Chapter 475: Cozy Days and Village Ties

The second day in the morning.

Xu Chen and Xie Bingran stayed put, nestled in their comfortable little home in Tiancheng.

Xu Chen slept in late, waking up close to noon.

He rolled out of bed, searched around, and found Xie Bingran on the balcony doing bodyweight exercises.

The young heiress wiped sweat from her face:

“Are you hungry? I’ll make you some noodles.”

Xu Chen grinned. “Sounds great!”

By the time Xu Chen finished freshening up, Xie Bingran had just set out two bowls of hot soup noodles.

It was her specialty, stir-fried noodles, which she’d made for him before at the Hua Yin guesthouse by Erhai Lake.

Today’s version was even heartier, with two poached eggs and chunks of braised beef from yesterday’s shopping.

Xu Chen was starving after sleeping till noon and wolfed down his whole bowl in a few eager bites.

Once Xie Bingran ate a bit, she headed off for a hot shower.

Xu Chen helped dry her hair, then couldn’t resist pulling her close for a long, affectionate cuddle.

“Where did you plan to meet Li Rui and the others for dinner?” Xu Chen asked, holding Xie Bingran in his arms.

“They said at my place in South River Village. I figured I’d head back too,” she replied softly.

“Perfect. We can tidy up your old house while we’re there.”

“Let’s go in the evening. That’s what I told them.”

“Sounds good.”

Xu Chen understood that heading to the village during the day might draw too much attention.

For one, Bing Ge was a celebrity now, and for another, Xie Bingran didn’t want to deal with all the neighbors.

The whole afternoon, the two of them stayed wrapped up in sweet togetherness.

For both Xu Chen and Xie Bingran, it was a rare, relaxing time together.

With only a few days like this, they cherished every moment.

Cuddled on the spacious sofa for ages, Xu Chen started feeling the heat build up—it was sweet torture.

Xie Bingran kept it playful and persistent, teasing him on purpose until he was the one begging for mercy.

In the afternoon.

Jiang Yuze shared some buzz about ‘Ran Bing 001’ in the project group.

Naturally, Bing Ge wearing ‘Ran Bing 001’ on the Spring Festival Gala sparked a huge wave of interest.

Nie Fei and Jiang Yuze had planned some PR and promotions, but even without official pushes, the hype took off on its own.

Thanks to the Gala, Xie Bingran’s public recognition shot up even more.

Lots of people don’t follow sports or the Asian Games, but the Gala’s talk and ratings are everywhere.

Through the Gala footage, more folks noticed this short-haired, big-eyed, cool athlete from the national team.

Right now, ‘Ran Bing 001’ is still in high demand.

Online stores drop a batch of shoes each week, and they’re gone in seconds.

The real pressure’s on Lifeng Footwear; once production ramps up after the New Year, sales of ‘Ran Bing 001′ should stabilize and grow.

As evening approached, Xu Chen drove Xie Bingran out of the neighborhood and headed toward South River Village.

They took the South City Highway, and Xu Chen pointed out some landscaping projects along the way:

“These are all family projects; my Fourth Uncle mainly handles them.”

“Lately, my dad’s been networking for the New Year, including with the managers of these nursery projects.”

By the time dusk fell, they arrived at South River Village.

Instead of entering through the main road, they followed Xie Bingran’s directions and looped around to a path on the north side of the village.

Mainly to avoid running into villagers at the entrance—Bing Ge hated the hassle.

They parked behind some abandoned mud brick ruins and walked into the village.

The village paths were quiet.

It was the cold season, so unlike summer evenings, no one was out relaxing.

Firecrackers echoed from somewhere in the distance, who knew which house.

The pops mixed with dog barks and kids’ cries, capturing that unique northern village vibe.

In no time, they reached the Xie family old house.

Before they even got to the door, they heard lively chatter and laughter inside, with lights on.

Li Rui, Zhao Feng, and their crew had already arrived.

Fang Tao, who lived in the village, had opened up earlier; Xie Bingran had left a key with him long ago.

Stepping inside, they walked into a bustling scene.

Li Rui, Zhao Feng, and the rest were there—over twenty guys in total.

The yard had two big lamps lit, and the group had set up a couple of wood-fired stoves, busy preparing dinner.

The long table held fish, meat, and other ingredients, probably brought from their homes.

Seeing Xie Bingran and Xu Chen enter, everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed over.

They called out warmly, “Bing Ge! Xu Chen!”

Bing Ge got surrounded by the brothers as they headed into the yard, while Xu Chen hung back a bit, giving them space to chat.

Xie Bingran pulled two packs of cigarettes from her pocket—Xu Chen had no idea when she’d bought them.

She opened the packs and handed them out one by one to the guys.

They slung arms around each other, laughing just like back in high school…

Li Rui grabbed a chair for Xu Chen and set it out in the yard for him to rest.

“Little Rui” still had that tough look when he wasn’t smiling, but his grin lit up his face with warmth.

Surprisingly, Zhao Feng was handling the cooking today.

He wore a big apron, a cigarette dangling from his mouth:

“Bing Ge, Xu Chen, hang tight—dinner’s almost ready!” His voice was as gruff as ever.

Xu Chen peeked into the pot and saw local-style stir-fried chicken, looking authentic in color and smell.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yong was chopping and prepping veggies nearby, chuckling as he said:

“Last year, if it weren’t for Xu Chen’s family taking us in, Zhao Feng and I would’ve ended up as cooks!”

Zhao Feng blew out a puff of smoke and laughed heartily:

“Before the New Year, I even told Yue Jie that if I ever quit as security captain, she’d better put me in the cafeteria as head chef!”

Night had fully set in.

With so many people, they didn’t have enough tables, so Li Rui directed everyone to clean off a couple of old door boards, propped them on stone blocks, and that made two more spots.

Zhao Feng proved he had skills; each of the three tables was loaded with eight full dishes—he was a solid “master chef.”

They cracked open some bottles of baijiu and poured glasses all around.

Xu Chen glanced at the bottles—it was the same erguotou his dad, Xu Zhiquan, had mentioned recently.

Bing Ge didn’t drink anymore, so she had a cup of warm tea instead.

The brothers were eager, toasting Bing Ge left and right, and of course, they included Xu Chen sitting beside her.

Xu Chen had only shared meals with this group a couple of times before, so the lively atmosphere felt fresh to him.

They knocked back the 52-proof erguotou like it was nothing—total pros.

Xie Bingran asked about everyone’s lives, and they happily filled her in.

Most of these brothers were working at Morning Wind Park now.

A dozen or so were with Zhao Feng in the Security Department, and Fang Tao and Cheng Yong were driving.

A few had other paths.

Two were studying in other cities, and a couple more had family businesses.

From the looks of it, Bing Ge’s crew all had stable lives and jobs.

The meal dragged on until around 11 p.m. before winding down, mostly because Bing Ge rarely came back, and the brothers wanted to catch up with more toasts.

They cleared the tables together, even washed the pots and dishes, and put everything back neat and tidy.

Xu Chen grabbed a stool and climbed up to the south roof, sitting back to gaze at the moonlight for a while.

Down below, the chatter and laughs continued as Bing Ge handed out more smokes and joked around with the brothers.

A cool mist from the southern river drifted over, chilling the air.

Xu Chen stared at the moon, remembering last summer’s heat when he and Xie Bingran had set up a mosquito net and slept right here on the roof.

In the moonlight, he noticed the roof had been redone.

After Bing Ge became Tiancheng’s pride, the town and village arranged repairs on the Xie house twice.

That included waterproofing the north roof and freshening up the faded walls.

When Bing Ge lived here, it was rundown and ignored; now that she hardly returned, it was all spruced up and shiny.

The irony hit hard.

By moonlight, the group filed out of the yard, chatting as they went their separate ways.

Xie Bingran just waved to her brothers without a word.

They didn’t linger, slinging arms and puffing smokes as they wandered off in another direction.

Once they reached the town, Xu Chen suggested, “How about we crash at my place tonight?”

Xie Bingran had never been to Xu Chen’s home and felt a spark of curiosity.

But she hesitated, thinking it might be too forward, and said quietly, “Uncle Xu is probably home; it might be awkward if I show up.”

Xu Chen replied, “My dad’s back at his hometown tonight, so the house is empty.”

“Oh, in that case, sure…”

The town wasn’t big, and South River Village was only a ten-minute drive from Xu Chen’s house.

“Welcome!” Xu Chen said, pushing open the door.

Xie Bingran stepped into the two-story house and looked around: “Your place is so spacious.”

Xu Chen said, “This house went up when I was in middle school—we were desk mates back then!”

Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes as she scanned the rooms, and Xu Chen took her hand, leading her through each one.

“Downstairs is the living room, dining area, kitchen, and my dad’s study.”

“There’s a small yard out back with some evergreen plants and pots, though it’s not well maintained.”

“My dad used to grow veggies back there, but he’s too busy now, so it all went wild.”

“Then we started with the nursery, and he planted some saplings in the yard instead.”

“Upstairs is the bedrooms, and I have my own study up there…”

Xie Bingran was curious about Xu Chen’s room, so once they reached the second floor, she checked out his bedroom and study closely.

Xu Chen felt a twinge of caution and quickly thought if there were any secrets he didn’t want her to find.

Luckily, he had nothing to hide—no shady stuff at all.

The room hadn’t changed much since he went to university; it still looked like high school days, with exam prep papers on the desk.

Xie Bingran wandered around with her hands behind her back, glancing at the desk and teasing, “You were such a good student.”

“…”

In the cabinet by the desk, there were a few photo frames, and Xie Bingran peeked at them curiously.

They included Xu Chen’s graduation photos from elementary, middle, and high school.

The middle school one had Xie Bingran in it too.

She leaned in for a closer look and couldn’t help smiling.

There were also pictures of Xu Chen as a kid and with his family.

Spotting a photo of three- or four-year-old Xu Chen, Xie Bingran said, “Little Xu Chen was so adorable!”

Xu Chen felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was kind of silly.

Xie Bingran blinked her eyes:

“And you’re in split pants here—too cute!”

Xu Chen went quiet, suddenly feeling like he was being playfully teased.

Xie Bingran turned and gave him a teasing once-over, her eyes full of mischief.

Xu Chen shot back, not backing down: “That was when I was a kid—nothing had grown in yet!”

Xie Bingran: “Huh? What hadn’t grown?”

“…”

A few other photos were family shots.

One was a big family photo from a New Year’s dinner, including his Eldest Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Paternal Aunt, and Fifth Uncle’s families.

Two were of Xu Chen with his father, Xu Zhiquan, from elementary and middle school.

And there was a precious one from his full moon celebration, featuring his father, Xu Zhiquan, and his mother, whom Xu Chen barely remembered.

Xie Bingran stared at the photo for a moment, looking a bit touched.

She knew Xu Chen had grown up without his mom…

Xie Bingran stepped up to him and snuggled into his arms like a little puppy.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

But one of her hands wandered mischievously below…

Xu Chen yelped in surprise, nearly jumping back.

Xie Bingran grinned wickedly: “So cute!”

Xu Chen narrowed his eyes, looking annoyed:

“One day, I’ll show you what fierce really means!”

Xu Chen sent a message to his father, Xu Zhiquan, and learned he was staying at Fourth Uncle’s place overnight, planning to return in the morning but heading out again in the afternoon and evening.

Xie Bingran had just finished her shower and came out, hearing Uncle Xu would be back soon, so she said, “I should leave before Uncle Xu gets here.”

Xu Chen: “Why?”

Xie Bingran looked a little embarrassed:

“It might not look right if Uncle Xu finds out I’m staying over with you.”

Xu Chen narrowed his eyes and pulled her into his arms: “We’re not doing anything wrong, so why hide it?”

Maybe it was the fresh shower, but Xie Bingran’s cheeks were flushed.

She bit her lip, looking shy, then suddenly smiled and let her hand slip down again.

Xu Chen jolted: “You’re playing with fire…”

Xie Bingran leaned closer and kissed his ear: “Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?”

“With your build, you couldn’t take me on…”

Xu Chen, not one to back down: “Try me and see!”