Sometimes Ai Xiaoxi would wonder: if she had met Jiang Hai a year ago, would she have chosen to be with him? She didn't know the answer. Although Jiang Hai's presence lingered in her heart, to be honest, she wasn't sure if it was love. In fact, as people got older, they tended to ignore the word "love." It wasn't like a fresh graduate who could feel so much passion and affection.
In reality, when men and women spend a lot of time together, the word "love" starts to fade. At first, when they met, it felt like infatuation. Then, as they got closer and shared experiences, it became about desire. After the passion faded, if they married, it turned into habit.
Some people say that love most fears becoming habitual. When someone becomes used to another person, the love begins to deteriorate.
But in truth, anyone who's been through it understands that the so-called "deterioration" is often exaggerated. Who can guarantee that they'll be passionate all year long? It's not like a stud who's been pumped full of hormones, always burning with desire. Aren't they afraid of burning out? Anyway, Feng Yunchen didn't believe it.
In her view, women—especially those who are attractive—only had two kinds of destinies. One was to accept their fate: study hard as a child, find a job, marry, work hard for half a lifetime, care for a husband and children, and hope their spouse stayed faithful, coming home early, and eventually growing old together, in a life marked by resignation.
This life, though peaceful, often didn't offer much financial freedom.
Jiang Hai didn't know much about Feng Yunchen's family situation, but she was genuinely afraid of running out of money. She didn't want to endure hardship and disrespect. She didn't want to work herself to the bone, only to end up struggling financially. So, she was inclined to take shortcuts.
But people should be self-aware—being richer isn't always better. There were many factors to consider.
Feng Yunchen didn't want to suffer, but she also didn't want to rely solely on her youth, only to be abandoned by a rich man in her thirties and live the rest of her life in poverty. So, in her view, Jiang Hai was her best option.
He was strong, wealthy, and good-looking. They were classmates, knew each other well, and he was kind-hearted. If she stayed with him, she wouldn't have to worry about being discarded when she grew older or less attractive. While marriage wasn't on the cards, her life would be secure. This was enough for her.
Ai Xiaoxi, on the other hand, still believed in love. After all, she had just graduated from college.
So, she was cautious about Jiang Hai. As long as their relationship stayed as it was, she could ignore his actions. If he didn't care about her, she wouldn't care about him. But she feared the possibility that, when fully committed to Jiang Hai, he might abandon her for another woman. She feared she wouldn't be able to accept that. She still clung to the fantasy of one-on-one love.
Her hesitation grew, especially considering the relationship between Feng Yunchen and Jiang Hai. If she were only Jiang Hai's mistress, she could overlook this. But if she were his true partner, she wouldn't tolerate him being with anyone else, even Feng Yunchen.
Feng Yunchen understood Ai Xiaoxi's struggles. However, there were things she couldn't say outright.
"Okay, what are we having for dinner tonight?" Seeing Ai Xiaoxi's conflicted expression, Feng Yunchen decided not to press the issue and smiled.
"Tonight… let's go eat crayfish." Ai Xiaoxi thought for a moment and then grinned.
"Crayfish? Aren't they unsanitary?" Feng Yunchen said, rolling her eyes. Young girls always craved things like fried stinky tofu, spicy crayfish, fried rice cakes, hot pot, oden…
But people like Feng Yunchen knew these things were unhygienic and could upset the stomach. Still, Ai Xiaoxi would probably eat them anyway, even if she had to sneak it.
"Do I really like them?" Ai Xiaoxi smiled mischievously at Feng Yunchen's comment.
"I'll call Jiang Hai later, tell him to get some crayfish, and you can feast on them when you get there. I don't know what they feed them in China…" Feng Yunchen said with a sigh.
Just then, Ai Xiaoxi's phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was her mother calling.
"Hello? Mom…" Ai Xiaoxi answered the phone.
A cheerful voice with a strong Shandong accent came through the speaker.
"Hey, Ni'er, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. Are you coming back at the end of the month?"
Ai Xiaoxi smiled when she heard her mother's voice.
Feng Yunchen turned to look at Ai Xiaoxi. While the Shandong dialect was still a northern dialect, it was quite different from Mandarin. In Bingcheng, there were no distinct regional dialects. People from there could easily be understood, but they often had trouble understanding other dialects, especially ones as unique as Shandong's.
Ai Xiaoxi laughed at her mother's familiar voice. "I should be back at the end of the month," she replied.
Since Jiang Hai had given her the money, her family's issues were easily settled. It wasn't a difficult matter. The compensation had been paid, the expenses covered, and they even spent 100,000 yuan to renovate their home. While her house wasn't perfect, it was upper-middle-class compared to the neighborhood.
"That's good! Your father didn't want me to call you, worried it'd affect your work, but I wanted you to come back and see the Shield. More importantly, will that little Jiang you mentioned come back with you?" Her mother was eager to know.
"Xiao Jiang… He probably won't be back. He's still abroad," Ai Xiaoxi said, her face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't been completely honest with her parents. The last time Jiang Hai gave her money, they had suspected she was involved in something illicit. Ai Xiaoxi had told them Jiang Hai was her boyfriend, and that she had borrowed money from him.
"Oh, what a shame. We wanted to thank him in person." Her mother sighed. She was curious about Jiang Hai, but she had heard that men who spent so much money on young girls might not have the best intentions.
Ai Xiaoxi had assured her family that Jiang Hai was a good person, but who knew if he was some old, overweight man with a receding hairline? The idea of Ai Xiaoxi being with such a person was unacceptable to her family.
"Well, let me ask him…" Ai Xiaoxi replied, feeling awkward.
"Okay, work comes first. If you can come back, great. If not, don't worry. You can come back when you're free," her mother said, understanding.
After the call ended, Ai Xiaoxi stared at her phone, rubbing her temples.
"Headache?" Feng Yunchen asked, laughing.
Ai Xiaoxi looked at the phone, unsure if she should tell Jiang Hai. She needed to think it through.
As the lights in the capital flickered on, far across the world in Winthrop, Jiang Hai and the others were just waking up. After a quick wash, Jiang Hai decided not to run today. He had too much work to do at the wine estate. There were still plenty of grapes to harvest. He met with Dulles-Dale and the others, eager to prove his worth despite the tension with the cowboys and fishermen.