Chapter 206: Brother, You Have Aged

Although it was somewhat unbelievable, Si Rong was inexplicably comforted.

She was a bit speechless, "I hope Orange grows up quickly! Also, our family must absolutely not keep chickens!"

She was truly worried that if they kept chickens, they wouldn't need to clean up the chicken droppings, as they would be internally digested directly.

After coaxing both children to sleep and observing that Orange had no abnormal reactions after eating the sheep droppings, Si Rong finally felt at ease lying down to sleep.

She opened her pager and found a new message.

It was from Ming Zi.

It started with three exclamation marks!!! "Sister just 'accidentally' kissed him, I've never seen his innocence before!"

Si Rong:...

It was about what she had guessed; after all, at the Haidao Junqu, Ming Zi would certainly be a little careful with her behavior.

She replied: Just how 'accidental' was it? Where did you kiss him? How are you going to return his innocence? Why don't you come over again once you're done with your business and let him kiss you back?

Jiang Cheng, who was silently watching his wife type the message:...

Fortunately, he had been steady, accurate, and ruthless in securing his status early on; a man still needs to have good aim!

Ming Zi's message had not yet been returned, but the phone by the bedside rang.

Si Rong and Jiang Cheng exchanged a look, and Si Rong picked up the phone.

A cheerful male voice came from the other end, "This is Jiang Yu."

"It's your sister-in-law," Si Rong exchanged a few pleasantries, "Are Nainai and Dad's health at home still good?"

"Sister-in-law, everything at home is fine," Jiang Yu answered very properly.

"That's good, I'll pass the phone to your big brother," Si Rong handed the phone to Jiang Cheng.

Then she listened to the two brothers talk while applying body lotion on the side.

She had thought that the brothers, who hadn't spoken for a long time, would have a lot to say, but before long, Jiang Cheng hung up the phone.

"Why did you hang up so fast?" Si Rong asked curiously.

"He talks too much nonsense; there's no need to talk for so long," Jiang Cheng had long been accustomed to hanging up the phone immediately after hearing the important matters.

"Jiang Yu said he's bringing Dad to Haidao for the New Year to reunite with us."

Si Rong was a little excited, "That's great! Mom has been taking care of the children for us for so long, she can finally reunite with Dad!"

The next morning, Ming Zi's message finally came back.

【......】

There were only six periods.

Not two days later, Xue Ming came looking for them again.

It was dusk, and the orange glow of the setting sun shone on the small island in the middle of the sea; everything seemed to have become beautiful.

Hu Qian was squinting at the heartwarming scene of her grandson teaching her granddaughter to walk when a tall man walked up in front of her.

"Auntie, has Ming Zi replied to the message?"

Si Rong came out of the room when she heard this voice. Honestly, this man had some good looks, but she hadn't expected him to be so stubborn.

A beauty kisses you once—that's a great thing; you could just go home, hide under the covers, and be happy about it secretly. Why go everywhere asking for your innocence back?

"She said she was 'accidental' and has already apologized. Comrade Xue, you shouldn't hold a grudge anymore!"

Si Rong advised.

"No, that was my first kiss. I swore that whichever woman took my first kiss, she would have to marry me."

Xue Ming's expression was serious, "I will also be good to her."

Si Rong:...

After going around in such a big circle, to put it plainly, it was just one thing: he had taken a fancy to her friend.

But at least she had been Teacher Si for nearly two months now, so she had some ways to deal with a stubborn guy like this.

She took out paper and a pen from the room, "The matter between you two still needs to be resolved by you two. I'll write her address for you."

Xue Ming looked at the address on the slip of paper, pursed his thin lips, and turned to leave.

He was determined to have this woman.

Of course, the main reason was still that he no longer had his first kiss, and Ming Zi had to be responsible for him.

Winter days were long, as if people were pushing the days along.

Soon, it was winter break.

On the way home from school, Si Rong saw a few children led by Tao Xiaoqiang surrounding and bullying Shen Shu.

Because of Shen Lan, Si Rong didn't have a very good impression of the three children he had brought.

Usually, apart from class, she rarely interacted with these children.

"You were a bastard without a mother to begin with, and you won't let people say it!"

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"

Shen Shu cried and denied it, "No, I have a dad, I'm not a bastard,"

"Your dad can't give birth to children; only women can give birth to children. Without a mother, you're just a bastard,"

"I have a mother, my mother's name is Shiji," Shen Shu said in a small voice again.

"Then why does everyone say your dad is an old bachelor? Divorced ones don't count. How about this, if you kneel on the ground today and shout three times that you're a bastard, we'll let you go, how about that?"

"Right! You have to shout it loudly! If we can't hear it, it doesn't count!"

Si Rong couldn't listen anymore. She shouted, "Tao Xiaoqiang! What are you doing again? Who told you to bully your classmate?"

Children were, after all, afraid of their teacher. Tao Xiaoqiang changed from his lawless, reckless demeanor in front of Shen Shu and shrank his shoulders, "Teacher Si, we aren't doing anything, we're just... playing."

"Right, playing!"

After saying that, the children scattered like birds and beasts, running away completely.

Only Shen Shu was left squatting there alone.

"Hurry home!"

Si Rong had originally wanted to offer a few words of advice, but thinking of the current Shen Lan, she kept a cold face and left first.

These children were all quite pitiful; it was one thing that their mother was gone, but their father wasn't their biological one either.

She hadn't been home for long when she saw Shen Qingyu from next door bringing her son over, fuming with anger.

"Si Rong! Why did you scold my son?"

Just a moment ago, Xiao Qiang had returned home crying, saying that while he was walking home from school, he hadn't done anything, yet he was scolded by Teacher Si.

He knew his mother disliked Teacher Si, and having lost face in front of those 'lackeys' this time, he thought to have his mother go find trouble with Si Rong.

"Is that what he told you?" Si Rong looked at Tao Xiaoqiang with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Tao Xiaoqiang shrank back behind his mother in fear, and Shen Qingyu let out a cold snort, "What do you mean by that? Would a child lie?"

"There is no point in discussing this now," Si Rong turned and simply asked Tao Xiaoqiang, "Let's go find those classmates from just now and confront them; if they say the same as you, that the teacher scolded you for no reason, then how about I apologize to you?"

Of course, Tao Xiaoqiang did not dare to go with her to confront them.

He ran away in a flash.

Shen Qingyu understood everything by now; she turned around and slunk home along the wall in front of the neighbors who were watching the commotion at the doorway.

Soon, Shen Lan also heard about this matter.

Si Rong was truly worthy of being the woman he had always liked; it seemed he could find an opportunity to thank Si Rong.

Moreover, it would be best to make use of his youngest son; that way, it wouldn't be a private meeting, and Jiang Cheng would have no reason to beat him up.

On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Yu brought the whole family to Songshan Island to celebrate the New Year.

Jiang Zhi had grown a bit taller and was wearing a pink down jacket; seeing Si Rong, she ran toward her, but she didn't gauge the distance well and bumped into her eldest uncle, causing him to step aside.

"Auntie!"

Jiang Yu paced over to his brother's side and said heartlessly, "Brother, you're getting old. You are two years older than me after all, shouldn't you have osteoporosis by now? If you calculate it carefully, you're actually two years and eight months older than me; rounding up, that's basically four or five years older than me."

Jiang Cheng:...