A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

The A8 was parked in the underground parking lot, with Fu Xiao and Chen Shiwen sitting in the back.

Zhao Gang drove very steadily, a characteristic of someone with a military background—smooth starts, steady brakes, signaling when changing lanes, and stopping at yellow lights. Fu Xiao, sitting comfortably in the back, almost fell asleep again.

"Brother Zhao, did my brother just wake up?"

"Hmm... Brother Fu came back late last night, he probably hasn't gotten up yet today."

"I knew it." Fu Xiao rolled her eyes. "That guy, he's never had enough sleep, you couldn't even wake him up during an earthquake."

Chen Shiwen sat quietly to the side, watching the street scene flash by outside the window—winter in Yanjing had not yet completely ended, and the trees along the roadside were all bare, but the sunlight was very good, shining on the gray buildings, which added a bit of color.

"Shishi, don't be nervous when you get to my brother's place. He may seem unreliable, but he's actually a good person."

"I'm not nervous," Chen Shiwen said.

"You blush every time you see my brother, and you say you're not nervous?"

"That's...cold."

"You're blushing in the middle of winter, even in a heated room, and you're telling me you're cold?"

Chen Shiwen lowered her head, and the tips of her ears turned red again.

……

Yandai Xiejie (Yandai Slope Street).

The A8 stopped at the entrance of the courtyard house, and Zhao Gang got out of the car to help carry the luggage.

Fu Xiao pushed open the courtyard gate, and a warm breeze carrying the aroma of food wafted out—Zhou Shufen was making lunch.

She pulled Chen Shiwen across the courtyard and pushed open the door to the main house—

Fu Yan was brushing his teeth at the dining table.

Yes, brush your teeth while sitting at the dining table.

He was wearing a gray cotton T-shirt and dark blue pajama bottoms, his hair sticking up like a hedgehog with its fur standing on end. He had a toothbrush in his mouth, a cup in one hand, and was flipping through the newspaper on the table with the other.

Seeing Fu Xiao and Chen Shiwen enter, he mumbled, "You're here?"

Then continue brushing your teeth.

Fu Xiao stood at the door and took a deep breath.

"Follow your words!"

"Um?"

"I told you to pick me up at the station! But you slacked off and had Zhao Gang do it instead!"

"I went to bed too late last night, I couldn't get up!"

"I see you don't value your own sister at all. You never take anything I say to you seriously. Humph! If I hadn't prepared in advance, you wouldn't have been able to get in the door before noon today!"

"Didn't Zhao Gang go? He wasn't late."

"That's his problem! What about what you promised me?"

"I got home too late last night..."

What time did you get back?

"...A little after three o'clock."

"You run a bar, you're not a thief, why are you only coming back after 3 a.m.?"

Fu Yan took the toothbrush out of his mouth, rinsed his mouth, and said with a self-righteous expression, "Aren't bar owners all active at night? Have you ever seen a bar owner open at six in the morning?"

Fu Xiao was speechless.

She turned to look at Chen Shiwen—the girl was standing at the door, her hands clasped in front of her, her head slightly bowed, her cheeks flushed, and a faint smile playing on her lips.

Quiet, shy, and gentle.

She doesn't look like a girl from Northeast China at all.

Fu Xiao once asked her, "Are you really from Northeast China? Are you sure you're not from Jiangnan?"

Chen Shiwen said, "My parents are both from Northeast China, but my maternal grandmother is from Suzhou."

"That's right, it's inherited from previous generations."

At this moment, Chen Shiwen looked at Fu Yan, who was casually brushing his teeth at the dining table in his pajama bottoms, and thought—

It was exactly as Fu Xiao described.

Zhou Shufen poked her head out from the kitchen: "Xiaoxiao's back? This must be a classmate, right? Come in and sit down! I made mackerel dumplings and braised beef; you must be hungry!"

"Thank you, Auntie." Chen Shiwen bowed slightly.

"Oh my, what a sensible girl!" Zhou Shufen smiled from ear to ear, while Fu Yan turned to look at Fu Xiao—the meaning of that look was very clear: Look at her, and then look at you.

Fu Yan silently put away her toothbrush and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

When he came out, Fu Xiao and Chen Shiwen were already sitting at the dining table. Fu Xiao unceremoniously picked up some braised beef and ate it, while Chen Shiwen sipped the millet porridge that Zhou Shufen had brought.

Fu Yan sat down and looked at the two girls in front of him—one was his own younger sister, who was fighting to the death with the braised beef; the other was his sister's best friend, who sat quietly beside him, like a painting.

"Chen Shiwen, right?" Fu Yan said.

"Hello, Brother Fu." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"Have you grown taller again?"

Chen Shiwen was taken aback, not expecting him to remember her height: "No... I don't think so."

"The last time I saw you, you were only a little taller than my shoulder, but now you're almost up to my ear."

With her mouth full of beef, Fu Xiao mumbled, "She's 1.68 meters tall, and you're only 1.8 meters. Isn't it normal for her heels to reach your ears? What's the big deal?"

"It's a bit of an overreaction. It's just that my sister isn't as tall as them."

"I'm not short, okay?"

"That's not tall, only 1.65 meters?"

"You're talking nonsense! I measured myself a few days ago, and I'm already 1.67 meters tall without shoes."

Fu Yan felt that arguing with his sister was an extremely intellectually taxing activity, so he wisely chose to keep quiet.

He picked up the soy milk that Zhou Shufen had brought him, took a sip, and looked out the window—the sun was shining brightly, and it seemed that a few green buds were sprouting on the branches of the old locust tree in the yard.

Spring is almost here.

……

After dinner, Fu Xiao took Chen Shiwen to the guest room that had been prepared for them—the one next to the east wing. Zhou Shufen had already made the bed, changed the quilt and pillowcases, and turned the heating on full blast.

"Shishi, you rest for a while. I need to talk to my brother about something." Fu Xiao put down her luggage, turned around, and went out the door.

She went to the main room and found Fu Yan curled up on the sofa, changing channels with a remote control in his hand.

"elder brother."

"Um."

"Your courtyard house is really big."

"good."

"Do you live alone?"

"Now we have Sister Zhou."

"Sister Zhou is a really nice person."

"Yes, the Northeastern cuisine is quite good, especially the mackerel dumplings, they're really well made."

"I wasn't asking about the food." Fu Xiao looked at Fu Yan. "Brother, do you... have someone else?"

Fu Yan paused for a moment while changing the channel.

"There are two toothbrushes next to your toothbrush, two sets of skincare products on the sink, and a burgundy coat hanging on the coat hanger—that's not yours. Your wardrobe is full of black, white, and gray."

Looking at his younger sister, Fu Yan felt it was a waste that she didn't become a detective.

"……yes."

Who is it?

You'll find out later.

"When?"

"When I want you to know."

Fu Xiao glared at him, but didn't press the matter—her brother was the type who would only keep quiet the more you pressed him, and would suddenly become unable to hold back if you stopped pressing him. She had been using this pattern since she was a child.

"Okay then." She turned to leave, then turned back and said, "Brother, when should I go check out that bar?"

"Come anytime, I'll have Zhao Gang take you."

"Then I'll go tomorrow!"

"OK."

Fu Xiao skipped back to the east wing. When she pushed the door open, she found Chen Shiwen already asleep on the bed—still clutching the copy of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" in her hand, the book turned to page two hundred, her glasses perched on her nose.

Fu Xiao gently pulled out the book, closed it, and placed it on the bedside table. She also took off her glasses and placed them next to her.

Then she lay down herself and stared blankly at the ceiling.

The ceilings in Yanjing are nicer than those in Bincheng, and it's much more liberating.

Perhaps it's because Ms. Liu Meilan, who lifts her blanket at 7:30 every morning, isn't here.