Chapter 568 - 583: Viewing the House

After the wedding, An Guoming and Yin Xuemei rested in Shili Gou for a week.

A week later, the two returned to Beijing to start their new life as a married couple.

After a busy summer, An Ning thought she could finally rest in Shili Gou for a while, but one phone call from An Guoming summoned her away.

When she returned to Beijing, An Guoming picked her up directly and brought her to the home he shared with Yin Xuemei.

An Guoming and Yin Xuemei’s home was a beautiful courtyard house, or *siheyuan*, located within Beijing’s Second Ring Road. It covered an area of over three hundred square meters, a wonderful place for the young couple to live.

Life was convenient, as was transportation. With a subway station nearby, they often took the metro, which was faster and less trouble than driving.

After being brought to the *siheyuan*, An Ning was doted on by Yin Xuemei as if she were a little child.

That evening, the three of them sat down for dinner, and An Ning finally broke the silence. "Second Brother, why exactly did you ask me to come here?"

A chuckle...

An Guoming’s smile was full of hidden meaning. An Ning felt a slight chill run down her spine. ’This feels like a setup,’ she thought.

"Second Brother, just say it. Stop smiling like that, it’s creeping me out."

An Guoming dropped his smile, took Yin Xuemei’s hand, and announced the good news.

"Xuemei’s pregnant."

An Ning, who had just been about to take a bite, put her chopsticks down with a CLATTER.

"Really?! That’s wonderful! Then why are you still cooking!"

An Ning’s excitement delighted the couple. Yin Xuemei pulled An Ning’s hand to get her to sit down, then shot a glare at An Guoming.

"I told him it was nothing, but your second brother was worried. We only just found out, and he insisted on calling you over."

An Ning tilted her head, confused. "Well, I suppose I could go study obstetrics now. I should be able to finish before the baby is born."

An Guoming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at An Ning.

"What are you talking about, little sister? That’s not what I meant. I called you here because I need you to handle some things for Green Land."

It turned out that An Guoming felt he should be spending more time with Yin Xuemei. However, he had two companies to manage. His logistics company was relatively stable, which was fine, but Green Land had some big moves coming up and was getting a bit busy. That was why he had summoned An Ning to hold down the fort.

"Honestly, it’s probably nothing major, but this is just in case. First, I’m worried your sister-in-law might have severe morning sickness, and second, I was afraid it would be too late if I called you over at the last minute."

An Ning nodded repeatedly. She understood completely.

She immediately agreed to stay in Beijing for the time being, ready to help whenever they called.

However, the three of them agreed to keep the pregnancy a secret for now and not announce it. They would wait until after the first three months had passed.

That night, An Ning stayed at the *siheyuan*. Lying in bed, she sent a text to Yu Zheng.

A moment later, a reply came back.

"There really is one. Not bad."

An Ning sent another text, asking Yu Zheng to get the house near An Guoming’s place ready, as she would be staying there for a while.

With that settled, An Ning put her phone on the charger and got ready for bed.

But just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated.

An Ning picked up her phone. Seeing the small envelope icon on the screen with Jiang Xia’s name, the corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily. She slid the phone open, revealing the metallic-feeling keyboard, and typed a reply.

Jiang Xia: You asleep?

An Ning: Almost. I’m going to work on decorating a house tomorrow.

Jiang Xia: What house? Are they building another one in Shili Gou?

An Ning: Nope, I’m in Beijing. A small *siheyuan* near my second brother’s place.

Jiang Xia: You’re in Beijing? - followed by a pouting face pieced together from symbols.

The two of them chatted back and forth. It didn’t feel like much time had passed, but when An Ning finally put her phone down, two hours had gone by.

She even felt a slight ache in her thumb.

But An Ning was in a good mood. She put her phone down and drifted off into a sweet sleep.

The next morning, An Ning offered to make breakfast, but An Guoming stopped her. He looked at her very seriously and asked, "Have you ever eaten your own cooking?"

An Ning shook her head.

An Guoming continued, "Then listen to your big brother. I won’t do you wrong. From now on, let’s just agree that neither of us will cook."

An Ning knew her cooking skills were poor, but she was still curious. "What exactly does it taste like?"

"It’s somewhere between amazing and awful."

An Ning looked completely baffled. An Guoming clarified, "It’s amazingly awful."

Blatantly mocked by An Guoming, An Ning turned and declared, "I’m going to tell my sister-in-law that you’re bullying me!"

"I was wrong! I was truly wrong!"

Bickering playfully, the siblings finished making breakfast.

A somewhat drowsy Yin Xuemei emerged, looking a bit embarrassed. They both reassured her, and the three of them ate a simple breakfast together.

There was plain congee, salted duck eggs, pickles, and store-bought mantou and tang sanjiao.

An Ning pointed at a bowl of plain congee and said, "Even I can make this."

An Guoming gave An Ning a meaningful look. "You can definitely make it. But what you make would be called black congee."

Watching the competitive siblings, Yin Xuemei silently sipped her congee. ’I should probably stock the house with some more semi-prepared meals,’ she thought to herself.

After all, An Guoming’s cooking skills weren’t much better than An Ning’s.

After breakfast, An Ning headed to the small *siheyuan* located about three hundred meters from An Guoming’s house.

The small courtyard house was over two hundred square meters, more than enough space for An Ning to live alone. The building’s tiles had undergone simple repairs, and the large pieces of furniture were already in place. Moving in wouldn’t be a problem at all.

After a quick tour, An Ning decided to fix it up herself. Once it was ready, she would move out and live here.

Yin Xuemei wasn’t feeling any discomfort yet and wanted to go to work, but An Guoming was worried and insisted on driving her.

An Ning was very supportive of this. Pregnant women are very fragile during the first trimester; it was better to be careful.

Yin Xuemei was already 29 years old. In this day and age, she was definitely considered to be of advanced maternal age.

An Ning bought some sand, cement, and whitewash for the walls. She folded a hat for herself out of newspaper and prepared to get to work.

An Ning had just finished mixing the cement and hadn’t yet started pointing the floor tiles when the sound of the gate opening made her turn her head in surprise. Her surprise quickly turned into a huge smile.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Xia walked in from the entrance, expertly carrying a bucket filled with a pile of tools, which he set down next to the cement.

"Can’t help it. I’m just that helpful."

The two began to work. What should have been a tedious task seemed to become much more interesting because of the person beside her.

As they worked, little specks of white wall dust appeared on their clothes, their hands, and even their faces.

Just as they were halfway through whitewashing a wall, the main gate was pushed open again. An Ning, who thought it was An Guoming, turned around, only to find three people at the entrance, none of whom she recognized.

"Hey! Where are you people from? Who told you you could renovate this house!"

The woman in the lead stared at An Ning and Jiang Xia, her tone hostile.

"Don’t you know we have a viewing today? You’ve made a mess of the whole place. Honestly."

’A viewing?’

An Ning and Jiang Xia exchanged a look but said nothing.