The Guide to Faking Innocence to Win His Wife - Chapter 40

“Why is Xiao Xun running off to the county seat in this blazing heat?” A surprised voice called out from the side of the small town’s street.

The carefree youth sat astride his electric scooter, refusing to even wear a helmet. The fast-moving vehicle kicked up a cool breeze. Hearing the elder’s question, he did not even turn his head, and it took a good moment before his voice carried back.

“I’m helping Zhongmu pick up her college admission letter!”

“What? What school did she get into?” The middle-aged woman standing under the shade of the trees shouted loudly right then, but in just a flash, only a thumb-sized silhouette remained of his back.

The woman stamped her foot, both annoyed and helpless. “That kid.”

Jiang Nanxun did not care about any of that. After leaving the post office, he wore a constant grin and rushed back to the house in a burning hurry. Striding his long legs, he leaped off the scooter and shouted anxiously, “Zhongmu! Jiang Zhongmu! Your admission letter is here!”

Hearing the noise, the person inside the workshop detached herself from the jade carving much faster than usual, and immediately stood up to walk outside.

The other two people also shut off their machines and excitedly followed close behind.

“Guess what school you got into?” Jiang Nanxun was bouncing around like a monkey. The admission letter had long since been torn open. He was a boy, after all, and possessed no sense of ceremony. The moment he got his hands on it, he ripped it open, nearly causing the post office staff to mistake him for the one who had gotten into college.

Jiang Zhongmu looked up with a sweeping glance, not paying much mind to his rowdiness. She let out a soft sigh of relief, and the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled.

Although she had checked the results several times and was certain she had passed, she still felt unsettled before seeing the physical paper notification.

Even someone as steady as Jiang Zhongmu could not help but hold her breath.

“Jiang Nanxun, why are you keeping us in suspense? Hurry up, hurry up and hand it over.”

Jiang Zhongmu was not in a rush, but the two people beside her grew anxious instead, reaching out their hands to grab the mail.

Jiang Nanxun was intent on fooling around, but he was no match for four hands. In the end, he was held down and restrained, and the admission letter was forcefully snatched from his hands.

Immediately after, the red-enveloped admission letter was pulled out. The two of them cried out in pleasant surprise at the same time, “Xunyang University!”

Jiang Nanlei added, “Damn, that is awesome, Sister Zhongmu.”

“And it is even the Jade Design major!”

It was no wonder they were so astonished. Xunyang University was considered among the top tier of domestic institutions, and its jewelry inspection, jewelry design, and jade design majors enjoyed a fine reputation even internationally.

Even the people of Jiang Town, who generally did not place much importance on university, had heard of it.

“What did you get into?” Jiang Gaoxuan also walked out from the house.

Seeing their master, the three of them did not dare to fool around anymore, and obediently handed the item over.

Jiang Gaoxuan was not surprised. Jiang Zhongmu had already told him and Grandma in advance. It was just that both of them were conservative and unwilling to make a fuss before seeing the physical admission letter. Furthermore, Jiang Zhongmu was a person of few words who disliked talking about herself, so it had been kept under wraps until now.

“It is good that you got in.” Jiang Gaoxuan swept his eyes over it, completely putting his mind at ease. Waving his hand, he added, “What are you standing around blindly for? Now that you have seen it, get moving. What did you carve today? Each one of you is slower than the last.”

The smiles on the three youths’ faces froze, and they could only leave reluctantly.

Watching the rambunctious kids walk away, Jiang Gaoxuan finally raised his hand to pat Jiang Zhongmu on the shoulder, saying simply, “Not bad.”

Such was his personality; no matter how joyful he was, he would not show intense excitement. He had long regarded Jiang Zhongmu as his own daughter, so seeing her get into university naturally made him happy. Hesitating for a moment, he cast a vigilant glance inside before fishing a bank card out of his pocket.

Jiang Zhongmu frowned instantly and said repeatedly, “Godfather, I”

Jiang Gaoxuan did not care about her protests. He shoved it directly into her arms and interrupted, “Take it. I have already spoken to your grandma. Going away to study in the future will definitely require money somewhere. You have a quiet personality and keep everything bottled up inside, refusing to speak. Instead of waiting for you to ask, it is better to just give it to you directly.”

He snorted and added, “If there are any difficulties, you still have to ask your godfather. Although I do not understand much, I have still lived a few more years than you.”

“Take it, it is from your godfather,” Jiang Gaoxuan waved his hand.

Jiang Zhongmu was not someone who could speak pretty words. She pursed her lips before saying, “Thank you, Godfather.”

“Alright, go back and show it to your grandma, otherwise she will keep worrying,” Jiang Gaoxuan was not accustomed to this sort of thing either. Seeing that she had accepted it, he began to usher her away.

Inside, Jiang Nanxun was eavesdropping and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, “Zhongmu, I will come find you in a bit! We agreed to catch fish together!”

Beside her, Jiang Gaoxuan was provoked to laughter and cursed, “You brat.”

He was not afraid of the others hearing it. He gave Jiang Zhongmu a sum of money, but he would usually supplement the others with things as well. He always made sure to hold the scales evenly.

He spoke a few more words to Jiang Zhongmu before letting her leave.

It was currently mid-afternoon. It had not rained for several days, causing many of the blue bricks to crack. The leaves hung listlessly, and the river level had dropped a notch. The horizon looked somewhat gloomy. It was hard to tell if it would rain tonight.

Many elderly folk in the town gathered together and lamented that this year was bound to be a dry one. If they had not been born in this modern era, they probably would have started panicking by now.

Jiang Zhongmu retracted her gaze, holding the mail as she walked toward home, her chaotic thoughts surfacing once again.

Ever since that night, Xie Zhiyi had been staying in her room under the pretext of not feeling well. She avoided Jiang Zhongmu whenever she could, or else Grandma had to be right beside them.

As for the excuse of the medicinal powder, during dinner two nights ago, Grandma had felt Xie Zhiyi’s hand and said she could stop taking it now. She also told Xie Zhiyi to memorize the prescription, so she could use it if she ever suffered from the ailment again in the future.

Thus, their intermittent relationship was once again pulled apart.

“Grandma,” Jiang Zhongmu stepped into the house. The moment she looked up, she saw Grandma sitting on a rocking chair, hiding in the shade of the trees to enjoy the coolness.

A few days ago, other elderly people would come to the house to chat with Grandma. A few old folks could stretch stories from the head of the village to the end of the tail for a whole afternoon. But today the weather looked strange, so their children had not let them leave the house, leaving Grandma all by herself.

Grandma put down her palm-leaf fan and smiled lovingly. “Why are you back early today?”

Jiang Zhongmu sat down directly on the steps beside the rocking chair, handed her the admission letter, and then mentioned the money Jiang Gaoxuan had given her.

Grandma was much more open-minded than she was, merely saying, “If he gives it to you, take it. In the future, if anything happens, you and Xiao Xun just need to look out for each other.”

Jiang Zhongmu could only nod in agreement, though in her heart, she had no intention of using that money.

After all, their lives were not as difficult as outsiders imagined. Although both of her parents had passed away early, the savings left behind by her father back then were substantial. He had been a jade carver of no small reputation on the outside. Even without running the guesthouse, he could have supported the family.

It was only after giving birth to Jiang Zhongmu that he wanted to save a generous dowry for his daughter. He took on jobs everywhere, ran the guesthouse, and worked the fields, never expecting that incident to happen.

The past savings and the compensation money were kept by Grandma, along with the income from the guesthouse. Later on, Jiang Zhongmu learned the craft and frequently went out with her godfather to take on jobs. Combined with the fact that the two of them lived very frugally, they had accumulated quite a lot. It was more than enough to support Jiang Zhongmu through university.

Yet, Jiang Gaoxuan’s kindness had to be accepted. It was not just money, but the goodwill of an elder. If she refused, it would push the relationship between the two families further apart.

Grandma examined the admission letter carefully, then put it away earnestly, instructing, “Show it to your parents in a bit, do not forget them.”

Jiang Zhongmu naturally nodded.

The two of them suddenly fell silent. Grandma looked at her young granddaughter beside her, thinking about heaven knows what. Her gaze fell upon the girl’s neck, then quickly drifted away.

Jiang Zhongmu was entirely unaware. She was always much more relaxed around Grandma than usual. Besides, her mind was occupied with other matters, so it was naturally difficult to notice.

Beams of bright light climbed up the girl’s slender ankles like quietly slipping time, or perhaps like hope about to be grasped.

Even though that person had not left yet, she had already begun to miss her, imagining the scene of meeting again.

“Zhongzhong,” Grandma suddenly spoke.

“Ah?” The girl suddenly snapped out of her reverie. A strand of her tied-up hair fell across her forehead, her light amber eyes clear and bewildered.

Grandma paused. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but instead, she asked, “Have you made Sister Zhiyi angry recently?”

Jiang Zhongmu blinked instantly, unable to deny it completely, and could only say, “A little.”

“Your temper,” Grandma smiled helplessly and advised, “Even if Zhiyi is the older sister, you cannot always make her angry from morning till night. Yield a step in everything first, understand?”

Jiang Zhongmu pulled at the corner of her mouth and said gloomily, “I do not make her angry every single day.”

What a blockhead.

Grandma did not know whether to laugh or cry, only saying, “Asking you to yield a step in everything first will not cause you to suffer any losses.”

Jiang Zhongmu then nodded. She rarely contradicted Grandma’s words, agreeing to whatever she could to avoid making Grandma angry.

“Then go slice a watermelon and take it up later to apologize to Zhiyi,” Grandma began to offer a suggestion.

“Xiao Xun is coming to find me in a bit. We will catch a couple of fish to make stir-fried fish slices,” Jiang Zhongmu stated her own plan.

“Alright, as long as you have thought it through. Remember to add some wolfberries inside,” Grandma waved her hand, her gaze landing once more on the side of Jiang Zhongmu’s neck.

This time, Jiang Zhongmu noticed. Pretending it was nothing, she raised her hand to cover it, scratching her neck.

Grandma did not say more, only urging, “Go on, hurry and place it on the shrine so your parents can see.”

“Okay.”

By the time Jiang Nanxun came over again, it was already dusk. As the sun slanted westward, the weather finally cooled down a bit. All things between heaven and earth were dyed in orange light, causing even the ripples on the river to turn into glittering golden little fish.

The other two found eating fish tiresome from past experiences and refused to come join in, so only Jiang Zhongmu and Jiang Nanxun were soaking in the water.

The two of them were not in a hurry either. After all, the river was cool. One wore nothing but a pair of knee-length shorts in a casual manner, while the other wore a white tank top and black knee-length shorts.

Jiang Zhongmu lay reclined in the water, her clothes soaked through. The hem of her shirt drifted with the ripples, and from time to time, her raised eyes looked toward the third floor of her home, her gaze dark and inscrutable.

Beside her, Jiang Nanxun was annoying, chattering away without end. On one hand, he told her not to date in college, while on the other hand, he told Jiang Zhongmu to date a few people to experience life, worrying like an old mother.

Jiang Zhongmu answered perfunctorily, uttering an “un-huh” every now and then as a response. Only when the time was right did she speak up, “Let’s catch the fish.”

“Huh?” Jiang Nanxun was still rambling about his theories when he was interrupted by her. Then he watched as she suddenly stood up and dove into the water, incredibly proactive.

He scratched his head, completely baffled, but followed suit and submerged himself into the water as well.

Do not look at how hastily the two had decided; they had actually laid down bait earlier. In the words of anglers, this was making a nest to attract all the fish before casting the lines to fish.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhongmu and Jiang Nanxun were much cruder. Although there were methods like damming the water to make it muddy, they were too lazy to bother. Counting on the abundance of fish in the river and their own excellent swimming skills, they just casually made a nest and dove into the water.

Right at this moment, the lattice window on the third floor happened to open. Whether it was a coincidence or perfectly timed, the woman wearing a simple dress appeared by the window, leaning sideways against the sill.

Her long curly hair fell loosely over her shoulders, concealing the chaotic marks. Her brow and eyes, tinged with melancholy, were brushed by the coolness of the summer night. The evening breeze was slightly cool, and the dusk was just right.

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