The next day, Jiang Linyuan woke up in Su Muzhi's arms.
Today's Xiao Su was exceptionally beautiful.
Thinking this, Jiang Linyuan held her just a little tighter.
"Don't move around."
Xiao Su tapped him lightly, but her eyes were still closed. Her voice was groggy and carried a childish air.
"Time to get up. We need to go find Xiao Yilin today."
Jiang Linyuan whispered in her ear.
"Don't want to move."
Su Muzhi burrowed deeper into Jiang Linyuan's embrace, slowly opening her eyes. Her long, delicate lashes fluttered like a little fox seeking warmth.
This is seduction! It has to be seduction!
Feeling the warmth in his arms, Jiang Linyuan said:
"If we don't get up soon, Xiao Yilin might just steal your boyfriend away."
"Then I'll catch her. And you - if you get stolen, don't you know how to come back on your own?"
Su Muzhi tapped his chest, the gesture playful and harmless.
After saying this, she closed her eyes again and said slowly:
"Ten more minutes."
A sleepy Xiao Su - at your age, how can you still sleep like this!?
Humans are truly terrifying.
Spring drowsiness, summer fatigue, autumn weariness, winter hibernation - seasonal dormancy all year round.
The two hugged each other like this for a while, then changed clothes and prepared to head out.
"It's warmer here than in Yanjing."
Su Muzhi wore a coat as red as maple leaves - lighter than the roadside lanterns but brighter than the pure white snow. Her clear, watery eyes looked toward Jiang Linyuan.
He had to admit, Xiao Su was indeed very cute.
"It's actually still a bit cold."
Jiang Linyuan said with a smile.
"Hehe, then hold my hand."
Su Muzhi smiled sweetly, her small hand reaching out to grab his.
Ah, this is cute too.
Jiang Linyuan squeezed her hand - warm and small.
The two got into the car and headed toward the location Xiao Yilin had given them.
Lin Yilin had also explained her family's situation to Jiang Linyuan in advance.
Her grandfather's generations had all fished within Qingyuan Prefecture's borders. Later, her father co-founded a fishery company with someone else, and the family only moved to the city then. But during holidays and festivals, they always returned to the ancestral home.
Speaking of which, one had to mention Xiao Yilin's massive family system.
And by massive, this didn't refer to power - it was purely about numbers.
Third Future Father-in-Law seemed to be ranked third in the family. He had two older brothers and two younger sisters, while Third Future Mother-in-Law's side had two older sisters. Uncles and aunts had married and had children - one could imagine just how large this family was.
Getting out of the car and arriving at Xiao Yilin's coastal town, their field of vision was covered by lush green mountains. The area was sparsely populated, with mostly low houses and flat buildings as far as the eye could see.
"Xiao Su, what do you think about visiting the countryside?"
Jiang Linyuan looked at Su Muzhi beside him.
"Coming all this way with you, a country bumpkin, just to see scenery like this - I can hardly call it a good thing."
Su Muzhi first let out a long sigh, then smiled and blinked:
"But because you're here with me, I suppose it counts as a good thing."
Whoa! Xiao Su, are you actually trying to flirt with me now!?
"Sweet words won't win my heart."
"Hehe, then I'll cut open your chest and take it out myself."
Female demon! Man-eating monster!
As they walked along the road, they spotted an adorable little village girl at the intersection.
Her hair was tied in a small bun, she wore a dark black hooded jacket, and her eyes blinked as if waiting for someone.
When their eyes met, she smiled and ran over.
"I told you my dad could pick you up,"
the girl said as she came to Jiang Linyuan, chattering away:
"Taking a taxi costs so much money, and it's such a hassle. You're not familiar with the place - you should have listened to me yesterday."
This bold little village girl, Xiao Yilin, actually dared to lecture me, a country bumpkin!
"Hehe, it's okay. Jiang-classmate and I had a pretty pleasant time along the way, actually."
Su Muzhi said with a smile.
The female demon is about to eat the village girl!
"Oh…"
Lin Yilin's previously good mood suddenly soured, like a thin layer of fog settling over her.
Indescribable and unfathomable.
"Hehe, Xiao Yilin right now looks just as pitiful as someone who just found out their long-distance boyfriend is dating someone else."
Su Muzhi said cheerfully.
Ah, so much fun.
"No way! What kind of weird comparison is that!"
Lin Yilin's face turned red. She cautiously stole a glance at Jiang Linyuan, then looked away.
Senior Su likes to tease people too - just as bad-tempered as Senior!
"Ahem, okay, follow me. The roads here are very twisty - outsiders usually get lost."
With that, Lin Yilin led the way.
Jiang Linyuan and Su Muzhi exchanged a glance and followed.
Xiao Yilin's family ancestral home was an old house built on a small slope.
The three walked up the slope and saw a middle-aged woman washing vegetables.
She looked at them, smiled, and said something in a dialect that sounded like a greeting.
Lin Yilin also smiled and jabbered back in words they couldn't understand.
Getting out of the car and arriving at Xiao Yilin's coastal town, their field of vision was covered by lush green mountains. The area was sparsely populated, with mostly low houses and flat buildings as far as the eye could see.
"I can't."
"Then what do we do?"
"Ask someone else like you did whether they can understand."
Useless Xiao Su! Who would have thought that even traveling domestically, you'd need to download translation software?
Lin Yilin finished talking with the middle-aged woman, then turned to Jiang Linyuan:
"This is my aunt."
"Hello, Auntie." Jiang Linyuan greeted politely.
"She's my aunt! Senior, you should call her 'Auntie'!"
Lin Yilin blushed with annoyance and kicked him.
The auntie smiled warmly at the two, said nothing, and went back to washing her vegetables.
The three entered the courtyard. Several relatives sitting on stools chatting smiled and greeted Lin Yilin, their faces occasionally showing kindly auntie-like smiles as they jabbered in incomprehensible words.
Lin Yilin, however, flushed red. Angrily shouting "Wah lah wah lah," she quickly ducked into the house.
"Xiao Yilin, what did they just say?"
Jiang Linyuan asked deliberately.
"Don't worry about it! My aunties just love gossiping!"
Lin Yilin pouted.
"Hehe, they probably mistook you for Xiao Yilin's boyfriend, right?"
Su Muzhi said with a smile.
"No, no!"
Lin Yilin immediately raised her voice.
So much fun.
Entering the house, a middle-aged man broke into a smile:
"Linlin's back? These are your classmates?"
He looked at Su Muzhi first, then shifted his gaze to Jiang Linyuan.
Quite a handsome young man.
"Come, come, come - as guests in our home, we must first invite you for tea."
He stood up, pulled Jiang Linyuan to sit on a rosewood bench, and handed him a teacup.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Jiang Linyuan replied politely, took a sip - the tea was quite good.
"I've heard Linlin mention it for a while - she has a senior who treats her well and was coming to visit her during winter break. What a pity, if you'd come during the New Year, you could have watched the parade of deities…"
The middle-aged man said with some regret, while Lin Yilin beside him was already blushing:
"Dad, what are you saying? Senior has to spend the New Year with his family…"
Sorry, Xiao Yilin - I'm actually with my future family.
Jiang Linyuan drank his tea, while Su Muzhi smiled sweetly, gently kicking him with her swinging foot.
"That's true, that's true, haha…"
Lin's father nodded with a laugh.
His daughter was still too thin-skinned. If she liked someone and didn't speak up early, that wouldn't do well in the future.