Chapter 753: You Want Me to Make Room in the Bed for Her?
Chapter 753 -504: You Want Me to Make Room in the Bed for Her?
Overall, Jiangg Yao’s love and resentment for her mother weren’t as complicated as her sister’s. It could be summed up in a few simple sentences. In truth, what child hasn’t resented their elders at some point? People aren’t saints; everyone makes mistakes.
During the sensitive and often sorrowful period of growing up, it’s quite normal for parents to hurt their children’s self-esteem. The only difference is whether they do it intentionally or not.
Unlike when they were young, when Jiangg Ruxue threw away Ningning’s books, smashed the jar where Ningning kept her secret notes, and subjected her to such intense pressure that she had to escape, the hurt Jiangg Yao experienced was much simpler—Jiangg Ruxue had forced her to do many things she disliked and had subjected her to too much corporal punishment.
In other matters, Jiangg Ruxue was always more lenient with Yaoyao.
She never demanded much from her in terms of grades. When Yaoyao got sick in high school, Jiangg Ruxue let her take a leave of absence to recover at home without a second thought. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t as outstanding as her peers. When talking to outsiders, Jiangg Ruxue would say it was enough to have one ambitious daughter.
Excessive spoiling and double standards.
In the end, this forged a Ningning who was more defiant of the family’s authority, while Yaoyao, conversely, was a little more afraid of her mother.
At the doorway.
Jiangg Yao looked at Jiangg Ruxue’s somewhat fawning expression, her gaze lingering for a moment before she looked away.
“It’s nothing important. I just missed my precious daughter, that’s all. I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit down and have a proper, calm talk with you… When I used to come back, we didn’t even have half an hour together. So, I came to see you,” she answered.
“How did you know I was in this room?”
“I saw the light was on, so I came to check.”
“Oh…” Jiangg Yao said faintly, her eyes slightly lowered as she combed her long, cascading hair.
She clearly didn’t look like she wanted to talk.
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.
“Yaoyao…”
“Hm? If you have something to say, just say it.”
“I’m truly happy this time. People always say that fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and it makes a lot of sense. Do you know what I worry about most? Your and your sister’s marriages… Getting married isn’t easy, and marrying into a good family is even harder. You’re lucky if someone treats you well. Finding someone you have a connection with who also has a suitable family background is incredibly difficult. That’s a woman’s fate.”
“Hmph.” Jiangg Yao didn’t agree.
“After going through this disaster,” Jiangg Ruxue sighed deeply and lamented, “I’ve finally come to understand. Nothing in this world is more important than family. Money, fame—it’s all just passing clouds, gone with a gust of wind… Only family will think of you and protect you. My greatest fortune in life was giving birth to you two wonderful daughters, giving me something to care for.”
“Jeez, Mom, why are you being so sentimental? You’re giving me goosebumps. I’m not listening to this anymore,” Jiangg Yao said with a shiver.
“Yaoyao, don’t go yet. I’ll stop being so sappy. What I mean is, I’m very satisfied that you and Ningning have found such a good partner in Chen.”
‘Of course this is what it’s about.’
“His family’s well-off, he’s not bad-looking, and his character is solid. Most importantly, he’s young and promising. He’s not even twenty yet. He has such a bright, golden future ahead of him…” Jiangg Ruxue praised him at length, her satisfaction overflowing. “I just think you two should get this done quickly. Only after you’re truly married can I be at ease.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll definitely marry me. It’s already set in stone, Mom. You don’t need to worry about it anymore… We agreed on it months ago.”
“But… what’s this I hear about your sister… that there are some issues?”
“Her?” Jiangg Yao pursed her lips and said flatly, “I’m not getting involved. She has her freedom. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Yaoyao, you can’t be foolish. This is such a wonderful match. I can only be satisfied if you and your sister both marry him. Otherwise, I won’t be able to rest in peace even when I’m dead,” Jiangg Ruxue said, suddenly anxious.
“Don’t say such morbid things… What’s all this talk about dying?”
“You know your sister. We’re mother and daughter talking here, it’s not like we’re badmouthing her behind her back or anything. Ningning is the type who would die for her pride. She’s still young, and she could easily do something impulsive that she’ll regret for the rest of her life… We can’t just watch her walk down a dead-end path, right? She definitely likes Chen deep down. If she misses this chance because of a fit of pique, she’ll have to carry him in her heart for the rest of her life… Ningning is your own sister. If she doesn’t marry him, are you going to make her watch you and Chen with a house full of children at future family gatherings? Make her wish you to have children soon? Or have her hold your baby and have it call her ‘Aunty’?”
Jiangg Ruxue’s vivid and emotional description painted a picture in Yaoyao’s mind, and she couldn’t help but imagine it.
That scene…
“That would be an incredibly chaotic scene,” she murmured.
“What scene?”
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
“It’s nothing, Mom… The main thing is, you can’t do anything but watch from the sidelines. This is my sister’s business, after all. Do you really expect her to listen to you? If she listened to you, she would have gotten married years ago… We wouldn’t be in this situation today.”
“That’s true. Ningning responds to a soft approach, not a hard one. That’s why I wanted to discuss this with you.”
“Discuss what?”
“In a couple of days, your grandmother is going on a trip with your cousin and niece for a while. She’s getting old. If she doesn’t travel now, she might not get another chance once her legs start to fail her. In the future, when you get married, your grandparents will definitely have to be there. The ceremonies, like serving tea to the elders, are all indispensable parts of the process. It would be too embarrassing otherwise… Your grandmother and I haven’t spoken in years, but you two are her biological granddaughters. We have to invite the Liu Family to witness your and Ningning’s happiness, right?”
‘Pigs must be flying.’ Jiangg Yao was stunned just listening to this.
For years, the Liu Family and Jiangg Ruxue had shared a relationship of mutual hatred over what happened with the sisters’ father, an issue that remained unresolved to this day.
You could see how rigid the relationship was from Jiangg Ning’s last visit.
Jiangg Ruxue never used to let the sisters have much contact with them, aside from a single trip during the New Year.
And now, she wanted to reconcile?
“What do you mean?” Yaoyao was baffled.
“Can you accompany your grandmother on her trip for a while? Do your filial duty. You know she dotes on you the most. She’s always talking about you.”
“Isn’t my sister always the one who does this stuff…? Mom, if I go, I’ll be the ‘child’ in the ‘elderly, women, and children’ group. Forget about me taking care of her.”
“I’m not asking you to take care of her.”
“Then what would I be going for?”
“You’ll go…” Jiangg Ruxue glanced around, then reached out and closed the bedroom door. She walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, crossing her legs. Leaning close to Yaoyao’s ear, she whispered, “I want your sister and Chen to be alone for a while. Maybe Ningning will change her mind…”
“Wait, Mom? You want me to make room for them?” Jiangg Yao’s big, bright eyes widened.
“It’s not as crude as all that. It’s called giving them space to communicate.”
“So they can’t communicate if I’m here? No! Don’t even think about it,” Jiangg Yao instantly pulled away, saying resolutely, “Young Mast—… uh, Chen Yuan is my boyfriend, too. Why does no one care about my feelings? Why should I make room for her?”
“Hey, what’s a little sacrifice for your sister’s happiness? If he’s yours, can she really steal him away?”
“You can’t be so sure about that. She’s done plenty of stealing,” Jiangg Yao muttered.
“Just for a few days…”
“Not even for one day!”
“I’m begging you, okay?”
“Get that idea out of your head. The two of them have been together for so long, dating for a year and a half. If they had problems, they would have communicated and solved them by now. It’s not like I haven’t compromised. How many times have I compromised when you weren’t looking?”
“This time is different,” Jiangg Ruxue said anxiously.
After she said this, Jiangg Yao sharply caught the strange look on Jiangg Ruxue’s face. She was suddenly suspicious. Staring at her mother, Yaoyao thought for a moment.
“You’re up to something, aren’t you? You’ve already arranged it?”
“I’ll be honest with you… but you can’t tell anyone.”
Jiangg Ruxue leaned in even closer, whispering into Yaoyao’s ear for a while.
Yaoyao’s expression could be seen changing rapidly.
“He told you to do this? Isn’t he afraid my sister will kill him?!”
“No, how could Chen possibly ask me to do this? He just asked me to help him. As an elder, all I want is what’s best for you two, right?”
Jiangg Yao couldn’t believe what she was hearing… She processed those last few sentences with an extremely complicated feeling.
Jiangg Ruxue’s plan was actually to push Ningning and Chen Yuan to cook the rice, so to speak. To that end, she had devised a comprehensive plan, which even involved tampering with the “little umbrellas.”
A chain of schemes.
To put it nicely, she was giving Chen Yuan and her sister space to spend time together and communicate. To put it bluntly, wasn’t she just vacating the bed for them?
“Does it have to be this way… basically tying her up?” Jiangg Yao murmured, her expression a mixture of pity for her sister and fear of the scheme itself.
“I’ve done too many wrong things in my life. I can never repay the debt I owe you two sisters. Just let this be the last time I wrong her, and wrong you, okay…? I’m begging you, Yaoyao.”
Jiangg Ruxue looked at her earnestly, her brows furrowed.
The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had, at some point, grown deeper.
…
「In the bedroom.」
The little white bear bedsheets were fresh, spread so soft and fluffy you could sink right into them. The pillowcases, which the sisters had bought together a few years ago, had cute little fluffy dogs on them. Chen Yuan was lying diagonally on the bed, holding the box of “little umbrellas.”
‘I don’t know if you’re trying to screw me over or help me. What am I supposed to do with this stuff…? If I could win Ningning over this quickly, wouldn’t I have already done my best?’
Under the light, the plastic wrap on the small box glinted.
Footsteps sounded from the hallway.
A moment later, Jiangg Ning walked in. Fresh from a shower and still beaded with water, she was wrapped in a bath towel, as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water. Her long hair was tied up in a small, damp bun.
Her fragrant shoulders and collarbones were fair and radiant, a sight one couldn’t bear to look away from.
Glancing at Chen Yuan lying on the bed, she let out a cold snort.
“Still haven’t left? I thought you’d be dying to go find Yaoyao. After all, a day as a couple means a hundred days of grace. Don’t want to waste any time…” As Jiangg Ning spoke, she placed a finger on her lips, a thought seeming to occur to her as she added sarcastically, “Oh, I forgot. You two have a whole day and night in Lanjing tomorrow. No need to rush.”
“Stop being so sarcastic, Ningning. Can’t I just get on my knees and beg you?”
“Then stay away from me. I’m not sleeping with you. Go find your little wife.”
“There’s no little wife today. I only love you.”
“Get lost! You dare say that in front of Yaoyao? You two are stuck together like glue every single day, and now you’re going to act all devoted to me? I’m punishing you: you’re banned from my bed for life.”
“No, don’t…”