117 A Pretense Turned Reality (Part I)

Sister Li took me to Lake City. Since driving along the expressway would take nearly three hours, we agreed to set out early the next morning.

At dawn, I opened the curtains and saw a world of white outside. A thin layer of snow had settled on the trees in the courtyard.

The sight stirred something in me, and once again I thought of Ling Xue’s words: “When the snow begins to fall, wait for me to come and marry you.”

If that was truly what she meant, why had she still not contacted me after all this time?

I cursed myself silently for being so spineless. If I knew there was no hope, why could I not let her go?

I got dressed, and Sister Li called from outside the door, “Are you up yet, little brother?”

“Sis, it’s snowing. Do you think the expressway will be closed?”

“We’re in the Jiangnan region, where the climate isn’t especially cold. There probably won’t be any snow on the roads.”

Her reasoning made sense. I said, “Sis, wait a moment. I’ll go out and buy breakfast. What would you like?”

“Hot soy milk and a pancake will do.”

“All right. I’ll bring them back after I wash up.”

Since Sister Li was a woman, she had to comb her hair and put on makeup after getting up, which took some time. She could not go out to buy breakfast herself, so she had to leave it to me.

The weather was cold, and hot soy milk was perfect for driving away the chill. Outside the residential compound, I ordered a bowl of steaming soy milk and a basket of buns. I finished eating in no time, then returned to the villa with soy milk and pancakes.

Sister Li had just finished dressing and was coming downstairs. When she saw that I had bought breakfast, she said, “Little brother, put these gifts in the car. When you meet my adoptive mother, tell her you bought them, understand?”

I nodded. “Sis, I understand.”

As I spoke, I handed her the breakfast.

“We need to get on the road. You drive, and I’ll eat in the car.”

I took the keys she handed me and hurried outside to start the engine. After Sister Li locked the villa, she carried the breakfast to the front passenger seat.

A faint, delicate fragrance immediately drifted toward me. Clearly, Sister Li had applied some expensive brand of skincare product to her face. Of course, using skincare products in winter to prevent dry, cracked skin was perfectly normal. Still, the subtle fragrance clinging to a woman could easily set a man’s imagination running.

I drove slowly onto the main road. Since it was snowing, there were few cars. Just as Sister Li had said, the distant mountains were covered in white, but there was no snow on the highway.

Sister Li seemed eager to return and see her adoptive mother, yet I could tell she was in high spirits.

“Sis, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

She smiled shyly. “Little brother, I never brought a boyfriend home before because I was afraid of seeing the longing in my adoptive mother’s eyes. Now that I have you pretending to be my boyfriend, I can at least appease her a little. That makes me happy.”

“I hope we don’t give ourselves away. Otherwise, we’ll only make things worse.”

“As long as you cooperate, we should be able to make my adoptive mother happy.”

I asked nervously, “Sis, what should I call her when I see her? And what should I call you in front of her?”

Sister Li thought for a moment. “You can call me Sis, or you can call me Feng’er. When I was little, my adoptive mother liked to call me Little Feng’er. As for what to call my mother—if you’re willing to call her Mom, that would be best. If not, you’ll have to call her Auntie.”

I thought that since I already called Sister Li “Sis,” calling her adoptive mother “Mom” would not be entirely out of place. But I was pretending to be Sister Li’s boyfriend, and if I called her “Mom,” I worried the old lady might misunderstand and think that Sister Li and I were already very close.

After we passed Dongzhou, the provincial capital, the snowfall grew heavier and the temperature dropped noticeably. Snow had begun to accumulate on the road.

As expected, the expressway was closed, so we had no choice but to follow the navigation system and take the provincial highway.

Fortunately, the snow stopped soon afterward. The sky gradually brightened, and by near noon, the sun finally emerged.

We arrived in Lake City more than an hour later than usual. There had been a few minor collisions along the way, but they were all harmless little accidents.

It was already noon when we reached Lake City. Sister Li called her adoptive mother, evidently wanting to inform her in advance and give her time to prepare. Then she switched places with me and took over the driving, since she knew the roads well.

Sister Li’s adoptive mother lived in Nanxi Ancient Town, about half an hour’s drive from downtown Lake City.

At last, we arrived at Nanxi Ancient Town, a picturesque town in the Jiangnan water country. There were beautiful bridges over flowing streams, along with many traditional homes built of gray brick and dark roof tiles.

Sister Li’s adoptive mother lived in a large antique-style villa. Its architecture was steeped in classical elegance. We stopped the car outside the main gate.

Sister Li led me inside. An elderly woman with snow-white hair was waiting for us at the entrance. She looked kind and gentle, dressed simply and neatly, and indeed had the refined air of a highly educated intellectual.

The moment Sister Li saw her, she rushed forward and cried, “Mom, we’ve come to visit you!”

The old woman patted Sister Li on the waist. “Little Feng’er, you’ve finally come home. Hurry and bring your friend inside for a meal.”

Sister Li turned around, took my hand, and said, “Mom, this is my friend, Water Peak.”

The old woman nodded, then looked me over with a beaming smile. “A new year brings a new beginning. I never expected Little Feng’er to give me such a surprise on the very first day of the new year.”

I nervously stepped forward and called out stiffly, “Mom, how are you? My name is Water Peak. You can call me Little Feng.”

The old woman seemed surprised that I would call her Mom upon our very first meeting. She paused briefly, then laughed warmly. “Good, good, good. Feng’er, bring Little Feng inside.”

Sister Li came over to help me carry the gifts. “Mom, these are all gifts from Little Feng.”

The old woman smiled. “Little Feng is such a thoughtful child. Really, there was no need to be so polite. It is the thought that counts. Buying gifts must have been such a bother…”

At that moment, a middle-aged woman came out of the villa. She appeared to be the housekeeper and came over to help us carry everything.

Sister Li called her Aunt Shen, so I followed suit.

Once inside the living room, Sister Li took me to wash my hands, then led me to the dining room.

The table was covered with a lavish spread of dishes. Sister Li introduced them, saying, “Little Feng, Aunt Shen cooked all of these. Later, you should toast her and thank her for preparing such a wonderful meal.”

Sister Li first helped her adoptive mother sit down, then said, “Aunt Shen, you’ve done enough. Come and eat with us.”

Aunt Shen chuckled. “Feng’er has brought such an honored guest home today. I’ll warm a pot of wine for you two to drive away the cold.”

Before long, Aunt Shen returned carrying a pot of fragrant glutinous rice wine.

Sister Li took the pot from her, pulled her into a seat, and filled her cup. “Aunt Shen, Little Feng and I would like to toast you. Thank you for preparing such a wonderful feast for us.”

Chapter 117: When Pretending Becomes Real, Part One

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