Jiang Yan went over anyway, because she didn't have any vegetable leaves to feed the little deer.
Outside, a light snow was still falling. Fu Yan crouched outside the fence of the Immortal courtyard, balancing an umbrella on his shoulder. The umbrella was already covered with a layer of white snow.
When he heard the "crunch, crunch" sound of shoes stepping on snow, he lifted the umbrella and saw Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan was wearing a soft khaki houndstooth scarf, wrapped around to cover her pointed chin.
Because it was only light snow, she hadn't brought an umbrella, and a few white flakes had settled on her long black hair.
Fu Yan went to meet her, holding the umbrella over her head, and said with a smile, "Why so lazy?"
Jiang Yan deliberately admitted, "Not as diligent as you. You could have waited in the room, but you chose to hide out here."
Fu Yan feigned surprise, "Oh! How did you figure me out again? You understand me so well, have you fallen for me a little bit?"
Jiang Yan just teased him, "You cunning, devious man."
Fu Yan didn't mind at all, even taking pride in it: "Can't help it. I'd never win over my wife if I wasn't a bit clever."
...
The little deer in the Immortal courtyard had already eaten its fill and left. Jiang Yan carried back two fresh heads of vegetables.
Fu Yan held the umbrella, openly drawing the vegetable-carrying Jiang Yan closer to him. When she glanced at him, he said matter-of-factly, "The umbrella's too small. We need to squeeze closer so we don't get wet."
He found it amusing to see Jiang Yan carrying vegetables, reminiscent of a small animal clutching its food.
Unfortunately, the vegetables they had worked so hard to bring back didn't end up being used. When they returned, the landlady was already breaking off leaves to feed the little deer.
The landlady greeted Jiang Yan in a booming voice, telling her there were vegetables here and that next time she needn't go so far – she could just ask her for some.
Fu Yan's gaze fell on Jiang Yan, laden with obvious suggestive meaning. Jiang Yan didn't look at him, but she could already imagine his tone in her mind: "Have you fallen for me a little bit? Only wanting vegetables from my home."
Jiang Yan sheepishly placed the vegetables next to the landlady. Fu Yan tilted his head, unable to hold back a smile.
Perhaps due to their familiarity from past interactions, it hadn't even occurred to Jiang Yan that she could ask the landlady for vegetables. Going to Fu Yan had been an almost subconscious action.
The landlady laughed and said a string of English words. Jiang Yan was so embarrassed that her mind went blank – she could hear each word clearly but couldn't process their meaning.
Fu Yan felt a bit hot and thought the falling snow might be more refreshing. He raised his hand and closed the umbrella.
Then, catching Jiang Yan off guard, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he walked outside. Before leaving, he remembered to say to the landlady, "Thank you, we're going on a date!"
It took Jiang Yan a moment to process what he'd said, and she suddenly told Fu Yan, "I'm not going on a date with you."
But she was far too late, and besides, she was currently being led by the hand by Fu Yan, walking on a snow-covered path devoid of pedestrians. It made her protest seem rather unconvincing.
Fu Yan coaxed her, "Not a date? Then I must have used the wrong word."
After sincerely apologizing, he naturally asked Jiang Yan, "Then tell me, shall we cheat or elope?"
Jiang Yan maintained a straight face and denied it: "We're just normal friends, nothing more."
Fu Yan finally became displeased. He stopped, lifted Jiang Yan's hand that he was holding, and showed it to her: "Can friends be this intimate, holding hands?"
Jiang Yan tried to pull her hand away, but Fu Yan wouldn't let go, staring at her. Jiang Yan had no choice but to search for excuses: "European countries even have cheek kissing and hand kissing as greetings."
Fu Yan was almost amused by her frustration, "Then we can do that too? Come on, give me your hand to kiss. Oh wait, let's start with the cheek kiss..."
After a moment of deadlock, Fu Yan seemed to think of something and suddenly said, "Jiang Yan, is it that you don't know how to like someone?"
Before Jiang Yan could answer, Fu Yan had already pressed her hand to his heart: "Feel this. Can you tell my heart is racing? It's because I just held your hand."
Jiang Yan furrowed her brow in thought, feeling that Fu Yan had a point. She could clearly sense Fu Yan's affection, yet time and again, due to her skepticism about this world, she subconsciously chose to avoid it.
Fu Yan could read the look in Jiang Yan's eyes and gently persuaded her: "Why don't you give it a try with me? Look at me – I'm rich, good-looking, and I like you so much. I'm crazy about you, even dreaming about how to kiss you... I mean, if you don't understand what it's like to like someone, you could still be with me first."
"If you try it and still don't like it, you can break up with me. If you think it's not worth it, we can sign a contract. After we break up, I'll compensate you with a few houses, okay? You can even think of it as playing with me if you want. See? You're not losing out, right?"
In his eagerness to get Jiang Yan to agree, Fu Yan was saying whatever came to mind, offering a multitude of benefits, just wanting to sell himself.
Jiang Yan pondered for a while. After all, if she were to truly survive in this world, property would be a necessary condition.
But she was a smart and level-headed person who could easily see that this was a temptation aimed specifically at her.
So, she very calmly agreed.
Just as Fu Yan had said, she would give it a try and see what it would be like to have another person in her life. With those conditions, she wouldn't be losing out.
A few minutes later, as Jiang Yan was being passionately kissed by an ecstatic Fu Yan in the snow-covered landscape, she began to feel a twinge of regret.
