Chapter 479: A Top-Tier Yangcheng Villa for Yixia

Chapter 479 -258: A Top-Tier Yangcheng Villa for Yixia

The next morning, Jiang Silu was woken up by Wen Wan.

“Silu, get up. Your auntie asked us to go help at the flower shop.” Wen Wan stood by the bed, already dressed and ready. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore a light gray sweatshirt, a slightly sheepish smile on her face.

Jiang Silu rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, her voice muffled. “Just five more minutes.”

So Wen Wan sat down beside her, waiting patiently.

Jiang Silu peeked out from under the covers, squinted at Wen Wan, and sighed before sitting up.

She rubbed her eyes, her hair a total mess. “Sister Wen Wan, why are you up so early?” she mumbled.

“I’m used to it,” Wen Wan said with a smile. “I get up around this time in the dorms, too.”

Jiang Silu shuffled in her slippers to the bathroom, and Wen Wan waited for her by the door. Once they were both ready, they left the house together.

The mornings in Yangcheng were pleasant, with a hint of humidity in the air.

The roadside breakfast stalls were already open. Steamers billowed with white vapor, and the mixed aromas of rice noodle rolls, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk drifted down the entire street.

“Sister Wen Wan, want to get some rice noodle rolls?” Jiang Silu asked, pointing to a small stall by the road.

“Okay.”

The two of them sat down and each ordered a plate of rice noodle rolls.

The owner worked quickly. He spread a ladleful of rice slurry onto the steamer, cracked an egg over it, sprinkled on a handful of ground meat and a few pieces of lettuce. After steaming for a minute, he scraped it all up, drizzled it with soy sauce, and served it. The dish was tender, white, and silky smooth.

Wen Wan took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

“It’s delicious, right?” Jiang Silu said with a smile.

“Delicious.” Wen Wan took another bite and nodded. “It’s better than the ones in Jinling.”

“Of course. Yangcheng’s rice noodle rolls are the best in the country.” Jiang Silu’s tone was full of pride, as if she were showing off a family treasure.

After breakfast, the two of them walked to the flower shop.

Jiang Yixia was already there, squatting on the ground and sorting through a new delivery of flowers. Roses, lilies, daisies, and baby’s breath were stacked in bundles on the floor, and the air was thick with their intoxicating fragrance.

“You’re here?” Jiang Yixia looked up at them with a smile. “Help me unwrap these flowers, trim the stems at an angle, and put them in the buckets.”

“Okay.” Wen Wan squatted down, picked up a pair of shears, and started on the flowers.

Jiang Silu squatted down too. As she worked, she glanced around and asked, “Mom, where’s my brother?”

“I don’t know. He went out early yesterday morning, said he was picking up a classmate. He’s still not back today,” Jiang Yixia replied without looking up.

Jiang Silu shot Wen Wan a puzzled glance.

Wen Wan kept her head down, completely focused on trimming the flower stems, her expression unchanging.

“What classmate?” Jiang Silu pressed.

“He didn’t give any details, just said they were from Jinling.” Jiang Yixia stood up and dusted the soil from her hands. “You two go to school in Jinling. Do you know them?”

Jiang Silu shook her head. “No.”

Wen Wan remained silent, placing the trimmed flowers into a bucket with gentle, careful movements.

The three of them worked for a while, and soon all the flowers were processed and the shop was tidy.

Jiang Yixia stood behind the counter doing the books, while Jiang Silu and Wen Wan sat to the side, arranging bouquets.

Jiang Silu arranged a bouquet of roses and Wen Wan a bouquet of daisies, the two of them chatting idly.

“Sister Wen Wan,” Jiang Silu began, “did your mom say anything about you not going home for the New Year?”

Wen Wan’s fingers stilled for a moment before she resumed arranging the flowers. “She didn’t say anything,” she said softly.

Jiang Silu looked at her friend’s profile and didn’t press the issue.

‘She knew about Wen Wan’s family situation. She knew about the mother who signed that promissory note, and about the four hundred thousand.’

‘She just felt that Wen Wan was too quiet, heartbreakingly so.’

The door swung open, and Lu Fan walked in.

He wore a light, dark navy jacket over a white shirt, his hair combed neatly. In his hand, he carried a bag with several cups of milk tea.

“Everyone’s here, I see,” Lu Fan said with a smile, placing the bag on the counter. “I brought you all something to drink.”

Jiang Silu jumped to her feet, pulled a milk tea from the bag, poked a straw in, and took a sip. “Dad, how did you know we were here?” she asked with a grin.

“Just a guess,” Lu Fan chuckled, glancing at Jiang Yixia.

Jiang Yixia looked up at him, said nothing, and then went back to her bookkeeping.

Lu Fan wandered around the flower shop, looking this way and that, before finally stopping beside Jiang Yixia. “Yixia,” he said softly, “are you free today? I need your help with something.”

“What is it?” Jiang Yixia asked without looking up.

“I want to go look at a house, and I’d like your opinion on it.”

The pen in Jiang Yixia’s hand paused. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “Why are you asking me for help with buying a house? It’s not like I know anything about real estate.”

“You have a great sense of aesthetics,” Lu Fan said with a coaxing smile. “You run a flower shop, so you definitely know more about space and lighting than I do. Just one quick look. Help me check out the floor plan and see if it gets good light.”

“Can’t you look for yourself?”

“I’m not good at it,” Lu Fan chuckled. “Come on, help me out. It’ll only be for a little while, it won’t take up much of your time.”

Jiang Yixia glanced at him, then looked back down at her books. “I’m not going.”

Jiang Silu stood to the side, cupping her milk tea. She looked from Lu Fan to Jiang Yixia, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile she couldn’t suppress.

She walked over and tugged on Jiang Yixia’s sleeve. “Mom, just go take a look,” she wheedled. “It’s not busy here anyway. Sister Wen Wan and I can watch the shop.”

“That’s right, Auntie. We’ll be fine watching the shop,” Wen Wan chimed in.

Jiang Yixia looked up, her gaze shifting from her daughter, to Wen Wan, and finally to Lu Fan.

Lu Fan stood there with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. His eyes were bright, full of earnest hope.