Luo Qi took three steps at a time to the window and pulled back the blue-gray, coarse-fabric curtains. She asked Jiang Shenghe to turn off the lights. The bright moon hung in the eastern night sky, and there was also a moon reflected in the river below the window.

The lush foliage on both banks was reflected in the water, creating a hazy, indistinct effect.

The soft moonlight streamed down through the wooden window, casting its rays across the walnut table. The sunflower vase also cast its shadow through the windowpane, half-lit and half-shadowed.

Teacher Yu’s oil painting depicted the same scene, except that the painting showed the morning sunlight. Jiang Shenghe had brought the painting to life for her.

Luo Qi turned around, put down her suitcase, and came over.

“How did you manage to recreate the scene so accurately?”

“We had Teacher Yu adjust the colors, and the furniture was placed according to his suggested angles and directions. Your parents worked hard these past months, buying all the materials themselves from the market.”

Luo Qi hugged him. “Such a big surprise, and you weren’t even planning to come home with me.” If he had gone straight back to the marital home, she wouldn’t have been able to hug him now.

“This kind of artistic conception is best appreciated by one person.” He laughed, “I’m superfluous here.”

“Not superfluous.

She sighed, “It would’ve been a real shame if you weren’t here.”

The lights inside remained off, and the moonlight grew increasingly brighter. The room was dim and quiet, while outside the window, the laughter of tourists could be heard, walking under the streetlights on the opposite bank of the river.

Jiang Shenghe pressed his lips to her forehead. “Let’s go check your room.” He released her. “You need to turn on the lights in your room to see.”

He had already hinted at a surprise. The moment Luo Qi opened the door, turned on the light, and saw the room clearly, she subconsciously touched the wall. It was real, not a projection.

The room, which was seven or eight square meters, was decorated in a pastoral and healing style. The original old windows were refurbished to extend the warm and healing feeling from outside the window.

The newly built arched bay window was lush and green. A cucumber vine climbed up the wooden lattice and was in full bloom. Several small gourds hung from the vine, peeking out from under the verdant leaves.

In other people’s homes, the screen was outside the windowsill, but in her room it was the opposite. An operable screen was installed between the room and the windowsill, keeping the windowsill on the outside. From Luo Qi’s angle, the wooden screen has the little cucumbers locked on the windowsill.

Open the wooden lattice screen window, and a pastoral scene would unfold before your eyes. Push open the outermost pane of glass, and the small cucumbers on the windowsill could fully enjoy the sunshine and rain.

Now a few leaves were sticking out of the window, swaying gracefully in the wind.

Jiang Shenghe said, “Planting too many cucumbers doesn’t look good, so after discussing it with your mother, we only planted one.” The sparse leaves were just right.

Luo Qi noticed a pot of strawberries under the cucumber leaves; they were mostly green, with only one or two showing a hint of pink.

Jiang Shenghe said apologetically, “I didn’t time the strawberry planting well, so you’ll have to eat green strawberries again.”

Luo Qi shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes, “It doesn’t need to be this complicated at all.”

Jiang Shenghe wiped away her tears. “It’s no trouble at all.” He just wanted to cheer her up and soothe the pain she felt from canceling her wedding three years ago.

He stayed with Luo Qi until 11 o’clock, until she fell asleep, before preparing to return to their marital house. At some point, his parents-in-law returned from the hotel; they had been testing the 5D effects for the wedding banquet, and Jiang Yifang was still reeling from the visual spectacle.

She raised a certain matter.

“Shenghe, tell us the truth, how much did that 5D scene actually cost?”

“It’s not much money.”

Jiang Yifang laughed and said, “You’re trying to fool us again. I heard from the hotel staff that it was built by several top-notch technical teams, two of whom were brought in from abroad. How could it not have cost a lot of money?”

Jiang Shenghe downplayed the issue, only saying that some technologies require the collaboration of several teams, and told them to get some rest.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

At three in the morning, Jiang Yifang got up to go to the bathroom. The kitchen light was on, and there was some rustling inside. “Xiao Qi?”

“Ah? Mom, why are you up?” Luo Qi came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of instant noodles.

“You eat instant noodles in the middle of the night?”

“Mm. I woke up hungry.”

“Didn’t you eat last night?”

“I did.”

But she was still hungry.

Luo Qi sat down at the wooden table, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and ate. There wasn’t much flavor. “Mom, do we have chili oil at home?”

“No.” Jiang Yifang came out of the bathroom. “Neither your father nor I eat spicy food, so we’ve never bought any.” She looked at her daughter thoughtfully. “You can’t eat spicy food either, can you? Eat less, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable.”

“I don’t eat too much. It’s just that these past two days I’ve felt that the spicier and more sour it is, the better it tastes.”

Jiang Yifang absentmindedly wiped her hands with a towel and sat down opposite her daughter. “You…” she wondered how to express herself appropriately.

“What’s wrong?” Luo Qi silently slurped her noodles, glanced at her mother, and waited for her to continue.

“Are you and Shenghe planning to have a child?”

“…”

Luo Qi blinked. Had she won the lottery?

“Any other reactions?”

“I sleep soundly and I eat well, but I can’t seem to get enough sleep, and I’m never full.”

Jiang Yifang couldn’t hide her joy. “That should be it. Mom will go to the pharmacy tomorrow morning to buy you a box of test strips, and you can test at home first.”

Luo Qi thought she would be too excited to sleep, but she fell asleep soundly a few minutes after resting her head on the pillow. Jiang Yifang, on the other hand, was so happy that she couldn’t sleep.

The next morning, Jiang Yifang went to a nearby pharmacy and waited half an hour for it to open. Just to be on the safe side, she bought two kinds of test strips.

When she got home, Luo Qi got tested, and both test strips showed the same result: two lines.

Luo Qi sat at the wooden table drinking milk. The curtains were drawn back, and the morning light fell on her shoulders.

She texted Jiang Shenghe: [Husband, congratulations!]

Jiang Shenghe: [Congratulations to you too.]

Luo Qi laughed. [You don’t even know what I’m congratulating you on.] She planned to give him a surprise at the wedding tomorrow.

Jiang Shenghe was in the wedding banquet hall, busy adjusting things, and didn’t have time to savor the meaning of her last sentence.

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

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A list of all advance chapters is HERE.
Chapter 70.2 — (Extra) The Wedding
Chapter 70.3 — (Extra) The Wedding
Chapter 71.1 — (Extra) Baby
Chapter 71.2 — (Extra) Baby
Chapter 72.1 — (Extra) Daily Life of Raising Kids
Chapter 72.2 — (Extra) Daily Life of Raising Kids
Chapter 73.1 — (Extra) Luo Yu x He Xu, Chu Lin x Luo Yuli
Chapter 73.2 — (Extra) Luo Yu x He Xu, Chu Lin x Luo Yuli
Chapter 74.1 — (Extra) Luo Yu x He Xu, Chu Lin x Luo Yuli, Luo Qi x Jiang Shenghe
Chapter 74.2 — (Extra) Luo Yu x He Xu, Chu Lin x Luo Yuli, Luo Qi x Jiang Shenghe