Chapter 505: Lu Fan Gives Everyone a Precious Gift! Incredibly Moved

Chen He and the workers opened the box. Inside was a cream-colored massage chair. The leather was smooth, and its lines were sleek—it looked very high-end.

They moved the massage chair to a corner of the living room and plugged it in.

Jiang Silu took Jiang Yixia by the hand and settled her into the massage chair. “Mom, come on, lie down and try it.”

Jiang Yixia, now in the chair, felt a little embarrassed. “This is too expensive. We really shouldn’t…”

“It’s fine, Mom. Just try it. Don’t you always complain about being sore all over?” Jiang Silu refused to let go, helping her adjust the angle before pressing the power button.

The massage chair started to work.

It started with her back. Several massage nodes began to roll simultaneously, working their way up from her waist to her shoulders. The pressure wasn’t too light or too heavy—it was just right.

Then it moved to her thighs, calves, and the soles of her feet. No spot was neglected.

The tension in Jiang Yixia’s brow slowly eased, and the corners of her lips turned up into an unconscious smile.

“How is it? Feel good?” Lu Fan asked.

Jiang Yixia nodded with her eyes closed, her face flushing slightly.

“That’s good.” Lu Fan smiled.

After a moment, Jiang Yixia opened her eyes. She looked at Lu Fan, hesitated, but asked anyway, “This massage chair… how much did it cost?”

“Not much. Don’t worry about it,” Lu Fan chuckled.

“How much?” Jiang Yixia pressed.

Lu Fan thought for a moment before answering, “A little under a hundred thousand.”

Jiang Yixia shot up from the massage chair, her eyes wide. “A little under a hundred thousand? I remember seeing domestic brands online for just a few thousand! How can an imported one be this expensive? Did you get scammed?”

Lu Fan just smiled. “Well, imported models are different from domestic ones. Besides, this is the best brand, a top-of-the-line model. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Return it. It’s too expensive,” Jiang Yixia said, standing up, clearly embarrassed.

“Can’t. It’s custom-made,” Lu Fan said matter-of-factly.

Jiang Yixia looked at him, not knowing whether to laugh or be angry. She was speechless.

Chen He and the workers had already lifted the massage chair and were carrying it upstairs.

Jiang Yixia opened her mouth, about to call out to them, but when she saw how happy Jiang Silu looked, she swallowed her words.

“Mom, just accept it. It can’t be returned anyway,” Jiang Silu said with a smile, taking her mother’s arm.

Jiang Yixia sighed and glanced at Lu Fan.

Lu Fan was smiling back at her, his eyes sparkling.

She turned away, refusing to look at him, but couldn’t help a small smile from forming on her lips.

That evening, Lu Fan announced he had to return to Jinling.

“I have some things to take care of tonight, so I need to head back,” he said to Jiang Yixia as he stood by the door.

Jiang Yixia nodded and didn’t ask him to stay.

Jiang Silu ran over and gave him a hug. “Dad, when will you be back?”

“I’ll be back in a couple of days. I’ll spend New Year’s Eve with you,” Lu Fan said, patting her back.

“It’s a promise, then. You can’t go back on your word,” Jiang Silu said, tilting her head up to look at him.

“I won’t,” Lu Fan said with a smile.

He glanced over at Jiang Sifan, who was standing in the middle of the living room, still holding the Owen jersey and examining it from every angle.

Sensing Lu Fan’s gaze, he looked up, and their eyes met again.

“Sifan, that card has Owen’s actual signature on it. Don’t lose it,” Lu Fan said.

“Mm,” Jiang Sifan acknowledged with a nod.

Lu Fan turned and went out the door, with Chen He following behind.

The car started, pulled away from the villa, and disappeared down the road.

Jiang Silu stood at the door, watching the direction the car had gone, and sighed.

“Mom, Dad’s left!” she called back into the house.

Jiang Yixia was in the kitchen washing vegetables. Hearing her daughter, she called back, “So he’s gone. You can come in and help me.”

Jiang Silu turned and went into the house.

That night, Jiang Yixia cooked a table full of food. It wasn’t a lavish feast with rich meats and fish, just simple, home-style dishes.

There were scrambled eggs with tomato, shredded pork with green peppers, broccoli with garlic, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a seaweed and egg drop soup.

The four of them sat at the dining table. Silu picked up a piece of the shredded pork with green peppers, chewed it for a moment, and then teased, “Mom, these green peppers are a little tough.”

“Then spit it out. Don’t eat it,” Jiang Yixia said, rolling her eyes at her daughter.

“I’m not spitting it out. It’s edible,” Silu retorted, chewing a couple more times before swallowing.

Wen Wan ate in small, delicate bites, occasionally glancing up at Jiang Sifan.

Jiang Sifan ate with his head lowered, saying nothing, but a faint smile played on his lips the whole time.

After dinner, Jiang Silu helped Jiang Yixia clear the dishes.

Wen Wan helped as well, while Jiang Sifan sat on the sofa, once again examining the Owen jersey in his hands.

Jiang Yixia finished washing the dishes, dried her hands, walked to the living room, and sat down next to Jiang Sifan.

“Sifan,” she said gently.

Jiang Sifan looked up.

“Your father bought you presents. It’s the first time in so many years. You two should also put some thought into getting him a gift for New Year’s Eve,” Jiang Yixia explained.

Jiang Silu ran out from the kitchen, patting her chest proudly. “Of course, Mom! I’ve already got mine ready.”

Jiang Sifan stared at her, stunned. “You’ve already got something?”

“Yup, I’ve had it ready for a while,” Silu said smugly. “To be honest, I was going to give Dad a gift even if he didn’t get me one. Brother, you haven’t prepared anything, have you?”

Jiang Sifan’s face flushed red, and he stammered, “I… I haven’t thought of anything yet.”

“That’s all right. There are still two days left. It’s not too late to get something now,” Jiang Yixia said with a smile.

Jiang Silu leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling. “Mom, what about you? Have you prepared a gift?”

Jiang Yixia froze. Her face instantly flushed red as she stammered, “Children shouldn’t meddle in adult affairs.”

“Ooooh,” Silu cooed, drawing out the sound with a knowing smile.

“Go on, go take a shower. You have to be up early tomorrow,” Jiang Yixia said, standing up and shooing her away.

Jiang Silu ran off laughing, and Wen Wan also went back to her room.

Only Jiang Yixia and Jiang Sifan were left in the living room.

“Mom,” Jiang Sifan called out.

“Hm?”

“What do you think… he would like?”

Jiang Yixia looked at him and smiled. “He’ll like whatever you give him.”

Jiang Sifan lowered his head and said nothing.

Jiang Yixia stood up and patted his shoulder. “Get some sleep.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Yixia went upstairs, entered her room, and closed the door.

She sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then stood up, opened the closet, and took out a bag from the very back.

Inside the bag was a half-finished, dark gray scarf made of very soft yarn. She had already knitted most of it, with only a small section left to go.

Jiang Yixia sat on the edge of her bed, picked up the knitting needles, and began to work, stitch by stitch. Her fingers felt a bit clumsy, and her progress was slow, but she poured her full attention into every stitch.

As she knitted, a blush crept onto her cheeks.

Yixia found herself remembering how Lu Fan had looked earlier, standing by the door and smiling at her.

She remembered his matter-of-fact tone when he’d said, “A little under a hundred thousand.”

She remembered how, when he’d told Chen He to move the massage chair upstairs, she had desperately wanted to refuse but couldn’t bring herself to say anything in the end.

Jiang Yixia sighed, lowered her head, and continued knitting.

She knitted two rows, unraveled one, and started it over.

She knitted late into the night, until the moon outside her window had climbed above the treetops and begun its descent.

Jiang Yixia folded the scarf, placed it back in its bag, and tucked it deep into the back of the closet before turning off the light and lying down.

She closed her eyes, but her mind was still full of him.

She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.