Additionally, Jiang Anan also dragged Third to buy many clothes. When she went to the steamed bun shop, she no longer wore work attire as before; instead, she dressed beautifully and exquisitely, looking nothing like the owner of a steamed bun shop but completely like an urban white-collar beauty.
Anning could tell that Jiang Anan must be smitten.
Mrs. Jiang also noticed it, but she didn’t say anything nor did she press Jiang Anan for details.
It was not until the 29th of the last lunar month, when the bun shop closed for the year, that Jiang Anan found herself with free time and spoke to Mrs. Jiang about it.
At the time, they were frying meatballs.
Anning was chatting online with some juniors she approved of, thinking of bringing them into the company, chatting while enjoying the fragrant smells wafting from the kitchen.
Third was hiding in a corner with Xiao Hua, sneakily eating meatballs, the household lively and bustling.
As Jiang Anan kneaded the dough, she told Mrs. Jiang: "Mom, I’m dating someone; he mentioned wanting to come over for New Year’s greetings."
Mrs. Jiang scooped out the meatballs and turned off the stove: "Sure, but why didn’t you mention this before?"
Jiang Anan was somewhat embarrassed: "It wasn’t confirmed before, but now we both feel quite good about it. His family is also urging him, so he wanted to come over for the New Year, get to know the family, and then have our parents meet after the first lunar month."
Mrs. Jiang smiled: "Okay, what’s his name, and what does his family do?"
Mrs. Jiang only knew Wei Jiaming’s name, but as for what the other party did and what his family was like, she really had no idea.
Anning hadn’t checked either.
Mainly because Anning saw that Wei Jiaming wasn’t the fickle type, and he looked at Jiang Anan with such tenderness in his eyes—an undeniable sign of genuine affection.
Also, whenever Jiang Anan saw Wei Jiaming, she seemed completely relaxed; she must feel very secure with him and trusts him deeply.
Finding someone in life who lets you relax and depend on them is truly not easy.
Since Jiang Anan had found someone, Anning didn’t want to interfere.
Jiang Anan lowered her head: "After he graduated from university, he started working for his family. Now, he handles most of their affairs. His family initially dealt with butchering, and after his father took over, they began to expand. Now they deal with chilled meat and also sell stewed meats and sausages, conducting quite a large business."
Jiang Anan further elaborated to Mrs. Jiang: "The stewed meats and sausages are Jiaming’s specialties. He started working in their plant right after university. He worked on the recipes himself, found formulas from ancient books, sourced spices, and the flavor of the stewed meat he makes is truly exceptional. Originally, they only sold it in our city, but later they started vacuum packaging it and selling it nationwide. Now, they’ve begun exporting."
Probably because she feared Mrs. Jiang might not yet grasp the details, Jiang Anan mentioned a brand: "That popular brand of sausage sold in supermarkets nowadays is produced by his family."
Mrs. Jiang actually knew the brand; she had bought it several times before, and the taste was indeed very good.
"Oh, from what you’re saying, Wei Jiaming sounds quite good. You make steamed buns, and he makes sausages and stewed meats, you two are well matched."
Jiang Anan nodded vigorously: "We get along well, and I help him think about the flavors for his stews, he helps me with the fillings for my buns; being with him feels really easy."
This time, Jiang Anan also spoke up honestly: "When I was with Zhou Chong earlier, I felt anxious every day, I didn’t really have much to talk about with him, and I always felt we weren’t quite right together, but..."
As she continued, Jiang Anan lowered her head and her eyes brimmed with tears: "It’s only now I’ve realized that living life depends on what kind of partner you find. Someone like Zhou Chong might look good, handsome, and have some charisma, but when you’re actually with him, it feels awkward. But with Wei Jiaming, our conversations never end; he understands everything I say, with just a look I know what he’s thinking. Life with him is genuinely flavorful."
Mrs. Jiang’s heart ached as she listened.
She reached out and hugged Jiang Anan: "You, it’s not too late for you to understand this. It’s not too late. What we seek in life is to live warmly, right? To pair up with someone you cannot talk to, leaving the house cold and eerily quiet, barely speaking for days – what kind of life is that? Many households may look glamorous on the outside, but only they know the bitterness of their daily lives."
Jiang Anan kept nodding: "Yes, I’ve come to understand this now."
Mrs. Jiang patted Jiang Anan’s back: "Since you think the young man is good, let him come over during the New Year, and don’t worry, your dad and I won’t make it tough for him."
Jiang Anan then smiled: "Mom, you have to treat him well then, just like how you treated my brother-in-law when he first came to our house. You can’t go any lower than that standard."
Mrs. Jiang was exasperated and chased after Jiang Anan to smack her: "You dead girl, turning your elbow out already, what sins did I commit? Your sister does this, and so do you."
Anning then came out from inside the house, standing at the door and laughing: "Mom, why bring me into this when big sister upsets you? What did I do to you, really?"
"When you brought your partner home, you even had me prepare sea cucumbers and abalone for him, and now your sister is doing the same. If I don’t talk about you, who can I talk about?"
Pausing, Mrs. Jiang turned and saw Third and Xiao Hua, both humans and cat barely managing to swallow their meatballs, filling her with frustration once more: "One after another, you all just know how to upset me."
Third quickly swallowed his meatball: "Mom, don’t lump me together with them. When I bring a partner home, I’ll have no complaints, even if you just serve him porridge."
"Meow..."
Xiao Hua had objections over that.