Chapter 42: My Kidneys Are Aching
Meng Zhenyue's stepdaughter was well-behaved and adorable, carrying a beautifully wrapped gift box, standing shyly to the side. Meng Zhenyue gently reminded her in her ear, "You should also call her sister-in-law."
The little girl raised her clear eyes and timidly called out "Sister-in-law".
Suppressing her unease, Su Zhiluo composed herself, stepped aside to welcome the two inside, and said gently, "You're too kind. It's enough that you've come; there's no need for these things."
Meng Zhenyue briefly introduced Yun Zhixue, referring not to her stepdaughter but to her ex-wife's daughter, saying, "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard, making so many dishes."
Liu Chengxu felt sorry for her sister-in-law and said, "You've worked so hard. We got up at six o'clock."
Yun Zhixue said, "Then come to my house for dinner later."
Liu Cheng asked, "Is it your family's big villa?"
Yunzhixue nodded.
Liu Chengxu wanted to take his sister-in-law to experience it, and Su Zhiluo readily agreed. Su Zhiluo said, "No need, it's too much trouble. You can just come and eat."
When the food was served, fearing they might get cold, Su Zhiluo took out the small heater and then scooped out the chicken legs from the casserole, giving one to Yun Zhixue and another to Meng Zhenyue. Meng Zhenyue refused, saying they should eat, but Su Zhiluo said, "Don't be polite, I made four, so everyone can have one."
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
Su Zhiluo went back to the bedroom again, took out a red envelope and gave it to Yun Zhixue. Liu Chengxu didn't know when his sister-in-law had prepared it, and she added in surprise, "What about mine?"
Su Zhilu smiled and took out a red envelope from her pocket, giving one to her.
Su Zhiluo then offered Meng Zhenyue another bag, but Meng Zhenyue was too embarrassed to accept it and refused. Su Zhiluo said, "Take the bag. It's New Year's, and you're still a child."
Meng Zhenyue suddenly understood why Liu Chengxu loved her sister-in-law and why he felt like he was dying during the years he couldn't get love.
Yun Zhixue nudged her arm and handed her the red envelope, saying, "You hold it for me."
Meng Zhenyue put the red envelope in her pocket and noticed Liu Chengxu standing next to her, staring blankly at the envelope. Meng Zhenyue guessed she wasn't in a good mood and patted her arm under the table.
Liu Chengxu recalled the first time she and Su Zhiluo spent the New Year together, when they stewed half a chicken and stir-fried a plate of green vegetables.
Then Su Zhiluo took out her New Year's money and gave it to her. She almost couldn't help but cry. She vowed in her heart that even if her parents beat her to death, she would still make sure her sister-in-law lived a good life.
She still remembers how much it cost; it was 52.
She told Su Zhiluo that she wouldn't spend the money recklessly, but would use it to buy stationery. Su Zhiluo said, "Buy whatever you want. I'll give you the money for the stationery when school starts."
Liu Chengxu snapped out of his daze and stuffed the red envelope into his pocket.
Yun Zhixue praised, "The fish is delicious."
"Cheng Xu made it." Su Zhiluo placed the fish next to Yun Zhixue and said, "It's delicious, eat more."
After finishing the meal.
Su Zhiluo tidied the table, and Yun Zhixue rolled up her sleeves and took the empty bowls to the kitchen. She even put on gloves to help wash the dishes. Yun Zhixue was fair-skinned and looked like she had been raised in a wealthy family. Su Zhiluo couldn't bear to let her do it and tried to dissuade her.
Yun Zhixue said, "I will learn from my sister-in-law so that I can take better care of my mother in the future."
Hearing "Mommy" sting Su Zhiluo like a thorn, especially since it sounded exactly like Liu Chengxu calling her "sister-in-law" in bed—it was very immoral. She asked, "Can you cook?"
Yunzhixue replied, "I don't know how."
Su Zhiluo breathed a slight sigh of relief. The most straightforward way Liu Chengxu expressed his feelings for her was by doing housework every day. He was incredibly energetic and never stopped doing it, even now, though he's moved from under the bed to the bed.
Yun Zhixue added, "I'm very good at washing dishes."
"..."
“My mom is a great cook. She made me write down the dishes I wanted to eat and stick them on the kitchen wall. She would cook them for me one day a week.”
Su Zhiluo was shocked. She said, "Mom... no, that..." She forgot Meng Zhenyue's real name for a moment. After thinking for a long time, she said, "Cheng Xu, you, you let that, her mother take her out. You come and help me wash the dishes."
Liu Chengxu and Meng Zhenyue were in the bedroom. Liu Chengxu was showing Meng Zhenyue the Gundam that she and Su Zhiluo had recently assembled. Meng Zhenyue said, "Now I realize, your house is really small."
Liu Chengxu scolded her: "A woman who forgets her roots after getting on the good side with a rich woman."
One more thing: "This rich woman refers to your stepdaughter, not your ex-wife."
Liu Chengxu still remembers the shock she felt back then. One minute she was sending a congratulatory message and the next she received a message that her wife had died.
This stepdaughter was a real surprise; who knew she'd be so big?
Liu Chengxu walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Su Zhiluo said, "How can we let the guests wash the dishes? Come here quickly."
Yun Zhixue insisted, saying, "It's just washing dishes."
Meng Zhenyue stood by the bedroom door and beckoned to Yun Zhixue with her finger. Only then did Yun Zhixue take off her gloves and go over. Meng Zhenyue said, "Be a proper guest, understand?"
Yun Zhixue said, "I'm embarrassed."
Meng Zhenyue said, "My friend is your friend, don't overthink it."
Yun Zhixue curved her lips into a smile and nodded, as if she had been waiting for those words.
Su Zhiluo could see Meng Zhenyue's indulgence and doting on Yun Zhixue, which reminded her of her own feelings for Liu Chengxu back then. At the time, she didn't realize it, but now, seeing it in Meng Zhenyue, she understood—there was love involved.
Putting those distracting thoughts aside, she did indeed quite like Yun Zhixue. The child was well-behaved and sensible, always offering to help when she was busy.
In the afternoon, she wore Yun Zhixue's crocheted gloves while Liu Chengxu and Meng Zhenyue chatted outside.
Meng Zhenyue asked, "Why are you so sleepy?"
Liu Chengxu cursed angrily, "I don't know which bastard set off firecrackers near my house in the middle of the night last night. I didn't sleep well all night."
Meng Zhenyue gave her a deep look, hesitated, and finally remained silent.
A few minutes later, she asked, "How are you and your sister-in-law?"
Liu Chengxu's eyes were smiling, and his face was full of happiness as he said, "I can feel the love. Can you feel it too?"
Meng Zhenyue replied, "Too much love."
Different people have different fates, Liu Cheng said, "It feels like you're showing off."
The two chatted as if they didn't realize the soundproofing was bad. Meng Zhenyue said she would give Liu Chengxu's investment and dividends to her so she could move to a different house. Su Zhiluo was afraid Liu Chengxu would reveal yesterday's sex scene, so she listened the whole time. Later, she heard him mention smoking. Liu Chengxu had smoked a few times after leaving because of the pressure, but he said he didn't smoke now because his sister-in-law was strict.
Yun Zhixue said softly, "Sister Cheng Xu likes you very much."
When a child pointed it out, Su Zhiluo couldn't hold back her pride, so Yun Zhixue slowly added, "I also like my mommy very much."
"..." Su Zhiluo was so frightened she didn't know what to do.
A while later, Liu Chengxu came in. As soon as she opened the door, Su Zhiluo hit her face with her glove. Liu Chengxu immediately knew what had happened and felt extremely guilty. While making dinner, Su Zhiluo warned her that if she dared to smoke again, she would beat her mouth to a pulp.
Liu Cheng didn't dare to utter a word until Yun Zhixue and the others went back that evening.
Su Zhiluo rummaged through her bag and wardrobe, and Liu Chengxu was terrified. He went up and hugged his sister-in-law's waist, saying, "That's not the point. I'll tell you a secret. I'll tell you secretly, but don't tell anyone else."
Su Zhiluo vaguely guessed what it was and felt quite flustered. She said, "If it's very confidential, you'd better not tell me. After all, it's someone else's secret."
Liu Chengxu said, "I'm not comfortable keeping this to myself. Let me tell you, they're actually dating secretly. Don't tell anyone, and don't say it in front of Meng Zhenyue."
Su Zhiluo looked shocked, "But Meng Zhenyue and her mother are already married..."
"So... don't tell anyone."
"You shouldn't have told me." Su Zhiluo was shocked, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Liu Chengxu said seriously, "You don't discriminate against them, do you?"
"I...I, I just didn't expect them to be even more explosive."
“They’re not even blood relatives, feelings are such a thing…” Liu Chengxu took a deep breath and said, “Actually, I also think they’re crazy, but love is something you can’t control. Thinking about it this way, aren’t we normal people?”
"Don't you have a good friend? That's perfectly normal. Why don't you learn from her?"
"She's normal? You have no idea what she watches every day. She's filming animal documentaries about grotesque love affairs every day."
“That’s normal in the animal kingdom.” Su Zhiluo could understand this; she sometimes enjoyed reading novels about animals falling in love.
"Alright, now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to tell the truth. Actually, Cha Baomei and her sister are having an affair. I could tell when I was in college that her sister definitely liked her. The way she looked at her was even more intense than when I looked at you."
Su Zhiluo was so frightened that she covered her mouth, "Are you talking nonsense? I remember you said that she is your older sister, right?"
Liu Chengxu showed no remorse for talking nonsense. He licked Su Zhiluo's palm, leaving Su Zhiluo speechless.
"Really?"
"...It depends on how you think about it."
Liu Chengxu felt she wasn't lying. Based on her understanding of her friends, none of them could withstand the pressure and none of them would escape.
She nodded. "Just don't talk about it outside."
Su Zhiluo had a lot to say, but who could she talk to?
Liu Chengxu said, "Right? Thinking about it this way, we're still considered normal people."
Su Zhiluo wanted to retort, but couldn't find the words for a moment, and also forgot to check if she had any cigarettes hidden on her.
After that, they planned to have dinner at Chang Ruyin's house, but Chang Ruyin was busy meeting with Yang Jie's relatives. From what she said, it seemed that Yang Jie's family was going to hold a wedding for them.
Su Zhiluo was happy for her, but at the same time, she was envious. She didn't dare to delve deeper, unsure whether she should have it.
With the Spring Festival holiday coming to an end, Liu Chengxu had to return to the company, while Su Zhi was left to return to Guangzhou, where she had to personally handle several large orders from the factory.
The two had to separate temporarily. Liu Chengxu was reluctant to part with her. In the past few nights, Liu Chengxu had been pestering his sister-in-law and wouldn't come out of bed, causing Su Zhiluo to have kidney pain. Every time, he would whisper to her to go back to S City and not exercise so intensely, which made Liu Chengxu even more obsessed.
They checked the results this month and didn't get a number in the lottery.
Su Zhi also participated in the car lottery in Guangzhou, and will buy a car wherever she wins the lottery.
Su Zhiluo had just bought her plane ticket and was packing her luggage at home when the community called, saying that the document had been approved—their area was about to be re-planned, and she was notified to go through the relevant procedures.
That means the area is going to be demolished.
Su Zhiluo listened to the phone for a long time, stunned. The other party thought she was too happy and said a few words of congratulations.
With some strands of hair obstructing her vision, Su Zhiluo smoothed her hair a few times and replied, "I understand."
A long time ago, someone told her that this place would be demolished, and she believed it. But after living here for a while, she stopped believing it and never took it to heart again.
I don't know why.
It felt like being gently patted on the shoulder twice: See, right? I told you it would be demolished, and things would get better.
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My ladies, I'll finish writing the final chapter either tomorrow or the day after!
[Shy][Shy] Don't you think I've managed to make up for everything between my sister-in-law and Cheng Xu in the "deceased mother's inheritance" part? Hehe. Tell me, Nian Nian is really amazing!
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