Appearing on a Marriage Show Before Getting Divorced - Chapter 48

Ruan Youran was in the living room playing with Zhengzhi while tending to the hotpot, completely unaware of what had transpired in the kitchen.

Zhengzhi had received many new toys today, and the private amusement park the two grandmothers had promised was finally under construction. She was looking here and there, even studying the blueprints as if she could actually understand them.

Youran poked her cheek. “Our Zhengzhi is three years old now; she’s a big girl.”

Zhengzhi had no idea her Mamma-Youran was digging a hole for her. She blinked her grape-like eyes and looked at Youran.

Youran asked with a smile, “Mamma-Youran wants to ask, what kind of girl do you like… or boy?”

The word “like” wasn’t foreign to Zhengzhi, but since she was small, her understanding of it was certainly different from an adult’s. She thought for a moment. “Someone like Su Xiaoyu.”

Ruan Youran: “…” Direct enough to shut down any follow-up questions.

Ruan Qiu smirked. “Look at you, always acting so sour. Isn’t Nian Nian enough to warm your bed? It’s wonderful that my precious granddaughter has a childhood friend.”

Youran pouted. She walked into the kitchen and, acting spoiled, leaned her head on Chu Nian’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Sigh, when the child grows up, we can’t keep her.”

Chu Nian looked out the window to hide her expression; she had just finished crying and was afraid Youran would notice. “Alright, dinner is almost ready. Stop playing around, okay?”

Youran buried her face in the crook of Nian Nian’s neck, breathing in her scent—a mix of Chu Nian’s natural fragrance combined with shampoo and body wash. It smelled heavenly. Chu Nian’s body shivered, and her face turned red.

Chu Qing saw this and shook her head. “Am I invisible?” … Her mom had really changed after learning from her “unrefined” grandmother.

Tripe, shrimp paste, hand-sliced beef, ox aorta, sea cabbage… A table full of food accompanied by the bubbling hot soup; the family ate happily. To accommodate Zhengzhi today, they had specifically used a tomato broth base that had simmered for half a day. That sweet and sour flavor sliding down the throat was incredibly refreshing.

Ruan Qiu raised her glass. “Ahem, I’d like to say a few words.”

Everyone looked at her with smiles. Perhaps it was the steam from the pot, but Youran’s eyes felt a bit moist. This scene… it was what she had once begged for. She finally hadn’t given up… and now, it was a reality.

Ruan Qiu smiled softly. “I’m very happy. I have a wife as beautiful as a flower, two strong and sensible children who make me proud, and such a smart granddaughter. Our family must stay well together.”

In the past, neither she nor Chu Qing thought they would have a granddaughter in this lifetime. To their surprise, in the blink of an eye, she was already three.

The family must stay well together. In the past, they all had lofty ambitions, but now their greatest wish was family harmony and for everyone to be healthy.

The meal was exceptionally joyful. Ruan Qiu had a few too many drinks and started spilling stories about how she chased Chu Qing when they were young—seven out of every ten sentences were exaggerations. Chu Qing shook her head with a smile, and the family erupted in laughter.

Chu Nian looked at Youran and reached out her hand. Youran grasped it tightly. Zhengzhi saw this and placed her small hand on top of theirs.

Everyone laughed. Zhengzhi suddenly looked at Chu Nian with a bit of bashfulness. “Mamma, can I have one more gift?”

Oh? So many gifts already, and she wanted another? Could it be some limited edition Lego set?

Ruan Qiu let out a burp. “Just say the word; Grandma will surely get it for you.”

Zhengzhi was quite shy. She lowered her head, and her two little pigtails drooped, looking adorable enough to melt anyone’s heart. Youran laughed, hugged her, and gave her a firm kiss. “Speak up, daughter! Even if you want the moon or the stars, we’ll give them to you.”

Zhengzhi scratched her head and looked at Youran. Youran looked back at her with a smile. Zhengzhi spoke: “Mamma-Youran, I want a ring.”

Everyone: “…” Dammit. So soon?

Who was Zhengzhi? An absolute high-IQ, genius-level child. She looked at Youran expectantly. “Mamma-Youran, you’re the one who said I’m already grown up.”

Youran looked helpless. Zhengzhi then looked at Chu Nian. “Mamma, you know I’m a sophisticated baby. For that ring, can you take me to Uncle Zhao? I want to design it myself.”

Chu Nian: “…” This was defying the natural order. Zhengzhi was truly going against the grain. What on earth caused her to be this way?

The power of love. To speak of “love” at this age seemed premature. But for some reason, Zhengzhi really liked Su Xiaoyu. At first, she found the noisy girl annoying. Since birth, everyone around her had walked on eggshells; eating, drinking, and sleeping were strictly regulated. She had been confined to her home, and the four walls were her entire world.

In Zhengzhi’s eyes, other children weren’t nearly as interesting as her hard, cold toys. Even after starting kindergarten, she found it irritating. She felt the kids who drooled, needed nannies to feed them, and couldn’t even pull down their own pants to pee were all idiots.

Especially Su Xiaoyu. But Su Xiaoyu didn’t think so. She felt Zhengzhi was an incredible existence—too smart and too beautiful. She became obsessed and quickly turned into Zhengzhi’s number one fan. She followed Zhengzhi in class, during exercises, and even wanted to be near her during naps. Zhengzhi never gave her a friendly face, but Xiaoyu wasn’t afraid, chirping in her ear as usual.

“Zhengzhi, do you want a little biscuit? I’ll give you mine; it has jam.” “Zhengzhi, look over there! A bird! A bird! Such a big bird!” “Zhengzhi, Zhengzhi, Zhengzhi~”

A few days ago, Su Xiaoyu got a fever. The reason was that during nap time, she tried to get close to Zhengzhi but was rejected. She was so disappointed she fell asleep without covering herself with a blanket. She was out for a whole day, and Zhengzhi felt a void wherever she went. It was as if there were echoes in her ears. She didn’t even know where this feeling of loss came from.

Until the next day, when Su Xiaoyu came running back with her backpack, her braided pigtails bouncing as she sprinted toward her. Zhengzhi instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand. Su Xiaoyu was either out of breath or overexcited. She looked at Zhengzhi: “Zhengzhi, I brought you roast chicken my mom made. It’s delicious.” Zhengzhi knit her brows. “Not eating it.”

… During the lunch nap, Su Xiaoyu was still staring expectantly at Zhengzhi. Zhengzhi sighed and lifted her little cotton quilt. “Come here.” Su Xiaoyu was as happy as a little squirrel and scrambled over. Wow, Zhengzhi’s blanket smells so good. She couldn’t stay still, pressing her face against Zhengzhi’s and whispering, “My mom said I shouldn’t sleep in the same bed as others.” Zhengzhi frowned. “Then why did you come over?” Su Xiaoyu acted shy. “You’re pretty. I can’t help myself.” Zhengzhi: “…”

Su Xiaoyu stared at Zhengzhi for a while. Zhengzhi looked back: “What else did your mom say?” Su Xiaoyu’s cheeks turned red like apples. “Mom said that when two people sleep together, they are going to get married. Zhengzhi, do you like me?” “Are you crazy?” Zhengzhi’s face flushed. She turned around and wrapped herself in the quilt. What was the concept of marriage? Like her two mothers? Kissing all the time and… all those things that were hard to talk about.

Su Xiaoyu giggled and hugged Zhengzhi from behind, nuzzling against the quilt. “Why don’t you like to smile? Actually, Zhengzhi, you’re so, so beautiful.”

That was how the ring request came about. Zhengzhi’s personality was like Chu Nian’s; she wasn’t much for words. But her execution was like Ruan Youran’s—once she thought of something, she did it.

A promise to a child can’t be broken. Chu Nian picked up Zhengzhi and gave her a kiss, stroking her hair. “Okay. Mamma will tell Uncle Zhao in the next few days and then take you there, alright?” Zhengzhi nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. This was better than any other birthday gift.

The adults felt a bit “salty.” They’d been busy all day, yet the child’s mind was elsewhere.

Finally, it was time for the birthday cake. Zhengzhi’s little face was lit brilliantly by the three candles. She clapped her hands, singing the birthday song with everyone. She was so happy. Since birth, she’d never had so many people eating with her for her birthday; before, it was just her mom and the doctors. Family warmth was incomparable.

They cut the cake. Ruan Qiu fed Chu Qing a piece. Chu Qing found it too sweet and didn’t eat much. The two of them patted Zhengzhi with smiles. “Let’s go. You’re staying at Grandma’s house tonight.” The “kids” had just reconciled; Chu Qing knew they must have a lot of things to talk about and do.

One good thing about communicating with a smart baby was that she didn’t fuss about going to Grandma’s. She packed her backpack obediently, though she added a new step to the process: she went into the room and brought out her little white dress, posing in front of the mirror. She turned to Chu Nian: “Mamma, does this look good with my little leather shoes?” Everyone: “…” This ‘puppy love’ really changes a person.

One by one, everyone left. Ruan Youran, whose skin was usually as thick as a city wall, suddenly felt a bit awkward. She cleared her throat and took a bite of cake. “It’s good, huh?” She and Chu Nian had made the cake themselves; it wasn’t greasy and melted in the mouth.

Chu Nian looked at her with a soft smile. “Wait for me a moment.” Youran didn’t think much of it and nodded. Chu Nian was a neat freak; after cooking and eating with the whole family, she was surely going to take a shower.

Sure enough, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom. Youran had been busy taking care of Zhengzhi earlier and hadn’t eaten much herself. She quickly finished off the remaining dishes on the table. Just as she was patting her stomach and sighing about overeating, Chu Nian walked out.

Youran looked up, and the cup in her hand fell onto the table. Chu Nian was wearing… she was wearing Youran’s favorite white gauze dress, similar to the one “Sister Chang’e” wore in old TV shows. As the breeze blew, it looked like a scene from a movie.

In the dead of the night, she had even applied light makeup. The vermilion on her lips made Youran’s heart stop instantly. Chu Nian watched Youran with a faint smile. Just as Youran was about to stand up, Chu Nian moved first. She pressed Youran back down and breathed into her ear:

“Tonight, I will serve you~”