Chapter 555: Jiang Yixia: Then Pursue Me All Over Again!

“Okay,” Lu Fan said with a smile.

Jiang Yixia turned and went upstairs. Lu Fan stood downstairs, watching her figure disappear into the stairwell. He stayed there for quite a while before finally turning to leave.

Early the next morning, Lu Fan showed up again.

He carried an insulated bag containing a bowl of congee and two steamed buns. The congee was century egg and lean pork, and the buns were stuffed with bok choy and shiitake mushrooms—all Jiang Yixia’s favorites.

Jiang Yixia was in her flower shop sorting materials. Seeing Lu Fan walk in with the insulated bag, she sighed. “Why are you here again?”

“To bring you breakfast.” Lu Fan placed the bag on the counter, opened it, and took out the food. “Eat while it’s hot.”

“I’ve already eaten,” Jiang Yixia said.

“Then eat a little more,” Lu Fan said cheerfully.

Jiang Yixia glanced at him. Without a word, she picked up the congee and took a sip. It was still hot. The century egg was finely diced, and the lean pork was tender. She took another sip, then picked up a bun and took a bite.

“Is it good?” Lu Fan asked.

“It’s alright,” Jiang Yixia nodded.

Lu Fan smiled, taking a seat across the counter to watch her eat.

After finishing her breakfast, Jiang Yixia collected the bowl and chopsticks and went to the back to wash them. When she came out, she saw Lu Fan squatting on the floor, helping her sort the flowers. He took the roses out one by one and categorized them by color—a pile for red, one for pink, and another for white.

“Don’t mess with those.” Jiang Yixia walked over. “I can sort my own flowers.”

“I’m not messing with them.” Lu Fan looked up with a smile. “I’m just helping you sort them. Red with red, pink with pink. Look, isn’t it neat?”

Jiang Yixia looked at the neatly arranged flowers and sighed, saying nothing more. She crouched down, picked up a rose, and began pruning it.

Lu Fan crouched beside her. He also picked up a rose and mimicked her actions, snipping away. He cut very slowly but with earnest concentration, careful with every snip.

“You cut this one too short,” Jiang Yixia noted with a glance.

“Did I?” Lu Fan held the rose up to inspect it. It was indeed noticeably shorter than the rest. “What should we do with this one then?”

“Put it in a small vase.” Jiang Yixia took the rose from him and placed it into a small vase nearby.

Lu Fan smiled and continued pruning. The two remained squatted on the floor, working in comfortable silence.

That afternoon, Lu Fan returned.

He was carrying a bag of fruit—apples, bananas, oranges, and a durian. The pungent aroma of the durian was so strong that she could smell it the moment he walked through the door.

“Why did you buy a durian?” Jiang Yixia frowned.

“Don’t you like durian?” Lu Fan placed it on the counter. “Sifan told me.”

Jiang Yixia froze for a moment, then chuckled. “That boy tells you everything.”

“He’s my son. If he doesn’t tell me, who else would he tell?” Lu Fan said cheerfully.

Jiang Yixia didn’t reply. She picked up the durian, gave it a sniff, and smiled. “This one is perfectly ripe.”

“Then eat up.” Lu Fan cracked the durian open, revealing the golden flesh inside and releasing an even stronger scent.

Jiang Yixia took a piece and took a bite, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction. She ate very slowly, taking tiny bites as if savoring a rare delicacy.

“Is it good?” Lu Fan asked.

“It’s good,” Jiang Yixia nodded.

“I’ll buy it again next time,” Lu Fan smiled.

Jiang Yixia gave him a look but stayed quiet, continuing to eat her durian.

At six o’clock that evening, Lu Fan appeared punctually at the entrance of the flower shop.

Jiang Yixia took off her apron, picked up her bag, and glanced at him. “You didn’t drive today?”

“Nope,” Lu Fan grinned. “I’m walking.”

The two left the shop and walked shoulder-to-shoulder in the direction of her home. Today, they took a different route that passed through an old street lined with vintage houses. Vibrant green ivy crawled up the walls, covering more than half of the brickwork.

“I used to walk this street a lot,” Jiang Yixia suddenly spoke up. “When Silu and Sifan were little, I walked this route every day to pick them up from school.”

“Was it hard back then?” Lu Fan asked.

“It was,” Jiang Yixia nodded, “but watching them grow up day by day made it all worth it.”

Lu Fan didn’t say anything. They walked a bit further and passed by a small shop. A few potted plants sat by the entrance, looking rather sickly with yellowing leaves. Jiang Yixia stopped, looked at the flowers, and shook her head.

“These flowers are thirsty.” She crouched down and touched the soil in the pots, which was so dry it had cracked. “The owner doesn’t even bother to water them.”

“If you have time, you can help water them,” Lu Fan said with a smile. “You’re still the same as before. You can’t bear to see flowers suffer.”

Jiang Yixia didn’t reply, but a smile touched the corners of her lips. When they arrived at her apartment building, she stopped and turned to look at him.

“Don’t come tomorrow,” she said.

“Why?” Lu Fan asked.

“If you come every day, how am I supposed to run my flower shop?”

“I come to help you with the work. It doesn’t delay your business.”

Jiang Yixia looked at him and let out a sigh. “Fine, come if you want.”

She turned and entered the building. Lu Fan stood downstairs, watching her figure, and smiled.

On the third day, Lu Fan came again.

This time, he brought a book. It was the one Jiang Yixia had been looking at in the bookstore window last time. He had run around to several bookstores before finally finding it. The cover was pale blue, depicting an expansive ocean.

Jiang Yixia took the book, briefly stunned. “When did you buy this?”

“Yesterday,” Lu Fan smiled. “You glanced at it a few times last time, so I kept it in mind.”

Jiang Yixia opened the book, read a few pages, and closed it. She lowered her head, gently rubbing her fingers over the cover.

“How much was it? I’ll pay you,” she said.

“No need,” Lu Fan shook his head. “It’s a gift for you.”

“I don’t want you buying things for me,” Jiang Yixia said, looking up at him.