Chapter 490: Jiang Yixia’s Heart Softens and She Finally Agrees

Chapter 490 -260: Jiang Yixia’s Heart Softens and She Finally Agrees

Jiang Silu gasped, nearly dropping the piece of pork rib in her hand.

Wen Wan also froze for a moment, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air.

Jiang Sifan kept his head down and said nothing, but his hand paused before he continued picking up food.

Jiang Yixia’s expression didn’t change when she heard the number. She just nodded. “It is quite expensive.”

“You get what you pay for,” Lu Fan said with a smile. “Look at this location, this view, this decor. It’s worth the price.”

Jiang Yixia didn’t respond, lowering her head to continue sipping her soup.

After dinner, Jiang Silu pulled Wen Wan out to the courtyard for a walk.

Jiang Sifan sat on the living room sofa, flipping through a magazine without really reading it.

Jiang Yixia was in the kitchen helping the chef clear the dishes. Lu Fan stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame and watching her.

“Yixia,” he called out.

“Mmm,” Jiang Yixia answered without turning her head.

“Thank you for agreeing to stay.”

Jiang Yixia’s hands paused for a second before she resumed washing the dishes. “I’m doing this for the children, not for you.”

“I know,” Lu Fan said with a smile. “But you’re staying, and that’s what matters.”

Jiang Yixia said nothing.

Lu Fan didn’t say anything more either, just stood there in the doorway, watching her.

The sound of running water, SPLASH SPLASH, and the clinking of dishes was both crisp and quiet.

Jiang Yixia finished the dishes, wiped her hands, and turned to face him.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before Jiang Yixia broke eye contact first, walking past him and out of the kitchen.

Lu Fan leaned against the doorframe and smiled.

He turned and followed her.

In the living room, Jiang Sifan was still flipping through the magazine.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, glanced at Lu Fan, then looked down again.

“Sifan.” Lu Fan sat down beside him.

Jiang Sifan closed the magazine and looked at him.

“Are you satisfied with the house?”

Jiang Sifan nodded. “It’s nice.”

“Your room is downstairs, the one by the garden. The bed is new, the blankets are new. See if you’re missing anything and just let Jiali know,” Lu Fan said with a smile.

Jiang Sifan glanced at him, hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

Lu Fan patted his shoulder, stood up, and went upstairs.

Jiang Sifan sat on the sofa, watching his back disappear at the top of the stairs. He had wanted to say something.

Jiang Yixia came out of the kitchen and saw Jiang Sifan sitting alone on the sofa. She walked over and sat down next to him.

“Mom,” Jiang Sifan said.

“Mmm.”

“Are you really planning to stay?”

Jiang Yixia leaned back on the sofa and looked at the ceiling. After a moment of silence, she chuckled. “Your sister was crying so hard. If I didn’t stay, would she have allowed it?”

Jiang Sifan smiled too. “That’s just how she is. She’s been a crybaby since she was little.”

“Just like your dad.” After she said it, Jiang Yixia herself froze.

Jiang Sifan froze as well.

Mother and son looked at each other, neither saying a word.

Outside, the sky had turned completely dark, and the lights in the courtyard came on.

Jiang Yixia stood up and patted Jiang Sifan’s shoulder. “Get some sleep.”

“Mom.” Jiang Sifan stopped her.

Jiang Yixia turned back.

“Thank you,” Jiang Sifan said, then lowered his head, not daring to look at her.

Jiang Yixia looked at the top of her son’s head for a few seconds, then smiled. “What’s there to thank me for? I’m your mom.”

She turned and went upstairs.

Jiang Sifan sat on the sofa, listening to her footsteps fade away until he could no longer hear them. Only then did he raise his head.

He stared at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

Then he stood up, turned off the lights, and walked toward his room.

The hallway was silent, save for the sound of his own footsteps—steady and solid, one after another.

He pushed open the door and turned on the light.

The room was spacious and cozy.

There was a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a painting of a lakeside scene hanging on the wall.

He stood by the window, looking out at the garden.

A few rose bushes were planted in the garden. They hadn’t bloomed yet, but their lush green leaves glistened under the lights.

He stood there for a while, then drew the curtains, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed.

The mattress was soft, the comforter was light, and the pillow was just the right height.

He closed his eyes. His mind was a mess, but his body was exhausted, and he quickly fell asleep.

…

「The next morning」

Jiang Silu was woken by the bright sunlight.

She sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and looked out the window.

Sunlight streamed in through the circular window, falling on the bed, the floor, and the walls, making the whole room bright.

She jumped out of bed, ran to the window, and pushed it open.

A cool, misty breeze blew in from the surface of the lake.

She took a deep breath and smiled.

Then she turned, ran out of her room, and knocked on Jiang Yixia’s door.

“Mom! Wake up! The sun’s already high in the sky!”

Jiang Yixia’s voice came from inside. “I know, stop knocking.”

Jiang Silu then ran to knock on Wen Wan’s door, and then on Jiang Sifan’s door.

She knocked on every door in the entire villa.

Lu Fan came up from the first floor and saw her knocking on one door after another. He chuckled. “Why are you waking everyone up so early?”

“To eat breakfast! It’s our first day in the new house, so of course, we have to eat breakfast together,” Jiang Silu said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Lu Fan laughed, shook his head, and went back downstairs.

Jiang Yixia came out of her room, her hair still uncombed and wearing an old pajama set. Seeing Jiang Silu standing in the hallway, she sighed. “You’re really something else…”

“Mom, go get ready. I’ll go get Sister Wen Wan,” Jiang Silu said, knocking on Wen Wan’s door again.

Wen Wan was already up, fully dressed, and making her bed. Hearing the knock, she hurried to open the door.

“Sister Wen Wan, come on, breakfast time,” Jiang Silu said, pulling her by the hand.

Wen Wan let herself be pulled out, glancing back at her neatly made bed. The comforter was folded into a perfect square, its four corners pulled taut.

She smiled and closed the door.

In the dining room, Lu Fan was already seated.

The table was laden with congee, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and side dishes.

Jiang Sifan had also come down. He sat across from Lu Fan, holding his bowl and eating his congee.

Jiang Yixia came downstairs. She had changed into clean clothes and tied her hair up, looking much more refreshed.

She sat down next to Jiang Sifan, ladled a bowl of congee, and began to eat slowly.

Jiang Silu pulled Wen Wan down to sit, picked up a steamed bun, and took a bite. “Mom,” she said, her words muffled, “from now on, we can have breakfast together every morning.”

Jiang Yixia glanced at her and smiled. “Mmm.”

Lu Fan took a sip of congee and looked at everyone at the table.

Jiang Silu was gnawing on a bun, her mouth greasy.

Jiang Yixia kept her head down, sipping her congee, her ears translucent in the sunlight.

Jiang Sifan picked up a piece of fermented tofu, dropped it into his congee, and stirred.

Wen Wan nibbled quietly on her bun.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the dining table and on each person.

Lu Fan put down his bowl, leaned back in his chair, and smiled.

‘Although we’re not truly back together yet in the real sense, this is still great progress.’

After breakfast, he tentatively said to Jiang Silu, “Silu, you should go visit your grandparents.”

Hearing this, Jiang Silu immediately responded, “Dad, don’t worry, mission accepted!!”