Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 147 - 105 Stubborn Xia He_2

Chapter 147: Chapter 105 Stubborn Xia He_2

But when he left, I realized that shoes made by someone else just never felt right, eating food cooked by someone else just never tasted good... It was at that moment I understood I had married a very good man. But when I wanted to say a word of thanks to him, I had no chance."

Lady Ran set aside the sole she was working on and gently moved her somewhat sore arms.

Seeing this, Jinxiu hurried forward to massage the old lady’s hands.

Jiang Shouzhong said softly, "In reality, your husband was also very fortunate. At least you were willing to wear his shoes, willing to eat his food... If you truly despised them, you would have done more than just say so."

Lady Ran’s eyes lit up with a gentle smile, softening the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

She picked up the half-finished sole again and reflected, "Being young has its advantages, because there are things you can’t understand, you won’t overthink and have so many worries. But youth has its downsides too, there are things you don’t understand and by the time you do, they’ve become regrets, seared into your heart forever."

At this point, Jiang Shouzhong began to doubt whether the old lady was hinting at something to him.

The old lady adjusted the wick of the lamp and spoke softly, "Qingchen, that girl, she didn’t take after her mother, nor her father, but she does resemble her aunt a little. She seems serene, but she has a strong competitive spirit, always wanting to outdo others, a bit stubborn.

From a young age, she developed a protective nature; if it was hers, she would guard it even if she didn’t like it. If it wasn’t hers, she wouldn’t even touch it.

I remember when she was nine years old, she fell seriously ill, and her uncle bought a charming little kitten from an overseas merchant to cheer her up, but she didn’t like it. One day, the second young master from the Li Family brought his niece Nan Shuang to visit our house.

Nan Shuang saw the kitten and fell in love with it at first sight. So Qingchen’s uncle gave the kitten to Nan Shuang."

But when Qingchen found out, she cried and made a fuss to get the kitten back. In the end, her uncle had no choice but to shamelessly take the kitten back."

Hearing this, Jiang Shouzhong couldn’t help but smile.

It turned out that his wife had been at odds with the head of their household since a young age, no wonder their encounters were always so explosive.

"What happened after?"

Jiang Shouzhong asked curiously.

The old lady squinted with a smile, "After getting the kitten back, Qingchen began to take care of it, to like it, carrying it with her all day. She thought the kitten would surely become more attached to her than to Nan Shuang, would like her more.

But alas, the kitten liked Nan Shuang more. No matter how much Qingchen took care of it, it became listless and thinner by the day... It looked like it wouldn’t last much longer.

Just when we had dug a hole in advance, prepared to bury it when it died. One day, Qingchen took the kitten to the Li Family and gave it back to Nan Shuang. That kitten perked up and became spirited, hopping around..."

Jiang Shouzhong was stunned, at a loss for words for a moment.

Lady Ran seemed a bit tired, she laid the sole aside, covered herself with a blanket nearby, her gaze carrying a trace of bewilderment, "That day when she came back, Qingchen cried very sadly, hiding in her mother’s room from morning until evening. It was then that she understood she really liked that little cat, sincerely liked it.

And it was then I also understood, deep down, Qingchen was very much like her mother. Because, they both knew how to let go... Once they let go, they would not pick it up again..."

The old lady’s voice faded more and more, sleepiness rolling in as she lightly closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Jiang Shouzhong didn’t dare to disturb her and quietly tiptoed out of the room.

After the man left the room, the old woman murmured softly, as if speaking in her sleep, as if whispering a secret to someone,

"Wan’er, everyone thinks you’ve lost, I thought so at first too. But later I slowly understood, what the third son said was right, in this world... only you have really won."

"Qingchen, will you also be like your mother, eventually learning to let go someday?"

—

Ran Qingchen didn’t return until the end of the yin period, the sky had darkened, the blood-red sunset sinking slowly among the disorderly clouds, taking the last of the light in the sky with it.

Upon learning that her grandmother wanted Jiang Shouzhong to stay for the night, the woman was somewhat surprised. After changing her clothes in her room, Ran Qingchen went to her grandmother’s room, and finding her resting, she did not disturb her.

Ran Qingchen did not go to the room where Jiang Shouzhong was staying, even though Jinxiu told her there was a girl named Xia He with her man.

Around the second period of the xu hour, Lady Ran asked Jinxiu to call a few people for a meal.

There were no luxurious dishes or high seats, just several plates of homely food, and it was without summoning other members of the Ran Family. Aside from Lady Ran and Jinxiu, only Jiang Shouzhong, Xia He, and Ran Qingchen were present.

The five sat around the modest dining table, like a common family’s home, free from the strict ceremonials of the elite, creating a warm atmosphere.

"Speaking of which, this must be the first time Qingchen and Jiang have eaten together," Lady Ran teased with a laugh. "You’ve been married for half a year, and I reckon there’s hardly another couple like you two in the world."

Ran Qingchen kept her head down, silently eating her meal, quiet as a lotus.

Suddenly she remembered her last visit to Jiang Shouzhong’s home, where he had cooked for her. Although the taste was very average, she still ate several bowls... so this should be their second meal together.