Chapter 490 - 296: Luckily, I Have You (2)
Chapter 490: Chapter 296: Luckily, I Have You (2)
"Are there any other places to visit around here?"
"Of course, but there’s only one mountain, and it has a Daoist temple on it," Shen Qingqiu said, a little embarrassed.
"If we have time, we should go check it out. It’d be a shame to come all this way and not see it."
"Mhm."
As she spoke, Shen Qingqiu turned and left the room. When she returned, she was carrying three sofa cushions.
"What are those for?"
"The side by the wall is a bit cold. I’ll use these to block the draft for you."
"You don’t have to go to all that trouble. It’s plenty warm in here."
"Let’s block it anyway."
Shen Qingqiu got on the bed and placed the three cushions against the wall. Her thoughtfulness was in no way inferior to Chen Jingxian’s.
Hmm?
After she finished, she noticed Lin Jiang staring at her.
Shen Qingqiu glanced down and saw that Lin Jiang was looking at her collar.
When she had bent over, her collar had drooped, revealing what was underneath.
"Go to sleep."
Shen Qingqiu shyly got off the bed and left the room.
Lin Jiang was slightly tipsy. He chatted with Xu Yingjun and Li Yueting for a bit before going to sleep.
He wasn’t quite used to the new place, so he woke up very early the next day.
When he stepped out of his room, he saw Shen Qingqiu helping to tidy up the house.
"How did you sleep?"
"Very well."
"Go get washed up."
"Okay."
After he washed up, breakfast was served. It was a spread of local specialties, and Lin Jiang ate with great relish.
After breakfast, Lin Jiang and Shen Qingqiu headed out.
"Where’s your family’s house? Let’s go take a look first. Once we get your mother’s things, we’ll be all set," Lin Jiang said.
"Let’s go back and see if he’s there."
"Don’t worry about him. I’m here, so don’t be afraid."
"Okay, I’m not afraid."
The town wasn’t large; it was only a few minutes’ drive.
Comparisons can be cruel. Seeing Shen Qingqiu’s home and then comparing it to her aunt’s place made the disparity painfully clear.
It wasn’t even a brick house. From the outside, it looked similar to her aunt’s adobe home, and the small attached yard was derelict, overgrown with yellowed weeds that hadn’t been tended to in a long time.
"He lost a lot of money gambling. He lost our original house and moved here."
Lin Jiang nodded without commenting further.
’This was Shen Qingqiu’s scar, and he didn’t want to make her talk about it. She was about to start a new life. It was best to let the past stay in the past.’
When they arrived, they didn’t get out of the car right away. They waited for a while, but there was no sign of movement from the house.
"Looks like no one’s home."
Lin Jiang looked at Shen Qingqiu. "Do you have a key to the house?"
"I have one, but it’s been so long. I don’t know if the lock has been changed."
"Give me the key. I’ll go check. You wait in the car."
"Okay."
Shen Qingqiu rummaged through her bag, found the key, and handed it to Lin Jiang.
Key in hand, Lin Jiang got out of the car. He glanced around before walking through the open gate.
The door to the house was locked, which confirmed that no one was home.
Lin Jiang didn’t try the door right away. Instead, he peered through a window. The room inside was a complete mess, with empty liquor bottles and instant noodle wrappers scattered on the earthen kang bed and the floor.
To call this place a home was an insult to the word itself.
Lin Jiang turned and waved at the car.
Inside the car, Shen Qingqiu saw his signal, got out, and walked over to him.
"Did you try it? Does it open?"
"Not yet." Lin Jiang pointed to the window.
"The window is closed but not locked. Even if the door lock doesn’t work, we can still get in if we want to."
"Okay."
Lin Jiang took the key and tried the lock.
It fit, but after a few tries, it wouldn’t turn.
"He must have changed the lock."
"It’s fine. If we can’t use the door, we’ll go through the window. This is your house, after all. It’s not like we’d be breaking and entering."
"Okay."
The two of them went to the window, and Lin Jiang prepared to slide it open and climb in.
"What are you two doing?!"
Just as he was about to open the window, someone shouted from behind them.
They turned to see Shen Ziquan, dressed in a tattered cotton-padded jacket, returning with a bag of steamed buns in his hand.
"Daughter, you’re back."
Seeing Shen Qingqiu, Shen Ziquan looked as if he’d seen his savior and hurried toward her.
Disgust filled Shen Qingqiu’s face as she instinctively hid behind Lin Jiang.
Shen Ziquan stopped in his tracks.
When he saw Lin Jiang, he trembled slightly.
The second time he had gone looking for Shen Qingqiu, Lin Jiang had sent Yang Tao and two others to deal with him.
Although he didn’t know exactly what had happened, with Zheng Jiachun there, it must have left a deep impression on him.
Trembling with fear, Shen Ziquan took out his key and opened the door.
Lin Jiang led Shen Qingqiu into the house first.
The situation inside was even worse than Lin Jiang had imagined. It was hard to even find a place to step.
"Let’s just get your things."
"Okay."
Shen Qingqiu opened the wardrobe and began searching for the things her mother had left behind.
She ended up finding a coat, its style very dated, along with a few old pairs of pants and some blouses.
Shen Ziquan stood to the side, watching Shen Qingqiu. He looked like he wanted to say something but kept stealing glances at Lin Jiang.
A single glare from Lin Jiang was enough to scare him into silence.
Besides the clothes, Shen Qingqiu also found a silver bracelet, which was also very old.
When he saw the bracelet, Shen Ziquan’s eyes clearly lit up.
In his eyes, this was something that could be sold for money, and he simultaneously regretted not having found it himself.
After searching for a while, Shen Qingqiu had gathered all the remaining items, holding them in her arms as if they were priceless treasures.
Once they had everything, neither of them said another word and left in silence.
"Daughter, can you give me some more money? My life has come to this. At least let me buy some coal, or I’ll freeze to death," Shen Ziquan said, chasing after them.
"That’s your problem. It has nothing to do with me."
Shen Qingqiu didn’t hesitate for a second. Her resolute attitude unwavering, she took Lin Jiang’s hand and walked quickly toward the gate.
For her, retrieving her mother’s belongings was what gave this trip home meaning.
Otherwise, even moving her household registration to Zhonghai would feel incomplete.
Shen Qingqiu felt incredibly lucky to have brought Lin Jiang back with her.
He wouldn’t let her say "thank you," so she could only keep the gratitude in her heart.
’If he hadn’t been here and she had come back alone, dealing with Shen Ziquan would have been difficult. She might have had to trouble her uncle-in-law.’
Back in the car, Lin Jiang drove away.
Shen Qingqiu stared at the clothes in her arms, and large teardrops began to fall, pattering down.
The sight of the mementos brought a flood of memories.
At a time like this, no one could truly understand what she was feeling. All Lin Jiang could do was hand her a tissue.
Taking the tissue, Shen Qingqiu quietly wiped her tears.
"This coat... it’s over ten years old. My aunt bought it for my mom back then..."
"After a few years, the coat got old, and Mom always wanted to buy a cashmere one. But he took all the money in the house for gambling. Later, after I started earning money, I bought her a cashmere coat. I mailed it back to her, but before she could even wear it once, he took it and sold it for cash..."
Lin Jiang listened in silence. Some things, when spoken aloud, could feel a little better.
’He didn’t need to say anything; just being a silent listener was enough.’
Gently stroking the old-fashioned coat, Shen Qingqiu cried until her eyes were red.
All her hard work had been for the day she could finally make something of herself.
But when that day finally came, the person she most wanted to care for was gone.
Gone forever. The guilt and regret in her heart could never be mended, no matter what she did.
Every teardrop was a vessel for her regret, for her self-blame and remorse over not being able to fulfill her filial duty.
She wiped away her tears.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Qingqiu tried to compose herself.
"I’m sorry for bringing all this negative energy."
"And they say you’re a top student. I tell you not to say ’thank you,’ so you switch to ’I’m sorry.’ Trying a roundabout approach to save the day, are we?"
PFFT—
Lin Jiang’s sudden change of topic made Shen Qingqiu laugh.
"I won’t talk about it anymore. I don’t want to affect your mood."
They were both adults, and Shen Qingqiu, in particular, was an adult with an incredibly strong spirit.
Enough time had passed that she was now able to control her emotions.
"He was rational enough not to get physical with you," Shen Qingqiu said, recalling what had just happened.
Lin Jiang kept driving. "He probably doesn’t have the guts. But if your uncle had come, it might have been a different story."
"That’s what I was worried about, too. That’s why I was so hesitant at first. Thank goodness you were here."
"Helping an employee resolve their difficulties is my bounden duty."
"If you put it that way, then I don’t feel guilty at all."
A gentle smile spread across Shen Qingqiu’s face, her eyes softening. "Come on, I’ll take you to see the Daoist temple on the mountain. We can even get our fortunes told there."
"Let’s go."