Hua Shuying treated both Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao to a cup of tea.
“You two really… I do not even know what to say to you anymore!”
Hua Shuying tapped her beautiful fingers against the tabletop. Her slender, pale knuckles clearly belonged to the hands of a pianist.
“I know young people have plenty of energy, especially since the lingering effects of the Song family boy’s gender transformation disease are quite serious, but you cannot just act so recklessly.”
“Auntie, I am truly sorry, but I will take responsibility for Jiang Xiao!”
Song Qiuyu’s entire face flushed red as she spoke with absolute sincerity.
“Mom, I will also take responsibility for Xi’er!”
Jiang Xiao followed suit, tightly gripping the small hand of the person beside him. The two looked at each other with unwavering determination in their eyes.
“…”
Hua Shuying looked at her son, then at the person who had hooked him so completely. She remained silent for a long while before letting out a sigh.
She pressed her hand to her brow, her mind racing through many things within a few seconds—including the words Su Luo and Song Zhaoye had told her when they found her separately.
Setting everything else aside, Shen Xi’s parents were excellent people. If they became in-laws, they would likely get along quite well.
For the sake of their children’s happiness, those two had truly cast aside all pride. It was a classic case of a matchmaker overpraising her own goods.
However, it was worth mentioning that she had been genuinely shocked to hear that Su Luo had remained faithful during the thirteen years Song Zhaoye was missing.
How much must someone love another to wait for a person who might never return for over ten years?
Any other woman might have taken the child and remarried long ago. Some might have even abandoned the child entirely.
Children raised by those two probably would not turn out poorly, no matter how bad things got.
“So, how many times has it been?”
“Huh?”
Song Qiuyu blinked, looking dazed.
Seeing this, even Hua Shuying felt her face heat up. she was forced to maintain a stern expression to uphold her authority as an elder, repeating her question in a more vivid and specific manner.
Listening to Hua Shuying’s description, Song Qiuyu’s brain suddenly began to buzz, as if several hundred bees had flown inside.
She stared blankly at Jiang Xiao’s mother. Her lips parted slightly and her brow furrowed. Gathering her shyness and courage, she spoke: “Two… only two times!”
Jiang Xiao was stunned.
He looked at the adorable person beside him with a touch of helplessness, squeezed her hand, and let the corners of his mouth curl upward slightly.
“Mom, it was two times.”
“Mhm.”
Hua Shuying picked up her tea and took a sip. She immediately pressed for more detailed information. She did not stop until she had interrogated the two children until they were both red in the face.
“I will say it again: I know young people have plenty of energy, but you are both still students.”
Hua Shuying tapped her finger on the table.
“Did you two not plan to wait until summer vacation to tell everyone the truth? If you keep acting like this, I am afraid you will end up going back to school with a baby bump!”
“I am… I am sorry!”
Song Qiuyu lowered her gaze, her heart racing so fast she felt she might faint from shame.
“I will turn a blind eye to what happened today. Be more careful next time, and use protection when you should!”
Having said her piece, Hua Shuying stood up, took her teacup, and walked out of the room.
With a creak, she closed the door behind her. When she reached the stairs, she could not help but sigh, a hint of amusement touching her eyes.
‘Could it be?’
‘Am I going to have a grandchild soon?’
‘No, I need to find out if this gender transformation disease is hereditary. I do not want to raise a grandson for ten years only for him to turn into a granddaughter!’
She could hardly handle such a thing; the patriarch and the others would likely find it even harder to stomach.
Tap, tap, tap!
The sound of Mother Jiang’s elegant footsteps descending the stairs reached Jiang Xiao’s ears clearly. However, he had no time to worry about that as he hurried to support the trembling girl beside him.
“That was so scary!”
Recalling what had just happened, Song Qiuyu still felt a lingering sense of dread. She had truly been afraid that the Jiang family would throw her out on the street.
“It is okay, it is over now.”
Jiang Xiao quickly pulled her into a tight hug, gently patting her small head and coaxing her in his softest voice.
It was no wonder Xi’er was so frightened. Given the situation, even he had been in a state of high tension.
It had been far too long since he had faced his mother like this. Three years of being ignored had caused his impressions of everyone in the family to become blurred.
When he first agreed to face this with Xi’er, he was truly worried that his mother would be so angry she would do something he might regret.
Yet, in reality, she had only offered a few stern reprimands.
Perhaps, in their hearts, they had already begun to accept Xi’er to some extent.
However, the impact of past events would remain like a knot in their hearts, keeping them feeling uneasy.
“Xi’er, did you hear the last thing my mom said?”
Jiang Xiao cupped her burning, delicate cheeks and spoke with a bright smile.
“What did she say?”
Song Qiuyu seemed to have no memory of it at all. She simply blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Jiang Xiao blankly.
“My mom said…”
Jiang Xiao deliberately leaned close to her ear and gave her earlobe a little nip.
“Be more careful next time, and remember to use protection.”
“Wh-what?”
Song Qiuyu froze.
It took her a long moment to process the words. Her eyes widened, her pupils dilated, and her lips parted.
‘Does this mean I have gained a little bit of recognition from Jiang Xiao’s mother?’
Though it might not be much, it was a good start.
“Alright, back to the shower!”
Jiang Xiao took the opportunity to scoop her up by the waist.
“Ah!”
Startled, Song Qiuyu instinctively wrapped her arms around Jiang Xiao’s neck. Her legs kicked twice, knocking off her slippers, and then her two small, tender feet playfully kicked his waist in retaliation as she let out a cute, muffled huff.
Because Jiang Xiao’s mom had arrived so quickly, they had cleaned the room in a desperate rush. All the soiled items were currently stuffed inside the bathroom!
With a creak, Jiang Xiao opened the bathroom door.
In an instant, the rich fragrances were caught by the wave of heat from the bathroom and came billowing out. The scent was so overwhelming that Song Qiuyu felt like she might faint, and she bashfully buried her entire face in Jiang Xiao’s chest.
“Let us hurry. I still have to go back to my own room,” she said in a muffled, coquettish tone, taking a deep breath of the scent she loved on Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao raised an eyebrow, smiling without a word.
“Are you looking down on me?”
Song Qiuyu heard him chuckle and looked up at him.
“Indeed. If I let you go back now, you probably would not be able to sleep, right?”
Jiang Xiao had a look on his face that said, ‘You think I do not know you?’
“I can!”
Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth.
Consequently, Jiang Xiao let her go back. She truly suffered from insomnia that night and stayed up late playing games to vent her frustration.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everything proceeded as usual. The Jiang family made things difficult as a matter of habit, while the Su family, the Song family, and Xie Zhuran provided help from the shadows.
Jiang Li remained the undercover agent within the panel of examiners.
However, because of the revelry the previous night, everyone was more or less exhausted on this day.
By the second day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Li had packed her things and solemnly said goodbye to her parents.
“Dad, Mom, your daughter is going out for a few days. I will be back soon.”
“It is the middle of the New Year celebrations. Where are you going?” Hua Shuying asked, puzzled.
“Going out to repay a favor,” Jiang Li replied, still perfectly serious.
Father Jiang wanted to say something more, but Mother Jiang had already nodded, granting her daughter permission to leave. However, she immediately turned and picked up her phone to issue a task to the two people who were still out buying supplies…