Chapter 149 - 148: Be Firm When Eating Soft Things

Chapter 149: Chapter 148: Be Firm When Eating Soft Things

In the evening, Gaosuntang Square was bathed in the glow of brilliant lights.

The surrounding shops and storefronts were wide open. Crowds of elderly men and women had gathered to perform the latest popular square dances, creating a lively scene.

Jiang Xia bought two ice cream cones from a nearby cake shop. As he kept looking outside, he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.

He instinctively turned around but saw no one. Then, Lin Yanwan appeared on his other side with a smile, giving him a flirtatious wink like Fairy Zixia to Zizun Bao that made his heart skip a beat.

"Have you been waiting long~?"

"I just got here myself," Jiang Xia chuckled, looking back at his high school-era wife.

After his rebirth, not only had his body become younger, but his mindset had as well.

If this were before, Lin Yanwan would never act this cute with him.

’She’s... quite cute.’

It seemed she had dressed up specially for the date. She wore a short, cyan floral-print dress. Her hair had been styled with a curling iron, falling in soft waves over her shoulders. Wispy bangs slightly covered her straight eyebrows, her eyes rippled with a gentle smile, and the bright lipstick on her delicate lips was just begging to be kissed.

"You look a lot like someone right now."

"Who?"

"My wife!" Jiang Xia said with a completely serious expression.

"...Pah, shameless!" She huffed, her face blushing. "Officer, there’s a creep over here."

"The police have better things to do than meddle in the love lives of young people," Jiang Xia said with a laugh, handing her the ice cream. "Here, your favorite—matcha swirl."

"How much was it?"

"Five."

"So expensive."

Lin Yanwan stuck out the tip of her tongue and took a delicate lick. The sweet fragrance of matcha melted in her mouth, and her heart was instantly filled with the joy of being with him.

"You’re the boss’s wife now. In a little while, you’ll be able to lie in bed with your feet up and watch the money roll in. You can afford to be a little less frugal with soft things," Jiang Xia said.

"What kind of lewd nonsense are you spouting now?"

Lin Yanwan shot him an embarrassed and annoyed glare. ’I... I would never strike such a shameful pose!’

"Ahem... I was talking about you eating ice cream."

"You’d better be." Lin Yanwan lowered her head and took another delicate lick, then suddenly said, "Let me try yours."

"Huh?!"

Jiang Xia’s expression froze. He glanced around at the crowd. ’In front of so many people? That’s not a great idea, is it?’

"Can’t your brain think of anything decent for once!"

Lin Yanwan fiercely snatched his hand and took a big bite out of the very tip of his ice cream, leaving a faint lipstick mark on the milky white dessert.

Ice cream is just like that. You’re afraid it’ll melt in your hand, and you’re afraid it’ll get too soft in your mouth. Only swallowing it brings true satisfaction.

Hand in hand, the two of them strolled slowly through the square. It was quite interesting to watch the group of people dancing around the elderly women.

"How could your dad feel at ease letting you come out to meet me at this hour? Isn’t he afraid I’ll bully you again?" Jiang Xia laughed.

"He’s still at the factory. I told Mom, and she just said to come home early."

Jiang Xia nodded and asked, "How are things at the factory now?"

Lin Yanwan sighed. "Not good. Mom said they only got two small orders last month, and they’ve only received partial payment. We still don’t know when the rest will come in. Dad’s been so angry he calls to chase the debt every day."

"Even if you get the final payment, it’s not a long-term solution. There are too many toy factories out there, and they’re all selling almost the exact same products. Without any eye-catching innovation, it’s hard to attract customers. The only thing they can do is get into a price war, constantly lowering prices. That’s the only way to survive in this economic downturn," Jiang Xia said, seeing right to the heart of the matter.

"Yeah. Mom says they’re in a price war right now, but compared to the big, well-funded factories, a small factory can’t last. They’re just taking it one day at a time."

Lin Yanwan’s face was full of worry. "Both of our production lines at home are practically half-idle. The monthly maintenance fees and rent are a huge expense."

"Don’t worry, at least *you* shouldn’t worry. Once our animation gets popular, there will be no shortage of sales for Cat and Mouse toys," Jiang Xia said, squeezing his wife’s hand to reassure her.

"Hah, let’s not talk about this." Lin Yanwan let out a long breath. In her past life, she had been helpless, able to do nothing but watch as her family’s factory went bankrupt. This time, she would never allow that to happen!

"How’s Xiao Man?"

"It’s all your doing. She’s at home drawing Tom and Jerry right now," she said with a smile.

"Ha, Xiao Man has a good foundation. If we keep training her, maybe she can join our company as a concept artist in the future." Jiang Xia’s thoughts shifted. "Oh right, didn’t Xiao Man choose to study art in my past life, too?"

"Mhm."

"That’s great." He nodded, then looked up at a lingerie shop not far ahead. "It’s been a while since I bought you any underwear. Want to go pick some out?"

"No way!" Lin Yanwan refused without a second thought.

Jiang Xia was confused. "Why not?"

"You’re a high school student buying me underwear. What do you think people will think of us?"

"Who cares what other people think," he muttered under his breath.

"You may be shameless, but I’m not~"

Lin Yanwan was too shy and refused to go no matter what. Jiang Xia couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of regret. He had missed another chance to personally measure his wife’s three sizes.

Just then, a little flower girl suddenly ran over to them. She said timidly, "Mister, you should buy a bouquet for the pretty lady."

The two of them paused, stunned. It wasn’t Valentine’s Day, so why was someone selling flowers?

In their past life, they had dated for four years and had run into this sort of thing more than a few times. They knew the gimmick inside and out. In short: target couples, or people who look like couples, and sell a few flowers for 99 yuan.

Lin Yanwan immediately tried to pull Jiang Xia away, but to her surprise, he knelt down. His gaze rested for a few seconds on a sign hanging from the little girl’s chest, on which a few words were scrawled in pencil.

"Little girl, why are you still out here selling flowers so late?"

"My grandma’s sick. I’m selling flowers to earn money for her medicine," the little girl said in a small voice.

"What grade are you in this year?"

"Second grade."

"Where’s your mom?"

"Mom’s dead."

"What about your dad?"

"Grandma said... Dad went to find Mom."

Jiang Xia patted the little girl’s head, took a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet, and pressed it into her hand. He said gently, "I’ll just buy one flower. The rest of the money is for your grandma’s medical bills. I hope she gets well soon."

The little girl stared blankly for a moment. She saw the young man in front of her take a flower and stand up. Without looking back, he took the pretty young lady’s hand and slowly walked away.

"Mister!"

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted after Jiang Xia.

"Thank you!"

...

(One more Chapter!! Feeling strong today, not short!)