Take her as my wife

Jiang Ni and Tan Yan spent the whole day playing outside. The local customs and culture of the small county town had their own unique features, which Jiang Ni found quite interesting.

It was already past nine o'clock when he got home. Tan Yan was going back to Yicheng tomorrow. Although X University was on summer vacation, he had to take many other exams, so he had to go back to prepare for them.

He Xiaoling was watching TV in the living room, Tan Jianming was still at the construction site and hadn't returned, and Tan Wen was practicing boxing on the balcony, hitting a sandbag.

Even with the sliding glass door to the balcony closed, the "bang bang" sound could still be heard very clearly.

He was wearing black sweatpants and shirtless. With each punch, his biceps bulged out, and his muscles were incredibly smooth, beautiful, and wild.

Jiang Ni glanced at him a couple more times, and Tan Yan noticed her gaze, immediately and subtly diverting her attention: "Nini, do you want to take a bath?"

"Yes," Jiang Ni said, turning her gaze away. "I'll go find some clothes."

Considering that she was staying at someone else's house, Jiang Ni specially brought pajamas, but they were short summer styles with not much fabric.

It was hot today, so she washed her hair, only to find that there was no hair drying cap or anything like that in the bathroom. She hadn't brought any of those little gadgets with her, so she opened the door, thinking of asking Tan Yan for help.

As it turned out, Tan Wen happened to be passing by the bathroom door.

Jiang Ni called out to him, "Tan Wen."

Tan stopped in his tracks, his eyes meeting hers. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at him. "Could you find me a dry towel that's absorbent? Thank you."

She had taken a shower, and the steam had brought out two pale pink hues on her fair face. Some of her wet black hair clung to her face, making her look like a juicy peach.

Tan Wen lowered his eyes, gave a cool "hmm," and returned a few minutes later, handing her a towel: "Here you go."

"Thank you." Jiang Ni took it and closed the door—the towel was actually new, pink.

She wrapped a towel around her hair and walked out of the bathroom into the living room: "Tan Yan, do you have a hairdryer?"

All three people in the living room were looking at her, and even He Xiaoling couldn't help but show a hint of amazement in her eyes.

Her pajamas were made of silk, with no fancy patterns or designs, just a small brand logo on the chest. It was a very luxurious yet understated international brand.

Of the three, only Tan Wen recognized the brand. The girls at the KTV liked to discuss luxury goods, and Tan Wen had a good memory, so he remembered it without even trying.

He wasn't surprised at all, because Jiang Ni exuded the noble air of a "rich young lady".

Tan Yan took her to find a hairdryer. He Xiaoling patted Tan Wen and whispered to him, "Xiao Zong, you should find a partner like your sister-in-law in the future. The children you have will be so beautiful!"

He didn't want a sister-in-law like that; he just wanted a sister-in-law—Tan Wen only said this to himself, without giving He Xiaoling any reaction on the surface.

"You rushed downstairs just now, to buy towels for your sister-in-law, huh? How much did it cost? Let your brother reimburse you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tan Wen had already wandered back to his room.

Jiang Ni was drying her hair in Tan Yan's room when he glanced inside as he passed by Tan Yan's door.

"Your brother is a really good person..." he heard Jiang Ni say.

Tan Yan turned his head and saw Tan Wen's tall and straight back. He replied to Jiang Ni, "He's very experienced in winning over girls. He's had countless girlfriends."

Jiang Ni has a close friend, Liu Jiaren, who is a sea queen, and she doesn't have any prejudice or objection to Tan Wen's "rich romantic history".

Tan Yan packed his things and left the next morning. Jiang Ni couldn't get used to their hard bed and tossed and turned all night. She finally fell asleep at dawn, so she couldn't go to see him off.

When she woke up, it was almost noon. The house was unusually quiet; it seemed like there was no one else there except her.

Because she usually eats three meals a day regularly, Jiang Ni hasn't eaten breakfast or lunch yet, so her stomach is rumbling with hunger.

"What would you like to eat, sister? I'll make it for you."

Jiang Ni was slightly taken aback. She turned her head and saw Tan Wen standing at the kitchen door, holding a large bowl in his hand.

He lowered the bowl in his hand and showed it to Jiang Ni: "Would you like noodles?"

Jiang Ni nodded: "Yes, thank you."

Tan Wen coolly replied with an "Mm," then turned and went into the kitchen to make noodles for her.

Jiang Ni can't cook, so she went to brush her teeth and wash her face, then went to the kitchen to watch Tan Wen do his cooking.

Tan asked her, holding a kitchen knife, "Sister, do you have any dietary restrictions? Garlic, ginger, or scallions?"

"No," she replied, "I eat everything."

They're so easy to care for.

Tan Wen mentally assessed the situation, then picked up a cleaver and deftly began chopping scallions, ginger, and garlic. The water was already boiling, so he put the noodles in the pan, went to the refrigerator to get an egg, and asked, "Do you want the fried egg fully cooked or runny?"

Jiang Ni: "Fully cooked."

Is it fate that we're the same as him?

Jiang Ni watched as he cracked the egg with one hand, then easily tossed the pan after the egg had set, flipping it over with a series of fluid movements.

The key point is that his cooking skills are really good. A bowl of noodles is perfect in color, aroma and taste. Jiang Ni ate it all up.

After she finished eating, she was about to stand up and clear the table when Tan Wen took action first, even snatching the chopsticks from her hand: "I'll wash them."

Jiang Ni knew she was clumsy when it came to housework, so she didn't insist on taking on the task. But after the two small tasks of "cooking noodles" and "washing dishes," she realized that her younger brother Tan Yan was not as unruly, disobedient, and of bad character as Tan Yan had described.

Tan Wen was going out in the afternoon. Last night, he had already found out from He Xiaoling why Jiang Ni was staying at his house.

Because Jiang Ni had an admired teacher who retired and returned to Ning County to live out his retirement, and Jiang Ni was about to graduate, she specifically contacted the teacher, hoping to learn from him.

The hotels in Ning County were in poor condition, frequented not only by prostitutes but also by thugs. Therefore, for her safety, Tan Yan invited her to stay at the Tan family's residence.

Jiang Ni gave the money, and Tan Yan kept it for himself, not giving it to He Xiaoling. He planned to return the money to Jiang Ni after she left.

"Sister, I'm going out for a bit. My mom made you a new key, it's on the coffee table. Remember to take it with you when you go out," Tan Wen said, and after receiving a response from Jiang Ni, he changed his shoes and left.

He took a taxi to Lijing KTV, and Hu Jiaguang asked him, puzzled, "Brother Wen, why did you only come this afternoon?"

"I'll come a little later from now on. Please tell Xiao Rong as well." Tan Wen sat down in a chair, took out his cigarette case, and lit a cigarette.

Hu Jiaguang casually asked, "Oh, what are you busy with this morning?"

Busy cooking for my sister-in-law.

Tan Wen exhaled a puff of smoke from his thin lips, and instead of answering, asked, "Da Guang, do you know which brand of mattress or bed is good?"

He observed that Jiang Ni was frequently moving her neck and shoulders, and even though she slept until noon, there were still some dark circles under her eyes, which meant she definitely didn't sleep well last night.

The bed in Tan Mei's room was bought early and cheaply, so it was naturally uncomfortable to sleep on.

"I don't know. You want to buy a bed? How about I have Xiao Rong go with you to the furniture market later?"

"OK."

Around 3 p.m., Tan Wen and Hu Jiarong took a taxi to the furniture market.

It was his first time buying a bed, and he knew nothing about it. All he knew was to ask the shopkeeper, "Would people with delicate skin find this uncomfortable?"

The bosses naturally all said "no," and "it will be absolutely comfortable to sleep in."

Tan was unsure of what to do, so he simply walked around and chose the most expensive one to pay for.

Hu Jiarong looked at the invoice—

"Holy crap, what kind of bed costs 28,000?!"

Tan Wen swiped his card without hesitation, a rare hint of a smile in his eyes: "The bed for the princess and the pea."