When Luo Qi arrived in Suzhou, her parents both came to pick her up. It was just like when she was still in college—when she came home from abroad during the holidays, her mom and dad would come to pick her up at the airport.

Her father had lost weight again but he seemed to be in good spirits. He smiled and waved to her.

“Dad.”

It had been a long time since they had seen each other. Luo Zhiqiu hugged his daughter and said, “Daddy will cook for you today.”

Luo Qi smiled, “Okay.”

The first time her mother saw the ring on her finger, she said, “It must cost a lot of money to buy something so realistic. Let mom pay for it, the designer’s fee for my last big project has just come to my account.”

Her mother knew that the ‘boyfriend’ in her circle of friends was simply a shield, and thought that Luo Qi bought the ring to deal with relatives at home.

Luo Qi asked deliberately, “Can the genuine be confused with fake?”

Jiang Yifang replied, “I also almost thought it was real.” But she knew her daughter didn’t have enough money to buy the real thing, so she really didn’t think in that direction.

Luo Qi smiled and started walking holding on to her mother’s arm with both hands.

Jiang Yifang looked at her daughter’s clothes. They were very thin and asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s okay. It’ll be warm again in two days, so I’m not wearing that much.”

Her mother took her hand: it was cold. She squeezed it to warm it up a bit.

… …

Their home was still the same as before: crowded but clean.

The sofa cover has been replaced with a new one, and there were a few more houndstooth throw pillows.

There were new sheets on her bed, and the quilt had just been dried today.

They did not go to the eldest uncle’s house for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, and the family of three simply celebrated at home.

Grandma Qian from next door gave her some freshly baked meat mooncakes and picked some pomegranates for her.

After dinner in the evening, she took a moon cake and said to her mother, “Mom, I’m going to look at the moon on the stone bridge, and then I’ll give my colleagues a call.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Yifang called to her daughter again, “Wait a minute.”

Worried that her daughter would be cold, she put a shawl around her shoulders and said, “This will keep out the wind.”

Jiang Yifang cleaned up the kitchen and turned on the TV to watch the mid-autumn gala with her husband.

They haven’t had it this easy in years.

… … advance chapters available @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

Luo Qi sent a message to Jiang Shenghe: [Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.]

Jiang Shenghe’s call came in quickly, “Have you had dinner?”

“Yeah.” She took a bite of the mooncake, “We just had it. I’m eating freshly baked mooncakes now.”

Jiang Shenghe heard the sound of her nibbling on the mooncake. This would not have been possible before: she would never dare talk to him while eating.

“You’re at home?”

“No.” She said, “I’m outside, to look at the moon.”

“Where are you looking?”

“On the stone bridge east of our house. You might not know where it is.”

“I know.”

He has walked there before, more than once.

Luo Qi walked to the bridge and leaned on one of the stone posts. This position was the best for admiring the moon.

“Chief Jiang, have you been to my house before?”

“Yeah, passing by.”

There were several families living in the courtyard, and he didn’t know exactly where her house faced.

Luo Qi said, “I’ll bring you here later to let you experience what it’s like to live by the water. But my house is very crowded, and my room is only seven or eight square meters.”

“It’s okay, it’s enough for the two of us.”

Who knew he would mention living together?

There were a few awkward seconds on the phone.

Jiang Shenghe changed the topic, “Isn’t it cold on the bridge?”

“It’s not cold, I’m wearing plenty of clothes.” Luo Qi said, “It’s a good idea to watch the moon on the bridge.”

“Why?”

“The stone bridge will keep you safe.”

She added casually, “My neighbor, Grandma Qian, said it. She also said that if you cross this bridge when you get married, you will have a happy marriage and a lifetime of happiness. It doesn’t matter whether it is true or not, it’s just for good luck.”

She said so much to divert the awkwardness just now.

Luo Qi heard Professor Liang’s voice on the other end of the phone and guessed she had something to do with him.

“Chief Jiang, I’ll hang up now.” She said again, “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

… …

Liang Zhen didn’t know that her son was on the phone. She thought he was smoking in the yard and asked him to come in and eat mooncakes.

Jiang Shenghe replied, “I’ll make a call first and go and eat in a while.”

Liang Zhen thought he was going to call Luo Qi. She didn’t interrupt and turned around to enter the house.

Jiang Shenghe typed characters on the screen deliberately, one by one, and dialed out.

This was the first time in many years that he took the initiative to call his father.

The secretary answered the phone, and a few minutes later the phone was in his father’s hands.

Jiang Shenghe’s father heard that the call was from his youngest son and suspected that the secretary had heard wrong.

The eldest son and the second son often called him, but the youngest son has not made a call in eight hundred years.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, this youngest son said that he was on a business trip abroad and couldn’t go home for dinner, but then asked people in the Jiang family group chat to play cards with him. This year he probably thought of something new that would make his father angry.

Jiang Shenghe’s father mentally prepared himself and answered the call.

“Hey, Dad. Have you had dinner?”

“… I’ve eaten.”

Talking to this youngest son, he would usually be so angry that he would almost be stuttering.

Father Jiang cleared his throat, “What’s the matter with you?”

“Things are okay. Today is a holiday, so I thought I’d give you a call.”

Father Jiang came prepared to teach his rebellious son a lesson but suddenly found nothing to get angry about.

“Well, you’re busy, I’m hanging up now.”

Jiang Shenghe unclenched his jaw and finished the phone call. If his mother hadn’t proposed that they each work hard to get along, he wouldn’t have been able to compromise with his father.

Seventh Year of My Secret Love for You translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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A list of advance chapters for all translations is HERE.

Chapter 41.3 — Bend Down With A Kiss (3/1)
Chapter 41.4 — Bend Down With A Kiss (3/2)

Chapter 42.1 — Stay in the Villa on Weekends (3/3)
Chapter 42.2 — Stay in the Villa on Weekends (3/8)
Chapter 42.3 — Stay in the Villa on Weekends (3/9)
Chapter 42.4 — Stay in the Villa on Weekends (3/10)

Chapter 43.1 — Everything Got Out of Control (3/15)
Chapter 43.2 — Everything Got Out of Control (3/16)