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

It seems this is the luxurious canary cage her father prepared for her.

Father's home, husband's home, where is my home?

Shen Jie's gaze fell on the other side of the room, on the writing desk and dressing table.

They were all made of dark wood, decorated with gilded carvings and reliefs. The writing desk was piled with books and stationery, as well as a computer; the dressing table held cosmetics and jewelry.

Next to the dressing table is a large wardrobe.

Shen Jie walked to the ornately decorated wardrobe and forcefully pulled the two wardrobe doors open.

Then reach out and separate the clothes in the wardrobe to the left and right.

The girl looked at herself in the mirror.

Seeing the handprint on her pretty face, Shen Jie trembled, her brows furrowed, and her eyes blazing with anger.

For some reason, the girl suddenly remembered her spiritual fortress, Mrs. Mary's tragic childhood and adolescence.

After her father, Henry VIII, divorced Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, and married Anne Boleyn, Princess Mary, who had once been the eldest princess, fell out of favor and was relegated to the cold palace by her father.

Shen Jie let out a somewhat sad laugh and tentatively reached her slender fingers through the mirror.

After confirming that the road was clear, she rammed her head into the mirror.

--split line--

Yu Lihua entered silently, and by the time Xiao Yao realized what was happening, she was already standing in front of the coffee table carrying a huge watermelon—it really was huge.

Xiao Yao subconsciously stood up from the bed: "Hello, Auntie!"

Yu Luying stood up from the table without saying a word, ran over and took the big melon from her mother's hands.

This watermelon looks round and plump, its surface smooth and firm, gleaming with a deep green sheen. Its size... reminds one of the belly of a fat man who has just finished a hearty meal, making one worry that it might burst open at any moment, spilling its red and black contents all over the ground—in short, this must be the most wonderful time of summer.

"Auntie? Where are you?" Shen Jie's confused voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I'm outside, I have to talk to you now," Xiao Yao said. "I'll talk to you when I get back. Hello, hello? Did the call drop?"

Xiao Yao took the phone away from his ear and held it in front of him; the other end had already hung up.

Damn it.

A deep unease welled up in Xiao Yao's heart. Whether being caught between two girls was a blessing or a curse was truly unpredictable. Given his emotional intelligence and social skills, the outcome would most likely be…

I told you I didn't want it, I didn't want it, but you insisted on sending it, and then you got all jealous afterward.

"Xiao Yao," Yu Lihua greeted him warmly and kindly, "Shall I cut it in half and give you a spoon to scoop out for you to eat? Or should I cut it into smaller pieces?"

After hearing Yu Luying's story, Xiao Yao did feel more sympathy and understanding for Yu Lihua. He walked from the bedside to the coffee table, looked up at the wall clock, and said, "Auntie, I'm not eating anymore. I'm full from eating peaches."

On second thought, if someone buys it and you say you don't want to eat it, that would be ungrateful: "It's almost ten o'clock, I should go back now—let's eat it tomorrow?"

Yu Lihua said, "Okay, this will be perfect for freezing for you."

As he spoke, he placed the watermelon on the cutting board, steadied it with one hand, found the center with his thumb, and used the other hand to hold the sharp knife and pierce the watermelon through the heart. Then he pressed down on his wrist, lengthened the blade, and gently twisted it open. The watermelon immediately split in two, revealing a bright red interior.

“Then I…” Xiao Yao hurriedly went downstairs to call Shen Jie back: “Ying… Yu Luying, I’ll just leave my test paper here? I’ll be coming tomorrow anyway.”

"Okay." Yu Luying nodded as she stuck the plastic wrap she was holding onto the half of the watermelon. "Hey, wait a minute, I'll take you there!"

"No need!" Xiao Yao and Yu Lihua said in unison.

Xiao Yao said "No need," firstly because he was genuinely worried about Yu Luying's hardship, and secondly because he was in a hurry to call Shen Jie back.

Yu Lihua said "no need," because she didn't want her daughter to look too cheap, too subservient, or too "pretty princess." Besides, it was 10 pm, what kind of situation would it be for a young girl to escort a boy home? Would she then ask, "Would you like to come upstairs for a chat?" It just didn't seem appropriate.

Yu Luying, however, was stubborn and ignored Yu Lihua's private grievances, insisting on seeing her off. Yu Lihua assumed the two young people wanted to take a walk and have a private chat, so she didn't insist, only reminding her daughter to return home early.

Xiao Yao inwardly groaned, secretly sending a message to Shen Jie while he and Yu Luying went downstairs one after the other.

As the boy walked down the creaking spiral staircase, he wondered whether Yu Luying was simply being honest or acting on purpose.

The crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a soft, silvery glow that illuminated the rippling waters of the river. The willows along the riverbank swayed gently in the night breeze, their branches seeming to brush against a silvery cloud. In the dim moonlight, these branches appeared like a group of dancing sprites.

“Your mom just told me that she asked if I wanted it sliced ​​or scooped out to eat. My first thought was that she was going to cut off my head.” Xiao Yao held Yu Luying’s small hand in his hand and swayed it vigorously as he walked.

"Stop demonizing my mother all the time," Yu Luying said unhappily, "Actually, she's also quite... quite..."

Even the final "okay" was something I didn't have the confidence to say.

"No, have you heard a story?" Xiao Yao laughed, "It's about a person who was eating watermelon on the balcony in the summer, scooping and scooping with a small spoon. Suddenly she saw someone rummaging through drawers and cupboards in the room, so she asked him, 'What are you looking for?'"

“No,” Yu Luying protested, “If someone suddenly breaks into your house, why don’t you call the police and instead ask him what he’s looking for?”

“Damn it, right,” Xiao Yao said, “Don’t make a fuss, she’ll just ask him, ‘What are you looking for?’”

“Okay,” Yu Luying conceded.

"The man replied, 'I'm looking for my head,'" Xiao Yao said in a cold tone.

"?"

"At this moment, our protagonist looked down at the half watermelon in his hand..."

Yu Luying flung Xiao Yao's hand away, clenched her fists and punched his arm seven or eight times, and even kicked him once, until she herself squatted down, clutching her arm and grimacing.

"What's wrong? Are you really angry?" Xiao Yao walked over and picked up the slipper she had kicked away.

“No, don’t tell me these things again,” Yu Luying put her bare feet back into her pink bunny slippers. “Also, when you come to my house tomorrow, you’re not allowed to eat the watermelon my mom bought.”

Xiao Yao chuckled twice and helped Yu Luying up.

This row of old Shikumen houses and alleyways appears exceptionally ancient and steeped in history. The marks of time are clearly visible on each house. In the night, these old houses and alleyways appear even more profound and mysterious, with faint lights shining from the windows, creating a uniquely warm atmosphere.

"Silly girl, do you know?" Xiao Yao and Yu Luying continued holding hands as they walked to a gap in the riverbank. "Your mother is really kind. When we get back, you must thank your mother for me."

"Huh?" Yu Luying let go of Xiao Yao's hand, squatted down, and stretched her bare feet out of her slippers to splash the water.

"Your father—no, that bastard—didn't he say he was going to beat you up?" Xiao Yao also squatted down, looking at the reflections of the two of them on the water's surface. "It was your mother who insisted on giving birth to you, wasn't it?"

“That’s because the church doesn’t allow abortions,” Yu Luying said calmly.

“No matter the reason, your mother gave you life and raised you,” Xiao Yao said softly. “Thanks to her, I was able to meet such a wonderful person like you—I feel very grateful when I think about it.”

Yu Luying turned her head to look at Xiao Yao, pursed her lips and said, "Xiao Yao, you're quite good at this now, aren't you?"

Chapter 183 Iron Fist Wife

2023-05-06

“No matter what the reason, your mother gave you life and raised you all by herself with such hardship,” Xiao Yao said softly. “Thanks to her, I was able to meet such a wonderful person like you—thinking about this makes me very grateful.”

Yu Luying turned her head to look at Xiao Yao, pursed her lips and said, "Xiao Yao, you're really good at this now."

“Sigh,” Xiao Yao sighed, “I was telling the truth.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t telling the truth,” Yu Luying laughed. “Alright, I admit I like you—you’re so good with words.”

“However,” the girl continued, “I’ve been thinking for the past ten years or so that it might not have been a good thing for her to bring me into this world.”

"How could you think like that?" Xiao Yao asked in surprise. "If I hadn't given birth to you, how would you have known someone as wonderful as me?"

"...Knowing you isn't a good thing, is it?" Yu Luying scooped up a puddle of water and splashed it on Xiao Yao's face: "Have some shame, please."

Xiao Yao hurriedly dodged, staggering and nearly falling into the river. Seeing this, Yu Luying quickly reached out and grabbed him.

Xiao Yao steadied himself but refused to let go. Instead, he grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her towards him, causing her soft, fragrant body to crash into his arms.

"Anyway, your mother is so much better than my mother," Xiao Yao murmured to himself as he held Yu Luying in his arms.

“Don’t say that,” Yu Luying replied while listening to Xiao Yao’s heartbeat. “The adults may have their own difficulties. What you have heard and what you know may just be facts that have been processed by other elders, and it is only the tip of the iceberg of the truth.”

"The truth is that she cheated on her husband with multiple men during their marriage. According to the rules in your scriptures, such a person should be stoned to death," Xiao Yao said.

“Xiao Yao,” Yu Luying pouted, though Xiao Yao couldn’t see it, “She’s still your mother—”

"..."

"Alright, alright, that's your mother. If you want to hate her, then hate her quietly," Yu Luying said. "How about we talk about something else, something lighter?"

"Easy..."

The entire city fell silent, leaving only the two of them. The night breeze ruffled their dark hair, the cool touch bringing them even greater peace and relaxation.

"How about 80 points?" Xiao Yao's eyes darted around. "90 points is too difficult."

"Huh?" It took Yu Luying two seconds to realize what he was talking about: "You're so annoying! What's so good about stinky socks?"

“Those are your smelly socks,” Xiao Yaotian replied shamelessly.

"Disgusting!" Yu Luying made a "yue" face.

“Xiao Yao, tell me the truth,” the girl’s fingernails dug into the skin of Xiao Yao’s back, “did you steal my pants?”

Xiao Yao knew she was joking, so he replied, "Yes, I stole it."

His hand caressed the girl's back, touching a raised strap, and he subconsciously pinched it with two fingers.

“Okay, 80 points it is,” Yu Luying conceded, “I want 80 in every subject.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the boy pinch the strap on his back, pull it out a centimeter, and then let go, snapping it back onto his back with a "snap," just like playing with a rubber band.

"What are you doing!" Yu Luying shoved Xiao Yao away again, her almond-shaped eyes wide open: "You're a pervert!"

"No, I just suddenly couldn't resist," Xiao Yao explained, "and it felt pretty fun."