Chapter 21 The feel of it is really great.
As soon as Su Yinian opened the door with his key, a warm orange light shone through the crack in the door.
Upon seeing this scene, Su Yinian subconsciously softened her movements. After taking in the scene in the living room, she froze on the spot.
The house was quiet, and no one came to greet her.
The floor lamp next to the sofa was dimmed to its lowest setting, emitting a warm and gentle glow that illuminated a small corner of the living room.
A sweet and refreshing fruity aroma filled the air; Jiang Sui had already taken a shower.
She was wearing a beige nightgown, her face buried in soft cushions, asleep on the sofa.
This house now has a second owner.
Su Yi walked forward quietly, his eyes flickering slightly as he looked at Jiang Sui's sleeping figure.
She thought Jiang Sui had just left the light on for her, but she didn't expect that Jiang Sui was still waiting for her to come home.
Su Yinian came home unusually late today.
There was a student in the class who was repeating a year of high school. Her parent talked to her for a long time, and you could feel the parent's anxiety and helplessness between the lines.
By the time the conversation ended, the entire school was silent, and most of the classrooms had their lights off.
The parents left apologetically, leaving Su Yinian alone in the office slowly packing up her belongings.
Her mind seemed to be blank, and she savored this moment of tranquility.
Although she had mentally prepared herself when she took over the class, the reality was far more severe than she had imagined.
When Su Yinian was teaching a graduating class of senior high school students, she always missed the last bus. Taking a taxi was too much trouble, so she simply applied to the school for a dormitory room.
She glanced at the sky outside and wondered if she should just spend the night in her dorm...
She remembered that Jiang Sui was still waiting for her at home.
The senior high school office is quite a distance from the school gate.
Under the dim streetlights, apart from Su Yinian's slightly hurried footsteps and the rustling of the evening breeze through the treetops, there was no other sound on the entire campus.
The shadows of the trees cast long shadows, the buildings stand silently, and the school, which was bustling during the day, suddenly takes on a somewhat eerie atmosphere once it falls silent.
Thinking of this, Su Yinian quickened his pace.
Upon arriving at the school gate, a burly security guard emerged from the guardhouse.
"Teacher Su, why haven't you gone home yet?"
The security guard in front of him was a new face; Su Yinian thought he must be a new employee who joined this semester.
Seeing that the other person was talking to her, she nodded at him and said, "Okay, I'm leaving now."
"Then I'll call a taxi for you. There are no more buses to your neighborhood at this time."
"No need." Su Yinian's phone was also on the ride-hailing screen. "I can call a taxi myself."
"This is a benefit provided by the school. Teachers can take a taxi home after 10 p.m., and the school will reimburse the taxi fare."
Su Yinian's expression froze. "How come I've never heard of this?"
"It's only the beginning of this semester," the security guard replied earnestly. "The school will probably issue a notice tomorrow."
"I see..." Su Yinian nodded. "Then I'll trouble you."
"This is what we should do."
The security guard was lucky; Su Yinian had been waiting for a long time without anyone accepting the order, but the car arrived shortly after he finished processing it.
Before getting into the car, the security guard thoughtfully reminded Su Yinian to call the gatehouse to let them know she arrived home safely.
Xunning is a small city. As night falls and the hustle and bustle fades away, it gradually falls into a deep sleep. Along the way, there are hardly any people or even cars to be seen.
Unlike bustling metropolises, which get more lively as the night goes on, with bright lights and flashing neon signs, this place is not bustling at all.
Su Yinian leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery rushing past the window with an expressionless face.
What school benefits?
She had been at Xunning No. 2 Middle School for so many years, but she never knew the school was so kind.
Su Yinian knew perfectly well that this was definitely Jiang Yunzhao's doing.
Perhaps even the driver is from the Jiang family.
But she no longer wanted to, and was too lazy to, argue with Jiang Yunzhao about these things.
On the one hand, it's because it's a good thing for her, as she doesn't even have to worry about safety.
On the other hand, Su Yinian was very clear that from the moment she allowed Jiang Sui into her life, she could never go back to the past, and the "intrusion" of her by the father and daughter was inevitable.
Despite being utterly exhausted, Su Yinian's mind kept replaying the conversation with the parents of the student repeating the year.
In the past, she was just a teacher, so she usually considered things from a teacher's perspective. But things are different now; Jiang Sui is by her side.
Even though she was unwilling to accept this reality, she couldn't help but start to identify with the role of "Jiang Sui's mother".
After talking with the parents, she even regretted agreeing to take over Class 4.
I agreed to the school's request because of Jiang Sui.
Regret is also because of Jiang Sui.
She was thinking that if she got busy, she wouldn't have much time to spend with Jiang Sui.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
The thought of Jiang Sui being all alone at home so late always made Su Yinian's heart clench.
Moreover, Jiang Sui is now a senior in high school.
But she knew nothing about her child's studies.
The placement test is tomorrow, but she didn't even have time to ask Jiang Sui "how your revision is going?"
Su Yinian suddenly felt uneasy. She wondered if Jiang Sui would blame her for being irresponsible.
—
Su Yinian called Jiang Sui's name softly, "Sui Sui".
"Hmm..."
Jiang Sui responded absentmindedly, without even opening her eyes, and slowly hid deeper into the sofa, her long, black curly hair scattered messily on the sofa.
Su Yinian reached out and took the pillow from Jiang Sui's arms, gently brushed the stray hairs from her face, and continued to call her by her nickname, "Sui Sui, go back to your room and sleep."
"Mom, you're finally back."
With her raven-feather-like eyelashes fluttering slightly, Jiang Sui fumbled around on the sofa for a while before finally finding her phone in a crack in the sofa.
Jiang Sui glanced at the time with half-closed eyes, and immediately woke up from her sleepy state. "How come it's so late!"
Hearing Jiang Sui's words, Su Yinian felt extremely bitter.
She only ever loved one person in her life, but unfortunately, she was unlucky and not only wasted most of her life, but also failed her only child.
Su Yinian looked away somewhat awkwardly, not daring to meet Jiang Sui's gaze. His tone was inexplicably stiff as he said, "Teaching senior high school students will be very busy. Don't wait for me next time."
"It's okay, I often wait for my dad to come home like this too," Jiang Sui said nonchalantly, rubbing her eyes. "I'm used to it."
"Is your dad... very busy?"
To be honest, Su Yinian couldn't imagine Jiang Yunzhao being busy at all.
When they got together, Jiang Yunzhao was only in his early twenties.
At that time, he wished he could stick to Su Yinian 24 hours a day, and this person was so shameless that he couldn't be driven away no matter what.
Su Yinian remembered clearly that when she went to tutor, Jiang Yunzhao insisted on picking her up in his flashy sports car.
She would give lectures upstairs, and he would wait downstairs for hours without ever complaining.
Therefore, in Su Yinian's mind, Jiang Yunzhao was just a spoiled, rich, and idle young master.
Jiang Sui nodded, "Dad is very busy."
From as far back as she can remember, Jiang Yunzhao has always been very busy.
He worked like crazy, staying at the company until late every day before going home, and frequently traveling abroad for business. He worked almost year-round without a break, and the little time he could squeeze out was all spent with Jiang Sui.
It's as if he's overdrawing his own vibrant life force.
He was extremely gloomy, and only showed a tiny bit of a smile in front of Jiang Sui.
"So, Mom, please let me wait." Jiang Sui tilted her head to look at Su Yinian, her pink and white face bathed in the dim light, making her look somewhat unreal. "I want you to know that there's always someone at home waiting for you to come back."
You are never alone.
Jiang Sui didn't say these words aloud, but she knew that Su Yinian would understand what she was trying to say.
Jiang Sui stood up from the sofa. The seventeen-year-old girl was already as tall as her mother, and she could look Su Yinian in the eye without any difficulty.
Under Su Yinian's puzzled gaze, Jiang Sui suddenly reached out and hugged her.
As if roles had been reversed, Jiang Sui patted Su Yinian's back like she was coaxing a child, her light and cheerful voice falling on Su Yinian's ear, "I am proud of my mother's profession, and I can take care of myself, so mother really doesn't need to worry too much about me."
"Mom just needs to love me more and more like this."
"I'm going to bed now, goodnight, Mom."
After saying these words, Jiang Sui went back to her room.
Su Yinian stood there stunned.
She couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Sui was really only seventeen years old.
Otherwise, how could she see through her thoughts at a glance?
—
There was a few light knocks on the door.
Grandma Ji came in to bring Ji Jingyu some warm milk. Seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but sound a little surprised, "Practicing calligraphy so late?"
Ji Jingyu hummed in agreement, "Just writing whatever comes to mind."
He only practices calligraphy when he's in a good or bad mood. Grandma Ji thought about the strange things he said after he got home and subconsciously felt that the former was more likely.
So she didn't ask any more questions, but simply put the milk on the desk and said, "Don't practice too late, go to bed early, you have an exam tomorrow."
The tadpoles that followed Grandma Ji into the house circled around Ji Jingyu's feet, acting coquettishly towards him.
Ji Jingyu bent down and touched the tadpole's little head, then replied to Grandma Ji, "I understand."
"Your Aunt Su is only now getting home."
"So late?" The unexpected tone was filled with some unreadable emotion.
Ji Jingyu's gaze fell on the alarm clock not far away, which showed that it was already past eleven o'clock.
"That's right, I heard her open the door before I came in to bring you the milk." Grandma Ji's tone was full of concern. "She must be exhausted to come back so late. I wonder if Sui Sui is scared being home alone?"
Ji Jingyu's hands clenched unconsciously, but her expression remained unchanged.
Grandma Ji hadn't expected him to comment on the matter. She glanced at Ji Jingyu and suddenly smiled, joking with her grandson, "It would be nice if you were a little girl."
"Um?"
Ji Jingyu looked at Grandma Ji with confusion, not understanding how the conversation had veered to this point.
"That way you can go and keep Sui Sui company across the street," Grandma Ji joked. "It's a pity you're a boy; even Tadpole is more qualified to keep Sui Sui company than you."
Ji Jingyu: "..."
He said, seemingly casually, "Instead of letting Tadpole go and keep her company, why not invite her to our house to wait for Teacher Su to come home?"
Grandma Ji clapped her hands and said happily, "That's a good idea. My grandson is so quick-witted. If you encounter this situation again, just call Sui Sui to our house."
After saying that, she glanced at Ji Jingyu again, "Alright, Grandma won't bother you anymore. Drink your milk and go to sleep."
"Yes, you should get some rest too."
The door was gently closed.
As soon as Ji Jingyu turned around, she saw the tadpole dipping its tiny paw pads in ink and playing with them. The white Xuan paper, which was mostly covered with writing, was now filled with its tiny black footprints.
He reached out and grabbed the mischievous chubby kitten, gently tapping its little forehead. "I have to wash your little paws again. Why do you always cause me trouble, huh?"
The words, though seemingly accusatory, carried no trace of disgust; instead, they were tinged with a willing smile.
—
As dawn broke and the east began to lighten, the sky gradually brightened. Soon after, the sun slowly rose above the horizon, casting golden rays that seemed to veil everything in a light-colored filter.
I don't even need to look to know that today will be another sunny day.
The sunlight outside the window, along with the crisp, intermittent chirping of birds, slanted into the bedroom through the gaps in the curtains that weren't fully drawn, disturbing the sleep.
"It's so noisy..."
A pair of fair and delicate hands emerged from the thin blanket printed with cartoon patterns, grabbed the two sides of the blanket and pulled it up forcefully, and Jiang Sui completely disappeared into the blanket.
About a minute or two later, the alarm clock dutifully rang.
Jiang Sui scrambled out of bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time before she was truly awake. She stretched and quickly went into the bathroom to wash up.
When she came out of the room, Su Yinian had already prepared breakfast.
She waved to Jiang Sui, "Come and have breakfast."
Last night's brief conversation did not seem to have changed their relationship at all.
Su Yinian remained polite but not affectionate towards Jiang Sui.
Today's breakfast is milk, eggs, and bread.
At first, Jiang Sui didn't realize the hidden meaning in her breakfast until she picked up the long, thin bread and realized Su Yinian's good intentions.
Putting bread and eggs together means "perfect score".
Jiang Sui looked at the eggs and bread roll in her hand, both amused and exasperated. "Mom, you're a bit superstitious."
Su Yinian looked embarrassed. "I just wanted a good omen."
As a teacher, she naturally didn't believe in such things. If it were truly effective, then no one would need to study; they could just spend their days praying to gods and Buddhas.
But this morning, she inexplicably prepared breakfast like this.
"Thank you, Mom."
Jiang Sui lowered her head and took a bite of bread. Thinking about her grades, the smile on her face faded a little. "Mom, I'm done eating."
"Are you done eating?"
"Yes, I'm going to school."
"Okay, be careful on the road."
—
No high school senior would be happy to have exams right at the start of the semester.
Jiang Deyu had a long face all morning, complaining and lamenting.
Jiang Sui didn't understand. "If you hate going to school so much, then don't go."
"That won't do!"
Why not?
Jiang Sui's doubt seemed genuine. Jiang Deyu shrank back, a hint of fear on his face. "If I don't go to school, my dad will beat me to death!"
He seemed a little embarrassed and threw the question back to Jiang Sui, "Could it be that you go to school because you like it?"
Jiang Sui shook her head, "I don't like going to school either."
"That's settled then, we're all forced by our parents."
“No, that’s not it.” Jiang Sui’s gaze landed squarely on Ji Jingyu. “It’s just that staying at home means not seeing you guys for a long time, which is too boring, so I thought I’d better go to school.”
Jiang Deyu: "..."
Jiang Sui's tone was too calm, and Jiang Deyu couldn't tell for a moment whether she was serious or just teasing him.
Only Ji Jingyu knew that Jiang Sui was telling the truth.
As the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, she was entitled to a life of comfort for several lifetimes. Whether or not she went to school was entirely up to her.
Jiang Sui and they were never from the same world.
He didn't respond to Jiang Sui's gaze, his eyes fixed on the approaching bus, and said coldly, "The bus is here."
—
There weren't many people on the bus today, and we all found seats as soon as we got on.
Jiang Sui and Xia Fan sat together.
"Isn't Gu Ci taking you to school today?"
“There were too many people yesterday. Besides, I’m not a child anymore. I don’t need him to pick me up and drop me off every day.”
After Xia Fanyi's righteous and eloquent protest, Gu Ci finally changed "early drop-off and late pick-up" to "late pick-up".
Sitting in the front row, Jiang Deyu turned around and asked, "By the way, when does Gu Ci start school?"
"Number 18."
Jiang Deyu calculated the time, "That day happened to be a weekend, did Uncle Gu take him to school to register?"
"It's still uncertain whether Uncle Gu will be able to make it back in time."
"It's been two years since I last saw Uncle Gu. The last time I saw him was during the Spring Festival two years ago. Sometimes I envy Brother Gu Ci for not having parents to discipline him, but sometimes I feel sorry for him..."
"What's so pitiful about him!" Xia Fan couldn't stand such words. She reached over the chair and slapped Jiang Deyu hard several times. "And you're not allowed to say those things in front of him!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong, please have mercy!" Jiang Deyu pleaded, clutching his head. "I was only saying it in front of you guys, how could I possibly say such things to Brother Gu Ci!"
"That's more like it." Xia Fan shook his hand dismissively. "Jiang Deyu, did you hide a piece of iron on your back? It's so hard, my hand hurts from slapping it."
Jiang Deyu looked proud. "What iron block? This is my muscle, as hard as iron."
Seeing Jiang Sui's curious expression, he adhered to the principle of "sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone" and generously straightened his upper body, "Jiang Sui, why don't you pat it a few times too? It's definitely worth the money!"
Ji Jingyu seemed to have finally had enough. She reached out and turned Jiang Deyu's head back, her tone cold, "You'd be better off memorizing more English words. After all, your muscles, which are as hard as iron, can't withstand Uncle Jiang's beating."
He emphasized the words "hard as iron," instantly maximizing the sarcastic tone.
Xia Fanle gave Ji Jingyu a thumbs up, "Brother Ji doesn't speak much, but when he does, it's a killer move."
Jiang Deyu, seemingly brimming with confidence, declared, "I definitely won't get beaten up this time." He then turned to Jiang Sui and winked, "Jiang Sui, don't you really want to give it a try? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
He's not an ungrateful person. Jiang Sui helped him get good grades, so letting her hit him a few times is no problem at all.
Jiang Sui nodded, "Then let's give it a try."
Ji Jingyu's hands, which were resting on her knees, suddenly clenched.
He warned himself inwardly that he shouldn't react so strongly; it was just a childish game between good friends...
The next second, a warm palm was placed on his back.
Even through her clothes, he could feel her unrestrained movements. Pressing down with her palm didn't seem to satisfy her, so she pinched down hard with her soft fingertips.
Ji Jingyu turned around abruptly, and his eyes met Jiang Sui's gaze directly. The direct and blatant scrutiny in her eyes was so obvious that he didn't even have time to hide it before it was all seen through his eyes.
"you……"
His voice was somewhat low and hoarse, carrying a certain suppressed emotion.
Caught red-handed, Jiang Sui wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, she winked slyly at the other person, even her excuse was so shameless, "Fanfan has already filmed Jiang Deyu, so I want to try yours, is that okay?"
Ji Jingyu's pupils contracted slightly, and his deep black eyes were no longer as indifferent as usual, but instead showed a hint of helplessness and embarrassment.
The pressure on his back increased slightly.
After a moment, Jiang Sui, like a professional judge, commented, "Hmm, the feel is indeed excellent."
You little rascal.
Ji Jingyu couldn't help but silently rebuke him in her heart.
Author's Note: Bad news: My baby is a little rascal.
Good news: She's only a scoundrel to me.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:58:46 on June 1, 2024 and 01:09:39 on June 5, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Jiezi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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