You're my wife, don't doubt it!

I am sorry.

"Doggy, you're so good to me." Shen Jie gently stomped her size 34 feet.

“Yes, I know,” Xiao Yao said with a smile.

He suddenly felt that saying those five words felt really good.

"Speaking of which, listening to Xu Wei's songs while traveling is really soothing. That slightly husky voice, like the feeling of wandering the wind..." Xiao Yao remarked casually.

"Oh? Do you want to listen to some music? I forgot to bring my Walkman," Shen Jie said.

"Come with me to Xu Wei's concert sometime," Xiao Yao said.

“Sure,” Shen Jie nodded, “but you have to come with me to do what I want to do, it can’t always be just me doing it all by myself.”

"Of course," Xiao Yao said. "Shen Jie, do you like me?"

"Huh?" Shen Jie was caught off guard.

"Like it?"

"I like it." Shen Jie smiled and patted Xiao Yao's head.

"Hmm." Xiao Yao nodded and said, "Maybe it's just my imagination, but I feel like lately... ever since you got sick, no, after you were hospitalized or after you were discharged, you've become a little different from before."

"What's different? Tell me." Shen Jie was quite interested in this topic.

"Um...you can't get angry when I tell you."

Shen Jie thought, "Then you're going to say something that will make me angry: 'Mommy promises you.'"

“So, a while ago, you suddenly became very obedient, and now you’re more…self-centered?” Xiao Yao carefully chose his words.

Listen to me, okay?

Last time at the hospital, you said to Yu Luying in front of me, "Your scriptures say that wives should obey their husbands." Were you really not saying that to me? The girl thought.

Actually, I was a little unhappy at the time, but I didn't show it because Yu Luying was there.

Shen Jie took a breath, smiled, and gently tugged at Xiao Yao's ear, saying in a joking tone, "Who has ever seen such an arrogant son-in-law?"

Then, she lifted her skirt to show him her long dress and socks, and said in a pitiful tone, "Am I not obedient enough?"

"Listen to me, listen to me." Xiao Yao nodded repeatedly. "That's not the main issue, it's... that... that... emotional thing?"

He replaced the word "dramatic" with the word "emotional": "For example, she used to say strange things to me, like 'She's yours, and you're mine,' but now she often gets jealous over things that have nothing to do with her, gets angry with me all the time, won't listen to my explanations, and picks on my faults... and things like that?"

"So what?" Shen Jie said, "Are you going to criticize me again?"

"No, no," Xiao Yao explained, "I was thinking, maybe I didn't do something right, which made you... maybe, not like me as much as before?"

"Ah-ha—" Shen Jie couldn't help but speak loudly. The gentleman wearing reading glasses turned his head, pulled his glasses down, and then turned back.

"I just want you to tell me that I can do better." Xiao Yao's survival instinct was at its peak.

“Xiao Yao,” Shen Jie said seriously, “do you want a digital pet that will listen to everything you say, or a girlfriend who will help you find a partner?”

"Huh?" Xiao Yao didn't react for a moment.

Did she just say "girlfriend"?

“Remember Xiao Yao,” Shen Jie said, “only picky buyers are like that.”

“You, you mean…” Xiao Yao understood a little.

"I like you more than before," Shen Jie said softly. "So, you have to treat me well."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao felt as if something was about to surge forth from within him. Unable to hold back any longer, he pulled Shen Jie into his arms tightly.

Just then, Xiao Yao felt two shadows loom over him.

He looked up and saw a withered old man with a hunched back, leaning on a cane, standing in front of him. His face was full of wrinkles, and his expression was intriguing.

Beside the old man stood Yu Luying, expressionless, holding onto the handrail and continuing to look out the window.

Chapter 102 Three-Person Tango II

2023-02-06

Just then, Xiao Yao felt two shadows loom over him.

He looked up and saw a withered old man with a hunched back, leaning on a cane, standing in front of him. His face was full of wrinkles, and his expression was intriguing.

Beside the old man stood Yu Luying, expressionless, holding onto the handrail and continuing to look out the window.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yao was startled and subconsciously released the girl in his arms, placing his hands on his thighs.

He then realized that the once empty carriages at the starting station were now packed with people.

Xiao Yao's gaze pierced through the throng of people and landed on the spot where Yu Luying had been sitting—where sat an equally withered old woman with a kind smile on her face.

The boy understood; based on Yu Luying's usual habits, she must have given up her seat to the old lady.

Of course, this is a commendable virtue, but why do you deliberately bring another pressure to us?

"Xiao Yao, quickly give Grandpa your seat." Shen Jie made an important instruction without hesitation.

"Sigh." Just as Xiao Yao was about to stand up, he suddenly felt a sense of resentment.

What gives you the right to sit there, arrogantly ordering your "servants" to get up and offer you a seat? Just because you're a young lady?

"Why do you order others to give up their seats instead of giving them up yourself?" Xiao Yao retorted politely.

“Okay,” Shen Jie nodded and stood up: “Move your legs a little, you sit down, Grandpa, you sit here.”

"No, no, no, no," Xiao Yao quickly stood up. "I was just joking with you. You sit down, Grandpa, you sit here with me."

The two men were arguing and nearly came to blows when the old man, showing his missing teeth, said, "Oh dear, you two, stop arguing! Thank you, I only have eight stops left before I get off!"

As he spoke, he made an "eight" shape with his fingers.

"There are still eight stops to the final stop," Yu Luying reminded the two at the opportune moment, sounding somewhat gloating.

In the end, no one sat down. Shen Jie pressed the old man's shoulder to make him sit down, and the three of them stood together in the sardine-can-like carriage, holding onto the handrails, looking at each other in bewilderment.

It seemed rather strange to just stand there like that, but the three of them didn't know what to say for the moment.

Finally, Shen Jie broke the silence first: "Hey, Luying, that day at the hospital, you said you were going to Yushan that night, did you actually go?"

“I’m going.” Yu Luying blurted out instinctively.

"Oh, so what happened to you today..." Shen Jie tried her best to make conversation.

“I just got home this morning, and I came to see my sister right away,” Yu Luying said.

"Oh..." The bus slowly stopped at the red light. Shen Jie gripped the handrail tightly to maintain her balance: "You said last time you were going to Yushan for a pilgrimage. What kind of holy place is there to pilgrimage to in Yushan?"

“Yes, shouldn’t pilgrimages take place in Rome, the Vatican, and Jerusalem?” Xiao Yao asked the same question.

“Yushan is also a holy site, designated by the Vatican.” Yu Luying tried hard to recall: “The Yushan Basilica at the top of the mountain is also a Class B Apostolic Basilica or something…”

"So, the Vatican designates it as a temple, so it is a temple? Is there anything particularly sacred about it, like Jerusalem...?" Xiao Yao asked curiously, "The Pope himself has never been to Yushan, has he?"

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it. The church says so, so I don’t know.” Yu Luying was slightly annoyed, because Xiao Yao’s question sounded like he was arguing for the sake of arguing. In fact, she was neither interested in the topic nor could she answer it: “The special thing… ah, is it because of Our Lady of Yu Mountain?”

"What is the relationship between Our Lady of Yushan and the Virgin Mary?" Shen Jie asked gently. "Luying, we are all laymen, please don't mind if we ask silly questions."

“Hmm~” Yu Luying made a sound of denial through her nose: “The Holy Mother of Sheshan is Mary, there is only one Holy Mother.”

“When I was traveling in Portugal, I encountered a local procession of Our Lady of the Nile. They said it was Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima…” Shen Jie recalled.

Yu Luying didn't understand the phrase, but she recognized the pronunciation of Fátima: "Our Lady of Fatima is the manifestation of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal in the last century, just as Our Lady of Luther is the manifestation of Our Lady of Luther in France, and Our Lady of Guadalupe is the manifestation of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico... There is only one Our Lady."

“Goodness,” Xiao Yao asked with great interest, “Then the Holy Mother of Yu Mountain, is that the Holy Mother’s manifestation in Yu Mountain? I’d like to go and see it sometime.”

Yu Luying shook her head: "No... the Holy Mother should not have appeared in Yushan."

"Who exactly is the Holy Mother of Yushan?" Xiao Yao felt like he was being tricked.

"I don't know!" Yu Luying said stiffly, biting her lower lip and looking at the tip of her shoe.

"Oh, Xiao Yao, just shut up, Lu Ying, let's ignore him," Shen Jie quickly tried to smooth things over.

Xiao Yao felt a little confused. "I sincerely asked you for advice. If you don't know, just say you don't know. Why are you getting angry?"

"Um, I've been watching 'The Tudors' online lately, and Catherine of Aragon and her daughter Mary often carry a string of beads with a cross hanging from it, praying in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary. What are those?" Shen Jie continued to ask.

Upon asking the question, Shen Jie realized she had spoken out of turn, because "The Tudors" didn't premiere in Canada until three years later, and she had watched it on the "external network" in Shen Tianyun's room. Her main reason for watching the series was to gain a deeper understanding of her spiritual stronghold, "Mary Tudor," and also to practice her English listening skills.

Fortunately, Yu Luying didn't seem to mind. She simply took out a round plastic box from her small shoulder bag and gently unscrewed it: "Is this it?"

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly it,” Shen Jie took the string of black agate beads from Yu Luying’s hand: “Wow, it’s so beautiful!”

“These are rosary beads,” Yu Luying said with a smile. “If you like them, I’ll give them to you.”

"I can't accept this—then I won't stand on ceremony." Shen Jie wrapped the agate rosary around her left wrist two or three times, letting the small cross dangle down: "It's so pretty!"

Yu Luying seemed to want to speak but hesitated, yet still wanted to.

"What's wrong? Tell me," Shen Jie said with a smile.

“Hmm… Rosary beads aren’t for wearing as jewelry,” Yu Luying’s voice trailed off, “They’re for reciting the Rosary. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”

Shen Jie was taken aback for a moment: "Okay, okay, okay, Luying, you have to teach me. By the way, what's the relationship between the Rosary and the Bible... what's the difference...?"

Why was Shen Jie so interested in these things? Xiao Yao stared at her, a strange scene flashing through his mind.