In early May, with bright sunshine and increasingly warm weather, Lin Zhixia brought good news to her family—after screening numerous properties, she had chosen a second-hand apartment of over two hundred and seventy square meters. This apartment was built in 2014, had complete amenities, and had been renovated by the owner for over a year. The owner was eager to sell, the price was reasonable, and Lin Zhixia had already paid the deposit.

After hearing Lin Zhixia’s description, Lin Zeqiu slightly furrowed his brow: “Lin Zhixia, why didn’t you discuss this with the family before paying the deposit?”

Lin Zhixia replied: “I already talked to Mom about it. Mom told me to make my own decision.”

Today was a bright Sunday. Lin Zeqiu didn’t have to work, and their parents had temporarily closed the family supermarket. Lin Zhixia stood in the center of the living room and excitedly announced: “If all goes well, we can move next month.”

“Next month,” Father exclaimed, “so soon?”

Lin Zhixia’s eyes sparkled: “Yes, next month is June, and we’ll move in June. By July’s plum rain season…” She walked to the wall and patted it: “This house will become damp, and Mom’s arthritis will flare up again, so I want to move earlier.”

In the early 1990s, Lin Zhixia’s parents had moved into Ancheng Residences. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years had passed. Father felt deeply emotional: “Ah, Dad feels like he’s dreaming. Xiaxia has bought a big house all by herself.”

Lin Zhixia happily said, “You should all come with me. Today I’ll show you our new home.”

Lin Zeqiu immediately bent down, opened the coffee table drawer, and searched for his public transit IC card. Lin Zhixia grabbed his sleeve: “Brother, Jiang Yubai will come to pick us up.”

Lin Zeqiu paused.

Mother asked: “Little Jiang is driving to pick us up?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhixia said, “his driver will bring a commercial van, so our whole family can fit.”

*

Jiang Yubai had arranged to meet Lin Zhixia at nine o’clock this morning.

Jiang Yubai arrived at the entrance of Ancheng Residences ten minutes early. Through the car window, he saw Lin Zhixia’s family gradually approaching. He opened the interior mirror, checked himself for two seconds to ensure his appearance was neat and his collar was tidy, before calmly getting out of the car.

As soon as Jiang Yubai appeared, Lin Zhixia ran toward him. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face. In public view, he extended one hand to Lin Zhixia. She held his arm and was led by him to the car.

Lin Zhixia obediently sat in the back seat, while Jiang Yubai still stood outside the car, greeting guests.

In front of his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jiang Yubai was particularly mindful of his image.

So far, Jiang Yubai had gotten along very well with his future in-laws. He often liked their WeChat Moments posts, but he couldn’t use the same strategy with Lin Zeqiu, because Lin Zeqiu had blocked Jiang Yubai and even kicked him out of their family group chat. However, Jiang Yubai didn’t mind at all. Lin Zhixia knew that Jiang Yubai had not yet been fully accepted by her family, so she always comforted him kindly, showing affection and coaxing him, making him quite happy.

In his younger years, whenever Jiang Yubai encountered Lin Zeqiu, he always wanted to dominate him in presence—drinking water more vigorously than him, peeling shrimp faster than him. But now, Jiang Yubai had changed significantly. He actively opened the car door for Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zeqiu felt somewhat confused. He instinctively felt that this young man, Jiang Yubai, was quite deep and harbored ulterior motives. He got into the car silently, inadvertently sitting in the middle row, with Jiang Yubai sitting behind him, right next to Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia quietly comforted Jiang Yubai: “Thank you for taking time on Sunday to accompany us to see the house.”

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Yubai responded, “I’m not busy on Sundays.”

Lin Zhixia secretly kissed him and continued: “Later, I’ll talk to my brother and ask him to unblock you on WeChat. If he’s unwilling, I’ll reason with him.”

Jiang Yubai said, “It’s fine as it is now. Don’t let me affect your sibling relationship.”

Lin Zhixia felt touched: “You’re so gentle and understanding.”

Lin Zeqiu vaguely heard their conversation. He suddenly felt annoyed, feeling that he had become someone who wasn’t gentle or understanding, but he didn’t react. He took out his phone and changed Jiang Yubai’s contact name to “Be Careful of This Guy.”

*

The car drove smoothly on the road, and in less than twenty minutes, it brought Lin Zhixia’s family to the entrance of the new residential complex. This complex had excellent landscaping, with lush street trees casting dense shade, intertwining branches and leaves, and an artificial stream flowing under a brick bridge. Colorful flowers and green leaves were reflected in the stream, hiding the shadows of pedestrians crossing the bridge.

Children gathered on a spacious lawn to play, several elderly people sat chatting nearby, and Lin Zhixia’s parents walked with frequent stops. Mother asked: “How expensive is housing in this area?”

“Over thirty thousand, almost forty thousand,” Lin Zhixia honestly replied.

Mother sighed: “Forty thousand is too expensive.”

Lin Zhixia quickly said, “Jiang Yubai lives in the neighboring complex, where housing prices are even higher. I originally wanted to be neighbors with Jiang Yubai, but I really couldn’t afford a house there…” She took out a set of keys: “This complex, I can still afford.”

She hung the keys on her finger, swinging them in circles with light jingling sounds, and walked briskly into a building unit.

Lin Zeqiu followed closely behind. His palm felt slightly hot, as if a ball of heat was slowly rising in his chest. He saw the clean building lobby, highly polished elevators, marble-carved steps, and Lin Zhixia said, “We live on the fourth floor. We can take the elevator or the stairs.”

“Let’s take the elevator,” Lin Zeqiu suggested.

Lin Zhixia cheerfully agreed: “Okay, okay!”

Lin Zeqiu stood straight in the elevator with his hands in his pockets. His father, on the contrary, retreated to the corner, wiping the thin sweat from his temples. Mother appeared calmer than Father, but she also occasionally tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears and changed her standing position several times.

With a “ding,” the elevator doors opened.

Lin Zhixia led her family through the corridor. She stopped in front of a security door, inserted the key, pushed open the main door, and introduced: “This apartment faces south with northern exposure, totaling two hundred and seventy square meters, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, two kitchens, three bathrooms, and a terrace…”

Father stepped into the entrance hall and asked uncertainly: “Should Dad take off his shoes?”

Lin Zhixia looked back at him: “This is our home, just like at home.”

Lin Zeqiu entered while supporting himself against the wall. The wall was clean, tidy, and brand new, without any cracks or water seepage marks. He involuntarily strode forward to continue exploring this new apartment.

A cool breeze blew in through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, lifting the white sheer curtains higher and higher. The polished solid wood floor fits together seamlessly. Lin Zeqiu crouched down and touched the floor with his hand.