On the weekend, they went outing in the suburbs as planned. Xia Nanze and Gu Shanshan drove off on their own. Gu Nianbin went to pick up Xia Xiaowan. He sat in the living room to chat with Xia Deren and Madam Xia while waiting for Xia Xiaowan to come downstairs.

Xia Xiaowan sat in front of the dressing mirror. She suddenly felt inexplicably nervous. In fact, she and Gu Nianbin had grown up together and were extremely familiar with each other. However, when Gu Nianbin had come to pick her up so seriously, she felt a little embarrassed. She got up early and put on some light makeup. But when she saw Gu Nianbin’s car driving in from the window, she rushed to the bathroom to wash off her makeup for no reason.

She picked the clothes for a long time, but in the end, she just wore jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. It was very common leisurewear.

When she went downstairs, Madam Xia saw her and said, “What have you been doing upstairs? Nianbin has already been here for quite a while.”

Xia Deren smiled and said to Gu Nianbin, “Girls are like this when they go out. They spend a lot of time putting on makeup and picking clothes. We can’t rush them. If we do, they will lose their temper.”

“Actually, I didn’t wait long. Compared to Shanshan, Xiaowan is very good.” Gu Nianbin smiled gently.

Madam Xia said, “Nianbin, you can’t spoil her. This girl has been spoiled by us since she was young. She has a lot of bad habits. You have to discipline her in the future.”

Xia Xiaowan blushed and glared at Mrs. Xia. Mrs. Xia teased her even more, “Oh, you get shy, don’t you? Your face is usually thicker than the city walls.”

Xia Deren laughed loudly. Xia Xiaowan was extremely embarrassed. She quickly dragged Gu Nianbin out and said, “Don’t listen to them. They always don’t say good things about me in front of outsiders.”

Gu Nianbin opened the car door for her. “Am I an outsider?”

Xia Xiaowan was stunned. She chuckled but did not answer him directly.

Along the way, they didn’t say anything. They sat upright, appearing to be polite. They were like a young man and woman who were dating for the first time, and they seemed rather reserved.

The car sped on the wide asphalt road. The window of the car was half open, and the spring breeze was blowing in the face, warm. The sun was bright, and there were green wheat seedlings on both sides, which was pleasing to the eye.

Xia Xiaowan cast a glance at Gu Nianbin and saw him looking out of the window. His handsome face looked calm, but his gaze was a little absent-minded, as if he was thinking about something.

“Brother Nianbin,” She called him. Gu Nianbin answered and turned to look at her. “What did you say?”

He was indeed absent-minded. She had only called him, without saying anything else. But she did not expose him. She smiled and said, “I said the scenery outside the window is very beautiful.”

“Yes, it is.” Gu Nianbin looked out of the window seriously. “Spring has come. Everything has awakened. The flowers are red, and the willows are green. It is full of vitality. How can it not be beautiful?”

Xia Xiaowan smiled playfully. “Brother Nianbin, you are so literary. Your words kept jumping out.”

Gu Nianbin laughed. “I almost forget that you major in Chinese. How can I show off in front of you? If Shanshan knows, she will laugh at me again. Why don’t you recite a poem to match the scenery?”

Xia Xiaowan did not refuse and recited, “By the Huangshi pagoda the river flows east. The languishing charm of spring prevails in the breeze. A cluster of ownerless peach trees bloom in luxuriant splendor. Which are more lovely, the red flowers or the pink?”

“You are indeed a talented girl from the Chinese Department. If you ask me to recite a poem, I will only be able to say: ‘This spring morning in bed I’m lying. Not wake up till I hear birds crying.'” Gu Nianbin gave a thumb to her.

Little Ding, who was listening at the front, also interrupted, “Young Master, even I can recite this poem. The following is, ‘After one night of wind and showers, how many are the fallen flowers?'”

Xia Xiaowan was overjoyed. “Anyone who has been in primary school should know this poem, right?”

“You mean, I’m only at the primary school level?” Gu Nianbin deliberately frowned and asked her.

Little Ding was unconvinced and said, “I also know another one. ‘All flowers in late spring have fallen far and wide. But peach blossoms are full-blown on this mountainside. I oft regret spring’s gone without leaving its trace. I do not know it’s come up to adorn this place.'”

Xia Xiaowan smiled and clapped her hands. “Not bad. Little Ding can be considered at the junior high level.”

In the rearview mirror, they could see Little Ding smiling proudly.

Gu Nianbin seemed to be arguing today, saying, “I also know one. ‘I do not know today where shines pretty face; Only the pretty flowers still smile in vernal breeze.'”

Little Ding said, “Young Master, this is only half of a poem. There are two more sentences so that it is a complete one.”

However, Gu Nianbin couldn’t remember the rest. He frowned and sighed, “It’s almost on the tip of my tongue, but why do I forget it now?”

Seeing his anxious look, Xia Xiaowan laughed and said, “Brother Nianbin, if you remember the first two sentences, you can also be considered to be at the junior high level.”

“So what I recite was the last two sentences?” Gu Nianbin asked, “Why do I think I was reciting the first two sentences?”

“I think you should just forget about it. You don’t even remember the right order,” Xia Xiaowan told him seriously, “The first two sentences are: ‘This very day last year, oh, at this very place, a pretty face outshone the flowers of peach trees.'”

“So they are the first two sentences. Why do I forget them?” Gu Nianbin muttered, “I remembered them before.”

As they chatted and laughed along the way, the atmosphere became warm. Even Little Ding joined the chatting. They enjoyed a happy journey of more than an hour and arrived at the destination without notice.

After entering the yard and seeing Gu Shanshan’s car, Xia Xiaowan opened the door and shouted, “Shanshan, we are here!”

Gu Shanshan ran out in high spirits and gave Xia Xiaowan a warm hug. Then, she turned around and threw herself into Gu Nianbin’s arms. Gu Nianbin put one hand against her. “Don’t make it seem like a reunion after a long time. We clearly just met this morning.”

This sentence amused everyone. Gu Shanshan pretended to pout. “Brother, you are old-fashioned. I am your sister. What’s wrong with hugging? Look at the foreigners. When brothers and sisters meet, they always hug and kiss. How intimate they are!”

“They are foreigners. We are Chinese.” Gu Nianbin said, “I think we Chinese are quite reserved, which is good. Am I right, Xiaowan?”

Xia Xiaowan was originally watching the two siblings joking around, but she did not expect Gu Nianbin to drag her in as well. Without much thought, she smiled and agreed, “Yes.”

“Xia Xiaowan,” Gu Shanshan stomped her feet in anger. “You have lost your sense because of love!”

Gu Nianbin and Xia Xiaowan smiled at each other and walked into the house. Old Huang, who was guarding the villa, stood under the corridor and greeted respectfully, “Young Master, Miss Xia.”

Gu Nianbin nodded and asked, “Is the house ready?”

“Knowing that young master and young ladies are coming, it was prepared two days in advance. Uncle Xiao also specially sent Chef Wang over, saying that our task was to let young master and young ladies eat and live well and spend a happy weekend here.”

Gu Nianbin nodded. “Uncle Xiao has always been very thoughtful.”

They entered the hall. Gu Shanshan said, “Hey, why isn’t Brother Nanze here yet?”

“He said he would come later,” Xia Xiaowan sat down on the sofa, looked around the room, and said with some emotion, “This place hasn’t changed at all. It’s still the same as before.”

Gu Shanshan said, “We haven’t been here during the past few years. If my parents wanted to have some peace, they would go back to the ancestral mansion and stay there. This place has always been empty.”

Old Huang served the tea. The three of them drank and chatted. They wanted to wait for Xia Nanze to go up the mountain together. However, it wasn’t long before Xia Nanze called. He said that he had something to do and would not come. He let them play by themselves.

Gu Shanshan pouted. “I originally wanted to gather four people to play cards, but now we’re missing one.”

Gu Nianbin smiled. “So you came here to play cards, but you made a good name as spring outing!”

Xia Xiaowan looked at the bright sunlight outside the window and said, “Since he won’t come, let’s stop waiting. Shall we go up the mountain?”

When Gu Shanshan heard that Xia Nanze wasn’t coming, she seemed to lose her interest. She curled up on the sofa and looked lazy. “It’s so tiring to drive so far. It’s better to go up the mountain after lunch. Anyway, there are many trees on the mountain. We won’t get sunburnt at noon.”

Gu Shanshan was the youngest, so Gu Nianbin and Xia Xiaowan naturally did not object to her suggestion.

Seeing that Xia Xiaowan and Gu Shanshan were chatting, Gu Nianbin got up and went outside to smoke. He stood in the corridor and looked into the distance. The green mountains in the distance were dark, and the green waters near them were clear. He raised his head and looked at the sky. The clouds were white and the sun was so bright. It really made him feel comfortable.

They bought this house was exactly because of this beautiful scenery. Although this villa was located in the suburbs, it was not cheap. The developer had a unique vision. Other developers tended to flatten mountains to build houses, but this developer retained more than half of the natural mountain views. The greenery covered more than 50% of the area. Moreover, the unique scenery was developed on the mountain. There were peach trees, cherry trees, maple trees, green bamboo, pine trees, and camphor trees in large areas. Looking from afar, it was red, green, and yellow, very beautiful.

There were many lotus flowers planted in the man-made lake at the foot of the mountain. In spring and summer, the lotus leaves stretched and the fragrance of the lotus floated. It could be considered a beautiful scene.

After the construction was done as planned, the scenery here was picturesque all year round. In spring, peach blossoms were as gorgeous as the red sunset. In summer, one could admire the beauty of lotus and listen to the rain as well as row a boat and fish. In autumn, one could see maple leaves and pine leaves flowing in the wind. In winter, one could see the snow.

They were all detached villas, and the plot ratio was very low. Every house was far away from each other and separated by all kinds of flowers and trees. Even if they had a party in the villa, they would not disturb others. Everyone felt that the scenery here was as beautiful as a painting. Even if the price was a bit expensive, there was an endless stream of people buying it. It was extremely popular the moment it was on sale, and it was sold out in just a few days.

Gu Nianbin bought this place for his father. However, his father missed the old times and was willing to live in the ancestral mansion, which was a bit farther. Gu Nianbin felt it novel in the beginning and always asked Gu Shanshan, Xia Xiaowan and her brother to come on vacation. Later, Gu Shanshan was transferred to another place and he was busy dealing with business affairs in the Gu Group after taking it over. Therefore, he had no time and did not come. The house had been vacant all the time, and only Old Huang stayed here.

After he finished smoking, the cigarette fell to the ground. He stepped on it to put it out and was about to leave when Xia Xiaowan’s voice came from behind him. “Brother Nianbin, where are you going?”

He turned back and smiled brightly. “Do you want to walk around the lake?”

Xia Xiaowan caught up with him in a few steps and said happily, “Sure, I want to see the willow trees.”

Gu Nianbin looked into the room. “Is Shanshan not going?”

“She always says she is tired and doesn’t want to move.”

“Then leave her here. Let’s go.” Gu Nianbin said as he took out the cigarette box from his pocket.

Xia Xiaowan grabbed it. “I saw you throw the cigarette butt just now. You smoke too frequently. You can’t do this.”

Gu Nianbin smiled and said, “You are stricter with me than Shanshan is.”

Xia Xiaowan wanted to show him how serious she was. She raised her head and her eyes widened. “I have to be strict with you. You don’t know how to care for your own body at all.”

“Do you discipline Nanze like this at home?”

“Someone else will do it. It’s not my turn!”

“That’s why you discipline me.”

Xia Xiaowan opened her mouth, but didn’t reply. She blushed and lowered her head as she followed him.

“I was just joking. You took it seriously.” Since Gu Nianbin woke up, he had become more easy-going than before, and he loved to joke around.

But Xia Xiaowan always felt that something was wrong with him. Was it because he lost his memory?