Afterwards 5
After they’re done.
The two of them lay in bed, and Jiang Yumo was completely devoid of strength, lazily resting on top of him.
It really felt very comfortable, very reassuring.
Unlike all the previous times after parting, it wasn’t like this at this moment. She had struggled and doubted before. During the most painful period, she even wondered if he would be better off without her, at least not bound by her.
All of her emotions were tangled up in her chest.
Now, it seemed to be dissipating little by little.
Perhaps what the elders said had some truth, like the fact that she was turning thirty this year, and indeed, a person at thirty would be more mature than before.
She chose to surrender.
Just like when she fell for Duan Ye at the age of seventeen.
Back then, she was defeated by his dedication.
Now she surrendered; she admitted that she couldn’t accept a lifetime without him.
“Is your business at that shop really doing well?” Her voice sounded a bit hoarse.
Duan Ye was currently resting with his eyes closed. When he heard her words, he chuckled, and his chest moved, making her feel a bit numb.
“When have I ever lied to you?” he said. “Business is indeed doing well, and the year-end bonuses should be pretty good too.”
There was more than one auto repair shop in Ningcheng, but Duan Ye’s was considered quite large in scale.
He couldn’t build it alone; he partnered with his previous master.
His previous master taught him a lot, and now his master basically doesn’t handle things anymore; his master delegated everything to him.
Normally, partners wouldn’t do this, but the old master trusts Duan Ye’s character a lot and believes he won’t mess up.
“How much is it?” Jiang Yumo’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him, “Tell me, I won’t tell anyone else.”
Duan Ye was amused by her and in a lazy tone, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered a number.
Jiang Yumo was extremely surprised, “Is it that much?”
“It’s not that much,” Duan Ye sighed, “Ningcheng is still too small. In a few years, when it develops better, I plan to open another shop in the provincial capital.”
“You’re earning more than I am,” Jiang Yumo said excitedly, “But our lifestyle is not bad either, and we don’t spend much money usually.”
The two of them chatted about various trivial matters in life.
They talked about everything, as if they had returned to those years when they could talk about anything, and their mood was very relaxed.
“I’ve always wanted to ask you a question,” Jiang Yumo propped up her elbow, the blanket slipped off, and she instinctively pressed her chest, looking at him very seriously, “Back then, were you trying to get back at me? Did you want me to experience your feelings?”
Duan Ye stared at her, “How could that be?”
He reluctantly admitted, “I had my own selfish motives back then. It wasn’t as noble as you think.”
“Selfish motives?”
“Yeah. At that time, wasn’t there someone pursuing you?” Maybe being thirty was really different from being twenty. The twenty-year-old Duan Ye wouldn’t casually mention his jealousy like this; he would hide it fiercely, not allowing her to glimpse it. It’s as if showing jealousy and envy would make him look petty and incompetent.
In a few more months, he’ll be thirty-one, and those past memories can be openly shared with her.
“I worry too, worry that after I’ve gone far away, I won’t be able to find you when I come back,” he said.
Jiang Yumo was momentarily stunned. A few strands of hair fell onto her smooth shoulder. After she processed his words, she couldn’t help but laugh and leaned on his chest. “What nonsense! I don’t even remember his name.”
“Xu Shanming,” Duan Ye replied.
“What?” Jiang Yumo pinched him. “I don’t even remember what he looks like. How is that possible?”
How could she possibly like that person?
No, in this lifetime, how could she possibly like anyone other than him?
It’s impossible.
“So, it’s not just you who’s childish, it’s me too,” Duan Ye said as he looked at her.
After Jiang Yumo finished laughing, her tone became much more subdued. “But I still feel so regretful. If someone had stopped me when I was choosing my college major, if someone had told me it wasn’t a waste but a commitment, if there really was such a person… Wouldn’t that have been wonderful? Would we have had fewer hardships?”
Duan Ye remained silent for nearly a minute before saying, “Perhaps. But our experiences would be different, but the outcome would be the same.”
“Do you blame me in your heart?” Jiang Yumo’s eyes inexplicably filled with tears. She compared their pinky fingers. “Even if it’s just a little bit. Today is a day for honesty, for speaking our hearts, as you’ve said, you won’t lie to me.”
Duan Ye thought carefully and then said, “No.”
He only blamed himself.
“What about you?” Duan Ye asked her again. “Do you blame me?”
Jiang Yumo : “I really wanted to answer ‘I blame you,’ but after thinking it over, it’s more like I blame myself.”
Their hearts were so close.
Their feelings were exactly the same. They didn’t blame each other; they only blamed themselves. Perhaps, if there had been even a hint of blame toward each other over these years, things wouldn’t be like today, at this moment.
“Alright,” Jiang Yumo held back her tears, extended her hand, and hooked her pinky finger, “Let’s pinky swear. We won’t blame each other. I won’t blame you, and you won’t blame me.”
Duan Ye helplessly smiled and extended his hand to pinky swear with her.
“Before we seal this promise, there’s one more thing I want to do.”
Taking advantage of Duan Ye’s lack of reaction, Jiang Yumo bit his shoulder fiercely, leaving a mark before letting go. “Alright, we’ve really turned the page.”
Duan Ye didn’t even furrow his brows; he just found her cute.
“Okay.”
The next day, Jiang Yumo’s alarm clock rang for a long time before she woke up.
This was quite unusual. In her teens and twenties, she could sleep forever, but now that she was in her thirties, she couldn’t sleep as much as before. She always woke up before the alarm clock rang. Perhaps it was because she was too tired yesterday, or maybe it was because he was by her side. She slept soundly and contentedly.
She got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, but Duan Ye wasn’t there. However, he left a sticky note on the fridge.
“The living room light seems to be broken. I’ll buy a replacement and breakfast. You can call me when you wake up.”
Jiang Yumo sent him a WeChat message and went into the bathroom.
The weather was too hot, and she wanted to freshen up. She turned on the showerhead and as she lowered her head to look at the marks below her collarbone, she felt a long-lost, almost like it had separated from her body, sense of shyness. After a quick shower, she stood in front of the sink, carefully examining her face.
Does the perverted colleague speak the truth?
She felt that her skin had improved over the past two days.
There were no pimples on her face, no dark circles either. Even though they had chatted so late last night and hadn’t slept much altogether, she looked radiant, as if he had injected her with a continuous supply of vitality.
When Duan Ye returned and glanced at the bathroom, she was standing close to the mirror.
She was wearing a camisole with shorts.
With a slight lean, she revealed a glimpse of her lower back.
Duan Ye had noticed yesterday that she had a new tattoo on her lower back, and thinking about it, he reached out and gently touched it with his fingertip.
Jiang Yumo was quite sensitive and shrank back, looking at him in annoyance. “What are you doing?”
“When did you get this tattoo?” he asked.
Jiang Yumo lowered her head to take a look and smiled. “You’re mistaken. It’s not a real tattoo; it’s a temporary one. A colleague bought a bunch and gave me a few. I would never get a real tattoo; I’m terrified of pain.”
Duan Ye : “…”
“Temporary?”
“Yeah, they look very realistic. Wait a moment.” She happily ran outside, rummaged through her bag, and came back to the bathroom with a tattoo sticker. “I’ll give you one too. Where should I put it? Take off your clothes first.”
She was almost giving orders.
Duan Ye wanted to say that he had no interest in tattoos or temporary tattoos, but seeing her enthusiasm, he reluctantly took off his short-sleeved shirt under her excited gaze.
Jiang Yumo tore off a temporary tattoo sticker and stood in front of Duan Ye, reaching her hand around his waist. With her other hand from the back of his neck, she gradually moved downward and stopped at a certain spot on his spine. She pressed it, looked up at him with a smile, and whispered in a breathy voice, “Right here.”
Duan Ye looked down at her, extended his hand, and discreetly closed the bathroom door behind them.
About ten minutes later, there was a muffled groan from inside, mixed with Jiang Yumo’s unsteady breathing and sporadic sounds, “Turn on the tap.”
“Mmm.”
It wasn’t until almost ten o’clock that Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye finally walked out hand in hand, and they happened to run into a neighbor from the same building.
There was a time when Jiang Yumo wanted to exercise, and she had met this Sister in the morning while jogging. The two of them had even had breakfast together.
When Jiang Yumo saw the curious look in the neighbor’s eyes, she tightened her grip on Duan Ye’s hand and introduced with a smile, “This is my boyfriend.”
The neighbor laughed and said, “That’s great. I was actually considering introducing my little brother to you.”
Jiang Yumo sweetly replied, “Fortunately, you didn’t, he’s quite the jealous type.”
Duan Ye, who was at the center of the discussion, remained as silent as ever.
But when he heard Jiang Yumo’s words, he gave her a sidelong glance.
Duan Ye drove, and Jiang Yumo sat in the passenger seat. He asked her, “Where to?”
Jiang Yumo was using her phone for navigation and replied, “The People’s Bank.”
After setting the destination on the navigation, Duan Ye drove out of the parking lot. Today was a workday, and the morning rush hour had already passed, so they had a smooth journey to the bank. Both Jiang Yumo and Duan Ye applied for credit reports. It seemed that Duan Ye had been out of touch with any trends since graduating; he didn’t even have a credit card. Influenced by her parents, Jiang Yumo wasn’t accustomed to owing anyone money overdue, so their credit reports were quite perfect, with no overdue records.
When she was about to apply for the credit report, Duan Ye already guessed what she wanted to do.
Walking out of the bank and back to the car, Jiang Yumo handed her phone to him. “I got recommendations for these few real estate developments, not from those online folks, but from my boss, colleagues, and relatives. After considering their opinions and experiences, I eliminated a few options, and these are the ones left. With their input, we can avoid pitfalls and make a safer choice. What do you think?”
Duan Ye remained silent as he looked at her.
He wasn’t sure when she had done all this research.
It was incredibly detailed, with information on nearby subway and bus stations, kindergartens, and primary schools for each real estate, even distances were clearly stated.
Several types of units were listed, with their areas, unit prices, and whether they included renovations. The property management company was also mentioned.
While he was reading, her phone rang, displaying ‘Dear Mom’ as the caller ID. He was almost startled, and she noticed his reaction, suppressing a smile. She took the phone and mouthed a reminder to him, “If you drop it, you’ll pay for it.”
She answered the call.
Duan Ye held his breath, not wanting to make any noise.
Inside the car, all he could hear was her voice—
“I know, I know. We just got the credit report done. Today, we can probably only visit two properties… Mom, I’m not made of steel, you know? House hunting is exhausting! How can we finish it all in one day!
“Alright, alright, I know. Once we decide on a property, we’ll visit it in the morning and in the afternoon. We’ll go on cloudy days and sunny days, I get it, I really do!
“Why are you coming over? It’s so hot today. Don’t bother coming over; you might get sick. Mom, I’m already thirty. I can handle these things.
“Okay, I’ll video call later, and you can do remote viewing?
“I have enough money; you keep it for yourself. I’ve saved some money too.
“Renovations? I haven’t even seen the house yet. What’s the point of talking about renovations? Besides, most of these peoperties come with pre-installed renovations. I know it’s a bit of a rip-off, but I don’t have a choice.”
Jiang Yumo finally hung up the phone. Despite sitting in the car with the air conditioning on, she was still sweating.
Duan Ye hesitated before speaking, “Aunt… she…”
Jiang Yumo sighed with relief, “She knows everything. I told her we’re buying a house, and I guess she hasn’t slept for these past few days. My Dad told me she was up late last night researching. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have come over yesterday.”
They exchanged smiles.
Over the years, they had put themselves, their parents, and their friends through a lot.
But fortunately, they had received blessings from their parents and friends—
[May you have a harmonious hundred years together! Stay loyal and don’t bring trouble to others!]
These sincere words were from Yan Qing on WeChat.