Chapter 1385 - 903: Tacit Understanding
After a few seconds, the phone’s ringing shattered the silence.
It was Li Hua calling.
Jiang Nian glanced at Zhang Ningzhi, confidently answered the call, and even put it on speaker.
He used to be afraid, but now there was no need to hide.
"Hello?"
"Damn, Nian." Li Hua stammered, "I kind of feel like getting married. Do you think that’s normal?"
"What?" Jiang Nian was stunned for a few seconds, "My signal here is bad, speak up."
In the living room, Zhang Ningzhi pursed her lips.
This guy is really...
It’s definitely on purpose; he just likes to mess with people. But she was curious too, so she perked up her ears to listen.
"I said, I kind of..." Li Hua seemed to have moved to another spot, and his voice was louder.
"Last time, you asked me when I’d consider marriage. I didn’t think about it then, but now I kind of want to."
"Oh, oh, and your partner?"
"She doesn’t know."
"That’s great. Have you been to her house?" Jiang Nian changed the topic, glancing at Zhang Ningzhi.
Zhizhi rolled her eyes and turned away.
Jiang Nian wasn’t trying to provoke her, but when it comes to visiting homes, he does have experience; he’s met parents more than once.
Even for second or third marriages, he’s more experienced than most.
"Nope." On the other end, Li Hua sounded somewhat nervous, "That shouldn’t matter, right? It’s still a good match."
"What does her family do?"
"They run a store."
"That’s hard to say; they have a house in the city." Jiang Nian said, "You’re just a country boy from Zhen Nan, pssh~~!!"
Mid-sentence, he saw Zhizhi come back, looking furious as she stomped over and gave him a hard kick.
She picked up her phone and quickly typed something.
"Indirect taunting?"
Jiang Nian shook his head and mouthed "no" silently, thinking Li Hua really had great timing.
Just when he was wondering how to break the ice, Li Hua assisted perfectly.
Li Hua, feeling nervous, didn’t notice Jiang Nian’s hissing, assuming this jerk was gloating.
"Damn!"
"Don’t mess with me, help a brother out."
"Alright." Jiang Nian coughed, holding Zhizhi with one hand, "Take some gifts and try visiting her place first."
"Now?"
"During the Lantern Festival, since you’ll be at home..." Jiang Nian said, tilting his head back, "You’re still in Zhen Nan, right?"
"Nope."
"Impressive, already a graduate student before the semester starts."
"Chi Shi!!"
Li Hua felt a mix of embarrassment and curiosity, "During the Lantern Festival, what should I bring?"
"Will your parents provide funds?"
"Uh..." Li Hua was stuck, having forgotten about this in his excitement, "I haven’t told them yet."
"In a place like South City, there are indeed some expectations for entrance gifts." Jiang Nian thought for a few seconds.
"Tell you what, I’ll lend you five thousand."
"Buy a bottle of Jian Nan Chun, two packs of He Huan cigarettes. Also get some tea, nuts, a fruit gift box, and a supplement."
Hearing Jiang Nian offer to lend money, Li Hua felt touched, as he was indeed a bit financially strained at the moment.
Hearing the list, he felt a bit flustered.
"Wait a minute, bro."
"Can you repeat that? I’ll jot it down in my phone’s notes. Are these gifts too modest?"
"Shouldn’t it be Zhonghua cigarettes and Wuliangye? Will I seem insincere?"
Beside Jiang Nian, Zhizhi stood listening intently, her curiosity outweighing her anger.
She stayed silent.
"Hua, you have to choose the right time to show off. Since you’re not engaged, why bring such expensive gifts?"
"But for the betrothal gift, go all out!"
"Chi Shi Chi Shi!!" Li Hua said, hesitating, "Her parents aren’t like that."
"Then buy what you think is appropriate."
On the line, Li Hua was silent for five or six seconds.
"Fine, I trust you."
After that, he and Jiang Nian discussed the details of the tea and other gifts.
Suddenly, Jiang Nian added,
"Oh, make sure the fruits are well-sealed and boxed. Don’t buy a fruit basket."
Li Hua was slightly taken aback.
"Why?"
"Because, when you get kicked out, you won’t have to bend down to pick up fruits," Jiang Nian said with a mischievous grin.
Li Hua: "...."
"Chi Shi, I’m hanging up now."
...
The call ended.
Jiang Nian looked at Zhang Ningzhi, raising his eyebrows, "So, was eavesdropping fun?"
"No way!" Zhang Ningzhi said angrily, turning her head to deny it, "You played it loud for me to hear!"
"Because I’m an honest person," Jiang Nian said.
"Hmph!!"
Zhang Ningzhi wasn’t buying it, but she also didn’t feel like leaving, "Last time when you came to my house."
"Did you pick gifts the same way?"
"Pretty much."
"You!!" Zhang Ningzhi was half-angry, "Were you also worried about the bride price, so you mentioned those things on purpose?"
"Not really." Jiang Nian waved his hand, "There wasn’t an opportunity for that, and your parents aren’t concerned about gifts anyway."
Zhang Ningzhi: "..."
"You big pervert, you’re not sincere at all!!" she fumed, punching Jiang Nian wildly.
Jiang Nian let her vent, knowing it would be easier to console her once she was tired.
But, to be fair.
He was sincere, and if he wasn’t, how could he have kept it a secret for so long after high school exams?
Later on, things did slack off.
However, part of the reason was Jiang Nian felt things couldn’t continue like this and didn’t want to keep hiding.
After a while, Zhang Ningzhi ran out of energy.
Only then did Jiang Nian pick her up and carry her horizontally towards the sofa, "You sit for a bit."
"I’ll boil some water, and we can talk later."
"There’s cold water in the fridge." Zhang Ningzhi knew his preferences and pointed to the kitchen.
"Oh, okay." Jiang Nian paused, heading to the kitchen, while thinking about what to say next.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ningzhi felt a bit anxious too.