TSDT - 37

They found Hu Ruochen at a barbecue restaurant.

She had booked a small private room and ordered a table full of food: oysters, fatty lamb, eggplant, chicken wings... everything imaginable. After a round of crying, she was fatigued and listless. When she recognized the newcomers, she let out an “ao-wu ao-wu” sound and tried to pounce on them.

“Wait, wait... Hu Ruochen, calm down!”

Winter coats weren’t cheap, and Jiang Ying was terrified of her smeared face. She stiffly put her hands on Hu Ruochen’s shoulders, keeping her at a distance.

Hu Ruochen sobbed heavily a few times and actually managed to hold back. She looked at Jiang Ying, then at Assistant Liu, sniffing and asking, “Sister, did you get a new brother-in-law?”

Assistant Liu was startled, waving his hands repeatedly: “I’m not, I didn’t!”

“...” Jiang Ying first apologized to Assistant Liu, “I’m sorry, she’s drunk and talking nonsense, you don’t need to pay attention,” then turned to Hu Ruochen, directly pulling a wet wipe and tossing it at her face, “Wipe your dirty face clean!”

Hu Ruochen whimpered aggrievedly, “Oh,” then asked, “Sister, will you take me home?”

After all that fuss, it was almost eight o’clock. Jiang Ying, smelling the strong garlic aroma in the room, was genuinely hungry.

“Mr. Liu, have you eaten?”

Assistant Liu was taken aback: “I’m fine.”

Jiang Ying didn’t bother with excessive politeness: “If you haven’t eaten, let’s eat together. She ordered a lot, and it would be a waste to leave it. Just consider it a favor. Meng Jingshu wouldn’t be that unreasonable, would he?”

“Mr. Meng is a good boss... Then, I won’t be polite.”

They had the waiter reheat everything and began their relatively silent dinner. There was still a good amount of beer left, and Hu Ruochen raised her glass to the moon, smiling cheekily and wanting to clink glasses with them.

Assistant Liu had to drive, so of course, he couldn’t drink. Jiang Ying was thirsty and just had a bit with her. She didn’t bother to advise her to drink less; a half-drunk person is the most troublesome, it was better to let her drink until she passed out for peace and quiet.

As expected, after two more glasses, Hu Ruochen’s volume decreased, and she leaned against Jiang Ying’s arm, starting to sniffle again.

Jiang Ying had no choice but to carefully place a few tissues under her face to block the smudged makeup, tears, and snot. As for the rest, she let her be and focused on filling her own stomach.

Hu Ruochen mumbled to herself for a while, then pulled out her phone and insisted that Jiang Ying look at it.

“He went out with that girl last night... and so many, so many beautiful girls... he probably doesn’t even remember... Boo hoo... Today, today is our half-year anniversary... hiccup... We said we’d go to Japan together, boo hoo hoo...”

Here we go again.

The child was acting up again.

“Are they really that good... Am I, am I not even a little bit comparable...”

The phone screen was shoved into Jiang Ying’s face, forcing her to browse through her ex’s vibrant nightlife.

Then—huh?

How the hell is Fu Xuan in there too???

And that woman with Chen Tianjing’s arm around her waist... what was with that familiar camel coat and Chanel flap bag???????

Jiang Ying was shocked.

She pulled out the candid photo she had secretly taken of Director Hu earlier...

It really was the same woman...

She immediately searched on Weibo and found out the woman’s name was Feng Xirou, also an internet celebrity, who had recently become very close with Fu Xuan, posting many quirky sisterly photos together.

Unbelievable.

These people gathering together, for Jiang Ying, was truly like a disgusting mother opening the door to more disgusting things.

As Jiang Ying was immersed in a few minutes of disbelief, Hu Ruochen suddenly went crazy and started giggling again.

“Sister, sister, him,” she extended a finger and pointed at Assistant Liu in the air, “He’s really not brother-in-law, is he?”

Jiang Ying glared at her.

Assistant Liu quickly said: “No, no, no... Miss, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

He was about to blurt out, “I’m just a worker sent by your brother-in-law.”

Suddenly, Hu Ruochen became happy. She cupped her hands to her mouth like a megaphone, speaking into Jiang Ying’s ear, thinking she was being very quiet but actually very loud: “Then can I date him? I think he’s so cute! Not fierce at all!”

“Cough, cough, cough!” Assistant Liu’s face flushed crimson.

“Heh heh heh heh...” Hu Ruochen laughed happily, “He really is so cute!”

“...” Jiang Ying wanted to dig a hole and bury her.

________________________________________

The two of them haphazardly got the drunk girl home, and the farce finally came to an end.

When Jiang Ying returned home, she felt utterly exhausted. She took a moment to psych herself up before finally dragging herself off the sofa to take a shower. When she came out, a message from Meng Jingshu, sent about ten minutes ago, lay on her phone.

“Are you home?”

She replied: “Mm, you’re home too, right?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Ying could feel that he was very tired. Unlike her own ruckus outside, his fatigue stemmed from a deep sense of powerlessness emanating from his heart, and she knew she couldn’t help him.

One’s own life can only be borne by oneself; it doesn’t get better just by talking more to someone.

But she still felt disheartened and fell into the gloom brought on by his few words.

“Be safe at home by yourself. Remember to close the doors and windows,” he said again.

Jiang Ying was silent for a moment, then picked the cutest “Mm-hm” Toby emoji and sent it.

She mimicked his tone when giving instructions: “Wear your scarf, remember to eat your candy.”

He quickly replied: “Okay.”

________________________________________

Nanqing City.

Outside, the night was deep and quiet, but the hospital was still brightly lit.

Meng Julai rushed over, braving the cold night wind. He had just finished a city-and-countryside inspection that afternoon and was in the middle of a social engagement when his wife’s call brought him back. She said his elderly mother had suddenly collapsed and been admitted to the hospital, and tests revealed a shadow on her lung.

“Jingshu, you’ve returned too.”

“Second Uncle,” Meng Jingshu’s address was his way of greeting.

The family was used to it and didn’t feel he was being disrespectful.

“What do the doctors say now?”

“They say there’s a shadow, it might not be cancer, and they’re doing further tests. Don’t worry too much for now. Medicine is advanced these days, even if it is cancer, there are treatments.” The eldest, Meng Juxian, was the first to arrive after being notified. She was now calm and openly comforted her younger siblings and the juniors.

Meng Julai sat down, took a sip of hot tea from his thermos, composed himself, and quietly reprimanded his wife: “You didn’t even get things clear, calling so frantically and making Jingshu rush back from so far away.”

Meng Jingshu said in a low voice, “It’s right for me to come back.”

“See, Jingshu even said so. He rushed back from so far away, and you’re the slowest!” His second aunt couldn’t tolerate it. “What would we do if we didn’t call you back? This afternoon, it was just me and Aunt Zhai accompanying Mom. The old lady had been unwell for several days, and today she just collapsed while talking. How could I not panic? What if something bad happens, and none of you descendants are by her side? What kind of situation would that be?”

The old lady had four children. Meng Jingshu’s father was the third, and his parents had passed away in a car accident years ago. The fourth child was a free spirit, well past forty but still unmarried, traveling the world. Only the eldest and second children remained in Nanqing. The grandchildren each had their own careers and were busy elsewhere recently, so indeed, there was no one by her side.

“It’s been like this for so many years. You’re never calm when something happens, and you speak unclearly.” Meng Julai and his wife were used to this, bickering back and forth without either conceding.

It was Meng Juxian who interrupted them: “Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. Don’t bring your marital squabbles to the hospital, especially so late at night. Aren’t you tired? I think it’s good that Jingshu is back. The old lady dotes on him; she’ll be relieved to see him when she wakes up.”

The Meng family had a good relationship between siblings. When the eldest sister spoke, Meng Julai no longer argued with his wife. After a moment of silence, he instead quietly discussed recent policy trends with Meng Juxian.

Meng Jingshu didn’t like small talk, and given the current situation, he was even less inclined. He leaned back against the chair, the smooth, white wall opposite him glaringly bright.

He knew his eldest aunt was right; it wasn’t a desperate situation yet. But amidst their low, incessant voices, he increasingly heard the sound of his own heart beating, slow and heavy.

He was truly... afraid.

________________________________________

Since December, Zebian had been experiencing continuous gloomy and rainy weather. The cold of the southern winter, accompanied by the chilly rain, seeped into one’s neck.

Lawyer Jiang, braving the bone-chilling cold, went out to conduct a property damage assessment. The client’s house had tilted and settled due to the defendant’s careless construction nearby. Today, they were here for appraisal and evidence collection.

Several engineers conducted inspections inside and out. Jiang Ying couldn’t help much, but she had to record things. As they walked around with their equipment, she stood still, generating no heat from movement, so cold that she stomped her feet.

By the time it was over, it was almost five o’clock. A drizzle started again, and Jiang Ying shiveringly walked into the subway station.

As she stood by the trash can, shaking water off her umbrella, she heard someone call her name.

“Miss Jiang?” A young man’s voice.

Jiang Ying turned back in confusion. The approaching person was tall and thin, wearing a simple cotton jacket, with hair neither too long nor too short. A pair of rimless glasses made him look neat and clean.

“Mr. Deng? What a coincidence.”

“Coincidence. I just got back from school. Are you off work?”

Jiang Ying smiled and nodded: “Yes.”

“We just added each other on WeChat last night, and we meet again today. I haven’t had a chance to formally introduce myself,” the man’s smile had a refined quality, “My name is Deng Mingke, and I teach at Zed University.”

Since the other party had introduced himself, Jiang Ying couldn’t very well keep her own identity secret.

“Jiang Ying, I work at a law firm.” She handed him a business card directly.

“No wonder, Miss Jiang has a great demeanor.”

“You flatter me.”

Deng Mingke gazed at her for a moment, then politely said, “Mr. Xu Jiahong has decided to take over the apartment I’m currently living in. To show my gratitude, may I have the honor of treating Miss Jiang to dinner tonight?”

Jiang Ying was a bit surprised, instinctively declining: “No need. Mr. Xu Jiahong made that decision himself, it’s not thanks to me.”

“My place is more expensive than others, it must be Miss Jiang’s kind words that made Mr. Xu decide so quickly,” he insisted somewhat, “You saved me the utility fees I’ve already paid. It’s just one meal, Miss Jiang, please don’t refuse?”

With him putting it that way, refusing would seem pretentious.

Jiang Ying smiled helplessly: “Alright, let’s go.”

It was cold, and both were inclined to eat something warming. Without any hesitation, they chose a Xiabu Xiabu hotpot restaurant two stops away.

During the meal, they chatted casually, and when Deng Mingke learned that Zed University was also Jiang Ying’s alma mater, his smile deepened a few shades.

“We have quite a bit of fate.”

Jiang Ying raised an eyebrow: “To my knowledge, over a third of Zed University graduates stay in Zebian for employment.”

The implication was that they were part of a large demographic, so it wasn’t particularly fateful.

Deng Mingke showed no embarrassment, smiling openly: “I was presumptuous.”

His candor made Jiang Ying relax considerably. She joked, “I was the one being offensive.”

His words carried a hint of goodwill but were not inappropriate. He mentioned that he was a lecturer at the College of Agriculture and shared some amusing anecdotes about students in cultivation experiments, but he didn’t monopolize the conversation, often redirecting the topic to Jiang Ying.

The meal was quite pleasant. Later, Jiang Ying mentioned that she had recently planted two mint plants, but they had withered in the cold, and asked him for advice.

“Mint is quite cold-hardy. Although the branches and leaves have withered, the rhizomes in the soil are still vibrant, so don’t worry too much. If you’re really concerned, you can cover the soil surface with some dry straw; that would be better.”

“Dry straw, huh...”

Deng Mingke understood: “If you can’t find any, I can bring some to you. The school’s greenhouse has plenty.”

“Okay,” Jiang Ying readily agreed, “Thank you in advance.”