The Epoch of Miyu

When Nie Yucheng left with his suitcase at noon, Xu Miyu couldn't explain why she felt inexplicably lost.

Due to work requirements, Nie Yucheng frequently went on business trips, something Xu Miyu had long grown accustomed to. Sometimes he would be abroad for a whole month, yet she never felt particularly reluctant—after all, they were an old married couple.

But this time, something triggered her sensitivity. Although Nie Yucheng said it was just a short trip of three to five days, Xu Miyu inexplicably felt as if he were embarking on a long journey, as though he would be gone for a very, very long time and traveling far, far away.

She thought perhaps it was because her mother's recent visit had caused Nie Yucheng some distress. Her clinginess about this business trip was likely born out of guilt. She decided that once her mother left and Nie Yucheng returned from his trip, she would do her utmost to be tender and considerate to make it up to her husband.

Xu Miyu sat on the sofa in a daze for a while. Then she had a simple lunch and went to the market, where she bought a large piece of high-quality beef.

Back home, she began meticulously braising the beef. Soon, the kitchen was filled with a fragrant aroma.

Country children often learn to cook at a young age. Xu Miyu was meticulous and loved experimenting on her own. Coupled with her natural talent for cooking, her dishes had always been tastier than others' since childhood. During university, she worked part-time at restaurants to cover living expenses, further honing her culinary skills.

Before Nie Yucheng became a company executive, he would turn down any social engagements he could avoid just to come home and eat the meals she prepared. Nie Yucheng said that even the braised beef from five-star restaurants couldn't compare to hers. He marveled at how she, despite his lifelong lack of pickiness, had managed to spoil his palate. Now he couldn't stomach the company cafeteria food for lunch, let alone takeout.

Gradually, she started preparing Nie Yucheng's lunches too. Every morning, she would cook him a lunchbox to take to work, which he would heat up in the microwave at noon.

Once, she packed braised beef in Nie Yucheng's lunchbox. When he returned home, he told her that after heating his meal, the entire break room had been filled with the aroma of beef. Their company's deputy general manager, Hu Tu—Nie Yucheng's boss's boss—who had always loved braised beef, followed the scent to Nie Yucheng's desk. Hu Tu lingered, making small talk, and subtly mentioned how delicious the beef in Nie Yucheng's lunchbox smelled.

Nie Yucheng politely offered him a taste. But once he tried it, Hu Tu couldn't stop himself—he finished all the beef Nie Yucheng had brought and still wanted more.

Xu Miyu took Nie Yucheng's story to heart. The next day, she went to the market, bought premium beef, carefully braised it, and had Nie Yucheng deliver it to Deputy General Manager Hu.

Xu Miyu remembered how happy Nie Yucheng was that day. The moment he returned from work, he hugged and kissed her, telling her that his direct supervisor had been suppressing him so much that he had considered changing jobs—he hadn't told her earlier because he didn't want her to worry. But now he wasn't afraid anymore. Deputy General Manager Hu, his supervisor's boss, appreciated him. When he delivered the braised beef to Hu Tu that day, he seized the opportunity to mention the project proposal his supervisor had unreasonably rejected to suppress him. To his surprise, Hu Tu was very interested and chatted with him for a long time.Nie Yucheng grabbed her hand and kissed it fervently, telling her between kisses that all this was thanks to her hands—they were so clever and skillful, creating braised dishes that had captured Vice President Hu's heart.

Some time later, the braised beef at Vice President Hu's home ran out. Without standing on ceremony, Hu Tu directly asked Nie Yucheng if his wife could prepare more, adding that if convenient, he hoped it could be delivered directly to his home.

From then on, Xu Miyu began occasionally making braised delicacies and delivering them to Vice President Hu's residence.

These delivered dishes gradually yielded returns. Under Hu Tu's patronage, Nie Yucheng found opportunities to showcase his abilities and soon replaced the supervisor who had been suppressing him.

Checking the beef in the pot, Xu Miyu determined it was done and turned off the gas.

After carefully arranging the beef in a specially purchased food container, she called Mrs. Hu to confirm she was home before heading out with the delivery.

Mrs. Hu greatly admired Xu Miyu's culinary skills. Upon receiving the container, she immediately praised: "Don't even mention it! We finished the braised food these past couple days, and my husband said he lost his appetite, finding everything else tasteless. Miyu, you're so thoughtful to restock us so promptly!"

She invited Xu Miyu to sit on the sofa and have some water while she brought the beef to the kitchen. Xu Miyu sat stiffly on the leather sofa, too self-conscious to use the carved crystal glasses that cost eight thousand each. She understood why Mrs. Hu didn't let her leave immediately—she needed to gracefully comply with the vice president's wife's unspoken expectations.

Returning from the kitchen, Mrs. Hu sat beside Xu Miyu, holding her hands and saying: "Miyu, you're truly your husband's perfect helpmate—both delightful and fortune-bringing. Honestly, without your support, your Nie Yucheng wouldn't have caught my husband's eye so quickly or gotten promoted this fast. My husband has very discerning standards!"

Xu Miyu recognized this as flattery and promptly acknowledged the compliment.

She earnestly asked Mrs. Hu: "How's your shoulder pain lately? If you have time, I could give you a massage."

Mrs. Hu beamed instantly: "Then I'll be truly blessed!"

She lay face down on the sofa. After washing her hands, Xu Miyu began massaging her.

The moment her hands touched Mrs. Hu's shoulder blades, the woman released a long, contented sigh.

"Miyu, how are your hands so marvelous? They can both cook and massage! I've never asked—where did you learn this massage technique?"

While applying precise pressure to maximize Mrs. Hu's comfort, Xu Miyu explained: "As a homemaker, with Yucheng being the sole breadwinner, I always felt just doing housework wasn't enough. I wanted to be more useful, so I specifically learned massage. This way when Yucheng comes home from work, I can properly relieve his fatigue."

Under the soothing massage, Mrs. Hu's voice grew dreamy and mellifluous with pleasure."Your technique is absolutely perfect, so comfortable! If you ask me, that Nie Yucheng is truly blessed to have married you. Getting this kind of massage from you every night must make him feel like a deity! To be honest, Miyu, compared to your skills, my fifty-thousand-yuan massage chair is just garbage!"

Though Xu Miyu's arms were sore from the massage, she felt a sense of satisfaction. Whenever she received others' affirmation, she would feel like a useful person.

She massaged even more attentively and said to the vice president's wife, "You're too kind."

Suddenly, she recalled what the vice president's wife had just said—"Getting this kind of massage from you every night must make him feel like a deity." Her face flushed instantly.

Nie Yucheng had said the same thing to her himself. He told her that her massages always left him feeling ecstatic, that her hands could set his body ablaze, the kind of fire that consumed him entirely. Often, while she was massaging him, he would impulsively turn it into something else entirely.

After finishing the full-body massage for the vice president's wife, Xu Miyu tactfully mentioned that she should take her leave.

The vice president's wife lay lazily on the sofa and said, "Miyu, take care on your way out. I won't see you off."

Xu Miyu quickly replied, "Please rest. The person being massaged has to lie still for so long—that's tiring in itself. You need to take your time getting up."

As she left the vice president's home, shaking her sore hands, she thought to herself, "I'm really something—to win others' favor, I can even spout such nonsense. How could the person being massaged possibly be tired?"

By the time she returned home, it was already evening. Xu Miyu prepared a simple dinner for herself. The effort she put into taking care of her own stomach was less than one-tenth of what she devoted to serving others. After hastily finishing her meal and cleaning up, she moved to the living room rug, sat cross-legged, and used her phone to find the latest episode of the Thai drama she was following.

This was the most blissful and relaxing moment of her life as a full-time homemaker. No need to go out and exhaust herself at work, no need to socialize and strategize with others outside. After dinner, she could just sit down and indulge in Thai, Japanese, or American dramas to her heart's content. She wished this simple, beautiful life could last forever.

The latest episode of the Thai drama she was following hadn't been subtitled yet; it was still "raw." Many netizens were anxiously urging the translation team in the comments to release the subtitled version quickly.

Eager to see the latest episode's content, Xu Miyu decided not to wait. She directly cast the raw video onto the TV screen and started watching.

It was amusing, really. In college, her major was foreign languages and cultures, but her school wasn't great—quite third-rate. The language proficiency requirements weren't strict, and as long as her exam scores were passable, she would receive her diploma and degree certificate.

Back then, she hadn't been particularly diligent in language learning. She only studied when the teachers pushed her, focusing only on the parts necessary for exams. Her first foreign language was English, her second was Thai, and during holidays, she had followed her studious classmates' lead and dabbled in some Japanese. Her English was mediocre, her Thai was muddled, and her Japanese was even more superficial.

It wasn't until after graduation, when she wanted to watch Thai, Japanese, and American dramas more easily, that she began studying languages with renewed vigor—even buying the latest editions of language textbooks. Fortunately, although what she learned in school wasn't refined, she had a foundation, so self-studying now wasn't too difficult.

Later, even Nie Yucheng admired her dedication to this "unserious" pursuit and teased her, "If you put the same effort into learning languages for watching dramas into doing something else, you'd probably even become a company chairman."But when she seriously considered going back to work, Nie Yucheng objected. He said coming home after a long day at work without a hot meal waiting would significantly lower his happiness index. Besides, his income alone was sufficient for the household—after all, he had promised to provide for her when he proposed.

Although the latest episode of the drama had no subtitles, Xu Miyu found she could understand ninety-nine percent of it. Whenever she encountered unfamiliar phrases, she would pause, take notes, and later consult textbooks, reference materials, or search online for explanations of meanings and grammar. She even joined language forums and study groups to discuss sentence structures and nuances with fellow learners.

When the subtitled version by the translation team was released, she rewatched the episode and realized her understanding was almost identical to the official translation—in some cases, her interpretations even felt more accurate.

It was almost amusing to think that her years as a homemaker, spent watching dramas and refining her language skills at home, had honed her proficiency more effectively than her years of formal university education.

By the time she finished thoroughly studying the episode, it was already 9 p.m.

Checking the time, she figured Nie Yucheng should have settled into his accommodation at his business trip destination, so she picked up her phone to video call him.

The ringtone sounded for a while before the call was declined.

Holding her phone, Xu Miyu thought he might be dealing with something urgent.

Just as she was pondering, her phone rang—Nie Yucheng was calling back.

She quickly answered and asked, "Why not video chat?"

Nie Yucheng explained, "The hotel's internet here is too slow; video would be too laggy. It's better to just call."

Casually, she suggested, "Then don’t use the hotel Wi-Fi; just use mobile data."

After a pause, he replied, "The mobile signal isn’t great here either."

Xu Miyu sounded puzzled, "Huh? The call seems fine—it’s not laggy at all."

Another pause, then he said, "Calls are okay, but video or browsing is too slow. I tried loading our company’s homepage earlier, and it took forever."

A bit disappointed but resigned, she conceded, "Alright then. I don’t really have anything urgent—just wanted to see you."

Nie Yucheng’s tone was somewhat dismissive, "We just saw each other a few hours ago."

Xu Miyu teased him with the playful affection of a long-married couple, "It’s not the same! ‘One day apart feels like three years’—we’ve been apart for half a day, so that’s like a year and a half already."

Suddenly, Nie Yucheng fell silent on the other end. After a long moment, his voice turned slightly hoarse as he called her name, carrying a vague tone of guilt.

"Miyu, I…"

Just then, the beeping sound of an incoming call interrupted—it was from Jiao Xiumei.

She quickly told Nie Yucheng, "Honey, my mom’s calling. I’d better take it—you know how she gets if I ignore her. She’ll nag me to death later."

Nie Yucheng seemed to sigh on the other end. When he spoke again, the hoarseness was gone, and the hint of guilt had vanished.Nie Yucheng said calmly yet somewhat coldly to Xu Miyu, "Then you'd better go deal with your mother now."

Xu Miyu answered Jiao Xiumei's call.

Jiao Xiumei's voice instantly flooded the phone receiver, vibrating so intensely it felt like Xu Miyu's brain was shaking.

"Third child, are you really just leaving your mother in a hotel like this, not caring whether I live or die?"

Xu Miyu felt this was absolutely slanderous: "No, Mom, didn't I explain everything when I left this morning? If you need anything, just call the room service. You can have meals delivered directly to your room, and the bill will be charged to the room—no need for you to pay. How is that not caring about you?"

Jiao Xiumei dismissed her explanation and continued relentlessly: "Is that all? That counts as taking care of me? Aren't you going to ask if I'm uncomfortable being cooped up in the room all day? Aren't you going to ask why I came this time? Enough talk, come over right now and ask about me, show some concern!"

Xu Miyu was speechless: "Now? Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's already late at night..."

Before she could finish, Jiao Xiumei interrupted: "It's only a little past nine, how is that late? You're so delicate—what, are you some kind of monster that transforms at night? Come now, hurry up. You have a car, it's not difficult to drive over."

Xu Miyu hung up helplessly, picked up her car keys, and drove straight to the Sway Hotel.

"I'm here. So, what exactly did you come for this time?" Xu Miyu asked, sitting on the suite's sofa, while Jiao Xiumei was enjoying a massage in the massage chair.

She didn't dare to look around the room too carefully. The perfectly good executive suite had been turned into a mess in just one day—she had no idea how Jiao Xiumei managed it.

Jiao Xiumei, thoroughly enjoying the massage, spoke in trembling syllables, matching the rhythm of the kneading. "Finally thought to ask—you really are something. As the old saying goes, 'No one visits the temple without a reason.' I came all this way to see you, of course, there's a reason."

After a pause, she lay back in the massage chair with her eyes closed, savoring the moment. "This time, I came mainly for your brother's house purchase. He's not getting any younger—thirty years old, it's time he had a home of his own. Actually, I've already looked at some places yesterday. The area near your place is quite nice, lively. And if we buy a house near yours, it'll be convenient for you and your husband to take care of your brother."

Xu Miyu laughed outright. "Mom, come on, you're really daring to dream. Buying a house near mine? Do you know how expensive the housing prices are around here? Our house was bought with Yucheng's parents' money—we couldn't afford it on our own either." She paused before adding, "Besides, where would Xu Mibao get the money? He doesn't even have a job here. You really do come up with one idea after another."Jiao Xiumei opened her eyes at the sound, propped herself up from the massage chair, and glared at Xu Miyu, speaking with utmost seriousness: "You should help him. Otherwise, why would I have come all this way? Your eldest sister said she’d contribute a hundred thousand for your brother’s house, and your second sister is giving the same amount. As for the rest, since your family earns well, you can cover it. That way, your brother’s problem of not having money for a house will be solved. As for a job, just have your husband arrange a higher-paying position for him at his company. He already got your eldest sister and her husband in—one more won’t make a difference."

Xu Miyu was stunned by Jiao Xiumei’s audacious demands.

It was all so taken for granted.

"Impossible," Xu Miyu stated firmly to Jiao Xiumei. "Neither of the things you just mentioned can happen. Mom, I’m a full-time housewife now—I don’t earn a single cent. Asking our family to pay millions for Xu Mibao’s house is basically asking Yucheng to support Xu Mibao. That makes no sense!"

Jiao Xiumei jumped off the massage chair.

"Why is it impossible? If that’s how you’re going to be, then I’m not leaving. I’ll stay right here until the impossible becomes possible! It’s up to you."

Xu Miyu felt Jiao Xiumei was being unreasonable. Annoyed, she didn’t want to argue further and turned to leave for home.

Standing in the elevator, she was still fuming. She had always worked hard to earn some recognition and attention in the family, believing she had done more than enough since childhood. So why was her mother still unsatisfied?

No matter how useless Xu Mibao was, just because he was a boy, he was the center of the Xu family. No matter how well Xu Miyu was doing now or how much support she could offer the family, her mother still called her the "little extra" of the Xu family whenever she felt like it.

The more Xu Miyu thought about it, the more hurt she felt, tears nearly welling up. The elevator stopped on the thirteenth floor, and a service staff member pushing a meal cart stepped in.

Xu Miyu held back her tears and recognized the staff member as Li Kunlun, who had delivered meals to her room twice before.

She greeted him proactively, "Hi, just finished a delivery?"

Li Kunlun, however, stared at her blankly for a moment—clearly taken aback.

"Yes... just finished... Oh, no, I still have one more room to go!" Li Kunlun quickly explained. "We’re allowed to use the guest elevators for deliveries but not on the return trip. I’m heading to another room, so I’m using this one. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

Xu Miyu hurriedly reassured him, "No, no, please don’t be so polite."

Then she noticed a strange expression on Li Kunlun’s face—one of hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Curious, Xu Miyu asked, "What’s wrong?" She guessed, "...Was it because my mother caused you trouble when she ordered meals during the day? I’m sorry, my mom can be a bit difficult. If she made things hard for you, I apologize on her behalf."

Li Kunlun replied, "It’s not entirely because of your mother..."

Xu Miyu smiled apologetically. "Then, if there’s anything else we’ve inconvenienced you with, please tell me."

Looking at Xu Miyu’s smiling face, Li Kunlun seemed reluctant, his hesitation deepening.The elevator arrived at the first floor. Before stepping out, Li Kunlun seemed to sigh, then said to Xu Miyu, "Never mind. It's nothing. Have a pleasant day, ma'am. Take care!"

He escorted Xu Miyu out of the elevator.

Xu Miyu thought it must have been Jiao Xiumei asking about salaries or something again, making him so uncomfortable. She decided she would definitely have a word with Jiao Xiumei tomorrow.

Driving home, for some reason, she felt indescribably exhausted by the day.

After taking a hot shower, Xu Miyu lay down and fell asleep.

At dawn the next morning, as soon as Xu Miyu opened her eyes, she received a message:

"Your husband was with another woman last night."

Staring at the message, Xu Miyu’s mind went blank. She recognized every word, yet the short sentence they formed seemed incomprehensible, impossible to process.

Immediately, another message popped up on her phone screen, forcing its way into her vision:

"Swift Hotel, Room 1314. Come quickly."