Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

At six o'clock, the sky gradually darkened.

Jiang Fan said goodbye to Fang Ma and had just stepped out of the iron gate when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Fang Xiulan jogged up to him and stuffed a plastic bag into his hand.

"Here are some pickled vegetables I made myself. They were your favorite when you were little."

"Thank you, Aunt Fang."

Fang Xiulan stood at the door, her eyes narrowed as she smiled.

The setting sun shone down from behind her, casting a silvery glow on her gray hair.

"Bring your girlfriend home next time so Fang's mom can meet her."

Jiang Fan paused for a moment.

girlfriend.

The faces of Xu Qingya, Su Yuyan, and Shen Nian flashed through my mind.

Which one should I bring?

If he were brought here, Fang's mother would immediately grab a rolling pin and beat him.

"Um... okay."

"Go back now, and be careful on the road."

Jiang Fan turned around, picked up the bag of pickled vegetables, and walked towards the main road.

After walking about twenty steps, he looked back and saw Fang Xiulan still standing at the door, waving at him.

He raised his hand and waved, but it took him more than ten minutes to flag down a taxi.

As the car drove onto the outer ring road, the bungalows outside the window transformed back into high-rise buildings.

Just as I entered the city, my phone rang.

Shen Nian: "Where did you go? The studio's closed for the day, where are you?"

Jiang Fan replied, "I went out to take care of some business and I'm back."

Shen Nian: "Have you had dinner yet?"

Jiang Fan glanced at the bag of pickled vegetables on his lap.

"not yet."

Shen Nian: "Come eat at my place. I just learned how to cook a few dishes."

Jiang Fan replied with an "okay" and put his phone back in his pocket.

The car was stuck on the inner ring road, moving in and out for forty minutes.

It was completely dark when I got to the apartment building.

Jiang Fan paid the fare, got out of the car, and took the pickled vegetables upstairs in the elevator.

When he opened the door, the aroma of porridge wafted from the kitchen.

"You're back?" Shen Nian's voice came from inside.

"Um."

Two dishes were laid out on the table—

A plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables. Very simple.

Jiang Fan placed the pickled vegetables on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Shen Nian turned off the stove, ladled out two bowls of porridge, and brought them out.

As I passed the dining table, I caught a glimpse of the plastic bag, picked it up with one hand, and weighed it in my hand.

"What is that? It's quite heavy."

"Pickled vegetables".

"Pickled vegetables?" Shen Nian opened the bag and peeked inside. "Where did you buy them?"

"I didn't buy it." Jiang Fan rolled up his sleeves twice, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "I went home."

Shen Nian sat down opposite him.

"go home?"

"A children's welfare home," Jiang Fan said, picking up a piece of tomato and putting it in his mouth. "The place where I grew up."

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Shen Nian held the spoon in her hand without moving, watching him.

"Why haven't I heard you mention this before?"

"What's there to mention?" Jiang Fan took a sip of porridge, opened the bag of pickled vegetables, and picked some out onto a plate.

"I've lived in that courtyard since I can remember. Fang Ma took care of more than thirty children by herself; it wasn't easy. I went back to visit them today and brought them some things."

Shen Nian pulled the dish of pickled vegetables closer to herself, picked up a piece, and tasted it.

He chewed twice and raised his eyebrows.

"Delicious. Really delicious."

"Fang Ma's cooking skills have been around for over ten years. When I was a child, we couldn't afford meat, so we relied on this to eat with rice."

The two ate quietly for a while.

Shen Nian put down the spoon, interlaced her ten fingers together, and placed them on the table.

"Next time... can I come with you?"

Her eyes were very serious.

Jiang Fan chewed on some pickled vegetables and looked up at her.

"sure."

Shen Nian's lips twitched, about to curl upwards, but she stopped herself from doing so.

Jiang Fan finished the last mouthful of porridge in his bowl and placed his chopsticks on the rim.

"Aunt Fang said that I should bring my girlfriend back to meet her next time."

Shen Nian's spoon tapped against the side of the bowl, making a crisp sound.

She kept her head down, swirling the spoon in the bowl.

"I never said I was your girlfriend."

"Really? Then I'll have someone else take him."

Shen Nian suddenly looked up and glared at her.

"You dare?"

The two words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Jiang Fan looked at her, his lips pressed together repeatedly.

Shen Nian snorted, picked up the bowl, and drank the rest of the porridge in one gulp.

-

Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair, watching the busy figure in the kitchen dressed in pajamas.

Her hair was casually tied into a bun, revealing a section of white hair at the back of her neck.

Her loungewear hung loosely around her waist, and she wore fluffy slippers that made a clattering sound as she walked.

She was washing dishes under the tap, occasionally glancing at him before turning her head away again after their eyes met.

Jiang Fan stood up.

He walked behind Shen Nian and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Shen Nian shuddered, and the bowl in her hand almost slipped and fell into the sink.

"Behave yourself...can't you see I'm washing the dishes?"

"You go wash yours."

Jiang Fan rested his chin on her shoulder, his nose brushing against the stray hairs behind her ear.

The shower gel on her body smelled wonderful.

Shen Nian's movements slowed down noticeably.

A bowl was washed four or five times, and even after it was clean, it was still being rinsed.

"What's wrong with you today?" Shen Nian put the bowl on the drainer. "You got all worked up just from eating?"

"You dislike me?"

"Who complains about you? I am—"

Jiang Fan's hand slid down two inches from his waist.

She hooked her fingertips around the edge of the elastic band on her loungewear and pulled it down a bit.

Shen Nian's breath hitched, and she freed a wet hand to press his hand.

"Jiang Fan—not here."

"What's wrong?"

"This is the kitchen..." Shen Nian twisted her body, trying to turn around, but he held her tightly and she couldn't move.

"What's wrong with the kitchen? You were quite cooperative at the dining table last time."

Shen Nian's neck and ears turned bright red in an instant.

"You still bring it up—"

Jiang Fan placed one hand on her waist and used the other to pull her house pants, along with the thin layer of fabric underneath, up to her knees.

Shen Nian braced her hands on the edge of the sink, the faucet still running, water gushing over the empty bowl.

"Can't you...be normal for once...?"

"cannot."

Shen Nian bit her lower lip, her back pressed against his chest, and could feel his heartbeat quickening.

Jiang Fan freed one hand to tuck her stray hairs behind her ear, and pressed his lips against her earlobe.

Shen Nian shuddered as her knee slammed against the cabinet door.

The tap was left unattended, and water splashed onto the edge of the sink, wetting Shen Nian's sleeves.

She didn't care about any of that anymore.

Ten fingers gripped the stainless steel edge of the sink tightly.

Only the sound of two people breathing heavily, their bodies intertwined, remained in the kitchen.

And the sound of rushing water.

-

After what seemed like an eternity, the tap was finally turned off.

Shen Nian was lying face down on the kitchen counter, her pajamas piled up at her ankles, and one of her slippers had fallen off.

Jiang Fan scooped her up from behind. Her legs were so weak that she could barely stand and could only lean on him.

"You've ruined every part of the house."

Shen Nian's voice was muffled as she looked down at the ground—

Water splashed all over the puddle.

Jiang Fan pulled her house pants up from her ankles, helped her pull them up, and then bent down to pick up her fallen slippers and put them at her feet.

He bent down and picked her up horizontally.

Shen Nian instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and punched his shoulder with one hand.

"Put me down, I can walk by myself!"

Jiang Fan ignored her, walked straight into the bedroom, and put her on the bed.

He lifted a corner of the blanket and crawled inside.

Shen Nian shrank back a little.

"Don't touch me."

There was a minute of silence.

Shen Nian turned over to face him.

In the darkness, only the outline of her eyes could be seen.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

"How were you doing there when you were a child?"

Jiang Fan stared at the ceiling, flipping through the original owner's memories frame by frame.

In winter, the windows let in drafts, and several children squeezed onto one bed to keep warm.

In the corner of the yard, there was a crooked locust tree. In summer, a bunch of children would lie on a mat under the tree and count the stars.

"It's alright. Aunt Fang treats us well."

Shen Nian didn't speak.

After a while, a hand reached out from under the covers and touched his hand.

One by one, her five fingers slipped between his fingers and clasped together.

Jiang Fan didn't move or say anything.

Just hold it like that.

"You won't be alone anymore."