Taming The Hidden Bigshot By Kissing Him
Chapter 383: Huo Xingzhou, I Miss Grandma

Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Huo Xingzhou, I Miss Grandma

He lowered his head.

His thin lips softly and gently landed on her eyes.

Her nose tip.

And finally, they came to rest on her red lips.

Gently.

Slowly.

His breath was lingering and carried an almost imperceptible urgency.

Qiao Xi closed her eyes, tilting her head back to meet him.

Their embrace was intimate and poignant, filled with disordered passion and infatuation.

"Young Master, Young Madam. The late-night snack is ready. I’ve brought it in, okay?" Aunt Qian called out loudly from the doorway. She feared intruding on a scene she wasn’t supposed to witness.

This cozy little villa was quiet; aside from preparing meals and cleaning, she rarely disturbed the couple.

She just hoped that they would soon have a child for her to take care of. She had no family of her own and had planned to spend her life with the Huo family.

Qiao Xi immediately became alert and nudged Huo Xingzhou, "Aunt Qian is here. You need to get up quickly."

Huo Xingzhou stood up.

Qiao Xi looked at his lips and quickly reached up to wipe them.

"It’s all lipstick," she said, rubbing vigorously.

The normally serious and aloof man, now smeared with her lipstick, looked irresistibly enchanting.

It was maddening!

Huo Xingzhou extended his hand and gently wiped his lips, a faint trace of red on his fingertip, "Is there still any left?"

"No more."

Qiao Xi straightened her clothes and sat down a bit away from Huo Xingzhou. Aunt Qian had given them plenty of time, waiting two to three minutes before slowly walking in.

Her eyes swept over Qiao Xi and Huo Xingzhou like searchlights.

One flushed like blooming peach flowers, the other, an ice mountain thawing.

On the floor, a discarded bow tie. Young Madam’s dress zipper still wasn’t completely done up.

Aunt Qian let out a chuckle as she placed the tray on the coffee table, "Young Madam, today is your birthday. I didn’t prepare anything special, just thought that it’s common for families to have this, so I made you a bowl."

It was longevity noodles with a poached egg.

Green scallions sprinkled on top, emitting a faint fragrance.

A welling of emotion flooded Qiao Xi’s eyes.

This was how her grandmother celebrated her birthday, with the egg fried until the edges were crispy, not the boiled variety. The longevity noodles were thin and long, handmade in Moon Village, not the kind easily found in supermarkets.

The oil used was tea oil, a staple in the mountain people’s homes.

Very aromatic, very pure.

Not the commonly used olive oil or various blended oils from the market.

Exactly alike.

Qiao Xi’s eyes rimmed red.

"Young Madam, please have a taste and see if it’s the right flavor," Aunt Qian whispered softly, "I’m afraid I didn’t make it well enough."

She handed over the chopsticks to Qiao Xi, "Try it."

Qiao Xi took the chopsticks and lightly picked up a small bunch of noodles to taste. It was just like the flavor in her memory. She gently bit into the poached egg; crispy around the edges yet with a slightly runny center.

Her grandmother always liked to leave the egg slightly runny.

But Qiao Xi couldn’t master that skill. She didn’t know how to fry the edges to crispy perfection while leaving that soft, golden heart in the center. The poached egg, soaked in a bit of the noodle broth, tasted delightful.

Tears streamed down Qiao Xi’s face in an instant.

Exactly the same.

She ate several bites in succession.

There’s always an illusion that Grandma is still in the village, that she never left. As long as she doesn’t think about the fire that night, she can keep deceiving herself.

Just like before, when she would leave to study and then come home every winter and summer vacation.

Grandma always waited for her at the entrance of the village.

That lean and bent figure became increasingly clear in her sight.

Qiao Xi’s throat swelled with acidity, and she tried hard to swallow the noodles in her mouth.

She sniffled, pulled out a tissue to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes, and looked up at Aunt Qian with watery eyes, "Aunt Qian, these noodles taste just like Grandma’s."

She hadn’t dared to hope that she could have a bowl of birthday noodles this year, just like the ones Grandma made for over twenty years.

Aunt Qian exclaimed and quickly wiped Qiao Xi’s tears with a tissue, "Young Madam, don’t cry. Why are you so nostalgic? This was all arranged by the young master. He said to make such a bowl of noodles and even specified what oil to use, and what kind of noodles to get."

Qiao Xi’s eyes stung again.

She looked at Huo Xingzhou with an injured expression, quickly wiped away her tears, feeling a mix of sadness and moved emotions.

Huo Xingzhou spoke softly, "When Grandma was still here, she told me that she’d always make you a bowl of long-life noodles on your birthday. She said you’re not picky, but you always liked fine noodles with tea oil, and that you enjoyed the slightly burnt edges of a tender, fried egg... She said, if one day she wasn’t here, she hoped you could still have a bowl of long-life noodles on your birthday."

The old lady knew her health wasn’t good, and she was well aware she wouldn’t live many more years.

She wanted to spend every day with Qiao Xi that she could. No one expected the fire to be so sudden and to take her away like that.

"My cooking skills aren’t good enough for presentation, so I could only ask Aunt Qian to help make a bowl."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Xi’s tears fell like pearls strung together.

She wept silently, the old lady’s voice and smile floating into her mind—those days of their life together, so impoverished yet so heartwarming.

If she were still alive, she’d surely say to her today, "Nannan has grown another year older."

But now.

At the entrance of Moon Village, there was no longer a lean and kind old lady eagerly anticipating her return.

"Huo Xingzhou," she choked out, "I miss Grandma."

Without the love of parents in her life, only the old lady had given her the affection of family.

Huo Xingzhou gently patted her back, offering silent consolation.

Aunt Qian spoke tenderly, "Young Madam, we are all here with you. Whatever else you like to eat, just tell me, and I promise I’ll make it for you. Don’t be polite with me; I consider you as my daughter just like my own."

"Mm."

Qiao Xi responded with a choked-up sound, her eyes still red.

"Then you guys eat first; I will step outside," Aunt Qian said as she put down another bowl of small wontons on the tray and left.

She truly hadn’t expected the young master to be so attentive, to remember Young Madam’s preferences.

Aunt Qian closed the door behind her.

Huo Xingzhou consoled, "Don’t cry anymore; eat the long-life noodles first. If they sit too long, they will clump together and won’t taste as good."

"Okay."

Qiao Xi obediently bowed her head and began eating bite by bite.

She fought hard to hold back her tears.

If Grandma saw her now, so well and on the right track, she would surely be very pleased.

She really wanted to tell Grandma that she had found a man who could be by her side for life, protecting and cherishing her.

Qiao Xi finished the entire bowl of noodles, feeling a bit full, yet she still drank all the broth.

"Wipe your mouth."

Huo Xingzhou handed her a wet napkin.

Qiao Xi wiped her mouth and said, "This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received, without a doubt. Huo Xingzhou, having you by my side is really wonderful."

Huo Xingzhou’s lips curved up ever so slightly, "I know you prefer this kind of birthday, not the bustling parties. You only agreed to hold a birthday banquet because you couldn’t bear to deny everyone’s kindness."

"Qiao Xi, because you are good, you deserve for me to be good to you."

Love is mutual.

She also harbored much forbearance and restraint, always unspoken.