Chapter 561: Just Like You

Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties sacrificed to the Emperor of Heaven and prayed for a good harvest, the largest sacrificial building complex in the world.

Wang Yan had, of course, been here. Not only had he been here, but he had also held the most standard sacrificial ceremony here. He ascended the throne as emperor, founded the Wang Dynasty's Huaxia Empire, and was also here.

The changes here were, of course, very large. After all, the Eight-Nation Alliance once robbed here, established a headquarters, and set up artillery. The current appearance was all protected and maintained after the founding of the country.

Under the big sun, Su Meng listened to the messy things about the Temple of Heaven that Wang Yan said, from construction to now, from architectural form, building materials, to builders, to feng shui.

Resting by a wall in the shade, she blurted out praise from the bottom of her heart: "In such a short while, you told me about the wind and rain of five hundred and fifty years. Okay, Wang Ye, really didn't see it, you know so much. I went to Beihai Park with Han Chunming before, and I thought he was quite powerful listening to him talk about those, but I didn't expect you to be even more powerful."

"Knowing so much is of no use. After all, I'm not a professional, I don't do architecture or archaeology. Knowing that the Temple of Heaven is a place for royal sacrifice and praying to heaven, and that it was once occupied by the Eight-Nation Alliance as a headquarters and built artillery, is enough. It's just that I read some idle books in my spare time and understood a little more, it's not about being powerful."

"Your realm is still high." Su Meng curled her lips, looking at several pairs of people playing together in the distance, she said: "Hey, ask you something."

"Hmm."

"You're already twenty-three, why don't you find a partner to get married? Like you, a worker, earning twenty-something yuan a month is not little, you should have quite a few friends, and after contact, I feel you are not bad, why hasn't anyone introduced you?"

"Of course there are, and quite a few."

"Then why are you still single? Your family is the only one left, don't you have to carry on the family line and spread the branches and leaves?"

"Didn't meet the right one." Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "Besides, it's a new era, carrying on the family line is of no use. If the children born are not filial, isn't that looking for trouble for yourself? The Liu family in the alley in front has many children, Liu old man died, and those children didn't fight until their dog brains came out? Passing down this generation is of no use. And I have no elders in my family, no one can control me, just look at fate. You are also twenty-one, the country stipulates that women can get married at eighteen, don't you have a partner either? Just stop worrying about me."

Su Meng asked: "Then what kind do you like?"

Since the words were delivered, of course, they couldn't be wasted, and they must be pulled directly to the two of them, so Wang Yan turned to look at her: "I just like you."

Looking at the sincerity and heat in Wang Yan's eyes, Su Meng immediately blushed, a bit flustered, lowering her head and not looking at Wang Yan. She said: "Don't talk nonsense, although we lived in the same courtyard for twenty years, we only really knew each other for this last month. You have a sloppy look again, don't play with me."

"Time is the standard for measuring the firmness of feelings, but not a condition for starting. Many people have only met a few times before marriage and lived a lifetime. There are also many people who met many times and got married, and divorced not long after. Or because of some messy reasons, they didn't divorce, still living together, but their hearts were dead, just dealing with it day after day.

Now it's a new era, talking about free love. What is the true meaning of free love? Find someone you think is good, find someone you look at pleasingly, find someone you like. Two people together are not to deal with anything, but because of feelings. So if you like it, you have to say it. If you hide it in your heart and rely on others to guess, that's looking for trouble for yourself. Let feelings that could have been smooth sailing produce misunderstandings because of not saying or expressing, thus adding many twists and turns."

Wang Yan turned around, holding Su Meng's face with both hands, letting her look at him: "Tell me, what is your feeling for me since we really knew each other?"

Facing Wang Yan's deep eyes, feeling the coolness of Wang Yan's hands on her face, she didn't have the heart to ask why Wang Yan's body temperature was so low in such hot weather. Her flustered eyes dodged, her hands supported Wang Yan's broad chest, and her lips stuttered for a long while: "It's... it's okay..."

At this time, her words still had her self-centered arrogance. Understanding it in another way, it sounded much better, which was the small restraint of a woman treating feelings.

Wang Yan smiled slightly, and in Su Meng's wide-eyed, completely at a loss look, lowered his head, approached, and finally, the two pairs of lips met.

A strange tingling feeling spread from the lips, and then instantly spread to the whole body, making Su Meng, who was originally very determined to push away, unconsciously wrap around Wang Yan's neck.

For a long time, when she couldn't support it anymore, the feeling of suffocation pulled her from the spiritual heaven back to reality. Just at this time, Wang Yan loosened his mouth.

Su Meng used her hands that had no strength to push hard. Seeing Wang Yan cooperate and step back, she wiped her mouth hard: "You hooligan, bastard. So many people are watching, if there are acquaintances, you say how can I go out to see people in the future?"

Going out together, of course, couldn't be in vain. Su Meng originally had some feelings, so naturally, she had to seize the opportunity and be more intense. This wasn't just intense. It was just a matter of a window paper, and this intensity broke it. The feelings between men and women weren't that complicated.

As for Han Chunming, it was just playing well with Su Meng when he was a child. But later he was sent down, and for more than three years, maybe he came back two or three times in the middle, basically having no intersection with Su Meng. The feelings before had long since disappeared after three years. Their feelings were also truly started after Han Chunming returned to the city, which was actually not much different from the time Wang Yan contacted Su Meng.

If you say that he was already very good with Han Chunming, that's fine, but now Su Meng was swinging, not knowing what her thoughts were. So he, Wang Mouren, played the hooligan first to gain the upper hand, directly on the mouth. Su Meng didn't obviously resist, so this matter was settled, and there was no relationship with Ha Chunming.

Wang Yan arched his hands at the people watching the fun, and chased out after Su Meng. It was right to talk about free love, but it wasn't to let people play hooligans in broad daylight and public places. It hadn't been that open yet. If caught, a lecture would definitely not be able to run, so running away was the best policy.

Arriving outside where the bicycle was parked, Su Meng stood under a tree, let out a long breath, turned around and swung her turtle fists at Wang Yan who followed.

"Who let you kiss me? Hooligan, bastard. So many people are watching, if there are acquaintances, you say how can I go out to see people in the future?"

Wang Yan grabbed her two hands, and then blocked her shoulder: "We are dating openly and honestly, what's the big deal?"

Su Meng was controlled, struggled symbolically twice, and stopped moving: "Who promised to date you? Besides, even if we are dating, you can't play hooligan in broad daylight, right?"

"You like me, I like you, how is kissing playing hooligan? I'm letting you not have so many concerns, let me take the first step. Otherwise, hiding and covering, who knows when we can be together? The day lily would have been cold long ago. You said the time we knew each other was short, I don't think this is a big problem. Look at those introduced by matchmakers, aren't they familiar slowly later? Just like

"I like you, you like me, why is kissing being a hooligan? I'm just letting you not have so many worries, with me taking the first step. Otherwise, being secretive, who knows when we can be together? The daylily would have long since cooled. You say the time we've known each other is short; I don't think that's a big problem. Look at those introduced by matchmakers; aren't they all slowly getting familiar afterward? Just like your parents, aren't they also very loving? You have to believe in your own feelings."

Su Meng, as if she had no bones, let Wang Yan hold her: "You're not lying to me, are you? Cheng Army Supervisor said you used to do a lot of scoundrel things."

"Saying I was involved in human lives, and that I molested young girls and got them pregnant?" Wang Yan shook his head and laughed: "If that were really the case, how could I still be holding you sweetly here? I would have been arrested and executed long ago. That kid just sees you getting close to me and wants you to be annoyed with me so he can take advantage of the situation. I just don't like to bother with him; otherwise, with someone like him, I could beat him eight times a day."

"You are not allowed to fight with people. You're already twenty-three, and you're still using your hands on people; how embarrassing is that? And also, you can't be so spendthrift in the future; you have to save money, do you know?"

"Yo, aren't you not going to date me? You're already managing me?"

"Annoying..." Su Meng was embarrassed again, struggling hard to break free from his embrace and moving two steps to the side to keep her distance.

Wang Yan didn't care: "Let's go, it's noon already; let's find a place to eat something good."

"What did I just say? Let you not be spendthrift and save some money. Eating a meal outside costs money and coupons. You only earn twenty a month; when can you not eat? Wait until next month when I get my salary, and I'll treat you then."

Wang Yan smiled, unlocked the bicycle, got on, and supported the ground with his long legs: "Let's go, let's go eat roast duck. Can I really not save a single cent? Today we are officially together, so we have to celebrate. In the future, even if you want me to spend money, I won't have any. Hurry up, it's so hot, don't dawdle. Let me tell you, even if you don't go, we must eat this roast duck today."

"Spendthrift. Let me tell you, if you're like this, my grandmother and my parents will definitely not agree to us being together." Su Meng rolled her eyes, but she still took two yuan out of her small bag and stuffed it into Wang Yan's pocket: "This is all I have left; spending less is still spending."

After speaking, she sat on the back seat and naturally held onto Wang Yan, no longer blushing. Because more embarrassing things had already happened, these small actions seemed insignificant.

Su Meng was actually alright; she was a normal woman. Being concerned about face, small vanity, etc., were all flaws that normal people should have. It was just that she was ruined by her 'ego', which led to her not being so normal at times, with some rather large flaws.

"Let's go eat roast duck."

Wang Yan shouted, took Su Meng away from the Temple of Heaven, turned onto Tianqiao South Street, and after pedaling not far, arrived at Quanjude on Qianmen Street...

Having happily confirmed they were dating, of course, they couldn't go back so early. They walked the streets outside, had a serious in-depth exchange to enhance mutual understanding, and went to a restaurant for a good meal in the evening, only returning home at five o'clock.

Still at the corner of the convenience store, Su Meng got off the bike first and held Wang Yan's hand: "I'm very happy today. I'm going back first; my grandmother and the others are probably worried. See you tomorrow. Seven o'clock in the morning, don't forget."

There are always many coincidences and accidents, just as sudden as if arranged by a typist.

Su Meng had just finished speaking, and as she turned to leave, she looked not far behind Wang Yan. She was stunned for a moment, then let go of Wang Yan's hand and turned to trot away.

Wang Yan turned around and saw Han Chunming standing there blankly not far behind.

This was something he would always have to face. Wang Yan pretended to know nothing and waved at him: "Chunming, didn't you say you'd let Taozi send you back? Why did you walk back yourself?"

From his perspective, he really 'didn't know'. Because in the past month or so, he had been working, and even when he occasionally rested, he mostly went out or stayed honestly at home. He hadn't seen Han Chunming together with Su Meng. And between him and Han Chunming, they had never talked about Su Meng, so he didn't know Han Chunming liked Su Meng. So, he was 'innocent'...

Although he actually knew, doing this was indeed not very proper in a certain sense, but what did that matter? He could make a move on someone who was already with someone else, let alone this, where they weren't together and it was just a slight, hazy affection...

Han Chunming obviously also knew Wang Yan 'didn't know'. He composed himself, managed his expression, and walked up to Wang Yan pretending nothing had happened: "Master Wang, what's the situation between you and Su Meng?"

Seeing him trying hard to cover it up, Wang Yan laughed and said: "Isn't it obvious? We're dating; what else could the situation be?"

"I haven't seen you two talk much before? How did you suddenly start dating?"

"That's because you didn't see it. We've basically been talking for a while every day recently, and after coming and going, we got familiar. We're all in the same courtyard and know each other's roots. It just so happens that I was off today, and she came to me in the morning to say she had settled the work at the Children's Palace and would start officially tomorrow. She was happy and wanted to wander around the Temple of Heaven, so I took her there to play. Talking along the way, we got to why I wasn't looking for a partner, and I said directly that I thought she was good, and that was it. We played outside for half a day, and we just happened to run into you when we got back.

I say, Chunming, you're the only one who knows about this, so keep your mouth shut and don't let it slip for me. We don't know what the attitude of Su Meng's grandmother and her parents is yet. We have to keep this underground for a while, until she probes their attitude first."

From Han Chunming's perspective, Wang Yan's words only conveyed two points. One is that while Su Meng was being ambiguous and hazy with Han Chunming, she was also messing around with Wang Yan. The second point is that Su Meng wasn't very hard to get; on the contrary, she was very easy to pursue, after all, it had only been such a short time, and they had already established a relationship.

And Han Chunming had been accompanying her to parks and sending her bread, and now it seemed like Su Meng was leading him on. Thinking about it more, he would think that Su Meng wasn't as pure as she appeared on the surface, but a woman with dirty thoughts.

This was intentional by Wang Yan, just wanting to make Han Chunming feel better. Although he was intentional, it wasn't his original intention; he was also helpless and forced by circumstances...

A difficult smile hung on Han Chunming's face: "My mouth has always been the tightest. Don't worry, Master Wang, I guarantee I won't let it slip. But hearing you talk about underground dating and probing Su Meng's family's attitude, are you thinking of marrying Su Meng?"

"What are you saying? Dating without the goal of marriage is just being a hooligan, of course, we want to get married. I'm twenty-three, Su Meng is twenty-one; we'll date for a while longer, and if it's about right, we'll get the certificate."

"I wish you success soon." Han Chunming cupped his hands: "Oh, right, Master Wang, I won't go with you tomorrow. Su Meng works at the Children's Palace, and you two are on the same path. You've just confirmed your relationship and are in the time to deepen your feelings, so I won't be a lightbulb for you two. I'll walk there myself in the future."

"That's fine." Wang Yan nodded: "I'll bring you back in the evening."

"I'm off, Master Wang. I'm starving, I need to go eat quickly." After speaking, Han Chunming turned and trotted into the courtyard.

Han Chunming just wanted to go home and be quiet. It was truly a sudden thunderbolt that struck him on the head, leaving him broken and unable to handle it. The girl he had been thinking about day and night—damn it, it had only been a few days, and in the blink of an eye, someone else had gotten his hands on her. It was truly too painful to describe in words.

Wang Yan chuckled and pushed his bike back into the courtyard...

Su Meng opened the door and entered the room, and seeing three pairs of eyes staring at her again, she knew something big was wrong. She pretended to be fine and laughed: "No, Grandma, Dad, Mom, you're eating; why are you staring at me?"

Su's mother asked unhurriedly: "What did you go do? Why are you back so late?"

"The work at the Children's Palace has been settled, so I went to find my classmate to show off." Su Meng said very naturally; this was the excuse she had already made up.

"Stop telling lies with your eyes open." Old Lady Su rolled her eyes at her: "Mengmeng, Cheng Army Supervisor told me that you went out with Wang Yan from the front courtyard."

"That's just because Wang Yan happened to be going out, so he brought me along on the way; what's the big deal?" Su Meng waved her hand, looking helpless: "Oh, I know what you're thinking; you're just afraid I'm dating someone else. Grandma, Dad, Mom, I'm already twenty-one. The country has stipulated that you can get married at eighteen, and it's free love. So what if I'm dating Wang Yan? Didn't you say Wang Yan was good two days ago?"

Su's mother frowned: "Listening to this, you're not really dating Wang Yan from the front courtyard, are you?"

"No. Isn't that what you're thinking? I'm just saying. You all gave Wang Yan a high evaluation before, saying Wang Yan was good in every way and would definitely have a future. Why do you have such a big reaction now that I went out with him? It's like a trial..."

Looking at Su Meng's pouting mouth, the three of them were also quite helpless. They did say Wang Yan was good, better than Han Chunming, studied well, was strong, and lived his life quite decently on his own, but they also said he was spendthrift and didn't know how to live. If their own child followed such a person, no parent or elder would be willing, no matter how good or bad he was; it was just talk...

Su's father only spoke then: "It is said that Wang Yan is good, but with his spendthrift habit, if you really follow him, how will you live in the future? How will you raise children? These are all realistic problems; you have to think clearly, Mengmeng."

He was a father; if it were a son, it would be easier to talk about, but between him and his daughter, there was ultimately a layer of gender, so it was hard to talk about. So he basically didn't manage much, mainly Su's mother.

"Oh, what kind of flaw is this? Just spend less in the future. Besides, Wang Yan has no parents, no relatives, and he lives in two rooms by himself; these are all advantages. If I marry someone else in the future, you'll have to worry about the mother-in-law relationship. Wang Yan is so much less trouble, isn't he?"

"No, wait a minute." Old Lady Su also frowned: "Why do I feel the more I listen, the more it sounds like you two are together? Mengmeng, tell Grandma the truth."

Su's father chimed in: "Mengmeng, no matter who you date, there will always be a day when you bring them to us, it's just a matter of time, no need to hide it. As parents, our starting point is to make you better. And you also know that your mother and I have always let you choose for yourself. If you really have a partner, even if we don't agree, if you are desperate to marry them, what can we do? Isn't that the truth?"

Looking at the eyes of her parents and grandmother, Su Meng let out a long breath and nodded: "Yes, I am dating Wang Yan; it happened today."

The reason she returned one after the other with Wang Yan was that she originally thought about infiltrating slowly and hiding it for a while. This was, of course, Su Meng's own idea. According to Wang Yan, he wanted to buy some vegetables and get two bottles of wine to visit his father-in-law directly; he didn't know what nervousness was, as he had too many fathers-in-law. He couldn't remember how many women he had, let alone fathers-in-law.

And according to the original drama, Su's father and mother actually knew long ago that Su Meng was dating Han Chunming; how could they not know what the daughter they raised was like? Besides, they weren't blind, and they had figured it out, but Su Meng had always been stubborn and wouldn't admit it, so that was that. Just as Su's father said, if Su Meng was really desperate to be with someone, they really couldn't do anything.

Now that there was someone like Wang Yan who didn't care about anything, he naturally did the ideological work on Su Meng. So now Su Meng wasn't being stubborn, and seeing she couldn't hide it, she admitted it directly.

Su Meng's admission was a thunderbolt to Old Lady Su, Su's father, and Su's mother. They hadn't confirmed it yet, just trying to bluff her, but Su Meng admitted it directly, and they didn't know what to say.

After a while, Su's father spoke first: "In my impression, from childhood to adulthood, you two haven't had much contact, right?"

"It's just been this month or so." Su Meng nodded and said: "Before, his reputation was too big and too legendary, so I was scared in my heart. It was only in the last two years that I noticed he was honestly working and eating meat and drinking wine every day. In this past month, sometimes I would pass by and talk to him, and after coming and going, we started talking together. We're all in the same courtyard and know each other's roots. It just so happens that I was off today, and she came to me in the morning to say she had settled the work at the Children's Palace and would start officially tomorrow. She was happy and wanted to wander around the Temple of Heaven, so I took her there to play. Talking along the way, we got to why I wasn't looking for a partner, and I said directly that I thought she was good, and that was it. We played outside for half a day, and we just happened to run into you when we got back.

I've become familiar with him, and I feel Wang Yan is very good; talking to him is very comfortable, and I really want to talk to him more.

And he knows a lot. Today when we went to the Temple of Heaven, he talked from Zhu Di building the Temple of Heaven to our protection and repairs after the founding of the country. From the architectural form to the building materials, and then to the officials who supervised the construction, and Feng Shui, he explained it clearly and explicitly. Dad, Mom, Grandma, you three are all teachers; how many people know as much as he does? And he writes calligraphy very well. When he rests, you can see him practicing calligraphy and drinking tea at home. In such hot weather, he is quiet in that small room. This patience is something ordinary people can't compare to.

It just so happens that when we were at the Temple of Heaven today, we saw couples playing inside, so I asked him why he wasn't looking for a partner to get married at twenty-three..."

After listening to Su Meng's messy account of this period and today's events, the three of them were silent.

If things were really as Su Meng said, then Su Meng had also thought it through carefully. They originally thought Wang Yan was good, the only flaw being that he didn't know how to live. But now Su Meng said Wang Yan had added several advantages: he could settle down, was knowledgeable, and it was clear he hadn't stopped learning; such a person couldn't be too bad.

But the point about not knowing how to live—he spent more than ten yuan just today; he really dared to spend. After all, when two people are together, living is the primary thing...

The three of them looked at each other, and finally, Su's father, the head of the family, made the decision: "Mengmeng, I won't interfere with your free love, but the time you two have been in contact is still too short. It's only been a month, and you dare to conclude what kind of person Wang Yan is? This is a big event for a lifetime, so you can't be careless, and you can't just make do. In my opinion, just keep dating first and get to know each other more to avoid regret. But before marriage, you must absolutely not do anything out of line; a girl must love herself."

"Oh, I know..."

"Look at you, child, this is all for your own good, to avoid you ending up with nothing and having nowhere to cry." Old Lady Su said: "You child, you have to find someone in our courtyard. If it succeeds, it's fine; eating and meeting are convenient. But if it doesn't succeed, how will you see each other in the future? How will the neighbors make a joke of it?"

"Don't worry, it will definitely succeed." Since it was all out in the open, Su Meng's hanging heart was let go, and she smiled with her small white teeth: "What you said, Wang Yan also said; he shook his head very firmly, and I believed him."

"No wonder they say you're stupid." Su's mother rolled her eyes at her daughter and turned to Su's father: "Her dad, since it's all out in the open, we can't pretend we don't know. Why don't we invite Wang Yan to our house tomorrow for a meal? You've lived in the same courtyard for so many years, and we really haven't had much contact with this child, just greeting each other in passing. Now that he's dating Mengmeng, let's get to know him and see if this child is really consistent inside and out?"

"I think that's fine, let's test the bottom of this child." Su's father nodded: "Mom, buy more vegetables tomorrow, buy more meat, and cook more."

Old Lady Su nodded, and Su's mother looked at her daughter: "Go, tell Wang Yan not to buy anything. I haven't smelled meat in the courtyard for several days, and I guess he has no money, so don't borrow money to save face; we don't care about that. Come back immediately after telling him; a girl should be reserved, don't be endlessly clingy, do you hear me?"

"Oh, Mom, don't worry, I know."