Just after dropping Lin Ge off, Xu Ke’s phone rang. She looked at the screen, displaying “Red-Crowned Crane,” and hesitated for a long time before answering. The phone kept ringing persistently, much like the man himself, relentless until his goal was achieved. She calmed her mind and answered the call. His voice was somewhat urgent, “Where are you? I’ll come to pick you up.” Xu Ke replied indifferently, “No need, I’m fine. I just wanted to return the key to the house today. Since you seemed busy, I had it sent by courier to your home.” Silence filled the line. Xu Ke continued, “Please tell Zhang Yang that I don’t want the house anymore. Thank you for your efforts.” After saying this, Xu Ke hung up.
Moments later, the phone rang again. “Why don’t you want it?” “It’s too expensive.” “700,000, and you think that’s expensive?” “Yes.” Again, there was silence on the line. Xu Ke hung up. She hadn’t expected that Zhang Yang would offer the house on Green Island for just 700,000 yuan, a price much lower than she anticipated; the market value should be around 1 million. However, even at such a bargain, she no longer wished to have any connection with Shen Mu, not even indirectly. The phone rang once more. Xu Ke let it ring for a long time without answering, eventually turning it off. She went to the market, bought some groceries, and returned home as dusk was setting in. Standing by the kitchen window, watching the sunset, her thoughts drifted, and a sense of melancholy arose. How could she have once liked such a person? She sighed quietly, stirring the porridge in the clay pot with a spoon. Her mother always preferred to simmer porridge slowly in a clay pot, saying that only then would it be most fragrant. Xu Ke agreed, but she was always too busy to make time for it. Many things in life require time to ferment slowly, but there are always shortcuts tempting you, leading to results that lose their intended flavor.
