Chapter 281: Forgetting the Promise

"Of course," Si Rong said, pulling her to sit by the dining table, "ever since that time, Jiang Cheng hasn't allowed me to touch any mushroom-based ingredients."

Because that food poisoning incident almost caused Jiang Cheng to become, well, impotent.

Fortunately, he recovered later on.

After the dishes were set, the children came home from school.

Si Yu sat next to her mother, and Jiang Yue sat beside Si Yu; the two of them whispered about interesting things at school.

"I heard that Yao Xiaotang might not take the College Entrance Examination. Her mother came to school and told the teacher that her grades are bad anyway, so she should just get her high school diploma and go home to get married."

"Getting married so early?" Jiang Yue frowned deeply.

Although she didn't like Yao Xiaotang, as a fellow girl, she still felt a sense of sorrow.

Because she previously had a deskmate whose grades were very good, but just because she was a girl, she had to drop out and give the opportunity to study to her younger brother, whose grades were inferior to hers.

"Her mother is making her marry. I heard that man only finished elementary school, but his family has two excavators and is quite wealthy." Si Yu learned this from the discussions among the girls in class. "Yao Xiaotang has cried several times."

"Right, I heard from Lei Juan in class that she specifically ran in front of Lu Fei to cry," Jiang Yue whispered, "it's a pity that Lu Fei..."

"What are you talking about?" A clean scent of soap wafted over; it was Jiang Sinian, who had just returned home.

He sat down carelessly beside Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue suddenly forgot what she was going to say to Si Yu. She looked around and discovered that the only empty seat at the dining table was the one beside her.

No wonder Jiang Sinian sat there.

"Just chatting for fun," she said softly.

She didn't dare to look to her left, simply because Jiang Sinian was sitting there.

Such is the sentiment of a young girl.

Her heart was full of hidden thoughts and beautiful fantasies, all buried deep within; no matter how much of a storm raged inside, her expression remained calm and indifferent.

Her mother always said she didn't know who she took after in personality.

Jiang Yue understood her mother's meaning; she had heard the love stories of her parents when they were young.

Her father's way of pursuing her mother was to pester her relentlessly, day after day for over a decade.

When her mother was young, she liked Uncle Jiang and always wanted to attract his attention by practicing boxing.

But she was not like that; when she liked someone, it was quiet.

She would never lower herself to fawn over or pester them. She had loved reading since she was a child, and since books were scarce on the island, her reading was quite eclectic.

She had read some Buddhist texts, so she believed that between heaven and earth, gain and loss occur in a single thought.

If it was meant for her, it would come to her even after sailing through a thousand sails; if it wasn't, no matter how she tried to grasp it, she wouldn't be able to hold on.

She didn't say much during the meal, only chatting with Si Yu occasionally.

Jiang Sinian would chime in from time to time.

"Right! Don't pay any attention to that Lu Fei! He's a total playboy!"

"Fu Yang is just average too, but having said that, how many wise men in this world are as excellent in every aspect as I am!" Jiang Sinian made a dashing and suave expression.

"You're the mentally challenged one!" Si Yu retorted.

"Then you're the mentally challenged little sister!"

"You're the mentally challenged one yourself!"

The siblings bickered daily, disparaging each other.

Jiang Yue just pursed her lips and smiled.

After the meal, Jiang Cheng brought up his son again, "He has a smile on his face today; could it be that they've gotten back together?"

Si Rong didn't speak.

However, Jiang Sinian and Bai Mo had indeed gotten back together.

It was Bai Mo who took the initiative. She walked up to Jiang Sinian, and without needing to say a word, she just reddened her eyes, and Jiang Sinian's heart softened.

"You didn't come to coax me, I thought you intended to break up with me, Jiang Sinian, you jerk!"

In the small woods beside the playground, Bai Mo hugged Jiang Sinian's waist tightly.

"I didn't want to break up, stop crying."

The two of them made up just like that.

But Bai Mo was still unhappy; Shen Chi and Shen Yuan, the brother and sister, came to find her frequently, wanting her to return to the Shen Family.

She had a sudden whim, "Jiang Sinian, will you propose to me?"

She didn't want to be snatched back and forth like a daughter; she wanted to have her own little family.

Moreover, she really liked the atmosphere of the Jiang Family.

After getting married, she and Jiang Sinian could continue their studies.

"Okay."

Jiang Sinian agreed.

But Bai Mo immediately regretted it, "No, I can't marry you this early; things obtained easily are never cherished."

"Then what will it take for you to marry me?"

Bai Mo stood on tiptoe and poked Jiang Sinian's forehead with her index finger, "For such a good thing, you have to propose to me at least, um, ninety-nine times!"

"Ninety-nine times?" Jiang Sinian looked helpless, "Then forget it, proposing that many times would be enough for me to marry ninety-nine wives."

"You dare!" Bai Mo pinched his waist hard.

Jiang Sinian ran away laughing.

The two of them became sweet again, wanting to be together every day for class.

Because Si Yu rarely took the initiative to ask Bai Mo to go to the restroom with her after class now, she always went with Jiang Yue.

Not knowing what she was thinking, Bai Mo suggested that Jiang Sinian escort her when she went to the restroom during the break.

Jiang Sinian was unwilling.

At school, he was, at the very least, a figure of some status, on the level of a campus heartthrob.

How could he go to the girls' restroom?

"No, no, I want you to walk me there!"

Bai Mo habitually pinched his waist; in her view, this was a very intimate gesture.

One that only she could perform.

Jiang Sinian let out a "tsk" from being pinched by her, a flash of impatience crossing his brows.

"Go find a female classmate to go with!"

Bai Mo pouted, unhappy, "But Siyu always goes to the restroom with Jiang Yue."

"You can take the initiative to find them!" Although Jiang Sinian understood how to spot a "green tea" persona, he did not understand these little quirks of girls.

For instance, why must someone accompany them to the restroom? Could they not go by themselves?

"I'm not going." Bai Mo knew she was being ostracized, and she would not take the initiative to fit in.

Now she felt more and more that Jiang Siyu did not know her place; clearly, she herself would be her sister-in-law in the future.

Seeing her keep her face taut, Jiang Sinian had no choice but to compromise.

"We'll go together, but I can't wait for you. We'll split up; you go to the girls' restroom, I'll go to the boys' restroom, and let's make it quick!"

Bai Mo:...

Regardless of how it happened, Jiang Sinian had ultimately compromised.

Bai Mo liked it when he compromised with her; she enjoyed breaking his principles step by step, as only this could prove that Jiang Sinian loved her.

Books said that women are born needing a lot, a whole lot of love.

She was determined to be that kind of woman.

Because of Jiang Sinian's compromises on these small matters, the two of them were once again thick as thieves for a period of time.

Autumn passed in a hurry, and soon winter arrived.

On an ordinary day, the first snow fell in Huaiyang.

Mother Jiang's chronic leg pain would always flare up in winter, so Si Rong and Jiang Cheng went back to visit her, and incidentally brought Fang Ting back to her maiden home as well.

Jiang Sinian stood in the courtyard building a snowman; he placed apples on it for eyes and a carrot for a nose, making it look vivid and lifelike.

Suddenly, a "thud" came from the Jiang family's house next door.

Before Jiang Sinian could react, Jiang Yue ran into the courtyard, her hair disheveled and the tip of her nose red, "Jiang Sinian, my dad fell!"

She was panicked and immediately came to seek help.

Jiang Sinian dropped the shovel in his hand and rushed into the Jiang house, taking the lead.

He then hoisted Jiang Dacheng onto his back and said to Jiang Yue, "Pack up your dad's documents and come to the hospital with me."

"Si Yu! Go call for an ambulance!"

"It's snowing heavily everywhere outside right now, I'm afraid the ambulance won't be able to make it."

"Tell them to get ready!" Jiang Sinian carried Jiang Dacheng on his back, and the three children trudged through the deep snow toward the hospital.

And with this departure, Jiang Sinian also forgot about his promise to Bai Mo to go to the skating rink.