Chapter 261 - 196: An Eye-Opener

"Bingbing! Over here!"

A transparent, soft plastic curtain hung over the doorway of the activity room. Granny Liao leaned against the doorframe, holding a section of it open. She stuck her upper body out and waved energetically at Ni Bingyan, who was out walking her dog.

The golden sun was setting in the west. The last rays of the evening sun pierced through the shade of the trees and over the rooftops, stubbornly holding onto the last patch of ground in the middle of the small plaza.

Ni Bingyan was slowly strolling with Wangcai along the edge of the shade. Hearing the call, she immediately smiled and walked over.

"Aunt Liao! Were you looking for me?"

Wangcai trotted beside her, tongue lolling out. When he felt the cool breeze wafting from behind the curtain, he immediately went closer, trying to squeeze his way inside.

"Wangcai! Come back!"

Ni Bingyan was worried there might be elderly people or children inside.

Wangcai was a medium-to-large breed. Though not yet fully grown, he was already quite big. If he accidentally knocked over an elderly person or a child, it would be a huge problem.

Children are precious; their families would be heartbroken over the slightest bump or scrape. The elderly have brittle bones, and a simple fall can often be fatal. That’s why she was especially careful with her dog.

When Wangcai realized he couldn’t break free from the leash, he let out a whimper and flopped down dejectedly at her feet.

The tiles at the entrance to the activity room were scorching hot from the sun. He had just lain down when he immediately scrambled back up, letting out a series of urgent barks. "WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

Ni Bingyan patted his head reassuringly and gestured for Aunt Liao to get to the point, not wanting to waste time. She still had to finish walking her dog!

Granny Liao chuckled.

"It’s nothing major. It’s just that Grandma Xu’s diamond wedding anniversary is in a few days. She’s a bit worried about what to get Grandpa Xu and asked us to help her come up with ideas—a little brainstorming session, you know?

"We’ve been discussing it for ages but haven’t come up with any novel ideas. When we saw you pass by, we thought, ’The more, the merrier!’"

Granny Liao’s social skills were top-notch. Sometimes Ni Bingyan thought that if it weren’t for her taking the lead and organizing all sorts of activities, all the households would just keep to themselves, and this community probably wouldn’t be so close-knit.

"Ah! So that’s what this is about!"

As soon as she heard the explanation, Ni Bingyan understood the situation.

Grandma and Grandpa Xu were the oldest couple in the community. They had been deeply in love their entire lives. Their only regret was that their health had been damaged during a certain difficult era, leaving them unable to have children.

Grandma Xu was a famous author who wrote fairy tales for children. Grandpa Xu had studied abroad and later worked as a photographer and freelance writer for *National Geographic*.

They were among the first residents after the community was built. People of Sang Yuan’s generation had all grown up under their watchful eyes.

The couple was quite something.

They used to love traveling, but now that they were older and it was difficult to go out, they placed special importance on rituals and ceremony.

It wasn’t that they liked hosting all sorts of banquets, but rather that they loved giving each other gifts.

They gave gifts for holidays, anniversaries, and weekends. They gave them when the sun was shining or when it was snowing. If there was a reason, they’d give a gift. If there was no reason, they’d invent one and give a gift anyway.

One day you give me something, the next day I give you something back. Every day held a new surprise, as if each extra day they lived was a bonus.

Now, with such a special day approaching, the old lady had gathered her neighbors to help her strategize. She was determined to give her old man an especially meaningful gift.

And what about her husband? As soon as he got wind of it, he immediately gathered the men of the community and asked them for help with his own ideas, declaring that he couldn’t possibly lose.

The old couple was wealthy and had plenty of free time. Having lived into their eighties, what rare and precious things hadn’t they seen?

Coming up with something original and meaningful was no easy task!

Last year, Ni Bingyan had just moved in when she joined a film crew for several months, so she missed their fifty-ninth wedding anniversary. She later heard from her neighbors how lively the community had been that day and felt regretful that she couldn’t participate.

This year, she was here for it, so she could get more involved and see what it was all about.

This couple had spent the better part of their lives, outside of work, being romantic. They were truly the type to be romantic until the very end.

If she were single, it wouldn’t matter, but now that she was finally in a relationship, it was always a good idea to learn a few tricks from the experts. They could come in handy for wooing her boyfriend at a crucial moment!

She didn’t want Sang Yuan to feel like he’d lost the moment he stepped out the door and ran into the other men.

The competitive spirit in her had found a new outlet, and she decided to enter the game from a peculiar new angle.

Granny Liao, however, had no idea what she was thinking. Seeing her lost in thought, she beckoned her inside. "It’s scorching out here. Come on in and we can talk."

"Okay! Let me take Wangcai home first."

"No need, no need. Teacher Su left a dog crate in the activity room. Sometimes when he finishes walking his dog, he comes over for a game of mahjong and puts his dog in there."

Ni Bingyan couldn’t find a reason to refuse, so she followed her inside.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard a babble of voices discussing the matter:

"I think making clothes is a good idea. Last year, I made a dress for my granddaughter, and she was so happy!"

"That’s a nice idea, but back when you couldn’t buy ready-made clothes, I made all of his. It doesn’t feel very fresh anymore!"

"How about making him something delicious? A whole meal is too tiring, but making one special dish should be fine."

"Cooking is a no-go. He’s always been the one who cooks in our house. My skills are so bad, he wouldn’t be surprised, he’d be terrified."

"Take him on an outing? Nah, it’s not convenient for you two."

They were getting on in years, and with no children or grandchildren around, it wasn’t safe for them to go just anywhere.

"How about buying him a car?"

"Oh, but we don’t need that many cars!"

"What about flowers? You could find some rare ones. I recently bought a new variety of moth orchid with pale green petals. It’s gorgeous!"

"Ah, my house is already full of flowers. We’ve both given each other so many."

As everyone knew, the Xu Family Garden was the most beautiful in the community.

"Young people these days like to prepare a ’surprise blind box,’ you know? You put all sorts of notes inside, and on a special day, you have your partner draw one. Then you just do whatever is written on the note he picks."

...

Ni Bingyan’s ears immediately perked up!

When it came to romance, she was completely inexperienced. She had come along with the intention of learning. Granny Liao had only called her over because she saw her passing by, grabbing her to add to the numbers, not actually expecting her to come up with any brilliant ideas.

So, after securing her dog, Ni Bingyan greeted everyone and sat down quietly in a corner to listen.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she even took out her phone and started taking notes on what they were saying in her memo app.

All the gift-giving techniques and ways to prepare surprises were a real eye-opener for her.

Valentine’s Day was already over this year, but the Qixi Festival was just around the corner. She could definitely make use of the experience from these veterans!

Her cousin was getting married on Qixi, so she had to make a trip to Guisheng. This meant she wouldn’t be able to spend her first Qixi Festival with Sang Yuan after they made their relationship official. She absolutely had to prepare a proper gift; it would be bad if she didn’t.

Ni Bingyan was so focused on taking notes, her mind busy weighing the pros and cons of various romantic gestures, that she didn’t notice Shui Sulan coming out of the restroom.

The other day, she and Sang Yuan had gone out, but their car broke down on the way. By the time a tow truck had brought them and the car to the repair shop, it was already midnight.

Because there was too much stuff in the car to make repairs convenient, the two had no choice but to call the Sang family’s driver to pick them up.

Ni Bingyan hadn’t wanted to meet Sang Yuan’s parents so soon, but the moment the car arrived home, she saw them rushing out with worried expressions. They each grabbed one of them, anxiously asking if they were okay.

And so, their relationship was officially out in the open with the Sang family members.

Thinking that they would likely become family in the future, Ni Bingyan quickly overcame her initial shyness.

Instead of being uselessly bashful, it was much wiser to spend more time with her future in-laws to understand their personalities and preferences.

No matter how wonderful her boyfriend was, if she couldn’t get along with his family, her life would be miserable after getting married. She wasn’t the type to get dizzy with love, see only Sang Yuan’s good qualities, and rush in headfirst without a second thought.

"Hey, you silly girl. You’re home all alone, yet you won’t even come over for a meal when I invite you."

Shui Sulan gave her a startling but light smack on the shoulder.

She knew that the girl had made lunch and delivered it to her son, so she was just saying this as a way to show her affection.

The voice made Ni Bingyan jump. She guiltily put her phone away, and when she looked up and saw it was Shui Sulan, she quickly stood up to offer her the seat.

There were a lot of people in the room, and not enough seats.

But Shui Sulan just pulled her along. "Grandma Xu’s business isn’t urgent. Let them take their time discussing it. We two can go first. I have something to talk to you about!"

"What is it?"

After adjusting her mindset that night, Ni Bingyan’s relationship with Shui Sulan had become much closer.

Seeing her being called over, Ni Bingyan didn’t hesitate. She stood up and started to walk out with her.

"Tonight, I made a reservation at a Shandong-style restaurant. I’m taking you to see hand-pulled sea cucumber!"

Knowing that Ni Bingyan was on break recently, Shui Sulan invited her to all sorts of fun things. Her words and actions made it clear she was fond of her, not hiding it in the slightest.

Ni Bingyan wasn’t one to be ungrateful. When people were good to her, she would return the same kindness.

"Really? Even my dad doesn’t know how to do that. I’ll have to go with you and see it for myself."

Seeing that she wasn’t acting like an outsider at all, Shui Sulan was delighted and gestured with her hands:

"It’s not exactly a life-changing experience, but it’s really interesting. It starts out so small, and they pull it until it’s this big! The last time I saw it was on a business trip to Qin Island."

Her future mother-in-law wasn’t the type to spend all day shopping, nor was she the type to live at the beauty salon or play mahjong with other rich ladies. She always found interesting things to do, and Ni Bingyan quite enjoyed going out with her.

"Okay, I’ll go home and change right now! When do we leave?"

"We’re just going for a meal. Just wear something comfortable, no need to dress up. I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes."

"Sounds good. My car is still at the shop anyway."

Ni Bingyan led her dog out, then thought for a moment and asked, "Are Uncle Sang and Brother Yuan going?"

Although it felt a little embarrassing to call him that, it wasn’t appropriate to use his first name in front of his mother, and calling him President Sang was even more inappropriate.

"Oh, men should be out there working hard. Why would we bring them along when we’re going out to have fun?"

’Having dinner with the three of them as a family would feel a bit strange. If Sang Yuan didn’t go, Uncle Sang would surely feel awkward too. This arrangement was for the best.’

Ni Bingyan nodded and quickly headed home with her dog.