Chapter 77
The four people sat down, and Lei Yu brought in the tea set and tea leaves from outside.
"Mr. Jiang, Madam, we weren't sure what to bring you, so Jinbai and I prepared a tea set and some tea leaves. We don't know if you'd like them."
"The thought is enough. We should be the ones giving you this gift," Jiang's mother glanced at it and told someone to put it away. "I heard that Jinbai is quite accomplished in music?"
Although the two sides were being overly polite, the worst-case scenario that Yi Jinbai had imagined did not occur, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Madam is too kind. I am just quite interested. I am not very bright and dare not speak of my expertise."
"You're too modest," Jiang's mother said, looking at Yi Jinbai, then nudged Jiang's father with her elbow. "Go and arrange dinner; it's not easy for the two children to come all this way."
Jiang's father couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he got up and left to arrange dinner.
"We only found out about you two online. It's not easy to meet someone you're destined to be with, is it?"
As soon as Jiang's father left, Jiang's mother got straight to the point, talking about the romance between Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai.
Jiang Shuiyun didn't shy away from the topic and took Yi Jinbai's hand, saying, "Madam is right. You may not meet the right person in your life, but if you do, you have to hold on tight."
“Yes,” Jiang’s mother’s gaze swept past the nervous Yi Jinbai and landed on Jiang Shuiyun. “I know we haven’t fulfilled our parental duties to you, so we have no right to interfere with your decision now. Don’t worry, we invited you back for a meal this time not because of anything unpleasant, but because we are family after all, and we need to spend time together, right?”
Jiang's parents are sensible people. Although there is a paternity test, it is of little use except to prove the blood relationship. They have not fulfilled their parental obligations, so they have no right to interfere with their child's rights. The main purpose of this meal together is to ease the tension.
Jiang Shuiyun agreed with her mother's words, "Yes, there will always be times when we spend time together."
Jiang's mother extended her hand to Yi Jinbai. Although Yi Jinbai was nervous, he did not dare to be negligent and sat down next to Jiang's mother.
Jiang's mother held Yi Jinbai's hand and said, "From now on, call me Auntie. We're all family, so we can't be too formal. Your uncle and I have prepared a gift for you. I don't know if you'll like it."
Jiang's mother pulled Yi Jinbai to his feet, and the two of them clearly wanted to go somewhere else.
"I'll go with you to take a look."
Jiang Shuiyun also stood up.
Jiang's mother stopped and turned to look at Jiang Shuiyun. "Following us every step of the way, are you that worried about us? Do you think I would let your girlfriend suffer any more mistreatment?"
"No, I'm just killing time anyway."
Jiang Shuiyun wasn't really worried about that; she was just worried that Yi Jinbai might be nervous facing Jiang's mother alone, and that she might be better off with her around.
"Come over if you're free."
Jiang's mother had no objections and continued walking forward.
After passing through two more doors and turning past a screen, behind which was a guzheng (a traditional Chinese zither) placed neatly and orderly.
"I heard that Jinbai is proficient in all kinds of musical instruments, so I was thinking about what kind of gift to give you. I just happened to come across this guzheng. I heard it has some history and is quite famous. Jinbai, why don't you give it a try?"
Jiang's mother began to speak, releasing Yi Jinbai's hand.
Yi Jinbai glanced at Jiang Shuiyun out of the corner of his eye and saw Jiang Shuiyun nod slightly before sitting down behind the guzheng.
The sound was clear and melodious, and it gave one a unique feeling as soon as they touched it. Yi Jinbai felt an irresistible urge to hold it. Just one glance was enough to tell how priceless it was, making it an extremely valuable gift.
"Auntie, thank you so much, Uncle, but this guzheng is too precious. I can't accept something so valuable from you."
Yi Jinbai played a short section this time. The guzheng is beautiful, but this one is too expensive.
"There's no reason to return a gift given as a gift. It's not particularly valuable or not, just keep it."
Jiang's mother naturally wouldn't take back the things she wanted to give, and persuaded Yi Jinbai to accept them.
They played the piano, chatted for a while, and strolled around the area. The three of them got along quite well. Jiang Shuiyun was not very talkative and didn't have much artistic talent, so she couldn't get a word in edgewise when her mother and Yi Jinbai were chatting. She could only walk alongside them.
"The snow is so heavy today, you probably won't be able to leave tonight. I'll have someone prepare a room for you to sit here for a while."
After watching the snow for a while, Jiang's mother suddenly spoke, then left Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai to arrange their accommodation for the night.
With only the two of them left, Yi Jinbai finally relaxed his tense nerves and leaned into Jiang Shuiyun's arms. "Actually, I think Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Jiang might be different from what you imagined. At least I think they are different from the people I've met before. Mrs. Jiang, you were probably trying to tell me more about yourselves, weren't you?"
"I didn't feel it."
Jiang Shuiyun shook her head. The two of them stood under the eaves. She reached out and caught a snowflake, which melted into water the moment it landed in her hand.
"Maybe they're just not good at expressing themselves?" Yi Jinbai still wanted to persuade Jiang Shuiyun. After all, they were her biological children. This time, Jiang's parents had acted out of character, even being kinder and closer to her than ever before. She wouldn't believe it wasn't related to Jiang Shuiyun.
"It makes no difference to me. Even if they really think that way, what's the use? I'm all grown up now. I can't be as close to them as a child. They feel the same way about me, a stranger who suddenly appeared. Even if we're blood relatives, the more than 20 years we've been separated have long become an insurmountable chasm. It's fine as it is now."
Jiang Shuiyun knew better than anyone else that it was impossible for them to become a truly happy family like other people's families. The best outcome would be if they didn't harbor any resentment or owe each other anything.
Jiang Shuiyun's words made more sense, so Yi Jinbai stopped trying to persuade her and simply reached out to hold Jiang Shuiyun's hand tightly, saying, "It's okay, we still have each other."
Jiang Shuiyun nodded, her gaze subtly sweeping over a small corner of the eaves, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
Jiang's parents, who had gathered together on the other side, also listened to Jiang Shuiyun's words and fell silent.
Yes, what can make up for the more than twenty years that were missed? It can't be made up for.
"Actually, we don't necessarily want her to come back and be our child, right?"
Mr. Jiang put his arm around Mrs. Jiang's shoulder and said, "Neither we nor she know what happened back then. No one was at fault, but the deed is done and there's no going back. Let it be. She was a very responsible and good girl."
"But she is our child."
Tears welled up in Jiang's mother's eyes. When their healthy child suddenly developed a genetic defect, they had already suspected that the child had been switched. But after investigating for more than 20 years, they found nothing. Only now, by comparing Jiang Shuiyun's genetic code with the genetic code of the child when she was born, did they realize that they had indeed lost a child back then, who is now Jiang Shuiyun.
The person has been found, but the child calls them Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang.
"Don't think so much. At least the child is with us now, isn't he?" Jiang's father felt bad, but seeing Jiang's mother like this made him even more heartbroken, so he could only comfort her.
"Why can't we find anything out?" Jiang's mother couldn't accept this so easily. "Where did that child who's been with us for over twenty years come from? Also, Shuiyun said she was raised by her teacher. Tell me, who is her teacher?"
Seeing that Jiang's mother was still unable to get over this hurdle, Jiang's father could only ponder, "But the child doesn't want to talk about it. You can tell from her tone that the teacher must be a very important person to her. Don't make unfounded suspicions."
Jiang's mother glanced at Jiang's father, then slammed the beads she used for calming her mind onto the table. "I will definitely get to the bottom of this."
"Okay, we'll definitely check, but today is the first time the two children have eaten here, so let's not make them unhappy."
Although they had been investigating for over twenty years without finding any clues, Jiang's father still followed Jiang's mother's words, saying that when Jiang's mother gave birth in the hospital, she was convinced that the child was not theirs. She did paternity tests again and again, and investigated thoroughly, but found nothing.
“I know what I’m doing. Jinbai is a very good kid, and Shuiyun has her all to do with him. I guess the two of us combined don’t even count as much as her right now. I’m not going to be so foolish as to argue with the two kids at a time like this.”
Jiang's mother stood up, picked up the string of beads, and resumed her usual expression.
Although the meal was conducted with excessive politeness, both host and guests enjoyed themselves.
After dinner, the four, who didn't have much to say to each other, tacitly agreed not to stay for tea or anything, but instead went back to their respective rooms to avoid any awkwardness.
The room that Jiang's mother had prepared for Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai was indeed quite large and very comfortable.
It was already dark outside, and the lights were on. Jiang Shuiyun looked at the still-falling snow, and sitting next to her was Yi Jinbai, who was trying out the guzheng.
“Jinbai, how about we go visit the old headmistress in a while? She’s practically your only family, and we should tell her about our wedding.”
Jiang Shuiyun was impulsive and thought of things on a whim. Actually, she had just thought of her marriage to Yi Jinbai because of the snowflakes. Since they were going to get married, the two sides would have to meet each other's parents. Her teacher wasn't here, but she still had her parents. As for Yi Jinbai, she only had the old dean, although the old dean was no longer with her.
When Yi Jinbai heard Jiang Shuiyun mention the old dean, he was momentarily dazed. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Yes, I suddenly realized that I haven't been back to see her in a long time. But she will definitely be very satisfied with you."
"That's my honor, and I also want to thank her for raising such a wonderful person like you."
Jiang Shuiyun sat down, and Yi Jinbai glanced at her and smiled. He adjusted the pick on his finger, and then the familiar tune began to play.
This song, which Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai were most familiar with, had been unheard of for a long time.
As Jiang Shuiyun listened, she started to laugh. Yi Jinbai stopped playing. "Did I play something wrong? What are you laughing at?"
"No, it's just that when I was unknown and had no status, I would get jealous over even a song, and someone didn't know anything about it. It just makes me feel so sad."
Jiang Shuiyun remembered the time when Yi Jinbai played this piece for Shen Xian. At that time, she felt like she was about to burst, but she still kept quiet because she felt that she was not worthy. It was really heartbreaking to think about it.
Yi Jinbai clearly remembered this too, and suddenly realized, "So that's what happened. No wonder you were feeling sad for no reason. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought we were on the same wavelength, so what's there to say?" Jiang Shuiyun raised an eyebrow. "So in the end, did you actually teach Shen Xian this piece?"
Yi Jinbai laughed so hard he leaned on the guzheng. Well, Jiang Shuiyun is still thinking about this now.
"No," Yi Jinbai said, not teasing Jiang Shuiyun who was listening intently. "You were acting so strangely back then, and I felt uneasy and anxious, so I put that matter aside. Not to mention that you later went missing, which made me even less interested. I was busy enough with the new song alone."
"That's good."
Hearing Yi Jinbai say this, Jiang Shuiyun immediately beamed with joy. She was indeed petty, but who isn't petty when it comes to someone they like?
A note from the author:
Second update, goodnight.
Chapter 78
I stayed one night at the Jiang family's old house and then went there.
Sitting in the car, Yi Jinbai's phone beeped. It was a message. Yi Jinbai glanced at it, then held the phone close to Jiang Shuiyun, "My new song is out. Want to listen?"
"certainly."
Jiang Shuiyun nodded, and was about to ask Yi Jinbai to connect the speakers when Yi Jinbai took out a pair of headphones from his bag, put one on Jiang Shuiyun and the other on himself, and then pressed play.
Yi Jinbai's songs are all very infectious, and this one is no exception. Just listening to it makes you smile and feel an indescribable joy, romance, and sweetness.
"I wrote this on New Year's Day. As for the title, it's called 'Chu', the 'Chu' of the first day of the Lunar New Year."
After listening to the song, Yi Jinbai put away his headphones, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, and said to Jiang Shuiyun.
Jiang Shuiyun immediately understood that this was a song written by Yi Jinbai for the night they confirmed their relationship on New Year's Eve. The line "There's no time to put on shoes when you go to see the person you like" and the line "You appear like a god when I pray, standing in the wind and snow to protect me and give me a peaceful sleep" all sounded like something from that day.
"It sounds nice. I'll set it as my phone ringtone."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't offer any fancy comments; she took out her phone, found the song, and set it up.
Yi Jinbai leaned closer to Jiang Shuiyun, looking at her expectantly, "Then do you know what this song is about?"
"So, we're together, right?" Jiang Shuiyun could easily see through Yi Jinbai's meaning. She smiled, reached out and pinched the tip of her nose, and handed her the phone. "You help me set it up; I don't know how."
"Who would believe you if you said that?" Yi Jinbai wrinkled his nose with satisfaction, saying this, but still took Jiang Shuiyun's phone and helped her set this song as Jiang Shuiyun's ringtone.
Jiang Shuiyun put her arm around Yi Jinbai and rested her chin on Yi Jinbai's shoulder. "Send me a few more photos of yourself. I want to change my profile picture."
Yi Jinbai blushed slightly and handed the phone back to Jiang Shuiyun. "So, does that mean you'll change the phone's screen saver to mine too?"
"Sure, but what if you get tired of seeing it all the time?"
Jiang Shuiyun pretended to be annoyed and teased Yi Jinbai. Sure enough, seeing Yi Jinbai's cheeks puff up in anger, she snorted and turned her head away, "I won't send you a single one, so you won't get tired of seeing them!"