Under the disruptive influence of Lu Siyan, this little lightbulb, Jiang Ruoqiao and Lu Yicheng’s brief kitchen date had to come to an early end.
The two had no choice but to sit on the sofa with Lu Siyan and watch cartoons.
Not only that, Lu Siyan also issued a decree forbidding them from playing on their phones, because this was family bonding time. Of course, Jiang Ruoqiao and Lu Yicheng rarely indulged in their phones in front of Lu Siyan anyway.
During the winter break, Lu Siyan’s sleep schedule had been completely thrown into disarray.
It wasn’t until ten o’clock at night that he finally fell into a deep sleep. The maternal grandparents were getting on in years — when Lu Siyan wasn’t around, they would both be in bed by nine. As soon as nine o’clock came, Grandpa would start yawning nonstop. By ten, everyone in the house except for Jiang Ruoqiao and Lu Yicheng had already gone to sleep.
After soaking her feet, Jiang Ruoqiao put on her cotton socks and strolled into the living room with a nonchalant air.
Lu Yicheng was sitting in the living room watching a variety show.
Both of them were eager to spend a little more time with each other. It was Lu Yicheng who made the first move: “If you’re not sleepy, shall we find a movie to watch?”
Jiang Ruoqiao gave a performative yawn before saying: “I wouldn’t say I’m not sleepy at all, but we finally have a holiday — I don’t want to go to bed this early.”
And so, the two of them sat on the sofa and started scrolling through movie options.
Grandma and Grandpa hadn’t bothered to sign up for a VIP subscription on the smart TV, so the selection of free movies wasn’t very large. They eventually settled on a foreign romance film.
Jiang Ruoqiao had seen this romance film before.
Xi Shi wasn’t in a heated district, so in front of the sofa sat a baseboard heater.
Jiang Ruoqiao grabbed a thin blanket and draped it over her legs, nestling into the sofa and quite naturally leaning her head against Lu Yicheng’s shoulder.
Lu Yicheng held her hand.
As though her hand were some rare and precious thing, he’d give it a little squeeze one moment, then study her fingernails the next, then circle his hand around her wrist.
The romance film moved at an unhurried pace, and the music was soothing. Nestled against Lu Yicheng’s shoulder, Jiang Ruoqiao fell asleep.
The room was so warm, and his embrace was so cozy — it made her feel like a hibernating animal, lazily drifting off with her eyes closed.
Lu Yicheng only realized she had fallen asleep a little while later.
This was a scene he hadn’t even dared to imagine in his most hopeful fantasies.
Outside, the bitter winter night pressed in, and one could faintly hear the rustling sound of wind rattling the windows.
The lights in the living room were all off. Only the glow of the television screen allowed him to make out her features.
There she was, nestled in his arms.
Like the last time in the cinema, yet also different. The difference was that this time he could hold her, could hold her hand, and didn’t need to worry about her waking up. What remained the same was the feeling in his heart.
With a heart full of tender reverence, he quietly pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Being in love truly was a wonderful thing.
Though the room was warm, it was still the depths of winter. Worried that sleeping like this might give her a cold, he was still wavering in indecision when he heard the sound of a door opening from across the hall. His heart gave a start. He looked over — it was Grandma getting up for a midnight bathroom trip. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or embarrassed. Grandma didn’t seem to notice them at first, but after coming out of the bathroom, she glanced over at him in a daze. “Little Lu, why aren’t you in bed yet?”
Lu Yicheng said awkwardly, “Almost — did the TV disturb you?”
Grandma waved her hand. “Not at all. When you get old, you just get up in the night.”
Only then did she look over at her granddaughter, draped over Lu Yicheng like a sloth. “Qiaoqiao fell asleep?”
“Mm.” Lu Yicheng sat there as though on pins and needles, like a teenager caught with a secret crush.
“She can’t sleep like this,” Grandma said. “Either wake her up and have her go to bed properly.”
Lu Yicheng blurted out: “Don’t.”
He caught himself, realizing his reaction might have come across as rude, and lowered his voice to explain: “She’s been very busy with work lately — she’s probably truly exhausted. If you wake her up, she won’t be able to fall back asleep right away.” Grandma nodded. “Well, what then? She can’t sleep on the sofa all night.”
Lu Yicheng’s voice dropped even lower and quieter. “I have an idea.”
In the end, Lu Yicheng’s solution was to carry Jiang Ruoqiao back to her room.
In a princess carry.
Even though Jiang Ruoqiao was slim, she was still in the one-hundred-sixties in height. Fortunately, Lu Yicheng’s arm strength had been certified beyond doubt — he lifted her easily and steadily, and followed Grandma into her room. Her bed was slightly on the smaller side, but still large enough for two people. Lu Yicheng held her, bent down, and with the utmost care set her onto the bed. Then he quickly pulled the blanket over her. Remembering she still had her padded coat on, he loosened the blanket a bit and said to Grandma: “Then… I’ll trouble you to help her take off her clothes.”
Grandma laughed out loud. “Little Lu, the way you phrased that is amusing — that’s my granddaughter.”
On instinct, Lu Yicheng said, “I’m sorry.”
He’d said the wrong thing again.
“I’ll head out.” It was as if he were afraid of staying one second longer. With slightly reddened ears, he stepped briskly out of the room, thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind him before letting out a breath of relief.
In the room now, it was only sleeping Jiang Ruoqiao and Grandma.
Grandma then said, “Stop pretending.”
Jiang Ruoqiao, who had been in what appeared to be a deep sleep one second ago, opened her eyes. She rolled over and nestled contentedly against the pillow, acting spoiled with Grandma: “How did I not manage to fool your sharp eyes?”
“Those two don’t know any better,” Grandma said. “If someone were really being moved like that, how could they not wake up — it’s not like you’d fainted.”
Jiang Ruoqiao was still thinking about that princess carry from moments ago.
Grandma continued, “As I see it, Little Lu will definitely be wrapped around your finger for the rest of his life.”
Jiang Ruoqiao grinned and asked in return, “Is that a bad thing? Grandma, you raised me with your own hands — this is a skill I learned directly from you.”
“Cheeky girl!” Grandma scolded affectionately, then sighed with feeling, “Little Lu really is a good person — no bad habits, intelligent, hardworking and thrifty, and utterly devoted to you. However, the fact that he’s good now doesn’t mean he’ll always remain so. Life is unpredictable, no one can say for certain. Qiaoqiao, whether he’ll keep treating you this well in the future is not something I can worry about on your behalf, nor something you can worry about right now. But there’s one thing you must always remember: what others give you is icing on the cake — nice to have, but you can manage without it. You yourself must be capable and strong. I’ve seen and heard too much over the years. When people say so-and-so’s daughter married well, I’ve never felt envious. But when they say so-and-so’s daughter is impressive in her own right — that I admire. And that is what I hope for my granddaughter.”
The wisdom Grandma spoke resonated deeply with Jiang Ruoqiao.
“Don’t you worry!” Jiang Ruoqiao sat up and hooked her arm through Grandma’s, acting spoiled. “Don’t you know what I’m like by now?”
Even while in a relationship — even while in a relationship with Lu Yicheng — she would never become the frog slowly boiled alive in warm water.
Not even if that person was Lu Yicheng.
……
After sending Jiang Ruoqiao back to her room, Lu Yicheng returned to the living room and switched off the television. Then, with quiet, careful steps, he made his way into the master bedroom like a robot.
The master bedroom had a small nightlight left on.
Before he had even reached the bed, he heard Lu Siyan murmuring in his sleep: “I need to use the bathroom, I need to use the bathroom.”
Perhaps because no one responded, a half-awake Lu Siyan complained: “I’ve said it so many times, why isn’t anyone answering me!”
Grandpa, whose snoring had been thunderous moments before, woke up and mumbled, “I’m not your father, go find your dad.”
Lu Yicheng couldn’t help but smile. He stepped forward quickly, grabbed the sleeping robe at the foot of the bed, pulled Lu Siyan upright, and draped it over him. “Dad will carry you.”
Lu Siyan didn’t even open his eyes. “Mmm.”
Children around Lu Siyan’s age had all had their bedwetting incidents — over the course of one semester, it had happened once or twice. Lu Yicheng had been the one getting up in the middle of the night to change and wash the sheets, and after a semester of that conditioning, he had become the devoted dad he was now.
Lu Siyan had mastered quite the impressive skill.
Even when he needed to use the bathroom, his eyes never opened. After Lu Yicheng carried him there and back and settled him into bed, he rolled over and fell immediately back into deep sleep.
One couldn’t help but marvel at the high-quality sleep of small human children.
No sooner had Lu Yicheng finished “attending to” Lu Siyan than Grandpa spoke up again. “That, uh — Little Lu, I’m thirsty.”
Lu Yicheng replied warmly, “Of course. Shall I get you hot water, or warm water?”
Grandpa opened one eye and looked at him, mumbling, “So many choices? Warm, then.”
“Right away.” Lu Yicheng headed out again.
The moment he left, Grandpa’s sleepy drowsiness vanished entirely. He sat up straight, pulled open the nightstand drawer, took out a notebook, and recovered every ounce of enthusiasm he’d had during his working years. With a fountain pen, he wrote on the paper:
【February 8th. Clear but cold.
Late tonight, at 10:45 PM, Siyan had an urgent need to use the bathroom. Lu Yicheng dressed him and carried him to the bathroom — very attentive, knew to drape the child in clothing first.
Afterward, Lu Yicheng brought Siyan back, and I put forward the request for water. Lu Yicheng agreed readily. Upon careful observation, not a trace of impatience on his face. He even specifically asked whether I preferred hot water or warm water. (The water in the thermos was filled before bed and is still boiling hot — if I had asked for warm water, he would have needed to figure something out in the other room.)】
Grandpa’s pen paused, then quickly added one more line at the end:
【However: continued close observation remains necessary.】
On the inside cover of this notebook, Grandpa’s script was sharp and forceful, reading — *Reference notes for granddaughter Qiaoqiao.*
This notebook had been started the moment he first met Lu Yicheng, and already ran more than ten pages, recording everything that a man, an elder, and the grandfather who loved Qiaoqiao most dearly had observed.
—