Chapter 2: Dear Comrade Salt-Baked
When she arrived home, she was greeted by a warm, comforting aroma—the familiar scent of egg noodles with scallions that she had known since childhood.
The house was filled with warmth. Yan Jingyao dropped her little handbag and ran to the kitchen, clinging to the doorframe as she poked her head inside. “Mom?”
Yan Rui turned around. “You’re home a little late.”
The water in the pot was boiling, sending up white clouds of steam with a bubbling sound. She used her chopsticks to stir the noodles. “Have you eaten? I made egg noodles. Do you want some?”
“Yes.”
Yan Jingyao eagerly fetched a bowl and chopsticks and placed them beside the stove, looking as though she were about to drool. “Mom, I want two eggs~”
“I know.”
Yan Rui smiled and served her some of the softened noodles before cracking another egg into the pot of soup beside it.
Yan Jingyao happily carried her bowl outside to eat. A short while later, Yan Rui emerged with her own serving.
The two sat together at the dining table and ate their noodles. “Isn’t your flight at ten tomorrow? Why were you still wandering around outside instead of packing?”
“What makes you think I was wandering around?”
“Didn’t you dye your hair?”
“…”
Fine. She had indeed dyed her hair the currently fashionable “milk-tea gray,” but the color wasn’t particularly dramatic. She had thought no one would notice without looking closely, yet her mother had spotted it immediately.
“Did you get dumped again?”
“…”
As expected of the former head of criminal investigations—nothing escaped her sharp eyes. Yan Jingyao had nowhere to hide, and the word “again” stabbed her straight through the heart.
“Mom, can’t you phrase it a little more pleasantly?”
“How about, ‘Out with the old, in with the new’?”
“Mmm, not bad. I like that.”
They both laughed. Yan Jingyao lowered her head and continued eating, looking as though she hadn’t been hurt by the breakup. Yan Rui, however, knew that her daughter’s relationships always ended.
It wasn’t because she treated romance like a game or played with other people’s feelings. On the contrary, Yan Rui knew that her daughter genuinely wanted a serious relationship, but things never worked out as she hoped.
“What was the reason this time?”
“She said the two of us weren’t the same.”
Yan Rui’s movements paused. She seemed about to speak but stopped, already understanding perfectly well. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Are you really unwilling to meet some of the young women I know? A few of them seem quite interested in you.”
“I’m not interested.”
Yan Jingyao took a sip of soup and exhaled contentedly. She wiped her mouth with a tissue and smiled. “I want to choose for myself.”
“All right.”
Yan Rui said nothing more. Her own marriage had been arranged by her family. Fortunately, Yan Qichen was a decent man, and they had gradually fallen in love after spending time together—a very romance-novel-like case of marriage first, love later.
She had also strongly resisted the arrangement at first, so she never forced her daughter when it came to choosing a partner. It was just that Yan Jingyao’s relationships had never gone particularly smoothly, and Yan Rui couldn’t help worrying that too many setbacks would hurt her.
She coughed. “Jingyao, I could also ask around and introduce you to some friends… Um, people with daughters who are different in that respect. Ahem. If you truly need that.”
Yan Jingyao stared seriously at her mother for a moment and blinked. “Wow, my dear Comrade Salt-Baked, you’re surprisingly progressive. You can even investigate other people’s daughters’ sexual orientations?”
“Ahem. I only said I’d do my best.”
“As expected of someone from criminal investigations. You’ve truly seen it all.”
“…”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony, my dear Comrade Salt-Baked. May I ask which family has a daughter who’s different in that respect?”
“…Well, as I said, you’ll have to wait until I ask around.”
“Oh~” Yan Jingyao stretched lazily. “All right. I’ll await the good news from Comrade Salt-Baked with great anticipation.”
Yan Rui: “…”
In truth, she had absolutely no confidence. But words spoken were like water poured out—there was no taking them back. She could only accept her fate and nod solemnly.
Yan Jingyao smiled, stood up, and went to wash the dishes. She didn’t take it seriously, assuming that her mother had only said it because she was worried the breakup would leave her depressed.
Yan Rui, however, seemed to take the matter seriously. While Yan Jingyao was taking an afternoon nap, she flipped through her address book and called several of her close friends.
But this matter was simply too bizarre and complicated. Even if she swallowed her pride, she couldn’t actually ask, “Hey, is your daughter a lesbian? Would she be interested in dating my daughter?”
Their little boat of friendship would probably capsize on the spot.
So the calls turned into casual conversations about family life, wandering further and further off topic. By the time Yan Jingyao sleepily crawled out of bed, she found her mother talking on the phone in the living room, with several empty bottles of mineral water piled in front of her.
Even by dinnertime, Yan Rui still hadn’t finished her calls.
…
The next day, the fog remained thick.
Worried that traffic might delay them, Yan Rui dragged Yan Jingyao out of bed early, stuffed both her and her luggage into the car, and drove her to the airport.
Yan Jingyao had only barely woken up by the time they approached the drop-off area. Still dazed, she was pulled out of the car by her mother, who then shoved a sandwich into her hands.
“You’ll be all right by yourself, won’t you?”
Cars weren’t allowed to remain in the drop-off area for more than five minutes. Yan Rui rubbed her still-groggy daughter’s head, remembering how she had once missed a flight in a complete daze because she had fallen asleep in the departure lounge.
“Wait until you pass through security before eating. Don’t fall asleep in the departure lounge. Turn your phone’s ringtone on. I’ll call you.”
“Okay…”
Her mind still hadn’t fully awakened. Yan Rui shook her head helplessly, took the suitcase out, extended its handle, and handed it to Yan Jingyao. “Hurry inside.”
It was almost time, so Yan Rui quickly got back into the car. Before leaving, she lowered the window again and said wearily, “Whatever you do, don’t miss your flight again!”
“…Okay.”
The car sped away in a cloud of dust. Yan Jingyao stood blankly at the roadside for a while before unwrapping the sandwich and eating it as she tried to wake herself up. The cold wind finally made her slightly more alert.
She was at the airport. Right. Her flight was at ten.
The great Attorney Yan finally came online. She raised her wrist to check the time before strolling inside to collect her boarding pass.
She had purchased a first-class ticket and received VIP treatment, so the entire process was completed quickly. She even had time for a cup of coffee.
Rather than rushing through security, she found a café on that floor, chose a seat by the window, and casually ordered a mocha. Breathing in its rich, warm aroma, she propped up her head and stared toward the entrance.
People came and went. Yan Jingyao watched intently, still holding on to a one-in-ten-thousand glimmer of hope deep inside—would Xu Wei come?
She was very fond of this mature, beautiful woman. Their lifestyles and rhythms matched, and being together felt comfortable. Although Xu Wei frequently said things like “You and I aren’t the same,” she was still the most suitable of all Yan Jingyao’s romantic prospects.
She hoped Xu Wei would come. If she came, it would mean she still wanted their relationship to develop instead of merely remaining compatible fuck buddies.
Unfortunately, the steam rising from the mocha gradually disappeared as the minutes ticked by. Xu Wei still did not appear.
There were no messages or calls on her phone either. When it suddenly vibrated, Yan Jingyao scrambled to pick it up, only to see that it was her mother reminding her not to miss boarding.
Her heart abruptly soared and then plummeted. She could no longer afford to wait. Getting up, she paid the bill and left the untouched mocha behind.
She quickly passed through security using the VIP lane and boarded the plane at the very last moment. Even when the flight attendant came over and told her to turn off her phone, Xu Wei still hadn’t called.
She thought that Xu Wei truly wasn’t coming.
Her lips curved into a helpless smile. Yan Jingyao turned off her phone and leaned back in her seat, gazing outside at the sky still shrouded in white mist.
She really had been dumped again. Which number did this make?
Smiling, she closed her eyes to rest. It seemed that she could only place her hopes in her mother introducing her to someone after all.
My dear Comrade Salt-Baked, the responsibility is heavy, and the road ahead is long.
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