Chapter Seventy-One: Houses and Homes

  The sound of Li Jing's voice came from outside, Zheng Chengfeng opened the door, and a faint scent of food wafted into Chu Jingyan's nostrils. On the table were several steaming dishes, accompanied by a bottle of red wine and a few cups.

  "Let's talk after dinner, let's eat first." Li Jing Su was busy arranging bowls and chopsticks, but didn't forget to greet Chu Jing Yan, "There is another dish, you all sit and wait for a while."

  "By the way, Soo-ah, take your stomach medicine first. Auntie left it on the coffee table in the living room. Go and take it yourself, don't think you can skip it, got it?" Ji-sook ordered Chu Jeong-yeon.

  Chu Jingyu responded with a sound and walked into the living room. On the tea table, there was indeed a cup of warm water and two white pills.

  Jung Soo-jung sat with her legs crossed, hugging a bag of popcorn and watching TV, but her gaze occasionally swept over Chu Jingyan. To be honest, Jung Soo-jung didn't have many memories of Chu Jingyan anymore.

  More often, it's from my parents' mouths and Zheng Xiuyan occasionally taking out a sentence to scold the idiot, occasionally flipping through the family photo album, I can always see a big boy who is very vague in memory but now has a complete image hugging me.

  From the photo, it seems like I was very attached to this person in front of me when I was little.

  So Zheng Xiujing was very curious, and from the beginning, she wondered what kind of person could make her parents worry for so many years, and still search tirelessly even after losing contact.

  Now the person was right in front of her, but Zheng Xiujing didn't know what to do.

  What should I say, Zheng Xiujing fell into a dilemma.

  "Do you still recognize me?"

  Just as Zheng Xiujing was deep in thought, Chu Jingyan was already sitting on the other side of the sofa, smiling and looking at her, for a moment Zheng Xiujing was somewhat flustered.

  "Do you still recognize me?" Seeing Zheng Xiujing remain silent, Chu Jingyan asked again.

  This time Zheng Xiujing understood, first shaking her head, then immediately nodding, and then shaking her head again.

  Chu Jingwen was amused by Zheng Xiujing's reaction and smiled, saying: "Do you recognize me or not?"

  "I kind of remember, I think we really knew each other when we were young." Zheng Xiujing said softly, "But it's been too long ago and I don't recall clearly."

  Jung Soo-jung couldn't recognize the current Chu Jingyan, her memory was stuck on that blurry figure and the photo of a pale little boy, but now sitting in front of her was a suit-and-tie man, she found it hard to compare the little boy from the Ferris wheel with this man in front of her.

  Apart from being able to vaguely make out some features between his eyebrows and eyes, this man was completely different from the one in the photo holding a boy.

  Looking at Chu Jingyan's somewhat lost expression, Zheng Xiujing didn't know why she also felt a little lost inside, so she hastily said: "However, since I was young, I've heard my dad and mom say it, and I really do have some impression. If the person that Dad, Mom, and Zheng Xiuyan often mention is really you..."

  Pausing for a moment, Jung Soo-jung continued: "If it's really you, then you were very good to me when I was young."

  Looking at the little girl from before now standing tall and slender, still knowing how to comfort people, Chu Jingyan felt that he should give her some kind of gift.

  It seems that nothing can be sent out in a hurry, and the money in the wallet was just given to Zheng Xiuyan, and the miser is not prepared to return the money to himself.

  "In Korea, is it true that all elders give pocket money to their juniors?" Chu Jingyan asked.

  Jung Joo-hyun's eyes sparkled, and she secretly glanced at her parents who were busy in the kitchen. Jung Joo-yun returned to her room without knowing what she was doing, leaving only Cho Kyung-yeon and herself in the living room.

  Jung said: "In theory, it is indeed so."

  Chu Jing spoke and pulled out his wallet, took out a card from inside and handed it over to Zheng Xiujing: "Don't tell your sister."

  Jung Soo-jung stared at the credit card in her hand, looking puzzled at Chu Jing-yen.

  "I'm not quite sure how much this card can be overdrawn, because I've never used it before." Chu Jingyan explained, "However, if it's for ordinary consumption, I think it should be enough."

  Chu Jingyan doesn't like using credit cards because he feels that once he uses them, he has a feeling of owing people money. Chu Jingyan doesn't like being in debt, and for such a long time, the feeling of being owed is now being repaid.

  Things borrowed can be returned, but how can borrowed emotions be repaid?

  I'm so grateful that the world is becoming more mundane, with just one credit card, Zheng Xiujing can leave a brilliant and great impression in her mind, no less than Zheng Chengfeng.

  Seeing Zheng Xiujing's joyful face, Chu Jingyan felt it was worth it.

  Jung Ji-hyun still looked at the card in her hand and then turned to Chu Jingyan, "Can I really accept this card?"

  "Why can't I?" Chu Jingyan put the wallet back into his pocket.

  "How is it possible?" Zheng Xiujing asked in puzzlement.

  "Because you may have forgotten, but I haven't." Chu Jingyan said with a gentle smile. "When you were young, I wanted to buy you things you liked, but unfortunately, I didn't have the money. Now that I do, I don't know what grown-up you likes, so just go buy whatever you like when you see it."

  "Just like you said, I used to be good to you. Although it's been a long time and the method might be old-fashioned, I think kids nowadays should still enjoy adults using this way to get close to you guys?"

  "It's really like that." Zheng Xiujing said with a smile, "I can only say that your method is absolutely the most direct and effective."

  "You don't know, before Zheng Xiuyan debuted, she often took my pocket money, saying that I was too young to know how to allocate it, but once it went into her pocket, it never came back to me. Do you think she's unreasonable?"

  Chu Jing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "I'd like to buy a set of dancewear for dancing."

  "Buy it," Chu Jing said with a smiling face.

  "Every time I go to the company, it's either by subway or bus, which is really uncomfortable. I'd like to buy a small motorcycle," said Zheng Xiujing.

  "If you can drive, buy it." Chu Jingyan still had a smile on his face.

  "I want to change phones too."

  "Change."

  "And there's also the latest MP3 and earphones."

  "Buy."

  Chu Jing said with a smile: "However, I suggest you'd better not do these things all at once."

  "Why?"

  "You forgot your sister is Zheng Xiuyan."

  Jung Ji-hyun took a sharp breath in.

  Jung Soo-jung was about to say something else, but saw Jung Soo-yeon come out of the door wearing a change of pajamas, hastily putting her credit card in her pocket and sitting up straight.

  Looking at Zheng Xiujing's vigilant expression, Chu Jingyan cracked a smile.

  Jung Joo-youn sat down next to Jung Joo-hyun, snatched the popcorn from her hand, and said while eating: "You two seem to be having a great conversation. What's going on? Are you reminiscing about the good old days?"

  "It's indeed much more comfortable than being with you." Chu Jingyan said.

  Zheng Xiujing, who had benefited from it, nodded heavily on the side.

  Zheng Xiuyan glanced at her sister and said, "Hey, what benefits did you get from him that you're standing on his side so quickly? Are you still remembering things from when you were drinking milk? That's unreasonable. If it was like that, why are your grades still so bad?"

  "My grades are much better than yours." Zheng Xiujing retorted fearlessly.

  Chu Jingyan sat on one side, watching two students competing with each other to see who had better grades. To be honest, this was a rare thing to see.

  Chu Jingyan sat down beside him, looking very relaxed and comfortable as he began to watch the battle.

  "Alright, dinner's ready." Li Jing-shu carried a dish and shouted towards the three people in the living room.

  The dishes on the table aren't very sumptuous.

  But each and every one of them is a dish that Joo-yeon loves to eat, looking very authentic Chinese cuisine. Zheng Xiuyan had once complained about the need for improvement in household food conditions, but Li Jing-shu, who was willing but unable, could not meet the requirements of the Zheng sisters.

  Chu Jingyan, who used to work as a miscellaneous worker in the Sichuan restaurant on Chinatown, could still do his best to meet this small request. He took Zheng Xiuyan to the market for a stroll, bought all the ingredients she liked, and was busy in the kitchen for an afternoon, making a table of dishes that satisfied the cravings of the two sisters.

  Then select a few dishes that everyone in the family loves and have Chu Jingyan teach Li Jingshu.

  They were all very simple dishes, and housewife Li Jing Shu did not disappoint everyone's expectations, learning them and getting unanimous praise from her family.

  Everyone sat down, Zheng Chengfeng opened the bottle of red wine and poured a little for each person. When it was Zheng Xiuyan's turn, he paused slightly before smiling and saying: "Today is an exception, you two also have a drink."

  Zheng Chengfeng was the first to raise his wine glass and smiled as he said, "Let's forget all the bad things today. We're just here to celebrate Xiaoyan coming home, cheers."

  The wine cups clinked together.

  Looking at the transparent high-footed cup of amber-colored liquid, Chu Jing took a deep breath and then took a small sip.

  They drove here, drunk driving is irresponsible to life and future wife and children.

  I'm really a good man, Chu Jingyan thought to himself.

  Similar scenes often appeared on the dinner table long ago, perhaps it was someone's birthday, or perhaps it was some other holiday, and after many years, the wine glasses on the table finally changed from four to five again.

  Chu Jingyu seems a bit unaccustomed to the current atmosphere, but he is trying hard to regain his former feeling, which is indeed somewhat difficult, but he enjoys it.

  Li Jing Shu sat beside Chu Jing Yan, constantly adding dishes to his bowl. If it weren't for the two sisters opposite them, one of whom took all the cash from Chu Jing Yan's wallet and the other who took away a credit card, they would probably have started eating vinegar by now.

  This feeling is quite warm and cozy, much more so than when Chu Jingyan lived alone in that high-end residential building.

  The fridge there only had beer and frozen food, while here we have steaming hot meals and soup.

  There was only cold furniture over there, but here there is too much laughter and chatter.

  There is just a house over there, but here, it's home.

  Rice will eventually be eaten up. Today, such a big thing happened in S and M. Chu Jingyan naturally had to make some preparations before tomorrow arrived, so he got up and bid farewell.

  "Is that it?" Li Jing Su was anxious, "What's going on now? Didn't we just finish eating? The fruit hasn't even been served yet, how can you leave already?"

  "Auntie, there are still many things I haven't done at the company," Chu Jing said with a smile. "Besides, I'm not saying I won't come back."

  "Come back tomorrow for lunch." said Li Jing Shu.

  Chu Jing nodded with a smile and replied: "Good."

  PS: Seeking recommendations and collections. Thank you for your rewards.