TFSRITA Chapter 146

Qin Zhen had the New Year holiday, but he wouldn’t be coming back with them. So, during the holiday period, the task of looking after Chu Zhao fell to him. If any unexpected issues arose, they would have to return early.

Every year they only came back on New Year’s Eve, staying for just one night before leaving. This year, seeing Chu Zhao becoming more normal, they couldn’t resist coming back a couple of days early.

Yan Qing had nothing much to do, so she was just reading nearby. With less than half a year left, she needed to put in more effort.

Outside, the sun was shining high, and Zhou Huaiya had found a chair to sit on the doorstep, soaking up some sun.

A woman leaned on her side, clearly unhappy, saying, “You found a child bride for Chu Zhao? I’ll tell you, if she’s not from our village, we can’t trust her!”

The woman’s name was Zhou Qin. She and Zhou Huaiya were from the same village, and since Zhou Huaiya married into the Chu family, they had seen considerable success. Not one to be outdone, Zhou Qin also married into a local official’s family in the town. However, not long after, her husband’s family got caught up in a corruption scandal and were dismissed. She then brought her daughter, Huang Jiyun, to the Chu family’s village, connecting through distant relatives. Originally, she just wanted to take advantage of the situation, but then saw Chu Zhao’s condition worsen.

She knew her daughter wasn’t a good match for the promising Chu Yang, but Chu Zhao, with his mental health issues and disability, might be a different story. So, every time Zhou Huaiya and her kids returned, Zhou Qin would show up with such remarks, but Zhou Huaiya never agreed.

Despite being from the same village, Zhou Huaiya would always bring some nice things whenever they visited, which Zhou Qin took as a sign that the deal was almost sealed. But then, they brought back a beautiful girl, which just wouldn’t do!

Zhou Huaiya’s smile faded slightly, and she looked somewhat serious as she addressed Zhou Qin, “Qingqing is a good girl, but she’s not Chu Zhao’s child bride. She’s my goddaughter.”

Zhou Qin looked a bit embarrassed, hearing Zhou Huaiya’s stern tone, muttered, “I get it, I get it, she’s not, okay… I’ll leave you guys to enjoy your family time. I’m heading out now.”

“Alright,” Zhou Huaiya nodded.

Zhou Qin hurried off without stopping when she saw Chu Heng.

Chu Heng was a bit puzzled as well, noticing his wife sitting in the sun at the doorstep. Curious, he walked over and asked, “What’s going on?”

He was familiar with Zhou Qin’s situation.

Zhou Huaiya furrowed her brow slightly, explaining, “She thought Qingqing was Chu Zhao’s child bride. Originally, we agreed that her daughter would take care of Chu Zhao, but I always refused.”

Chu Heng patted her shoulder gently, speaking softly, “It’s okay, just tell her straight.”

“Mm.”

When Yan Qing and the others returned, it was already noon.

The housekeeper they had specially hired for Grandpa Chu had already prepared the meal the day before, after receiving a phone call.

Not long after, everyone gathered to eat.

Chu Zhao was still asleep, so Yan Qing joined Zhou Huaiya outside in the sun after eating, hoping to lull herself to sleep.

She closed her eyes, leaning back in a comfortable rocking chair, with no wind today, everything felt just right.

If it weren’t for the risk of catching a cold, Yan Qing would have considered sleeping right there on the doorstep.

Suddenly, she felt a shadow fall over the sunlight.

As soon as the sunlight was blocked, a chill enveloped her. Yan Qing quickly opened her eyes to see a girl, heavily made-up and somewhat alluring, around twenty years old, with a bob-cut hairstyle and a pointed face. The girl’s skin wasn’t great, and her makeup didn’t sit well, making her look somewhat messy.

She stared at Yan Qing with a hint of hostility, though not very intense.

Yan Qing sat up, smiling politely, “Is there something you need?”

The girl seemed to scrutinize her as she sat up, getting a better look at her appearance, and suddenly seemed a bit self-conscious, stepping back awkwardly, mumbling, “No, it’s… nothing…”

Yan Qing, “Oh.”

However, she didn’t lie back down, getting up to head inside the house. She was feeling sleepy now.

But as she took a few steps, the girl grabbed her. Embarrassed, she smiled but still asked, “Are you planning to be with Chu Zhao?”

Yan Qing blinked, pulling her thick down jacket closer to herself, slipping free of her grip. With a small, delicate face almost completely hidden by the coat, it looked even more dainty and charming. She glanced up and smiled engagingly, “Yes.”

The girl’s expression changed several times, loosening her grip, clearly not satisfied but seemed to see something, suddenly laughed, calling out, “Auntie!”

Yan Qing’s heart skipped a beat, turning around to see Zhou Huaiya with tear-filled eyes, looking at her. It made her back feel cold, forcing a dry laugh, “Auntie.”

“Ah,” Zhou Huaiya wiped her tears, gently tugging Yan Qing inside, “You’re going to sleep, right? Go ahead, sit in the car for a long time, don’t overdo it.”

She pushed Yan Qing into the house, still smiling warmly at the girl, “You’ve grown up now, come, Auntie will chat with you.”

The girl’s smile was stiff, trying to run but Zhou Huaiya held her back, leaving her no choice but to awkwardly sit down.

Yan Qing had already slipped away quickly.

Sigh, it was just awkward to say you were going to be with his son in front of his mom…

Yan Qing felt the same way.

Chu Zhao was too reliant on her; he was well-behaved, and quiet most of the time, and his condition was improving. But over the days they spent together, Yan Qing realized that whether his condition improved or not didn’t matter anymore. Just living together like this was fine.

Of course, the Chu family was so perfect in her eyes that she couldn’t find a reason to specifically seek out a man, leave them, and potentially upset Chu Zhao.

Yan Qing went back to her room, patting her warm cheeks, trying to calm her slightly irregular heartbeat, quickly shed her outer layers, and lay down.

…

When she woke up, a handsome face was just inches away.