Chapter 42.1

Jiang Rou and Li Xiao went to Chang Yong’s house. Before they left, Jiang Rou had hurriedly washed her hair and spent a long time picking out clothes from her wardrobe. In the end, she changed into a light blue chiffon blouse and denim shorts, and she styled her hair into a bun.

She did not wear any makeup; she only applied lipstick.

After that, she dressed An An in a new little dress, white lace socks, and small sandals. She used two clips to secure An An’s hair, revealing her round little face and smooth forehead.

Li Xiao had prepared breakfast. While she was still busy setting the food on the table, she saw that Li Xin was slowly sweeping the floor and urged her to hurry and change clothes.

Li Xin shook her head without hesitation, saying, “I’m not going. My hair is oily too.”

“I don’t like visiting other people’s homes, especially those of people I’m not familiar with.”

Li Xiao was speechless and did not understand the connection between greasy hair and visiting someone.

By around ten o’clock, Jiang Rou, holding An An, left with Li Xiao and left money for Li Xin, so she could go out to eat if she didn’t want to cook.

—o—o—o—

Chang Yong’s house was in a high-end residential area under his company’s name. How high-end was it? After entering the complex gate with Li Xiao, compared to the rental house she lived in, Jiang Rou felt as if she had entered a different world. The disparity was so great that it gave her an illusion of returning to the future.

The community had a very well-maintained environment, with artificial mountains, rivers, small pavilions, and playground equipment like slides and seesaws for children. The roads in the complex were wide, facilitating vehicle access, and the residential buildings were newly built, with twenty to thirty floors each.

Jiang Rou could not help but ask, “The houses here must be quite expensive, right? ”

The location was also great—quiet amidst the hustle and bustle.

Li Xiao confirmed, “When it was first developed, a unit was about one million. Now it has risen to over two million.”

Jiang Rou clicked her tongue. Two million might sound reasonable in twenty years, but now it was an astronomical figure.

However, she had to admit that even now, many wealthy people live there. She saw numerous balconies with clothes and quilts drying.

She could not help but envy, “Work hard. I also want to live in a big house like this.”

She decided to pin her hopes on Li Xiao, as she no longer had any hopes herself. Whether it was being a police officer or a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, neither seemed to be a highly profitable profession.

Li Xiao laughed and readily agreed, “Alright.”

He enjoyed hearing such words from Jiang Rou—as Jiang Rou had high expectations towards him.

—o—o—o—

Chang Yong’s house was on the thirteenth floor of Building 8. It was a large flat, with one elevator per household, covering an area of 150 square meters.

Li Xiao walked ahead carrying the items, while Jiang Rou followed behind with An An in her arms. After just two knocks, the door opened from the inside. Chang Yong greeted them warmly. He was smiling as he invited them in. “Come in; no need to change your shoes. Your sister-in-law made a lot of dishes and is just waiting for you.”

Despite what he said, Li Xiao and Jiang Rou still changed into slippers at the door, but An An did not change hers. Although she wore shoes, she had not actually touched the ground.

Whenever An An was in an unfamiliar place, she would obediently stay put. She only looked around curiously and did not cling to Jiang Rou out of fear.

Although she was still young, she had already traveled to many places with her mother and had seen quite a lot of the outside world.

Chang Yong was dressed very casually at home, in a T-shirt, shorts, and slippers. He guided Li Xiao and Jiang Rou to the living room, which was luxurious, with marble floors, golden-painted walls, and European palace-style sofas, creating a strong visual impact.

Two girls, one big and one small, were placing freshly cleaned fruit on the coffee table. Chang Yong smiled and introduced them, “These are my two daughters, Chang Lei and Chang Le.”

He then turned to his daughters and said, “Lei Lei, Le Le, quickly greet your uncle and aunt.”

The two girls looked at Li Xiao and Jiang Rou. The older one, who appeared to be about twelve or thirteen, spoke first, “Hello, Uncle Li, hello, Aunt Jiang.”

The younger one, who looked around four or five years old, followed with a babyish voice, “Hello, Uncle Li, hello, Aunt Jiang.”

Li Xiao nodded in acknowledgment.

Jiang Rou smiled and said, “Hello.”

She then waved An An’s arm and said, “This is An An. She can’t speak much yet.”

The two little girls had already noticed An An in Jiang Rou’s arms and thought she was especially cute, their eyes sparkling with interest.

The younger one couldn’t help but step forward and ask, “Can I hold her? ”

“Of course,” Jiang Rou replied with a smile.

While they were talking, Chang Yong’s wife came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands. “Li Xiao is here? ”She asked.

Seeing the guests, Zhao Yun quickly instructed the two children to pour tea.

Jiang Rou hurriedly said, “Don’t be so polite; we’re not thirsty.”

Zhao Yun smiled and gestured for Jiang Rou to sit down. “What’s so polite about this? When guests come, we should at least offer them a cup of tea.”

She continued, “Come on, sit down. You must be Jiang Rou, right? I’ve heard from my husband that you’re both good-looking and a great cook. I didn’t believe it at first—how can someone be good at everything? To see is to believe. No wonder Li Xiao got married at such a young age. If it were me, I would have married you sooner.”

Zhao Yun looked at Jiang Rou as she said this sincerely.

Before, Zhao Yun had thought of Jiang Rou as just another rural wife from the countryside dressed plainly. Many women in G Province followed their men from the countryside to work in the city. Even if they learned to perm their hair and apply makeup like city dwellers, they often retained an unshakeable rural aura.

Zhao Yun did not look down on them; she was just worried about not getting along and feeling awkward. The first time she met Li Xiao, he spoke with a slight accent that was a bit hard to understand.

But Li Xiao was quick to adapt. Not long after, when Zhao Yun saw him again, he spoke the local dialect fluently.

But Zhao Yun never expected Li Xiao’s wife to be like this. She was very beautiful, with delicate features and particularly expressive eyes. Her skin was smooth and fair, and despite having given birth, she looked youthful and slender. Dressed in a blouse and shorts, with her hair casually styled, she appeared very youthful and attractive.

When the family of three stood together. Jiang Rou and her child presented an image of grace and good upbringing—beautiful and well-behaved—while Li Xiao appeared like a weathered stone, marked by many storms and full of ruggedness.

Yet, despite their differences, they harmonized perfectly together.

Zhao Yun chuckled at her own thoughts. She pushed a plate of fruits towards Jiang Rou and said, “Have some fruit. I just bought these this morning.”

She then reached out to tease the child in Jiang Rou’s arms. “This must be An An. She’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a pretty little child before.”

An An disliked being touched by strangers and immediately pulled her small hand away, snuggling closer to Jiang Rou.

Zhao Yun laughed, finding the child’s reactions amusing. She thought everything children did was entertaining.

Chang Lei and Chang Le came over with two cups of tea. The younger one, who was chubby and looked cheerful, placed the cups behind them and stood by the coffee table, tilting her head to look at An An.

An An noticed her, turned her head away, and tried to avoid eye contact.

Jiang Rou patted An An’s head and explained with a smile, “Little sister is shy and a bit scared of strangers.”

Chang Le giggled and peeled a banana from the plate. “Little sister is so pretty.”

She then politely handed the peeled banana to Jiang Rou. “Auntie, give this to the little sister.”

Jiang Rou felt a warmth in her heart as she took the banana. “Thank you, Chang Le.”

She held the banana in front of An An. “An An, look, this is a banana that Sister Chang Le peeled for you.”

Little An An, sitting on her mother’s lap, looked up and finally took a bite of the banana.

However, she still avoided looking at Chang Le.

She was particularly aloof around strangers, just like her father.

While eating, An An slid down from Jiang Rou’s lap by herself and stood up, holding onto Jiang Rou’s legs for support.

Chang Le watched her with surprise, commenting, “Little sister is so cute.”

She thought An An’s sliding move was charming.

Jiang Rou could only laugh and shake her head.

Zhao Yun got up and went to the kitchen. “You all sit for a while. It will be ready soon; there aren’t many dishes left.”

Jiang Rou quickly responded, “Sister-in-law, don’t make too much. It will be a waste if we can’t finish it.”

“It’s not much, not much. It will be ready soon,” Zhao Yun assured before turning back to the kitchen.

—o—o—o—

Meanwhile, Li Xiao and Chang Yong had already settled on the sofa and started chatting.

The two Chang sisters squatted next to Jiang Rou to watch An An and tried to touch her. But as soon as they reached out, An An buried her face against Jiang Rou’s leg to avoid them.

The two sisters tried to coax An An with food. One peeled grapes, and the other peeled lychees—both of which were the little one’s favorites.

Sure enough, not long after, An An was coaxed into playing with them, enjoying a little bit of everything.

The younger one looked up at Jiang Rou. “Aune, can I hold her? ”

Jiang Rou smiled. “You can try.”

Chang Le stood behind An An and attempted to lift her from under her armpits. However, she struggled and failed because An An was too heavy.

Chang Yong, seeing this, reminded her, “Be careful; don’t drop your little sister.”

It was Chang Lei who eventually came over and lifted An An, turning to Jiang Rou and saying, “Let’s take her out to play for a while.”

Jiang Rou readily agreed, “Sure, Auntie would be glad to take a break. Thank you for your help.”

The two girls smiled and happily began to carry An An around the house.

Jiang Rou got up to help in the kitchen. Zhao Yun was stir-frying vegetables and, seeing her approach quickly urged her out. “It’s smoky here. You’ll get the smell on you.”

Jiang Rou ignored her and cheerfully walked in to help wash the dishes in the sink.

Zhao Yun looked anxious and said, “Oh, that’s so dirty and oily. Put it down; I’ll wash it later.”

Jiang Rou responded with a smile, “It’s fine; I’m used to working at home.”

Zhao Yun felt confident and comfortable after hearing this. Usually, when guests visited, they would sit in the living room, chatting and laughing while waiting for the food, and no one would offer to help.

In fact, she had heard about Li Xiao from her husband a long time ago. He spoke highly of Li Xiao’s looks and abilities. When Zhao Yun first saw Li Xiao, she was genuinely shocked. She hadn’t expected a man to be so strikingly handsome, even more so than the stars on TV.

She had immediately wanted to play matchmaker for him but felt regretful when she learned he was married with children.

Later, she heard her husband joke about Li Xiao being henpecked. He mentioned that while others went to KTV to sing, Li Xiao didn’t dare to go, claiming his wife would divorce him if she knew.

Zhao Yun initially found Jiang Rou amazing, but then she reconsidered and realized it was Jiang Rou’s husband who was amazing. Li Xiao’s wife lived in his hometown, so if he went to the KTV room, his wife wouldn’t know. It was clear that Li Xiao simply didn’t want to go and was maintaining his integrity.

Because of this, she had a very good impression of Li Xiao. Unlike her husband, who had changed after his sister married a wealthy man—
Now, he frequently visits questionable places and meets strange people.

Zhao Yun genuinely felt that Li Xiao was rare and extraordinary.

Zhao Yun felt that country women did not deserve such a good man. Li Xiao was good-looking and capable, and apart from his low education level, he had no flaws. He would be a great match for her niece, who graduated from a junior college.

However, she had a change of heart when she learned that Li Xiao had been injured while saving her husband and that his wife had traveled a long way with the child to take care of him.

This made Zhao Yun realize that the couple had a truly strong relationship, and she shouldn’t have entertained such thoughts.

—o—o—

While they continued to work and chat, Zhao Yun learned that Jiang Rou had been accepted into university this year, which once again amazed her.

By lunchtime, nine dishes were spread out on a large table, and Zhao Yun had specially made millet and sea cucumber porridge for An An.

An An loved it and finished the whole bowl.

Afterward, the two sisters took An An to play the piano. Although An An didn’t understand it, she tapped randomly on the keys with her chubby hands and smiled happily when she heard the sounds.

After leaving the Chang household, Li Xiao suddenly said, “I’ll buy An An a metallophone in the future.”

Jiang Rou corrected him, “You mean a piano.”

Li Xiao responded nonchalantly, “It’s the same thing, just the one you poke randomly.”

Jiang Rou was left speechless. ‘How can it be the same?’

—o—o—o—

Metallophone

—o—o—o—