Chapter 164 The Age of Aging: These Teeth Can Fight for Another Five Hundred Years
Time, like a butcher's knife, is devastating to some, but sculpting to others.
The ginkgo leaves in Chenyuan Garden have turned yellow and green again, and thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The once spirited regent is now an old man with graying temples; and the quirky "goddess" queen has developed fine crow's feet around her eyes.
But this doesn't stop them from being the most enviable "old immortals" in Lin'an City.
The sun was shining brightly in the early morning.
Jiang Mianmian sat in a rocking chair, holding a bronze mirror in her hand, looking at herself from left to right with a worried expression.
Sigh... I'm getting old.
These wrinkles could trap a mosquito. I used to be a beauty queen in Beijing, and now I'm practically turning into tofu dregs.
Most importantly... these teeth seem a bit loose? I even had some trouble gnawing on a pig's trotter last night?
Heavens above! You may take away my beauty, but you cannot take away my teeth! Without teeth, how can I eat my way through the world?
Just as she was lamenting in her heart, Shen Jin walked over carrying a tray.
Although half of his hair was white, he still stood tall and straight, wearing an elegant blue robe, with a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose, and a book in his hand.
"What? Are you criticizing yourself again?"
Shen Jin placed the tray on the stone table, his tone tinged with a helpless yet indulgent affection, "I've already told you, you're not old. In my eyes, you're still that little girl from back then."
"Liar!"
Jiang Mianmian put down the mirror and pointed to the corner of her eye, "Look! How many lines are there now? And these teeth... I think I'll be able to chew ribs soon!"
Shen Jin smiled and lifted the lid off the tray.
A rich aroma of meat wafted out.
"Look what this is?"
Jiang Mianmian peeked out.
The bowl contained braised pork belly, its color a deep red, and it was stewed until incredibly tender. Each piece trembled slightly, as if it would melt in your mouth.
"This is……"
"I specifically instructed the kitchen to simmer it over a low flame for four hours."
Shen Jin picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of food, and fed it to her mouth. "No need to chew, it will melt in your mouth. It's a cure for... bad teeth."
Jiang Mianmian swallowed it in one gulp.
really!
The skin was soft and tender, and the lean meat was succulent. It didn't require much chewing; it simply melted into the most delicious flavor on the tip of your tongue.
Mmm! Delicious!
Jiang Mianmian's face immediately lit up with a smile. "Old Shen, you're amazing! You even thought of that!"
Hehe, even though my teeth aren't good anymore, as long as the cook is still here, I won't have to worry about not having meat to eat!
Is this the legendary "I stewed the meat until it was tender because I love you"?
Shen Jin watched her eat with great satisfaction, took off his reading glasses, and rubbed his temples.
"Eat slowly, there's more."
"Oh, right, Tuantuan just sent a letter."
"Oh? What did that brat say?" Jiang Mianmian asked while eating, "Is he going to dump his son on us again to take care of?"
Shen An is now a powerful general guarding a region. After marrying Jiang Guoguo, they had a son named Shen Nao. The couple is busy "winning people over with virtue" over there, and often just abandon their child here and run off.
"no."
Shen Jin shook his head, his expression somewhat strange. "He said... he's been practicing 'health-preserving exercises' lately and wanted to ask you if you still have the recipe for wolfberry-infused wine."
"puff--"
Jiang Mianmian burst out laughing, "Health preservation exercises? How old is he? He's already soaking goji berries in a thermos?"
"It seems Guoguo really wore him out..."
[Tsk tsk, what goes around comes around.]
Has that mischievous brat who could lift a gold brick with one hand back then become a greasy middle-aged man?
Looks like I'm good at taking care of myself! I have Chen Jin as my human supplement!
Shen Jin: ...
What the heck is a humanoid health supplement?
"Your Highness!"
Just then, the butler rushed in, "It's terrible! The young master is climbing trees again! He even said he wants to imitate you back then... and pick stars for the princess!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing that her grandson had climbed the tree, Jiang Mianmian was terrified and tried to stand up. "Quick! Get him down! That tree is so tall! What if he falls?"
"Don't rush."
Shen Jin pressed her down, "I'll go."
He stood up, and although he was old, his steps were still steady.
When I got to the old locust tree, I saw a little boy of about seven or eight years old sitting on a branch, holding a bamboo pole and gesturing towards the sky.
"Grandpa! I want to pick a star and give it to Grandma!" Little Shen shouted.
Shen Jin looked up at the mischievous monkey who looked exactly like Tuantuan when he was a child. Instead of getting angry, he smiled.
"The stars are in the sky, you can't reach them during the day."
Shen Jin stretched out his hand, "Come down. Grandpa will take you to pick... the stars on the ground."
"Stars on Earth?"
Shen Nao slid down curiously, "Where?"
Shen Jin held his grandson's hand and walked to the edge of the flowerbed, pointing to the clusters of blooming marigolds:
"Look, these are the stars on Earth."
“Pick one and give it to your grandma; she’ll be happier than if she received a star from the sky.”
Little Shen seemed to understand but not quite, so he picked the biggest one and ran off to show it off.
"Grandma! Here! A star!"
Jiang Mianmian took the flowers and looked at the old man and the child, her heart melting completely.
That's wonderful.
Although I'm old, although my hair is white, although my teeth are loose.
But... this family is still so lively.
Shen Jin, meeting you in this life is truly the greatest luck I've ever had.
Shen Jin walked back and sat down again.
He heard her heartfelt words.
He didn't speak, but simply held her hand, which was no longer young but was still warm.
Is getting old scary?
He used to find it terrifying. He was afraid of losing his strength, afraid of aging, afraid of being abandoned by the times.
But now, looking at her beside him, and at his grandson at his knees.
He suddenly realized that getting old... is actually a very romantic thing.
Because it means that they have gone through countless springs, summers, autumns and winters together, and still... they haven't drifted apart.
"Mianmian".
"Um?"
"When all our teeth have fallen out..."
Shen Jin looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I'll make you... minced meat porridge. We'll feed each other."
Jiang Mianmian imagined the scene:
Two toothless elderly people, trembling, fed each other while trying to keep their dentures from falling out...
"Ha ha ha ha!"
She laughed until tears streamed down her face, "Okay! It's a deal! Whoever complains when the time comes is a little dog!"
As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with evening glow.
The two elderly people leaned against each other, their backs no longer upright, but more resolute than ever before.
This is probably it—
When you get old and can no longer walk.
I am still willing to cherish you like a treasure in my palm.
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