Chapter 9 Chapter 9 It will definitely be alright

June 10th is the anniversary of Zhang Shuang's death. Qin Qiao left early, bought a bouquet of white chrysanthemums at a flower shop on the way, and drove to the cemetery.

Unlike the sunny days of the past few days, today the weather is overcast with a light drizzle; you can choose to use an umbrella or not.

Qin Qiao opened the car door and got out, walking up the steps into the drizzle carried by the breeze.

The steps, which are five or six meters wide, are planted with short pine trees on both sides. Every five meters or so, there is a vertical row of gravestones with the gravestone number and section number engraved on them.

Found it.....

"You like Yoshiki, right?"

“Let me tell you, he turns on ‘keep away’ mode as soon as night falls.”

"Hey Chen, your wife hit me, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Zhang Shuang's hearty laughter still lingered in her ears when a sudden gust of wind arose, instantly blurring her vision with mist, like an impenetrable fog.

Suddenly a clear female voice rang out: "Sister-in-law."

Qin Qiao lifted her gaze, shook off the water droplets from her eyelashes, and the moment her vision cleared, almost at the same time, Chen Jiashu turned to her.

In the light drizzle, the driver held an umbrella for him. Under the umbrella, his right eye was covered with a white gauze, which was even more dazzling than the sun that day.

What's wrong after only three days?

It's turned out like this...

"Qiaoqiao?"

Receiving no response, he called out softly again, "Qiaoqiao?"

It was as if he would keep calling out as long as she didn't answer. Qin Qiao stepped towards him, stopped outside the umbrella, and calmly said, "I'm here."

Chen Jiashu seemed relieved, and the muscles on his face gradually relaxed. "I just arrived too."

Tian Jiayue stepped out from behind Chen Jiashu: "Sister-in-law."

Ever since the day they met, Tian Jiayue has been calling her "sister-in-law, sister-in-law." She had wanted to tell her that day not to call her that, but she forgot for a moment.

But never mind, today isn't the time.

She curved her lips into a smile, as a response.

Qin Qiao stepped forward, bent down in front of the monument, and placed the bouquet of chrysanthemums down. Tears that had been welling up in her eyes mingled with the rain and slid warmly down her cheeks: "Brother Shuang, I've come to see you."

On June 7th last year, Qin Qiao received a call from Chen Jiashu. He probably thought she wouldn't answer his call, so he deliberately used Zhang Shuang's phone.

Upon learning that Zhang Shuang didn't have much time left, Qin Qiao immediately dropped everything and rushed back from England to see him one last time. By then, Zhang Shuang was already delirious; the usually carefree and witty man couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Although Zhang Shuang was Chen Jiashu's childhood friend, Qin Qiao often interacted with him because of Chen Jiashu, and the three of them formed a golden partnership, building a deep friendship over the past ten years.

He was diagnosed with mid-to-late stage stomach cancer five years ago, but in that phone call years ago, he lied to her, saying it was only early stage and already cured. They truly were brothers; it seemed she was never meant to know the things between men.

Qin Qiao stayed in China for three days, only buying a plane ticket to fly back on the day Zhang Shuang's ashes were buried. During those three days, she and Chen Jiashu only exchanged polite questions and answers when they met.

How are you?

fine.

After about ten minutes, Qin Qiao was soaked through by the rain. Fortunately, the summer rain was mild and didn't feel biting.

On the way back, they traveled together. Chen Jiashu didn't bring his white cane, so the driver helped him and held an umbrella for him.

Tian Jiayue was soaked in the rain, just like Qin Qiao.

My brother can't see, otherwise he would have felt sorry for his sister-in-law if he saw her getting wet in the rain. In fact, the way my sister-in-law looks at my brother also shows her heartache.

Tian Jiayue glanced to the side, the words that were on the tip of her tongue rolled in her throat, and she swallowed them back.

The rain was heavier than before, and Qin Qiao's eyelashes felt heavy with rainwater.

As soon as they stepped onto the ground, Qin Qiao couldn't help but call out to Chen Jiashu, who was about to turn around: "What..." He suddenly couldn't speak and stammered for a long time.

Chen Jiashu's lips curled slightly: "The net has come off, but it's back in place, it's nothing serious."

He said it was alright, but Qin Qiao could clearly hear the tension in his voice at the end.

"Back to the hospital?" Qin Qiao asked.

"I don't like the smell of hospitals, so I'll stay at home." Chen Jiashu slowly raised a reassuring smile. "Don't worry."

The three parted ways in the rain. Qin Qiao got into the car, and the windshield wipers cleared away the rainwater that had accumulated on the windshield, like scraping off a thick layer of glue.

The car carrying Chen Jiashu drove away. Qin Qiao's eyes stung with pain. She blinked, lowered her gaze, picked up her phone from the storage compartment, swiped to a search engine, and typed in "retinal detachment again."

A list of related terms pops up below.

She checked each item one by one, and the last one was: "[What if I lose my sight due to retinal detachment?]"

Her fingertips trembled, but she ultimately didn't click on it.

Retina detachment isn't a serious problem; as long as it's repositioned in time, vision can usually be restored.

The year Chen Jiashu got married, his right eye detached, but he was taken to the hospital in time and his eye was not damaged.

But those few days of experiencing blindness deeply affected him, even making him feel lost about his dreams and future. Like an ant falling into a maze, he couldn't find his way or his way out.

The day he returned from the hospital, he locked himself in his study for a day and a night without locking the door, but he didn't want to go out and just sat at his desk.

Qin Qiao gave him a day and didn't disturb him. When evening came, she knocked on the study door. The room was pitch black, so she turned on the overhead light.

Chen Jiashu remained seated, 'looking' at her. Having not eaten or drunk anything all day, his throat was hoarse: "Qiaoqiao... I'm wondering, if I'm destined to go blind, what's the point of everything I'm doing now?"

Qin Qiao stood in front of him, leaning against the desk: "Last year, the factory received a new batch of machines. Didn't you come back and tell me that you had bought defective products because you had no experience? Shuang Ge was so anxious. You and the mechanics studied how to repair them. For five days and five nights, you, someone who knew nothing about machine repair, actually learned how to repair machines. On the day of the celebration banquet, you treated everyone to dinner and gave each of them a red envelope. Everyone was very happy. Doesn't that count as meaningful?"

Under the lamplight, his face was as pale as paper, a heartbreaking sight. Chen Jiashu forced a bleak smile: "It's different. I can see the blueprints, I can see every single screw. If there's only darkness left, I really can't think of anything I can do... Qiaoqiao, I'm sorry to have made you suffer with me..."

Qin Qiao squatted down, hugged his clenched right fist, took it off her lap, and rubbed it against her face: "Jia Shu, do you know? I'm so glad you're willing to tell me your worries, helplessness, and sadness."

"If you really can't find your way, why not take a break? Don't forget you're not alone. I'll be there for you... and besides..."

She deliberately dragged out the "moreover" to arouse Chen Jiashu's curiosity, and he lowered his head.

Qin Qiao leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "I did the math the other day, and our savings are enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives."

Unexpectedly, she said that. Chen Jiashu raised his eyebrows, a few muffled laughs escaping his throat: "Money-grubber..."

He added, "Then I'll just stay at home and live off my savings."

"Sure, I'll go with you." Qin Qiao got up and sat sideways on his lap, turned around, and kissed his forehead. "Thank goodness my husband is so capable, I have enough to squander."

Chen Jiashu reached out and hugged her from behind, holding her tightly. He gently rested his head on her back, his low, husky voice muffled against her back: "Now you know I'm better. Who used to say I always worked overtime at night and didn't spend time with her?"

"Chen Jiashu, why are you bringing up old grievances now?"

Qin Qiao was about to turn around when Chen Jiashu gently stopped her, "Don't move, let me think about it some more."

Much later, he chuckled softly, his laughter clear: "Qiaoqiao, this is the meaning, isn't it?"

At ten o'clock that night, Chen Jiashu was still sitting quietly in his study when his personal assistant, Lao Song, ran up, knocked on the study door, and stood in the doorway to tell him:

"Chairman Chen, there is a Ms. Qin Qiaoqin visiting you outside the door."

Chen Jiashu jumped up, grabbed his white cane, and eagerly headed for the door.

Downstairs, Qin Qiao, who had just stepped into the house, was stunned into place by the unchanged decor and the familiar atmosphere that greeted her.

She looked around.

The empty three-story villa, a blend of modern and Chinese styles, uses brown and white color schemes. The designer she once chose now seems a bit outdated.

"Ms. Qin, let me help you with that," the nanny said behind her as she entered through the closed door.

This is the nanny; I was as shocked as if I'd seen a ghost when I saw her.

Qin Qiao guessed that her late-night visit was too abrupt, and that there was probably no one like her in all of China.

But it's kind of ridiculous that what used to be my own home now requires me to carry things when I enter.

Qin Qiao handed the gift box to the nanny, saying, "Sorry to bother you."

The stairwell door opened, and upon hearing this sound, Qin Qiao suddenly turned her head.

Chen Jiashu came to see the guests, but he was wearing a dark blue pajama set with a lapel design, revealing a section of his fair neck and the outline of his collarbone.

He stepped out of the elevator with his white cane, turning his head left and right with a slightly bewildered look. It was only after the male caregiver beside him reminded him that he turned to look at her.

His left eye fell on the door behind her.

Her heart felt as if it had been suddenly tugged, a slight pain spreading through her.

Qin Qiao called softly, "Chairman Chen."

We just located her position, though there was still a slight deviation.

The air momentarily froze.

Until the cane touched the ground, a series of sounds resembled the incessant raindrops hitting the window at midnight.

As he approached, the air became thin again, and the feeling of drowning that she had felt in the car returned. Qin Qiao took a deep breath.

The male nanny behind him uttered a single word, "Stop," and Chen Jiashu immediately stopped in front of her: "You...you're here." He spoke very softly, as if raising his voice would scare her away.

After all, they had been together for ten years. Seeing him like this now, she felt an overwhelming sadness and pain, real and inescapable.

Qin Qiao forced a smile: "I came just to see you."

He lowered his eyes: "Is your foot feeling better?"

"It's all better now," Qin Qiao said.

The line of sight is tilted downwards.

The man's hand, which held the white cane, had slightly bulging veins on the back of his hand and white knuckles.

Was he nervous because he saw her in this state?

The nanny carrying the gift boxes spoke up: "Mr. Chen, Ms. Qin has sent two gift boxes."

Chen Jiashu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Thank you." He gestured for him to sit down for a while.

The nanny took the gift box, went into the storage room, and came out to stand against the wall.

The other two noticed Chen Jiashu's hand hanging at his side, made a slight gesture, and understood, then stepped away.

All three appeared well-trained, especially the male nanny, whose eyes were as resolute as a soldier's.

Back in the first two years after their marriage, they didn't hire a nanny because after her father, Qin Lang, passed away, Yang Shuhua came from Jiang City to live with them, and she took care of all the housework and meals every day.

Such a big house definitely needs a nanny to take care of it.

The two sat down on the sofa one after the other. Chen Jiashu leaned his white cane against the edge of the sofa, asked the nanny, Sister Bai, to make two cups of Longjing tea, and then turned to her and said:

"The doctor said there's a 90% chance of recovery, so there's no need to worry."

Qin Qiao said gently, "Chairman Chen will definitely recover."

"Thank you," he replied politely again.

There seems to be nothing else to say.

The long silence was broken by the sound of the nanny's footsteps. Sister Bai stopped in front of the coffee table, and placed the bone china teacup on the marble coffee table with a "clatter".

After the second sound faded, Chen Jiashu finally spoke: "The pre-rain Longjing tea tastes pretty good."

"I'll give it a try." Qin Qiao picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and savored the rich aroma of the tea. "Delicious."

"Sister Bai, there should be another jar at home. I'll give it to Ms. Qiao... Qin later."

Having grown accustomed to Chen Jiashu calling her "Qiao Qiao," Ms. Qin sometimes felt a sense of unfamiliarity, even though others called her that too, but it sounded like a fresh name coming from his mouth.

After that, they found themselves in a situation where they couldn't say anything.

Qin Qiao glanced at her watch; it was 10:25 PM. When she looked up, she saw Sister Bai yawn and Chen Jiashu's fingers lightly tapping the leather of the sofa.

Qin Qiao felt her fingertips touch something with sharp edges and corners... She picked it up and saw that it was a small yellow building block. These tiny particles are easy for a nanny to overlook when tidying up.

Qin Qiao subconsciously looked upstairs and forgot about it.

"Um..." she stood up, "Mr. Chen, it's getting late, I'll be going now."

Chen Jiashu reached for the white cane that was leaning against the sofa, but accidentally knocked it over.

Seeing this, Qin Qiao wanted to help.

However, before he could even take a step, Sister Bai rushed over, picked up the white cane from the ground, and handed it to Chen Jiashu.

"Boom!!"

The sudden clap of thunder startled them all.

Fearing a heavy rain, Qin Qiao hurriedly said, "I'm leaving."

Chen Jiashu nodded and insisted on seeing her to the door. Qin Qiao took the tea gift box from Sister Bai, looked up into Chen Jiashu's eyes, and said solemnly, "It will definitely be alright."

With that, she turned abruptly and rushed into the night, where the rain had just fallen.

A note from the author:

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