Chapter 41

Chapter 41

When he looked down, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes gleamed brightly, the corners slightly curved, giving the impression of profound tenderness. Su Linjin’s breath caught.

How could he be like this!

*When did he master such a flirtatious technique?!* Su Linjin wondered, feeling a sudden irritation that her own thoughts were overly complicated.

With that thought, she patted his hand. "Quick, ride the bike, it’s so cold."

Jiang Wang, of course, couldn’t fathom the intricate turns her mind had taken in such a short time. He mounted his bicycle and headed straight for Maoyuan Hutong.

The communal courtyard presented a different kind of lively scene.

The aroma of each household’s cooking wafted through the air, and conversations drifted easily through open doorways—far livelier than the *siheyuan* of Bailian Hutong.

Children played with spinning tops in the few open spaces, while bolder ones held strings of firecrackers, pulling them off one by one to light and set off with loud pops.

But none of this boisterousness reached the quiet room in the northwest corner.

Master Dai’s room was silent, illuminated by a single lamp. Wearing his reading glasses, he meticulously crafted frog closures under its glow.

When he heard the knock and opened the door to see Su Linjin’s smiling face, he was truly astonished.

"Miss Su, you... you’re here? But it’s Lunar New Year’s Eve!"

"Exactly, it’s Lunar New Year’s Eve, so we came to see you."

As they stepped inside, they found the place much as they had imagined, though significantly tidier than their first visit.

The entire room was organized.

The large table used for sewing had been cleared, and the tools were neatly arranged.

Su Linjin gave Jiang Wang a meaningful look, then opened the basket to take out the braised dishes, cake, and Snowflake Nougat. "Master Dai, the braised dishes are homemade, and the cake and Snowflake Nougat are my handiwork. Please try them."

They had prepared two portions, and this one was just enough for two or three people.

Master Dai looked at the spread on the table, a little overwhelmed, his eyes, dry for years, suddenly welling up. "You two..."

He had merely made clothes for Yuan Qing for a few years—how could he deserve such kindness from her children?

Now, fallen on hard times, he had even accepted money for the few garments he made for her last time!

Exchanging a glance with Jiang Wang, Su Linjin smiled. "I just felt like baking, so I made some snacks. Please, just help me taste them. Anyway, we should go see the fireworks now."

This time, she clearly saw that Master Dai only had two chairs in total. There was no way all three could sit.

Just as they were about to leave, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Ah, I almost forgot—your things, Miss Su."

He went into the adjacent room where the camphorwood chest was kept and brought out two sets of pajamas. "They're finished and starched. Just wash them before wearing. The fabric’s a bit rough, but next time I’ll make you some from silk."

Seeing Jiang Wang’s gaze, Su Linjin quickly hid them behind her back. "No need, no need! Pure cotton is much more comfortable to wear."

Silk would, of course, be better, but it wasn't like they could get any now!

The key was, she didn’t want *him* to ask!

Once they left the communal courtyard, he still posed the question that made her heart skip a beat. "What else did you ask Master Dai to make for you?"

"Nothing much."

"That was homespun cloth. Last time, you said you’d give me a gift. It wouldn’t happen to be clothes made from that, would it?"

Su Linjin realized this man’s mind was incredibly sharp.

There seemed to be no obvious connection between the events, yet he could connect the dots from the faintest traces and piece together the truth.

When Su Linjin remained silent, Jiang Wang said, "I like homespun cloth too."

*Thanks.*

But right now, she didn’t want to admit it.

They were pajamas!

Why hadn’t it felt awkward before? Now, the mere thought made her want to die of embarrassment.

Fortunately, the distance from Maoyuan Hutong to the Lu family’s compound wasn’t far, and soon they arrived downstairs.

Su Linjin mused, "Should we go straight to Lu Zheng’s place today? On Lunar New Year’s Eve, my aunt’s family must be busy with their own celebrations. Wouldn’t it be rude to show up without warning?"

"Your call."

With those quiet words, Jiang Wang was already climbing the stairs to Lu Zheng’s apartment, basket in hand.

Unexpectedly, a sliver of light leaked through the door crack.

Lu Zheng was notoriously frugal—the small hall between his two rooms remained unlit at night except during meals.

At this hour, he should still be at her aunt’s place, shouldn't he?

Puzzled, Su Linjin glanced at Jiang Wang, seeing the same surprise in his eyes, and raised her hand to knock.

"Who is it?"

Lu Zheng’s voice came from inside.

"It’s us," Jiang Wang answered.

"What brings you guys here on Lunar New Year’s Eve..." Lu Zheng muttered as he opened the door.

Su Linjin peeked inside—whoa, the small table was actually loaded with food, and the two were drinking together!

As if reading the shock in her eyes, Lu Zheng added, "I bought the ingredients, and he cooked. Just so you know, I’ll charge a *little*, but definitely not too much."

Even on Lunar New Year’s Eve, this man was still calculating money!

Jiang Wang pushed the door open. Though Ruan Lingqi still carried an air of visible restraint compared to ordinary people, he was far better than before. Seeing them enter, he went to his room and brought out a chair.

He even pointed to the cushioned one for Su Linjin. "You, uh, sit on this one."

After just a few days apart, Ruan Lingqi could now communicate normally even when not in cooking mode?!

"Don’t ask me, he just suddenly improved like this," Lu Zheng said, waving his hands to indicate it had nothing to do with him.

Su Linjin took the basket from Jiang Wang and pulled out the braised dishes, cake, and Snowflake Nougat.

Lu Zheng was tight-fisted, but given the quality of the gifts they'd brought, he produced two shot glasses and poured some liquor into them.

He winced while pouring: "This is Wuliangye!"

"That fancy?"

"Our workplace may not excel in other aspects, but they never skimp on food and drink."

Su Linjin recalled Lin Peishu mentioning that Lu Zheng had initially worked in reception under Lu Zhong but was later transferred to procurement because of his exceptional accounting skills.

Such a position was always a plum job, no matter the era.

If nothing else, they could get anything at wholesale price.

Ruan Lingqi tasted the cake Su Linjin had made, and after a small bite, his face lit up: "This is good!"

He then tried a piece of Snowflake Nougat and was even more amazed: "Did you use butter? It's fragrant! And another kind of sugar, softer than maltose."

"Right."

The Ruans must've been wealthy back in the day—even knowing about butter!

What was even more surprising was that Ruan Lingqi, like a gourmet, could discern the general recipe just by tasting it.

Lu Zheng was astonished that she had managed to get butter.

Su Linjin smiled and fished out her mistake notebook from her pocket, handing it over: "You get a New Year’s gift too. Here."

It contained all the problems she had gotten wrong recently, as well as the killer questions from old tests that she couldn’t solve at first glance.

With several days off for the New Year, Lu Zheng could definitely make good use of this time to help her solve the problems.

Sure enough, Lu Zheng acted like she'd handed him gold, flipping through it: "Such a good thing, really for me?"

Tsk, talk about being on different wavelengths. Su Linjin looked regretful: "Of course not to keep! This is the hard work of many people. You're just borrowing it for a few days."

"No problem, I can copy it down!" Lu Zheng’s eyes gleamed, and now he didn't mind sharing the good stuff. "Park it—let's drink!"

"Why aren’t you ringing in the New Year at my aunt’s place?"

"I did go. Auntie and Uncle fed me New Year’s supper, and after eating, I came back. Brother Ruan’s cooking is better."

Oh, Lu Zheng, finally telling the truth—you’re just here for Ruan Lingqi’s cooking!

Meanwhile, Jiang Wang was saying to Ruan Lingqi: "We’ve been over your case. After the New Year, we’ll find an expert in this field to take you on and try to get you a good deal."

"D-Deal..." He stared at Su Linjin like she held all the cards. "I thought you were buying those items."

Su Linjin shook her head: "Those things are national treasures—how could we keep them? Right now, you have no job, no home, and no money. It’s best to exchange these treasures for something that can give you a better life."

A few hundred or a thousand might seem like a large sum now, but what about in a few years?

Ruan Lingqi’s lips trembled. Suddenly, he stood up, lunged toward Su Linjin, and knelt down, ready to kowtow: "Thank you! Thank you all! I’ll pay you back in my next life—I'll be your workhorse!"

Su Linjin jumped at his dramatic gesture, but Jiang Wang had already stepped forward, pulling him up: "Sit and eat. We don’t guarantee we can solve everything, but we’ll do our best."

"Right." Su Linjin continued, "But if the experts say they can’t make the decision either..."

She took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Wang. "Then we’ll buy them first with our own money. When things settle down and museums or research institutes can take them, we’ll hand them over."

She wasn’t opposed to a good deal, but not this kind.

Ruan Lingqi covered his mouth and cried for a while, then attacked the cake vigorously before quietly clinking cups with Jiang Wang.

After sitting for a while, Su Linjin noticed Jiang Wang’s face was lobster-red and got worried: "Alright, we should head back."

Biking drunk still counts as DUI.

She was also a bit buzzed, but the cold wind sobered her up. Seeing Jiang Wang silent and red-faced, he must have really been over-served.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

Su Linjin shook her head. The more a drunk insists they're fine, the more likely they were out of it.

A glance at her watch showed it was almost ten o’clock.

The streets were nearly empty, and amidst the glow of countless households, fireworks popped here and there over the distant square’s night sky.

Su Linjin suddenly reflected—she had been living this new life for over two months now and rarely thought about her past life anymore.

"Su Linjin, have you been happy these past months?"

Jiang·Boiled Lobster·Wang suddenly asked.

He rarely called her by her full name.

Su Linjin looked up and saw he was dead serious.

After a moment’s thought, the answer in her heart was simple: Happy.

So she nodded: "Happy."

"Su Linjin, what kind of life do you want in the future?"

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Wang’s flushed face was turned toward her, his deep pupils reflecting her image. He spoke succinctly: "I mean, what kind of life do you want? What do you hope for in a partner?"

This was a question Jiang Wang would never ask her sober. Su Linjin thought—he really was drunk.

Seizing the opportunity, she let loose: "Life? Cash and free time. As for a partner..." She gave Jiang Wang’s lanky build a once-over, and she began rambling, "Gotta have abs, 188 and 18 full marks, handsome, tsk tsk, and treats only me well, spends all his money on me."

Su Linjin didn’t notice Jiang Wang’s momentary stiffness at "188 and 18." She continued, "In short, a gentleman in the streets, a freak in the sheets! Ah, you wouldn’t get it."

What does a rookie know?