Chapter 9 Charter 09: I Can Be Your Wife for a Day...
In the tea room on the second floor, Chu Song and Chu Yuan sat facing each other across a mahogany tea table.
Chu Song skillfully brewed a pot of aged Tieguanyin tea.
Chu Yuan took a sip of the tea that he was offered; the warm porcelain bowl fit perfectly in his palm.
He took a sip, and the seriousness between his brows gradually softened: "After all these years, the tea you brew is still the most to my liking."
Chu Song's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. Seeing that he looked energetic, she relaxed her shoulders slightly. "Have you been going to the hospital for your check-ups on time?"
"With you and your aunt nagging me every day, how could I forget?" Chu Yuan shook his head with a smile, tapping his knuckles lightly twice on the tea table.
Chu Song understood and poured another cup.
"Did your grandfather mention that matter to you?" Chu Yuan stroked his teacup, looking at him gently. "Tell me, what are your thoughts?"
Chu Song's fingers tightened slightly, causing ripples to spread across the surface of the tea.
He lowered his eyes, his voice dropping a few decibels: "I don't want to... but I can't bear to..."
"Silly child." Chu Yuan shook his head and chuckled. "If you don't want to, just say so. Don't force yourself. With your personality, you always carry other people's expectations on your shoulders."
"I'm afraid Grandpa..." Chu Song pursed his lips, finally admitting, "He'll be disappointed."
He spoke these words very softly, yet they caused Chu Yuan's expression to shift slightly.
Over the years, Chu Song has always been composed and dignified in public, but only in front of him would he reveal such genuine hesitation.
Their relationship was harmonious. They weren't father and son, but they understood each other's importance better than many fathers and sons—it was precisely because they cherished each other that they didn't want to use polite words to perfunctorily finish the conversation.
Chu Yuan's gaze darkened, and the aroma of tea gradually cooled in the silence. "Have you discussed this matter with Xie Tang?"
"not yet."
Do you think she can accept it?
Chu Song's Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately remained silent.
"The engagement with the Qin family should have been nullified back then, so why agree to it now?" Chu Yuan's voice was very soft, but every word was clear.
The teacup made a soft sound on the table.
Chu Song raised his head: "Uncle, there is something I want to obtain."
He paused for a moment, his eyes hardening. "You know that."
Looking into his determined eyes, Chu Yuan finally didn't press the matter further. "Even if it's a marriage agreement, marriage isn't a game. If she can be your wife for even a day, it's your destiny."
The tea made a clear sound as it was poured into the cup.
Chu Song said softly, "I understand..."
"It's strange," Chu Yuan sipped his tea, his brows relaxed, "I've only met Xie Tang once since she grew up, but I find her very pleasing to the eye."
Chu Song chuckled: "What can you learn from just one meeting?"
"How could I not see that?" Chu Yuan's eyes widened. "When I met your aunt at the social gathering back then, I knew I wouldn't marry anyone but her. How many people said we weren't a good match back then?"
He smiled smugly, "But after all these years, she's the only one I've had. Who doesn't say that I, Old Chu, have good taste?"
“Yes,” Chu Song’s expression softened, “Auntie is indeed very kind.”
"You rascal!" Chu Yuan slammed his hand on the table and laughed. "You can say my professional skills are lacking, but you can never question my judgment of people!"
Chu Song couldn't help but laugh.
Where was the stern and imposing middle-aged man in front of me, who was usually so dignified and authoritative in the company?
At this moment, he resembled a showy old man, his eyes and brows brimming with the vibrant energy of life.
As they were chatting and laughing, Yao Fan gently pushed the door open and came in with a bowl in her hand: "Ah Song, I saw that you didn't eat much for dinner, so I asked the kitchen to make you a bowl of wonton noodles."
Amidst the rising steam, a delicious aroma wafts towards you.
Chu Yuan pushed the bowl towards him, his tone like that of someone coaxing a child: "Eat it while it's hot."
Chu Song forced himself to eat about half a bowl before finally putting down his chopsticks: "I'll rest for a bit before I eat again."
"Look!" Chu Yuan patted his knee and laughed at Yao Fan, "She looks exactly like A-Yun when she was little! She clearly couldn't eat but wouldn't say so, and always had to find an excuse to slip away."
The laughter suddenly caught in his throat, turning into a soft sigh.
Yao Fan stared blankly at Chu Song's profile.
The familiar silhouette in the light and shadow seemed to overlap with the daughter in my memory.
They're two kids who grew up together, how could this happen...?
Silence spreads amidst the aroma of tea.
After a long while, Chu Song said softly, "We should go see her."
Yao Fan didn't speak, but his eyes gradually reddened.
Chu Yuan sighed softly, patted his wife's hand, and then said gently to Chu Song, "Let's go see her together on Qixi Festival."
"Okay." Chu Song responded softly, then suddenly picked up the bowl and swallowed the rest of the noodles and soup in one gulp.
Then she stood up, bowed her head, and said, "Uncle, Aunt, I'm going to see Atang..."
“Ah Song, about your father…” Chu Yuan called out to him, his gaze complicated. “Don’t take it to heart. I only called him back because I saw your grandfather talking about him all the time.”
“I didn’t take it to heart, but you shouldn’t have called him back. I shouldn’t be anywhere he is.”
But in the end...
“I don’t have a father like him,” Chu Song interrupted calmly, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his back ramrod straight.
However, under the light, the lines of his profile looked somewhat stiff.
Yao Fan looked at him with concern, but only had time to see him nod slightly: "Good night, Uncle; good night, Aunt."
The study door was gently closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.
“This child…” Chu Yuan shook his head and chuckled, “He’ll have someone to suffer for him in the future.”
Yao Fan took the teacup he offered: "You mean...?"
"Who else could it be?" Chu Yuan tapped the tea tray lightly with his fingertip. "The one he just married."
Amidst the fragrant tea, Yao Fan seemed thoughtful: "I was worried before we met, but now she seems like a good girl."
She paused, then lowered her voice, "She looks a lot like Ah Yun, even their professions are the same."
"We're on the same page," Chu Yuan said, then chuckled. "It's been so many years since I've comforted a child. I'm treating my almost thirty-year-old nephew like a three-year-old..."
Yao Fan said with a hint of mockery, "I think you're really enjoying yourself."
Chu Yuan chuckled and patted the seat next to him. "Don't stand, sit down and have a couple more drinks with me."
"Don't drink so much, or you won't be able to sleep later." Yao Fan said this, but had already sat down.
The old house usually only had Master Chu, Mingwei, and a few old servants. Although their children often came to visit, it lacked vitality.
At this moment, three generations are gathered in the hall, and the sound of opera from the television is mixed with laughter, showing a rare touch of warmth and life.
Chu Song looked around but couldn't see Xie Tang.
Chu Li chuckled lightly, "In the courtyard..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Song had already strode across the corridor.
The moonlight, mixed with the corridor lamps, cast two shadows on the bluestone slabs.
Mingwei was pointing at Cong Moju and saying something when Xie Tang leaned down slightly, her hair falling over her shoulders.
Chu Song gently draped the coat he was holding over her shoulder.
Xie Tang was startled and sat up straight. When she turned around and saw it was him, the panic in her eyes had not yet subsided, and reflected in the moonlight, she looked like a frightened deer.
This appearance is quite different from her usual calm and composed lawyer image.
Chu Song softened her voice: "Did I scare you?"
Mingwei watched with a smile as her son draped a coat over his wife, saying, "Atang knows quite a lot about flowers."
Xie Tang pulled her coat, still warm from her body, closer to her shoulders. "My mother loves flowers. Our yard used to be full of carnations and peonies."
Mingwei glanced back and forth between the two of them, then suddenly said, "Ah Song, I haven't seen your Aunt Xie in a long time. How about arranging for us to meet?"
"Okay, I'll arrange it as soon as possible," Chu Song replied readily.
Mingwei nodded in satisfaction, noticing Xie Tang's slightly red ear tips as she left.
Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Chu Song asked in a low voice, "Shall we go back?"
Xie Tang looked up at him, the moonlight casting thin shadows under her eyelashes. "Going home?"
"I'm not going home until tomorrow." He took a half step forward, his shadow completely enveloping her, and led her back. "To our room."
Xie Tang suddenly gripped her coat tightly. "So, are we sleeping together tonight?"
"Otherwise what?" Chu Song stopped and looked down at her flushed earlobes. "What did my mother say to you?"
She lowered her eyes and counted the bluestone slabs. "Many."
"for example?"
Xie Tang tilted his head as if in thought, his hair brushing against his shoulder.
Chu Song suddenly leaned closer: "It'll take you this long to think about it?"
The night breeze carried her faint orange scent, mixed with the woody aroma that had lingered on her coat.
Xie Tang pursed her lips and remained silent. She couldn't very well say that Ming Wei was actually teaching her how to recognize Chu Song's subtle facial expressions when he was being disingenuous.
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As night deepened, Xie Tang finished washing up and lay on Chu Song's bed, tossing and turning.
The room was filled with a faint fragrance, which only made her more awake.
She simply got up and glanced at the neatly arranged books on the bookshelf.
Xie Tang realized that the album was a photo album as soon as her fingertips touched what looked like a book.
Just as I was about to put it back, a yellowed photograph slipped out from the gap.
In the photo, a little girl with pigtails stands next to her grandfather, holding a candied hawthorn in her hand, smiling so broadly that her eyes are almost closed.
It was myself as a child.
Eighteen years of time seemed to flow backward at this moment.
Xie Tang touched her grandfather's cheek in the photo, and those memories, faded by time, suddenly came alive:
Grandpa's warm, dry hands, the crabapple blossoms falling in the old courtyard, and the malt candy he always secretly slipped to her...
"Does A-Tang want to be a flower fairy or the chairman of the board?"
In her memory, her grandfather always liked to tease her like this, pinching her chubby cheeks with his calloused hands, "When you grow up, Grandpa will give you Cisco Systems, okay?"
A sudden sour feeling rose in my throat.
She continued flipping through the pages, suddenly stopping at a group photo: a young Chu Song stood ramrod straight, while she held his arm, smiling carefree at the camera.
The sound of the doorknob turning startled her, and she instinctively pulled out the photos and stuffed them into her pajama pocket. When she put the album back, she knocked over a celadon vase next to her.
Chu Song stood at the door, his gaze shifting between her and the shards scattered on the floor.
Xie Tang hurriedly explained, "I just..."
"Don't move." He frowned and interrupted, but hesitated when he saw her deftly picking up the broken pieces.
After she finished tidying up, Chu Song was already lying on his side on the bed.
Xie Tang lay down quietly, her body stiff, until her back ached before she carefully turned over.
"Can't sleep?" A deep voice suddenly came from behind.
Xie Tang's breath hitched: "Yeah, I'm a bit of a light sleeper."
How long will it take?
"I don't know, it might be a long time."
She is not used to having a particular bed and is not comfortable with other people on the other side of the bed.
Chu Song opened his eyes under the dim night light, his fatigue clearly visible between his brows: "A Tang, I worked overtime all day today, I'm very tired."
Her voice held an unusual vulnerability, "Please don't disturb me, okay?"
Xie Tang looked at his tightly furrowed brows in the lamplight, and recalled his father's cold eyes, a subtle pain rising in her heart.
She quietly reached into her pocket, her fingertips touching the hidden photograph, as if she had touched a secret buried by time.
Xie Tang replied "okay" and dared not move.
Only when she heard even, long breaths beside her did she dare to slowly exhale the breath she had been holding for so long.
In the darkness, time stretched out infinitely, and the hunger tore every second into agonizing fragments.
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