Jiang Bai led the person into her bedroom.
The courtyard wasn't large, with only three bedrooms, no study or living room. She moved a table into one of the bedrooms, which served as her desk.
Zhao Yi had never been to Jiang Bai's room before. Now, smelling the unique fragrance of a woman and surrounded by soft, light colors, he unconsciously slowed his breathing.
Jiang Bai felt that he really should have a good talk with Zhao Yi.
She sat at her desk and gestured for Zhao Yi to sit in the chair opposite her. The two sat facing each other in silence across the desk.
Jiang Bai spoke first: "When did you recognize me?"
Zhao Yi touched his nose and said honestly, "When I saw you kick your brother into the river that day and leave with Xiao Le in your arms, I guessed who you were."
"Then why don't you come to see me openly and honestly?" This was the thing that puzzled Jiang Bai the most.
Zhao Yi couldn't very well say that he was initially disdainful, but later became cowardly, could he?
The woman in front of me is my lawfully wedded wife, so what is there to be afraid of?
Jiang Bai sighed: "I know you want to observe me from the shadows, but I feel that I have a clear conscience towards Ping An and Xi Le these past few days..."
“I know,” Zhao Yi interrupted her, “I know everything, you’ve been very good to them.”
"Then why not send money home?" Jiang Bai immediately frowned.
She still remembers how hard it was to earn money during that period. She didn't even have enough sleep, only daring to sleep for two hours a day, getting up earlier than the chickens and eating less than the dogs.
"Huh?" Zhao Yi dared not admit that it was simply because of his own perverse sense of humor. He slowly said, "I don't think you're short of money..."
Jiang Bai wanted to curse.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and waved her hand: "Leave me gracefully."
"What?" Zhao Yi didn't understand.
"Get lost." Jiang Bai said succinctly.
Zhao Yi didn't leave. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then immediately took out a bulging wad of silver notes from his pocket and handed them over with both hands.
Jiang Bai stared at him suspiciously, then hesitated before asking, "What is this?"
Zhao Yi said seriously, "This is my savings over the years, you can spend it all."
Jiang Bai flipped through the pages one by one, almost dropping his jaw in astonishment.
What does it feel like to receive a windfall?
That felt great.
Jiang Bai cleared his throat, suppressing the urge to smile, and said, "Give all of these to me?"
Zhao Yi nodded.
Jiang Bai smiled and put the silver notes into the drawer, saying, "Actually, I'm not angry with you at all. What's there to be angry about? You came to see Ping An and Xi Le, would I kick you, your father, out?"
Zhao Yi was stunned. He hadn't expected Jiang Bai to change his attitude so quickly. He hesitated and asked, "Then should I move in?"
"Why move back?" Jiang Bai's smile vanished. "There's no place for you here."
Zhao Yi couldn't figure out Jiang Bai's attitude.
Jiang Bai took a breath and tried to explain his thoughts to Zhao Yi: "When my mother sold me to you, she received twenty taels of silver. No one asked for my opinion. I was unwilling."
"Zhao Yi, I've raised your two children exceptionally well, you admit that, right?"
Zhao Yi nodded.
Jiang Bai continued, "I've raised Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Xile for so long, I've long regarded them as my own children, but that doesn't change the fact that your original intention was to find a wife to take care of the children."
“I’ve done the math. If you hire someone to look after them, the expenses over the past two years will be more than twenty taels. Consider it as me paying back the money I paid for selling myself into servitude with my labor. What do you say?”
How could Zhao Yi say no? What Jiang Bai had done for the two children was worth far more than twenty taels of silver.
Jiang Bai said, "If you don't want to offset it, I can return the twenty taels of silver to you, but I don't think you're short of money." The money he had just given himself was several thousand times the amount of twenty taels.
"Let me be frank, I don't want to marry you, and you don't seem to really like me. How about we get a divorce?"
Zhao Yi stared blankly up at her.
Jiang Bai took out the silver notes he had just received: "Here's the money back. I won't take your money."
“I will continue to take care of Ping An and Xi Le, not because of you, but because I love these two children.”
Zhao Yi refused to take it: "If I give it to you, it's yours."
Jiang Bai pushed the money in front of Zhao Yi.
She smiled and said, "Actually, I have no complaints about you. After all, we're not really husband and wife, and there's no affection between us. I feel guilty for occupying the position of Mrs. Zhao, and for hindering you from finding a woman you truly love."
Zhao Yi didn't know why, but he felt somewhat powerless: "I don't agree to a divorce, and I don't have a woman I like."
Jiang Bai said, "Then did you delay my search for a man I like?"
Zhao Yi's face immediately darkened: "Who is it? Is it the one who was just talking to you?"
Jiang Bai felt that the other person didn't understand her, so she quickly retorted, "No, not yet, but it might be in the future."
Zhao Yi stood up angrily: "Never. You will always be Mrs. Zhao."
Jiang Bai didn't expect Zhao Yi to be so stubborn. He was the male protagonist in the book and had a bright future. She didn't want to fall out with him.
Jiang Bai could vaguely guess what the other party was thinking: as a stepmother, she had taken good care of the two children, and after the divorce, it would be difficult to find someone as responsible as her.
Although she said that everything would remain the same after the divorce and that she would continue to take care of Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Xile, there was no guarantee of anything.
A stepmother has a responsibility to take care of the child. If a stepmother continues to take care of the child after a divorce, then that person must be an idiot.
Zhao Yi doesn't have a woman he loves right now. He's comfortable using her, and he's afraid she might leave at any time. It's understandable that he wants to use this marriage to tie her down.
Thinking of this, she sighed: "Let's not get a divorce for now, but if you meet a woman you like in the future, you must tell me, and I won't pester you."
Zhao Yi didn't understand Jiang Bai's thoughts. Wasn't it good to be with him? He was rich and handsome; which of those men outside could compare to him?
Why does the other party keep saying they want a divorce?
He listened as Jiang Bai continued, "From now on, let's treat each other as friends who will co-parent our child. Are you satisfied with that?"
Zhao Yi asked, "Why can't they be husband and wife?"
Jiang Bai replied, "There must be love between husband and wife. Right now, you don't love me, and I don't love you, so it's not possible."
Zhao Yi remained silent.
Jiang Bai pursed his lips and said, "You don't need to avoid me anymore. You're welcome to come see the two children anytime, and you can also take them out to play during their days off. Children grow up very quickly, and they'll be grown up before you know it. You should come over more often; their growth needs your participation."
Zhao Yi pushed the silver note back: "Take this, buy whatever you want, you don't need to go through all this trouble."
Seeing that his eyes were firm and not just empty politeness, Jiang Bai reached out and pulled the stack of silver notes back into his arms: "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."
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