Chapter 33: Children Say the Darndest Things Part 2

Ms. Ming added that she planned to make some pickles, and if they turned out well, she’d send some to the neighbor. It was clear she liked the new neighbor’s vibe.

“Mom, since when do you know how to make pickles?” Ming Li asked, amused.

“If I don’t know, I’ll learn. A few experiments and I’m bound to succeed.”

Ming Li gave her a thumbs-up in encouragement. “With that attitude, you’ll succeed at anything.”

Ms. Ming smiled, but then her expression faltered. She looked like she wanted to say something but held back.

She didn’t realize that her every thought was written clearly on her face.

Ming Li checked the time again and put her phone away. “You stay here with Mingyue. I’m heading back.”

Ming Li forwarded the care instructions Zhu Hanxing had sent to Ms. Ming. “Since you’re off tomorrow, you can watch her. I’ll see if I can make it over the day after. When Ming Xi starts her weekend the day after that, let her take Mingyue to the library.”

Ming Li arranged everything in a few short sentences.

Ms. Ming froze, her mouth opening and closing before she finally pressed her lips together. “I’ll walk you out.”

“No need, the car is parked right downstairs. It’s less than a thirty-minute drive,” Ming Li said with a small smile. “The roads aren’t congested now. I’ll call you when I get back.”

Ming Li knelt down and stroked Mingyue’s hair, signing to her: Be good for Grandma. I’ll come play with you again soon.

Mingyue looked at her with reluctance. Are you leaving?

“Yes, your sister has to go home.”

Is this not your home?

The question caught Ming Li off guard. If she could, she would have loved to stay here for a while. The two days spent here felt like they had passed in the blink of an eye compared to the stagnant time at Gu Manor.

After a moment’s thought, Ming Li replied, “I’m married. I have another home.”

Mingyue began to sign frantically. I can’t go with—

She stopped halfway, her hands hovering in the air before dropping them in a fit of pique. Her small face was clouded with anger, though it was unclear who she was mad at.

Seeing her upset, Ming Li knelt back down to coax her. “I’ll come back tomorrow if I have time, okay?”

Mingyue turned her face away, silent.

Seeing Ming Li’s predicament, Ms. Ming stepped in to pull Mingyue close. “Be careful on the road. I’ll take good care of her.”

Ming Li sighed. She knew Mingyue didn’t want her to go, but if she didn’t leave today, she didn’t know what kind of storm she would face upon her return.

It was better to go now.

Ming Li nodded to her mother and reminded her not to use the computer late at night as it was bad for her eyes. Ms. Ming grumbled at her, complaining that she was being a nag—was she not an adult who knew better?

Ms. Ming walked Ming Li to the door, her eyes full of longing.

“I’m off.” Ming Li changed her shoes and headed for the door without looking back.

“A-Li,” Ms. Ming suddenly called out. She paused for a moment. “Come home and stay more often when you have time.”

Ming Li’s body stiffened imperceptibly, but she smiled. “Okay.”

Just as the word left her lips, there was a knock at the door.

Ms. Ming bypassed her, grumbling, “Ming Xi forgot her keys again. Does she have a goldfish brain? She forgets them every other day…”

Before she could finish, the door creaked open. Ms. Ming froze the moment she saw the visitor, the teasing words for Ming Xi dying in her throat.

“Is it not Ming Xi?” Seeing her mother’s strange reaction, Ming Li looked toward the door as Ms. Ming opened it wider.

Ming Li’s pupils contracted.

It was Gu Qingshuang.

She was wearing a light sweater, jeans, and sneakers. Her hair was tied up casually, with a few loose strands framing her face.

The group stood there, staring at one another in stunned silence. Gu Qingshuang remained quiet because she saw the shock and bewilderment on their faces, and for a moment, she forgot what she had come to say.

She had come on an impulse. After finishing her shift at the hospital, she had intended to go back to Gu Manor, but remembering Gu Xueqiang’s words from that morning, she feared there would be no peace at home.

Besides, she had things she wanted to discuss with Ming Li.

The speed at which her relationship with Ming Li had deteriorated was so fast that Gu Qingshuang hadn’t even had time to process it. She wanted to talk to her again.

Her life was currently a mess, feeling as though she had suddenly regressed three years.

Endless arguments. Exhausting, wearying arguments.

She hadn’t expected to see Ming Li’s mother first.

She had met the woman several times, but she had always deliberately kept her distance. After all, her marriage to Ming Li was merely a contract. Furthermore, she was truly terrible at socializing; she feared the expectant gaze of Ming Li’s mother. Even simple pleasantries felt like an immense pressure.

After a few seconds, Gu Qingshuang nodded in greeting. “Au—”

The word ‘Auntie’ almost slipped out before she realized it was inappropriate. After a pause, she asked, “Is A-Li here?”

Ming Li: “…”

Seriously?

She was standing right in front of her.

“She’s here.” Ms. Ming was awkward and at a loss. Although she would occasionally put on airs as an elder and criticize Gu Qingshuang in private, seeing her in person made her forget how to speak.

A horrific, silent awkwardness spread through the room. After a few seconds of leaden silence, Ming Li finally spoke. “Are you here to pick me up?”

Gu Qingshuang gave a small nod. “To take you home.”

“Have you eaten?” Ms. Ming chimed in quickly. “If not, come in and have a bite. No rush to leave.”

Gu Qingshuang hesitated, looking at Ming Li.

Ming Li deliberately avoided her gaze, offering no help. Seeing Mingyue staring blankly at Gu Qingshuang, she introduced the newcomer using sign language: This is my wife.

This was Mingyue’s first time seeing her, as she hadn’t attended the wedding. To a child, seeing was believing.

Because she had been born to a mother and a father, she naturally assumed that only a man and a woman could marry.

Seeing Gu Qingshuang, she froze for a moment before signing: Can a girl marry another girl?

Ming Li nodded. Yes.

Ming Li was infinitely patient with the child, but even as she communicated, she kept an ear out for Gu Qingshuang.

After a long silence, Gu Qingshuang gave a cool, detached response: “Mm.”

Mm?

Just ‘Mm’??

Ms. Ming was bewildered. Did ‘Mm’ mean she had eaten or hadn’t? Was she staying or going?

But looking at Gu Qingshuang’s reaction, Ms. Ming took a guess and stepped aside to welcome her. “The food is still hot. I’ll get you a bowl of rice.”