Chapter 134 Your uncle is like a mute, I'm the loudspeaker

Xue Tong paused for a second, then covered her mouth and chuckled.

"You bet I've been wondering the same thing. Why did I fall for your uncle? He's so dull and boring, like a mute."

Ji Yanjing's expression became somewhat unnatural when his young wife teased him in public.

However, he didn't refute anything to save face.

His relationship with Xue Tong was just an accident many years ago. When he went to the no-man's-land on the northeastern border to carry out a mission, he happened to encounter the youngest daughter of the Beijing Commander who had gone missing on Changbai Mountain.

Everyone thought he had no chance of survival, but he was shot while fighting with the criminals and was saved by her.

A tiny girl, wearing a white fur hat, her nose red from the cold, suddenly appeared in his sight.

Later, his gaze began to follow the girl closely.

See? Even a dull mountain like him is stirred up by her.

Xuetong has big, bright eyes, and when she smiles, she looks exactly like Zhizhi.

"Wow! You have dimples! Look at my face, I have dimples too!"

Zhizhi looked closely and discovered that it was actually true.

Not only that, she also discovered that her aunt was very easygoing. She was not only interested in the little clothes and boots she was wearing, but also asked her all sorts of questions like a curious child.

When the two girls had already started discussing going to the state-run barbershop the next day to give Zhizhi a trendy haircut.

Ji Yanjing finally couldn't help but cough twice to interrupt their conversation.

"We came here today specifically to bring Zhizhi back to the Ji family to see her."

Deng Qiu, who had been relatively relaxed, immediately sat up straight upon hearing his words, her hands clenching nervously.

"Zhizhi is very happy here..."

Jiang Anchao nodded in agreement, "Yes! She can't go with you!"

Gan Su pricked up his ears, his expression serious. "This is a matter of principle; we absolutely cannot back down!"

Zhenwei was even more exaggerated, standing with his hands on his hips and saying, "My sister gets itchy if she doesn't beat me up every day. If you take her away, where will she go to beat me up!"

Seeing the family's alarmed expression, Ji Yanjing sighed and added, "It's not that I'm going to change her household registration, don't misunderstand."

Zhizhi tilted her head curiously, "Then why would we go back to the nest?"

“We have found your mother’s belongings and want to build a tombstone for her in Suzhou. As the eldest daughter, you should go there.”

Ji Yanjing's deep voice carried a barely perceptible sorrow.

That was his younger sister who grew up with him. Her remains had been there for so long that no one remembered her. So all the old things were gathered together and arranged into a cenotaph so that when Zhizhi was older, she could pay her respects during festivals.

We can't let En Ning lie in the ground, cold and desolate, without any offerings.

Zhizhi pursed her lips, her eyes secretly glancing at her parents.

Although she has never seen what her biological mother looks like, she wants to go there.

However, directly stating the past might hurt my current parents' feelings.

Deng Qiu noticed the little cub's gaze and quickly said, "It's only right, I won't stop you. Zhizhi, that's your mother, you should go over there. Don't worry about me and your dad, we understand."

"Huh? Right!" Jiang Anchao scratched his head, still a little confused. "If you want to go, then go. You can take a look at the tombstones. When your mother and I die, we'll be buried there too. We can play mahjong together then. It'll also save you trouble when you go to the grave to burn paper money. Just burn it all for the three of us at once!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Deng Qiu couldn't help but nudge his arm.

People are here discussing serious matters, and all you do all day is make those dry jokes.

Is now the time to talk about this?

Jiang Anchao winced in pain and forced a dry laugh before shutting his mouth.

He was still a little aggrieved, because his wife couldn't stand it if she didn't nudge him a couple of times a day. Domestic violence is unacceptable!

He's a grown man, after all; how can he get beaten up every day?

Ji Yanjing finally understood why Zhizhi had said those things to him in the hospital corridor.

The atmosphere in the Jiang family was indeed as good as Zhizhi had described. The stepmother seemed like a reasonable person, and the stepfather... well, he could be considered a decent person, too.

He could finally relax and entrust Zhizhi to this place.

“Okay, Xue Tong and I plan to go back after the New Year. Anyway, there’s nothing much going on in Beijing, so we can take care of everything during our vacation. I’ll come pick her up then.”

After saying these words, Ji Yanjing got up to take his leave.

"Xuetong, let's go."

"No, Zhizhi is making me milk tea, so please be quiet!"

Xue Tong didn't turn her head, but watched excitedly as the little cub set up the iron net, placed a small ceramic pot on it, poured in white sugar, and stirred it back and forth with a small iron spoon until the tea leaves and sugar emitted a caramel aroma. Then she poured in a little bit of boiling water.

Several plump peanuts and chestnuts were placed next to the earthenware pot, roasting over the charcoal fire.

Zhizhi, standing nearby without looking up, said, "Uncle, you chat with my parents first. I'll make something for my aunt. It'll be ready soon!"

"Wow, is this milk tea? What should we add next?"

Xue Tong watched the little guy fiddling around with admiration. She herself liked to do research at home, but the food she cooked was always terrible. So, for the sake of the kitchen, Ji Yanjing stopped letting her cook.

I never expected that Zhizhi, such a young child, would have such skillful hands.

When the little one heard the question, he immediately explained enthusiastically, "After the tea base is brewed, we'll add milk. The fragrant milk combined with the sweet tea is so delicious! But my favorite is chocolate milk, so I'll put a piece of chocolate in after it's brewed. It tastes so good!"

Xuetong's mouth watered at the mention of it, and she immediately raised her hand, saying, "I want one too!"

"No problem! Auntie, I'll add some brown sugar glutinous rice balls that Mom makes! They're so chewy!"

As she spoke, Zhizhi ran to the kitchen and took out a small enamel bowl from the refrigerator. She carefully scooped out a few small glutinous rice balls and put them into the bowl. Soon, the milk tea was ready.

She poured a glass for her aunt, and Xuetong immediately presented it to her with both hands.

"It smells so sweet and delicious! I've never had such a wonderful dessert in Beijing!"

Ji Yanjing was a little worried. "Didn't the doctor tell you not to eat too many sweets? You're in so much pain every time you have your period, so don't drink them."

"Oh, it was made for me by Zhizhi, so I don't care about this little bit."

Xuetong glared at him reproachfully, then smiled and explained to the little boy, "Auntie has been in poor health since I was little. The doctor said I have congenital developmental problems, but it doesn't matter. Auntie likes Zhizhi and also likes the things Zhizhi makes. Auntie will definitely drink it all up!"

As she spoke, Xuetong picked up the glass, intending to take a sip.

Suddenly she felt nauseous.

She put down her milk tea, covering her mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.

Ji Yanjing frowned. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Xue Tong's face turned pale, and she suddenly felt a churning pain in her stomach.

Her sudden action startled Deng Qiu. "She...is she coming? I have something here, should I take it?"

Zhizhi's gaze slowly fell on her aunt's belly, and after a while, she showed a strange expression.

"Auntie, have you been having stomach aches for two months now?"

How did you know?

Zhizhi blinked, hoping she was seeing things, but she couldn't help but whisper, "I think I saw that Auntie's baby is about to be taken away."