Chapter 62: She Waited for Jiang Cheng for So Many Years

Their whole family are rough people.

The future daughter-in-law looks delicate and tender; they mustn't scare her away.

Their son, this iron tree, has blossomed for the first time in forty years; it's even rarer than a mouse eating a cat on the street.

Father Jiang suppressed the urge to have smoke coming out of his mouth, turned around, and spat the cigarette butt into his hand.

The old woman hit him well; he almost caused a grave mistake.

The family lined up to welcome her.

Serious yet not lacking in liveliness.

"Hello, Uncle! Hello, Aunt!"

Si Rong greeted them somewhat cautiously, her heart still fluttering, when Mother Jiang grabbed her and pulled her into the house.

Neighbors in the courtyard all craned their necks to watch this scene.

"Did the eldest of the Jiang family really bring a partner home this year?"

"Could that be fake? Do you know who it is? The daughter of the Si Family, the very Deputy County Magistrate's wife who caused such a stir on TV this year! Just divorced!"

"She looks quite young and pretty; no wonder their eldest never liked any girl before."

"Young and pretty? I heard she's already forty, and she can't even give birth. What's the point of marrying her?"

Amidst these discussions, a woman with a delicate, refined appearance turned around in sorrow and walked toward her home.

"Tingting, you saw it too; he isn't unwilling to marry a wife, he's just unwilling to marry you."

"We aren't bad-looking, so why must you hang yourself on a crooked tree like Jiang Cheng? Listen to Mom, find a good man and get married!"

Fang Ting turned and slammed the room door shut.

She had liked Jiang Cheng since her heart first stirred, went to the university he attended, joined the military just like him, and followed him all the way.

She had thought he was just a man of indifferent temperament who would remain single his whole life.

Then she would just accompany him.

She had accompanied him for so many years; she was already thirty-five this year.

A woman's best years had already passed.

Yet unexpectedly, he brought a girl back this year.

Why?

Why her?

Si Rong felt the Jiang Family seemed different from what she had imagined.

In her imagination, the Jiang Family was a military household.

It had to be serious and stern.

But it didn't seem so; Mother Jiang held her hand, smiling broadly and looking at her incessantly.

One moment she praised her eyes for being beautiful, the next she praised her mouth for being perfect.

Especially the red scarf she bought; Mother Jiang simply couldn't put it down.

Father Jiang praised the Wuliangye brought by the second brother, and after much praise, spontaneously decided to open it and have a taste at noon.

Jiang Zhi stayed by her side the whole time, likely having thought for a while about how to address her, before finally deciding to ask, "Do you like me calling you Aunt or Mom?"

Si Rong:...

"I usually call him Uncle at home," Jiang Zhi tilted her head, smiling with a face full of happiness, "I only call him Dad when we're out."

She hated it when others said she was a wild child with no father or mother.

Now it was good; she had both.

"Call her Aunt for now!" Mother Jiang made the decision for Si Rong, "Wait until your aunt marries in, then you can call her Mom!"

Si Rong:...

It felt so casual.

Slowly, she wasn't as nervous anymore.

Jiang Yu and his wife Xu Yan also seemed very easy to get along with, chatting with Si Rong from time to time about things at the dance club.

Lunch was very sumptuous.

The atmosphere was also very relaxed; mainly because after the initial politeness, Mother Jiang didn't try to pile her bowl with a bunch of food she didn't like.

It started to snow after the meal.

The family said they would gather around the fireplace to play cards.

Si Rong had thought that activities in such a military family would be things like javelin practice.

She didn't expect it to be Mahjong, which she was very familiar with.

Actually, her Mahjong skills weren't that great; a lot of the time it relied purely on luck.

Jiang Cheng sat behind her to help her watch the tiles.

From time to time, he would reach out to help her tidy up her Mahjong tiles.

Every time he leaned in, he would bring with him a unique masculine scent.

Pine wood branches.

It also carried a warm breeze, baking Si Rong's ear until it felt hot.

All afternoon, with Jiang Cheng helping her watch the tiles, she won quite a bit.

The Jiang Family didn't try to welch on the debt.

When they left the table to settle the accounts, she had won over eight hundred in total.

Holding this money made her feel exceptionally happy.

Si Rong thought to herself, it seems her mahjong skills have improved quite a bit since her divorce.

Truly, unlucky in love, lucky in the casino.

Wu Shen arranged the room for Si Rong to sleep in for the night right next to Jiang Cheng's room.

It was cleaned neatly and tidily, and carried a cozy feeling.

"Miss Si, if you need anything, just call our eldest young master; he is young and a light sleeper."

Wu Shen reminded her with a smile.

Si Rong nodded, "Okay."

She returned to her room and lay down, feeling that living at the Jiang Family was actually quite comfortable, not as rigid as she had imagined.

Before she came, her mother and aunt had urged her that if she felt comfortable staying, she should stay a few more days, and if she didn't, she could go back tomorrow.

Counting the eight hundred yuan she had won playing mahjong in her hand once more, Si Rong decided to stay for two more days.

There was no one to play mahjong with her at home, which was a bit boring.

……

"So tired! So tired today!" Mother Jiang lay on the bed, sprawled out.

"Losing is even harder than winning! I think A-Cheng's partner has a very simple nature, otherwise her mahjong skills couldn't be this bad!"

Father Jiang massaged her shoulders while whispering a reminder, "Shh! Keep your voice down! With your son sitting behind her, do you dare to win?"

"I don't dare." Once her eldest son's lifelong marriage prospects were mentioned, Mother Jiang became obedient.

Let it be a loss! She actually quite liked this partner that A-Cheng had brought back.

The gentle and graceful appearance of a wealthy daughter—such a temperament could not be cultivated by an ordinary family.

The only flaw was her infertility.

She had heard a word or two about it in the Huaiyang socialite circle when she went out to play mahjong, but Mother Jiang soon let it go.

Everything is fate.

Compared to letting her son remain a bachelor until old age, at the very least, he was now willing to marry a wife to keep him company.

This was already very good; as parents, they had to learn to be content.

One generation manages the next.

Their son's next generation would be for them to manage themselves.

After Si Rong reminisced beautifully about her highlight moments while playing mahjong, she decided to wash up and get into bed.

The Jiang Family also had heating, so the room was not too cold.

After washing up, she lay down under the covers.

It was an unfamiliar place, but thinking of Jiang Cheng sleeping next door, it didn't seem so unfamiliar anymore; before she knew it, she fell asleep.

……

"The County Magistrate is inviting us to his home to admire the snow?" Shen Lan doubted he had heard correctly.

Who didn't know that the Jiang Family was a military family? Usually, Jiang Yu rarely brought people home; why did he think to have people come to his home to admire the snow this time?

Huaiyang had heavy snow; where couldn't one admire it? Did they have to go to his house?

"Deputy County Magistrate, are you going?" Xiao Huang asked.

Shen Lan was silent for a moment, "I'm going."

Since everyone else was going, as the Deputy County Magistrate, he naturally should be more sociable.

Besides, he also wanted to go and see what kind of trick this Jiang Yu was trying to pull.

In the Jiang Family courtyard, there was a long pavilion, with a small fire stove and wine cups set on the table.

Shen Lan curled his lip, heh, talking by the fire at night?

Truly trying to appear refined!

In reality, it was very tacky.

Had he known he would be sitting here freezing and drinking cold wine, he wouldn't have come.

Shen Lan gazed aimlessly in all directions, when suddenly, through a window, he saw a familiar figure.

Instantly, he gritted his teeth.

How could Si Rong be at the Jiang Family?

Wasn't holding hands at the engagement banquet earlier just to provoke him?

He saw Si Rong standing by a cabinet, wanting to take something, but she wasn't tall enough; at this moment, Jiang Cheng appeared and reached out to help her take it, looking as if he were embracing Si Rong.

Shen Lan could no longer sit still and stood up abruptly.