1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 407 Continue Writing
After taking the old man back and confirming that he was in good health,

Cheng Kaiyan put on a raincoat and rode her bicycle home.

"Bang..."

The car rattled and clattered as it drove through the winding alleyways, over muddy puddles and muddy ground...

When I arrived at my doorstep, it was already past 2:25 PM.

Cheng Kaiyan was wearing a raincoat, but her hair, clothes, and shoes were basically soaked.

The courtyard house in front of me, nestled in the rain, was as quiet as if it were asleep.

The gray courtyard walls were soaked by the rain and turned grayish-black, and the mottled red-painted gate was also covered with a layer of water.

Push open the gate and push the cart into the yard.

Not far away, under the eaves, sat a plump and beautiful young woman, her body hidden by a wooden easel, only her black hair and fair forehead visible. To her right was a palette, and she held a paintbrush, sketching lines on the canvas.

"Sister Wenlei, are you home?"

Cheng Kaiyan pushed the cart over.

“I’ve stopped working at the Beijing Dance Academy. I’ve been painting at home recently. My dad asked someone I know to let me audit some classes at the Beijing Dance Academy in a while.”

Zhan Wenlei heard Cheng Kaiyan's voice, so she leaned out and answered.

In some ways, Cheng Kaiyan and she were the same kind of people in this courtyard.

Neither of them has been working during this period.

One is at home creating literature, while the other is at home practicing the basics of painting.

No one dared to gossip about Cheng Kaiyan, but some people did talk about Zhan Wenlei.

This caused her some distress.

"Is that so? Then you're busy."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded and prepared to go inside.

"Kaiyan, you're all wet. Go take a shower and change your clothes, or you'll catch a cold. I just boiled two kettles of water, I'll go get them for you."

Zhan Wenlei looked closely and asked with concern.

"Thank you, Sister Wenlei. I was just worried about not having hot water."

……

After a while, Zhan Wenlei brought the kettle to the kitchen.

In addition, Cheng Kaiyan had boiled three bottles that morning, enough for him to take a shower.

I went back inside to get my clothes and towel, making sure to close the doors and windows before washing up.

The young woman under the eaves listened intently for a while, but the pattering rain and the sound of her bathing were all mixed together, and she couldn't hear anything.

"Tch... Why close the door? Wouldn't it be better if I painted you a picture of you emerging from a bath?"

Zhan Wenlei grumbled in dissatisfaction, feeling quite regretful, because without a nude model, her nude paintings only received a barely passing grade from her father.

A few minutes later.

Cheng Kaiyan changed into clean clothes, pushed open the door and came out.

The cool wind and rain felt exceptionally refreshing on my skin, making me feel much more clear-headed and in excellent condition.

"I'll write a little more this afternoon."

As Cheng Kaiyan made her plans, she poured in laundry detergent and water to soak the clothes.

When they returned to the room, Zhan Wenlei asked him to bring out a stool so he could sit beside her, watch the rain, and paint with her.

However, Cheng Kaiyan refused cleanly and went back to her room to create.

This woman must be so bored at home. She should hurry up and finish her art exams and go to the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

……

That holiday on July 15th.

Jiang Mingzheng bought gifts for the eldest and second young ladies and wrote her a letter, but the eldest young lady did not ask anyone to reply to him.

Therefore, he had no reason to attend a gathering at the home of a woman who was the only unmarried woman, and to present gifts.

The young lady's cold attitude made Jiang Mingzheng feel somewhat anxious and uncertain.

He hoped that his decision to study in Japan would be approved by Cee, whom he secretly admired and madly liked.

Cee is the abbreviation of Tsao Ya-nan's English name; her full name is Cecilia.

This is the English name that Cao Yanan and a female professor in the philosophy department gave him when they were studying in the UK.

However, after returning to China, this English name was abandoned. The patriarch of the old feudal landlord family would not like his daughter calling him by a foreign name all the time.

Even though having a foreign name was a very fashionable thing in Shanghai.

Therefore, it was only used by Chiang Ming-cheng and Tsao Ya-nan when they communicated privately.

This intimate nickname once captivated Jiang Mingzheng.

He even felt that he was a unique existence in this country, in Shanghai, and in the Cao family to Cao Yanan.

Before him, his Cee was not some high and mighty eldest daughter of the Cao family, revered by servants. Rather, she was his one and only Cee.

But as time went on, this feeling became increasingly vague; he couldn't explain it, nor could he understand the girl's thoughts.

Does she like me?
In the week following the mailing of the letter, Jiang Ming was preoccupied with things other than his studies.

But for a man, the most important thing is to make a clean break when necessary and not to be indecisive.

He decided to settle his affairs before the weekend, return to the country estate, and ask her about everything in front of her.

Secondly, he had another difficult request: he hoped that the master could continue to sponsor his studies.

Although he has only repaid a small portion of the money he spent on his previous studies abroad.

July 22nd.

The weather was hot, and a sultry breeze was blowing all around.

"Ding ding..."

Suburban train station.

A dark green tram with colorful advertisements in both Chinese and English stopped at the station.

A young man wearing a black sun hat, dress pants and a shirt walked out of the station carrying a suitcase.

Outside the platform, carriages were waiting.

The scorching sun made the horse listless, and it didn't care even when mosquitoes and flies crawled and bit it.

"Go to the Cao Family Manor."

Jiang Mingzheng casually found a clean carriage, got on, and informed the driver.

The Cao family was a well-known and prominent family in the county, so the groom naturally knew that.

"Alright, sir, sit tight!"

The coachman excitedly cracked his whip a few times, the whips slamming loudly in the air on the horse's back.

The patriarch of the Cao family is incredibly wealthy; a little bit of his money is enough to last him a year.

Half an hour later.

The carriage stopped at the foot of a secluded and tranquil mountain, and a magnificent manor combining Chinese and Western styles came into view in the distance.

But to the coachman's disappointment, Jiang Mingzheng threw down a silver dollar and got off the carriage.

Jiang Mingzheng walked into the manor carrying his luggage, his mind wandering.

Just then, a call came from afar.

"Mingzheng? You're back?"

"Come quickly and help! The master and mistress said they need to clear this patch of weeds! Otherwise, we won't be able to finish before dinner."

Under the scorching sun, his mother, who was cutting grass with a sickle, saw him and called out.

Jiang Mingzheng frowned deeply and stood still for a long time until the manager came over and pulled him in annoyance.

He then followed them.

Jiang Ming had been working under the scorching sun all afternoon since he returned, and was covered in sweat.

He would occasionally look up at the windows on the second floor of the manor not far away.

A figure in a purple cheongsam was drinking a cold beverage, quietly looking down at them.

The wind made the hem of her cheongsam sway wildly, revealing her fair and plump thighs.

"Ya Nan should be back by now?"

Jiang Mingzheng recognized her as Madam. He stared at her, lost in thought, and noticed that she looked quite like Cao Yanan.

When he was thinking about Cao Yanan, he unconsciously changed how he addressed her, which felt a little awkward and unnatural.

Suddenly, I felt that the shadows under the eaves not far away seemed to be a clear dividing line, separating the two worlds.

Just like myself and Cee, I already have a pathetic, thick barrier.

The work was finished in the afternoon.

The high and mighty lady came out to inspect the results and announced that at the end of this month, the eldest young master would be bringing his wealthy merchant friend from Hunan home.

The entire estate will be thoroughly cleaned and tidied, and decorated with various flowers.

"It is said that this wealthy businessman surnamed Chen started his business with tung oil and is now extremely rich, and has even become associated with the Song family."

"He's so young and promising, only twenty-eight years old. Could it be that Master is looking for a son-in-law?"

"I think the young lady would be quite suitable."

On the grass, several servants started gossiping and chattering after the lady left.

"Looking for a son-in-law?"

Jiang Mingzheng's heart sank.

(End of this chapter)