Next One Is a Babe

Ian made a clear distinction between his lover and her family. He knew that it was Cindy whom he was dating and spending the rest of his life with, so he wasn’t too bothered by how Hazel acted. He didn’t see an issue even if Hazel only agreed for them to date because Hazel thought he was rich. It was understandable for the older generations to have such considerations, after all.

The couple had only been standing in their backyard for a while when they heard noises coming from the main entrance. It’s probably the neighbors, Cindy thought. They’re probably visiting because they heard that I brought my boyfriend home. That was how things were like in Cindy’s area—all of the neighbors would gather around to see what was going on whenever something happened in their area.

Hazel heard the voices coming from outside, so she hurried out and urged the neighbors to enter. Once the neighbors walked over to the yard, they immediately spotted Ian. “You must be Cindy’s boyfriend. I heard you aren’t local. Where are you from? How long have you guys been dating?”

Cindy secretly celebrated the fact that most of her neighbors were old men and women who didn’t use the Internet. They couldn’t recognize Ian at all. As the neighbors swarmed in, Ian stood beside Cindy and nodded politely to all the unfamiliar faces. He had a faint smile on his face as he looked at them.

Cindy was worried that the neighbors would make Ian feel uncomfortable, so she held his arm and stopped him while everyone else made their way back into the house. Ian was surprised when he noticed Cindy getting him to stay in the backyard. “Aren’t we going in?”

She shook her head. She knew that the neighbors would certainly have a conversation with her mother about how Ian seemed like as an individual, so she knew that it’d be awkward for them to sit in the same room. There were stools in the yard, so the couple settled there instead.

Initially, Cindy had assumed that Ian wouldn’t enjoy his time at her place, but to her surprise, he stretched his arms and chuckled as he spoke. “This is great. It feels so good to live like this.”

Cindy blinked at him. “How is it good?”

This was the type of lifestyle Ian preferred. He wanted to live somewhere far from the city, and he liked that all the neighbors could travel in and out of each other’s property. Life wasn’t all about technology and money; it was also about slowing down and enjoying the present moment. That was how he preferred to live his life.

Cindy chuckled. “I think you should move here.” She had been joking, so she was shocked to see Ian nodding his head seriously. “Honestly, I think it would work. Let’s pick a place around here to settle down in the future. I prefer living in a village where I can gather around and chat with my neighbors. It makes me feel good.”

She looked at him as she thought, He probably longs for this lifestyle because he has never experienced it in the past. Cindy grew up in a village, and she knew that every area had its own perks. Living in a village did allow for more human connections, but it also meant that there was more drama. There were no clear boundaries between the people in the village, which resulted in rather troublesome situations every now and then.