Tiaotiao, do you like it?
After dinner, Jiang Yunying was washing dishes in the kitchen. She whispered to Song Tiaotiao beside her, "Miss Song, what is your relationship with the master?"
Song Tiaotiao's almond-shaped eyes flickered. After thinking for a moment, she answered truthfully, "She is my mother."
Seeing Jiang Yunying's relaxed expression, as if she had confirmed the answer, Song Tiaotiao raised her eyes and looked at her: "Miss Jiang, did your mother tell you why she came to your Xichen Village?"
Jiang Yunying's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. "I once asked Master this question out of curiosity. The answer Master gave me was for the future of her two children."
Song Tiaotiao frowned, and although she was puzzled, she nodded in response: "So that's how it is..."
Is it possible that in the prequel that my mother traveled through, there is a plot related to her and her brother?
But apart from what her brother had mentioned before, she had no idea about the plot of the book her mother had traveled through...
It seems that I should find an opportunity to ask my brother.
As dusk approached, the Tiaotiao Restaurant, which had been open all day, saw off its last batch of customers.
Now, Jiang Yunying is penniless and has no relatives in Songbai Village, so housing has become the primary problem she needs to solve.
Fortunately, after spending a day together, Jin Zhenjiao and Jiang Yunying had very similar personalities and characters. Knowing her difficulties, Jin Zhenjiao made plans for her future.
Before leaving, before Song Tiaotiao could say anything, Jin Zhenjiao enthusiastically pulled Jiang Yunying back to her courtyard to live with her.
Earlier in the morning, Chen Pinglang had just left the food store and handed over the envelope that Bai Qingxu had sent to Village Chief Li. Then, Songbai Village hurriedly gathered the villagers and held another lively village meeting.
When Village Chief Li made the contents of the letter public, the villagers were immediately outraged.
They have long heard of Bai Qingxu's good reputation, and now that they have been rescued by him, they should all work together to overcome the difficulties.
In the past few days, the villagers have gradually followed the instructions in the letter and cooperated with the implementation of the plan.
And there are several new faces with the surname Jiang in the village.
They found a way to make a living in Songbai Village, which now needs to cooperate with water conservancy construction, under the pretext of passing on their ancestral carpentry and tile-working skills.
When Jiang Yunying first heard the Jiang family's claim of ancestral inheritance, he couldn't help but sneer, "What ancestral inheritance? They're desperate and they remember to return to their roots? It's really laughable. They remember the skills their master taught them clearly, but they've completely forgotten the kindness of saving their lives."
Hearing this, Song Tiaotiao frowned slightly: "Mother actually has a favor with them?"
After that day, whenever she thought of the Jiang family's constant talk about fairies, she found it extremely irritating.
Jiang Yunying, hearing the confusion in Song Tiaotiao's words, became even more furious. "These house-building skills were taught to them by our master when he saw them being harassed by the Western Rong. He taught them to protect them from the enemy. But a few days before our master left, they saw his hair turn white overnight, and they completely forgot our kindness. They threw bowls and cursed, calling him a monster."
Song Tiaotiao's eyes darkened, and she remembered the Jiang family's actions clearly in her heart. Her usually gentle tone turned slightly colder: "It's best if they don't have anything to do with me again." At this point, she asked with a hint of confusion: "Miss Jiang, do you know why your mother's hair turned white overnight?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yunying shook her head. "I still haven't figured this out. It happened so quietly, without any warning. The only difference from the past was that Master slept for an unusually long time that day, almost a whole night plus a small day. And the first thing she said when she woke up was that she had a place she could never go back to."
Is there a place you can never go back to?
Thinking of this, Song Tiaotiao's eyes flickered.
The time is right, the place is right. If this place where I can't return is the present, then it means that my mother really still exists in this world.
Thinking of this, Song Tiaotiao's almond-shaped eyes could no longer suppress the excitement surging inside, and they sparkled: "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Yunying was puzzled: "Thank me?"
Song Tiaotiao smiled and nodded. "Thank you for always staying by my mother's side and believing in her." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Miss Jiang, I'm going home to write a letter. When you return to the food store, please let Sister Zhenjiao know that I won't be back this afternoon."
After she finished speaking, she saw Jiang Yunying nodded in agreement, so she no longer cared about anything else, lifted up her apricot-yellow skirt, and ran home.
Zhao was tending flowers and plants in the courtyard when she saw Song Tiaotiao rushing home. She smiled and asked, "Tiaotiao, you rushed back in such a hurry. Did you forget to take anything important?"
Song Tiaotiao smiled and shook her head, "I came back to write a letter."
Hearing this, Zhao's eyes flickered and she nodded without asking any more questions.
After returning to the room, Song Tiaotiao wrote down everything she had thought and heard about Jiang Liu in recent days in the letter.
After writing five or six pages of letter paper, Song Tiaotiao still felt it was not enough. She racked her brains to fill in more relevant details.
The brush was hovering, and Song Tiaotiao supported her chin, thinking about what to add.
Just then, Zhao's gentle voice called out from outside the door: "Tiaotiao, you've been sitting in the room for a long time. Would you like to drink some flower tea to replenish your water and calm your mind?"
Hearing this, Song Tiaotiao had an idea. She stood up, opened the door, looked at Zhao Shi, who was holding a cup of scented tea at the door, and smiled softly, "Thank you for your concern, mother-in-law." At this point, she took the teacup with both hands and took a sip. "I was wondering today why I kept dreaming about mother-in-law recently. I guess it's because she's always so nice to Tiaotiao, so I feel this way."
Hearing this, Zhao's heart was as sweet as if moistened by honey. She smiled and shook her head: "My mother-in-law likes Tiao Tiao, so naturally she must treat Tiao Tiao well."
Song Tiaotiao smiled and said, "Last night, I dreamed of my grandmother-in-law whom I met when I was a child."
Zhao smiled and thought for a moment: "When he was young? When he was seven or eight years old?"
In the past, she had met Song Tiaotiao only a few times.
But after meeting her a few times, she had a good impression of this lively and smart girl.
The most memorable one was probably Cheng Jue’s eighth birthday party, when she saw Tiao Tiao, the lovely white jade ball, for the first time.
Song Tiaotiao shook her head and chuckled. "It was probably when I was five or six years old. I was still being raised by Madam An at that time. My childhood memories are always vague, but last night, as if I were revisiting an old place in my dream, they became particularly clear. That time, my mother-in-law came to the restaurant to meet Madam An, and I happened to be there. I think that was the first time I met my mother-in-law."
Zhao's eyes flickered. "The Madam An you're talking about, is that An Rong, the head shopkeeper of Yanqinglou in Beijing?"
Song Tiaotiao smiled and nodded. "Yes, I have been raised by Madam An since I was born, but I rarely get to meet her in person. So when I occasionally see a woman as picturesque as my mother-in-law, the impression is particularly deep."
Hearing this, Zhao's eyes flashed and her eyebrows frowned slightly: "Tiaotiao, could it be that you are..." At this point, she lowered her eyes, thinking about what An Rong had said to her, and stopped talking.
Song Tiaotiao's eyes turned and she pretended to be confused: "Mother-in-law?"
Zhao had seen a lot of things, so she quickly recovered and said with a gentle smile, "Sister Rong did adopt a child, but she kept it so precious that no one could see it. Now that I know it's you, I'm overjoyed."
Song Tiaotiao nodded and chuckled, "Grandma, have you ever heard of Jiang Liu?"
Hearing this, Zhao lowered her eyes and said thoughtfully, "Jiang Liu...?" After a while, she shook her head and said, "I've never seen him."
Song Tiaotiao nodded gently. "I only heard Madam An mention it. She said she learned her cooking skills from this Madam Jiang, so I couldn't help but be curious about her."
Zhao's eyes flickered as if she had thought of something. "She did learn her cooking skills from a woman, but I know very little about her. I only know that she was pregnant when she first arrived, but she nearly lost her baby due to the long journey. It was An Rong who helped her with the pregnancy, and she taught An Rong cooking as a reward."
Hearing this, Song Tiaotiao's almond-shaped eyes flickered secretly.
At that moment, Gu Zhao's soft voice came from outside the house: "Grandma, I'm home..."
Song Tiaotiao and Zhao smiled at each other and welcomed Gu Zhao back home.
Outside, the grandfather and grandson reviewed their lessons, while inside, Song Tiaotiao picked up his pen and added a few words to the letter: "Brother, please continue to dig deeper into what happened after Mother came to Yingzhou, the connections between her and the people related to her, and why I was transferred from Madam An to the Zhenguo Mansion."
…
The moonlight is faint and the night is quiet.
Gu Chengjue, who had just returned home, packed his bags in the house.
Military orders are as heavy as mountains. If the troops are to be recalled, it is urgent and cannot be delayed.
Thinking of this, Song Tiaotiao handed him the newly purchased change of clothes and sighed softly: "I bought these new clothes yesterday. I wanted to see how you looked in them with my own eyes. Now, it is indeed too late. However, it is in time for you to bring them to the army in case of emergency."
Gu Chengjue looked at the new clothes piled between Song Tiaotiao's arms, his eyes flickering as he chuckled softly, "If Tiaotiao wants to see them, I'll put them on for you now, okay?"
When Song Tiaotiao first heard this sentence, she didn't think there was anything suspicious about it.
But she opened her red lips slightly, and was about to smile and respond.
But the voice of these words kept echoing in her mind. After thinking about it for a while, Song Tiaotiao's ears couldn't help but feel hot.
But looking at the clear and pure expression between Gu Chengjue's eyebrows, her eyes flickered and she lowered her head: "I...then I'll go out for a while."
Hearing this, Gu Chengjue's eyes dimmed slightly. He looked at Song Tiaotiao and smiled softly, "Tiaotiao, the lights outside the door are off. Mother has gone to bed."
She could light a lamp when she went out now, but the process would inevitably make some noise, and Zhao's sleep was always light, which might disturb her sweet dreams.
Thinking of this, Song Tiaotiao couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.
At that moment, Gu Chengjue chuckled softly: "Tiaotiao, how about I blow out the candle? If Tiaotiao wants, you can turn your back later." After speaking, he took the new clothes, walked to the candlestick, and held it to the side of his face.
The flickering candlelight flickered in those smiling eyes. Song Tiaotiao looked at Gu Chengjue's handsome face, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
After a while, as if possessed by some mysterious force, she uttered an almost inaudible sound from her lips: "Hmm..."
The candlelight went out quietly with Gu Chengjue's soft cry.
In the room, for a moment, only a low chuckle and the sound of each other's gentle breathing remained.
The candlelight was out, but the moonlight pouring in from the window cast a layer of mist over the room.
Song Tiaotiao has excellent night vision, but she never thought it could be used here.
She stared blankly at Gu Chengjue stretching out his arms naturally. After a while, the single garment on his upper body was easily untied by his slender fingertips.
From time to time, the loose clothes were slowly peeled off from the broad shoulders until they fell to the waist, faintly outlining the muscle lines on the back.
Seeing this, Song Tiaotiao's eyes flickered and her breathing became a little faster.
Realizing that something was wrong with her, she tried to cover her ears with her hands to suppress the deafening sound on her chest, like someone trying to cover his ears and steal a bell.
But when he came to his senses again, Gu Chengjue was about to relight the candlestick.
Seeing this, Song Tiaotiao hurriedly covered her almond-shaped eyes with her hands.
Gu Chengjue's eyes were slightly lowered, and the light was flowing. He smiled softly and said, "Tiaotiao, I have changed my clothes. They fit me perfectly."
Song Tiaotiao blinked her almond-shaped eyes and slowly walked forward under Gu Chengjue's gaze.
But every time her eyes touched his body, they became erratic: "Yes...it fits very well."
Gu Chengjue looked at the blush on Song Tiaotiao's face, and the smile in his eyes deepened: "Tiaotiao, do you like it?"
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