Chapter 313

"Isn't Sister Hua Hua here?" "Little Hua..." Li Xue paused slightly, a hint of longing flashing in her eyes. Then, as if remembering something, she replied with a light smile, "She's on leave. She won't be back to work for a few days." "Oh, I see..." Watching the two energetic girls go inside to play with the cats, Li Xue couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Time had passed so quickly without her realizing it. She remembered how she had first met Hua Xin a year ago. But by now, Little Hua was probably already seriously considering meeting her parents, right? Li Xue chuckled, recalling Qingshan's awkward expression when he met her parents. It's said that fathers-in-law are always envious of their sons-in-law, and mothers-in-law are always disgusted by their daughters-in-law, but any elder would probably treat a girl like Little Hua like a treasure, right? Li Xue glanced at the cat diary hanging on the wall, her mood unusually reserved. Then, she quietly went to the kitchen, looking at Qingshan's back with a hint of pride and said, "I'll go eat barbecue tonight, as you say." "I'm not cooking!" Shan Qing turned around upon hearing this, hastily wiping his hands to hide his unease at having Li Xue speak first what he had wanted to say but hadn't had a chance to. He then stepped forward and gently embraced Li Xue, whispering in her ear, "Then..." "Happy 13th wedding anniversary, wife." "What wife? I'm almost forty, I should call you old hag." But despite saying that, Li Xue continued slowly, "Happy 13th anniversary, husband." "Unlike the passionate and romantic feelings of young couples in the throes of new love, growing old together across time is a difficult thing to achieve. But for most people, this kind of simple happiness is what ordinary people yearn for most. The choices they make for the rest of their lives are something they must carefully consider. Because... At this moment, Hua Xin was folding clothes in her room, quietly looked at the pure white dress Xia Yan had given her, recalling the events of this past summer. The vibrant beach, the cool sea breeze, and... the sincere promises and the resolute determination. The girl meticulously folded the dress and then put it into her suitcase. She didn't have much luggage. Turning back to the living room to rest briefly, she glanced at Chun Qiu outside the window, already floating away." Light snowflakes. Hua Xin paused for a moment, then smiled gently. After getting dressed, she stuffed Chun Qiu into the cat carrier, picked up the cat carrier and suitcase, and walked out of the unusually small house. A "click" sound signified her departure from her second "home." One year, two years, even three years and a very, very long time ago. She never imagined that her life would undergo such a significant change, or rather, such a near-earth-shattering transformation. Another winter has come, many things have changed, yet many things remain the same. But no matter how time flows, no matter how the world changes. Back to the previous point. The second half of one's life is a choice one must make for oneself. Because... she will never meet a boyfriend as good as Xia Yan in her life... 237. Woman, you are playing with fire. "Uh... cough..." "Uh... cough..." "Cough... uh..." "If your throat really hurts, you can go to the hospital to see a doctor first." Hua Xin pursed her slightly pale lips, then stopped chopping scallions with a blank expression and said in a deep voice, as if she felt a special awkwardness just standing there, causing a faint sense of helplessness to always be on her mind. Originally, she had planned that since she was now living under someone else's roof, she would have to go along with his mood in other ways, after all, he was obliged to do what he asked for. But even so, the girl couldn't stand that he had been deliberately coughing intermittently for several minutes. Couldn't he just say what he wanted to say directly? Xia Yan seemed to have heard the questioning tone in Hua Xin's voice, and then, abandoning his previous gentle and tactful manner, he continued to process the fresh shrimp in the pool without looking up, while slightly raising the corners of his mouth and saying in a feigned calm tone, "Pants." "Pants?" Hua Xin took a step back, somewhat puzzled, then lowered her head. The first thing she saw was a small, delicate foot in slippers, still damp from a recent shower. Her neatly trimmed nails looked adorable on her tiny toes. What was so strange about that? Could it be that Xia Yan was a foot fetishist but too embarrassed to admit it? Heh... Knowing all about men's strange fetishes, the girl obviously didn't feel any particular disdain. In fact, she even felt a hint of mischief at Xia Yan's innocent, budding appearance. Moving her gaze upwards, her eyes fell on his straight, slender legs. Having Thirteen Spices a diet of spicy food, various green vegetables, PDD (Personalized Shopping) supplies, and various vitamins to survive, Hua Xin was already quite thin. This led to... Although she appeared tall and slender, she was actually quite thin. Even so, her legs still had a perfect curve. Having seen nothing amiss, the girl shifted her gaze slightly upwards. Only between her knees and upper thighs did fabric appear; gray-black shorts covered this area, her panties not showing, and the shorts showed no signs of damage. The slightly oversized hem of her short-sleeved shirt hung normally over her shorts. A small question mark appeared in Hua Xin's mind. There was nothing there. What was Xia Yan being so sensitive about? Was he deliberately teasing her again? This guy was definitely doing it on purpose; considering Xia Yan's past history of "humor," Hua Xin had plenty of reason to believe the truth was... So it is. Ever since that day in the school pavilion when she confessed everything and a series of scenes that made her blush every time she thought about them, whether it was shame or an avoidance mentality, Hua Xin deliberately ignored Xia Yan for a while after that day, and even chose to sit separately from Xia Yan in class, until a period of time after the final exams, which is now when things returned to normal. Well, that's what she said. Xia Yan didn't complain or object to this, and continued to be a carefree person online as before. However, it's normal for Xia Yan to feel a little wronged. But isn't being a tsundere a privilege of beautiful girls? Xia Yan dared to be so bold; she's no ordinary person, and we have to strike hard! Wait... Just as Hua Xin was about to launch into a fierce attack and express her doubts, she suddenly realized something and swallowed back the words she was about to say. She rarely dressed like this when she was home alone—a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, a cool outfit only worn in the sweltering summer to cope with the lack of air conditioning and fans. In winter, she mostly stayed home wrapped in a small blanket, or wore a down jacket while squatting in front of the computer playing games; she would never dress like this in the cold season. After all, she didn't want to freeze to death this winter. (At least she wanted to die well.) And when she arrived at Xia Yan's house earlier, helping him move luggage and tidy up the room had taken a lot of effort and energy... Hua Xin, who had never experienced this kind of environment before, rarely...