Chapter 8
Jiang Chenyin brought Bo Muyu into her own room.
The afternoon sun was a little brighter. Jiang Chenyin smiled and asked, “Nothing’s been changed, right? It’s still the same as before.”
“Mmm, it’s the same as before.” Bo Muyu, wearing slippers, slowly followed Jiang Chenyin’s steps.
Jiang Chenyin turned to look at her, naturally reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear.
“Auntie Yin, I was afraid just now that you wouldn’t let me be like I was when I was a child,” Bo Muyu said suddenly. “I thought you would say I’ve grown up and can’t act like that anymore.”
“I wouldn’t.” Jiang Chenyin’s hand slid up her hair and gently ruffled it. “You have grown up, but I also said that nothing between us has changed because of it. I haven’t changed, and neither have you. Even though we haven’t seen each other in a long time, you’re staying here for two days. Isn’t that more than enough time for us to become familiar again?”
Jiang Chenyin blinked, her lips curving into a smile as she withdrew the hand that was stroking the girl’s soft, fine hair.
This was the second time she had said that nothing between them had changed.
Bo Muyu lowered her head, reached out to take Jiang Chenyin’s hand, and asked in a low voice, “Then can I still hold your hand like this? Anytime?”
Jiang Chenyin smiled. “You can.”
Bo Muyu’s eyes widened slightly. She looked up, licked her lips, and asked, “Then can I come and sleep with you tonight?”
Jiang Chenyin’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “You can.”
Bo Muyu paused. It felt as if something that had been blocked for a long time was suddenly cleared at this moment.
The corners of her lips lifted, revealing her small canine teeth.
“Then can I…”
“You can.” Jiang Chenyin couldn’t resist cupping Bo Muyu’s face in her hands and gently shaking it from side to side. “You can, you can do anything. Whatever was okay before is okay now. Are we good? Any more questions?”
When she was with Bo Muyu, her heart was at its softest. It was probably because she had watched this child grow up, witnessing every stage of Bo Muyu’s life.
She had made a habit of doting on this child, a habit that four years apart could not change or erase. This was also why she always felt guilty for leaving without a word, even though she knew that Bo Muyu at that time was not ready to know the truth.
“No more. I have no more questions,” Bo Muyu said, her eyes shining.
Jiang Chenyin pulled her to the edge of the bed, then lay back and turned her head to ask with a smile, “Want to take a nap?”
“No,” Bo Muyu said, turning on her side to face her. “I want to hear about your time abroad.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Chenyin frowned in thought, then lay flat on her back and murmured, “How should I tell it? Where’s a good place to start…”
If she started from the beginning, she couldn’t quite remember some of the things from the year she had just left. But, she could recall some of the interesting things she encountered on the road during her short trips.
“Anything is fine. I’ll listen to whatever you tell me,” Bo Muyu said, waiting with expectant eyes.
Jiang Chenyin teased her as she thought, “You want to hear about it that much? Want to go next time?”
“I’ll go if you take me,” Bo Muyu replied with a straight face.
Jiang Chenyin reached out and poked Bo Muyu’s forehead, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Silly girl.”
They didn’t stay in the room for long. Since Bo Muyu hadn’t been over in a while, Old Master Jiang called her down for a chat.
Old Master Jiang enjoyed playing chess and drinking tea. Bo Muyu had seen a fair bit of both while visiting with her parents. She could appreciate tea, but her chess skills were no match for the elders’; she only knew the basics.
This turned out to be a good thing. Old Master Jiang won several games, his face beaming.
A translucent white stone was placed on the board. Old Master Jiang sighed with a laugh, “Only Xiaoyu would let an old man like me win a couple of games. Your dad and the two boys in this family, not a single one of them goes easy on me.”
Bo Muyu thought for a moment, then replied as she placed a stone, “That must be because Grandpa Jiang goes easy on Dad, Uncle Zong, and Little Uncle.”
“Oh, no, not at all.” Old Master Jiang’s smile widened; he was clearly enjoying the compliment.
Jiang Chenyin, who was sitting on the sofa typing on her laptop, glanced over and couldn’t help but shake her head. The old master had always been hard to flatter. Her eldest brother didn’t have the skill, and her second brother came off as too sycophantic.
Only Bo Muyu’s flattery was the most natural. As an obedient, quiet, and introverted child, she never spoke hesitantly or sounded insincere. Her expression remained normal, and the old master fell for it every time.
“I remember Little Bo personally taught you how to play Go?” The old master held a white stone between two fingers, his brow gradually furrowing.
Bo Muyu paused, her head lowering slightly. “Yes, my grandpa also liked to play chess, so my dad taught me. It just so happens that Grandpa Jiang likes it too.”
“Ah… I remember.” The old master sighed softly. “Old Bo passed away early.”
Bo Muyu nodded but didn’t reply.
The two of them exchanged a few more moves. The old master said, “Now that your work is stable, come visit me and your Grandma Jiang when you have time. These kids are all too busy. Liu’er will be busy soon too, now that she’s back.”
Bo Muyu glanced in Jiang Chenyin’s direction, and thinking of their conversation at noon, the corners of her lips curved up.
Jiang Chenyin couldn’t help but interject, “Dad, Muyu has to work too. It’s not like it was before.”
From the staircase, a woman came down, leading a boy who looked about the same age as Jiang Yisheng.
The sound startled Bo Muyu, and she glanced over.
Old Master Jiang looked up. “Zijun, why didn’t you let Yixuan take a nap?”
The newcomers were Jiang Yingzong’s wife, Xu Zijun, and their son, Jiang Yixuan.
Eighteen-year-old Jiang Yixuan had a handsome face. He looked very refined as he walked over with his mother, a stark contrast to his younger brother Jiang Yisheng’s sunny and lively demeanor.
Xu Zijun smiled without a word.
Jiang Yixuan, however, smiled shyly. “Grandpa, Auntie, Sister Xiaoyu. I haven’t seen Auntie in a long time, and it’s rare for Sister Xiaoyu to visit, so I wanted to come down and chat with everyone.”
Xu Zijun sat down next to Jiang Chenyin, while Jiang Yixuan walked over to Old Master Jiang and Bo Muyu.
Jiang Chenyin closed her laptop at the right moment and said, “I didn’t get a chance to ask during lunch. Yixuan is in his last year of high school. Is he keeping up with his studies?”
“He’s doing fine. I haven’t heard him complain,” Xu Zijun said, her eyes filled with trust and pride for her son. A moment later, she turned back to Jiang Chenyin, affectionately taking her hand and smiling. “But you, on the day you came back, your eldest sister-in-law couldn’t come with your big brother. Tonight, we must have a good chat, no running off early.”
Jiang Chenyin agreed, “Alright. After dinner, we’ll call Second Sister-in-law to join us.”
Xu Zijun patted her hand. “Of course.”
On the other side, Old Master Jiang placed another stone and looked up with a smile. “Hey, be careful now.”
Bo Muyu frowned, holding a black stone between two fingers, hesitating.
Seeing his eldest grandson watching from the side, occasionally glancing at Bo Muyu, Old Master Jiang chuckled. “Xiaoyu, what do you think of Yixuan?”
Without looking up, Bo Muyu said, “He’s very nice.”
Jiang Yixuan, suddenly praised, felt a blush rise on his fair cheeks, and he didn’t know what to say.
Jiang Chenyin was taken aback when she heard this and turned to ask, “Dad, why are you asking that?”
She felt something was off. As far as she could remember, the old master had never asked Bo Muyu such a question. And considering Bo Muyu’s current age…
“It’s nothing,” Old Master Jiang said, stroking the cane beside him thoughtfully. “I just think that Xiaoyu and Yixuan are both quite nice.”
Xu Zijun quickly said, “Dad, Yixuan is still young. There’s no rush for this.”
Jiang Chenyin’s eyelid twitched. Just as I thought.
The eighteen-year-old boy looked from his grandfather to his mother, a little bewildered.
Old Master Jiang was still smiling. “What’s wrong with it? A woman three years older is a treasure. I may be old, but I’m not that old-fashioned.”
Jiang Yixuan caught the hint in his grandfather’s words. Now, not only was his face red, but beads of sweat also formed on his forehead. He secretly glanced at Bo Muyu.
He saw the girl with her dark hair hanging down, focused and calm, her lips pressed together. Her slender white fingers, holding a black stone, finally placed it down. Then, her clear and steady voice sounded, “Grandpa Jiang, it’s your turn.”
“You’ve already made your move?” Old Master Jiang’s attention was drawn back to the game, focusing on the state of the board. “Ah, Xiaoyu, if you play like this, you’re going to let me win again.”
“My skills are not refined. Losing is to be expected.”
“You child…”
Old Master Jiang’s spirits rose again.
Jiang Chenyin shook her head and exchanged a look with Xu Zijun, who squeezed her hand reassuringly.
After Bo Muyu lost another three games, Old Master Jiang completely forgot about the topic.
When it was time for dinner, Old Master Jiang was still unwilling to leave the chessboard. What had started as a game between the old and the young had turned into Old Master Jiang teaching Bo Muyu the art of chess. It was rare to find an opponent who would lose to him and was also willing to play with him, so the old master naturally cherished the opportunity.
After all, Jiang Yingzong, Jiang Gaojun, and Bo Mingliang were all his equals in chess. It was very rare for him to be in a state where he won from beginning to end.
After dinner, Jiang Chenyin was pulled away by Xu Zijun and Sun Ruowei. Bo Muyu was pestered by the two Jiang grandsons and only managed to get away after dark.
The two elders had already gone to their rooms. In the afternoon, Auntie Wang had also moved Bo Muyu’s luggage to the room next to Jiang Chenyin’s, where she used to stay as a child.
On her way upstairs, she ran into Xu Zijun coming down. Bo Muyu stopped and greeted her, “Eldest Auntie.”
“Hmm? Is Xiaoyu going back to her room?” Xu Zijun smiled at her.
“Yes, it’s getting late. Yixuan and Yisheng have also gone back to their rooms.”
Speaking of Jiang Yixuan, Xu Zijun recalled Old Master Jiang’s casual remark in the afternoon, and her expression became hesitant.
Bo Muyu asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
“Sigh.” Xu Zijun sighed, then smiled faintly. “This afternoon, when you were playing chess with the old master, don’t take to heart what he said. You know he’s always been fond of you, dotes on you. You’re almost like one of our own two children.”
It wasn’t that she had any objections to Bo Muyu; she had always been very fond of the girl. Her son was about to go to university, only a few years younger than Bo Muyu. If the two of them were really interested in each other, she certainly wouldn’t stand in their way.
But in the end, the children’s own feelings were what mattered most. It was better for the parents to interfere less.
However, Bo Muyu was stunned. “What did Grandpa Jiang say?”
“Oh, you don’t remember? It was during the chess game. The old master said that you and Yixuan are both very nice, and then he hinted a little, suggesting that you and Yixuan…” Xu Zijun trailed off, hesitant to finish.
Bo Muyu tried to recall but couldn’t remember much. She only remembered the old master seemed to have asked her something about Jiang Yixuan. She had been concentrating on her next move and had answered casually.
Now, she could only force a smile. “I was thinking about my next move then, so I wasn’t really paying attention.”
Xu Zijun chuckled. “It’s for the best that you didn’t hear. Hurry back and rest. I’m going downstairs to get something.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Eldest Auntie.”
After watching Xu Zijun go downstairs, Bo Muyu went back to her room to take a shower.
She thought about what Xu Zijun had just said and recalled the afternoon’s events once more. Her movements as she washed herself slowed down.
She had just started working, only in her early twenties, and Grandpa Jiang was already bringing up matters of the heart, intentionally or not. This was a common concern among elders, and there was nothing wrong with it.
But, she seemed to have never heard any of the elders mention Jiang Chenyin in this regard. Not Grandpa Jiang or Grandma Jiang, not Uncle Zong, not Little Uncle, and not Eldest Auntie or Little Auntie either.
She vaguely felt that something was not right. A sudden doubt filled her heart, and for a moment, she was lost in thought.
