Chapter 387: What Day Is Today, That We May Share a Boat?

Mid-Autumn. The eighth lunar month, the fifteenth day.

Xiao Yu wanted to show off.

No—he wanted to put on a display.

He wanted to impress Mu Qingwu by personally making mooncakes for his wife.

When trying to win a girl’s favor, a man must be bold, take the initiative, and make an impression over time.

Of course, this applies to ordinary women. For Mu Qingwu, one had to play clever tricks.

And she had to be willing. Otherwise, you’d be flirting with air.

Like now—

Mu Qingwu stood happily beside Xiao Yu, watching him make mooncakes.

At this moment, she was just a carefree little woman. Happiness was all that mattered. To Xiao Yu, a woman’s true beauty lay in being foolishly devoted, without regrets. Right now, his wife was beautiful.

And what about men?

Men’s beauty lay in—

Lying so convincingly, even ghosts would believe them.

“Sister, let me tell you something.” Xiao Yu grinned, revealing his teeth as he kneaded the dough. “Legend has it that when I was born, auspicious clouds appeared in the northern sky. They drifted toward our house, and when they reached the rooftop, they transformed into a single glowing word—‘Handsome’!”

“Hahahaha!”

Mu Qingwu laughed uncontrollably, clutching her pregnant belly. “I think it was three words.”

“What three words?” Xiao Yu asked with a smile.

“Shameless little liar.”

Mu Qingwu laughed so hard her eyes narrowed into crescents.

“Sister, you can’t keep doing this to me.” Xiao Yu looked aggrieved. “Men love bragging. Back in the day, when I roamed Bihu, I liked pretending to be a highly educated elite. My go-to phrase was—‘Thanks for the invite. I’m overseas. Just got off the plane.’”

Mu Qingwu leaned against his back, laughing. “You really know how to bluff.”

“But,” Xiao Yu said, “one must be honest in life. If you brag too much online, one day, you’ll get caught and embarrass yourself.”

“Why are you always so happy?” Mu Qingwu asked with a smile.

“People have to learn to be happy. When you’re happy, everything feels easier, and you have the energy to do things.” Xiao Yu waved his hand.

Smack!

A freshly pressed mooncake landed on the board.

“Do you ever feel unhappy?” Mu Qingwu asked.

“Of course.”

Xiao Yu continued pressing the dough into the wooden mooncake mold.

“And what do you do when you’re unhappy?” Mu Qingwu was curious.

“Simple.”

Xiao Yu thought for a moment, then grinned.

“I go to a website and register an account under the name ‘Dad.’ Then, when the registration succeeds, a message pops up, ‘Dad, your username has been successfully created.’”

“Hahahahahaha!” Mu Qingwu burst into laughter and playfully hit Xiao Yu. “You’re terrible.”

“See? Doesn’t that make you happy?” Xiao Yu spread his hands. “By the way, my mom is coming over later. If she sees I’ve been making mooncakes but didn’t cook dinner, do you think I’ll get scolded?”

“Why are you so afraid of Mother?” Mu Qingwu chuckled.

“One, she beats me.” Thinking of his mom, Xiao Yu’s scalp tingled. “Two… her mouth is lethal. I can’t win an argument against her!”

“Really?” Mu Qingwu was intrigued.

She knew exactly how sharp her little brother’s tongue was.

“Let me give you an example,” Xiao Yu said, his face breaking into a warm, sunny smile.

That was before he met his wife.

***

Xiao Yu: “Mom, if I get married, can I sleep in late, quit my job, and just play video games all day?”

Mom: “Who’s missing a dad and needs you? Wake up, the sun isn’t even down yet!”

***

Xiao Yu: “Mom, I’d rather have my freedom than be forced to date. Can you stop setting up blind dates for me?”

Mom: “Freedom? Wake up alone in the morning. Come home to nobody waiting for you at night. You call that freedom?”

***

Xiao Yu: “Mom, if I get married, do I have a say? Or do you just keep nagging me?”

Mom: “Do I have a choice? Other people have three kids already, and you haven’t even made it to backup boyfriend status.”

***

Xiao Yu: “If getting married means losing my current lifestyle, then why get married at all?”

Mom: “Your lifestyle? You’re in your thirties, have the finances of a ten-year-old, and the emotional intelligence of a three-year-old… No, wait, that’s giving you too much credit. Even a ten-year-old has better financial skills than you!”

***

Xiao Yu: “Mom, if you weren’t my real mother, I wouldn’t even bother talking to you. Can’t you just compliment me once?”

Mom: “Oh, sure. Here’s a compliment. ‘Wow, Xiao Yu, even at sixteen, you were still wetting the bed!’”

***

Xiao Yu: “Mom, is that how you compliment people? You should be saying—‘Xiao Yu, having you is the greatest blessing of my life!’”

Mom: “Oh, I agree. From the moment you were born, I’ve been in awe. You’re already twenty-two, and while others are getting married and having kids, you haven’t even landed a girlfriend. If you refuse blind dates, that’s fine. Maybe print out some flyers. Who knows? You might find someone with bad eyesight.”

***

“Hahahahahaha!”

Hearing her husband’s mother-son dialogues, Mu Qingwu laughed so hard she nearly collapsed. If Xiao Yu hadn’t caught her, she probably would’ve fallen to the floor.

“Sister, and you still have the nerve to laugh?”

Xiao Yu leaned down and bit her lips.

“That time, I ended up meeting you instead. But come to think of it, it really felt like fate. I was originally looking for Room 9, but I accidentally walked into your room.”

“Right?” Mu Qingwu’s eyes sparkled as she recalled the past. “If I hadn’t gone looking for you that day, we wouldn’t have ended up together, would we?”

“Yeah.” Xiao Yu smiled and nodded. “You don’t even know. When you walked in with two bodyguards, I was so scared I nearly pissed myself.”

“Hahaha!” Mu Qingwu giggled. “You? Scared?”

She had never seen just how strong her husband really was. But thinking about his eight first-class merits… how many rivers of blood had been spilled? A man who became a top-tier national security officer—and he called himself a coward?

“How could I not be?” Xiao Yu grinned mischievously. “I’m afraid of Mom. I’m afraid of you. And soon… I’ll be afraid of our baby.”

“Fool.”

Mu Qingwu buried her face in his chest.

Was that fear?

Or was it love?

“Being a fool isn’t bad.”

Xiao Yu wrapped his arms around Mu Qingwu, his palm gently caressing her belly, feeling the soft movements inside.

He smiled warmly.

“Luckily, in this lifetime, you came.”

Mu Qingwu whispered softly, “And so did you.”

***

What night is this, that we may cross the river together?

What day is today, that we may share a boat?

Like grains of sand, bound together, never letting go.