Volume 1 Beginning of Summer Chapter 20 Luffa

The door of the bug house opened again.

The sun shines in.

Jiang You put the postcard into the innermost brown paper bag.

"How about making a deal with you? We'll do this job in a few years. When Tang Butian takes action and the forces behind her intervene..." Jiang You said as he walked towards the yard, "We'll pick up some bargains then?"

"Are you hungry?" Jiang You walked to the rest area on the east side of the pond and lay down on the soft chair. He took out his phone and opened the food delivery app. "You are not hungry. If you were really hungry, would you be so picky?"

The spider was crawling on the back of another soft chair.

"I just rejected her, so it's not appropriate to go to her now. Let's wait for her to come over. Do you want chicken wings? How about fish fillets?"

After paying the money, Jiang You yawned and closed his eyes.

Not long after Jiang You left, Tang Butian also left the exhibition center and went to Baihe Temple.

Taoist Qingyang led her through the gate and said, "He was right to reject you. Ordinary people should not get too involved in these things."

"I want to meet Senior Xia," Tang Butian paused, "I think I saw her at the comic convention today."

"Then I'll go with you."

"Thanks."

Jiang You's phone vibrated; the takeaway had arrived.

He stood up, walked slowly out of the yard, and took the bag from the delivery boy.

"Give me a five-star rating." said the delivery guy .

"Definitely."

After the delivery guy left on his electric scooter, Jiang You looked outside and saw Chen Nan, wearing running shoes and sportswear, walking towards the insect house.

He waited for a while holding the bag, and Chen Nan walked up to him.

Jiang You said, "Sister Nan, just came back from the gym?"

"Yeah, you ran for more than an hour, did two sets of machine exercises, and then you ate fried food?" Chen Nan glanced at the takeaway bag in Jiang You's hand and his stomach.

"Just got back, and thought I'd missed lunch."

Chen Nan leaned over to look into the yard. "Is the yard ready? I passed by it a few days ago and it was a mess. I didn't expect it to be so beautiful now."

“I just did it casually.”

She walked in and stopped by the pond. "Are you planning to raise fish?"

"Let's plant some water plants like water lilies. It's too troublesome to feed fish regularly."

"You are just lazy, you are just lazy." Chen Nan turned around and walked around the rest area. "This shed is good. It is cool to sit in the summer night." She sat down on the soft chair. "This will cost tens of thousands, right?"

"That's about it," Jiang You also sat down, "I'm going to go to the flower and bird market next week and get some succulents to put on the shelf in the back. Oh, and do you want sunflowers? I just cut a few and put them in a pen holder. They look pretty nice."

"Cut a few for me later and I'll take them back."

"I'll cut it a little longer for you, and you can trim it yourself when you get home. Where's your daughter? Isn't today Saturday?"

"Yunyun went to her father's place and said that grandparents miss her," Chen Nan laughed sarcastically, "Now you know they miss her. When we got divorced, they hated us like crazy and regarded us mother and daughter as enemies."

"That's because he's stupid and can't tell good from bad." Jiang You opened the takeaway bag, took out a chicken wing and started eating.

"Come to my house for dinner tonight? I'll make braised pork and chicken soup to cool you down?"

"OK."

Chen Nan stood up and said, "Bring the flowers to me. I'm going to the vegetable market first."

"Don't make it too much trouble, just be casual."

"I'm leaving now."

After Chen Nan left, Jiang You finished his takeaway and curled up in the soft chair for a while. When he woke up, it was already getting dark.

He went upstairs to take a shower. Before leaving, he cut off the remaining sunflowers on the flower stand, wrapped them casually with paper, and walked towards Chen Nan's residence.

Chen Nan’s home is not far from Wenhua Street. It is just a matter of walking two streets and crossing an intersection.

Jiang You bought a watermelon and a bunch of grapes at the fruit shop at the entrance of the community.

He knocked on Chen Nan's door carrying flowers and fruits.

Opening the door, Chen Nan, wearing home clothes and an apron, smiled and welcomed Jiang You in. She took the fruits and flowers and placed them on the dining table. "Why are you being so polite to me? Sit down for a while. The food will be ready soon."

Jiang You sat down on the sofa.

He watched Chen Nan find a transparent vase, fill it with water and place it on the dining table. After comparing the lengths, she cut the branches a little shorter and put the flowers in. Then, she placed the vase on the coffee table in front of Jiang You.

"Looking at it this way, I think it's much prettier than the ones I have at home. Look how good I am to you. I've left all the pretty ones for you."

"You have such a big mouth."

Chen Nan turned and walked into the kitchen.

The aroma of food wafted in the air along with the sound of frying in the pan.

Braised pork, loofah and edamame, scrambled eggs with green peppers, and black chicken soup.

Jiang You sat down at the dining table and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Chen Nan scooped a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of him, "Try it."

Jiang You picked up the bowl and took a sip.

"How is it?" Chen Nan asked.

"Delicious, Sister Nan, you are really a good wife and mother." Jiang You finished the soup in just a few gulps, and he scooped a bowl for himself.

"Han ass, drink some wine?"

"Okay."

Chen Nan took out a bottle of Longshan rice wine. After pouring a small cup for Jiang You and herself, she sat down opposite Jiang You.

She picked up a piece of green pepper and put it in her mouth to chew. "I heard from the management office today that there will be celebrities coming to Cultural Street to shoot a variety show next month."

"Not bad, it can bring in some business for a while."

"Well, I heard they're working on a poster. Why don't you try to get one? If a celebrity goes to your store and takes a photo, you might become famous."

"Let me think, are you ready to participate?"

Chen Nan shook his head. "The bookstore is not making any money right now. It all depends on selling beverages. Yunyun is going to attend a European summer camp this summer, so I need to prepare some cash."

"She's only in fourth grade, right?"

"Yes, all the classmates in the class are going, and she will be isolated if she doesn't go."

"Luckily I don't have any children."

"You're almost thirty, don't you want to consider your personal affairs?"

"It's no use for me to think about it," Jiang You picked up a piece of braised pork and took a bite, "Well, Sister Nan, your braised pork is really amazing."

"It's really delicious, so don't give me any leftovers."

"Don't underestimate me."

Jiang You took a sip of rice wine, then looked up at Chen Nan. A few strands of hair hung on her cheeks, and her skin was fair. Although not as plump as that of a young woman, it had a more mature charm.

After nightfall.

Tang Butian and Taoist Qingyang climbed into the empty venue.

Tang Butian led Taoist Qingyang to the open space and said, "It's right here."

Taoist Qingyang looked around and asked, "During the day?"

"Yes, around noon."

"She can appear during the day..."

Taoist Qingyang hesitated for a moment, "What about her birth date?"

Tang Butian took out a fortune-telling slip from her bag and handed it to Taoist Qingyang.

Taoist Qingyang held the copybook in his hand. He walked in a special way, made gestures, and muttered something.

The calligraphy spontaneously combusted.

Ashes fell to the ground.

The surrounding space suddenly became dark.