The reason Auntie Shi said this was entirely out of concern for Zhong Mei.
She was afraid that Guan Wenjun might have high standards, only being interested in Zhong Mei's looks, just casually dating her without any intention of marrying her.
Having worked as a nanny for so many years, Auntie Shi had seen plenty of such situations.
Some girls who came from the countryside to the city to stay with relatives, or some young maids, were easily tricked by city men and ended up being taken advantage of.
They assumed the men would take responsibility for them, but in reality, the men looked down on them, finding them lacking in education, worldliness, and family background, all because they came from rural areas.
They worried that marrying such women would bring ridicule and lower their own status.
Thus, after having their fun, they would simply send those young women back to the countryside.
The gap between Zhong Mei and Guan Wenjun was immense—no different from that between a cadre and a nanny.
If Guan Wenjun and Zhong Mei got together later, even if he refused to take responsibility, what could Zhong Mei do about it?
Wasn't it just like that former Supply Section Chief, the one named Zheng or something, who was with Liu Weihong for over two years, only to abandon her when trouble came, claiming she was just his nanny?
And even if Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng could help, it would be useless. Could they tie Guan Wenjun down and force him to get married?
After all, he was still a Section Chief!
Zhong Mei listened to Auntie Shi’s words and felt a shock inside.
Not because Auntie Shi was teaching her such low-class tricks, but because she was shocked to realize that Auntie Shi’s thoughts were exactly the same as her own.
She had originally planned that tomorrow, for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she would have dinner with Guan Wenjun in her rented room, coax him into being happy, and then seduce him into bed.
Guan Wenjun had just taken up his post in the Supply Section—it was a hard-earned position, and as a Section Chief, his rank was not low.
Once she got him into bed, she was sure he wouldn't dare to shirk responsibility!
Zhong Mei’s goal was marriage and a household registration; she only wanted to use Guan Wenjun, without giving much thought to what might happen later.
She stared at the flames in the stove, remained silent for a long while, and then said, “Auntie Shi, you’re right. I’ll think it over.”
Auntie Shi watched the water in the pot boil, but the dumplings weren’t done yet, so she ladled in another bowl of cold water.
Then she said to Zhong Mei, “But this plan has its drawbacks too.”
She paused before continuing, “I’m afraid that after you get married, he might settle scores, accusing you of being frivolous, of lacking self-respect, of seducing him into bed before you were wed…
Anyway, men are all the same like dogs. It clearly takes two hands to clap, yet they can’t control their own impulses. They still blame women, saying the women led them on, called them wanton and unfaithful… You need to think carefully. I suspect that Director Guan’s temperament is exactly the type to hold a grudge later.”
Guan Wenjun was easy to fool—easily led around by the women he liked, making him lose his head.
But once he calmed down and reflected on things, he would regret his rashness.
Before, Qiao Lanshu had coaxed him into funding an orphanage and supporting five children.
Later, Qiao Lanshu had sweet-talked him into taking her along on a work trip to a countryside forest farm.
After each instance, he regretted it, but there was no cure for regret, and the next time he saw Qiao Lanshu, he’d fall for the same tricks again.
Now, he had taken a liking to Zhong Mei, finding her beautiful and to his taste, so when Zhong Mei sweet-talked him, he got dizzy-headed again.
But after they got married and he sobered up, he might start a fight with Zhong Mei.
Listening to Auntie Shi say all this more and more impressed Zhong Mei with her wisdom.
No wonder people said that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.
If she had had a mother like this to guide her growing up, her life might not have turned out this way.
Auntie Shi was quite talkative, and she spoke without a filter. Only at this point did she realize that Zhong Mei was still an unmarried young woman, and she shouldn’t be saying such things.
She let out an awkward laugh, quickly changing the subject, saying, “Oh dear, the dumplings are done. Let me scoop them out. Everyone must be hungry—let’s get ready to eat.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Mei quickly got up, grabbed a basin, and went to help.
The dumplings were divided into two basins. Zhong Mei carried one basin out first and set it on the table by the courtyard.
Guan Wenjun, who had been playing with Niuwa in the yard, spotted Zhong Mei and hurried over. Glancing at the steaming dumplings, he whispered to Zhong Mei, “Did you make these dumplings?”
Zhong Mei looked at him, seeming a bit shy as she lowered her head. “Auntie Shi made the filling; I only helped wrap some.”
Guan Wenjun looked at her, feeling as if she were shy about it.
And indeed, being in a relationship was different from not being in one.
Before they started dating, Zhong Mei would run away as soon as she saw him, like a mouse seeing a cat.
He couldn’t even steal a few glances at her.
Now that they were together, Zhong Mei blushed and acted shy every time she looked at him.
Guan Wenjun felt a warm glow inside. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to say to Zhong Mei, “You’re shameless, saying you made dumplings for me. They’re clearly made by all of you. In this whole big basin, which ones did you make for me?”
Zhong Mei’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she looked a bit embarrassed.
She raised her head, glanced around, and then said to Guan Wenjun, “Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival. Come to my place, and I’ll make them for you alone.”
With that, she gave him a meaningful look and quickly walked away.
Guan Wenjun: “…”
Watching Zhong Mei’s shy retreating figure, Guan Wenjun stood with his arms crossed, savoring the thought. She had invited him over, and promising to make dumplings just for him tomorrow—wasn’t that an invitation for a date?
Guan Wenjun was overjoyed, his lips spreading into a grin he couldn’t close.
Once all the food was ready, everyone gathered around the table to eat.
They intentionally left the seat next to Guan Wenjun empty, letting Zhong Mei sit beside him.
Zhong Mei seemed very shy, eating with her head down and saying little.
However, she deliberately moved her leg, using her knee to brush against Guan Wenjun’s.
Guan Wenjun was in the middle of talking to Qin Yuanzheng when he sensed something unusual. His expression froze, he had a dumpling dangling from his mouth, but he instinctively turned to look at Zhong Mei.
Zhong Mei acted as if nothing was amiss, just eating quietly with her head down, occasionally chatting with Qiao Lanshu beside her.
Guan Wenjun: “…”
He felt both nervous and oddly thrilled.
His whole body involuntarily tensed up. He lost interest in what anyone else was saying, his attention completely fixed on his leg.
But Zhong Mei seemed to have been unintentional—her knee pressed against his leg for just a few seconds, then pulled back as she reached for food.
Guan Wenjun subtly brought his hand down to rub the spot on his leg that Zhong Mei’s knee had just touched.
It felt completely numb.
Just as he was starting to relax, it wasn’t long before Zhong Mei’s leg leaned against him again.
Guan Wenjun: “!!!”
With a large group of people, they ate, chatted, and admired the moon together, the meal stretching on for over an hour.
During this, Zhong Mei’s leg occasionally brushed against Guan Wenjun, stirring up his thoughts and leaving him restless and distracted.
But it only happened three times. After the third time, Zhong Mei seemed to finally notice something was off, so she gave him an apologetic glance and quietly moved her leg back.
Guan Wenjun’s heart was in turmoil.
Wait, what did Zhong Mei mean by this?
They were already dating, so wasn’t it normal for their legs to touch while eating?
Why was she moving so far away?
Did she not want him to touch her?
His mind began to race, worrying about what he would do if Zhong Mei didn’t want physical contact.
Of course, kissing and hugging were essential in a relationship. If she wouldn’t let him kiss or hold her, what kind of relationship was that?
Tomorrow, when he was alone with her, he would have to ask what she was thinking.
He was nearly thirty years old—Qin Yuanzheng already had a child, while he was still inexperienced. They were all adults. Wasn’t dating about eventually getting married and having kids? If Zhong Mei wouldn’t let him touch her, he might as well break up!
Just those few times Zhong Mei had brushed her leg against him had thrown Guan Wenjun into a chaotic state. He sat there with a stern face, eating his dumplings and occasionally glancing at her, his eyes full of complicated emotions.
Zhong Mei knew roughly what he was thinking.
But it didn’t matter. His thoughts weren’t important.
She pretended to be shy, deliberately avoiding his gaze and not meeting his eyes, so she wouldn’t have to explain or talk to him.
Instead, she only chatted with Qiao Lanshu beside her.
She helped Qiao Lanshu take care of An’an.
Niuwa sat next to Auntie Shi, under her supervision.
Qiao Lanshu held An’an while Zhong Mei assisted with looking after him.
Zhong Mei asked Qiao Lanshu, “Is An’an six or seven months old now? Can he start eating solid food?”
At the moment, An’an was still being fed goat’s milk and formula. Qiao Lanshu had little breast milk, so she had stopped breastfeeding when An’an was half a year old.
Qiao Lanshu brought over a small bowl of rice paste and said, “Auntie Shi ground some stir-fried rice into powder and then poured boiling water over it. This is safe for An’an to eat.”
An’an was now over seven months old and could start eating solid food.
Sometimes Auntie Shi would cook some rice porridge for him, and other times she’d make this rice powder paste.
An’an currently ate two solid meals, two servings of goat’s milk, and two servings of formula each day.
He ate six times in total, which kept him nice and plump. As he grew, he began to look more and more like Qiao Lanshu—fair-skinned, clean, and exceptionally cute.
Qiao Lanshu held An’an, while Zhong Mei held the small bowl of rice paste and fed him with a tiny spoon. Her voice was gentle, and her movements were delicate.
Guan Wenjun kept stealing glances from the side, thinking to himself: It seems Zhong Mei really likes kids and is good at taking care of them. Once they got married, they could have three.
Guan Wenjun enjoyed his meal immensely.
After eating, the seven adults and two children sat in the courtyard, looking at the moon, drinking tea, and snacking on pastries.
Qiao Lanshu brought out some pre-Qingming tea sent from Guangzhou and brewed it for Yang Wenyi and his wife, as well as for Zhong Mei and Guan Wenjun.
After tidying up, Auntie Shi noticed that An’an was getting sleepy, so she said, “I’ll take the two children to bed first. Xiao Qiao, you all can keep drinking tea.”
Qiao Lanshu nodded. “Alright. Thank you, Auntie Shi.”
Auntie Shi smiled and said, “I can’t really keep up with you young folks’ conversations anyway. Might as well take the kids to sleep.”
With that, she led the children back to the room.
Guan Wenjun glanced at Zhong Mei, who was sitting quietly drinking tea, then suddenly turned to Qin Yuanzheng, who was sitting beside him. “How long have you had Auntie Shi? An’an is almost a year old now. Is she going to leave soon?”
Qin Yuanzheng shot him a look and asked, “Why do you ask?”
Guan Wenjun took another peek at Zhong Mei and noticed she happened to be stealing a glance at him too.
Finally, after an entire evening, Zhong Mei was looking at him.
Guan Wenjun immediately straightened his back, cleared his throat, and said to Qin Yuanzheng, “I’m just asking casually. If I ever get married and have kids, you know, I’d need to hire a nanny myself.”
Qin Yuanzheng was truly exasperated.
He was about to say something when Deng Xiaozhen chimed in faster.
She laughed and said, “Director Guan, then you’ll be disappointed. Even if Auntie Shi leaves this house, it’d be my turn first. Look at me—I’m about to give birth. No matter how eager you are, you can’t be more eager than me, right?”
Yang Wenyi also added, “Ah, we’d like to hire Auntie Shi too, but Yuanzheng and Xiao Qiao won’t let her go. Director Guan, it looks like we’ll have to look elsewhere.”
They all needed nannies, since both husband and wife worked, and their parents weren’t available to help.
But finding a good nanny wasn’t easy. Yang Wenyi had been asking around for two months already.
Guan Wenjun felt a bit awkward. He wasn’t even married yet, yet here he was worrying about hiring a nanny, just like a pregnant woman.
He cleared his throat again, somewhat embarrassed, and said, “I was just asking casually. It’s not like I actually need one.”
Throughout the evening, Qiao Lanshu noticed that Guan Wenjun’s gaze was practically glued to Zhong Mei.
She knew then that Zhong Mei had him completely under control.
She felt happy for Zhong Mei.
When everyone was leaving, Qiao Lanshu said to Guan Wenjun, “Director Guan, would you mind taking A-Mei home? It’s getting late, and it’s dangerous for a girl to walk alone in the dark. Since you have a car, it would be a big help if you could drive her home. Thank you.”
Guan Wenjun had been thinking the same thing, but he still looked at Zhong Mei, wanting her to ask him herself.
Zhong Mei understood perfectly well.
She spoke softly, “It’s really dark outside, and I’m scared alone. Could… could you trouble yourself to take me home?”
Guan Wenjun was pleased. He nodded with satisfaction and said, “Alright, I’ll take you home.”
With that, he put his hands in his pockets and walked out the door first.
Zhong Mei waved goodbye to Qiao Lanshu and followed him outside.
Once out the door, Guan Wenjun deliberately waited for her to catch up. When she did, he said, “Let’s go. My car is parked over there.”
Then he paused, adding in a meaningful tone, “Speaking of which, didn’t that Lai Hongmao ride you home on his bicycle before?”
Zhong Mei hadn’t actually ridden with Lai Hongmao.
But since Guan Wenjun brought it up, she just nodded silently.
Sure enough, Guan Wenjun snorted and said, “It’s mid-autumn now. It’s so cold at night. What’s the point of riding a bicycle? From now on, you ride in my car. I’ll drive you.”
In the dark, Zhong Mei covered her mouth and secretly smiled.
She found Guan Wenjun quite amusing.
Still, she really did prefer riding in a car.
