Simon Forrester was on the phone beside her, while Sienna Thornton stared at the signboard of Nankai Grill’s Japanese dumplings and occasionally glanced back at him.
She didn’t know why, but she felt he looked unwell, sowhat heavy-hearted.
She wondered who had called him, making his expression so grim, when he walked over to her.
"Dumplings are more authentic back ho in the north." Simon put his arm around her shoulder, "Do you want to eat this?"
Sienna nodded, "What about you?"
"Sure." Simon took her hand and led her into the restaurant.
Sienna had Japanese dumplings and noodles, while Simon ate eel rice and ordered so side dishes.
During the al, noticing Simon still seed troubled, Sienna felt a bit worried and asked, "Whose call was that just now? Did sothing happen?"
Simon didn’t answer but instead asked, "How about we go to a nearby pub for a couple of drinks after dinner?"
The ntion of drinking piqued Sienna’s interest imdiately, and she exclaid, "Sure!"
"Great, then focus on your al."
Sienna obediently concentrated on her food, and before long, she had cleared most of the dishes on the table.
She was keen on going to the pub, so she ate a bit quickly. Seeing she had finished, Simon no longer ate his half-remaining eel rice and went to pay the bill directly.
They found a quiet pub nearby, chose a small private room, and ordered a few side dishes and sake.
Sitting on the clean and warm tatami mats, the private room was very quiet, and their spirits were relaxed and at ease. Sienna kept thinking about the phone call Simon received earlier that had affected his mood.
"Honey," she asked, "Can you tell now who called you just now?"
Simon looked at her, his face softened, and he smiled, "It was Gavin Gale, regarding work."
"Is there a problem at the company? Do you need my help?"
Simon spoke lightly, "It’s nothing serious, just that I’m away, and so decisions need to be delayed, which made it difficult for the subordinates, but it’s all sorted now."
Since he said that, Sienna believed him and didn’t pursue it further.
They paired small drinks with small dishes.
With her husband around, Sienna drank freely, and soon her cheeks were flushed.
In the dim light, her rosy cheeks made her look particularly gentle and lovely.
Simon set down his glass, walked over from across the table, sat beside her, wrapped her in his arms, pinched her flushed, warm cheek, and asked, "When was your last dical check-up?"
She twirled her bright black eyes, thought for a while, and said, "I think it was in July."
He nodded and advised, "If you ever feel unwell, let know."
"Don’t worry, folks from rural areas like have good constitutions."
Simon hugged her tightly.
She shared so amusing stories about catching wild ga in the mountains when she was young and ntioned she rarely gets sick; the only illness she rembers was the last ti she had a fever.
Listening, Simon seed lost in thought. After a while, he suddenly asked inexplicably, "If I were to leave before you, would you remarry?"
Without thinking, she answered confidently, "Definitely not!"
Slightly tipsy, she looked up at him, raised her hand to stroke his strong, tense jawline, and smiled with flushed cheeks, "After experiencing a man like you, how could I ever accept another?"
He smiled too, looking intently into her eyes, "Hearing you say that, I’m relieved."
Seeing her only smile without speaking, he continued, "I’ve changed my mind, I want to have kids sooner."
She burst out laughing, poking a finger at his cheek, "I told you, you’re getting older and must be anxious. You were pretending not to be in a hurry yesterday..."
He didn’t banter with her, observing her slightly intoxicated state, and spoke softly, "Call it selfish or domineering, but I can’t bear the thought of you being with another man after I’m gone. So if I do leave first, at least the kids will be there to accompany and protect you."
Seeing him behaving as if he were making final arrangents, she suddenly shivered, sobered up a bit, sat up quickly, held his hand urgently, "What’s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly saying this?"
Not waiting for his answer, she started patting his stomach randomly, "Are you feeling unwell sowhere?"
He laughed, pulled her into his arms, kissed her brow and eyes, comforting her, "Don’t worry, I’m healthy. It just suddenly crossed my mind that it’s sothing we will face eventually. Okay, let’s not talk about it."
Her heart settled back in place as she playfully punched his chest, pouting, "Bad guy, trying to scare ..."
.
They stayed at the pub until late, just because the atmosphere was nice and they felt like talking a lot. Before they knew it, it was late.
After returning to the hotel, they freshened up a bit, embraced each other, and had a good night’s sleep.
On the third day in Japan, they visited Nankai Castle Park, Osaka Castle Keep, and Universal Studios; on the fourth day, they went to Kyodell, visiting Yasano Shrine and Fushimi Inari Shrine.
These places were rely glanced over, walking around for the sake of visual enjoynt.
On the fifth day in Japan, they set off for Fuji.
From Nankai to Fuji, by taking the Shinkansen, they could reach Rivenport in half a day.
Rivenport is the closest place to Mount Fuji, where there are many onsen hotels and traditional accommodations. As Sienna had read in novels, soaking in the hot springs under Mount Fuji with a loved one is quite a fascinating experience.
This ti, Simon didn’t choose a five-star hotel; he took Sienna to a quaint onsen guesthouse.
Surrounded by verdant greenery, the traditional Japanese-style guesthouse boasted vast lawns, with a small classical tower in the not-so-large backyard, glowing beautifully under the sunlight. From the zen-inspired lake-view room, one could enjoy views of dense woods and a glimpse of Lake Rivenport.
The rooms at the guesthouse were in classic Japanese style, with light yellow tatami mats, brown Japanese furniture, white sliding doors, and a vintage design.
Its biggest feature was that the living room led directly to a private onsen pool, surrounded by stones and greenery, offering great privacy. Not far away was the stunning beauty of Mount Fuji.
Simon was checking the room’s safety, while Sienna kneeled on the tatami, organizing their luggage.
She opened the bags they brought from Nankai and took out a few brightly colored yet thin kimonos, asking, "These kimonos are so thin, when do we wear them?"
Simon turned to look at her, a vague smile on his lips, "Two are bathrobes, two are pajamas."
——
Finally, it’s ti for the onsen journey, with the onsen sweet daily life theater (2000 words) coming before midnight.
Previously, sweet daily life scenes were exchanged for a certain level of fan points, but tonight’s onsen theater can be claid with a monthly vote (since now two votes count for double, so one vote can be doubled to two, and having a single monthly vote record allows claiming the onsen theater).
Readers who haven’t voted for the monthly ticket can still claim with their fan points (up until Chapter 512, fan points requirent not less than 3180).
To claim the onsen theater, privately ssage the group owner or administrator of the reader group.
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