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Chapter 9
After mending the strap on her dress, she drove to the neighborhood where Astragalus lived. By then, it was already past 11:30. Along the way, Teacher Ding called again out of worry, and Astragalus reassured her that she was on the road, even holding the phone out the window so her mother could hear the blaring horns of passing cars.
Sha Zhouyin laughed and said, “Why do I get the feeling your mom still sees you as a teenager, or even a child? She really can’t stop worrying about you.”
Astragalus replied helplessly, “Maybe it’s menopause. She’s always anxious, always imagining the worst. If my dad doesn’t come home from work on time, she calls every few minutes to check if something happened to him on the way. As long as my dad or I are out of her sight, she doesn’t feel at ease. She’ll keep chasing after us with questions. Sometimes it’s really exhausting.”
“I thought she was worried your dad might be fooling around outside.” He chuckled. “But this shows she really cares about you both, just a bit too tightly wound. Having family care for you is a blessing—something I’d give anything for.”
Sha’s parents had passed away over thirteen years ago; if you counted from when he was old enough to remember, he’d spent more of his life alone than with them. Astragalus felt a pang of sympathy and, caught up in maternal instinct, said softly, “So you like being fussed over? Then I’ll call every day and have you report your whereabouts.”
“Gladly,” he said, covering her hand with his. “Xiao Qi, I’ve been living alone these past two years. Home feels just like a dorm, a place to sleep, not somewhere I want to linger. But when you were there today, suddenly the place felt alive. I wanted to stay longer, didn’t want to leave. If only… I could come home every day and see you there.”
“As long as you can get past my mom, I’ll move in with you,” Astragalus said, then immediately felt she’d been too forward—on the very first day of their relationship, already eager to cohabit. “But your place is fine for one, a bit cramped for two…”
“I chose that place for the location—so convenient for everything. The building management handles cleaning, so I don’t have to bother. But it’s not somewhere to really settle down. I have another, bigger place in Scenic Garden, bought at an insider’s discount from Uncle Biao when the first phase opened. It’s just sitting there, unfinished.” He smiled, a little bashful. “Your mom said she’d only let her daughter marry if the man had a home in the city. I’ve never forgotten. If she agrees, I’ll start renovations right away.”
Scenic Garden was the first development Uncle Biao built after returning to Lanling. Overlooking the canal, it was renowned for its beautiful environment; even now, people used it as the standard of a good neighborhood. Astragalus teased him, “You’re thinking far ahead—already planning the wedding house when we’re barely a couple.”
“As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail. This is foresight—preparing for a rainy day. Five years ago, when Scenic Garden launched, I could still afford it with some connections. Now, getting a place there would be tough, and without a wedding house, your mom would never accept me.”
“Huh?” Astragalus asked, curious. “You can’t afford a Scenic Garden apartment? One unit is about the price of your car, isn’t it?”
“The car isn’t mine; I’m just the driver. I don’t even own a private car. I’m just a salaryman, living off a fixed wage. I’m not as rich as you imagine. Will you look down on me?”
Astragalus laughed at his act. “That’s perfect—I’m just a minor civil servant on a fixed wage too. We’re well matched. If you were really loaded, I’d feel too much pressure to be your arm candy.”
Sha Zhouyin, moved, squeezed her hand. “You’re wonderful, Xiao Qi.”
She shook him off. “Stop it, you’re giving me goosebumps! Eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel!”
When they arrived at her building, neither wanted to leave. Sha Zhouyin asked, “What time do you get off tomorrow?”
“We start early, so I’m free by five in the afternoon.”
“Oh.”
“What does ‘oh’ mean?”
“It means I’ll pick you up then.”
“Oh.”
“And your ‘oh’ means?”
“My ‘oh’ means: alright, I’ll wait for you to pick me up.”
Lovers’ conversations are often meaningless, but to those speaking, they’re the sweetest things. Both laughed. Astragalus whispered, “I’m going up. You don’t have to get out.”
Sha Zhouyin glanced at the clock, his voice tinged with reluctance. “Oh.”
“And what does this ‘oh’ mean?”
“It means—it’ll be another seventeen hours and twenty-four minutes before I see you again.”
That line sent Astragalus’s heart racing. Her hand, halfway to the door, hesitated. “Why’d you park by the entrance? People are coming and going.”
He looked at her with a smile. “So what if people are coming and going?”
Madam’s feigned innocence was a perfect mimicry of the lord’s own. Astragalus glared at him in mock anger. “We’re blocking traffic! Move the car!”
He drove along the wall to a dark, secluded corner. The lord lunged, pinning the lady against the seat in a fit of rough affection, only stopped when her foot accidentally hit the horn and a loud blast startled them both, halting his advances in time.
Back at her own door, Astragalus still felt unsteady. She took out her compact and checked her reflection—hair and clothes were in order, but her flushed cheeks and dreamy gaze betrayed everything. Her parents would definitely notice.
She took a deep breath in front of the mirror. Suddenly the door opened and Teacher Ding poked her head out. “What are you doing staring in the mirror at the door? Why aren’t you coming in?”
“I… needed to fix my makeup.”
“Fix your makeup at your own front door?”
Astragalus improvised, “Uh… I had too much to drink. Got confused and thought I was at the office.”
“Why is your face so red?”
“I told you, I drank too much.”
Teacher Ding closed the door and followed her into the living room. “Xiao Qi, tell me honestly—were you out on a date tonight?”
Astragalus jumped. “Mom, how did you know?”
“In a small city like ours, there’s hardly anyone on the streets after ten. No work dinners last till midnight.” Teacher Ding gave her a sidelong glance. “Last week, I heard from Mrs. Wang downstairs—she saw you with a man outside a restaurant by the mall, sheltering from the rain. He wasn’t young, but looked quite distinguished, like a leader. Is he from your office? How’s it going? Tell me about him.”
Lanling isn’t such a tiny place, Astragalus thought, but it really did seem that any hint of scandal risked being spotted by someone familiar. She decided to come clean. “Mom, I do have a boyfriend.”
Teacher Ding brightened. “So soon? That’s fast—he must be something special to win your heart so quickly.”
“He is, but it’s not the man Mrs. Wang saw. Actually, you know him too,” Astragalus said frankly, meeting her mother’s gaze. “It’s Sha Zhouyin again.”
Her mother’s smile faded, and Astragalus felt her own heart sink.
Neither spoke for a long time. Finally, Astragalus said quietly, “Mom, you used to object because he had nothing and you were afraid I’d suffer. I get that, you were looking out for me. But now he’s done well for himself—he’s better off financially than we are. You can’t still be against us, can you?”
Teacher Ding replied, “I know he has money now—several homes in town and out in the countryside—but that’s just luck from working at a real estate company when prices skyrocketed. Plenty of people in our complex got rich from compensation for demolished homes—they do nothing all day but play mahjong, but what does money prove?”
“He got to where he is through his own hard work, not luck,” Astragalus argued.
“Hard work? Did he really get there on his own?” Teacher Ding’s tone was sharp. “Not through a woman’s connections? That’s how he climbed so fast?”
Astragalus bristled. “Mom, that’s unfair.”
“Everyone knows he’s Jin Biao’s chosen son-in-law. Jin Biao only has one daughter, and the family business will need a son-in-law to take over. That’s why he’s been promoted and groomed. Otherwise, how could a young man with no parents, no connections, a former construction laborer, rise so quickly?” Teacher Ding sneered. “You’re involved with him again? Aren’t you afraid of being called a homewrecker?”
“He and Jin Jing aren’t like that,” Astragalus said.
“If there’s nothing between them, why would Jin Biao treat him like family? Even if outsiders don’t know the truth, do you think Jin Biao’s a fool, handing over power to an outsider? Of course he and you will deny any relationship—he can hardly say to your face that he won’t marry you because he’s set on Jin’s daughter. You’re too naive, believing every sweet word a man tells you.”
“Mom! How deep is your prejudice against him? When he was poor, you looked down on him. Now that he’s made it, you accuse him of scheming. What do you want from him?” Astragalus was exasperated. “Don’t you believe he’s serious about marrying me? Tomorrow I’ll bring him over, you give us the household registration book and we’ll register our marriage at the bureau. If he agrees, we’ll get married on the spot and you can’t stop us—do you dare?”
Teacher Ding was momentarily at a loss. “Aren’t you afraid of being stigmatized as the other woman? I couldn’t bear that shame. If your husband is someone you stole from another, how does that sound? If he truly cares about you, he shouldn’t let you suffer like this. If he doesn’t settle things cleanly, he’s not worthy of my daughter.”
With that, she turned and went to bed, leaving Astragalus alone on the sofa, stewing in frustration. She had thought that all obstacles were finally behind her, but now another had appeared. She was well aware of Jin Biao’s kindness to Sha, and Sha was a man who valued loyalty and gratitude. Was she supposed to ask him, “My mom says your rumored ties to Jin Jing bring shame to our family—cut them off to prove your commitment”?
Author’s note: After sweetness, comes a twist~~
But there won’t be any real angst in the next volume—these are all adults now, perfectly capable of making their own choices. There’s no room for melodrama.