Chapter 28
The two looked at each other, Yin Su raised the flower bag in his hand and said calmly, "Water it."
After he finished speaking, he watered all the flowers and plants placed on the window frame.
Jiang Zhaoli did not tell him that a special maid would water the flowers every morning, and that there was no water in the flower bag he held.
She walked over and sat down at the eight-immortals table, poured herself a glass of water and drank it in small sips, feeling relieved.
She had always regarded Song Shiyan as her childhood friend. As far as she could remember, Song Shiyan had always loved bullying her, often making her cry. He would just stand by and watch the fun. Later, when he realized that she was really angry, he would try to coax her with clumsy hands.
But he didn't allow others to bully her. Once, a tall boy in the school said that she was a short girl who couldn't grow tall. When Song Shiyan found out, he beat the boy up. After that, the boy hid far away from her whenever he saw her.
As she grew older, she became bolder and no longer allowed Song Shiyan to bully her without fighting back.
After that, they quarreled and argued with each other whenever they met, but they were never really angry, and she never thought about the matter between men and women. Today, he suddenly revealed his feelings, which completely overturned the belief she had maintained for all these years and made her at a loss.
Just as he was thinking, Yin Su reached out and knocked on the table. Jiang Zhaoli came back to his senses and looked at Yin Su with a confused look on his face.
Yin Su smiled and said, "I have been calling Madam Jiang for a long time."
Jiang Zhaoli: "I...I was a little distracted just now, so I didn't hear it."
Yin Suxiang pretended to be nonchalant and poured himself a glass of water, then asked casually, "Madam Jiang, are you still thinking about the young master of the Song family?"
Jiang Zhaoli frowned: "I just don't understand."
Yin Su played with the cup, the tea swaying gently along the edge of the cup: "Why don't you understand? We are childhood sweethearts, and we have a deep relationship."
Jiang Zhaoli tilted his head to look at him: "Do you know what he said to me?"
Yin Su smiled faintly: "I don't know, I guessed."
Jiang Zhaoli: “…”
Jiang Zhaoli looked at him as if he had nothing to do with her, and she didn't know what she felt in her heart. Maybe it was because of Song Shiyan's influence or something else, but she suddenly gathered courage in her heart and looked up at him: "Yin Su, is there any woman who likes you?"
Yin Su paused: "No."
Jiang Zhaoli looked suspicious: "You are so beautiful, it must be true. Can you tell me about it?"
Yin Su found it inexplicably funny. What does this have to do with good looks? Just imagine, a man who looks charming is actually a murderer. When the fantasy is shattered, there is only fear. Would anyone like such a person?
Seeing her expectant look, like a child who was eager to know the news, the emotions in her eyes were clearly visible.
Yin Su moved his lips and said, "I grew up in a hunter's family and have been dealing with animals for years. How could I possibly come into contact with women? If I must say, do female deer count?"
Jiang Zhaoli choked: "Okay."
Yin Su picked up the cup and took a sip. The cup cleverly concealed his eyes, and in just a moment, his eyes became deeper.
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Jiang Zhaoli and his third aunt went to Changming Street together. Changming Street was still bustling with people coming and going and shouts coming from all directions. The two did not stroll around but went straight to the Dougeng shop. There were only five or six shops between Dougeng and Wanpinlou, so it was not far and they arrived there in just a cup of tea.
This was the first time she took a serious look at the bean soup shop. There was a lot of traffic here, and it was located in a convenient location, so the rent was not cheap.
The shop's signboard had only four words: "Muniang Bean Soup." However, Third Aunt stared at the signboard for a while as she felt that the words looked familiar.
The owner of this shop is a woman in her thirties. She has no hair accessories on her head, and only a wooden hairpin to tie up her entire black hair. Although her clothes are worn out, they are clean. It is not difficult to tell that she is a pretty and elegant woman.
Whenever guests teased her, she could always resolve the situation skillfully.
The stove is on the right side of the door, with two propped up pots with steam coming out of them.
Mu Niang had just cleared the dishes from the previous table when she turned around and saw two gorgeously dressed women standing at the door, one was pretty and charming, the other a delicate and pretty girl.
She was stunned for a moment, then immediately greeted him with a smile: "Do you want to eat in the store, or take it home?"
Third Aunt looked around. The store was not small. There were more than a dozen tables. It was not crowded as Third Uncle said. There was plenty of room for customers to sit.
"Eat here." Jiang Zhaoli replied.
The woman smiled and asked, "Do you want sweet or salty?"
Jiang Zhaoli: "Sweet."
Jiang Zhaoli led his third aunt to find a seat at the innermost wall, from which they could clearly see the people coming and going outside.
People outside would not notice this position at first, because there were five or six tables of people sitting in front of them, which indirectly blocked the view.
There were two small jars of brown sugar on the long table, each with a small copper spoon for sprinkling into the bean soup.
"Ya Ya, stop looking at it and take these two bowls to the two girls."
The four-year-old child sitting by the stove heard it, looked at his mother, then at the half-written words on the paper, put the brush on the wooden mountain-shaped pen holder, nimbly stood beside the woman who was bending over to serve the bean soup, and stretched out his chubby little hand.
A bowl of warm bean soup was handed to her.
His small body was not even as tall as the stove, but he was able to steadily carry a bowl of bean soup all the way to the innermost part. The guests here didn't seem to be surprised. They just made a few jokes and nothing else happened.
She stood on tiptoe, holding up her hands, and said in a soft voice: "Sir, your bean soup is ready, please enjoy it slowly."
Jiang Zhaoli took it and handed it to his aunt, then lowered his head to look at the girl at the table: "Thank you, your name is Yaya, right?"
Yaya looked at Jiang Zhaoli timidly and said nothing.
Suddenly seeing the ink on the girl's hands, he couldn't help but ask, "You were practicing calligraphy just now."
When they came in just now, they didn't notice that there was a little child here.
The girl nodded heavily, her eyes sparkling with joy, revealing a row of tender teeth: "Daddy taught me."
Jiang Zhaoli was stunned. Daddy? How come she didn't know that this Mu Niangzi had a husband?
It can’t be... My chest skipped a beat uncontrollably, but I quickly rejected the idea.
She had sent people to check on this woman a few days ago. She came from a remote village in the mountains outside Luo City called Lizi Village. She had no father or mother.
She came to Los Angeles seven years ago. At first, she just set up a stall to sell vegetables, but the profit was not much. Later, in order to make the streets look more neat and uniform, the Street Management Bureau prohibited stalls on both sides of Changming Street. People could only rent shops to do business. That's when the woman rented a house here.
At that time, the annual rent here was twenty taels of silver. It was her first time renting a house, so where would she get the spare money?
In recent days, she only found out that her third uncle had financial connections with Mu Niang, including that all correspondence between him and Guo Daoquan was delivered through Mu Niang. Anything more was deliberately concealed.
"Ya Ya, come quickly." Mu Niang's call came from the front. Jiang Zhaoli looked over and saw another new guest coming.
"I'm coming, Mom." Yaya ran over quickly.
Auntie San sighed: "This child is so young and knows how to help her mother share the work. She is really sensible."
Jiang Zhaoli didn't know whether to praise or worry for a moment. As far as she knew, Mu Niang was not poor and had more than enough money to hire a helper, but she would rather help herself and the child than find someone to share the burden.
He scooped a spoonful of bean soup into his mouth, tasted it carefully, and swallowed it before speaking: "I should have gone to school at this age, but I have to stay in the store to work."
"Nowadays, the policy is lenient towards women. It is better to study hard while you are still young, and go to the capital to realize your own value in the future. It can also be regarded as breaking free from the shackles."
Third Aunt couldn't help but joked, "Li'er, Third Aunt has noticed that you are acting more and more like an adult, and you are talking like an old man."
Jiang Zhaoli: "Aunt San didn't see it, but the child's hands were covered in ink, and he was quiet, so he probably loved reading and writing."
As he was speaking, a familiar figure came into his sight. He was wearing a dark green robe with narrow sleeves, and a dark purple jade crown. He walked steadily and powerfully. When he saw the people in the shop, his face was kind.
"Mu Niang, Yaya."
"Daddy." Yaya rushed forward. The man picked Yaya up with one hand and gently pinched her little face: "Have you been obedient recently?"
Yaya nodded: "I am obedient, I will do whatever my mother tells me to do."
The man made a doting face at her. She put Yaya on the ground, took out a packet of maltose wrapped in paper from her arms and handed it to her. Yaya's eyes lit up, and she took it happily and said thank you daddy. The man touched Yaya's head and said lovingly: "Go play."
Yaya ran out of the shop with a cheerful step.
Mu Niang wiped her hands and asked, "Why did you come here suddenly?"
The man was puzzled: "Didn't you always come at this time before?"
Mu Niang sighed and looked inside with a strange expression.
The man was puzzled and looked in the direction of her gaze. After just one glance, he froze in place.
This person was her third uncle, Jiang Zhiping.
Jiang Zhaoli concealed his shock, Yaya was actually his third uncle's daughter.
She had known that her third uncle would be here today, so she brought her third aunt here specially. Over the years, her third aunt had worked hard to manage the household for him. Although she had not given birth to children, she had done enough to repay her third uncle. However, everything her third uncle did was unworthy of her third aunt in every way.
Third Aunt should not be kept in the dark. The matter of Mu Niang has lasted for five years. Third Uncle has always been able to skillfully handle the relationship between Third Aunt and Mu Niang. Third Aunt trusts Third Uncle very much and has never had any doubts, so she will not ask about unnecessary matters of Third Uncle, because she trusts him.
But today I met them face to face.
Since seeing Uncle San enter the shop, Aunt San has been staring at him closely, taking in his every move.
At first, Third Aunt was going to call him, but Yaya suddenly threw herself into his arms and called him Daddy. The words froze at her lips, and were instantly replaced by shock.
In a short period of time, she experienced shock, sadness, confusion, disappointment, and later even watched him play the role of a loving father with an expressionless face.
"Alan." Uncle San was panicked.
The guests around were not surprised by this and started talking to themselves: "It's Yaya's father who is back."
"I heard that he is doing business in the Jiang family, which is incredible."
"Not only does he cooperate with the Jiang family, he also opened several shops outside."
"Is this true? If he is so rich, why does he let his wife and children suffer like this?"
"It was his wife who wanted to come out. She didn't want to stay at home idle."
"In today's world, there are so many women working to earn money. What's so strange about that? It's called a husband and wife with one heart."
The guests' chatter was like ice cubes hitting her one by one, and her chest suddenly tightened and she felt a wrenching pain.
Third Aunt's face was pale, the soup spoon slipped from her hand with a clang and fell into the bowl, splashing out a little bean soup, with tears in her eyes.
Without saying a word, he dragged Jiang Zhaoli away from there.
She didn't want to make a big deal out of this matter before she thought it through.
Jiang Zhaoli placed a few pieces of silver on the stove and glanced at the bewildered Mu Niang and Third Uncle with a very cold look.
Jiang Zhaoli had been following silently. Third Aunt suddenly stopped at a jewelry stand, staring at it in a trance.
"Third Aunt." Jiang Zhaoli called.
Third Aunt turned around and smiled at her, her voice choking a little: "It's okay, I just remembered some past events."
Auntie San pretended to be relaxed and smiled at her: "Li'er, let's go back."
Jiang Zhaoli nodded: "Okay."
At this moment, she suddenly felt a surge of regret in her heart. She didn't know whether what she did was right or wrong. If she had kept it a secret from her Third Aunt, she could have lived a carefree life without having to feel the pain of her husband's betrayal.
If she thought about it carefully, if her Third Aunt knew about this in the future, would she blame her for not telling her in time?
After returning to the Jiang residence, I met the second aunt who was walking towards me. She was leading the two maids to her courtyard. When she saw the two of them, she stopped and kept looking at them: "Are you going out together?"
Jiang Zhaoli nodded.
The third aunt didn't say anything and turned back to Mingyuan. The second aunt looked surprised: "What happened to her?"
In the past, her third brother's wife would greet her when they saw her. Although they were not very enthusiastic, they were not as direct as they ignored her today. Moreover, from what she saw, her face did not look very good.
Jiang Zhaoli: "Nothing, Third Aunt may not have been out for a long time, she was out for a long time, she was tired, so she wanted to go back to the courtyard to rest quickly."
Second Aunt nodded doubtfully.
Jiang Zhaoli asked, "What is Second Aunt going to do?"
Second Aunt sighed and patted her head: "I was so busy talking to you that I almost forgot that your elder sister is getting married soon. I want to take these people to teach your elder sister about her wedding."
"By the way, second girl, I think you are also experienced. When you are free, come and talk to your elder sister."
Jiang Zhaoli was shocked. She couldn't tell him. She was inexperienced too. Now she could only pretend to be ignorant and agree first. If anyone asked about it later, she would just say she was busy.
After returning to the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoli immediately told Chuntao to keep a close eye on Third Aunt in the next few days and not to serve her too closely, so as not to let Third Aunt do anything.
In the next few days, she will list the crimes of her third uncle and hand them over to her grandfather for a decision.
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