After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Life is Really Starting to Get Better, Right?

Once there was a little hope, life slowly started to get better. Although every day was still very difficult, the pressure on Zhou Nianzhi was finally not as great.

If she woke up early, Zhou Nianzhi could continue to take on video editing jobs. After she finished, she would go to the store to work. At noon, she would come back to make lunch for Sheng Ning. The store’s business was good, and the commission was high, so she was able to cut back on her part-time jobs at the supermarket and milk tea shop.

Zhou Nianzhi gave all the money she earned back to her uncle, and it was just enough to cover what he had paid for them before.

That day, Zhou Nianzhi was walking home.

The sun had not yet set.

Her steps were light.

It had been a long time since she had felt this relaxed.

Mom’s illness should be getting better soon, right?

This should be my twenty-fifth birthday present.

Couples, young and old, walked past her, raising a refreshing breeze in the hot air that brushed against Zhou Nianzhi’s cheeks. Her worries were cast away from her mind, and at this moment, her heart was filled with nothing but happiness.

The bustling crowd was noisy. Zhou Nianzhi came out of the market, swaying and carrying her groceries as she weaved through the sea of people. She thought she saw a familiar figure.

But in the blink of an eye, the figure was gone.

Was it a hallucination caused by her intense longing?

Zhou Nianzhi rubbed her eyes and found that the person she longed to see was not there.

Song Yuli, Song Yuli.

Her heart was calling out this name a thousand times over.

It was like when she was a child and wanted a snack so badly that she would even dream of eating it in the middle of the night.

Many years had passed, and Zhou Nianzhi no longer longed for a snack, but Song Yuli had become her biggest longing and unattainable desire as an adult.

As she walked, Zhou Nianzhi kept reminiscing about the time she had spent with Song Yuli a few days ago.

Maybe I’m no longer worthy of making up with Song Yuli.

At the very least, I should say “thank you.”

She had always accepted all of Song Yuli’s kindness to her without feeling guilty, but she knew better than anyone that Song Yuli didn’t have to do any of those things.

Zhou Nianzhi lowered her head, absent-mindedly walking the whole way.

To be honest, she couldn’t really tell if Song Yuli still loved her. She must still, right…?

Then, Zhou Nianzhi shook her head again and walked into the elevator, looking at the numbers on the door.

Song Yuli, you shouldn’t love someone like me anymore.

It’s not worth it.

The elevator door opened. Zhou Nianzhi took out her key. As she was turning it to unlock the door, she was still thinking about the words she had said to Song Yuli before she left her hometown—

Let’s never see each other again.

But, things didn’t go as planned.

As soon as she opened the door, Song Yuli was sitting on her sofa.

When their eyes met, Zhou Nianzhi squeezed the palm of her hand.

It hurts.

After confirming that she wasn’t dreaming, Zhou Nianzhi looked at the door number again, wondering if she had gone to the wrong apartment.

“Oh, you silly girl, what are you doing standing at the door?” Sheng Ning said with a smile, holding two cups of water and calling out to Zhou Nianzhi.

Zhou Nianzhi let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she hadn’t gone to the wrong home.

However, Zhou Nianzhi was still a little confused. She stood at the door, watching Song Yuli take the water and thank her, calling her “Aunt Sheng.”

In a daze, Zhou Nianzhi thought she was back in the past.

She opened her mouth but stopped herself from saying anything. “Song…”

“Oh, I was just about to tell you,” Sheng Ning covered her mouth and coughed twice. She sat down next to Song Yuli and continued to talk to Zhou Nianzhi. “Why didn’t you tell me that little Song lives in the apartment next door? I heard someone on the phone at our door today, and their voice sounded so familiar. I looked out the peephole and it really was little Song.”

Sheng Ning’s face was flushed with happiness.

But Zhou Nianzhi’s face was about to turn white.

Although she really wanted to see Song Yuli, she didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

“I just came back from my hometown today,” Song Yuli said, raising her cup and taking a sip of water. “I was on the phone with my grandma at the door, and Aunt Sheng opened the door and invited me in.”

“What a coincidence…” Zhou Nianzhi let out a couple of dry laughs and didn’t say anything. She turned and closed the door, subconsciously leaning against it to check the soundproofing.

“Little Song cut her hair short. I almost didn’t recognize her,” Sheng Ning said in a gentle tone, turning her head to Song Yuli.

Song Yuli replied, “Short hair is easier to manage.”

“How have you been? When did you come here? How is your grandma’s health?” Sheng Ning chattered on, as if she had opened a floodgate and wanted to ask all the questions on her mind at once.

“Oh, stop,” Zhou Nianzhi quickly spoke up, stopping Sheng Ning from asking any more questions. “Mom, why are you asking so many questions at once?”

“I guess I did ask too many,” Sheng Ning scratched her head sheepishly. “I haven’t seen little Song in a long time, so I wanted to talk to her more.”

Song Yuli smiled and said, “It’s okay.”

The atmosphere became cold again.

“Little Song, do you want to stay for dinner?” Sheng Ning broke the silence.

Song Yuli tilted her head and looked at Zhou Nianzhi.

Zhou Nianzhi instinctively turned her head and looked away, avoiding Song Yuli’s gaze.

Suddenly, Song Yuli put her cup down and said faintly, “I’ll go home first. I still have some work to do.”

Sheng Ning said “ah,” and before she could say anything, she heard Song Yuli’s apology. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Sheng.”

Seeing that Song Yuli was about to walk past her and leave the room, Zhou Nianzhi gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and grabbed Song Yuli’s arm.

The moment their skin touched, Zhou Nianzhi felt a jolt and immediately let go of her hand.

Song Yuli stopped, turned sideways, her eyebrows slightly raised. She blinked, and her eyelashes fluttered. She asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Nianzhi clenched the hem of her shirt, swallowed, and her ears quietly turned red under her hair. She mumbled, “Stay for dinner.”

“Hm?” Song Yuli tilted her head and leaned down a little, her eyes meeting Zhou Nianzhi’s.

Oh—

The moment she saw those eyes, Zhou Nianzhi didn’t care about anything else.

“I said—” Zhou Nianzhi took a deep breath and raised her voice, “I want you to stay here and have a meal before you go.”

Sheng Ning’s mouth didn’t stop smiling. She said with a laugh, “Zhi Zhi, little Song has to go back to work.”

Song Yuli straightened up, pretending to think for a moment. She then said casually, “It doesn’t seem that urgent. There’s time for a meal.”

Sheng Ning laughed out loud.

Zhou Nianzhi pursed her lips, and the corners of her mouth, which were held down, barely managed to suppress her smile. She then carried the groceries to the kitchen and said, “I’ll let you try my cooking skills.”

“Okay,” Song Yuli replied and followed behind Zhou Nianzhi.

“Why are you following me?” Zhou Nianzhi put down the groceries and turned to ask.

Song Yuli stood by the kitchen door and said, “I’m just watching.”

Zhou Nianzhi poured the vegetables into the sink and turned on the faucet. The sound of water splashing was loud, and her voice blended into it. “Are you afraid I’ll make something that doesn’t taste good? Or are you worried it’s not hygienic?”

Song Yuli shook her head. “Neither.”

Zhou Nianzhi asked while washing the vegetables, “Then why are you standing here?”

Song Yuli said, “Just looking at you.”

The sound of the water was too loud, and Zhou Nianzhi didn’t hear her clearly. After washing the vegetables, she turned off the faucet and asked, “What did you say?”

Song Yuli opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. After a moment, she replied, “To see if you need any help.”

“Go sit down,” Zhou Nianzhi said, throwing the vegetables onto the cutting board. “Don’t worry. It’s just cooking. I’ll definitely satisfy you.”

Song Yuli chuckled and didn’t say anything. She replied with an “okay” and turned to go sit with Sheng Ning.

Zhou Nianzhi was cooking in the kitchen, and the sound of Song Yuli and her mom chatting in the living room dispelled all her stress, making her feel happy even while she was cooking.

She turned on the gas stove, and the blue flame shot up, like brilliant fireworks right in front of her.

The oil was popping in the pan. When she poured the vegetables into the pan, they crackled like firecrackers.

The vegetables were being stir-fried, and the delicious aroma was already surrounding her. The moment she sprinkled the salt, even the simple dish became flavorful.

Suddenly, Zhou Nianzhi didn’t feel like she was just cooking.

She was an artist.

An artist who used the mundane things of life to paint a picture.

Or perhaps, she was a dancer.

She was twirling around in the small kitchen, quickly looking for things, and the laughter of the two people outside became her accompaniment.

See, her hands and feet never stopped.

But she didn’t feel tired at all.

Because no matter how hard or tiring it was, there would always be a moment when the food was ready.

For example, right now, Zhou Nianzhi came out with the dishes, placed them on the dining table, and called out to the two people in the living room—

“Dinner’s ready!”

The freshly cooked dishes on the dining table were steaming. In the rising steam, Zhou Nianzhi saw Song Yuli helping Sheng Ning up and walking toward her.

The sunset’s afterglow poured in through the window, and the golden light shone on their backs, like a shimmering cloak.

“I wish Grandma were here too,” Zhou Nianzhi couldn’t help but say.

Song Yuli, standing against the light, could still be seen with a slight smile in her eyes. “Me too.”

“Let’s eat,” Sheng Ning sat down and was the first to pick up her chopsticks. “Little Song, hurry and try Zhi Zhi’s cooking. It’s really not bad.”

Song Yuli nodded. “Then I’ll have to give it a good try.”

“Before you try it, come help me serve the rice,” Zhou Nianzhi said, waving the rice spoon at Song Yuli.

Zhou Nianzhi turned off the heat on the soup pot and turned to look at Song Yuli, surprised. “Hey, hey, hey, why are you serving so much! Don’t press down so hard. I’m afraid you’ll break the bowl.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t have enough to eat,” Song Yuli said honestly.

“I cooked for three people,” Zhou Nianzhi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She took the rice spoon, wanting to serve herself.

She looked down and found that there were only a few grains of rice left.

Zhou Nianzhi was a little annoyed, but when she saw Song Yuli’s expression, she couldn’t help but laugh. “You served two bowls of rice with three people’s worth of food?”

Song Yuli said, “You two eat. I’m not hungry. I’ll just have some of the dishes.”

“Come on, it’s just rice, not some delicacy,” Zhou Nianzhi handed one of the bowls of rice to Song Yuli. “You eat. I’m not hungry either.”

Sheng Ning’s voice came from outside. “But I’m hungry. You two can talk later. Have some sympathy for me first.”

Song Yuli offered a compromise. “One person gets half.”

“Fine,” Zhou Nianzhi nodded, not wanting to argue with her anymore.

Zhou Nianzhi sat at the dining table, watching Sheng Ning pick at her food across from her, and Song Yuli, whom she had missed for so long, was right next to her.

She was enveloped in happiness, and for a moment, it all felt a little unreal.

“What are you thinking about?” Song Yuli asked her, tilting her head.

Sheng Ning took a sip of soup and said, “Let’s eat first. The fan will cool down the food.”

Zhou Nianzhi nodded emphatically.

As she swallowed a bite of the food, she thought to herself—

Life is really starting to get better, right?