Chapter 369 Days in Seaspring Valley City
When Willow was in her first year of high school, she once went to Mitchell's house to play with Daniel. By chance, she saw Mitchell's hand-drawn sketchbook on his desk and was captivated by the buildings Mitchell had designed.
She swore she borrowed it. Mitchell wasn't home at the time, so she texted him, asking if she could borrow it to look at again. Mitchell replied, saying it was okay, so she took it. She took it back to school and spent a long time admiring it. Since Mitchell never asked for it back, she kept it. By the time she remembered to return it, a long time had passed. Later, she began sketching in the book herself and writing about her secret crush on Mitchell.
That's why Willow was so nervous.
Watching Mitchell give up looking at the book and turn to look elsewhere, she felt guilty. It was clearly Mitchell's property. She took a deep breath and said, "Mitchell, it's for you." She handed the book over with a look of resignation.
Mitchell turned back, looked at her with amusement, and then took the book, still looking at Willow, who was staring at the book. He gently asked, "Is this my book?"
Willow nodded. "I borrowed it and forgot to return it." She had some selfish motives, wanting to keep it for herself. Mitchell thought for a moment. Then he looked at the notebook in his hand and back at Willow, who stood there looking distracted. He smiled and handed the book back, saying, "It's yours now."
Willow was stunned, not knowing how to react. Seeing her dumbfounded expression, Mitchell teasingly said, "What? Don't you want it?" Willow hurriedly grabbed the notebook, hugging it to her chest with a blush, treating it like a precious treasure.
Then she looked up at Mitchell. "Mitchell, don't you want to see what's inside?"
Mitchell casually pulled out one of Willow's high school exercise books from the bookshelf and flipped through it. It was filled with neat notes and annotations, showing Willow's hard work.
"Isn't this my notebook? It should have my early sketches," Mitchell said with a light smile. He remembered this book; it was his first sketchbook.
"I continued drawing in it," Willow hesitantly said, "and wrote some things too." Mitchell raised an eyebrow and looked over. "Oh really? So... are you planning to show me?" Willow blushed deeply. But she mustered up her courage and said, "If you want to see, go ahead."
Seeing her shy expression, Mitchell leaned in slightly and whispered in her ear, "We'll look at it when we get married." Willow had no choice but to lean against the bookshelf, her heart racing because of Mitchell's words, feeling a mix of emotions.
Mitchell held her hand, gently caressing it and smiling at her. Willow felt dizzy, just smiling foolishly.
Mitchell, seeing Willow's shy expression, felt an eager urge to marry her and take her home.
In the evening, Father Nelson still prepared a sumptuous dinner. Having lived in Seaspring Valley City for many years, they were accustomed to the local cuisine, enjoying some spicy flavors. When Willow and Mitchell arrived, Father Nelson made sure to cater to Mitchell's taste, cooking milder dishes. They didn't drink alcohol that night; the family sat together, enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal.
After dinner, Willow took Mitchell for a walk, and they ended up near the university town, attracting attention from passing students. The area was full of snack stalls, and despite having eaten a lot for dinner, Willow's eyes lit up at the sight of the snacks. Her stomach was full, but she wanted to try everything.
After walking around for a while, they couldn't resist buying some fried potatoes. Willow loved the fried potatoes from Seaspring Valley City, especially with the special chili sauce, crispy and fragrant. They found a spot by the roadside, sat down, and Willow playfully offered a piece of potato to Mitchell, saying, "Mitchell, try it."
Mitchell took a bite from her hand and savored it slowly. Willow eagerly asked, "Is it delicious?" Mitchell nodded gently. "Yes, it's delicious." Willow happily continued eating, occasionally feeding Mitchell a bite. Soon, they finished the fried potatoes.
Mitchell contentedly sat by her side. He thought, "Because you fed me, everything tastes good."
The nightlife in Seaspring Valley Citywas vibrant. The couple walked around for over an hour, enjoying the bustling streets. As they walked back, Father Nelson and Mother Nelson each had a cup of coffee, sitting in the courtyard on a small table with two chairs, chatting. Their conversations were not the usual small talk; they discussed astronomical and geographical topics. Willow loved listening to these stories when she was young.
When they returned, they joined the conversation in the courtyard. Mother Nelson began to recount stories from Willow's childhood. Many of these stories were also familiar to Mitchell, as he had been with Willow since she was six or seven years old. Whenever Willow listened to her mother's embarrassing stories, she would stare wide-eyed at Mother Nelson and ask, "Really? Why don't I remember?" Mother Nelson would always say, "If you don't believe me, ask Mitchell."
Mitchell would smile, nod, and say, "Yes, it's true." Even if he didn't remember clearly, he had to go along with his future mother-in-law's words.
After chatting for a while, Mother Nelson noticed it was getting late and urged the two to shower and rest for breakfast. Father Nelson took care of cleaning up the tableware. Willow went to take a bath while Mitchell stayed back to help Father Nelson tidy up. Father Nelson happily said, "You go rest. I'll take care of this." Mitchell kept his gentle smile. "Just let me help." He then carried the table inside and swiftly came out to move the chairs.
This was the time to show his best behavior. After all, he was waiting to marry Willow.