20. Once you come, you can’t leave
“Mom, did you and Dad have a fight?”
The coffee shop had already closed. While waiting for the match to start, Qian Qian sat on Jiang Zhi’s lap, asking in a volume only the two could hear.
Jiang Zhi was taken aback.
She looked down and pinched Qian Qian’s cheek: “Why do you say that?”
“Because Mommy hasn’t mentioned Dad, and Mommy doesn’t let Qian Qian mention him either.”
“I didn’t stop you from mentioning your dad.”
Qian Qian made a disgusted face: “Mommy is really bad at lying, Qian Qian figured it out a long time ago.”
“Qian Qian is really smart, you know!”
Jiang Zhi remained silent.
She thought Qian Qian was very smart; this little one was only six years old—how could she understand so much?
Qian Qian continued, “I haven’t seen Dad for a long time. If it were before, Mommy would definitely want Dad more than Qian Qian does.”
Jiang Zhi’s face turned red.
It was really strange to be teased by her own daughter about how close she and her husband were, but the problem was that he was a man!
… Or he used to be a man.
Every time Jiang Zhi thought about this, she felt very distressed. Sometimes she even wondered if she had been forced by that man, Su Yan.
Would she really willingly marry a man and even have a child with him?
To be fair, if she had been forced, Jiang Zhi would feel more relaxed.
But if she was willing, wouldn’t that mean that in the future, she would fundamentally become a woman in body and mind?
Jiang Zhi could not accept that version of herself.
She would never be able to accept that kind of self. If that day really came, she would probably feel nauseated and throw up.
Jiang Zhi rested her chin on Qian Qian’s head, which was fluffy, and her heart felt a bit itchy too.
“Qian Qian.”
“Hmm?”
Let’s not need Dad anymore, okay?
Jiang Zhi felt that some things should be explained clearly to the child early on.
No matter if the child could accept it or not.
Just like when she was very little, she knew her mother didn’t want her anymore and had abandoned her in the orphanage.
Even so, she accepted reality and lived very freely.
So, not needing Dad anymore…
Just you and me, only Jiang Zhi and Su Ziqian, just us two living together for a lifetime, we could also live very happily!
“Mom, why are you calling me?”
“… It’s nothing.”
Let’s wait a bit longer.
Jiang Zhi took a deep breath, suddenly pinching Qian Qian hard: “Why do you have so many questions, little rascal!”
“I get along well with your dad, don’t think so much, okay?”
“Waaah, that hurts~”
Qian Qian’s tears fell from being pinched, yet she still stubbornly said, “Qian Qian doesn’t believe it! You and Dad are fighting!”
“Believe it or not.”
Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes, released her grip, and ignored her. The best way to make a brat settle down was to not pay her any attention.
Hmph!
Qian Qian carefully rubbed her red face, but inside she smiled wickedly (like Aqua).
Jiang Zhi! … Oh, I can’t call her mother by her full name.
Mom!
When Dad’s figure appears on the TV, you’ll be obedient! Qian Qian will definitely make you and Dad reconcile!
Two hours later.
“Waaah, don’t go, Qian Qian doesn’t want to go, I haven’t seen it yet!”
Qian Qian clutched Jiang Zhi’s clothes, kneeling on the floor, crying with snot and tears.
“The match is over, what exactly do you want to see?”
“Still haven’t seen it, let’s wait a bit longer, Mom!”
Jiang Zhi’s face was dark: “Su Ziqian, have I given you a good face?”
“Waaah…”
“Are you going or not?”
“Not going…”
“If you don’t go, you won’t have food to eat today!”
“If I don’t eat, I don’t eat, anyway it’s just takeout, Mommy won’t cook for me!”
“I you m… I’m going to hit you!”
Jiang Ruyan was beside them, not offering much help: “Oh, don’t be anxious…”
💥!
In the end, relying on Jiang Zhi’s loving Chinese-style education, the farce finally ended, and Jiang Zhi forcibly pulled Qian Qian away.
Jiang Ruyan:…
She shook her head with a bit of amusement, thinking this mother-daughter duo was something else.
Once they left, the shop was completely quiet.
Jiang Ruyan yawned and leisurely walked to the TV, turning it off.
A match had ended, and not a single full set of the two BO3s had been played. What’s more, she had mixed up the timings.
The CN team hadn’t even played today.
Jiang Ruyan felt somewhat regretful because if she was going to watch, she definitely wanted to see her own team, and Jiang Zhi seemed to be lacking interest.
Sigh… failed to draw her into the fandom!
But it’s okay, I’ll keep trying!
By the way, why was Qian Qian so energetic? It was as if she was expecting something.
Jiang Ruyan didn’t think much of it, walked to the front desk, and symbolically started wiping the table.
She caught a glimpse of the drawings on the table.
“Eh?”
Is this… drawn by Qian Qian?
It looked unfinished, and the colors weren’t fully filled in. She had said she wanted to give this as a surprise to little Jiang.
Jiang Ruyan kept the drawing.
This little one was so forgetful; let the sister store it for you first!
——————
At the end of June.
With time passing quietly, the originally restless summer began to calm down gradually.
Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
During these past two weeks, Jiang Zhi hadn’t been idle either. Aside from working for Sister Jiang, she cared for Qian Qian at home and devoted herself to writing.
Lu Xun once said that sedimentation is truly useful.
Lu Xun also mentioned that good romance stories are all written by Xiao Chunan.
The book she was currently writing was doing better and better, even showing signs of potentially hitting the top of the romance charts.
Naturally, her draft fees were increasing as well.
Jiang Zhi looked at her ever-increasing payments and thought about the salary that Sister Jiang would give her, feeling that life was becoming more hopeful.
Who said raising a child was difficult? Step up and say it out loud?!
A child is not a gold-devouring beast; I won’t let you devour anything, and if you don’t, you won’t get any food!
Additionally, there was good news.
The hospital had processed her identification documents, which meant that her and Qian Qian’s identities were settled.
At six in the afternoon.
In Zaoc City, summer evenings get dark very late. The setting sun cast rows of fiery clouds across the sky.
“Hmph hmph~”
Jiang Zhi hummed a little tune, holding Qian Qian’s hand with her left hand as they walked out of the police station.
The chirping of cicadas from the treetops lightly filled the air amid the noisy honking of passing vehicles, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
She was in a good mood today, had put on some lipstick, and intentionally learned to apply foundation, making her already delicate skin look even fairer.
This way she looked even better on camera.
Qian Qian curiously asked, “Mom, what were we just doing? Why did we need to take photos?”
“To give you an identity.”
Jiang Zhi said, waving the identification documents in her hand: “From now on, Qian Qian will have an identity.”
“What’s the use of an identity?”
“It has many uses; it makes it easier for medical treatment, and you’ll need it for school in the future.”
“Eh~ Can Qian Qian go to school now?”
“Ha!”
Jiang Zhi felt a bit guilty as she scratched her face: “Well… your mom is still working on it.”
The revolution hasn’t yet succeeded; comrades need to keep working hard.
Though the identification was successfully processed, getting into school would be a bit difficult. She still needed to find an opportunity to consult with Sister Jiang.
Jiang Zhi found a step by the road to sit down.
She took out the newly issued household registration booklet, opened it, and stared blankly at the contents inside.
It used to only have a thin page.
Now it had become two pages.
She suddenly felt it was unreal. In fact, she was still that orphan, without friends and without the one she liked by her side.
But she had Qian Qian.
This blood relationship was something that couldn’t be explained in just a few words.
The afterglow fell on Jiang Zhi’s body, half illuminating her face while the other half illuminated the documents in her hand.
There was a sparkle in Jiang Zhi’s eyes.
After half a month together, she had thoroughly immersed herself in the role of a mother.
Qian Qian stood quietly beside her, not understanding why Mommy had sat down. Isn’t it dirty?
Jiang Zhi sniffed and suddenly pulled Qian Qian into her embrace. Surrounded by the bustling market, the two embraced obliviously.
She buried her head in Qian Qian’s smaller body, her voice sounding a bit nasal and sour:
“Since you’ve come, you mustn’t ever leave… otherwise, Mommy will beat you…”
