Chapter 5 Why don't you just give in to her?
The sun had set halfway down, and the clear blue sky gradually revealed a brilliant orange hue.
In the warm-toned living room, the wall clock chimes rhythmically, and the light-colored curtains are bathed in the afterglow of dusk, like a hazy filter.
This was the first time Jiang Sui had eaten a meal cooked by her mother.
Although she told Su Yinian that she liked anything she made, she was actually quite picky about food.
Jiang Sui had mentally prepared herself to finish the food, but found that the dishes on the table were all to her liking.
"It's delicious."
Faced with Jiang Sui's praise, Su Yinian responded with a barely audible murmur.
Regardless of her relationship with Jiang Yunzhao, Su Yinian never doubted Jiang Yunzhao's love for Jiang Sui.
She knew that Jiang Yunzhao must have taken good care of Jiang Sui, and that her cooking skills were definitely not comparable to those of the chefs hired by the Jiang family at high salaries.
but……
Seeing Jiang Sui eating so happily, Su Yinian still couldn't truly remain unmoved.
She silently ate the food Jiang Sui had given her, constantly reminding herself that she had to harden her heart.
—
After finishing their meal and tidying up, Su Yinian called out to Jiang Sui.
"Let's talk."
Jiang Sui didn't immediately agree to Su Yinian's request, but instead looked at her intently and said, "Mom, I have a name."
Her name comes from her parents and is proof of their love for each other.
But Su Yinian never called her by that name; she seemed to be deliberately avoiding any intimate relationship with Jiang Sui.
Jiang Sui's attitude was firm: they could talk, but Su Yinian had to call her by her name.
Su Yinian's eyes revealed emotions that Jiang Sui couldn't understand. After a moment, she still gave in.
"Sui Sui, can we talk?"
Su Yinian is from the South. Even though she has been away from home for so many years, her accent still carries the soft Wu dialect unique to the Jiangnan water towns. When she pronounces Jiang Sui's name, she is incredibly gentle, fulfilling all of Jiang Sui's fantasies about her mother.
Jiang Sui, whose wish had been fulfilled, readily agreed, "Okay, please go ahead."
"Your father refused to take you away, and he even helped you transfer schools." Su Yinian was helpless against Jiang Yunzhao's shameless behavior and could only passively accept this fact.
"But I don't want my life to change because of your arrival."
After a brief silence, Jiang Sui asked her, "What do you mean?"
“You can stay until your father sends someone to pick you up.” Su Yinian took a deep breath, her fingertips digging into her palms, and relied on the pain in her palms to finish what she wanted to say. “I will tell everyone that you are my relative’s child, and that you are staying here for a while.”
Su Yinian's words were so blunt and ruthless that Jiang Sui couldn't accept them. "I disagree."
“If you don’t agree, then you can leave tomorrow. Besides, you shouldn’t lack a mother; your father’s wife is your mother.”
A sharp pain shot through her heart. Su Yinian thought that after so many years, she had long since let go of the past, but Jiang Sui's appearance once again brutally exposed that unbearable and painful past.
Her tone was almost resentful, and her fingers, hidden behind her back, twitched in response.
Jiang Yunzhao could easily return to a normal life, but she was forced to wander aimlessly from then on, never able to find her way home again.
Jiang Sui's expression wasn't much better than Su Yinian's. Her clear pupils were misty with tears, and she choked out, "I've never called that woman 'Mom,' and I've never lived with her. From beginning to end, you've always been my only mother."
Su Yinian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
She reached out and handed a tissue to Jiang Sui, saying self-deprecatingly, "I've never raised you, so you shouldn't be pouring so much emotion into me. I hope you understand that I'm not the mother you imagine, and I can't give you the love you want."
Compared to the identity of a mother, Su Yinian felt more like a vessel. Although she had carried Jiang Sui for ten months, their connection was forced to end when the umbilical cord connecting them was cut.
Her words were both a warning and a reminder: if Jiang Sui continued to hold her to her imagined standards, she was destined to be disappointed.
Su Yinian stood up, his gaze towards Jiang Sui filled with complex emotions. "You have one night to think it over. I hope you can give me a clear answer by tomorrow morning."
"But Ji Jingyu heard me meet your mother."
"Xiao Jing knows what he's doing; he won't tell anyone."
Su Yinian's confident tone made Jiang Sui jealous.
Xiao Jing.
She calls the neighbor's children so affectionately, yet she's unwilling to call her by name even once.
Before returning to her room, Jiang Sui suddenly asked, "Mom, are you really not happy that I came to see you?"
Su Yinian opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only said, "You must be tired today, get some rest."
—
The outdoor unit of the air conditioner emitted a soft humming sound; the neighborhood was noisier and more vibrant at night than during the day.
Under the streetlights, groups of two or three children were playing, while adults stood nearby chatting and digesting their food. The sounds of their playful antics occasionally reached Jiang Sui's ears, but they did not annoy her.
This is an ordinary day that Su Yinian is experiencing, and it will be her day in the future.
There was no need to wait until the next morning to give an answer. No matter how difficult or aggrieved she felt, Jiang Sui never thought of leaving Su Yinian.
Even if Mom doesn't like her now, it doesn't matter. She's already by her side, and one day she'll like her.
The long-neglected suitcase was finally opened, and Jiang Sui packed her luggage while sending WeChat messages to Jiang Yunzhao.
Jiang Yunzhao was still working overtime at the company, so his response time wasn't very fast.
When will you get a divorce?
[Dad: Soon.]
Then don't contact your mother again before you get divorced; she seems very sad.
Jiang Sui regretted it; she shouldn't have left.
She knew better than anyone that the so-called "Mrs. Jiang" was not even a stranger in her and her father's eyes; they had never lived together at all.
But so what?
This cannot make up for the suffering my mother has endured over the years.
She had no right to ask her mother to forgive her father.
The message "The other party is typing..." flashed at the top of the screen for a long time, but in the end, only the word "OK" was sent.
Jiang Yunzhao had planned to resolve everything before going to find Su Yinian.
He overestimated his self-control.
Ultimately, it's because he's too useless.
Jiang Sui could imagine how dejected her father's expression must be on the other end of the phone. Words of comfort, though pale, were the only thing she could do right now.
[Dad, you can do it! Mom, don't worry, I'm here for you.]
—
After putting away the items that needed to be put away, Jiang Sui looked around her new room, which was still quite simple.
However, she now has plenty of time to decorate the place to her liking.
The stars and moon hung high in the sky, and the night grew even darker.
The noise downstairs gradually subsided, and the entire community seemed to have been put on pause, becoming completely silent.
Jiang Sui thought she wouldn't be able to sleep in a new environment, but as soon as she lay down, she couldn't help but yawn.
Sleepiness washed over me.
Half-asleep, she whispered towards Su Yinian's room, "Goodnight, Mom."
She was content even without a response.
—
I slept without any dreams.
Jiang Sui was awakened by the clear chirping of birds outside the window.
Yesterday, she discovered that her room window faced a large, leafy tree, and a bird's nest could be vaguely seen swaying in the breeze.
Occasionally, some noises could be heard outside the door, indicating that Su Yinian had already gotten up.
Jiang Sui was startled and quickly ran to the bathroom to wash up. She was anxious to tell Su Yinian her answer.
However, when the door was opened, there was more than just Su Yinian outside.
An unfamiliar old lady has appeared in our home.
Although she is old, the old lady is tall and slender, and her features still faintly reveal the radiance and elegance of her youth. The furrowed brows at the corners of her eyes do not make her look old, but rather add to her elegance and grace that comes from the passage of time.
The old man seemed surprised as well, his gaze shifting between Su Yinian and Jiang Sui before he smiled and asked, "Little Su, what's this?"
"This is me..."
Su Yinian had barely started speaking when Jiang Sui interrupted her, "Hello, Grandma, I'm a relative of Teacher Su, and I'm here to stay at her house for a while."
Hearing her introduce herself like that, Su Yinian's hands, which were at her sides, suddenly clenched. She hadn't expected that Jiang Sui would not only accept her suggestion but also say it so frankly.
But isn't this exactly what she wanted? Su Yinian composed herself. "This is Grandma Ji from across the street. She came over to bring us dumplings."
Jiang Sui then noticed that the old woman was carrying a transparent food storage box filled with plump, white dumplings that looked like they had been made by her.
"Hello, Grandma Ji, I'm Jiang Sui."
Grandma Ji across the street.
Ji Jingyu's grandmother?
Looking at it this way, Jiang Sui noticed that the two did indeed have some resemblance in their eyes and eyebrows.
Grandma Ji's surprised expression didn't seem like she was lying.
Jiang Sui was surprised that Ji Jingyu hadn't told his family anything.
No wonder Su Yinian trusted him so much.
"This little girl is so pretty." Grandma Ji looked at Jiang Sui with loving smiles in her eyes. "Sui Sui, would you like to come to Grandma's house for breakfast?"
Jiang Sui did not answer immediately, but turned to look at Su Yinian, as if waiting for her to make a decision for her.
Su Yinian declined on Jiang Sui's behalf, saying, "This is too much trouble for you, and I'm just about to make breakfast."
"It's no trouble at all. Xiaoyu said he wanted to eat the noodles I cooked after he came back from his grandma's house, and he's sitting at my house right now."
"Xiaoyu is back?"
Grandma Ji nodded. "School starts the day after tomorrow, so he'll have to come back. Not only him, but Xiao Ci and Fan Fan will also be coming. It'll be good for Sui Sui to come along and meet her friends."
Since things had come to this point, Su Yinian couldn't refuse any longer.
Grandma Ji placed the box on the table and waved to Jiang Sui, "Grandma's cooking is delicious, I guarantee you'll like it."
Jiang Sui had never interacted with elders of this age before.
Her grandmother passed away before she was born. As for her maternal grandparents, no one ever mentioned them to her. The only person she had contact with was her grandfather, Jiang Zhenkai, but she only saw him a few times a year and they barely exchanged a few words.
First impressions are a really strange thing.
From the first moment Jiang Sui met Grandma Ji, she took a liking to this kind old woman.
Jiang Sui winked at Su Yinian, her tone brimming with excitement, "Then I'll go over there."
She was starting to miss the chubby kitten from yesterday.
After all, she had promised to buy it snacks.
"Okay, go ahead."
—
Grandma Ji had something to say to Su Yinian, so she asked Jiang Sui to go ahead first.
The door opposite was ajar, and Jiang Sui pushed it open.
The layout of Ji Jingyu's house is similar to that of Su Yinian's house, but perhaps because there are elderly people in the family, the design is more Chinese style, and most of the furniture is reddish-brown.
The sunniest spot in the living room has a cat tree on one side and a wicker chair on the other, with a few books on a small table next to it.
Jiang Sui guessed that Grandma Ji must be a Buddhist.
As soon as she entered the room, she smelled a very pleasant sandalwood scent.
It's not strong, but it makes you feel calm.
Although she felt a little bad for the other boy present, the first thing Jiang Sui noticed when she entered was Ji Jingyu.
She noticed that Ji Jingyu seemed to prefer white; a white T-shirt paired with jeans looked simple and refreshing.
The gentle morning sunlight outlined his handsome profile and tall figure. His forearms, resting on the table, were slender and fair, like God's most prized creation.
His dark eyes were slightly lowered, and his long eyelashes completely obscured the expression in his eyes, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking at that moment.
Sitting next to him was Jiang Deyu, who had a buzz cut, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. His skin was noticeably darker than Ji Jingyu's.
He seemed to be used to Ji Jingyu like this, and didn't care that he didn't respond, continuing to talk to himself.
Hearing the noise coming from the doorway, Ji Jingyu looked up and unexpectedly met Jiang Sui's gaze.
Those eyes were dark and deep, like a bottomless, icy pool.
Jiang Sui couldn't dodge in time and inexplicably felt like she'd been caught peeking. She subconsciously looked away and pretended to be busy looking at her feet.
Ji Jingyu witnessed the entire scene, and he couldn't help but curl his thin lips into a smile.
Jiang Deyu told Ji Jingyu so many funny stories about summer vacation, but he remained unmoved. Now that he saw Ji Jingyu finally laugh, he thought he had amused him, and immediately became even more enthusiastic, "You think it's funny too, right? I was completely dumbfounded... Oh my god!"
He was startled by Jiang Sui standing at the door.
"Who is this girl? Could it be that your school's admirer has come to your house?" He whispered in Ji Jingyu's ear.
After saying that, he couldn't help but glance at Jiang Sui again.
To be honest, this girl was really beautiful, more beautiful than any girl he had ever seen.
So he leaned closer to Ji Jingyu again, "You two are quite a good match. Since she's already come knocking on your door, why don't you just give in to her?"
Seeing that Jiang Deyu's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Ji Jingyu lightly scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
A note from the author:
Jiang Deyu: I agree to this marriage.
I changed the book title, but it's still me, still me =3=
In addition, the love story of my parents is indeed a bit complicated...
They don't have complete information about each other, but they can't reveal anything about what will happen later in the story.
Thank you for reading this far, everyone! There's a red envelope in this chapter!
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