Pei Yicheng felt a warm sensation in the depths of his heart. His little sister was young and still in school. Most of the time, she would be asleep early, and when he got home late due to his busy schedule, all that greeted him was a dark, empty house.
This was the first time someone had waited for him to come home.
After a while, Xu Nianhua went back inside.
Pei Yicheng parked the car steadily in the courtyard, locked the gate, and walked into the house, immediately greeted by the aroma of food.
"I made you a bowl of egg noodles and added some of the ribs we ate tonight. Try it," Xu Nianhua came out holding a bowl of noodles topped with green onions, the steam rising, and a pan-fried egg fried to a golden brown on both sides, with braised ribs and noodles that looked appetizing.
"I’m actually hungry," said Pei Yicheng as he washed a hand and casually grabbed another bowl in the kitchen. He divided the noodles between himself and Xu Nianhua and picked the fried egg into her bowl before saying, "Let’s eat together."
"Eat fast, it’s already eleven, and you must be hungry too."
Seeing that she wasn’t starting, Pei Yicheng urged her while taking big bites of the noodles. In the darkness of the night, having a bowl of steaming noodles warmed his stomach.
"We’ll split it in half."
Xu Nianhua separated half of the fried egg for him and then continued to eat her noodles, which tasted just right.
In the dining room, the quiet was only broken by the sound of slurping noodles. Occasionally, when they looked up, their eyes met and they shared a smile, sweet bubbles seemed to effervesce endlessly around them.
"From now on, I’ll try to come home earlier," Pei Yicheng said, speaking casually as if talking about daily life, but only he knew deep down that this was his promise.
Although her waiting for him to come home so late was heartwarming, he couldn’t bear it.
Years later, it became common knowledge in their circle: unless something monumental was occurring, there was no need to look for Pei Yicheng at night.
"Humans aren’t made of iron; work will never be finished, but health is most important," Xu Nianhua would speak endlessly on this topic. She was cleaning up the dishes and cutlery when suddenly, they slipped from her grasp.
Pei Yicheng had already taken them away, leaning in to whisper by her ear, "I’ll definitely take care of myself because I’m still waiting to marry you and bring you home."
The warm breath lingering around her ear felt like a feather gently sweeping over her heart, stirring a flutter within.
"You go and take a shower, I’ll clean up here," Xu Nianhua said as she walked into the kitchen, thinking it was late and wanting Pei Yicheng to rest sooner.
But Pei Yicheng insisted on washing the dishes, saying, "It wasn’t easy for you to cook the noodles; I can’t let you wash the dishes too."
Xu Nianhua followed by tidying up the countertop, and with the two of them working together, the kitchen was soon cleaned.
"It’s getting late; I’m off to bed," Xu Nianhua said and turned to leave.
Perhaps because of the dishwashing, the floor had become wet, and Xu Nianhua’s foot slipped, frightening her into an instinctive exclamation.
With fast reflexes, Pei Yicheng extended his long arm and gripped her waist tightly.
Still shaken, Xu Nianhua clutched his clothes, and it was only when she felt secure that she wouldn’t fall that she let out a relieved sigh. When she looked up, she realized how close they were to each other.
"I, I didn’t see anything."
Pei Yining, who had been thirsty and went to the kitchen for water, heard some noises and thought Pei Yicheng was looking for something to eat. However, as soon as she reached the kitchen, she heard a cry of alarm, and coming forward, she saw her brother and Xu Nianhua embraced.
Pei Yining quickly covered her eyes and turned, then ’thump thump thump’ ran upstairs.