Chapter 21 Since family members are here, let's make the best of it.

Liang Huaixu couldn't recall when this had last happened.

It seems like I'm still in puberty, but that's a normal stage of development, so I can face it calmly.

Now that he is thirty-eight years old, all he feels is shame.

After last night, if Zhuang Fuyao saw him washing the sheets, his actions would seem like an attempt to cover up the truth.

In this matter, he didn't care about being frugal. He put the soiled sheets in a storage bag, went outside, and threw them into the outdoor trash can.

With nothing to do on the weekend, he drove to the suburbs to visit Grandma Zhuang.

Grandma Zhuang did not live with Ji Lan and Zhuang Shaoping, but lived with two aunts in a house in the suburbs.

This house is quite old; it's considered the Zhuang family's old residence. But it's very well maintained, with flowers and plants growing on one side and vegetables on the other.

When he entered, 87-year-old Mrs. Zhuang and two other women were busy in the vegetable garden.

A hint of helplessness crossed his eyes. Growing vegetables was physically demanding, and everyone in the family wanted the old lady to rest more. But she was stubborn and very persistent about growing vegetables; if anyone tried to stop her, she would yell at them.

The old lady was in good health and had a powerful voice when she scolded people; she was quite formidable. Liang Huaixu had experienced this once before, so he didn't dare to offer any advice this time. He simply took out the rubber shoes he always kept in the trunk, put them on, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work in the fields in the old lady's place.

"You take a break, I'll do it."

He visits Grandma Zhuang almost every month, so he's quite adept at these things.

"Okay, take a break then." Grandma Zhuang smiled and wiped her sweat, then said to the nanny, "Aunt Feng, go and pour Xiao Liang a cup of herbal tea."

"Oh, and bring out the new straw hat I bought in my room too."

Grandma Zhuang took the straw hat from Aunt Feng's hand and put it on Liang Huaixu's head, saying, "You're so tall, you need to bend down a bit!"

Liang Huaixu had no choice but to comply.

Grandma Zhuang was finally satisfied. "Put on your straw hat, don't get tanned. If you get tanned, it'll be harder to find a wife."

Liang Huaixu nearly choked. "Why would I look for a wife?"

“You and Fufu have been divorced for five years, and I’ve already started introducing Fufu to potential partners. I can’t neglect one for the other, so how about Grandma introduces one to you too?”

"..."

An embarrassment crossed his face. "No need."

"Why not?" Old Mrs. Zhuang rolled her eyes at him. "You don't need to work either, come and chat."

There was a small wooden table in the shade under the tree.

After Liang Huaixu washed his hands, he sat down, and Aunt Feng poured him a bowl of cold tea.

Grandma Zhuang: "Chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and cassia seeds were added to it. The weather is too hot, and drinking herbal tea can help cool you down."

Liang Huaixu glanced at the dark brown herbal tea in the bowl. He didn't like the taste of herbal tea and usually only took a couple of sips when he came over.

But today I made an exception and drank a whole bowl of it.

Grandma Zhuang: "Aunt Feng, go and see if Aunt Wang has finished cooking."

After sending everyone away, she looked at her former grandson-in-law with a smile, "Tell me the truth, do you still have feelings for Fufu?"

She lived to be eighty-seven. Although she was wealthy and carefree, some mistakes she made in her youth led to a weakening of her family ties.

In her early years, she looked down on Ji Lan for being an actress, which caused quite a few unpleasant arguments between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Later, when her granddaughter was born, Grandma Zhuang regained a memory.

It turns out this is a world within a book, where every character is unconsciously influenced by the plot, and they can only completely break free from the plot's control at the very end.

In that book, Ji Lan and Zhuang Shaoping are the male and female protagonists, so the story ends after they get married and have Fufu.

Without the interference of the plot, she realized that she actually liked Ji Lan quite a bit, and even felt secretly proud to have such a film queen as her daughter-in-law.

Grandma Zhuang once wanted to restore her relationship with Ji Lan, but a broken mirror is hard to mend. Once a relationship between people deteriorates, it is difficult to restore it to its original state... If you are not careful, not only will the relationship not be restored, but you will also become strangers.

Moreover, after so many years, she vaguely sensed that there might be other books in this world.

For example, a few years ago, Fufu's personality changed drastically. She went from a carefree and cheerful little bird to a brooding wooden bird sculpture, lacking energy and spirit. When the grandmother and granddaughter were having a private conversation, Fufu said that although her life was going well, she felt very depressed and restless, as if she was looking for some kind of breakthrough.

Grandma Zhuang knew this was a typical case of being influenced by the plot; she had similar symptoms before, but she didn't know which book it was, who the protagonist was, or what kind of ending it would lead to.

Not long after, Fufu divorced Liang Huaixu.

Grandma Zhuang finally guessed what was going on.

Just like her relationship with Ji Lan, even though the characters can get rid of the influence after the story ends, the relationship between Fu Fu and Liang Huaixu at that time... will probably never be the same again.

Since our fate has run its course, it's better to go our separate ways sooner rather than later.

Under the scrutinizing gaze of the old lady, Liang Huaixu was somewhat stunned. His mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't even sort himself out, but he still shook his head in accordance with the old lady's wishes.

After leaving the courtyard, he drove to Dongpo Mountain.

There's a temple there that's said to be very efficacious online. The abbot's surname is Yun, and he was a classmate of his during his graduate studies. Later, he was attracted to Buddhism and became a monk.

As Zhuang Fuyao said, he is a "materialist" and usually studies Buddhist principles only for self-cultivation. But this time, he really wanted to seek answers from his friend.

During this time, besides not knowing how to face her when their relationship was at its best, he was also thinking about where she was now if her soul had traveled from the past to the present.

"Because of this cause and condition, we are constantly entangled through hundreds of thousands of kalpas." Upon learning of his friend's doubts, Abbot Yun said, "The present her is the past her, so how do you know that the past her is not the present her?"

This was an angle he had never considered before, and Liang Huaixu was somewhat enlightened.

If Zhuang Fuyao's soul were to travel to the past...

It would be a good thing for her.

She can avoid the mistakes she thinks she has made and choose the best option.

They may never be together again, but as long as she is happy, as long as Zhuang Fuyao is happy in every stage of her life.

He was content.

-

After the initial renovation of the restaurant was completed, Zhuang Fuyao invited Bagel and the others to try the tea and pastries at Tang Song Pavilion.

The tentative dishes are Cherry Biscuits, Flower-shaped Goose Cake, Lychee Crispy Mountain, Translucent Flower Rice Cake, Buttered Abalone and Spring Water.

Cheng Fan is here too.

Song Qing's eyes lit up, and she quickly winked at Zhuang Fuyao to introduce them.

"Baby, let me introduce you..." Zhuang Fuyao had just started to speak when Song Qing asked in surprise, "Sister, what did you call him?"

Cheng Fan scratched his head sheepishly and said, "My name is Cheng Fan, and my nickname is Cheng Baobao."

"I knew it, you scared me."

Everyone smiled happily.

The group quickly became acquainted and, being quite mischievous, kept calling Cheng Fan by his nickname.

Cheng Fan blushed from the amusement.

After trying the tea cakes, the group made plans to go to a karaoke bar.

"You guys go ahead, I need to talk to Cheng Baobao about something, I'll be back in a bit."

On the way, Zhuang Fuyao casually mentioned the chefs' wages.

Cheng Fan was stunned. Their family's entire year's income might only equal the chef's monthly income.

"This is just the basic salary. Later, we will give you a certain bonus based on the sales of the tea fruit, just like candy. So you and Cheng Ma really don't need to think too much about it. This is the treatment you deserve."

"But….."

Cheng Fan still felt that his homemade candied fruit was not presentable enough. It didn't match Sister Fuyao's beautiful, palatial restaurant, nor could it compare to those exquisite tea fruits.

Zhuang Fuyao understood his concerns. "Whether it's highbrow or lowbrow food, we have martial arts taverns here, which need snacks like Cheng's candied melon. Even if it's not Cheng's candied melon, it will be other similar snacks. Think about what martial arts figures eat in the TV dramas you watch?"

Seeing that Cheng Fan was wavering, Zhuang Fuyao continued, "In addition to the profit sharing from the sugar melon, you will also receive an extra salary for working at the restaurant. Although it is not as high as the chef's salary, it will be enough for you to live comfortably in Jiang City with Aunt Cheng."

"Okay, Sister Fuyao, I'll think about it first."

When they arrived at the karaoke bar, Bagel and Song Qing had prepared drinks, snacks, and fruit.

We'll start with a song by Phoenix Legend.

Then, everyone requested a song.

Zhuang Fuyao became the karaoke queen of the event by singing old Cantonese songs.

Cheng Fan was a little shy at first, but he was influenced by the atmosphere and gradually joined in, requesting a few songs.

Everyone sang to their heart's content that night.

When the song "King of Love Songs" ended, it was already 11:40 p.m.

Zhuang Fuyao and Song Qing were going the same way, so they could take her home directly.

Bagel and Cheng Fan live in opposite directions.

Thinking it wouldn't be safe for Bagel to go back alone, Zhuang Fuyao asked Cheng Fan to take a taxi to Bagel's destination first, and then change the address.

"Everyone has arrived. Send a message in the group chat."

……

Zhuang Fuyao drove Song Qing away first.

While Shu Run and Cheng Fan were waiting for their car, a private investigator lurking nearby took several sets of photos of them.

These photos were sent to Yi Han.

Yi Han looked at the photos with satisfaction.

In the dead of night, she was chatting and laughing happily with another man on the street, and they even got into a car together to go home.

With these photos, she no longer believed that Liang Chaoluo would be willing to go against his family for his girlfriend.

-

When Zhuang Fuyao dropped Song Qing off at home, Liang Huaixu was waiting for her there.

With the guidance of his friend, he calmed down a lot.

Since we're here, let's make the best of it.

Although she was no longer his wife, they were still friends and family. Because she was young, he was very tolerant of her. He would protect and support her throughout her life, ensuring she lived happily in the world sixteen years later.

Once you understand this, there's no need to deliberately avoid it; you just need to take it in stride.

Are you hungry?

His tone was very natural, and he had already begun to embody the role of a family member.

"Hungry!"

Zhuang Fuyao thought he had finally figured things out, so naturally she had to support him.

He smiled, his gaze calm. "What would you like to eat?"

"Instant noodles with spicy beef and an egg."

Just as Liang Huaixu was about to say something, Zhuang Fuyao stopped him in time, "I read the popular science article, and it has now been debunked that instant noodles are junk food. At most, they don't have much nutrition, so I added an egg."

"We don't have any instant noodles at home."

Liang Huaixu sighed. This habit of liking to eat instant noodles hadn't changed since high school.

Zhuang Fuyao smiled and said, "I bought a whole case."

"…………"

"Oh, and remember to cook it, instant noodles taste better when cooked."

"good."

In the annex, Aunt Yuan was just getting up to use the restroom.

From her room, you can see the kitchen of the main building.

She glanced over there casually and then wiped her eyes.

Is this the gentleman in the kitchen?

They all knew that the master didn't eat late-night snacks, so this was made for Miss Zhuang. The servants in the house were already used to the master's special treatment of Miss Zhuang.

Through their time together, she could tell that Miss Zhuang was truly an exceptional person—beautiful, kind, and talented. It was no wonder that her husband was captivated by her.

-

After making instant noodles for Zhuang Fuyao, Liang Huaixu went upstairs to rest.

Before going to bed, he reflected on the evening and realized that it wasn't difficult to take it easy.

I slept very peacefully.

The next morning, while washing up, he bumped into Zhuang Fuyao.

She casually tied her hair up and was brushing her teeth, still half asleep. When she saw Liang Huaixu in the mirror, she was about to greet him when she noticed him hurriedly turning his head away.

Zhuang Fuyao guessed what was going on and looked down.

...No wonder.

She was in a rush today and didn't tidy her nightgown. Plus, when she was brushing her teeth, her chest area was slightly visible... and she doesn't have the habit of sleeping in a bra.

She was initially a little embarrassed, but seeing Liang Huaixu's avoidance of her like the plague, she felt inexplicably annoyed.

She glanced at him with foam in her mouth, "Why are you hiding? It's not like we haven't seen it before."

"…………"

A wave of embarrassment washed over Liang Huaixu, and two thoughts popped into his head.

First, when the house was originally designed, an extra bathroom should have been installed on the third floor.

Secondly, achieving true equanimity is not so easy.