Shen Yin felt better after hearing those words, feeling that her sweat had not been wasted in vain.
"Alright then, this weekend I'll come over. Can you give me your son's phone number so I can contact him when I get there?" Shen Yin said.
Kang Guopeng's wife, who was in the kitchen, heard this and hurried out. "That would be troubling you, Miss." She then gave Shen Yin her son's phone number.
Shen Yin took out her phone and noted down the number.
"Well, I should get going now." Shen Yin picked up her bag and bid them farewell.
As she got into the passenger seat, Shen Yin took out her phone and called Xu Xiuhe back.
Earlier, when she was noting down the phone number, she had seen that Xu Xiuhe had sent her several messages asking if she had eaten and how things went, and had also called, but she had been coming out of the house and missed the call.
It was a video call, and Xu Xiuhe answered instantly.
"Hey, wife, why wasn't your brother answering the phone?"
Shen Yin pointed the camera at herself, and Xu Yunzheng's fair little face appeared in the video.
"Mommy, when are you coming back? Zheng Zheng misses you."
Shen Yin was warmed by Zheng Zheng's words and imitated his tone, "Mommy misses Zheng Zheng too. Mommy will be back soon, can Zheng Zheng wait for Mommy?"
When Shen Yin imitated Zheng Zheng's way of speaking, her voice sounded a little childish and whiny. Xu Xiuhe, listening on the other end, wanted to see his wife on the screen, but Xu Yunzheng had monopolized the phone, taking up the entire frame, leaving Xu Xiuhe no chance.
"Zheng Zheng, can you let Daddy see for a bit?" he asked meekly from the side.
Zheng Zheng shook his head. "Zheng Zheng hasn't seen enough of Mommy yet."
"Honey, can you persuade him?" Xu Xiuhe's tone dragged a little, with a hint of whining, something Shen Yin had never heard from him before.
"Zheng Zheng, give the phone to Daddy for a bit. Mommy needs to tell Daddy something," Shen Yin coaxed.
Though reluctant, since Mommy had spoken, Zheng Zheng had to obey.
"Here, Daddy."
Xu Xiuhe took the phone, and his mouth widened into a grin when he saw Shen Yin. "Honey, are you coming back now?"
"Yeah, were the wine and tea in the car put there by you last night?" Shen Yin asked.
"I forgot to tell you. So how was it? Did the carpenter agree?"
"He agreed. I'm about to head back now. Zheng Zheng should take his afternoon nap. Can you get him to sleep for a bit? I'll be back soon." Shen Yin replied.
Shen Yin drove slowly, estimating that it would take her quite some time to return.
"Alright, be careful. Let me know if anything comes up."
After Shen Yin agreed, she hung up and drove back. The sun was still glaring, and apart from cars, there were hardly any pedestrians on the road. As she passed by a courtyard, Shen Yin noticed that the dog at the gate had its tongue lolling out.
When Shen Yin reached Yang City, the weather suddenly changed. Fierce winds picked up, swallows flew low, and the faint rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Shen Yin felt a pang of worry, wondering if she would encounter severe weather. The morning weather forecast had been fine, but now it had changed so rapidly.
Her phone kept ringing, and when Shen Yin answered, it was Xu Xiuhe's voice on the other end.
"Hey, wife, it's raining heavily in Rong City. I just checked the weather forecast for Yang City, and there's a storm warning. You should find a hotel to take shelter from the rain first."
"Okay." Shen Yin had originally planned to keep driving until it rained and then stop, but now that didn't seem feasible. The wind was too strong, with leaves, plastic bags, and other debris flying through the air. The thunder was growing louder, and the sky had darkened, as if the earlier sunny and bright weather had been just a day ago.
She had no choice but to heed Xu Xiuhe's advice and found a decent-looking hotel, driving straight into the underground parking garage.
When Shen Yin approached the front desk, the receptionist spoke first, "Hello, Ma'am. Would you like to book a room?"
"Yes."
"What kind of room would you like? The regular rooms are almost fully booked. These are the remaining options." The receptionist pointed to a few room types in the brochure.
"This one," Shen Yin said, pointing to the loft room type. She had never been one to deprive herself, whether in the Dasheng Dynasty or here.
Few people booked the loft rooms, and the receptionist was observant. This woman booking a room was clearly out of the ordinary. The receptionist immediately made a call, and someone soon came to lead Shen Yin upstairs.
Outside, the sky grew darker and darker. As Shen Yin opened the curtains upon entering, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Shen Yin could feel the thunder right above her. Soon after, rain droplets the size of beans began pelting down.
With the rain preventing her from leaving, Shen Yin took a shower in the bathroom, as she had sweated profusely earlier and found herself unpleasant.
Shen Yin's phone kept ringing outside, but the sound of the shower drowned it out. It wasn't until she came out of the bathroom that she heard it.
Seven missed calls. Just as Shen Yin was about to call back, Xu Xiuhe called again.
"Wife, why weren't you answering your phone?" Xu Xiuhe sounded anxious.
"Mommy, Mommy," came Zheng Zheng's little voice through the phone.
"The wind and rain were too heavy. I found a hotel and just took a shower, so I didn't hear it," Shen Yin explained.
Only then did Xu Xiuhe feel relieved. Earlier, he had been so worried that he had picked up Zheng Zheng, gone downstairs, and was now sitting in the car, preparing to head to Yang City.
"Stay safe in the hotel. I'm coming to get you now."
"Don't come. The wind and rain are fierce here. It's too dangerous to drive. I'll drive back once the rain stops. Zheng Zheng, be a good boy and listen to Daddy. Mommy will hurry back," Shen Yin patiently consoled. She had checked the weather forecast too, and didn't know if she could return tonight, as it showed continued rain.
"Mommy, be safe. Zheng Zheng will be good. Mommy, please come back quickly. Zheng Zheng wants Mommy to hug him."
Hearing this, Shen Yin felt that Zheng Zheng was so well-behaved. How she wished she could fly to his side and hug him right now.
"Okay, Mommy knows."
After hanging up, Shen Yin stood by the window. Outside, the rain only grew heavier, with no sign of stopping.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Shen Yin opened the door.
A server stood outside, holding a fruit platter and some snacks.
"Ma'am, hello. This is the afternoon tea provided with the suite."
Shen Yin thanked him and accepted the fruit.
The server seemed to have received some notification through his earpiece and hurried away.
Shen Yin sat by the window, eating the fruit, when suddenly she heard some commotion outside. Shen Yin went to the door and opened it, seeing several servers rushing in the same direction.
