Chapter 90 Choose a Room My house has two guest rooms, you can choose one…
The wall clock in the living room didn't stop ticking because of Zhu Liushuang's momentary lapse in speech. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment; perhaps ten seconds passed, perhaps ten minutes. When she finally regained her composure, the expression on her face was no longer as shocked as it had been.
He Ming's face was close to hers, and because she unconsciously moved closer, he turned to the side and silently increased the distance between them.
"Ahem—" The man rubbed his philtrum, an unnatural look flashing across his face. "I have two guest rooms at home, so there's no problem with them. But..."
Zhu Liushuang quickly interrupted, "No... senior, I never thought about living with you..." In her haste, she waved her hands haphazardly as she spoke. When she mentioned the word "living together," her voice suddenly lowered, becoming so muffled that probably only she herself could hear it.
"I'm going to talk to my mom right now!" She stood up abruptly, her delicate eyebrows furrowing together.
Watching Zhu Liushuang's retreating figure, He Ming's fingers clenched tighter and tighter on the sofa. Why had he so inexplicably agreed to her request back in the hospital corridor? Now it seemed the charade had escalated to the point where it had to become real. And he should bear the consequences of his impulsive decision.
In an instant, a wave of regret washed over me.
He had actually considered this issue. If his grandfather hadn't passed away, they would have been urged by him to prepare for the wedding and then live like any ordinary couple.
Unfortunately, his grandfather passed away suddenly. He suffered from insomnia and unease, his mind and body still reeling from the devastating news of his grandfather's death, and thus put his relationship with Zhu Liushuang on hold. He thought she was hiding it well, at least for now, they could still be presented as "boyfriend and girlfriend," and that they could deal with the future later...
The footsteps faded, and with a hiss, the kitchen sliding door closed. He Ming couldn't hear anything inside; he felt as if everything that had happened tonight had been paused by a camera shutter. Only Zhu Liushuang's swaying arms and the words "I never thought about living with you" were clearly etched in his mind.
It seems she didn't want to live with him.
After all, she had clearly told herself that she did not want to have children because of family genetic issues.
————
"Mom—I'll help you wipe the dishes." As soon as Zhu Liushuang entered the kitchen, she eagerly grabbed a dishcloth and took over the task.
Gu Chunling didn't even glance at him, and said with a forced smile, "Why aren't you outside talking to Xiao He? What are you doing here joining in the fun?"
Zhu Liushuang turned her head and glanced at the living room. Still feeling uneasy, she took small steps over and closed the sliding door.
"What did you say to He Ming just now?" She deliberately turned the tap on higher to drown out the sound of the running water.
"What else can I say?" Gu Chunling glared at her daughter, annoyed. "You've already got the marriage certificate, so naturally things should go their own way! I understand that Xiao He's maternal grandfather just passed away and he wants to postpone the wedding by a year, but I can't let you two live apart forever, can I?"
“How can you call it separation? Gucheng is so small, we can see each other every day if we want to!” Zhu Liushuang said coquettishly, taking her mother’s arm. “Besides, you’re not in good health, I want to stay home and spend more time with you!”
Gu Chunling remained silent, and after washing the last plate, she pulled her arm away and said, "Mom is still young. She's getting injections and taking medicine, and she's doing quite well. You should worry more about yourself. You young people these days do everything impulsively... either you get married and divorced in a flash, or you're single, always talking about being childless... you just don't give your parents any peace of mind."
Knowing she was in the wrong, Zhu Liushuang lowered her head and remained silent, her lips pursed in a pitiful manner.
"Alright... I think Xiao He is a decent person; he's considerate of you in his words and actions. Since you've chosen him, just live a good life with him. Our family is already small, and Xiao He is a pitiful person. If you two could have a child soon, the family would be more lively." Gu Chunling took the dishcloth from her daughter's hand and said while wiping the plates, "While Mom's legs are still nimble, I can help you take care of the child."
"Mom—why are you so quick to jump to conclusions?!" Zhu Liushuang was already feeling uneasy about having children, and when she heard her mother urging her to have one so soon, her brows furrowed instantly.
"You're married now, you're an adult, what, are you still shy?" Gu Chunling assumed her daughter was shy about matters of the heart, so she muttered under her breath, "Your Aunt Zhang's daughter upstairs got married at thirty, and after five years she still hasn't conceived. She started going to the reproductive clinic every week last year... I heard that young people these days all have some kind of problem, especially women, the older they get, the harder it is to get pregnant. If they can't get pregnant, people will gossip about them..."
Gu Chunling deliberately kept her voice down, her voice hissing and leaking air, and her nasolabial folds were particularly noticeable when she opened and closed her mouth.
Zhu Liu heard a sudden "whoosh" in her ears, and she could no longer hear her mother's voice. All she could see were her mother's purplish-red lips, with deep lines and faint traces of skin at the corners.
She noticed that her mother and grandmother were becoming more and more alike, not only in their expressions but even in their voices when they were lecturing.
"Mom!" Zhu Liushuang suddenly interrupted, poking her finger into her ear canal and stirring it around.
Gu Chunling was taken aback, her mouth forming an "O" shape: "Wh...what's wrong?"
Zhu Liushuang stepped forward, grabbed her mother's hand, and said softly, "I understand what you're saying. But I'm the one who lives my own life. What others say or not is none of my business. I don't care."
"Mom cares!" Gu Chunling said anxiously, shaking off her daughter's hand. "After your father passed away, we, a widow and orphan, suffered a lot of scorn. If it weren't for you, how could I bear to sell the house and move? You are my only daughter. I only hope that you can be healthy and have a happy family in this life. That way, when I go to the afterlife, I can have an explanation to your father."
"Mom, since you care about what others say, then I shouldn't move out now!" Zhu Liushuang interrupted, seizing the opportunity. "The wedding isn't until next year at the earliest. Right now, we only tell others that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Living together after just dating, aren't you afraid people will laugh at me?"
Gu Chunling turned and patted her daughter's shoulder: "Mom has her own explanation... If anyone asks, I'll say it's cold in winter, and it's inconvenient to drive the electric scooter back and forth, so you're living in the company dormitory."
“Our company doesn’t have dormitories!” Zhu Liushuang said with a long face.
“So you rented a place outside.” Gu Chunling said impatiently, urging her daughter to leave. “It’s settled then. I’m an old woman and I can’t hold you two back from living your lives. You young people change your minds every day. Who knows, you might separate for a few days and then start arguing about getting a divorce when your feelings fade.”
"Mom—" Zhu Liushuang's reasons were all refuted by her mother. No matter how much she talked, Gu Chunling was determined to "kick her out of the house".
Her attempt to persuade him failed, and she walked out of the kitchen dejectedly. Looking up, she saw He Ming staring at her with a detached expression. A turbulent undercurrent stirred within his unfathomable eyes.
“It failed.” She shrugged, looking weak. “My mom said I should move in with you this weekend.”
With only two days left until the weekend, and she working Friday and Saturday, the only day she could move was Sunday. The thought of a major move gave Zhu Liushuang a headache, let alone living together.
The bolder they were when they tricked someone into getting married, the more guilty they are now.
She really wasn't prepared to live and eat with him!
"Hehe—" He Ming remained silent, so she chuckled twice and said in a breathy voice, "Why don't you go home early today and we can talk about the rest on Sunday? Maybe... my mom has changed her mind!"
Seeing that He Ming remained silent, Zhu Liushuang panicked. She couldn't guess what he was thinking, only feeling the surging emotions in his eyes engulfing her like a tidal wave. A red mark appeared on her wrist, which was behind her back, as she clenched her fist. Composing herself, she said nonchalantly, "If you really can't convince her, just consider it finding a…"
"Auntie, I have to rush back to the company to work overtime." He Ming said, raising his voice before she could finish speaking.
In her nervousness, she almost forgot that this wasn't just any place, but her home. Some things shouldn't be said carelessly. Still shaken, Zhu Liushuang pursed her lips, following He Ming's gaze to her mother standing at the kitchen doorway.
"Mom, he's very busy with work and often works overtime."
Gu Chunling hadn't heard the conversation between the two in the living room. Seeing her daughter's flushed cheeks, she thought she had disturbed the young couple's time alone and gave an embarrassed smile.
"It's so late, and you still have to go back to work overtime? Xiao He, drive carefully on the road."
"Thank you, Auntie." He Ming said as he stood up, tidying up the cushions on the sofa at the back, and said to Gu Chunling, "I'll come pick up Xiaoshuang on Sunday. If you have too much stuff, you can pack it all up when I get here."
"Hey, hey—" Gu Chunling felt incredibly comfortable hearing those words. Watching He Ming tidy up the sofa, she felt that her daughter had truly chosen the right person.
After seeing He Ming to the door and watching his figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, Gu Chunling gently closed the door. Several forgotten gift boxes in the entryway reappeared in her sight. She walked over, picked them up, and examined them.
“Xiao Shuang, the things Xiao He brought over today aren’t cheap… I heard your Aunt Qiu mention this brand of bird’s nest before; it costs several thousand yuan a box! And…”
Gu Chunling was about to continue speaking when she was cut off.
“Mom… don’t worry about the price. Since he brought it, it proves he can afford it.” Zhu Liushuang said quietly, her heart filled with mixed feelings. “You said it yourself, it’s the first time the prospective son-in-law visits, so it should be a bit formal.”
"At first, Mom was worried that Xiao He wasn't reliable, but now it seems he's not only considerate but also willing to spend money on you, so I'm finally a little relieved." Gu Chunling looked at the bird's nest and then at the cordyceps, feeling troubled. "Mom doesn't need any of these things. If your grandparents were still alive, I could send them some. Why don't you ask Xiao He if he still has the receipts..."
She immediately understood what her mother meant. She pouted and said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Mom—who asks for a receipt when they give a gift? Do you want to return it and get your money back?"
"Isn't this too much of a waste... I appreciate Xiao He's kindness." Gu Chunling didn't think there was anything wrong with her idea. She was simple-minded; a gift costing ten or twenty thousand yuan was too expensive. It would be better to exchange it for money and leave it for the young couple to use for their own living expenses.
"It was originally a gift for you, so just accept it. Consider it... enjoying the good life with your daughter!" Zhu Liushuang pretended to be playful and tugged at her mother's clothes.
After a long pause, Gu Chunling nodded with relief: "Hey—if your dad knew this in the afterlife, he'd be so happy. Let's find some time tomorrow to go see him. Or... how about we take Xiao He along?"
Her forced smile vanished abruptly. Hearing her mother's suggestion, Zhu Liushuang stiffened, her previously relaxed fingers clenching into fists. After a moment, she replied dismissively, "Let's talk about it later..."
Gu Chunling knew she had touched a nerve with her daughter, and sighed helplessly, "Xiaoshuang, so many years have passed... it's time for you to let go."
How could she possibly let go?
Zhu Liushuang closed her eyes in anguish. Everything around her was muted, except for the relentless, piercing voice in her memory.
"Zhu Liushuang, I heard your father is a murderer! Does that mean you're a little murderer?"
"Hey—the murderer's daughter, why don't you just die!"
"Blood debts must be repaid in blood. Your father has ten names on his back. How can you still sit in the classroom and study with peace of mind?"
...
A blood-red light flashed before her eyes, glass shards flew everywhere, and the four bloody words "a life for a life" climbed onto her forehead... Zhu Liushuang suddenly opened her eyes, her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.
"Are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so pale?" Gu Chunling asked with concern.
Zhu Liushuang touched her cold cheek and slowly uttered a few words: "It's nothing." Then, she staggered back to the bedroom.
"Xiao Shuang—" No matter how her mother called her, she seemed not to hear and did not turn around.
The room was dark, and she didn't turn on the light.
The camphor tree facing the window stretched out its branches, flailing wildly in the bleak night wind. She walked hesitantly to the window, braced her hands on the windowsill, and looked at the dark shadows swaying from side to side outside, but her eyes were unfocused and devoid of any light.
Her father's death was a taboo subject for her.
Although she was young at the time, she was already halfway through puberty and exceptionally sensitive. The gossip of her classmates and neighbors constantly eroded her fragile nerves. The malicious retaliation from the passenger's family further disrupted her family's lives.
Her father, clearly one of the victims of this accident, was thrust into the eye of the storm of public opinion and falsely accused of being a "murderer" simply because he was a bus driver. As family members, she and her mother not only had to endure the pain of losing a loved one, but also suffered endless abuse and inner torment.
In front of her mother, she is a strong and sensible daughter, and a comrade-in-arms who supports her mother.
When she is separated from her mother and no one is around, she is simply herself.
The little girl who hid in fear and darkness has never disappeared.
Therefore, she dared not take the bus, dared not look for news related to that year, and even—rarely visited her beloved father.
"Buzz—" The phone emitted a dim light in the darkness.
Zhu Liushuang turned her head and stared at it intently until the dim light completely disappeared.
But soon, the light came on again.
She shuffled to the bedside.
[He Ming: My house has two guest bedrooms. One has an ensuite bathroom, but no wardrobe. The other has a walk-in closet, but you have to use the guest bathroom to shower and use the toilet. You can choose one...]
Opening WeChat on her phone, He Ming's message immediately caught her eye. The screen was too bright, so Zhu Liushuang rubbed her aching eyes before zooming in on the photo.
There are several photos, showing the layout of both guest bedrooms.
Judging by the time, he should have been home not long ago!
A star fell into her dark, lifeless eyes. Zhu Liushuang stared at the chat window while fiddling with the ends of her hair. Her fingers twirled the strands, slowly making circles, still unsure how to reply to him.
The message "The other party is typing..." appeared again at the top of the chat box, and a glimmer of hope welled up in my heart.
"Buzz—" The message arrived.
[He Ming: I sleep in the master bedroom myself. It has a bathroom and a walk-in closet. If you'd like to stay in that room, that's fine too.]
Along with the news arrived three photos of the master bedroom.
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Author's Note: [Lop-eared rabbit head] Sorry for the long wait, everyone!
The next chapter officially begins our cohabitation! [Cat emoji]
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