Shuishui asked Qian Anzhi to help her bring out the dishes. She had bought high-grade red wine, which she went to fetch from the cupboards.
Mu Ziyu walked over and greeted Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan acknowledged Mu Ziyu and said, "Well done."
"Thank you," Ziyu responded. It seemed that they were talking about something that only they understood.
When the dishes were brought out, Auntie Jiang expressed her satisfaction. "These all look so good. Xiao Li called us and urged us to hurry. He said that Shuishui prepared many delicious dishes. We didn't expect this. This is the first time we get to try the dishes that you yourself made, Shuishui."
Shuishui invited them to take their seats. She looked at Mu Ziyu and said, "I'll have to trouble you to eat everything and give me your opinion on the dishes."
He reached out and held Shuishui's hand. "I will."
Shuishui took out the two rice cookers and said, "This is fragrant rice and this is eight-treasure rice. Let's see which one you like."
"Ah, not bad, not bad," Auntie Jiang said as she walked over and opened the container with the eight-treasure rice. The color of the rice was very appetizing. She filled a bowl for herself.
However, Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't feel like eating right now. I'll have some wine first."
Jiang Yuan wasn't fond of eating rice at night. The dishes Shuishui had prepared were rather light, but he preferred to take his time and enjoy a glass of wine first.
Mu Ziyu wanted a bit of wine as well. He wasn't in a hurry to eat. Meanwhile, the others started to eat. Jiang Li was eating the beef. It melted in his mouth, and it tasted just right. It wasn't too salty nor too light, and it was also a little cool. It tasted quite special. "This dish is quite delicious. What meat is it?" Anzhi asked.
"It's actually beef," Shuishui explained.
"No way! This is beef?" Jiang Li continued to eat, still in disbelief.
"It's been stewed for a few hours, so it should be quite tender. I made the foie gras with a few seasonings I bought from the imported good section of the supermarket today."
Everyone ate happily, and Shuishui realized how fortunate it was that she had ordered roast goose and barbecued pork for takeout, or the food wouldn't have been enough. Seeing that they were drinking red wine, Shuishui went upstairs to get another bottle. She also took out other finger foods to serve with the wine.
Jiang Yuan and Mu Ziyu drank quite too much. After a while, they didn't know what they were talking about, so Shuishui turned to Anzhi and whispered, "Anzhi, come and help me clean up."
After they cleaned up, Shuishui chatted with Auntie Jiang.
Fortunately, she bought a dishwasher. She piled up the used dishes on the kitchen counter so she could place them in the dishwasher when the guests had left. Auntie Jiang pulled Shuishui's hand and asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"
Shuishui turned to Auntie Jiang and said, "Auntie Jiang, do you want to go shopping?"
Auntie Jiang chuckled and said, "Yes. Are you free tomorrow?"
"Just now, Zilin called me and said that Auntie Mu has invited me to their house for dinner tomorrow." Shuishui couldn't refuse Auntie Mu's invitation because her family treated Shuishui very well.
Auntie Jiang was determined to bring Shuishui along. "How about Sunday?"
Shuishui nodded. "I'm free on Sunday."
"Then we can go on Sunday. I will take you shopping. I'm quite sure you will enjoy it." Auntie Jiang's sons were not very keen on going shopping with their mother, so she couldn't force them. She wanted to go with someone who could give her advice about the clothes she would pick. She felt that Shuishui would be a very good shopping companion.
For the next two days, she had something to do. She would accompany Auntie Jiang and Auntie Mu on their shopping excursions. She didn't really enjoy going out shopping the whole day, but she found happiness in seeing the aunties' happy, excited faces whenever she went with them. Auntie Mu and Auntie Jiang were very similar. They would stay at home to take care of the children and would occasionally attend noblewomen's gatherings. Nothing much seemed to excite them aside from shopping.
Shuishui was simply the kind of person who would try her best to help whenever she could.
The elders liked Shuishui's attitude. She was neither arrogant nor impatient. Whenever they went shopping with Shuishui, they never felt like she was in a hurry or wanted to go somewhere else. She would simply accompany them until they themselves felt tired.
Shuishui, however, also felt very helpless. She could accompany them on their shopping trips whenever they wanted to, but she was quite frustrated that the aunties would constantly be picking out clothes for her. The clothes they would choose for her were simply not her style. Shuishui liked to wear clothes that came in neutral colors, especially black, while the aunties would choose brightly colored clothes for her. She couldn't refuse them.
Jiang Yuan and Mu Ziyu became quite drunk by the end of the night. Jiang Yuan was brought home by Auntie Jiang and Jiang Li. Shuishui couldn't let Mu Ziyu drive home in that state. He couldn't even walk steadily.
She helped Mu Ziyu get up and brought him to the guest room. "The red wine you drank with Uncle Jiang had low alcohol content, but you got drunk. You guys drank almost four bottles. You can't even walk steadily."
She helped Ziyu lay down on the bed and was about to get up to go back to her room when Ziyu stopped her. "Shuishui."
"You keep saying my name even when you're drunk," Shuishui said as she sat by the side of the bed and reached out to touch Mu Ziyu's face. He didn't seem to age, and his skin was very smooth and plump. She let his hand go and went to the bathroom to get a clean towel. She then wiped his face and unbuttoned his shirt. She touched his face, but it was no longer hot. She placed the towel on the bedside table, took out a small blanket, and tucked Ziyu in. She then took out her phone to send a text to Mu Zilin.
Her back was facing Mu Ziyu as she was drafting the text. Just as the text was sent, Ziyu grabbed Shuishui and hugged her. He buried his head in Shuishui's neck. "En."
Shuishui tried to change her posture with difficulty. 'Oh my god. Is this guy used to hugging things when he sleeps?' she thought.
She looked at the hands wrapped around her body. Ziyu's foot was pressing down on her feet. What was going on? Her back was pressed against his hot chest. She felt something heavy pressing down on her. She wasn't stupid and knew what it was. Her face immediately turned red. Mu Ziyu was really asleep, and she wasn't actually being pressed down by anything. He had simply embraced her tightly. She did not try to break free. Instead, she leaned against him. Fortunately, she had closed the door. Anzhi wouldn't see them in that state in case he tried to open the door. That would be very embarrassing.
Qian Anzhi was in charge of tidying up. He didn't complain or say anything. He simply tidied up the wine bottles. That was when he realized that the villa he and his sister lived in was a little big. He suddenly felt very cold. He thought of asking Shuishui to buy a few dogs or cats.
Shuishui soon fell asleep in Ziyu's embrace. However, she had a not-so-beautiful dream. She dreamed that she was pressed down by five mountains and couldn't escape. In her dream, Mu Ziyu appeared in Tang Sanzang's clothes. She couldn't remember what happened after that. It just wasn't a good dream. She woke up early and felt that her right arm was numb. She tried to change her position. Just as she moved, Ziyu immediately restrained her again.
Shuishui could not help it. She said, "Damn it, Ziyu. Get up quickly. My arm is numb."
Mu Ziyu simply answered, "Sleepy."
Shuishui squeezed Mu Ziyu's arm hard so he would let go. Mu Ziyu squirmed a bit in pain, but he only moved a little.
Shuishui did not want him to go back to sleep. "Get up quickly!"
She got up quickly and massaged her arm. She then left Mu Ziyu to take care of himself.
Mu Ziyu woke up after a while, but he didn't want to get out of bed yet because the smell of Shuishui lingered on the bed. No wonder he slept soundly. She had been in his arms the whole night.
"Haha. "
After Shuishui washed up, she went to the guest room and heard Mu Ziyu's laughter. She said, "Stop laughing. Get up and wash up. I've prepared the shower for you."
"Okay. I'll get up now." Ziyu felt dizzy as he stood up, but he was able to walk steadily to the bathroom. In the shower, he smiled as he saw the toiletries Shuishui had prepared for him on the counter.
After he showered, he walked downstairs. His clothes still smelled of alcohol. Shuishui quickly went to Qian Anzhi's room to ask him to take out a larger set of clothes and lend them to Mu Ziyu.
Qian Anzhi hadn't woken up yet, so she quickly rummaged through his wardrobe. She found a larger set of clothes that Ziyu could wear. She knew the clothes were quite big on Anzhi, so she guessed they would fit Ziyu well.
Shuishui said, "Go to my room and wash your clothes. You can just wear these instead."
"Okay." Mu Ziyu wasn't picky. He simply took them to the shower and changed into them. When Mu Ziyu walked out, Shuishui was slightly stunned. He looked like a high school student in Anzhi's clothes. Fortunately, he was mature enough to not be mistaken for a high school student.
"Let's go out for breakfast. We'll have lunch at your house at noon," she said to Ziyu. Then, she shouted, "Anzhi, are you ready?"
Qian Anzhi was still picking out clothes. "Sis, wait for me for five minutes."
After Anzhi had changed, they went out together for breakfast. Mu Ziyu drove around to see where they could have breakfast.
In the car, Qian Anzhi suddenly said, "Sis, why don't we buy a few pets?"
"Uh. Sure." Shuishui felt that it was okay. The villa was quite big anyway, and they had converted the third floor into a greenhouse.
"Then, Sis, what kind of pets would you like?" Anzhi asked.
Shuishui thought for a moment. "Lizards."
Anzhi was a little afraid of lizards. "Sis, can you not choose weird animals?"
"I think they're quite cute. An owl would also be a good addition to our home." Shuishui felt that it would be quite good to have an owl that could catch mice.
Anzhi was speechless and paused for a while.
Qian Anzhi was afraid of creatures with feathers. "Sis, why don't we act normal? Let's get a cat or a dog."
"Then what about huskies?" Shuishui asked.
Qian Anzhi looked at his sister. "Actually, why don't we get a smaller one?"
"I like the bigger ones because they have a sense of security." Shuishui didn't like small dogs.
Mu Ziyu smiled. "You like pets that have a sense of security? Then huskies aren't suitable. Do you know that huskies have a nickname for that? Have you heard of it? They aren't good guard dogs."
"That's right." Qian Anzhi nodded. He had heard of it before.
"A golden retriever, wolfdog, or a samoyed is also good," Mu Ziyu suggested.
Shuishui pondered and looked up. "Then let's raise lizards."
"Sis, are you so stubborn? Why are you so persistent?" Qian Anzhi couldn't understand why his sister liked huskies in particular.
"Huskies are very funny. They are playful and very amusing." Shuishui didn't hate other breeds, but she had seen so many funny pictures of huskies on the Internet. She also liked lizards because she had raised one in her previous life.
"Then you should just go get a husky. Actually, they are known to be too curious," Mu Ziyu said. He felt that Qian Anzhi was against lizards, while Shuishui seemed to only be interested in huskies.
Qian Anzhi lost because his sister would have the last say in it. As long as it wasn't a lizard, he would be fine with it. Just thinking about lizards made him numb.
After they had breakfast, Mu Ziyu took them to a nearby pet shop. Coincidentally, there was a new pet. Shuishui saw a dog as soon as they walked in. It wasn't very good-looking, but it was hiding in a corner. She looked at it for a long time before she knew what breed it was. It was a bulldog. It was a breed known for its strength and loyalty. She looked at it up close and realized that the dog actually lost a front leg.
The shop assistant saw Shuishui staring at the bulldog. She approached Shuishui and said, "This bulldog is only three months old. The owner brought it here when it had lost its leg. He simply didn't want it anymore."
Qian Anzhi saw a baby husky on the other end of the shop. "Sister, there's a husky here."
The shop assistant began to introduce the husky. She told them about its temperament, its grooming requirements, and that it was a pure-bred husky.
Shuishui looked at it. Anzhi actually wanted to get the husky. She turned to look at the bulldog again and said, "I'll buy both that husky and this bulldog."
"Ah, that bulldog is not for sale. I can give him to you as a gift." The shop assistant smiled and was somewhat embarrassed. She couldn't believe that someone would still be interested in an ugly bulldog.
"Can you recommend a good dog food brand and some pet care products to me? I want to buy them all at once," Shuishui said.
"Of course. They are in the next room. You can come over and take a look," the shop assistant said in an excited tone.
In the end, Shuishui bought all the pet care products she would need. She bought dog shampoo, dog food, and other essentials. As they got into the car with the two dogs, Qian Anzhi said, "Sis, this dog is so ugly."
Shuishui opened the cage and let the dog out. She hugged it in her arms. "It's a little ugly, but I pity it so much."
"Eh."
"And it's missing a forelimb," Qian Anzhi said in surprise. His sister was really amazing.
"It can be fitted with artificial limbs. I'll make one for it." She rubbed the bulldog's head. "From now on, your name will be Doudou."
Qian Anzhi let out the husky and hugged it. "This husky is quite cute."
Mu Ziyu drove the car back to Shuishui's house. As soon as they arrived, Shuishui said, "Put them on the third floor. They're still young and will poop everywhere. They need to be trained first before they can walk freely around the house. It'll be troublesome if they defecate everywhere downstairs."
The third floor was also spacious, so it was convenient for the two dogs to freely run around.
The bulldog licked Shuishui's hand all the way while she hugged it.
When they reached the third floor, Shuishui put the dog down and took out a few dog bowls. She poured dog food into both bowls, and she poured clean water into the other dog bowls. They were going out at noon, so she had to prepare food for them. "All right. Nothing will happen to them here. They can still play. Let's go," she said.
As Shuishui walked away, the bulldog leaned over with great difficulty and whined pitifully.
Shuishui looked at the puppy that was looking at her pitifully and said, "Little fellow, be good at home. I'll be back tonight."
The husky, however, ran around freely.
Shuishui also reached out to touch it. "It's really funny."
The husky stuck out its tongue and looked at Shuishui.
"All right. Let's go first. They have enough food and water," Shuishui said to Ziyu and Anzhi.
As they closed the door, the two dogs kept barking.
They had promised to be at the Mu family's house for lunch. Shuishui felt that they should arrive there early because it was shameful to make the host wait too long for the guests.