Slow to mature after marriage

Mu Siwan put down her forensic examination kit, didn't look at Bo Yan again, and went to the living room by herself.

She sat down at the coffee table and scooped up a spoonful of soup.

Aunt Chen was making brown sugar, ginger, and jujube soup, piping hot, with the spiciness of ginger and the sweetness of jujubes. One sip warmed me from my throat to my stomach, easing the slight ache in my lower abdomen.

After finishing her soup, Mu Siwan went upstairs to take a shower.

As the hot water poured down, she slowly closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and stood there for a long time.

Her hair was still dripping wet when she came out. Mu Siwan paused at the bedroom door.

Bo Yan was still packing her things.

He moved slowly, picked up a shirt, glanced at it, folded it twice, and put it in the box. Grace clung to him, her tail hooking around the shirt and pulling it out. He took it out again and folded it once more.

The man and the snake seemed to be locked in a fierce battle.

Mu Siwan glanced at it indifferently, then looked away, dried her hair, walked over, and sat down in front of the dressing table.

Bo Yan didn't look up at the woman until she turned around and started drying her hair properly.

She was wearing a light blue nightgown after her shower, her hair still wet and draped over her shoulders, a few stray strands clinging to her neck. The light shone from the side, enveloping her completely; she was slender, fair-skinned, and as quiet as ever.

Bo Yan looked away, continued folding the clothes, and tossed them into the suitcase.

Grace lay at his feet, her tail tucked into his trouser leg.

The hairdryer started buzzing.

Bo Yan squatted down beside the suitcase, pausing his movements.

Mu Siwan's back was to him, her hair blowing wildly in the wind, revealing a small section of the back of her neck. She was thin and pale; in the night, when he held her there, he didn't even dare to apply force.

Bo Yan stood up and walked over.

The hairdryer was taken from her hand, and Mu Siwan froze, looking up at her reflection in the mirror.

Bo Yan stood behind her, took the hairdryer, plugged it in, and began to dry her hair. His movements weren't exactly practiced, but they were steadyer than the previous times.

The buzzing sound drowned out everything.

"My flight is at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." His voice came from above, low and gentle. "Nothing else you need to tell me?"

Mu Siwan looked at her face in the mirror, remained silent for a while, and then shook her head.

"I don't know what to say."

He went to England for two months, just like he had spent three years in the United States before.

There is essentially no difference.

She didn't need to tell me anything.

Bo Yan didn't speak, his fingertips running through her hair, his rough fingertips occasionally brushing against her scalp.

"For example," he began, "is there any clothing, perfume, or anything you'd like me to bring back...?"

"And also..."

The second half of the sentence got stuck in my throat.

Another option is to ask him if he can stay.

He didn't say it.

Mu Siwan shook her head.

"There's nothing I want."

His fingertips paused briefly in her hair before continuing to comb downwards.

"Then—" He lowered his eyes, staring at the whorl of her dark hair, "Is there anything you can't let go of?"

The buzzing sound was still going on.

The bedroom fell silent.

Things you can't let go of?

Mu Siwan lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Grace swam over at some point, circled around Bo Yan's ankles, climbed onto the dressing table, and rubbed her head against Bo Yan's fingertips.

She glanced down, then looked up again.

"Grace," Mu Siwan said, "could you keep it?"

Click.

The hair dryer stopped working.

The bedroom became completely quiet.

Bo Yan looked up and stared at her eyes in the mirror.

Clean and sincere.

I really can't bear to part with Grace.

He chuckled.

You wish!

Bo Yan placed the hair dryer on the dressing table and turned to leave.

"Not only will I take Grace with me, but to avoid reminding you of snakes, I won't leave a single piece of her shed skin from the seasonal changes."

He walked back to his suitcase, his voice turning cold.

"You and this traitorous little beast, be prepared never to see each other again in this lifetime."

He quickly stuffed the last few clothes into the suitcase, zipped it up, picked it up, and walked out of the bedroom.

The door closed.

Mu Siwan sat in front of the dressing table, touched her half-dry hair, and looked puzzled.

She looked at Grace at her feet.

Grace flicked her tongue and looked at her innocently.

-

late at night.

Mu Siwan was trapped in her dream and couldn't get out.

The attic was cold. She huddled in a corner, her hands and feet numb with cold. Mu Cheng stood in the doorway, his face grim. He walked over and slapped her across the face. She fell to the cold floor, her ears ringing.

Xu Ruolin pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of porridge. She squatted down and held it to her lips.

"Wanwan, are you hungry? Eat up."

She took a sip, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Xu Ruolin patted her head: "Just be good. Your parents raised you, so you should be grateful."

The door closed.

Mu Siwan curled up on the ground, tears streaming down her face, which she couldn't wipe away.

The scene shifts, and she is standing in a very long corridor, walking alone for a very long time, but she can't seem to reach the end.

"Don't leave me..."

She murmured.

"I'll be good..."

"Don't leave me alone..."

-

"Mu Siwan".

A voice came from a great distance.

She didn't hear me and kept walking down that road.

"Mu Siwan".

The sound is getting closer.

She paused for a moment, then stopped in her tracks.

"Mu Siwan".

It was right next to my ear.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

My heart was pounding so hard it hurt my ears. My back was covered in cold sweat, and my pajamas clung to my body, chilling me to the bone.

Bo Yan leaned over her, looking down at her, his voice hoarse.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

She stared at him blankly, panting heavily.

The man's gaze shifted downwards. Her face was pale, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, her hand was pressed against her lower abdomen, and she was curled up.

Bo Yan frowned deeply.

"Go to the hospital."

Mu Siwan shook her head, her lips turning pale.

"I'm not going."

He stared at her for about two seconds, then gave in.

Bo Yan threw off the covers and got out of bed.

Mu Siwan was in a daze and didn't know how much time had passed.

In the darkness, someone helped her up, and her back rested against a warm chest. An arm wrapped around her from behind, steadying her. The other hand held a bowl of something and brought it to her lips.

"I drank it."

The voice was deep and flat, without much variation.

Mu Siwan lowered her head and drank it down sip by sip. The spiciness of the ginger and the sweetness of the brown sugar mixed together and flowed from her throat into her stomach. The warmth slowly spread and eased the pain in her stomach.

After she finished drinking, she was put back on the pillow.

Consciousness gradually faded.

Just as she was falling asleep, she felt a pair of hands slip under the covers and gently cover her lower abdomen.

Warm, palms dry.

The hands didn't move randomly, but gently rubbed, circle after circle, with just enough force to dissipate the pain.

Mu Siwan's curled-up body slowly relaxed.

-

The next morning, at 7:30, Mu Siwan slowly opened her eyes.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains and fell onto the bed.

Her consciousness slowly returned.

A lingering warmth remained in his lower abdomen, a warmth the man had kept there all night. That warmth seeped into his skin, completely relieving the previous aches and pains.

She instinctively reached to the side.

empty.

The blankets were folded neatly, and the sheets were wrinkle-free.

Mu Siwan withdrew her hand and helped herself sit up.

There was a note on the bedside table.

She picked it up.

The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, written casually yet neatly.

"I asked Aunt Chen to make some brown sugar ginger soup. It's in the kitchen. Remember to drink it. Goodbye."

Mu Siwan stared at those few lines of text for a few seconds, then looked away.

He put down the note, got out of bed, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

Sunlight streamed in and fell on her.

The plane should have already taken off.