Abstinence Pei, don't be too sweet when chasing your wife

As the chirping of cicadas shattered the twilight on the carved iron gate of the villa, Gu Fanxing walked into the villa carrying a canvas bag.

Just as she was about to take off her sneakers, her grandmother's soft voice drifted from the kitchen: "Luonan, that kid, specifically asked the century-old shop to reduce the frosting on the Dingsheng cake by 50%, saying that Fanxing shouldn't eat something too sweet at the archaeological site."

Gu Fanxing suddenly stopped taking off his shoes.

The carved railings at the corner cut the light and shadow, breaking the pearl hairpin in grandma's silver hair into bits of starlight.

The blue light of the hands-free phone was reflected on the mahogany coffee table. Gu Ma laughed in confusion along with the current: "Pei Luonan from the Pei family? Mom, why have you never..."

In a room thousands of miles away, Gu Ma's fingertips stroked the edge of her mobile phone. She looked at the photo frame on the bookshelf - seven-year-old Fanxing was wearing Hanfu, standing on tiptoe to touch the bronze tripod in the museum display case, her pupils filled with the sunshine of the entire midsummer.

At this moment, the sound of the porcelain spoon stirring the soup in the receiver suddenly reminded her of her daughter when she was fifteen years old, holding the newly unearthed Han Dynasty pottery fragments and not even caring about eating dinner.

The stars at that time had fire in their eyes, warm and pure, unlike now, which always carry a cautious sadness.

"It's almost seven months!" Grandma raised her voice unintentionally, startling the sparrows returning to their nests outside the window.

"Last month, during a thunderstorm, his clothes were soaked to the point of being wrung out of water, yet he squatted in the mud and held an umbrella for Fanxing." The old man suddenly lowered his voice. "Later, he stayed by Fanxing's side, offering her cold tea and saying, 'Take your time to clean up, and I'll help you keep an eye on the rain.'"

Gu Ma couldn't help but picture the scene in her mind: heavy rain was pouring down, and Pei Luonan's tall figure was stubbornly guarding the stars who were concentrating on their work in the rain.

His clothes were soaked by the rain and stuck to his body, but his eyes were firm and gentle.

Gu Fanxing's back was pressed against the cold carved railing, and the bag of pottery specimens in the canvas bag was hurting his ribs.

Memories suddenly flooded back: on the night of the heavy rain, she was wiping the paintings in the mud with cotton wool. When Pei Luonan's voice mixed with the sound of rain came, her hand holding the bamboo stick shook violently.

Later, he was soaking wet, and a half-crumpled copy of the Field Archaeology Handbook was visible from his pocket. At that moment, her heart seemed to be gently touched by something, but she quickly buried it deep in her heart.

"Luonan is now more professional than the archaeologists." Grandma's laughter was filled with pride. "The last time I accompanied Fanxing on an exploration expedition, I prepared three sets of Luoyang shovels of different models." A porcelain bowl clattered against the mahogany coffee table. "When he watched Fanxing draw the survey map, he even breathed softly, afraid to disturb the lines she was drawing."

Gu Fanxing shuddered. She remembered the strange emotion that arose in her heart at that time, like a small stone thrown into a calm lake, causing tiny ripples.

"If Pei is sincere, then I can consider it. After all, it's rare to meet someone who is truly kind to you."

Mother Gu stroked the curled-up photo paper at the edge of the frame, and the smile of Fanxing in the photo during her teeth-changing period suddenly became blurred.

She remembered the figure that flashed behind her daughter in the video last month, and when Fanxing hurriedly blocked the camera, the blush on the tip of her ear was clearer than the secret color porcelain of Yue Kiln.

At that moment, as a mother, a glimmer of hope suddenly emerged in her heart, perhaps her daughter really met the person who could warm her and open her heart.

"I don't know if Fanxing is emotionally dull, or if she hasn't gotten over her last relationship and is afraid to face love again. Anyway, I haven't seen her respond to Luonan's enthusiasm. She looks indifferent, which makes me worried for her. But I clearly feel that she has some inexplicable and vague feelings for Luonan." Grandma sighed.

Pei's mother recalled her mother's words when they were young: a good marriage is like aged tea, slowly brewed over time. She consoled her grandmother, saying, "Perhaps you've been hurt too deeply to believe in love anymore. Give her some time to see clearly within herself."

As the moonlight climbed onto the windowsill, Gu Fanxing's phone vibrated.

Pei Luonan sent a message: There will be a Perseid meteor shower next week, and the view from the construction site is excellent. I borrowed an infrared camera. You... There was a hint of expectation in his tone, as if he was waiting for her response.

The crisp sound of porcelain bowls colliding came from the kitchen. Grandma was putting a blue printed cloth insulation pad into the thermos.

"What are you standing there for?" The old man stuffed the warm bucket into her arms, and the jade bracelet made a sound like a spring. "Luonan is on night shift, bring him a bowl of winter melon lotus leaf soup."

Grandma's eyes were full of love and urging, as if to say, don't hesitate anymore, face your feelings bravely.

When Gu Fanxing pushed the door open, the night wind, carrying the scent of jasmine, blew her hair.

She suddenly remembered what Pei Luonan had said: "Archaeology is the art of reconciling with time."

At this moment, the heat from the thermos seeped into her palms through the cotton cloth. She looked at the moonlight winding like a river on the road, and suddenly realized that some sincerity was like kiln-fired glaze, which became more colorful with time.

When going downstairs, Gu Fanxing heard her grandmother instructing her: "Let Luonan drink it while it's hot. I added his favorite fresh lotus seeds to the soup..." She paused, and the dirt on the canvas bag accidentally fell on the steps, but it shone with fine gold in the moonlight.

Perhaps, as Gu Ma said, emotions are never precise archaeological reports, but rather those gradients that permeate daily life and are more subtle than glaze colors.

Walking on the road to Pei Luonan's company, Gu Fanxing's thoughts were constantly racing.

She remembered that every time she encountered difficulties, he was the first to appear by her side and help her solve the problems; she remembered that every time she was unhappy, he would find ways to make her happy and silently stay by her side; she remembered how he stayed up late to memorize the table of contents of "History of Chinese Ceramics" in order to have more common topics with her.

It turned out that he had left so many traces in her life without her realizing it.

When she stood downstairs of Pei Luonan's company, looking at the lighted window, a courage she had never felt before surged in her heart.

She took a deep breath and walked into the building, holding the thermos. As the elevator went up, her heart beat faster and faster, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.

When I pushed open the office door, Pei Luonan was working at his desk. He looked up at the sound, his eyes first showing surprise, and then a bright smile bloomed. "Why are you here?" His voice was filled with surprise.

Gu Fanxing walked forward and put the thermos on the table, "Grandma asked me to bring you some soup." Her eyes were a little evasive, not daring to look him in the eye.

Pei Luonan opened the thermos, and as the steam rose, he smelled the familiar fragrance of winter melon and the faint sweetness of lotus leaves.

"Thank you," he said softly. "Thank grandma for me, too." He scooped up a spoonful of soup, tasted it, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "It's delicious."

The two fell into silence for a moment, and the only sound in the office was the faint sound of the air conditioner.

Gu Fanxing watched him drink the soup and noticed that the celadon cufflinks on his collar were shining with a warm light. She suddenly remembered the photo in the album of him measuring a piece of porcelain.

The arc of his Adam's apple rolling when he swallowed the soup overlapped with the memory of him sweating profusely in the exploration area. Those gentle details that she had deliberately ignored now turned into a summer rain, soaking through the defenses she had built up in her heart.

"By the way," Pei Luonan put down the soup spoon, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the blue print on the edge of the thermos, "about next week's meteor shower..." He didn't finish his words, his Adam's apple moved nervously.

Gu Fanxing bit her slightly sun-dried lips and finally met the sparks dancing in his eyes: "I...I'll think about it."

The chirping of cicadas outside the window suddenly became deafening. When Pei Luonan stood up, the overturned documents scattered on the ground. "Think about it. If you don't reject it directly, it means there is still a chance."

They both bent down to pick up the documents at the same time. The moment their fingertips touched, Gu Fanxing smelled the lingering scent of soapberries on his cuffs, mixed with the lingering scent of lotus leaves in the thermos, brewing a jar of intoxicating wine in the summer night.