palm, and even through the thick down jacket sleeves, she could feel his steady strength.
The night breeze carried the sounds of children's laughter and the sulfurous smell of burnt fireworks, creating a festive atmosphere that was even more palatable than the New Year's celebrations on television.
"Little friend, can I borrow a light?" Lu Yan stopped and spoke in a very soft voice, which was completely different from his usual coldness.
"Yes you can!"
The little girl with the pink hair tie readily handed over the half-burnt incense stick in her hand, and then pointed to the sparkler in Jiang Shuwan's hand, "You have to hold this up high quickly after you light it, it burns really fast!"
"Okay, thank you." Lu Yan took it and bent down to tap the fairy wand in Jiang Shuwan's hand.
"Crack-"
A spark suddenly burst open, and warm yellow light fell in a flurry, illuminating his downcast profile, his eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Jiang Shuwan held up the sparkler and looked at the light reflected in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt her heart start beating uncontrollably again.
"Here you go." Lu Yan returned the incense stick to the little girl, then picked up a sparkler and brought it over, letting the sparks lick the top.
Two sparklers burned in the night, like two small, dancing bonfires.
The fireworks set off by the children around me also shot into the night sky with a "whoosh," exploding into a sky full of gold and red.
Amidst the crackling sounds, Jiang Shuwan heard him suddenly speak; his voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated her ears.
“Jiang Shuwan,” he turned to look at her, his eyes shining brighter than fireworks, “I take back what I just said, and I’ll say it again.”
He paused, as if afraid the news would steal his words, and said, word by word, "I want to spend every New Year's Eve with you from now on, to spend many, many years with you. Will you say yes?"
Jiang Shuwan paused, her hand holding the sparkler still. The wind blew her hair across her face, tickling her, just like the tingling sensation he felt at that moment.
She sniffed, her voice trembling slightly, but deliberately raised her chin: "Barely... barely romantic. But next year for New Year's Eve, you'll have to make up for it with a huge bouquet of flowers."
"Okay." He smiled and agreed, reaching out to pull her into his arms. "Now, holding you should be legal, right?"
Jiang Shuwan buried her face in his clothes and made a muffled "hmm" sound, as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but he heard it clearly.
The spark of the sparkler gradually died out, leaving only warm embers.
Fireworks continued to burst in the distance, illuminating the intertwined shadows of the two people, stretching long and thin on the ground.
……
The next day, Jiang Shuwan was awakened by the thin winter sunlight streaming through the window.
She groggily reached for her phone, and just as the screen lit up, a WeChat message popped up.
LY: "Come have breakfast when you wake up."
Jiang Shuwan instantly snapped awake, her eyes widening as she typed rapidly.
Evening Breeze (/w＼): "!!!!!!!"
Evening Breeze (/w＼): "Lu Yan! Do we have some kind of telepathic connection?! I just opened my eyes and you already sent me a message!! Is this the unspoken understanding between lovers?!"
She could almost picture the person on the other end raising an eyebrow when they saw the message.
Sure enough, the reply came very quickly.
LY: "Perhaps you could check what time it is now."
Jiang Shuwan was taken aback and looked at the top of her phone screen—10:47 AM.
Evening Breeze (/w＼): "...Oh."
Evening Breeze (/w＼): "It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, what's wrong with sleeping in! [Unreasonable yet self-righteous.jpg]"
She quickly got up, washed up as fast as she could, changed into a coral fleece pajama, tied her hair into a loose bun, and cheerfully rushed towards 1801 with a bare face.
The door was ajar, and she pushed it open.
The warm air, mixed with the aroma of food, wafted towards us.
Lu Yan was standing in front of the stove, his back to her, something was sizzling in the pot.
"Lu Yan! I'm here!" Jiang Shuwan skipped over and peeked out from behind him. "Wow, fried eggs! And millet porridge! It smells so good!"
"Go sit down." Lu Yan didn't even turn his head, and skillfully flipped the fried egg over.
Jiang Shuwan obediently sat down at the dining table, resting her chin on her hands, watching his busy figure in the kitchen.
When he brought out the fried eggs, millet porridge, and a few refreshing side dishes, she immediately went into "excitement mode":
"Lu Yan, Lu Yan, what should we do today? It's the first day of the new year! Shall we go see a movie? Or stroll around that newly opened trendy street? I heard the New Year's atmosphere there is amazing! Oh, right, we can also go to the arcade! Let's have a claw machine competition! Of all the 100 things couples must do, we can accomplish several today!"
Her eyes sparkled, she spoke rapidly, and her cheeks flushed with excitement as she began counting the plans on her fingers.
Lu Yan sat down opposite her, served himself a bowl of porridge, and listened quietly to her chatter.
Sunlight streamed through the window, falling directly on her face, making her look fluffy and full of energy.
However, as he looked at it, he frowned slightly.
"Jiang Shuwan," Lu Yan interrupted her rambling.
"Huh?" She stopped and looked at him in confusion.
Lu Yan put down the spoon, leaned forward slightly, reached out and gently touched her forehead with the back of his hand.
It was scalding hot to the touch.
His brows furrowed immediately.
“You have a fever,” he said with certainty.
"Huh? No way?" Jiang Shuwan raised her hand and touched her forehead. "I'm just...maybe I just woke up and the room was so warm because of the heating? Besides, I feel great, full of energy!"
To prove it, she even waved her arm vigorously.
Lu Yan got up and took out an electronic thermometer from the TV cabinet drawer, then came back and placed it on her forehead.
Jiang Shuwan wilted slightly and muttered softly, "You're definitely making a fuss over nothing... I'm perfectly fine..."
Before he could finish speaking, the thermometer beeped twice: 38.6°C.
His face darkened, and his voice was filled with regret: "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I made you stand in the cold wind for half a day yesterday."
Jiang Shuwan was stunned when she saw the number. She paused for a moment before waving her hand and saying, "It's not your fault. I insisted on watching the fireworks a little longer."
"Can you still drink the millet porridge?" He put away the thermometer and softened his tone. "If you can't, go lie down in bed for a while, and I'll go find you some medicine."
"what……"
Jiang Shuwan's face fell, and she poked the rim of her bowl with some resentment. "Is our first day together going to be this boring? I think I'm doing fine now; I can still go shopping and see movies..."
She stared at him expectantly, blinking hard to try and appear more convincing.
Lu Yan felt both sorry for her and amused as he watched her, who was clearly already looking listless but still trying to muster the energy to go out.
"Jiang, if you insist on dragging your 38-degree fever to complete your 'Day 6 Must-Do List'—"
He paused, looking at her eyes, which were unusually moist but somewhat unfocused due to the fever, and added a touch of deliberate seriousness to his tone:
"Our first day together might be spent 'romantic' on an IV chair in the emergency room, surrounded by the smell of disinfectant. Which would you choose?"
Jiang Shuwan was speechless for a moment, then stretched out her arms and opened them like a spoiled child: "I don't want to choose either one, I want you to carry me to lie down."
Lu Yan smiled helplessly, bent down and picked her up horizontally.
She was lighter than I had imagined, and she was very well-behaved when nestled in his arms, even rubbing her head against his chest.
"Princess carry achieved!" She nestled in his arms, her voice muffled but unable to hide her joy, like a child who had just received candy.
Lu Yan looked down at the person in his arms, then walked steadily toward the bedroom, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.