Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  They had clearly been close when they were young, but now that they had grown up, they felt like strangers.

  “Everyone feels the same after growing up.” Mu Jingzhe didn’t have any relatives, but she had many siblings from the orphanage. Many of the children who had been brought up by her had also been close to her when they were young. They had even said many times that they wanted to be good to her and treat her well for the rest of their lives, but the relationship had still ended up fading away eventually.

  They had not been lying when they were young, nor did they not have a good relationship back then. At the time, they had all been sincere. However, when they grew up, their feelings for each other faded.

  “If you want to play, there will be plenty of people to play with you in the future. I’m just afraid that you’ll find it annoying,” Mu Jingzhe added.

  Ji Buwang knew that she was talking about the five kids and couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s true. When I think about having five children when we get back, these things don’t seem like a big deal.”

  Mu Jingzhe nodded and fanned herself with her hand. Ji Buwang quickly fanned her too. “You must be feeling stuffy. I don’t know why the weather is so stuffy.”

  “It might rain in a couple of days.” Mu Jingzhe looked at the sun above her. “Let’s leave quickly.”

  Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe found a guesthouse in the county city. Although it was only a county city, because there were many factories there, it was quite well-developed. The newly-opened guesthouse had three floors and looked quite good.

  Ji Buwang was still conflicted about how many rooms to ask for. Two? He kept feeling that it wasn’t safe to be separated from Jingzhe. But if they booked one room…

  He was conflicted, but Mu Jingzhe wasn’t. She directly asked for one room.

  The two of them had already done the deed and were about to get married soon, so why did they have to book two rooms? Since they were away from home, they naturally had to share a room. The people there didn’t know them, so they could just say that they were husband and wife. There was no need to be so conflicted about it.

  Seeing that Ji Buwang wanted to say something but stopped himself, Mu Jingzhe finished the check-in and went up to the second floor with him. “Alright, alright, stop hesitating. I won’t touch you before the wedding ceremony. Anyway, there are two beds.”

  Ji Buwang: “…”

  He was helpless against Mu Jingzhe. “I should be the one saying this!” If they really stayed in the same room, he would be the one feeling both pain and happiness.

  Although Mu Jingzhe’s words were very maddening, Ji Buwang didn’t try to prove himself. The night passed without any mishaps.

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  On the other hand, Mu Jingzhe really fell asleep waiting for him. When she woke up the next day, she looked at Ji Buwang, who was lying on the bed beside her, and couldn’t help but spit out, “You’re worse than a beast!”

  This was the legendary ‘worse than a beast’ saying. He had actually kept his word. “You were so calm, weren’t you!”

  The weather was really hot, and she had even perspired while sleeping. Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue and got up to wash up.

  Ji Buwang, who had heard all that, was speechless.

  “…”

  If he didn’t have to go to his maternal grandmother’s house, he would have… Ji Buwang got up to wash his face and calm himself down.

  After eating the local specialty breakfast, they went to his maternal grandmother’s house. This time, his eldest uncle and the rest of his relatives were finally prepared. They even let the children who had never seen Ji Buwang acknowledge them. They were also very enthusiastic around Mu Jingzhe.

  The wedding candy that Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe had specifically brought instantly captured the children’s hearts, and they kept revolving around them.

  Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang got a headache from all the noise. Although they had five children at home, they had never been so noisy. These children were incredible. They chattered and ran around, revealing the distinct characteristics of brats.

  It wasn’t easy for them to wait until noon, when Grandma finally woke up. However, when she woke up, she only opened her eyes and didn’t really look conscious. Grandpa was no longer around, but she kept talking to him, clearly living in the past.

  Eldest Uncle, who had already become a grandfather himself, wasn’t surprised at all. He explained to Ji Buwang that this was how she usually acted. She had only spoken to them a few days ago, when her mind had suddenly regained clarity. In the end, when Ji Buwang came, her mind became muddled again.

  “It’s fine. It’s fine even if she’s not aware. I’ll just look at her and keep her company.”

  After Ji Buwang asked his eldest uncle and found out that Grandma didn’t have so many problems, he peeled a piece of soft wedding candy for her.

  When Grandma tasted its sweetness, she looked at Ji Buwang in surprise. It seemed like she was still unaware, but when she saw Ji Buwang, she looked for more sweets and said that she wanted to give him sweets to eat.

  Eldest Uncle naturally took out a bag of sweets. The children instantly surrounded him, their faces filled with excitement. To them, being able to eat sweets twice was pure bliss.

  This bag of candy was a little special. It was a big piece of candy stuck together. It looked like candied rice puff, but it was soft and it had to be shredded by hand before it could be eaten.

  The children stretched out their hands. Grandma only gave each of them one piece at a time. Ji Buwang watched with nostalgic eyes. “It’s been a long time since I ate this.”

  Mu Jingzhe’s eyes revealed her surprise when she saw this. She had eaten this kind of candy when she was young in the modern era, but it hadn’t existed anymore by the time she grew up. At the time, because there hadn’t been many chances to eat it, she would grab it tightly and eat until her hands were sticky.

  After eating, she would even lick her fingers and hands clean.

  Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe were also given a piece of candy. After eating it, they felt quite emotional. It was indeed the taste in their memories.

  “Is this sold where we live?” Mu Jingzhe couldn’t help but ask Ji Buwang.

  “I think so. It’s always sold on market day.”

  When Mu Jingzhe heard that, she knew that she had missed it. There was also a market day in the county, but there were always many people in attendance. Sometimes, she couldn’t be bothered to squeeze her way through the crowd, so she had ended up missing this.

  “I’ll go buy some for Little Bei and the rest later.”

  After distributing the sweets, Ji Buwang’s maternal grandmother kept looking at him. Ji Buwang told her who he was. After saying his name twice, Grandma actually looked aware. “Buwang… You’re Buwang, right?”

  “It’s me, Grandma.” Ji Buwang’s eyes lit up.

  “It’s been so many years since we last met. You’ve grown so much.” Grandma smiled and touched Ji Buwang’s face. “You’re so handsome, just like your father.”

  Ji Buwang smiled. “I think it’s partly thanks to you, Grandma. I am only handsome because you are so beautiful.”

  Grandma pursed her lips and smiled. Then, she asked, “Oh right, didn’t your parents come along? Where are they?”

  Ji Buwang’s eyes flickered. “They’re busy, so I came by myself. Isn’t it good that I’m here?”

  “Yes, good, good.” Grandma pulled him. “Come on, let Grandma take a good look at you.”

  She didn’t even look at the children who were calling her ‘Grandma’. Her eyes were filled with unfamiliarity. “Why are there so many children at home? Are they all neighbors? It’s too noisy here.”

  She had completely forgotten that these were her biological grandsons and granddaughters.

  “Grandma doesn’t remember us again.” The children were very used to it, so they simply ran out to play.

  Grandma didn’t mind them. She just looked at Ji Buwang. “Buwang, how old are you now? Let me guess… Look at you. You’re already 15 or 16 years old, right? You can get a wife in a couple of years.”

  “Grandma, I’m about to get married. Look at her. This is my wife-to-be.”

  Ji Buwang pulled Mu Jingzhe over. “My wife is pretty, right? Her name is Jingzhe.”

  “Jingzhe? Jingzhe is a nice name. She’s beautiful.” When Grandma saw Mu Jingzhe, she clearly liked her very much…… She held her hand and kept saying that she was very compatible with Ji Buwang.