My aunt didn't come back until after 3 p.m., and she checked to see if anyone else was there before entering the house.
"Auntie, what are you doing?" Shu Yan looked at her, both amused and exasperated.
When the aunt realized that Shu Yan had caught her, she smiled sheepishly and said, "It's nothing, I just went to the market to buy some vegetables after dropping off the kids."
Shu Yan glanced at her hands; they were empty. Where did she get the food?
"I didn't buy the vegetables because they didn't look fresh," the aunt quickly explained.
Could this excuse get any worse?
"Auntie, you're part of the family too. To be honest, I am indeed dating Fang Zeyu. Don't be too surprised if he comes over often in the future," Shu Yan said, giving her aunt a heads-up.
My aunt had an expression that said, "I knew it all along." She explained that she deliberately came back late because she was worried about disturbing their conversation.
“It’s great if you can find someone who is good to you and your child. When my husband passed away, I was only 27 years old and I only had one daughter. If it weren’t for my uncles and aunts being nice, I really wouldn’t have been able to make it through.” My aunt, who is also raising her child alone, felt a bit empathetic. “When my husband passed away, I also considered it, but I just couldn’t find someone who was right for me.”
Shu Yan understood. She was different from Shu Yan. Her husband died of illness. Most importantly, her husband was very good to her and their child when he was alive. He would take on all the dirty and tiring work. When he went up the mountain to chop firewood and saw wild fruits, he would think of her. With such a man as a comparison, it would not be easy for her to remarry.
"You're only 38 this year, not that old. Haven't you thought about finding someone else?" There are countless independent women in their thirties who are still unmarried. Take Shu Yan herself, for example; she's over thirty and still unmarried.
Anyway, she would never compromise herself for the sake of marriage. There's no reason why she should be living a perfectly good single life and then have to scrimp and save and wait on someone after getting married. She's not sick.
“Me? My child is already in college.” The aunt waved her hand.
“It’s precisely because your daughter is in college that you need to find someone. Your daughter is growing up, she will go to work after graduation, get married and have children, and she will have her own path. You can’t sacrifice your whole life for your daughter. I think… you can live for yourself.”
The word "mother" is sacred, but Shu Yan felt it was too mythical.
A mother is first and foremost a person, born of a father and raised by a mother.
The aunt didn't say anything for a while before she smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after the child graduates."
Everyone has their own thoughts, so Shu Yan didn't try to persuade her anymore. "You go back to the Nanfu Mansion first, I'll pack up here and come back."
All the furniture in the house was left to Shuyan, including the bed, which was an old-fashioned wooden bed. Shuyan wasn't used to sleeping on it, so she took it apart and put it in the warehouse. Yesterday afternoon, we called the furniture factory and asked them to send over three beds that were the same as the ones in the new house. We originally planned to replace the bed in my aunt's room as well, but my aunt preferred the old-fashioned bed.
In summer, all you need is a bamboo mat and a bed sheet. These were all newly bought. My aunt washed them in the morning, and they'll be dry by noon in the summer. Shu Yan brought in the bamboo mat and bed sheet and laid them out, thinking about Fang Zeyu all the while.
When Fang Zeyu got home, the old lady called him several times but he didn't respond.
"What's wrong? Weren't you helping the girl next door plant some things?" The old lady looked him up and down. Had she rejected him? Oh dear! Don't let this discourage you.
She had heard stories of people who died from lovesickness after being rejected by women.
"I planted some scallions and a few tomatoes. She has a room in the Nanfu Mansion, so she doesn't usually stay here." Fang Zeyu couldn't help but chuckle at the old lady's expression. "She agreed to date me for a while, Grandma, she agreed to be my girlfriend, hehehehe..."
The old lady glared at him, patted her chest, and nearly died of fright. Should she refuse? She was afraid Xiaoyu might do something rash. But hearing that he had agreed made her uneasy.
"That's a good thing. You said she has a house in the capital of Nancheng, so she... is quite rich." The villagers didn't know, but the old lady knew very well that Fang Zeyu hadn't been idle since he came back. He had been working outside and had started some kind of company with his comrades. Anyway, it was quite profitable.
Fang Zeyu glanced at the old lady, knowing what she was thinking, and laughed, "She's richer than me."
"Richer than you?" The old lady was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, she co-owns a clothing company with a friend, and business is booming." Fang Zeyu didn't specify the exact amount. However, the old lady could tell it was a very large sum of money.
The old lady worried that the other woman was after Fang Zeyu's money since she had none. Then, upon hearing that the other woman had more money than Fang Zeyu, she worried about whether she was truly interested in him.
"You're 35 this year. It's not good to drag it out. If you can get married, you should get married sooner rather than later." The old lady felt that young people nowadays were different from those of her generation. They talked about free love, but the relationships would end in a while, and there were many divorces. They pursued true love, which she didn't understand. Anyway, she felt that being able to live a good life was the best thing.
"No rush." He originally thought it would take a long time for Shu Yan to agree, and he even considered the possibility that Shu Yan would not agree if the children disagreed. He was prepared for a long battle, and even thought that Shu Yan might agree after the children went to university. He never expected that Shu Yan would agree so quickly. It's good as it is now, so we can't be too hasty.
He wasn't in a hurry, and the old lady's anxiety was useless. In any case, now that the two were dating, the old lady's attitude towards Shuyan had to change. Not for any other reason than that she hoped Shuyan would treat Xiaoyu well.
Shu Yan locked the door and prepared to go home, but ran into the old lady as she went out.
"Aren't you staying here tonight?" the old lady asked with a smile.
Shu Yan was taken aback, not expecting the old lady to speak to her.
“Yes. A lot of things here haven’t been set up yet. The kids can come and stay for a while when they’re on vacation. This yard is cooler than the apartment building,” Shu Yan replied with a light smile.
"That's right. Young people nowadays all like apartment buildings. If you ask me, this kind of house is the best. It has yards in the front and back, so spacious."
The old lady carefully examined Shu Yan. She had lost a lot of weight since the last time she saw her, and her skin was much fairer. She was wearing a light pink dress, had her hair tied in a ponytail, and wore high-heeled sandals. If you didn't know that she had already given birth, you would definitely think that she was an unmarried girl.
His looks are impeccable; if judged solely on appearance, Fang Zeyu, despite his disfigurement, isn't good enough for her. Age? Xiaoyu says he's only 26, while Fang Zeyu is 36—a full 10 years apart, putting the woman at a disadvantage. Money? Forget about it. He owns a house in Nanfu Mansion, and a 330,000 yuan courtyard he bought without batting an eye. I've also heard his company is very profitable. Thinking about it this way, aside from having two children, in every other aspect, Xiaoyu is unworthy of her.
"Grandma, is there something you need?" Shu Yan asked, noticing that the old lady was staring at her without saying a word.
"Oh? It's nothing. We'll be neighbors from now on. Come visit me sometime." The old lady looked at Shu Yan with a kind expression.
"Okay, I'll definitely come visit when I have time." Shu Yan said goodbye to the old lady and then left.
Shu Yan didn't know what the old lady was thinking; what mattered most was what Fang Zeyu thought. Even if the old lady wasn't her biological grandmother, Shu Yan wouldn't lower herself to try and please her if she wasn't easy to get along with.
The two children were already at home. As soon as they saw Shuyan, they ran over to ask if the flowers and scallions they planted at noon had survived. Tianbao was even thinking of watering them, but Shuyan stopped him.
"It's almost dark, let's go tomorrow morning." Shu Yan went inside to take a shower and change her clothes before coming out. "Final exams are coming up soon, how's Jingjing's preparation?"
Jingjing studies very hard and has caught up with her classmates in just one semester. Her grades in the three main subjects are now quite good, especially in Chinese, where she almost always gets full marks. She doesn't need extra tutoring in Chinese and math, so only English remains as a supplementary subject. She's also learning dance and piano. Her teacher at the training center says Jingjing has a real talent for piano and suggests that Shuyan stop her dance classes and focus solely on piano lessons.
However, Jingjing preferred dancing, so Shuyan didn't force her to give it up and focus on learning piano. They say interest is the best teacher, and that's true. What is interest or hobby if not learning something because you like it? Let her learn what she wants; as long as she can persevere, Shuyan will be very pleased.
"I took a mock exam a while ago, so I should be fine. But I'll study hard." Jingjing showed Shuyan her previous test papers: Chinese 98, English 99, and Math 95 (almost there).
"Okay, then go out and play after you finish your exams and have summer vacation." Shu Yan really doesn't need to worry too much about Jingjing's studies.
"Okay, Mom, where are we going to play?" Tianbao asked excitedly.
"Let's go to the beach, you haven't been there yet." It would be nice to go to the west at this time of year, but many places are still undeveloped and quite primitive, and the roads might not even be accessible. Why not just go to a nearby beach and stay for a few days?
Of course, if Fang Zeyu has a better plan, then we'll listen to him.
Of course, they were happy to go out and play, especially seeing the ocean for the first time. The two children were so excited that they stayed up very late.
The next morning, Shu Yan was still asleep when Tian Bao pulled her out of bed.
"Why aren't you asleep so early?" Shu Yan glanced at the time; it wasn't even five o'clock yet.
"Mom, get up quickly, we need to water the flowers." Tianbao saw his mother lying back down and quickly pulled her back.
Shu Yan let out a wail; she had only brought this suffering upon herself.
"Isn't it unnecessary to do it so early?" Shu Yan wanted to negotiate with Tianbao.
"Mom, you said the early bird catches the worm, so we need to get up early. If we get up too late, the flowers and scallions will die of thirst. Hurry up!"
Shu Yan didn't believe his nonsense at all; she clearly wanted to see how the flowers were growing.
"Mom, hurry up, we're going to be late!" Tianbao was getting anxious when he saw Shuyan still eating slowly after finishing his breakfast.
"Okay, let's go." After finishing her milk in a few gulps, she took the children to water the plants.
When they got there, they found that Fang Zeyu had already gotten up and was practicing boxing.
"Uncle Fang, what are you doing?" This little imp clearly knew that Fang Zeyu was boxing, but he asked this on purpose because he wanted to play.
"You're exercising, want to learn?"
Tianbao's eyes lit up instantly. "I want to."
“Learning this is very hard, can you persevere?” Fang Zeyu believed that Tianbao could persevere.
“Okay.” Tianbao nodded vigorously.
Shu Yan glanced at him and laughed, "Don't listen to his nonsense. He'll probably be crying and going back home after just one day."
"Mom, don't look down on me, I'm very capable," Tianbao said defiantly.
"Are you really that good? Mom doesn't believe it," Shu Yan said deliberately.
"Of course, Tianbao is very good. I will learn boxing from Uncle Fang tomorrow."
"I'll remember this. If I can't do it, I'm a little dog."
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