Next Door

The television was playing a lively song and dance performance.
Hearing a commotion at the courtyard entrance, the proprietress was so used to it that she didn't even raise her eyes, simply calling out fluently, "Just take whatever you want to buy."
Ye Mian suddenly felt her face burning hot, and she instinctively reached out to cover it, as if trying to hide something.
After selecting her toiletries, Jiang Chen told Ye Mian to wait while he went to pay.
Before Ye Mian could stop him, it was already too late.
The thought that the proprietress had watched the news with her made her feel a sense of impending doom.
She could only comfort herself.
Well...
Not necessarily.
Maybe the proprietress was just sleepy at the time and didn't remember Jiang Chen's face at all?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind—
The next second, Ye Mian heard the proprietress's loud exclamation, mixed with a trace of startled astonishment.
"Oh my lord? Is the God of Wealth from the television in our house?"
"God of Wealth" was the local nickname in Qiao Town used to describe anyone considered wealthy, and sometimes used to address bosses who had made a fortune.
To the proprietress of the small grocery store, Jiang Chen undoubtedly belonged to the category of people with immense wealth.
After all, financial news isn't something just anyone can appear on.
"..."
Ye Mian turned her gaze awkwardly, only to see the proprietress exaggerately clutching her chest with one hand while leaning back against the wall with the other. Her eyes shone brightly as she stared unblinkingly at Jiang Chen, even harboring an eager-to-move impulse to take a photo.
...
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking at her as if asking: What does this mean?
Following his gaze, the proprietress successfully noticed Ye Mian as well.
The people of Qiao Town were ridiculously kind and enthusiastic. Knowing that Ye Mian liked Jiang Chen, she cheerfully greeted Ye Mian:
"Come, come, come, girl, hurry over. The handsome guy you kept staring at the other day is right here, come take a picture with him."
"I..."
Ye Mian blinked, just about to explain, but the woman didn't give her the chance at all!
Pausing for only a second, the proprietress continued talking to Jiang Chen, "Handsome, are you married yet?"
From the conversation, Jiang Chen roughly guessed who the proprietress in front of him was. He remembered the young girl mentioning during their chat that she had watched television at someone else's house.
Hearing this, he lowered his gaze slightly and smiled faintly, his mood seemingly quite good.
"Not married yet."
The proprietress let out an "oh my," beamed as she looked at Ye Mian, and eagerly began playing matchmaker for the two of them.
"Then you might as well marry a girl from our Qiao Town! The girls in Qiao Town are gentle and quiet, and they all look as tender and fresh as water, breathtakingly beautiful. Look at this girl right here, isn't she just like that?"
Jiang Chen glanced at Ye Mian.
The young girl's face was completely flushed red.
A couple of low chuckles escaped his throat, and then he nodded slightly, quietly gazing into the young girl's eyes before saying word by word with deliberate pauses:
"Indeed, she is beautiful."
Ye Mian: "...!"
In broad daylight, what was he doing?!
The proprietress became even happier, hinting slyly, "Right? People from outside fight to marry the girls from Qiao Town! And our wedding banquets are the most delicious you'll ever find!"
Help.
Ye Mian felt she couldn't listen to this any longer. She was afraid that if she stayed a moment longer, the proprietress would start recommending which hospital to give birth at.
So she quickly shot Jiang Chen a look.
With a faint smile, Jiang Chen paid the bill.
Before heading out, both of them said goodbye to the proprietress.
The proprietress's eyes rolled back and forth between the two of them as a sudden flash of understanding dawned on her.
She smiled from ear to ear, turned around, and began humming a little tune from the television:
"Oh sister, you sit at the bow of the boat, while brother walks along the shore."
"Loving, so loving, as the towrope sways to and fro."
——
Walking along the river channel and arriving near the small courtyard, Ye Mian pointed at Grandma Ye's front door and said to Jiang Chen, "This is my grandma's house. I'm almost there, you should head back too."
Jiang Chen raised his eyes to look at the house number, narrowed his eyes, and smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll watch you go in."
"Okay." Ye Mian nodded with a light smile and waved at him. "Then send me the address of where you're staying later, and I'll come look for you tomorrow."
Facing her directly, Jiang Chen's gaze was gentle, and the arc of his lips deepened. "Alright, Happy New Year."
...
After watching Ye Mian step inside her house, Jiang Chen cast a sideways glance at a nearby sign.
The winter wind whistled as he took out his phone to call his driver.
The driver quickly drove the car over, holding a room key as he said to Jiang Chen:
"Boss, during the Spring Festival, almost all the guesthouses and hotels are closed. The detached courtyard I booked for you is right..."
The driver hesitatingly surveyed the surrounding environment and pointed to the fourth exquisitely decorated courtyard ahead, "Oh, it's that one right in front."
Jiang Chen looked in the direction the driver was pointing and raised an eyebrow.
No wonder the address on the sign felt so familiar; as it turned out, the place he booked was right next to Ye Mian's house.
Not even a hundred meters away.
Jiang Chen took the room key and looked up.
Through the dim courtyard wall, he could see that the small courtyard the young girl had entered was still brightly lit.
He closed his eyes, feeling a severe headache coming on.
He wondered how on earth he was supposed to explain this address to the young girl.
Such a coincidence made him look like a stalker or a creepy follower.
Consequently, Jiang Chen became unusually picky about his accommodations and said to his driver assistant, "Can you find another place?"
The assistant was startled for a moment before replying, "Boss, we arrived late, and this was already the last room available when I booked it."
Jiang Chen: "..."
——
After returning home, Ye Mian quickly washed up, changed into her pajamas, and snuggled back into her small bed. Grandma Ye had replaced her quilt with a thicker one, which felt heavily comforting and wonderfully warm when pressed against her.
She took out her phone and posted the selfie she took with Jiang Chen today to her Moments.
The caption read: [Happy New Year.]
After a moment's thought, she categorized her friends, setting it to be visible only to her close everyday friends.
Barely a minute later, Jiang Yuan's comment appeared:
[Jiang Yuan: Hello, I don't remember seeing you before! Who might you be?]
Ye Mian let out a chuckle and tapped to reply.
[Good Sleep: Hello, perhaps jealousy has blurred your vision.]
[Jiang Yuan: Where on earth am I jealous? Ms. Ye, I'm going to sue you for defamation!!]
[Good Sleep: Hello, Ms. Jiang, the evidence is insufficient!]
The rest of the comments from her friends were either accusing Ye Mian of assassinating single people during the Spring Festival or wildly praising the looks of the two of them.
After replying to them one by one, Ye Mian finally opened her chat box with Jiang Chen.
Coincidentally, at that exact moment, Jiang Chen's nickname changed to "typing...".
A moment later, she received his message.
[Jiang Chen: Though I don't know how to explain this.]
[Jiang Chen: I'm staying in the fourth courtyard right next to yours.]
Ye Mian's eyes lit up. So the nice courtyard near her house was a guesthouse? She'd be able to go find him the moment she woke up tomorrow!