Marriage First, True Love Later

Chapter 77



Anran was a little surprised to see her mother here. What was even more surprising was that she also knew the man who had been chasing her mother. It was Tong Wenhai.

She looked at the two people arguing in front of her. She couldn’t understand what they were arguing about, but she could see that they were a little agitated.

“Mom,” she said. She interrupted the two of them and walked towards them.

Tong Wenhai and Lin xiaofen turned their heads at the same time and were both stunned when they saw Anran walking toward them. Lin xiaofen seemed to be at a loss. She didn’t expect to meet Anran here, and Tong Wenhai was standing next to her.

Tong Wenhai was also taken aback. In fact, it was purely an accident that he met Lin xiaofen today. Because he didn’t have anything to do today, he got off work early and drove home. However, he didn’t expect to meet Lin xiaofen on the way. Everything from back then was still vivid in her mind. Even though it had been almost 30 years, time had only left a few wrinkles on her face. She was still the girl who had smiled brightly at him.

He got out of the car to call her, but she looked at him as if she had seen a ghost and turned to leave without looking back. He was in the wrong back then. After he left, he went back to look for her, but she didn’t leave anything behind. Even the people around her didn’t know anything about her. He thought that he would never have the chance to see her again in this life, but when he met her at youran cuisine, he was surprised that she was actually su Yicheng’s mother-in-law, and her daughter and husband were standing by her side. She seemed to be living a very happy life. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of looking for her when they met. In fact, he still owed her an apology for that year. However, after thinking about it, it had been so many years since the incident and they each had their own families. There was no point in talking about this again. Thinking so, he gave up the idea of looking for her.

It was just that today, when they met again on the road, perhaps it was fate that he was destined to apologize to her. This was what he owed her for thirty years. However, he had just called out to her when she looked at him as if she had seen a ghost and her steps were quick. She didn’t even wait for him to speak before she agitatedly asked him to leave.

“An … An ran …”

Lin xiaofen stared blankly at Anran, who was walking toward them. She looked a little flustered and helpless. She turned her head and saw Tong Wenhai, who was still holding her arm, standing next to her. She suddenly shook him off.

Anran stood in front of them. She looked at her mother and then at Tong Wenhai, then called out, ” “Bureau chief Tong.”

Tong Wenhai smiled at her, nodded, and called out,”Mrs. Su,”

An ran smiled and said, ” “Bureau chief Tong, you can just call me an ran.”

Tong Wenhai nodded and had no objections.

Anran turned her head, looked at her mother, and then looked at Tong Wenhai. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. &Quot; mom, what are you and director Tong doing? ”

“No, nothing. I, I don’t know him.” Lin xiaofen said, a little flustered.

Tong Wenhai let out a sigh. He looked at her and said, &Quot; xiaofen, I just wanted to say sorry. Why do you have to do this? back then, Wanwan, ” Lin xiaofen reprimanded and interrupted him before he could finish.

“Shut up.” Lin xiaofen reprimanded. Her tightly-biting lips trembled slightly from her emotional agitation.

As such, Tong Wenhai had no choice but to shut up and look at her with a guilty expression.

An ran went up to support her mother and called out worriedly, ” “Mom,” she said.

Lin xiaofen seemed to be afraid of something. She pulled Anran over and turned to leave, saying, ” “Let’s go, let’s go. Your dad is about to get off work. I, I have to hurry back to cook.”

Although Anran had her doubts, she didn’t say anything. She turned to look at Tong Wenhai and let Lin xiaofen pull her away.

Lin xiaofen seemed to be a little uneasy and scared. The hand that was holding Anran’s hand trembled uncontrollably. She turned her head and kept looking behind her, as if she was afraid that Tong Wenhai would follow her again.

Seeing her like this, Anran couldn’t help but worry. &Quot; mom, are you okay? ”

Lin xiaofen turned around, shook her head, and said, ” no, nothing. I have to rush back to cook for your father. &Quot; As she sat down, she quickened her pace and tried to force a smile on her face. However, her smile was too fake and could not hide her embarrassment and uneasiness at the moment.

Of course, Anran knew that she was just using this as an excuse. In fact, their family usually had dinner later than usual. They usually ate after seven O ‘clock, and sometimes even after eight o’ clock. It wasn’t even five o ‘clock yet, and rushing back to make dinner was just an excuse she made up.

As if she was really afraid that Tong Wenhai would catch up to her, Lin xiaofen directly stopped a taxi and got in.

She closed the door, started the car, and left. Lin xiaofen even turned her head to look at the rear window of the car. After confirming that Tong Wenhai was still in the same place and hadn’t chased after her, she let out a long sigh.

In the car, Anran looked at her mother and couldn’t help but ask, ” &Quot; mom, is there something going on between you and bureau chief Tong … &Quot;

Hearing this, Lin xiaofen shot a glance over. She was still a little agitated and said sharply, ” “I don’t know him! Don’t ever mention this person in front of me again!”

&Quot; but look at you guys. &Quot; Anran still wanted to say something, but he interrupted her.

“I said I don’t know him, but who knows why he suddenly went crazy and insisted on following me.” Lin xiaofen said sternly.

Seeing this, an ran tactfully shut her mouth and didn’t ask any more questions. She knew that her mother and Tong Wenhai definitely knew each other. As for how things ended up like this, her mother didn’t want to say, so she could only not ask.

The atmosphere in the car was a little awkward. The driver in front was driving seriously. He wanted to gossip but did not dare to ask. He only looked at the situation behind from time to time through the rearview mirror.

Lin xiaofen turned her head and looked out of the window with a serious expression. Her gaze drifted past the scenery on the road, but she didn’t notice anything.

Anran was a little worried about her, but she didn’t know how to comfort her. She sighed silently, took her mother’s hand, and put it on her lap.

Lin xiaofen’s body instinctively stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. Her face was facing the outside, and her nose was a little sour.

The car slowly stopped in the Gu family’s neighborhood. Anran paid the taxi fare and then took her mother upstairs.

Lin xiaofen’s emotions had already calmed down, and she wasn’t as agitated as she was before. The two of them entered the elevator together. When the elevator reached the Gu family’s floor, Lin xiaofen calmly said, ” “In the future, you should also stay away from that Tong Wenhai, understand?”

Anran wanted to ask why, but after what had just happened, she held back and didn’t ask anything. She only nodded and agreed.

When she got home, Gu Hengwen hadn’t returned yet. Lin xiaofen asked Anran to stay for dinner, and then asked her to call su Yicheng and ask him to come over for dinner that night. Speaking of which, ever since she and su Yicheng came back from luoxia town for a meal, it had been a long time, but because of this and that, she hadn’t returned home to have a good meal with the two elders.

Anran nodded and took her phone out of her bag. She went to the balcony and called su Yicheng. When the phone rang for the third time, su Yicheng picked up the call. Anran told him that she was at her parents ‘place and asked him to come over for dinner. Su Yicheng seemed to be on his way. When he heard what she said, he agreed without a second word and said that he would be there in ten minutes.

After ending the call and returning to the living room from the balcony, Lin xiaofen was no longer there. Anran put down her phone and turned to enter the kitchen. She saw Lin xiaofen picking vegetables and washing them in a daze. She was in a daze, and her thoughts seemed to have drifted far away. She didn’t even notice that the basin was almost full of water. Anran quickly went up to turn off the water. He drained some of the water in the sink to make it less full.

He took the vegetables from her and said, ” “Mom, I’ll do it.”

Only then did Lin xiaofen react. She said somewhat unnaturally, ” you, you can go out. The kitchen is smoky. I’m fine. I’ll be fine in a moment. &Quot;

&Quot; it’s okay, mom. I’ll help you. Also, I have to learn how to cook from you. Otherwise, su Yicheng will despise me for only knowing how to make noodles. &Quot; An ran said jokingly.

Lin xiaofen didn’t insist and only asked, ” “Did you call ah Zhen? what time does he get off work? should we wait for him?”

Anran didn’t specifically tell them about su Yicheng’s career, so her parents, and even Lin Li, had always thought that su Yicheng was an employee of a multinational company. They didn’t expect him to be the mayor’s Special Assistant, the youngest powerful man in Jiang city.

Anran nodded and said, ” yes, I told him. He’s already on the way. He’ll be there in a moment. &Quot;

“Is that so? then I’ll have to move faster.” As she spoke, Lin xiaofen took out the ingredients from the fridge. She had bought them this morning. Originally, she had planned to not buy any ingredients for the next few days. After all, she had to go to work, and Gu Hengwen also had to go to work. It was too troublesome to buy ingredients every day. Fortunately, she had bought enough for a few days, so Anran and su Yicheng wouldn’t run out of ingredients for dinner when they came back.

He took out the fish and was about to kill it when he asked, ” “By the way, is ah Zhen’s stomach better? did you tell him to drink less? stomach problems need to be taken care of for a long time, otherwise it’ll be very troublesome.”

&Quot; yes, he’s much better these days. We’ve been eating lighter recently. He didn’t have any social events these past two days, so he didn’t have the chance to drink. &Quot; Anran replied calmly. Her hands didn’t stop moving. She picked off the yellow leaves and carefully washed them. He asked, ” when is dad coming back? do you have classes at night? ”

&Quot; no, I’ve seen his class schedule. He doesn’t have any self-study at night, so he should be back soon, just in time for dinner. &Quot; Lin xiaofen deftly handled the fish in her hand. She scraped off the fish scales and then made an opening in the fish’s belly. She removed the internal organs and carefully avoided the fat fish roes.

Just as Lin xiaofen finished preparing the fish, washed it, and was about to put it into the pot, the doorbell rang.

It should be su Yicheng. I’ll go open the door. &Quot; An ran wiped her hands and left the kitchen.

She opened the door, and sure enough, su Yicheng was standing outside with a smile on his face, as if he had always been so gentle.

Anran turned sideways to let him in. She took the briefcase from him and asked, ” “Why are you so early today?”

&Quot; I went out this afternoon to handle some matters. The wedding went well, so I came back earlier. It just so happens that I’m on this road. &Quot; Su Yicheng explained.

Anran nodded. In fact, she was just asking casually.

Su Yicheng looked around, but he didn’t see Lin xiaofen and Gu Hengwen. He asked, ” “Where’s mom and dad?”

&Quot; dad’s not back yet. Mom’s making some steamed buns in the kitchen. &Quot; before Anran could finish her sentence, she heard a scream from the kitchen.

“Ah!”

The two of them couldn’t care about anything else and hurriedly ran to the kitchen. They saw that the oil in the pot was sizzling, and Lin xiaofen was standing at the side, covering her face with her hands. From the looks of it, her face had just been splashed with oil.

Anran wanted to step forward, but su Yicheng stopped her. He strode forward to turn off the gas stove, then helped Lin xiaofen out.

Anran was a little worried and said, ” mom, how could you be so careless? ”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I didn’t pay attention and got splashed by the oil.” Lin xiaofen said as she covered half of her face with her hand.

Su Yicheng moved her hand away. The oil had splashed right under her eyes, and if it went any higher, it would have splashed into her eyes. Although the area that had been splashed was not large, because the temperature of the oil was too high, it was already red and blistered. He turned to Anran and asked, ” “Anran, do you have any burn cream at home?”

“There are.” Anran quickly got up and took out the ointment from under the TV cabinet in the living room. Su Yicheng gently squeezed some of it and applied it on the red liquid.

Lin xiaofen was a little embarrassed as she said, ” &Quot; look at me. I’m useless when I’m old. I made such a big joke by cooking. &Quot;

Su Yicheng chuckled, stood up, took off his suit jacket, and said to Lin xiaofen, ” “If mom doesn’t mind, I’ll cook dinner tonight. I haven’t cooked in a while. If I don’t practice, I’ll probably forget everything I’ve learned before.”

“You can cook?” Lin xiaofen was a little surprised. After all, there weren’t many men who knew how to cook nowadays. Not to mention men, even women didn’t know how to cook, such as Anran.

“If it’s not done well, mom will make do with it.” Su Yicheng said humbly.

“It’s rare for a boy to know how to cook.” Lin xiaofen said in a low voice. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, ” “Don’t tell me you’re the one who usually cooks at home?” Then, he glanced at an ran.

“No, it’s an ran who made me more.” Su Yicheng also looked at Anran with a smile.

Anran blushed with shame. Other than noodles, she made more than just noodles, and it was the simplest clear broth noodle soup. Even for breakfast, she had only made it once or twice when she got up. The rest of the time, he had made it for her after he came back from his morning exercise.

Upon hearing this, Lin xiaofen looked at her daughter suspiciously. She didn’t remember what kind of food Anran knew how to cook. However, he also felt relieved for Anran. Su Yicheng was really good. Although their marriage was a little rushed, at the moment, no man was more suitable than su Yicheng to be Anran’s husband. He was gentle and considerate.

Back then, when mo Fei left, she had suspected more than once that the fate of her mother and her was too similar. They were both betrayed by the man they loved deeply. What was even more ridiculous was that even the reason for their betrayal was the same. It was not that they did not love each other, but they wanted to go higher. They both had dreams and desired success, but they lacked opportunities. In this society where everything required nepotism, they could not help them at all and even became an obstacle to their success. However, another woman could. He could help them and let them achieve the success they wanted, but the price of such success was their love and marriage.

But fortunately, God was kind to them. She had Gu Hengwen by her side, while Anran had su Yicheng by her side. Both of them were gentle and considerate men who they could rely on and love for the rest of their lives.

Su Yicheng rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and was ready to fight, but before he entered the kitchen, he suddenly stuck his head out and said to Anran, ” “An ran, come and help me.”

Anran quickly nodded and said to Lin xiaofen, ” mom, just sit here and have a good rest. Ah Zhen’s cooking is not bad. &Quot;

Lin xiaofen nodded. She took off her apron and handed it to her. &Quot; go. &Quot;

Anran went in with an apron and saw su Yicheng in a white shirt washing the pot. She quickly said, ” “Put on your apron first, or it won’t wash off if it gets splashed with oil.”

Upon hearing this, su Yicheng turned his head and looked at her with a smile. He spread his arms and said, ” “Then help me put it on.”

Anran looked at his wet hands, which were still covered in foam, and without thinking much, she went up to him, raised the apron, and put it around his neck. Anran had never thought that she was short, and she was not short. A woman’s height of 167 centimeters should be the best height ratio. She was not too tall or too short. She could wear high heels of five centimeters, or flat shoes without heels.

Because she was indoors, she had changed her shoes when she came in. Now, she was wearing flat slippers. Su Yicheng was 185 centimeters tall, so he was nearly 20 centimeters taller than her. At this moment, he was standing straight and smiling as she tiptoed slightly to help him put on the apron. It was just that the innocent her didn’t seem to realize that someone was trying to be evil by tiptoeing slightly when she was tiptoeing, so he couldn’t put it on no matter how hard he tried.

With her hands on her waist, Anran looked straight at him and said, ” “Can’t you just bow down, Mr. Su?” She was so tall, and she was standing so straight. She didn’t know if it was intentional, but as she stood close to him, his warm breath kept on landing on her ear, either intentionally or unintentionally. It tickled her. What was he trying to do? it was so troublesome to put on an apron!

“Oh.” Upon hearing this, su Yicheng nodded, then lowered his head and let her put the apron around his neck. He turned his body slightly in another direction, and in order to cooperate with her, Anran also turned half way with him. However, he didn’t notice that he was in between him and the glass counter.

Su Yicheng raised his head and placed his hands on both sides of her on the glass counter, just in time to surround her whole body within his sphere of influence, and the corners of his mouth were half-curled up.

Anran gave him a strange look. Just as she was about to turn around and put on the apron for him, she realized that she had been trapped between him and the glass counter, and her arms were blocking his sides.

The two of them were very close to each other, and the atmosphere began to become a little ambiguous. It was as if they were suddenly getting hot. An ran couldn’t help but feel a little hot, and her cheeks began to flush slightly.

Anran pushed him slightly. &Quot; go away first and let me out. Otherwise, I won’t be able to help you with the belt. &Quot;

Su Yicheng raised his eyebrows and said, ” &Quot; why not? why don’t you just tie it like this? ”

Obviously, someone had started to play su Mo’s rogue.

“But I can’t see it!” Looking at him, Anran thought angrily, what’s the difference between this and him tying it himself? in any case, he couldn’t see the back, so he could just grope around and tie a knot.

“It’s okay, just put it on.” Su Yicheng was clearly going to be a scoundrel to the end, and then he couldn’t help but urge her, ” &Quot; hurry up. Dad will be back soon. When he’s back, we can open up. &Quot;

Anran couldn’t argue with him, so she had no choice but to wrap her arms around him and move them from his front to his back. Then, she felt the distance between them getting closer and closer, and he simply pressed his chin directly on her shoulder. His gentle, scratching breath spread into her ears. It was so warm that she couldn’t help but want to reach out and scratch it.

Only then did Anran realize that she had been tricked. She cursed in a low voice in his ear, ” evil official, you’re too calculative! &Quot;

Su Yicheng laughed and was in a good mood. He leaned over to her ear and said, ” thank you for your praise, Madam. &Quot; As he spoke, he blew into her ear.

An ran was both angry and amused. She groped around behind him to Rob him and said in a bad mood, ” “Special Assistant su, are you sure I was complimenting you just now?”

“It’s fine even if you scold me. I’ll just take it as a compliment.” Su Yicheng said shamelessly.

An ran was a little defeated. &Quot; Mr. Su, your self-esteem is really strong! &Quot;

&Quot; thank you, Mrs. Su, ” su Yicheng said with a smile. &Quot; thank you for your praise. &Quot;

Anran looked at him in amusement and finally tied the knot on his back. She let go of him and said, ” “It’s done,”

Su Yicheng nodded, looked at her, and then said in an extremely serious tone, ” as a reward, I’m going to kiss you. &Quot;

Anran laughed out loud, tilted her head, and said, ” “Special Assistant su, can I refuse this reward? just treat it as me doing a good deed every day and serving the people.”

Su Yicheng pretended to seriously think about it, then shook his head apologetically at her and said, ” &Quot; the organization said that only with rewards can there be better enthusiasm, so we can’t refuse, we can only accept. &Quot;

Anran still wanted to refute him, but as soon as she opened her mouth, his handsome face pressed down on her, and a hot kiss followed. It was urgent, but it did not lose its tenderness.

“Swish.” The sliding door of the kitchen was suddenly pushed open.

Lin xiaofen pushed the door open and entered. &Quot; ah Xiao, buy that there’s crickets in the refrigerator. &Quot; she only wanted to tell him that there was tofu in the refrigerator and that she could make tofu fish soup, but it seemed like she came at the wrong time!

Anran quickly reached out to push su Yicheng away and lowered her head to look at the gas stove. Her face was redder than the tomatoes on the glass counter. She really wanted to cry but had no tears. She was actually bumped into in the courtyard and at home. Oh, oh, she should just dig a hole and bury herself. It was too embarrassing.

Compared to Anran, su Yicheng’s expression was much more natural. He looked at Lin xiaofen with a smile and asked, ” “Mom, what’s the matter?”

Only then did Lin xiaofen react. Instead, she smiled in embarrassment and hurriedly said, ” “It’s fine, it’s fine. You guys take your time to cook. Eat whatever you want. There’s no hurry. There’s no hurry.” As he said that, he turned around and rushed out of the kitchen. Before he left, he did not forget to help them close the kitchen door. He also reminded himself that when old Gu returned later, he must not let him come to the kitchen.

Even after Lin xiaofen left, Anran’s face was still red as she lowered her head and washed the vegetables in her hands. In her heart, she was cursing su Yicheng up and down a few hundred times.

Su Yicheng couldn’t help but laugh when he saw how shy she was, and he asked, ” “Mrs. Su, are you embarrassed?”

Anran cursed him a few hundred times in her heart, then glared at him.

After receiving a sharp eye roll, su Yicheng touched his nose, tactfully restrained his smile, and said in a serious tone, ” I’ll cook. &Quot;

Anran glared at him for a long time, but in the end, she made way for him silently. She moved her little wife to the side, waiting for him to give orders and get ready to hand him water, soy sauce, and so on.

When Gu Hengwen returned, he saw his wife sitting alone on the sofa in the living room. She was frowning and chuckling at the same time. “What happened today?” he asked. When she was changing her shoes, she saw two extra pairs of shoes on the shoe cabinet at home and asked, ” “An ran and ah Zhen are here?”

Only then did Lin xiaofen come back to her senses. She stood up and took the handbag from his hand. She smiled and nodded. &Quot; yes, I’m back. I’m cooking now. &Quot;

“They’re cooking! An ran has never learned how to cook!” Gu Hengwen said in surprise.

“Ah Zhen did it, and an ran helped.” Lin xiaofen said with a smile.

“A-Qing can cook too!” Even Gu Hengwen was surprised by this. As he spoke, he saw the red blisters under her eyes. He frowned and asked, ” “How did you do this?”

&Quot; there was water on the spatula just now. I didn’t wipe it clean and put it into the oil. I accidentally splashed it. It’s okay, I’ve already applied the burn medicine. &Quot; Lin xiaofen explained.

“How could you be so careless?” Gu Hengwen reproached her. In fact, he only felt sorry for her. “Did you apply the medicine?”

Lin xiaofen smiled and nodded. Meeting Gu Hengwen in this life was the luckiest thing in her life. When she was at her most isolated and helpless, it was this man who doted on her, took pity on her, and gave her a home. Even though she was not rich, even though she could not live in luxury, this kind of ordinary happiness was what she had always yearned for, and he had given her everything she wanted. All these years, she had been really happy, and she had to admit that she was really lucky.

“What’s wrong?” After all, they had shared the same bed for nearly 30 years, and nothing strange about her could escape his eyes. Looking at her, Gu Hengwen always felt that she was a little strange at night.

“It’s nothing, I just suddenly felt a little emotional.” Lin xiaofen casually fell asleep. She naturally wouldn’t tell him about her encounter with Tong Wenhai on the road. She didn’t want him to worry about her again.

Gu Hengwen didn’t ask any further. He looked at the tightly shut kitchen door and turned to his wife. &Quot; you really don’t plan on going in to help? ”

Lin xiaofen smiled. &Quot; no need. &Quot; She recalled the scene she had just seen when she went in. She looked at her husband and said with a smile, ” Anran is as lucky as I am to have met su Yicheng, who is as good as you. &Quot;

Gu Hengwen looked at his wife and smiled faintly.


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