Endless Fall

200 Do You Want to Marry Me?

Pei Qisheng would definitely be the one cooking today. He was especially good at cooking, and Pei Yilan wanted to try it.

She cut the peeled apple into pieces and washed a plate of cherries before putting them on the fruit plate. “Grandpa, have some fruit.”

“Ok.” Pei Zhen picked up a piece of apple.

He was so focused on playing chess with Jiang Ye that he did not even notice Pei Qisheng and the others coming back.

“Jiang Ye.” A voice sounded in their ears, scaring them. “If you make a wrong move, you are going to lose.”

Jiang Ye looked up and greeted them gently.

When he smiled, he exuded a gentle aura, like the warm sun in early spring.

Bai Ying thought of that night when Pei Yilan cried and talked about his background to her. At that time, she wondered what a person who had a traumatic childhood would look like, but when she really saw him, her heart ached.

She hid the emotions in her eyes and patted his shoulder gently. “What do you want to eat for lunch? Auntie will make it for you.”

Jiang Ye was touched. “I’m not picky.”

“Can you eat spicy food?”

“As long as it’s not too spicy.”

Bai Ying asked for his opinion before pulling Pei Qisheng into the kitchen.

Time passed quickly. The sound of cooking finally stopped at noon, and the dining room was filled with fragrance.

There were seven dishes and a soup on the dining table in the dining room. Wisps of steam rose from the bowls and plates, making people drool.

“Ye, try this.” Bai Ying picked up a piece of braised beef brisket with potatoes that she had made for him, her eyes flashing with anticipation.

The others did not touch their chopsticks. They looked at Jiang Ye with ‘sympathy’.

Jiang Ye picked up the brisket in confusion.

He chewed twice. When the sour taste spread out in his mouth, he finally understood why they looked at him with ‘sympathy’.

“How’s that?”

“Um, the beef is very tender.” He narrowed his eyes from the sourness and swallowed it without chewing.

Pei Qisheng ate a piece skeptically.

For a moment, he felt so sour that he wanted to vomit.

“It’s delicious.” Against his conscience, he gave her a thumbs up and moved the plate away to prevent her from eating it. “It tastes too strong for you.”

Bai Ying had always eaten lightly. Hearing that, she did not suspect anything and quickly picked up some food for Jiang Ye.

Fortunately, she did not cook much. Other than scrambled eggs with tomatoes, everything else was cooked by Pei Qisheng.

“Dad, do you want beef?” Bai Ying recommended with a smile when she saw that Pei Zhen did not pick up a single piece of beef.

“No.” Pei Zhen said that his teeth were not good.

He clinked glasses with Jiang Ye and looked at Pei Qisheng . “Qisheng, you’ve worked hard recently. Eat more.”

Pei Qisheng’s lips twiched.

He finished the five or six pieces of beef that Bai Ying picked up and drank three glasses of water to wash off the sourness in his mouth.

After the meal, Pei Yilan took the initiative to clean up the dishes together with Jiang Ye.

There was a dishwasher in the kitchen, so they didn’t have to do it themselves. Therefore, after wiping the oil off the table, they sat back in the living room and started chatting.

“Old Pei, are you done eating?” A familiar voice entered everyone’s ears.

“I’m done eating.”

“Playing chess at two o’clock?”

Pei Zhen walked to the window with his walking stick and looked at Chu Kui.

“Not today.” He leaned against the window sill. “Jiang Ye is here. Let’s play mahjong.”

“Alright.” Chu Kui took a sip of water from the thermos. “I’ll take an afternoon nap before coming over.”

Pei Zhen then closed the window.

He walked unhurriedly towards the staircase, not forgetting to let them rest too. “Yilan, bring Ye back to your room to rest for a while.”

There were only four bedrooms on the second floor.

No matter how embarrassed Jiang Ye was, he went upstairs to rest for a moment under the urging of the Pei couple.

Pei Yilan’s bedroom was not big. There was a long red wooden table opposite the door.

The table was filled with items. Not only were there cosmetics, jewelry boxes, and photo albums, but there were also two teddy bears.

“Jiang Ye, are you sleepy?” Pei Yilan held his hand and sat on the sofa, leaning on his shoulder.

“Not really.” Jiang Ye leaned back.

He looked up at the yellow wall and could vaguely see the traces of time on it.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that their living environment was so simple.

He suddenly said, “Yilan, I finally know why you’re different from others.”

“Because of my family?”

“Yes.” He held her waist tightly. “They’re the least arrogant and the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“If they don’t like you, they won’t be kind.”

“I can feel it.” From the moment he entered, he felt the warmth they gave him.

“Are you nervous now?”

“No.”

Jiang Ye looked at the table again.

He picked up the photo album and flipped through it with Pei Yilan.

The first page was filled with photos taken during her childhood. Her chubby face made people want to pinch it.

The second and third pages were photos of her preschool age. After that, there were photos of her teenage years.

“Did you grow up with Chu Yuzhou?” Jiang Ye couldn’t help but ask after seeing many photos of Pei Yilan and Chu Yuzhou together.

“Yes, he used to play with me when I was young.”

“That’s nice.”

“Are you jealous?” Pei Yilan did not know what he meant and quickly said, “It’s definitely impossible between us.”

“No.” Jiang Ye did not think in that way.

He closed the photo album and lay down on the soft blanket with her. “I’m just very envious.”

“What’s there to be envious of?” Pei Yilan rested her head on his arm. “We have a whole lifetime to spend together.”

Jiang Ye was comforted by her words.

He stared at her eyes and suddenly had the urge to marry her.

“Yilan.” On impulse, he asked, “Do you want to marry me?”

Pei Yilan did not react for a moment.

Her eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly, flapping its wings to cast a faint shadow on her skin.

The long silence made Jiang Ye feel uneasy.

He pursed his lips and was about to say, “I’m just asking.” However, he saw her raise her left hand. “Where is the diamond ring?”

Pei Yilan raised her chin, the excitement and joy in her eyes almost overflowing.

She cleared her throat. “Hurry up.”

“…I don’t have it”

“You didn’t bring it?”

He hadn’t even bought it.

Jiang Ye pulled her into his arms, his heart racing.

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll give it to you next year.”

“Then you have to give me a big one.”

“Definitely.”

Pei Yilan imagined him kneeling on one knee and couldn’t help but smile sweetly.

She believed that that day was not far away.