Sitting next to Huang Minghao, Jiang Shuya stared blankly out the window, her expression dazed and indifferent. She absentmindedly recalled the scene from just moments ago, thinking that she was afraid she had really hurt Lin Moxiao this time, and he must be very sad right now.
She subconsciously bit her lip at her cowardly behavior, feeling a dull ache in her heart. She tried to calm herself down and suppress her chaotic thoughts, her tension making her whole body stiffen.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Huang Minghao asked, noticing her blank stare.
The car fell silent for a moment. Huang Minghao looked dazed when Jiang Shuya ignored him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and after a moment, he calmly took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, and took a small puff. The car was small, and the strong smell made the dazed Jiang Shuya irritable.
"Could you please not smoke here? I can't stand the smell."
Huang Minghao turned his head and glanced at her, looking surprised;
"Why are you shouting so loudly? I've always been like this; you've never mentioned being sensitive to the smell of smoke before."
Jiang Shuya was stunned. She seemed to have never been averse to the smell of tobacco before, and once thought it was a normal lifestyle habit for men. After marrying Huang Minghao, hadn't she gotten used to it?
But only she knew that springtime was the time when her skin became sensitive and she was allergic to many pollens.
My respiratory tract started to itch, and I became averse to strong smells. I don't know when it started, but I also began to dislike the pungent smell of tobacco.
Whenever Lin Moxiao smoked, she would simply frown, and he would always tactfully avoid it, or immediately deal with it, even promising never to smoke again, all because she disliked it.
"Would you quit smoking for someone?" Jiang Shuya pinched her nose, held her breath, and looked at Huang Minghao.
Huang Minghao looked ahead nonchalantly, his hand holding the cigarette butt resting on the outside of the car window, his voice low.
"No, I've been smoking for so many years, it's a habit, quitting isn't that easy."
Jiang Shuya knew this would be the answer; Huang Minghao wouldn't change anything for her. She had known this for a long time. If she had just accepted it in her previous life, perhaps quitting smoking would have been really difficult.
But in this life, she met another man, and this man who had thought of her for five years was willing to give up his own lifestyle for her. Was that really possible? Could Lin Moxiao really disregard everything for her and break through the barriers between that old man of high status and position?
Everything is uncertain and unknown.
Seeing that Jiang Shuya seemed to be deep in thought, Huang Minghao seemed to sense that his words had displeased her, and he glanced down at her.
"I can only promise you I'll try to smoke less; quitting is impossible, and I don't want to quit smoking."
Jiang Shuya frowned slightly;
"Whether you want to quit smoking or not has nothing to do with me. Please don't smoke in front of me anymore."
Huang Minghao: "You weren't the one asking me if I could quit smoking."
The two remained silent for a while, and soon arrived at Xixia Village.
As Jiang Shuya entered the courtyard, she saw Tangtang standing at the door, lost in thought. Her two beautiful big eyes were staring at one spot, not as lively as usual.
When he saw his mother, his face didn't light up with the usual cheers and excitement. He just stood there blankly like a wooden doll, completely devoid of energy.
Until she was held in her mother's arms, her eyes had a bluish tinge, her gaze was lifeless, her face was pale, her small lips were purple, and there were faint dark circles around her eyes.
Based on the experience of those who have been through it, this is a common occurrence during a child's developmental stage, characterized by sudden frights and being haunted by evil spirits, which usually happens more often at night.
If a child sees something unclean, walks in the dark at night, has a nightmare, or stimulates a nerve and doesn't recover immediately, it can cause symptoms such as high fever and headache.
Jiang Shuya looked up and asked Huang Minghao;
"Has your mom been coming home late from playing cards lately?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than her mother-in-law's loud voice rang out;
"Don't blame everything on me. Tangtang was suddenly frightened, and it wasn't my fault. Ask Haohao; I always take Tangtang home to sleep before bedtime, and she never stays up very late."
Jiang Shuya frowned, really not wanting to argue with her anymore, and only listened to what Huang Minghao said;
"Mom, please don't take Tangtang to the mahjong parlor anymore. Lots of people smoke there, and the secondhand smoke will affect Tangtang's development."
Upon hearing this, the mother-in-law's eyes flashed with malice, and she couldn't help but complain;
"You guys leave Tangtang with me all the time, and I'm exhausted. I can't do anything with her around, and even playing cards is restricted by you guys. It's so stifling."
A hint of mockery flashed in Jiang Shuya's eyes. She knew all too well that her mother-in-law was the kind of person whose fingers would itch if she didn't play cards for three days, so she simply said...
"How about this, I'll take Tangtang with me, you don't need to take her anymore. Where you go to play cards is none of my business, and I won't need to pay you money every month anymore."
The mother-in-law opened her eyes wide and looked at Huang Minghao, stammering, "Haohao, you agree to give Tangtang to her."
Huang Minghao squinted, looking down at Jiang Shuya; "Shuya, you promised me you'd stay home and keep Tangtang company. You haven't been home lately, and my mom has been taking care of Tangtang all by herself. She's exhausted. You can help out if you stay home."
At this point, Jiang Shuya did not back down at all, and asked repeatedly;
"If I don't go out and find ways to earn money, am I supposed to just lie at home all day? If I don't pay your mother money on time every month, how can I continue to stay in this house?"
You're a grown man, spending all your time playing cards and drinking with your childhood friends, living a muddled and aimless life. There has to be an end to everything!
It's almost April now, and you have absolutely no goals. You're still a sleeping lion, wasting your precious time at such a young age. You haven't inherited a single one of your grandfather's good qualities.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Shuya took a deep breath. She suddenly realized that she didn't need to care about so much.
What Huang Minghao does is none of her business. She glanced down at him, waiting for him to get angry.
To her surprise, Huang Minghao remained silent, looking at her with a gloomy expression, but his eyes softened with tenderness.
"Xiaoya, I know what I'm doing. I'm currently in interviews, and I'll have to wait a few more days."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuya felt somewhat embarrassed and changed the subject back to Tangtang.
"Tangtang is scared, what should I do?"
Hearing her mother's call, Tangtang, nestled in her arms, looked timidly at Jiang Shuya, her long eyelashes glistening with tears she had shed not long ago.
Jiang Shuya looked at her with eyes full of heartache, pressed her face tightly against her forehead, and checked her temperature.
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