The next day, Li Wu dressed smartly and carried out the New Year gifts he had prepared long ago from the guest room, handing them over to Cen Jin for her inspection.
There was tea, wine, pearls, and some DIY crafts. Cen Jin picked them out with pleasant surprise and asked, "How did you know my mom likes these?"
Li Wu raised an eyebrow slightly. "When I stayed at your house during the summer break of senior year, your mom often embroidered these."
"You're so attentive," Cen Jin couldn't help but praise him. "She'll be delighted when she sees them."
"I hope so." Li Wu wasn't entirely confident.
Cen Jin pinched the tip of his nose. "Have some faith in yourself."
A little after ten o'clock, the two returned to the villa.
Cen's Father and Cen's Mother happened to be decorating in the yard, one above and one below, setting up a short ladder to hang red lanterns on the tree branches.
They were murmuring to each other, discussing where to hang them for the best effect, and hadn't yet noticed the younger couple quietly approaching the gate.
Seeing this, Li Wu quickly set down what he was carrying and strode over to help.
Only then did Cen's Mother notice his arrival. She was slightly surprised and patted her husband. "Qiaoyuan, come down and let Li Wu hang them."
At the sight of Li Wu, Cen's Father beamed with joy and immediately turned to look for his daughter. "You're back."
"Yeah..." Cen Jin's tone was soft. "Happy New Year, Mom and Dad."
Cen's Father climbed down the ladder. "Happy New Year to you too, Jinjin and Xiaowu!"
Li Wu felt slightly nervous, his face flushing with warmth, but he still spoke clearly and delivered his holiday greetings: "Happy New Year, Uncle and Aunt."
Cen's Father raised his arm and gestured meaningfully. "Xiaowu has grown taller again, almost reaching the sky."
Cen Jin curved her lips into a smile and exchanged a knowing glance with her father.
Ignoring the subtle interaction between father and daughter, Cen's Mother handed the remaining lanterns to Li Wu. "You can hang these as you see fit."
Li Wu was flattered and quickly accepted them. "Okay."
The young man was tall and lanky, needing only to step onto two rungs of the ladder to effortlessly reach every branch.
He worked with remarkable efficiency, and in no time, the dry, monotonous tree was revitalized, as if laden with bright, plump red persimmons.
Cen's Mother praised him while teasing her husband. "Young people work so deftly. Not like you, all clumsy."
"I'm old, and Xiaowu is young," Cen's Father grumbled softly. "How can you compare?"
Li Wu's ears turned red as he straightened the tassels under the last small lantern before going back to retrieve the New Year gifts.
"You bought so much," Cen's Father said with a smile, following him and patting Li Wu's arm. As in previous years, he made small talk, asking when Li Wu's holiday had started.
Li Wu replied, "Mid-January."
Cen Jin went to pester her mother. At first, Cen's Mother resisted, but Cen Jin clung to her stubbornly until her mother reluctantly let her daughter lead her along.
The two men walked ahead, engaged in conversation.
Cen Jin asked her mother softly, "So, what do you think? Isn't the boyfriend I brought back this year handsome?"
Cen's Mother snorted dismissively and said nothing.
"Is he handsome or not?" Cen Jin shook her mother's arm, eager for an answer.
"Can handsomeness fill your stomach?"
Cen Jin widened her eyes as if she had found common ground. "It really can! Just looking at his face makes me eat an extra bowl of rice. You should try it later—take a good look."
Cen's Mother couldn't hold back a laugh and then swatted her daughter's fair hand. "Move it!"
Cen Jin obediently let go, her tone turning serious. "Mom, thank you."
Cen's Mother paused and fell silent, exhaling with a mix of resignation and relief.
—
As lunch drew to a close, Li Wu breathed a sigh of relief, his heart, which had been hovering in anxiety for a month, finally settling firmly on the ground.Cen Jin's parents treated him no differently than in previous years; they did not become cold or distant because of his changed status.
His heart was filled with a warm, golden gratitude.
After eating and drinking his fill, the young man helped Cen's Mother clear the table and brought the dishes to the kitchen to wash.
Cen's Mother repeatedly insisted it wasn't necessary, but he insisted on rushing over to do it.
In the end, Cen's Mother had no choice but to stand by the sink and watch as he efficiently rinsed the bowls, placed them one by one into the dishwasher, and wiped the entire kitchen spotless, leaving not a trace of grease.
To be honest, aside from being too young and having limited financial means, there really wasn't much to criticize about Li Wu.
He was tall and handsome, and although still a student, he clearly had the makings of a reliable, high-quality prospect—especially his attitude, which was far better than Wu Fu's when he first visited their home.
Her former son-in-law had never shown such sincerity and earnestness; after meals, he would sit across from Cen's Father at the tea table like some grand official, as if they were national leaders holding negotiations.
Ah.
If only he weren't just twenty years old—if he were five years older, her heart wouldn't feel so conflicted, alternating between relief and worry.
When Li Wu finished wringing out the cloth and handed it over, Cen's Mother initiated a conversation: "Li Wu, are you getting along well with your Jinjin sister?"
Li Wu paused slightly: "Quite well."
Cen's Mother asked: "Do you know why she got divorced back then?"
Li Wu thought for a moment: "Not very clearly."
"My daughter isn't easy to get along with, is she?" Cen's Mother probed.
Li Wu shook his head: "Not at all. I think I'm the one who's not easy to get along with."
Cen's Mother laughed: "Where are you hard to get along with? I see you're like a soft persimmon around Jinjin, completely under her thumb."
Li Wu didn't deny it.
"But I'm afraid," Cen's Mother hung the cloth to dry and sighed almost inaudibly, "her previous husband was also exceptionally good to her at first, yet within two years of marriage, he claimed the feelings were gone just like that."
Li Wu's expression was earnest, as if making a vow: "I would never."
Cen's Mother glanced at him, analyzing his expression and tone: "Jinjin's personality is a mix of her father's and mine—soft-hearted but sharp-tongued. My temper has never been great, and I'm not very tactful—stubborn about pride, blunt and straightforward. She takes after me in some ways, so she especially needs someone who can handle her temper and genuinely embrace and cherish her. It's not that I lack confidence in you, Auntie is just afraid it'll end up like last time—all effort for nothing. Matters of the heart are so hard to predict, and you're so much younger than her... You're still young and can withstand changes, but Jinjin can't bear it anymore."
Li Wu remained neither humble nor pushy, speaking seriously: "Auntie, actually, I'm also a straightforward person."
Cen's Mother was taken aback: "I can't tell."
Li Wu said: "It's like this when I'm with Cen Jin. Our current way of interacting is to speak directly, communicate together, and solve problems together, avoiding any mutual suspicion or resentment."
Cen's Mother blinked: "She's willing to talk to you too?"
Li Wu: "Mm."
Cen's Mother nodded: "That's good."
Cen's Mother asked another question: "Where is your household registration now? Still in Yunfeng Village?"
Li Wu responded with an "Mm": "After I graduate the year after next, I can directly settle my household registration here."Cen's Mother nodded with a sighing smile: "It's truly remarkable. Back when Jinjin sponsored you, it was because her father and I noticed her marriage wasn't going smoothly. We consulted a fortune teller and followed their advice to sponsor students in the southern mountains, which led us to you. Who could have predicted this would be the resolution? I still wonder whether it was a calamity or a cure."
After she finished speaking, Li Wu seemed to grasp something. He stood frozen for a long moment before finally removing his apron, wiping his hands, and returning to the living room.
Cen Jin was lounging on the sofa, distractedly playing with her phone while secretly glancing toward the kitchen. When she saw Li Wu return, she eagerly asked, "What did my mom say to you?"
Li Wu truthfully replied, "She told me to treat you well."
"And?"
"That's all."
Cen Jin fixed her gaze on him: "What did you say?"
Li Wu curved his lips: "My answer was already written in the letter."
Cen Jin snorted lightly: "I want to hear you say it."
Li Wu looked at her quietly: "I'll always stay by your side."
Cen Jin shuddered, vigorously rubbing her arms: "Ugh~ I can't stand it."
Li Wu: "..." If he didn't speak she'd be displeased, but when he told the truth she found it cheesy. Being a boyfriend was truly difficult.
Having laughed enough and teased him sufficiently, Cen Jin tossed him a bag of shrimp crackers: "Here, little brother, your reward for the sweet talk."
Li Wu caught it with one hand, opened the bag, and crunched through one like a hamster before asking, "Aren't you going to ask about your New Year's gift?"
Cen Jin straightened up: "Oh right, I almost forgot."
She stretched out her arms, curling her fingers a few times like a little girl asking for candy: "Hand it over quickly."
Li Wu pretended to be profound, rummaging in his pocket for a long time before finally producing something booklet-shaped and slapping it into her palm: "Here."
Cen Jin tilted her head and took it, surprised to find it was a passbook? She looked back at him in disbelief.
Li Wu revealed his dimples without speaking.
Cen Jin flipped through a few pages - the accounts were clear, with only deposits and no withdrawals. She couldn't quite control the curve of her lips: "You're serious about this?"
Li Wu said calmly: "I keep my promises."
"How old-fashioned—" Cen Jin's words contradicted her actions as she cherished his passbook: "Who still uses passbooks these days, especially a twenty-year-old boy."
"You said my mental age is already over fifty."
"Which proves everything I say is truth," Cen Jin flipped to the last page, counting the amount with her fingertip before exhaling lightly: "There really is this much. You weren't exaggerating in your letter."
Li Wu still smiled: "Of course not."
After studying it back and forth for a while, Cen Jin finally returned it with a smile: "You don't need to give it to me. Keep it - I appreciate the sentiment."
"Even if I keep it, it's still yours."
"I know, but I still want you to keep it," Cen Jin's gaze softened: "Be good to yourself, buy more things you like. Having sufficient material security brings added peace of mind. I don't want the little guy I like to live frugally."
"Having you by my side is already enough security," Li Wu glanced toward the now-empty kitchen, emboldened as he moved to sit beside Cen Jin: "Just like this."
Their hands naturally found each other, fingers intertwining. Cen Jin sighed dejectedly: "But I don't feel very secure now."
Li Wu looked puzzled, his eyes confused: "Why?"
"You're so capable, saving this much money so soon after starting university. At this rate, you'll probably leave me behind in just a few years."Li Wu said, "Isn't that great? You'll have someone to rely on."
Cen Jin mumbled, "What's so great about it? By the time you reach my age, I'll be forty years old. If I end up inferior to you in every way, wouldn't that be terrible?"
She suddenly broke free from the restraint of his fingers, clutching her head in frustration: "Oh my god, I can't even imagine it—forty years old—"
"What's wrong with being forty?" Li Wu chuckled softly, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the most beautiful woman in the world.
"By then, I won't be as good-looking as I am now. I'll be approaching menopause, ten times fiercer than I am now, and a woman whose crow's feet appear with every expression," Cen Jin said, using her index finger to stretch the corners of her eyes and baring her teeth like a wild beast to intimidate him. "I'll pick on you all day long, nagging and scolding nonstop. Let's see if you can still stand it."
Li Wu was driven wild by her cuteness. He let out a low laugh and pecked her lower lip.
Cen Jin was momentarily dazed, but a second later, she pressed the faint coolness left by the young man back onto his lips.
Words had become pale and inadequate for them; only kissing could convey their true feelings in the most fitting and intense form—like waves rolling back into the sea, or spring breeze embracing the song of orioles.
The location heightened the thrill, and the two dared not linger too long, but their kiss was fervent enough. When they parted, both were breathless.
Li Wu's chest rose and fell slightly. "Cen Jin, have you heard of quantum entanglement?"
Cen Jin blinked and made a "go ahead" gesture. "Physicist, begin your lecture."
Li Wu said, "Simply put, two entangled particles, even if separated by light-years, will instantly affect each other if the state of one changes. In 2015, a Dutch scientist indirectly confirmed that this kind of long-distance, instantaneous connection exists."
Cen Jin tried to understand. "Are we those two entangled particles?"
"You could say that."
"Seemingly unrelated, but we've long been connected."
Cen Jin's eyes curved like crescent moons, overjoyed by his earnest yet adorable sweet talk. "So?"
Li Wu grasped her hand. "So, I'll be happy because you're happy, and sad because you're sad. Because I am the other particle that matches you—defying time and space, existing only because you exist. No matter how you change, I will always be the particle that belongs to you."
Eleven years—nothing more than that.
Insignificant in the vast universe.
The only thing he felt fortunate about was that, in this dimension where he existed, he could be subtly guided by the energy of all things.
To meet her, to fall for her, and ultimately become one with her.
Love transcends distance. From this moment on, he would uphold it as truth and follow it until death.
—End of Main Text—
OpenNovel