Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: “Two Kittens Who Can’t Get Along.”

“Xiao Zhi is back!” Grandma Li was pulling weeds in her vegetable garden. Stopping to wipe her sweat, she spotted Jiang Zhi riding past on her bicycle.

Jiang Zhi braked with her feet and greeted her with a smile: “Grandma Li, have you eaten yet?”

“I have. Is this your friend?” Grandma Li asked warmly.

Jiang Zhi glanced back at the person on the back seat. “Yes, my friend. She’s visiting for a few days.”

“This little girl is so pretty! How old is she?” Grandma Li’s tone was enthusiastic.

Lin Anran glanced at her, said nothing, and maintained a haughty expression as if she hadn’t heard a word.

Jiang Zhi whispered a reminder: “She’s greeting you. Say something back.”

Anran tilted her head away, refusing to cooperate.

Jiang Zhi said helplessly, “My friend is a bit shy. Don’t mind her, Grandma Li.”

Grandma Li waved it off, not taking it to heart. “It’s fine, it’s fine. If she doesn’t want to talk, she doesn’t have to. Hurry on home; your Zhaocai is waiting for you.”

Jiang Zhi nodded with a smile, said goodbye, and pedaled toward her house.

“When an elder greets you, you should at least acknowledge them. It’s not great to pretend you didn’t hear…” Jiang Zhi lectured earnestly.

“Oh, so now you want to call me rude again? You’re so polite, aren’t you? So polite that you’re a liar! You left without a word, and now you tell people I’m just your ‘friend’?” She gave Jiang Zhi’s waist a sharp pinch. “Who’s your friend? Huh? Exactly who is your friend?”

A sharp pain shot through Jiang Zhi’s side, nearly causing her to lose her grip on the handlebars. “Ow! Watch it, you’re using lethal force! I’m driving here!”

“Hmph.”

Jiang Zhi chuckled. It turned out the silent treatment was because she had introduced Anran as a “friend.” Leaving out the word “girl” made a world of difference in status.

“Shall we go back so I can re-introduce you?”

“Sure. Go back. Introduce me properly.”

“…”

This girl is something else.

“Why aren’t you turning back? Scared? Useless.”

Jiang Zhi took a page out of Lin Anran’s book: she pretended she didn’t hear and ignored her.

“We’re here.”

The moment the bike stopped, Lin Anran jumped off and looked up at the little wooden house. It was a small yard enclosed by a bamboo fence, with flowers and plants on the outside and vegetables on the inside. There wasn’t much to describe other than “dilapidated,” or more accurately, “extremely dilapidated.” The only redeeming quality was that it was kept tidy.

Before they could even enter the yard, a tabby cat leaped out, “meowing” as it rubbed against Jiang Zhi’s legs.

Jiang Zhi picked it up happily. “Zhaocai! Did you miss me? Did you watch the house while I was gone?”

As Jiang Zhi cuddled and rubbed Zhaocai, Lin Anran stood to the side with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed and her chin held high, looking extremely displeased. She deliberately bared her teeth at Zhaocai with hostility.

Zhaocai froze for a second, then immediately hissed, its fur standing on end.

Lin Anran put her hands on her hips, her own metaphorical “fur” bristling just as much. It was a standoff between two cats, both looking like they wanted to swipe at the other. A war was imminent.

Jiang Zhi: “…”

Jiang Zhi had a bad feeling. These two “cats” were clearly not going to coexist peacefully.

“Why are you baring your teeth at it?” Jiang Zhi looked at her, exasperated.

“You’re actually defending it? What’s there to defend? It’s just an ugly stray cat. It’s an eyesore,” Anran rolled her eyes.

Zhaocai seemed to understand and let out a low growl: “Meow-wu!”

Anran frowned. “What are you ‘meowing’ at? You are ugly. A little monster, just as ugly as your owner. And your name is Zhaocai? How tacky.”

Zhaocai: “MEOW-WU!!”

Jiang Zhi facepalmed and quickly set the cat aside before the human and the feline actually started brawling. Lin Anran huffed and kicked open the garden gate.

Jiang Zhi followed behind. “Gently, gently! It’s just a bamboo gate. You’ll break it if you kick it like that.”

Anran didn’t care. She marched inside and began her “territory inspection.” She circled the yard, then the rooms, then the perimeter of the house, touching this and looking at that.

Zhaocai squatted nearby, watching her with wary eyes. It was clear Zhaocai did not like Lin Anran. Likewise, Anran didn’t like the cat. The fact that they hadn’t started a physical fight yet was already a form of harmony.

“This table is falling apart. I don’t like it. Replace it.”

“I don’t like the chairs either. And those curtains, the bed, the cabinet… what century are these from?”

She liked nothing. Everything had to go.

This reminded Jiang Zhi of the first time Lin Anran had visited her tiny rented apartment. The scene was identical; the past and present overlapped perfectly. Circling the room, nitpicking everything, and saying “I don’t like it” and “Replace it.”

It was the same old Lin Kitten.

Jiang Zhi leaned against the doorframe, watching her busy herself with her cute, demanding attitude.

“Alright, that’s enough. I’ve told you what needs changing. Contact someone to swap them out,” Anran ordered.

“I can’t change them,” Jiang Zhi shook her head.

“Why?” Anran asked, displeased. “Don’t tell me you don’t have the money. You stingy cheapskate. You don’t have to pay—I will! I have money now, and it’s money I earned myself.”

Jiang Zhi sighed and explained patiently: “It’s not about the money. This house was left to me by my grandmother. The furniture was all hers. Even though it’s worn out, it holds many memories. I can’t replace it.”

Anran tilted her head. “Is it like that hand-cord?”

Jiang Zhi nodded. “Yes, exactly. Speaking of which, when are you going to give my hand-cord back?”

“Who took your hand-cord? Don’t go accusing people. I didn’t take it,” Anran denied flatly, lying through her teeth.

Jiang Zhi shook her head. Forget it. It seemed Anran didn’t plan on returning it anytime soon. Let her keep it; if it gave her a sense of security, she could keep it forever.

On the earthen wall of the living room, there were many faded crayon drawings. Anran walked closer to look. The wall bore the marks of time, crisscrossed with cracks, and nestled within those cracks were drawings from a long time ago. Some were clear, others blurred.

“Did you draw these when you were little?” Anran asked.

“Yes.” Jiang Zhi smiled, looking at the drawings as she sank into distant memories.

Anran pointed to one—two figures holding hands, one large and one small. “Who is this? You and your grandma?”

Jiang Zhi looked at the blurred images. Her eyelashes lowered slightly, her eyes filled with both nostalgia and regret. “Yes. That’s me and my grandma.”

Anran studied the drawings for a while, her fingers lightly brushing over them. For once, she didn’t call them “ugly.” Instead, she asked softly, “Do you miss her a lot?”

Jiang Zhi didn’t speak, she only nodded.

“Then let’s go visit her.”

“Hm?”

Anran’s eyes were full of anticipation. “Take me to see her. You’ve found such a beautiful and talented girlfriend—shouldn’t you show her off to your grandma?”

Jiang Zhi chuckled.

“What? Am I not allowed to ‘meet the elder’?”

“You can. Of course you can. But it’s late now. Let’s go tomorrow morning.”

At the back of the mountain, the weeds on the earthen grave had been cleared away neatly. It was obvious someone came to maintain it regularly.

Two people stood before the grave. One was slightly taller, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a simple and clean appearance. The other was slightly shorter, wearing a light-colored suit, looking delicate and refined.

“Grandma, I brought a friend to see you.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Anran gave her an elbow nudge. “What did you say? Re-introduce me!”

Jiang Zhi suppressed a laugh. “Alright, I’ll re-introduce you. But at least be a bit gentle in front of my grandma, even if you have to fake it.”

Anran snapped, “Stop nagging and just do it.”

Jiang Zhi cleared her throat. “Grandma, I’ve brought my girlfriend to see you. She’s pretty great, isn’t she? She’s very beautiful… and also very fierce.”

“What do you mean ‘very fierce’? Have I been fierce to you? Forget it, I won’t lower myself to your level. Hello, Grandma. Your granddaughter was very shameless in pursuing me and insisted I be her girlfriend. I reluctantly agreed. I’m here to see you today…”

She rambled on and on. Jiang Zhi watched her with a gentle smile, listening quietly.

But then Anran’s words grew more outrageous: “Isn’t it customary to get a gift for the first time meeting the elder? Where’s my gift? You don’t plan on giving one? Is everyone in this family this stingy?”

Jiang Zhi gave her head a light pat. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Anran gritted her teeth. “I just want a greeting gift. How is that nonsense? Which daughter-in-law doesn’t get a gift the first time she visits the family? Why does everyone else get one but me?”

Jiang Zhi was speechless, then finally nodded. “You have a point. But if my grandma actually climbed out of there to give you a gift, you’d probably be scared to death.”

“I’m not afraid. Jiang Yi’s grandma is my grandma. It’s not scary. Besides, she already gave me the gift,” Anran said triumphantly.

“What? What gift?” Jiang Zhi was confused.

Anran reached into her pocket and pulled out the red hand-cord. “Grandma said she wants me to have this. She said it’s a greeting gift for her granddaughter-in-law.”

Jiang Zhi looked at the cord, then at her, and finally burst into laughter.

“What are you laughing at? How can you laugh in such a serious setting?” Anran pulled a stern face.

“It’s just a faded cord. It’s not even that pretty. You want it that badly?” Jiang Zhi pinched her nose.

“What do you mean ‘want it’? This is the gift Grandma gave me. Are you going to let me have it or not? If you don’t, your grandma will definitely be angry. She even came to me in a dream and told me to take it. I’m not lying.” After she spoke, she gave the tombstone a guilty glance.

Jiang Zhi: “…”

Jiang Zhi took the cord from her hand. Anran pouted, her eyes drooping with disappointment. “Fine, don’t give it to me. It’s not like I wanted it that much anyway…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Zhi took her hand and tied the cord around her wrist.

“When my grandma gave me this cord, she hoped it would keep me safe and healthy,” Jiang Zhi said, looking up at her after securing it. “Today, I’m giving it to you. I hope you’ll be healthy, happy, and blessed.”

A gentle breeze blew past, carrying the refreshing coolness of early summer. It was soothing and pleasant.

Anran’s lips curled into a wide smile. “Once you give it, you can’t take it back.”

Jiang Zhi stroked her face. “This is Grandma’s gift to you. She even ‘spoke to you in a dream.’ Of course I won’t take it back.”

Anran felt guilty for a split second, then pushed it to the back of her mind. She happily raised her hand, watching the red cord glow under the sunlight.

A falling leaf landed on Anran’s shoulder. It was as if a departed loved one had patted her on the back, offering a silent blessing.

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