Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 19

Lian Fang had arrived half an hour ago. This was her first visit to Fu Linling’s house, and she hadn’t brought her child to avoid causing trouble.

Led by Lin Ran, she took a quick tour of the apartment’s general layout and concluded: “The only difference between this place and yours is the floor plan; everything else is practically the same.”

This showed just how few belongings Fu Linling truly owned.

Even her clothes were sparse, primarily black, white, and gray. If she liked a style, she would simply buy it in a few different colors, prioritizing efficiency, ease, and peace of mind.

“How does living together feel?” Lian Fang asked.

“It’s great!” Lin Ran habitually sat cross-legged on the rug.

She had ordered the rug, which arrived two days ago, and she had just finished cleaning and laying it out today.

“Do you know how disciplined her life is? Her daily schedule is fixed. She gets up at 7:30 AM, makes breakfast, leaves at 8:30 AM, comes home after work to cook, then reads, occasionally jogs around the neighborhood, and goes to sleep at 11:00 PM.” Lin Ran was practically dying of envy. “What a fascinating routine! If I could be that self-disciplined, my mom wouldn’t worry about me living alone at all.”

“She doesn’t pull all-nighters?” Lian Fang asked.

“Nope.”

“That’s seriously impressive. Even with a kid, I still have to pull all-nighters sometimes; I can’t control it.”

“Exactly! Maybe that’s why she got her Ph.D. and we didn’t,” Lin Ran excitedly told her. “Do you know she actually got a Ph.D.?”

“Impressive, impressive. But she was always the type to bury her head in her studies, so I’m not surprised by that.”

“But she’s the only Ph.D. I know! She’s so awesome.”

Lian Fang looked at her and asked ambiguously, “Are you starting to worship her now?”

“Worship is too strong, but admiration, definitely. It’s hard not to admire someone so self-disciplined and motivated, right?” Lin Ran said.

“Good, admiration is the first step toward liking someone. Things are looking up!” Lian Fang glanced toward the bedroom. “Are you two sleeping in separate rooms right now?”

“Yeah. Our routines are totally different, so separate rooms are more suitable.”

“I doubt it’s that simple,” Lian Fang winked. “Are you just shy?”

Lin Ran looked away, then after a moment, looked back: “We skipped the dating phase entirely. Suddenly sleeping together would be a little awkward.”

“Definitely. Especially since you two knew each other before. The thought alone makes me laugh.” Lian Fang rolled around laughing.

“Exactly. We’ll take it slow. Let things happen naturally.”

“That’s fair. Though, judging by Fu Linling’s personality, she doesn’t seem like the type to create romance.”

“When you’re just living life, where does all that romance come from? You watch too many idol dramas.”

“It’s still better than your lesbian films—no plot, just pure flesh.”

Lin Ran laughed and playfully kicked her.

After a bit of fooling around, Fu Linling came back carrying big bags of groceries. Her actions at the door—giving Lin Ran the doll and the chocolate—made Lian Fang green with envy.

Once Fu Linling went into the kitchen to cook, Lian Fang quietly told Lin Ran: “I take back what I said earlier.”

“What did you say?”

“That she wouldn’t create romance. She is the romance.”

Lin Ran looked at her strangely, then looked at the figure in the kitchen. She found it hard to associate Fu Linling with the image of romance: “Are you talking nonsense?”

“You don’t get it. A lot of people intentionally learn how to be romantic just to create romance, but genuinely romantic people just do something occasionally that makes you feel incredibly lucky and valued,” Lian Fang said with profound insight.

“Master, could you enlighten me further?”

“Think about it. She was just going out to buy groceries, but she saw a doll and thought of you, so she bought you one. She was originally buying children’s milk for my kid, but she made a point to buy you some chocolate too, because the little kid gets a treat, and so should you.” Lian Fang said.

Lin Ran rubbed her goosebump-covered arms: “How do you know what’s going on in her head?”

“With my twenty-something years of watching idol dramas—I guessed.”

“…”

“Just tell me, were you happy when you received the doll and the chocolate?”

Lin Ran recalled her feeling at the time and couldn’t deny it. She nodded.

In that moment, especially with Lian Fang present, she inexplicably felt a sense of being especially favored.

Fu Linling made three dishes and a soup. Lian Fang tasted her cooking for the first time, praising it as she ate, and didn’t forget to tease Lin Ran: “Ran Ran, this marriage was definitely worth it. Why don’t you bring me along? The three of us could have a great life together.”

“You have a family in tow. We’re not taking you,” Lin Ran said, smiling as she glanced at Fu Linling. “Good thing I got to her first. Dr. Fu belongs only to me now.”

Fu Linling froze, turning her head to look at Lin Ran’s profile. Lin Ran was still laughing and chatting with Lian Fang, her eyes and mouth curved in just the right amount of brightness.

“Why do you always call her Dr. Fu? It’s so impersonal,” Lian Fang scoffed.

“You don’t get it. It’s our flirting (/fun/amusement). I like calling her that. What’s wrong with that?”

“Fine. You watch more films than me; you get to decide.”

Lin Ran couldn’t hold back a smile and kicked Lian Fang under the table. They could talk about anything in private, but in front of someone as proper as Fu Linling, they needed to rein it in.

Lian Fang snickered silently. Lin Ran glanced at Fu Linling’s expression, seeing her calmly eating as if she heard nothing, though her ears were starting to turn red.

Lin Ran and Lian Fang exchanged a look and burst into simultaneous laughter.

Fu Linling’s ears turned even redder.

After dinner, Fu Linling went to wash the dishes, and Lin Ran washed the fruit, discussing what entertainment they should have later.

“Let’s watch a movie. I haven’t seen a movie in ages,” Lian Fang said, picking up an apple to bite into.

“Okay.” Lin Ran ate a plum. It wasn’t sour at all, so she picked one up and offered it to Fu Linling’s mouth.

Fu Linling paused, lowered her head to bite into it, her lips accidentally touching Lin Ran’s finger. She continued washing the dishes as if nothing had happened.

“Is there a movie you want to see?” Lin Ran asked from the side.

“Any is fine. You two decide,” Fu Linling said.

Lin Ran took the fruit plate out, set up the projector screen, and discussed with Lian Fang what movie to watch.

After finishing the dishes, Fu Linling put the medicine on the stove to brew again, set the timer, and then left the kitchen, turning off the light on her way out.

The living room lights were off. Lin Ran and Lian Fang were sitting on the rug and started playing the movie when she arrived.

Fu Linling sat on the sofa behind them. After watching the opening, she knew it was Titanic.

She had watched this movie countless times later on because the first time she watched it, she couldn’t focus.

The living room was quiet, with only the sounds from the movie. The faint light from the screen shone on their faces.

Fu Linling could recite the rest of the plot with her eyes closed. Her thoughts slowly drifted from the movie to Lin Ran.

The first time she watched Titanic, Lin Ran had been sitting in front of her just like this.

Just then, Lin Ran turned around, looking around as if searching for something.

A moment later, she looked up and whispered: “Dr. Fu, is that doll behind you?”

Dr. Fu…

Fu Linling remembered their conversation during dinner. She inexplicably felt that this perfectly normal title, coming from Lin Ran’s mouth, carried an added layer of ambiguous provocation.

It might just be Lin Ran’s joke and not her intention, but she couldn’t help but think that way.

Fu Linling pulled the doll from behind her. It was the one she had just bought at the supermarket tonight. Lin Ran took it and hugged it: “Thank you.”

Fu Linling leaned down and quietly asked in her ear: “Thank who?”

Lin Ran tilted her head, looking at her, her eyes twinkling in the dim light. She said with a hint of a smile: “Dr. Fu.”