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墨書 Inktalez
"Mom, why are you busy so early in the morning? Who are you preparing things for?"
Jiang Xiaoya glanced into the kitchen. Besides the hurried breakfast she was preparing for the two of them, her mother was ladling out a soup that had been simmering for a long time, probably started before six o'clock.
Her expression was somewhat helpless, but she didn't have the energy to delve into it. Ever since her older brother found her a teacher who had nothing to do, her days had become quite hectic.
Although it wasn't as intense as the five-to-nine grind at her old school, now it was eight-to-five with weekends off, which was less stressful. However, she chose this path and would see it through, even if it meant struggling to maintain a decent average due to missed classes. She also had to keep up with various specialized courses.
Body language, dialogue, vocal training, acting—none of these were her strengths and all required her to catch up twice as hard. The extra free time from changing schools ended up being consumed even more.
Of course, she was very determined. After waking up, she put in as much effort as she did in ninth grade to secure a full scholarship, perhaps even more.
"You have no idea; it's already seven ten! Even if the school is close by, you should eat something. Hurry up and brush your teeth and wash your face; come to the table for breakfast!" Gao Qingzhen was still tending to the soup but pointed at the breakfast on the table—a bowl of porridge, some steamed buns, and a fried egg with crispy vegetables—showing that she had put some thought into it.
However, that thought probably came from having nothing to do while waiting for the soup to cook. Jiang Xiaoya silently grumbled about this in her heart, quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, then sat down at the dining table and quietly began eating. After that, she hopped on her bicycle with her backpack and rode off toward school.
By eight o'clock, Jiang Maoqiang finally woke up from his sleep, yawning as he walked out of the bedroom. "What are you doing again? Who are you making soup for? You should at least let me know!"
Gao Qingzhen poured the soup into an insulated container without responding to her husband who had just woken up.
Jiang Maoqiang was a bit grumpy from being woken up early by his wife’s routine. He walked over to her side, grabbed her hand, and nagged, "You need to tell me clearly what's going on this time! I report my schedule to you all the time; what can't you share?"
Feeling that her husband seemed genuinely upset, Gao Qingzhen considered for a moment. After all, they would see each other during the New Year; coming out now shouldn't be too much of a problem. She just wondered if he would accept it.
"Just so you know, I'm going out; please don't get too worked up!" Gao Qingzhen waited for her husband to release her hand before quickly finishing pouring the soup and sealing it tightly while giving him a heads-up.
"You know me, I'm not the type to fuss over things!" Jiang Maoqiang urged nonchalantly, as he truly was that kind of person, not one to hold grudges.
"I'm preparing soup for our grandson's mother!" Gao Qingzhen revealed, leaving Jiang Maoqiang utterly astonished and instantly alert.
His eyes, which had been half-closed, widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Your eldest has developed to this extent with someone?"
Then he began to feel puzzled. "Wait a minute, with something this big, the kid shouldn't be hiding it from us... I mean! Wife, what exactly is going on?"
Gao Qingzhen raised her hands, one high and one low, gesturing as she spoke. "I saw it; the eldest's partner is quite good, and her personality is gentle. She seems quite virtuous, but there is just one issue!"
Jiang Maoqiang completely missed his wife's hint and waved his hand, asking, "Is it a height difference? Or is her family background poor? Stop beating around the bush! Just say it directly!"
"It's about age! It's about age! The eldest's partner is quite a bit older than him..." Gao Qingzhen glanced around as if confirming no one was listening before continuing.
"What's wrong with that? Aren't you two years older than me? There's an old saying: 'A woman three years older brings wealth.' It's not all bad!" Father Jiang was indeed open-minded and casually found some reasoning.
"If she were just three or two years older, I wouldn't mind, but that woman is over a whole round older—she's thirty-two! How old is our son? Twenty; according to his birth year, he's still nineteen. How can we accept this?" Gao Qingzhen's mood worsened as she spoke.
Father Jiang hesitated a bit; indeed, the age gap was quite significant—twelve years was rather excessive. Even he felt somewhat uneasy about it.
Gao Qingzhen continued, "She's older and pregnant. I didn't dare to bring this up with her. Isn't it true that older women have more complications during pregnancy? I'm worried about stressing her out, so I haven't mentioned it to you. I've been going over to check on her regularly!"
Father Jiang pondered this reasoning; the child's well-being was important, and his wife's actions were indeed appropriate. Then he suddenly thought of their eldest son, Jiang Yizhou, and asked, "But have you talked to him? Doesn't he have anything to say about it?"
At this point, Gao Qingzhen seemed a bit deflated. "I did ask him. Although he doesn't care whether he gets married or not, his attitude was just like yours when I was pregnant with our eldest—so happy! But there's one difference: he hasn't mentioned marriage at all yet he's allowed her to move in with us. I just don't understand!"
Now, both of them began to sigh. The son was becoming more opinionated, although he still listened to their advice on family matters, such as issues concerning relatives back in their hometown and the grandparents.
However, when it came to his own affairs, no matter how much they advised him, Jiang Yizhou appeared polite on the surface but was actually quite stubborn.
"No, I still need to go see your mother. You can heat up the porridge and vegetables yourself!" Gao Qingzhen took her insulated lunch box and bag and left the house. Having just arrived not long ago, she hadn't learned to drive yet and was naturally hesitant to get a driver's license. Moreover, she preferred walking for exercise and was more accustomed to taking the bus.
"What is going on?" After a few months of calm, Jiang Maoqiang expressed this sentiment for the first time. He was not used to it; this kind of life had become quite strenuous for him.
It wasn't that he was old and unable to adapt to change; he was only in his early forties and still considered strong among his peers. It was just that his son's changes were happening too quickly.
Now, he would wake up naturally, watch television until noon, and after lunch, go out wandering around various flea markets, streets, alleys, parks, and riverbanks. It was truly boring.
If only he could hold a grandchild! Suddenly, Jiang Maoqiang had this thought but then shook his head. It was better to let them handle things themselves; he wouldn't interfere.
Recently, he was learning how to make pancakes. It wasn't that he wanted to earn much money; he planned to find a place to rent a small room where he could store a cart. Every afternoon, he would buy some ingredients and push the cart out onto the street to sell a few items just to pass the time.
These tangled matters were best left for the grandchildren to handle; he couldn't manage everything.
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