Shi Nian had just finished his meeting when he received a call from his grandfather. On the other side of the call, Shi Kong excitedly exclaimed to his grandson, "Shi Nian, Shi Nian!"
Shi Nian moved the phone away from his ear and frowned. "Grandpa," he greeted.
"There's an update on Xi Jin's social media account. She uploaded pictures of three new paintings!" Shi Kong said in the same deafening volume. "She is actually promoting Yun Nan's movie! Is Yun Nan's third movie about to be filmed?"
"I didn't expect Xi Jin to be Yun Nan's fan! That says a lot about Yun Nan's talent! I'll watch all of her movies when I get back. They're movies that my idol recommended; they must be great!"
"Didn't you ask Yun Nan if she needed any help? Ah, the Yun family is blessed. Their missing daughter returned to them with such an outstanding upbringing! Shi Nian, I want to meet Yun Nan. This won't affect your choice of girlfriend, right?" Shi Kong's voice became softer, and his tone was tentative as he brought up the sensitive subject.
There was a marriage contract between the Shi and the Yun family, but Shi Nian's parents had always been dissatisfied with Yun Liu. Coupled with Shi Nian's feelings on the matter, the marriage had been delayed.
Shi Kong had always subscribed to democratic parenting methods when it came to raising children, and he respected their free will. Although he had an agreement with Old Yun, he was truly unwilling to force his grandson, so he could only make it up to the Yun family by accommodating them.
After Yun Nan returned, Shi Nian's mother had a very good impression of Yun Nan. However, the Yun family insisted Shi Nian should marry Yun Liu instead. Therefore, the Shi family's elders put the choice in Shi Nian's hands. They also told the Yun family to let Shi Nian make his own choice, but Shi Nian delayed it for two years.
Consequently, it became awkward for Shi Kong and Shi Nian's parents to get close to Yun Nan; they were afraid they would affect Shi Nian's decision. After all, this concerned his lifelong happiness.
Therefore, Shi Kong was concerned about Shi Nian's feelings when Shi Kong wanted to meet Yun Nan as Xi Jin's fan.
"Grandpa, Yun Nan and I are married. You can see her anytime," Shi Nian said calmly.
"Oh, okay. Then I'll ask Shi Xiu to help me arrange a meeting with Yun Nan—Wait, what did you say? Can you repeat that?" Shi Kong did a double-take. When he got his head around Shi Nian's news, Shi Kong suddenly raised his voice. Shi Nian took the phone away from his ear again.
"Shi Nian, what was that just now? Say it again!" Shi Kong was roaring at this point.
"Grandpa, Yun Nan and I are married. She is now your granddaughter-in-law. You can see her anytime," Shi Nian imparted unhurriedly.
"Shi Xiu! Shi Xiu! Change the flight ticket! Rebook the ticket! I want to go home immediately! I want to go back right now! Hurry! Quickly now! Call your parents! We have a situation at home!" Shi Nian had the foresight to hold his phone far away, listening to his grandfather shout at his sister.
He could imagine the scene with his eyes closed. He could easily picture his grandfather being so excited that he wished he could grow wings and fly back home right then.
Everyone in the Shi family tended to make a fuss and be dramatic. They were a loud and exuberant family. Shi Nian had mastered the ability to remain calm since he was young. No matter how his family's emotions fluctuated, he was as unshakeable as a mountain.
He hung up, knowing his grandfather must have thrown his phone to the side by now.
His lips curled up into a slight smile. 'I wonder what delicious food that girl will prepare tonight. I gave her an art studio. That should be worthy of a feast, right?'
On the way home, he suddenly remembered his grandfather's words. He turned on his phone and found Xi Jin's social media account. The millions of 'likes' were enough to show how popular this online artist was. Even his grandfather and sister-in-law were huge fans of hers.
He clicked on one of the pictures and zoomed in. The curtains in the corner of the picture were very similar to the curtains in his house. He clicked on the other two photos. The chair in the background of one of the photos was exactly the same as the chair in his dining room.
'No wonder Grandpa and Sister-in-law liked Xi Jin. It turns out that her taste and preferences are quite similar to our family's.'
...
Yun Nan was humming a song as she busied herself in the kitchen, the space hazy from whatever she was cooking. When she saw that Shi Nian was back, she turned around and shouted, "You'll have to wait a while longer for dinner! We're having dumplings today! Do you want beef or pork filling?"
Shi Nian stood at the door and stared at his 'snail girl,'—dressed in casual clothes and hair simply tied with a ribbon—through a cloud of steam. "Anything is fine." His response was stilted.
He went upstairs to change his clothes, and when he came down, there were already two plates filled with white and chubby dumplings on the dining table.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Yun Nan's painting tools under the sunlight and suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The finished paintings were placed at the side. It turns out the curtains in the pictures on the Internet didn't just look like the ones in his house—they were his house's. And the three paintings his grandfather was so excited over were quietly stacked right there.
'Yun Nan is Xi Jin?'
Shi Nian stared blankly at the corner of the balcony and suddenly burst into laughter. 'This girl is truly a hidden treasure.'