Chapter 420 - 151: The Green Tea Supporting Female Character in the Period Novel (38)
Chapter 420: Chapter 151: The Green Tea Supporting Female Character in the Period Novel (38)
At times like this, he would silently get up and begin to channel all his chaotic thoughts and longings into words. With this outlet, looking at the stack of paper thick enough to be a book, he realized that love, too, could be quantified and qualified.
But at this very moment, all those words were useless. He could only say that one dry sentence, and then use the most direct actions to express the depth of his feelings!
Chi Yun’er hugged him back. A woman’s emotions are more delicate than a man’s. They often wish they could become like a dodder vine, wrapping themselves around a man, losing their own identity in the relationship, and in doing so, push him further and further away.
She used work to suppress such thoughts.
But the moment he pressed his body against hers... ’What was logic?’
She had already lost herself completely...
The two of them were lovey-dovey in the room for a while, then went to a nearby state-run restaurant to eat, took an afternoon nap at the library, went shopping, had dinner, and saw a movie...
By the time they headed home, the sky was already pitch-black, with only faint streetlights marking the familiar yet strange streets.
Chi Yun’er’s face was full of reluctance. Half a day had passed in the blink of an eye.
She had to part from him again, and that familiar longing surfaced right on cue!
She tugged on the corner of Jiang Yihua’s shirt, clinging to him, unwilling to let go.
And how could Jiang Yihua feel any better?
"Be good. You’ve had a long day, go home and get some sleep. What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
"And while you’re at it, think about where you want to go tomorrow."
Chi Yun’er bit her lip and glared at him. "Comrade Jiang Yihua, is there really nothing else you have to say to me?"
Jiang Yihua raised an eyebrow and asked, feigning confusion, "Did I forget something?"
Then he patted her head and coaxed, "My dear wife, why don’t you give me a hint?"
Chi Yun’er studied him seriously. With his eager yet helpless expression, he truly looked as if he didn’t have a clue.
She pressed her lips together firmly. "Actually... you could make a slightly more forward request. I might even consider agreeing, you know?"
Behind his back, Jiang Yihua was pinching himself hard.
He just loved the way his dear wife looked when she wanted something but was too coy and proud to ask directly.
Cute, impish, and so precious he cherished her to his very bones!
His gaze lowered slightly as he asked tentatively,
"Your work is very tiring now. Do you want to transfer to the agricultural institute?"
"Actually, I don’t think it would be a problem. My wife is a genius at making money. Even if her unit doesn’t have an open position, she can carve one out for herself. She can even become a junior director, impressive wherever she goes. Her brilliance completely overshadows me."
"Many of the family members at the agricultural institute don’t have jobs. The grounds aren’t small, but with all the buildings, there aren’t any extra vegetable plots for people to kill time in, aside from a few on the ground floor."
"As a result, there are big disparities between the families, and they have a lot of free time. They spend all day kicking up a fuss over trivial matters, throwing the family courtyard into chaos."
"I was originally worried you wouldn’t adapt if you came to the institute; you’d be like a little lamb thrown to the wolves. But, since you seem keen on whipping everyone into shape, I think the men of the institute, young and old, would absolutely put you on a pedestal!"
Chi Yun’er was taken aback. ’What on earth is he talking about?!’
Jiang Yihua, seemingly afraid she didn’t understand, added,
"The agricultural institute might seem like an ordinary work unit, dealing with dirt all day, but our research funding is ample, and as long as you produce results, the rewards are generous."
"Our unit is the type to quietly make a fortune. We’ve accumulated a lot of funds for employee benefits that need to be distributed through proper channels. But we’re struggling to find a legitimate reason, so the best we can do is ensure our material bonuses during the holidays are the best in the city."
"And even that is barely scratching the surface. We desperately need Director Chi to come to our rescue!"
Chi Yun’er was even more bewildered.
Actually, she’d heard that many university professors had budgets allocated by the school, and when it was time for an audit, they had to spend all the money to be able to apply for more.
At times like that, professors would go on a crazy spending spree for new lab equipment, and they would often take their students out to restaurants to celebrate...
’Spending money for everyone’s benefit? She was an expert at that!’
"Mhm, okay. Once I’ve finished developing the area around the hospital—half a year, no, three months should be enough to get all the shops established and running properly. Then I’ll apply for a transfer to the agricultural institute."
"That way, my commute won’t be so exhausting," Chi Yun’er murmured in agreement.
With this new matter preoccupying her, she tossed her previous line of thought to the back of her mind and actually furrowed her brow, starting to make plans.
Jiang Yihua felt like he had just shot himself in the foot.
He gave a low cough. "Honey, I... Did I guess what was on your mind?"
Chi Yun’er shot him a sideways glance and smiled. "Our Comrade Jiang Yihua is the smartest man in the world. A total mind reader. Of course you guessed exactly what I was thinking."
"You’re right. Absolutely, one hundred percent right!"
Now Jiang Yihua understood that she had turned the tables on him.
He laughed and said, "Honey, I desperately want to marry you, but marriage is a huge life event. I don’t want you to feel short-changed by us just rushing through the formalities."
"We have a lifetime to be together. Every day of anticipation and longing now will only make our future that much more precious."
"Why don’t we spend the next few days decorating our home together?"
"As for the wedding formalities, let’s leave those to our parents. They’ve probably been waiting for this for years; they need to get their fill of it."
Chi Yun’er pressed her lips together, smiling softly as she nodded. "Okay!"
The next day, Jiang Yihua, along with his parents, paid a formal visit to her home. They even invited a matchmaker to discuss the marriage. Once the two families began their discussion, the young couple quietly took the opportunity to sneak out.
"Brother Hua," Chi Yun’er said, handing him a passbook. "Your mother slipped this to my mom."
"I feel like... our parents have worked hard their whole lives, and it wasn’t easy for them to save this money. We’re the younger generation, and we’re perfectly capable of earning our own living. We don’t need to take their savings."
Jiang Yihua smiled and pushed it back into her hands. "Why don’t you hold onto it for now? I can definitely support our family; we won’t need to spend your hard-earned money."
"If my parents ever need to spend money on something, we can always take it out then. It won’t be too late."
"I understand my mom’s reasoning. She’s afraid she won’t be able to control herself. Once Jiang Zishi returns to the city, all he’ll have to do is play the victim and act pitiful, and he’ll coax the money right out of her."
At this, his smile faded slightly. "Ever since we were kids, Jiang Zishi has loved to scheme. He had to compete with me over everything, even if an elder gave me just one extra piece of candy. He would hold a grudge for half a month and then secretly dump half a jar of salt into my soup bowl."
"My mom is soft-hearted and truly doted on him as if he were her own son. It was my dad who sensed something was wrong. After having a private talk with me, he sent me to live with my grandparents for my schooling."
"After my grandparents found out, they had my dad deposit his monthly salary into a passbook opened in my name. They told my mom they were unwell and needed the money to take care of their health. My mom’s salary was then used for all the daily household expenses."
"Money at home suddenly became tight, so even when Jiang Zishi managed to wheedle money out of my mom, he couldn’t get very much."
"I never expected that so much money would be saved up. My mom asked my grandfather for a portion of it to give to you as the betrothal gift."
Chi Yun’er asked in a surprised whisper, "Brother Hua, am I hearing you right? Does this mean Jiang Zishi isn’t actually part of your family?"
Jiang Yihua nodded. "It’s a bit of a story. Back when his mother was giving birth, she went into cardiac arrest. My dad was called in to save the situation, but she had been deprived of oxygen for too long and couldn’t be revived."
"The director of the obstetrics department claimed my dad arrived too late and missed the optimal window for treatment, shifting all the blame onto him."
"Jiang Zishi was delivered by C-section in time. But his mother had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and her family had disowned her. The baby was so small; if he’d been sent to an orphanage, his chances of survival would have been close to zero."
"Around that same time, my mom had a miscarriage that damaged her body, and she was diagnosed as being unable to have children in the future. So, they brought Jiang Zishi home to raise as their own. They also asked everyone not to speak carelessly in front of Jiang Zishi."
"They thought they had kept the secret airtight, and they believed that as long as they raised the child properly, he would still be grateful even if he learned the truth about his birth later on. After all, the bond from raising a child is stronger than the bond of blood!"
"But, someone—I don’t know who—told Jiang Zishi everything. After he found out, he never tried to confirm the story with my parents. He probably just assumed that he was an orphan because of my father."