Chapter 17

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the days became hotter day by day. June came quietly, and summer arrived unknowingly. One ordinary afternoon, the sky outside the window was clear and cloudless. There was also an indescribable heat in the air. The afternoon with the sound of cicadas made people feel sleepy uncontrollably.

Matron Liu stood on the stage, and Jiang Jingchun sat below. She could no longer hear what Matron was saying, and rested her chin on her hand. Her head felt heavy, and her eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, so she couldn't open them.

Finally, just as her eyes were about to close, there was a sound of wood hitting the table.

Jiang Jingchun was startled by the sound and woke up immediately. It was not good to be a student and a teacher. She could not even fall asleep. She straightened her back and looked at Aunt Liu.

She saw that she was frowning at her.

Then, Jiang Jingchun heard her say, "What's wrong with you these days? Why do you seem absent-minded every day?"

He looks dazed every day. Not only does he fall asleep, but he also can't do his schoolwork well. Compared with before, this look is really inappropriate.

Jiang Jingchun did not dare to argue, and lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, Madam. It must be because the weather has been hot these days that I can't help but feel sleepy. I will definitely not make the same mistake next time."

After the last Dragon Boat Festival, she had met Gu Huaisheng, and she felt unhappy and out of shape. When she agreed to stay with the old lady, besides not wanting to stick to her mother all the time, Gu Huaisheng was the main reason.

She wanted to be the way he liked her.

However, it seemed that no matter how she learned or how she did it, it was of no use.

He doesn't like her, he just doesn't like her.

This frustration was about to overwhelm her. She felt as if everything had lost its meaning. What was the point of sitting here and learning these rules? No matter how well she learned, Gu Huaisheng would not like it anyway.

Her relationship, which ended without any result, seemed to have ended before it even began.

It's terrible.

The hot weather is just an excuse for being lazy, and Madam Liu knows it very well.

Seeing that Jiang Jingchun couldn't learn anything, she was too lazy to teach him anymore. "Since you are in this state, I'm afraid you won't listen to anything I teach you. Forget it, you should take a few days off first. Come back when you feel better."

Having said that, Nanny Liu had already disappeared from here.

Hua Yun has always been by Jiang Jingchun's side, and she knows that Jiang Jingchun has become so listless since the Dragon Boat Festival. She also knows that it is probably because of Gu Huaisheng.

Seeing that Jiang Jingchun was unhappy, she said, "If you don't want to continue studying, why don't we go back to Chongming Hall? Madam will definitely be very happy."

Going back to Chongming Hall?

Jiang Jingchun remained silent and said nothing.

She tilted her head to look out the window. The weather outside was incredibly good, with the clear sky dispelling the haze. However, her heart was obscured by a layer of fog. Her thoughts were in a mess, and she felt depressed and pent up in her chest.

Anyway, she couldn't learn anything these days.

She didn't know what to do in the future, whether to return to Chongming Hall or continue to stay in Rongde Hall.

Jiang Jingchun stood there for a while before she was called to the old lady's room. It seemed that Nanny Liu had just said something to her, and now the old lady called her over to question her.

What is coming will come. It would be strange if nothing was said about Jiang Jingchun’s bad condition.

She resigned herself to her fate and went to the old lady's room.

*

As soon as you approach the old lady's room, you will be surrounded by the scent of sandalwood. The old lady worships Buddha all year round, and the house is filled with this smell. The doors and windows are wide open for ventilation, and the smell drifts out of the house.

Jiang Jingchun was ready to be scolded.

Her grandmother must have been very disappointed with her.

She protects her so much, and even though she is already so old, she still has to take care of this incompetent kid. As a result, she is like a piece of useless mud that can't be supported on the wall, and she will threaten to die when something happens.

She entered the room, stood in front of the old lady with her head down, and waited for her to speak.

However, the expected reprimand did not come.

Jiang Jingchun heard her say, "But the weather has been hot these days, so you are in a bad mood."

Instead of blaming her, he even found an excuse for her laziness.

Jiang Jingchun looked up at her with a puzzled look in her eyes. She said, "Don't you blame me, grandma? I've been making grandma angry every day these days. Today, I fell asleep during her class, and she was so angry that she didn't want to teach me anymore."

Didn't Mammy tell her that?

Isn't her grandmother angry that she is so disobedient?

In fact, the old lady already knew all this, and Nanny Liu also talked about it just now.

The old lady was not angry at all, but smiled. She asked her, "Why should I be angry?"

"It's normal for people to lose their way when they encounter difficulties. Why should I blame you for this?"

She is in a lot of pain now, and she knows it.

As a grandmother, she could not solve her pain, but she would never blame anyone for it.

Jiang Jingchun didn't get the punishment she had imagined, but she felt even more upset. She had been holding back her emotions for so many days, and her eyes finally turned red when she heard her grandmother's words.

The old lady hated to see children crying, so she grabbed her hand and brought her to her side.

"You're so old, and you're still crying. You cry whether I scold you or not. What should I do?" She said this with a tone that was not usually gentle.

She could also roughly guess what made her so sad.

As expected, Jiang Jingchun asked her, "Is your cousin going to get married to someone else?"

I'm afraid she's like this because of Gu Huaisheng.

The old lady looked at her and said, "Fu Yan is already twenty-one."

The implication is that he should have gotten married a long time ago.

"Why can't it be me?"

Why can't it be her?

She liked him so much, but he didn't like her at all.

The old lady said, "No one can explain clearly the matter of love. Just because you like someone doesn't mean that they will like you."

If that were the case, the world would be filled with stories of loving couples.

However, in reality, it is more common to want something but not get it.

She said: "It is better to give up than to hope for something. If there is nothing to be desired, there is nothing to be desired. If there is something to be desired, there is no need to ask for it."

Some things are yours, and if they are not yours, it is useless no matter how hard you try.

Jiang Jingchun didn't say anything else, and it was unclear whether he heard it or not.

The old lady sighed, and then said, "But you can't give up just because your cousin wants to propose marriage. I know you haven't been in a good mood these days, and if I force you, it will only backfire. Go and rest for a few days, and come back when you have thought it over. It's not too late."

*

On the same day, after Jiang Jingchun left the old lady's place, Li came to find her.

She wanted to take Jiang Jingchun back.

Although they were all at the Jiang family, she was with the old lady, so she couldn't see her often.

It was agreed at the beginning that she would come back after she learned the rules. Now it is clear that she has learned a lot, but she has not come back yet.

Li also knew that Jiang Jingchun would only listen to the old lady. She asked her to come back, but the old lady didn't agree, so she didn't know if she would come back. So she wanted to find the old lady to talk to her. Besides that, she had another thing she wanted to ask her in person...

She said first: "Xiaochun has been bothering mother too much these days. I think she has learned to behave herself and it is time for her to come back. I will not stay here and continue to bother mother."

The old lady understood what she meant. Jiang Jingchun had come since the end of March, and it was already June, a total of two months. It was normal for Li to come to her and ask Jiang Jingchun to go back, which was normal.

She was somewhat surprised that Li had managed to survive these two months and come to see her. She had originally wanted to continue educating her for a while, but since Li had come, she had no reason to refuse.

The old lady said, "Well, it's not easy for a person to behave himself. After you bring him back, you can't pamper him casually anymore."

She is a quick learner and is dedicated to learning, so she has made great progress in the past two months.

But what I learned were only the most basic rules, and with the help of being modest and prudent, I became much more disciplined. As for the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting... they are not acquired in a day, and it is a little late to learn them now.

Li didn't expect the old lady to give in so quickly. She thought she wanted to snatch the child from her, and she had prepared a basket of excuses.

She was a little overjoyed and said quickly, "Of course not."

After hearing her assurance, the old lady looked expressionless, and it was unclear whether she believed it or not.

After getting her consent, Li asked another question: "Mother, do you remember that Xiaochun changed her name before?"

Talking about this past event, the old lady's expression finally relaxed a little. Her eyebrows jumped, and she looked at Li below and asked, "She got lost once before. Don't you remember it?"

At that time, she took three-year-old Jiang Jinghui to the temple on the mountain to worship Buddha, but...it was during that time that Jiang Jinghui was abducted.

But perhaps because this incident was too painful for Li, she couldn't remember what happened that year. Just like the last time Jiang Nan mentioned Jiang Jinghui to her, she didn't remember anything. Jinghui...

Who is Jinghui?

She can't remember.

The old lady said Jiang Jingchun had been lost once before?

They all remembered, except her.

She had completely forgotten what happened that year.

She looked at the old lady, wanting to ask her what happened back then. However, when she met the old lady's eyes, she fell silent and did not dare to ask again.

Some things cannot be taken to heart. If so, it seems like you can never move forward.

What happened in the past is not important.

What's important is that her daughter is still by her side.

In the end, Li got what she wanted and took Jiang Jingchun away. Since the old lady let her go, she couldn't say anything more. She had to pack up her things and go back to her residence in Chongming Hall with Li.

When Jiang Jingchun came back, Li was very happy. She held Jiang Jingchun's hand and talked to him everywhere, "I wanted to ask you to come back a long time ago, but your grandmother was watching you closely. This time you let me go so easily."

She grabbed her hand and found that the finger bones felt much thinner, so she turned her face over to take a look.

Not to mention that he's lost weight, how can I describe how haggard he looks?

What's going on?

She stopped and pulled her to ask, "Oh my god, how did you get yourself into this state? Did the old lady abuse you?"

Before she left, she was a lively and beautiful girl. She was fine when I saw her last time during the Dragon Boat Festival. How come in just a few days, she looked like someone had sucked all her energy out of her? The two dark circles under her eyes were particularly obvious.

Jiang Jingchun still looked unhappy. She casually replied to Li's question, "Grandma is not that kind of person. Mother, don't think too much. It's nothing. It's just that the weather is hot and my appetite is poor."

"Is that so? Then we have to get the ice sample out earlier this year."

Jiang Nanguan was a minister, and his salary was not low. Moreover, there were only two children in his family, Jiang Runchu and Jiang Jingchun. He did not even have a concubine, let alone illegitimate children. Li also had a lot of property in his name. As a result, Jiang Jingchun naturally lived a comfortable life and had never suffered any hardship since he was a child.

It was only June, but Li was already serving ice cream, fearing that she would get a little too hot.

However, after hearing what Jiang Jingchun said, Li stopped thinking about it and just thought that she had a poor appetite due to the hot weather.

When the two of them reached Chuihua Gate, they happened to run into Jiang Runchu who had just returned home from work. He was still wearing his blue official uniform and had just returned from the government office.

When Jiang Runchu saw Jiang Jingchun and the servants behind him carrying large and small bags of things, he knew that they were going to move things back from the old lady.

Seeing her look so haggard, Jiang Runchu blurted out: "Oh, this is because of love."

As soon as they met, Jiang Runchu couldn't help but teasing her.

Jiang Jingchun was in this state now, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell what was wrong with him. Especially since Mrs. Gu was still introducing Gu Huaisheng to other girls during this period, and seeing him interacting with other girls, how could Jiang Jingchun not be jealous?

Jiang Jingchun was too lazy to pay attention to him, and turned to Li and said quietly: "My brother is already 22 years old, why hasn't mother found a match for him yet?"

Speaking of this, Li also has a terrible headache. It's not that she doesn't want to do it. Jiang Runchu is quite similar to Gu Huaisheng in this matter. He is very picky. Li has been anxious since two years ago, but it's of no use after two years of anxiety.

At first she could still advise him in a nice tone, but later, when she mentioned his marriage again, she lost her good face towards Jiang Runchu.

Now, Jiang Jingchun deliberately brought up the matter again.

As expected, Li started to get angry at Jiang Runchu.

Jiang Jingchun, who was standing by, looked at him with a schadenfreude expression.

Jiang Runchu was very angry at first, but then he thought of something and his anger dissipated. Finally, when Li stopped talking, he turned around and said to Jiang Jingchun, "Whether my marriage will be successful or not is a matter of words, just like Fu Yan. But you, you didn't study when I asked you to, and you are not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting. I even dislike you as my sister, so who would want to marry you home?"

These words really touched Jiang Jingchun's sore spot. She didn't care whether Jiang Runchu liked her or not because she hated him too.

But she cares about Gu Huaisheng.

Jiang Runchu said that he disliked her, but to Jiang Jingchun, it sounded like Gu Huaisheng also disliked her. His words seemed to say that no one would like a bad person like her.

She was so angry that her face turned red, and she yelled back, "Okay, if you like a sister like that, just find one. I don't care whether you like me or not!"

But who would have thought that Jiang Runchu remained silent for a while, and the expression on his face became a little strange.

Then the weird expression disappeared, and he looked at her expressionlessly and said, "Do I care about you being my sister?"

After saying this, he strode away from here.

Jiang Jingchun was stunned. Li, who was standing beside her, reacted before her. She immediately said, "This damn kid, I must beat him to death today."

These words not only touched upon Jiang Jingchun, but also upon Li.

Li wanted to chase Jiang Runchu, but was stopped by Jiang Jing Chunlan. Maybe she was angry just now, and her emotions were so turbulent that her lips were a little pale.

She shook her head at Li and said, "Forget it, mother."

She wanted to calculate, but Li refused to do so and wanted to say something else, but Jiang Jingchun said before her: "I'm a little tired, I want to rest first."

Having said that, he walked down the corridor and returned to the courtyard where he had been previously in Chongming Hall.