Chapter 50: Now that the couple is married, having children isn't exactly proper...

Shen Jiuxu was now somewhat embarrassed. His calm face changed instantly, turning red and white in turns. He hadn't expected that he had left such a big hidden danger for him.

He was actually at a loss, and now he was truly like a wooden statue, standing stiffly beside Jiang Yu, not knowing what to say, and his mind was already thinking of ways to make amends.

Can a failed meeting with the parents be made up for?

The two are already married, so even if Grandfather is dissatisfied with him, he probably won't kick her out, right? Jiang Yu will probably put in a good word for him, won't he? The chirping of those flower buds might even simulate the grand occasion of a house full of children and grandchildren; the old man would probably be happy to see that!

Shen Jiuxu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, with one thought after another popping into his mind, so many that he couldn't keep up.

"You're the one who loves to put on airs the most. What, you've been gone for a few years and don't recognize me anymore? When I lived here before, Jiang Yu secretly took the wine I buried under the tree and gave it to you to drink. Also, the chickens I raised were roasted and eaten by the two of you. I pretended not to see any of that."

As Zhou Yongyin spoke, the two wisps of mustache around his mouth almost stood up. He was angry when he thought about the chickens, ducks, and fine wine that had disappeared without a trace, and when he saw Shen Jiuxu's face.

Although he had long known the saying "children grow up and cannot stay at home," it still took Zhou Yongyin a long time to convince himself that their family's "cabbage" had been taken away.

A few years ago, my son brought home a man with all his limbs intact without saying a word, and grabbed his sleeve and said a lot of things.

Zhou Yongyin remembered things like, "He's pitiful with no parents, it breaks my heart to see him like this, doesn't your grandfather feel sorry for him too? Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, taking him home and giving him food won't cost much money."

Especially Jiang Yu's expression at that time, how could Zhou Yongyin, who had raised him since he was a child, not know it? He could tell at a glance that it was just a bunch of high-sounding nonsense.

He simply couldn't believe it. How could a perfectly healthy, well-dressed, strong man go to the mountains to pick wild fruits and not have eaten anything for several days? Did he look like a gaunt, emaciated person?

But that grandson of his actually believed it and brought the person back.

Zhou Yongyin was so confused and disoriented by what he said that he lost his mind. Although he wanted to refute it, Jiang Yu pushed him in front of him and saw an exceptionally well-behaved face.

Although Jiang Yu was obedient, he knew very well that the child he raised wouldn't be very well-behaved. Perhaps people just like what they don't have. Shen Yongyin couldn't resist the legendary "other people's children" as soon as he saw them.

The person in front of him seemed tailor-made for him. Dressed in a light green outfit, Shen Jiuxu looked like a young boy studying at home. His smooth, long hair was simply braided into a plait, adding a touch of elegance to his appearance. His red lips and white teeth, along with his slightly upturned phoenix eyes, revealed a sense of calm and composure.

Zhou Yongyin immediately overturned his previous idea and began to believe Jiang Yu's words; he really did look pitiful.

She looks like a child with a hard life but is well-behaved.

The grandfather and grandson were completely fooled by a tree, and from then on, Shen Jiuxu lived in the Zhou family.

Although it was in the mountains, it was usually just him and Jiang Yu there, so the courtyard wasn't very big. Besides the area for raising chickens and ducks and the kitchen, there were only two sleeping rooms and a latrine.

Naturally, Shen Jiuxu ended up living with Jiang Yu.

But when Zhou Yongyin thought about it later, he felt that he had been fooled by Shen Jiuxu again. He had clearly said that he and Jiang Yu would share a room, and that he would give the small room next door to Shen Jiuxu to stay in for a few days, which was a matter of courtesy and respect to the guest.

What happened next?

The more Zhou Yongyin thought about it, the more he felt that the person was utterly despicable. It was already late, and the sky was gloomy, looking like it was about to rain, so he urged the two of them to hurry inside.

“Jiuxu, why don’t you stay in this room? Jiang Yu and I will share a room, so that you won’t have trouble sleeping at night if you stay with a stranger since it’s your first time here.”

Shen Jiuxu seemed to be stunned for a moment, then looked to Jiang Yu for help. He was like a newborn cub, very dependent on the first person he saw. Zhou Yongyin just watched as he walked to Jiang Yu's side and tugged at his grandson's sleeve.

“Brother Jiang Yu, can I stay with you? I’m scared to be alone, and this is your room anyway. I’d feel guilty if you had to go somewhere else.”

What a good child! Zhou Yongyin thought he was so polite, clearly well-mannered. Jiang Yu thought so too, so he agreed.

Seeing that the two agreed, Zhou Yongyin didn't say anything more. Little did he know that these few words were like inviting a wolf into the house, and Shen Jiuxu stayed there from then on.

"grandfather."

Shen Qinggui didn't know what he was thinking, so he moved behind Zhou Yongyin and massaged his back. "I was just worried that you wouldn't agree. Besides, we haven't seen each other for years, so I should be polite."

"Still the same old self."

Zhou Yongyin burst out laughing and patted his shoulder repeatedly. "I saw through your little scheme with Jiang Yu a long time ago."

Jiang Yu, who was implicated for no reason: ...

Jiang Yu smiled bitterly. This probably had nothing to do with him. It was all Shen Jiuxu who tempted him. He was young and impetuous at the time, full of vigor and unaware of the dangers of the world. It was normal for him to be easily deceived by a tree.

"By the way, Grandfather, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Lu, the Daoist partner of Sect Leader Lian of Bailuzhou. This is my friend Lian Quesheng, and this is his disciple, Xichuang."

Lian Quesheng was very outgoing. Seeing that the mountain path was difficult to walk, he took the initiative to push Lu Buwen's wheelchair forward. "Grandfather, just call me Quesheng. This is my father."

Lu Buwen slapped him hard. "I should be the one introducing you, not the other way around."

"Dad, do we, father and son, still need to be so particular about this?"

Lian Quesheng was speechless. Xi Chuang chuckled and stood next to him. He was introverted and rarely spoke when he was with Lian Quesheng outside. He would only occasionally respond when Lian Quesheng made a joke.

"Uncle Zhou, please excuse my son. He is naturally unruly. If he does anything wrong, you can just scold him."

Lu Buwen explained, but Zhou Yongyin just waved his hand, not caring about it at all. "What are you talking about? Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu aren't exactly obedient either. Since they can get along well, don't I know their personalities well?"

Fortunately, Lian Quesheng pretended to be quiet and reserved, but little did he know that others had already seen through him. Standing next to Shen Jiuxu, they exchanged an awkward smile and a sense of misfortune suddenly arose between them.

"It's still this child; he's clearly very obedient."

Zhou Yongyin pointed to the west window and said, "Unlike the others, they're all faking it."

"Haha, as expected, Uncle Zhou has sharp eyes. He saw it at a glance. Only Xichuang is truly obedient."

Even though Lian Quesheng was unconvinced, Jiang Yu could only shrug and move his lips a few times, saying, "That's just how he is."

Amidst laughter and conversation, Zhou Yongyin led them inside. In a corner of the courtyard, a fence made of peach wood poles had been specially erected, and inside were several chickens and ducks, all of them plump and lively. When they saw people coming in, they kept clucking and quacking.

Tables and chairs woven from bamboo were placed in the center of the courtyard. Jiang Yu glanced around and found that there was an extra room. He blinked, genuinely surprised. "Grandfather, when...when did you build another room?"

Zhou Yongyin glared at him and said irritably, "Isn't this for Jiuxu? We clearly agreed to build another room, one for each of us. Who knew he would sleep in your room every day? After you two left, I thought about it and decided to build another room so we could separate you two when you came back. Isn't that great?"

Everyone fell silent.

"But now that you two have become Daoist partners, let's leave this house empty for the children to live in."

"What...what child?"

Jiang Yu was surprised to find that he couldn't understand human speech. What did this old man mean? He looked up at Shen Jiuxu, who was also staring back at him blankly.

"Since you're married, isn't it normal to have children?"

Jiang Yu swallowed hard, feeling somewhat at a loss. If he remembered correctly, he was a man, and Shen Jiuxu was also a man... Wait, Shen Jiuxu was also a tree, wasn't he? But he was also a man, so where did the child come from?

"Grandfather, where...where did this child come from?"

Jiang Yu asked tentatively, his mind racing. If Zhou Yongyin suddenly found someone she liked during these three years and got married, and he had to call her grandmother, it didn't seem unacceptable.

It's much better than someday having a child with Shen Jiuxu pop out of this old man's mouth.

"Don't trees flower and bear fruit?"

Zhou Yongyin looked at Shen Jiuxu with a serious expression, winking at him. Jiang Yu was completely stunned when he heard this. He had only recently learned that Shen Jiuxu was a tree, but the old man already knew?

"Cough cough cough—"

Jiang Yu almost choked on the water and coughed several times. Shen Jiuxu placed his hand on his back and gently patted him.

"Jiang Yu, why are you so agitated?"

Lian Quesheng was puzzled. Seeing that he was suddenly frightened by this ordinary sentence, he was even more confused. "It's just a tree, isn't it? Grandfather feels lonely and isolated on weekdays, and you are not around. What's wrong with planting a tree and letting it bear some fruit?"

"Could it be that this fruit is very sour?"

He seemed determined to get to the bottom of things, completely oblivious to the expression on the person next to him. Lu Buwen sighed, quietly pulled the man closer, and whispered in his ear, "Quesheng, shut up. You'll understand these things when you get married."

"What does getting married have to do with planting a tree and getting a result?" Lian Quesheng was still puzzled. "Well... even if Jiang Yu and Qing Gui get married, they can't just conjure up a tree, can they?"

"Cough cough cough cough—"

Jiang Yu coughed even more violently, her pale face flushed red as if someone had smeared color on it, and her beautiful eyes welled up with tears from the intense coughing. She glared at Shen Jiuxu with what appeared to be a fierce look.

But from the perspective of a certain tree, it doesn't seem intimidating at all; it just looks exceptionally cute.

"You can shut up now." Lu Buwen pulled Lian Quesheng behind the house again. "People can say what they want, you haven't done anything, why are you always interrupting?"

"What do you mean, 'did I do it'? How do you know I didn't do it?"

Lian Quesheng didn't understand what he meant, so he stubbornly replied, "I know a lot more than that."

Lu Buwen didn't want to talk to him. He always had to join in on everything. This kid was hopeless.

"Grandfather, when did you find out? And... and not even one tree is acceptable, right? Stop overthinking things." Jiang Yu wished he could dig a hole and disappear. Shen Jiuxu stood in front of him, meeting Zhou Yongyin's gaze. His hands awkwardly went behind his back. When exactly was his identity exposed?

Having lost his memory, he truly knew nothing when asked.

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my own way of doing things. I'll just keep this house anyway; I'll definitely need it someday." Zhou Yongyin was like a stubborn child, insisting on his own ideas. Jiang Yu gave up when he couldn't persuade him.

Doesn't he already know whether this tree will bear fruit or not?

After a while, Lian Quesheng, who had been dragged over by the ear, saw that they had all quieted down and thought that the matter of getting the fruit had come to an end. But in reality, he still didn't understand why Lu Buwen thought he didn't know anything.

“It’s getting late, Jiang Yu. Take Jiu Xu up the mountain to gather some firewood. Some guests are coming over, so you can try my old man’s cooking.” Zhou Yongyin laughed heartily, then went around to the fence and reached out to grab a chicken.

“Grandfather, let me try, let me try, I’ve wanted to try for a long time.” As soon as Lian Quesheng saw this, he immediately forgot his doubts and ran over like the wind. “I’ll help you catch it. Xi Chuang, do you want to come and try?”

Xi Chuang stepped back and politely declined, then stayed by Lu Buwen's side, speaking softly. Zhou Yongyin was immediately delighted with Lian Quesheng's personality. "Young man, your grandfather will build you another house. When you get married, you can bring your wife to live here. No, I'll build you two houses, and one for your children too."

"OK."

Lian Quesheng became even more excited and caught the chicken with even more vigor. Before he knew it, chicken feathers flew everywhere and landed on his face, making everyone burst into laughter.

Not far away, Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu secretly slipped away to gather firewood, and unknowingly walked to the tree where the two first met.

"This is it."

Jiang Yu pulled Shen Jiuxu over and leaned against the tree, saying leisurely, "Do you think Grandfather might have seen you when you took human form? It's incredible that he knew about it even before I did."

"have no idea."

"Can you remember anything? The first time I saw you, you were lying on this branch."

Shen Jiuxu looked at the tree, which was about four or five people tall. In the middle, there was a horizontal branch, about the thickness of a person. Looking up from below, it was indeed a good place to sleep.

Flower buds sprouted from his head once again, and upon hearing Jiang Yu's words, they all opened their petals even more profusely to see what was happening there.

"This tree isn't even as pretty as me."

"Yes, this tree won't bloom, let alone bear fruit."

Jiang Yu was amused by them and couldn't help but ask, "So, will you get the result?"

The flower bud was stumped by the question; it didn't know either. But its inner pride compelled it to be superior to the tree next to it, so it said in a deep voice, "The divine tree is omnipotent."

"Hahaha, you were the one who hit me on the head back then." Jiang Yu twitched his finger, picked the flower and stuffed it into his sleeve. Then, he quickly climbed up the tree and lay down on it, just like Shen Jiuxu had done back then, with one arm behind his head.

His blue robes hung down, and his long, black hair swayed freely along with them. He called out Shen Jiuxu's name loudly.

"Shen Jiuxu—"

A flower flew towards him, its fragrance filling the air. Shen Jiuxu caught it and looked up to see a smiling face waving at him. Several images flashed through his mind: a similar young man, waving and smiling at him. He then followed the man.

"Brother Jiang Yu, do you want to come home with me?"

He remembered the words that had stayed with him for so long, the same words Jiang Yu had asked him back then, only now they were reversed. The two looked at each other and smiled. Jiang Yu's voice came with the wind, his deliberately drawn-out voice carrying a hint of coquetry, "Yes."

A gentle evening breeze blew by, and the woods were quiet at dusk. Weary birds had returned to their nests, and two tiny black eyes peeked out from their nests, staring at two people who were chatting and laughing.

Shen Jiuxu was carrying a bundle of firewood, while Jiang Yu filled his outer robe with a bag full of red wild berries. He took one, wiped it a few times, and fed it to Shen Jiuxu, saying, "Try this."

Is it sweet?

Just as Shen Jiuxu was gathering firewood, Jiang Yu happened to see some wild fruit nearby and picked a bunch of them.

"Sweet." Jiang Yu said with a smile. Shen Jiuxu stared at him for a few seconds, took a small bite, and frowned the moment it entered his mouth. Jiang Yu burst out laughing when he saw this. "This...this is a wild sour apricot, it's sour, hahaha, have you never eaten it before?"

"What? Haven't you eaten before?" Lian Quesheng heard the commotion and came over to greet them. "This one, is it good?"

"Delicious," Shen Jiuxu and Jiang Yu said in unison.

Lian Quesheng grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth. The next second, he yelled. Jiang Yu snatched the bundle of firewood from Shen Jiuxu's arms, threw it on the ground, and started running, not forgetting to drag Shen Jiuxu, who had shared joys and sorrows with him, along.

Lian Quesheng, whose tongue was sour, astringent, and oozing with green juice, truly experienced what it meant to be treacherous in the world. He immediately picked up a stick and chased after the two men, beating them.

"Xichuang, why don't you go and play with them? It's quite boring to always stay by my side. You young people can get along well."

Lu Buwen picked up the firewood from the ground and pushed the wheelchair to find Zhou Yongyin. He helped him stuff firewood into the chimney, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, obscuring two faces.

"Elder Lu, did you come all this way with these children because you have something important you'd like my help with?"

Zhou Yongyin, being well-informed, could naturally tell that Lu Buwen's visit was not a simple stopover. Seeing that the children were not there, he got straight to the point.

"Since Uncle Zhou has brought it up, I won't hide it anymore. This child, Jiang Yu, looks very much like an old friend of mine. I wonder if Uncle Zhou could tell me the names and whereabouts of Jiang Yu's biological parents?"

Seeing that the man didn't answer, Lu Buwen naturally saw his concerns. "To be honest, my wife and I haven't seen her for over twenty years. Many years ago, when we parted ways at Bailuzhou, she said we would meet again someday, but we haven't heard from her at all these years. We've been looking for her all this time."

"What's the name of your old friend?"

Zhou Yongyin put down the knife in his hand. Hearing his words, he seemed to think of something. Seeing that his expression seemed to have softened, Lu Buwen quickly said, "Ye Jianqing is a woman. I wonder if Uncle Zhou has seen her before?"

“Jiang Yu looks almost exactly like her. My wife and I have always had our suspicions, so we came here to ask her about it.”

Lu Buwen stared intently at the man's expression, not missing a single change in his demeanor; his heart was in his throat. Zhou Yongyin's expression was solemn, and the aroma of food wafted from the iron pot beside him, filling the small kitchen with the warmth of home cooking.

"I've met you."

Zhou Yongyin said slowly, "Jiang Yu is her child. You have not made a mistake."

"I was right. If A-Su knew, she would be very happy. So where is she now?" Lu Buwen smiled and hurriedly looked for paper and pen to send a message to Lian Chisu.

"She's dead, she's buried right behind here."

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The author says: Trees bear fruit, but they don't have children. This is a foreshadowing, something with a proper purpose.

This chapter is still quite long, I'm working hard to update it! (very loudly)

Thank you so much for your comments and support in the comments section! [Blue heart emoji]

Here's a recommendation for a new pre-order, a novel with a quirky synopsis: "After I Fell Asleep, I Fished in the Hospital Disinfectant." Add it to your favorites!

A medical student who is barely alive and mentally ill, and who is always sleepy, is the bottom.

A haughty, domineering blue fish (the kind that can transform into a human) is the seme.

Jiang is a medical student.

He was the type who wanted to sleep as soon as he got to the hospital. Until that day, when he finished his night shift, he glanced at the ward and saw a bunch of blue fish coming out of the IV drip that the nurse had just put on.

The blue fish spit out blue bubbles, enveloping the patient with a feeding tube who was still clamoring for hot pot and beer in the center, while the colleague next to him who always talks about being healthy but actually stays up all night drinking milk tea is also enveloped. Each bubble contains a different person.

Jiang saw himself inside the bubble, with small blue fish wagging their tails at him, their mouths wide open with fangs, swallowing one of the patients whole.

What the hell is this? It's one thing for an intern to be working like a slave at the hospital for free, but now he has to watch this animal world where big fish eat small fish and small fish eat patients. Is this some kind of survival of the fittest?

Jiang rubbed his eyes and went to the operating room on the third floor of the surgical building, hoping that the chief surgeon would cut off his damaged brain. However, the chief surgeon also spat out a bunch of small blue fish.

I've had enough.

Jiang bought a fishing rod and decided to fish at the hospital with his mediocre skills, "ten yuan a fish, I'll sell them to myself as wages."

Unexpectedly, after fishing for several days, he not only failed to catch a single fish, but also angered one particularly vengeful fish. That evening, this exceptionally beautiful little blue fish with a crown on its head waited for Jiang Qie at the door of the ward, asking, "Do you want to keep fish?"

"Can I not keep it? My dorm room is very small, there's no room."

The kind that will devour you if you don't raise it!

Let him take care of it, okay?

Jiang was on the verge of tears, and went to work the next day in tears, only to find that there were more and more fish, one after another, jumping around in the hospital.

Jiang Qie, who had given up on himself, picked up a fishing rod and started fishing again. With the help of the small crown fish, his skills improved greatly. He used one to braise, one to steam, and another to make soup, which seemed quite good.

But then, after they'd caught most of the fish, another disaster struck the hospital. The ceiling of the ward turned into a shower with water dripping down, flooding both the people and the fish. The Hippocratic Oath that used to be posted in the doctor's office turned into a chubby green plant that would grab people and start yelling, keeping Jiang from sleeping!

So he decided to lead the fish to fight these weird and chaotic creatures. When the ward was leaking, he sent a few fish over to let the patients ride on them; when the green plants were overgrown, he sent a few fish to eat them all.

Even if the sky falls, Jiang Qie and his fish will hold it up!

Aside from that fish that he insisted on keeping himself, why did it end up in the bathtub? He doesn't want to bathe with the fish! Waaah, what if it turns into fish soup?