Chapter 4: Considered an Early Marriage
Seeing this, Wen Xia sighed quietly, trying not to speak too harshly. “No, I just don’t feel like eating.”
“Then tell me what you want, I’ll buy you whatever you like.” Jiang Xu immediately grinned, showing a set of big, white teeth.
Despite the crowd leaving the school, Qin Mo still spotted the girl in a white hoodie walking toward the gate, accompanied by a boy in a black hoodie.
They looked very much like a couple.
Frowning, he took long strides toward them, and could vaguely hear the boy saying, “Wen Xia, let’s go out tomorrow. Didn’t you want to go to the amusement park last time? I’ll take you.”
He called out, “Wen Xia.”
Wen Xia looked up. Not far away, the boy was wearing a dark blue sweater that highlighted his fair skin. Several girls nearby were sneaking glances at him.
She hurried over to him. “Cousin.”
Qin Mo naturally took her backpack. At that moment, Jiang Xu followed and greeted him with a smile. “Hello, Cousin! I’m Jiang Xu, Wen Xia’s classmate.”
“Cousin, let me buy you both some bubble tea.”
He wanted to get on good terms with Wen Xia’s cousin, hoping it would make seeing Wen Xia easier in the future.
Qin Mo’s tone was a bit chilly. “No need. We’re in a hurry to go home.”
Trying to cozy up to him to get closer to his “wife”? As if he’d be polite about that.
“Cousin, it’ll just take a moment. I’ll have the shop owner pack it up, so you can take it to go,” Jiang Xu didn’t care, thinking that the two of them were not familiar with each other.
Seeing the slight lift at the corner of Qin Mo’s long, narrow eyes, Wen Xia knew he was quite displeased. The last time he’d been this annoyed was during a divorce case involving a man who cheated yet wanted his wife to leave without anything and even tried to pin the blame of infidelity on her.
Qin Mo had punched the man on the spot, and in the end, the man not only left with nothing but also had to pay Qin Mo’s law firm a reputation fee of 50,000 yuan.
“Jiang Xu, we’re not having any. We’ll be leaving now. Bye-bye.”
She pulled Qin Mo out of the school gate, then turned to look at him. “Where are we going?”
Qin Mo thought for a moment. Since they were both students, high-end places weren’t an option. “How about bubble tea?”
“Okay,” Wen Xia nodded.
…
To avoid being caught by any teachers, they took a ride-share to a bubble tea shop a bit farther from the school.
The shop, “Captain’s Bubble Tea,” had walls decorated with hanging flower baskets, white vines draped down, and swing seats with little figures of a boy and a girl between them.
Qin Mo handed her the menu, gesturing for her to choose a drink.
Wen Xia looked through the options for a while, then told the cashier, “I’ll have a pearl milk tea with extra taro balls. Husband, what would you like?”
After four or five years of calling him that, it wasn’t easy to change the habit.
The cashier blushed upon hearing the word “Husband.” Students these days seemed so natural calling each other that.
Realizing what she’d said, Wen Xia awkwardly cleared her throat, trying to cover it up. “Cousin, what would you like?”
The cashier gave them an odd look. “…”
Was a cousin relationship in fashion now?
Wen Xia gave up on explaining. The more she tried, the worse it seemed.
Qin Mo’s eyes held a faint hint of amusement. “I’ll have the same as you, cousin.” He emphasized the word slightly.
“That’ll be 16 yuan,” the cashier said after calculating the total.
Wen Xia quickly took out 20 yuan and handed it over, just as Qin Mo did the same.
The cashier accepted Qin Mo’s twenty and returned 4 yuan. “Please wait a moment.”
Before long, the drinks were ready.
Qin Mo put a straw in her cup and handed it to her.
Wen Xia took a few sips, looking at her young, handsome “husband” in front of her. This kind of “date” felt a bit novel.
“So… does this count as an early relationship?” she asked with a grin.
Qin Mo took a sip of the milk tea. The sweet, powdery taste made him frown slightly. Hearing her question, he shook his head. “No.”
“It counts as an early marriage.”
Wen Xia nearly spit out her drink. “Cough, cough…”
Qin Mo quickly handed her a napkin. “Drink slower.”
After wiping her mouth, Wen Xia shot him an annoyed look. “It’s your fault for saying that.”
“I was just being honest,” Qin Mo raised an eyebrow.
The two sat there for about half an hour before heading out.
“Anywhere else you’d like to go?” Qin Mo asked, taking her hand.
“I want to get spicy skewers from the alley.”
Wen Xia had always wished in high school that she could go out for spicy skewers with a boyfriend.
But in all three years of high school, she never had one.
“Then let’s go if you want,” Qin Mo replied.
The two of them, still quite young, drew a lot of curious stares from passersby, as if silently judging them for holding hands at such a young age.
Even though they were a “legal couple,” the looks made them feel a bit guilty, and Wen Xia pulled Qin Mo along, quickening their pace.
Once they reached the alley, there were more couples around, and they didn’t stand out as much.
The best spicy skewers were found under the sycamore trees.
Wen Xia picked up seven or eight skewers, added chili, and brought them over to an empty wooden table.
Beside them sat another couple—the girl had yellow-dyed hair, the boy’s was green. He had his hand on her thigh, calling her “baby” with every other word.
Wen Xia: “…”
She glanced at Qin Mo. “Husb…uh, can you eat this?”
Qin Mo had high standards for his lifestyle, and she’d never seen him eat street food before.
“It’s alright.” Qin Mo picked up a piece of lotus root and chewed it.
…
Though Qin Mo didn’t eat much, Wen Xia was delighted. It felt just like a date between a young couple.
As evening approached, it was time to go home; otherwise, the adults might start looking for them.
Luckily, they lived in the same neighborhood, though in different buildings.
Qin Mo’s home was a small villa, while Wen Xia’s was on the third floor of one of the apartment blocks.
When they reached Building A, Wen Xia told Qin Mo to go home.
Qin Mo handed her the backpack. “Come to my place tomorrow to do homework.”
“Is that okay?” Wen Xia thought about how Qin Mo had excellent grades and could help tutor her.
“My parents likely won’t be home,” Qin Mo replied.
Qin Mo’s parents worked in real estate development and were quite wealthy in Jia County. In fact, this entire neighborhood had been developed by the Qin family.
It was only after they got married that she discovered Qin Mo was a “rich second-generation” with immense wealth.
“Alright,” Wen Xia nodded.
…
On the third floor, Wen Xia took out her keys and opened the door. The smell of home-cooked food drifted out, and she paused for a moment, caught off guard.
Hearing the door, her father, Wen De, came out in an apron, wearing his usual stern look. “Why are you home so late?”
In the past, her relationship with Wen De had been tense. A few words between them could easily turn into an argument.
She had always thought Wen De didn’t care for her. But later, at her wedding, she saw him wiping away tears in secret.
It was then she realized he did care for her; he just didn’t know how to express it.
“I went shopping with a friend. Dad, what are you cooking? It smells so good.”
She put her backpack on the sofa and headed into the kitchen. “Wow, Dad, you made my favorite spicy fish! You’re the best!”
Her sudden closeness left Wen De a bit at a loss. Ever since his divorce from Wen Xia’s mother, she had been distant with him.
Awkwardly, he replied, “Don’t come home so late next time.”
“Got it, Dad.”
Wen Xia took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks and served the rice. Once all the dishes were on the table, she picked up a piece of fish and put it on Wen De’s plate. “Dad’s the MVP—he gets the first bite.”
Wen De paused, his hand holding the chopsticks, then said gruffly, “Just eat.”
Seeing Wen Xia’s smile fade a little, he regretted his tone.
What he wanted to say was, ‘Xia Xia, you go ahead. Dad can serve himself.’
But he never knew how to show his feelings.
After that, neither of them said another word for the rest of the meal.
