Jiang Hongguo wanted to go.
If she did, she might see the Sun-surnamed student of Grandma Kong.
Changzong had excluded that person when collecting debts. It definitely wasn’t because of sentiment.
He hadn’t explained why, but Jiang Hongguo wanted to understand. Why leave that one out?
Still, she hadn’t told Changzong her plan. If he came back and couldn’t find her, he’d panic. And there was the baby too.
Sister Shan laughed at her hesitation. “Grandma Kong will be selling tea eggs at the bus stop soon. We’ll ask her to tell your husband if she sees him. We can carry your little one. If you get tired, I’ll hold him.”
Jiang Hongguo truly wanted to go. She quickly wrote a note:
I went out at nine with Sister Shan from next door to look around Antique Street. I’ll be back around noon.
She pressed the note beneath the most eye-catching vase.
Sister Shan clicked her tongue teasingly. “Still newlyweds, huh? Even stepping out requires such a detailed report.”
Of course it did. Otherwise Changzong would worry himself sick.
Not only did she leave a note, she asked Grandma Kong to mention it too if she saw him return.
Grandma Kong had rented a small back room for herself after leasing out the house. She usually sold tea eggs near the bus stop. Changzong would definitely pass by.
Sister Shan was genuinely warm-hearted. Along the way, she did most of the carrying.
In Jiang Hongguo’s arms, the baby slept. In Sister Shan’s arms, he kicked and stretched and giggled nonstop. Sister Shan was delighted. “He must have fate with me.”
Actually, that wasn’t it.
Hongguo had long figured out the pattern. The baby liked to play. If he fussed too much in her arms, she’d get tired, so he behaved especially quietly with her—smiling sweetly to cheer her up. With others, though, he bounced and squirmed happily, never minding whether they got tired. Even with Changzong.
She smiled and said something that pleased Sister Shan. “He doesn’t mind strangers—anyone can hold him. But he laughs louder with you. Must be fate.”
The compliment added emotional warmth. Everyone was happy.
After getting off the bus, they passed a two-story building under renovation. Lawyer Qian was arguing with workers in precise, methodical tones about improper workmanship.
Thinking of the purple jade grapes, Jiang Hongguo stepped forward and smoothed things over, coaxing the workers into redoing the work cheerfully.
Lawyer Qian thanked her. They chatted briefly. When he heard they were heading to Antique Street, he kindly warned her, “There are many fakes there. Don’t buy anything expensive.”
Sister Shan laughed. “Do we look foolish? Whether it’s real or fake, we only buy cheap.”
She was quite impressed by Lawyer Qian. He owned a whole building and was a lawyer—someone she’d never normally interact with. Naturally, she began inquiring about him.
“Hongguo, what’s your family’s connection to Lawyer Qian? He looks young. Is he single? Does he have family?”
Hongguo explained that he was Changzong’s grandmother’s student and the lawyer who’d drafted her will. They’d only met a few times. As for family, she didn’t know much—only that he was single, raised in an orphanage, likely unable to find his relatives.
Sister Shan sighed. Hongguo sighed inwardly too.
Both Lawyer Qian and the Sun Aiqin she was about to meet were orphans once sponsored by Grandma Kong. They’d shared a teacher-student bond. Yet Sister Shan, who had been Sun Aiqin’s neighbor for years, had no idea. That meant Qian and Sun hadn’t interacted openly these past years.
Grandma Kong’s students pretending not to know each other…
Something must have happened. Something shared. And someone must have carried guilt. Seeing each other was like seeing that guilt reflected back—so they avoided each other, pretending nothing had happened.
Changzong and Master Wang were probably similar.
On Antique Street, they browsed from the first roadside stall onward. Trinkets, cups, plates—everything claimed to be genuine. As if there could be that many real antiques. Still, people said that sometimes luck struck and someone snagged a treasure for cheap.
Sister Shan was delighted the moment she stepped onto the street. She haggled enthusiastically and bought four sets of cups and plates at a low price.
“I know they’re fake,” she said. “I’m just buying happiness. Didn’t spend much anyway.”
Fair enough. As long as it brought joy, fake was fine.
Jiang Hongguo wanted a fruit platter for home. As she carefully examined the items, her fingertips brushed over bowls and plates—and suddenly, she could see when and how each had been made.
Heavens…
She’d thought that ability only surfaced during pregnancy, when the little one’s power surged. She’d never imagined she could still see after giving birth.
She smiled brightly and kept touching items until she found a large plate styled after Ming dynasty design. Twining floral patterns circled the rim, grapes in the center—perfect to match the purple jade grapes. Just the right size for fruit.
Most importantly, it was a Republic-era imitation. It had some age but wasn’t truly antique. If it were, she’d hesitate to actually use it.
This one was perfect.
Sister Shan liked it too. Grapes symbolized prosperity and flourishing family. She bargained fiercely until the price matched that of ordinary porcelain at the department store. The two women carried their purchases happily.
Finally, they reached the antique shop where Sun Aiqin worked. She was speaking with someone. Sister Shan pulled Hongguo aside to wait.
“That’s her ex-husband’s second aunt. Sun already has a new man—why’s she still coming around? Too late for regrets.”
This was Jiang Hongguo’s first time seeing Sun Aiqin. The woman mostly listened, rarely responding to the chattering ex-aunt-in-law. She seemed steady and composed.
“How did her in-laws hurt her badly enough to divorce?”
Sister Shan couldn’t pinpoint one specific reason. “Her in-laws weren’t terrible. Sun’s an orphan, but she had a powerful teacher—rumor says a once-prominent, noble figure. Later, you know… someone reported her. Nothing was found, though. Probably hidden somewhere—maybe entrusted to trusted students. Sun must’ve had some. Otherwise, how did her in-laws always manage to get things done whenever they needed favors? Everyone was equally poor. What good things could they have had? Must’ve been Sun’s contributions. Back then, no one expected rehabilitation to ever come. Sun divorced right when her teacher was cleared. You understand, don’t you?”
As a neighbor, Sister Shan’s guess sounded plausible. Maybe Sun had wanted to return something, but her in-laws made excuses to keep it.
“But they already benefited,” Hongguo said softly. “Why keep sending relatives after her even after divorce?”
Sister Shan shook her head. “That, I don’t know.”
After the ex-aunt left, Sister Shan stepped forward and introduced Hongguo as the new neighbor.
“She just moved in yesterday. Her husband’s ambitious—already went off to learn driving. Oh, isn’t your husband learning too? Maybe they’ll run into each other.”
Hongguo mentioned where Changzong was learning. Sun’s husband studied there too, though she’d used her classmates’ connections to arrange it.
Thinking about it, Changzong had managed it on his own. That was impressive.
Would he mention they were neighbors?
Hongguo said politely, “I brought some tea leaves from my hometown. When do you get off work? I’ll bring you some.”
Sister Shan chimed in helpfully, boosting Hongguo’s image. “They renovated Grandma Kong’s house beautifully. Good people. As neighbors, we should build good ties and help each other.”
Sun Aiqin smiled. “Of course. I’m not sure what time I’ll finish today. No rush on the tea—when we run into each other at home, I’ll ask you for some.”
Sister Shan showed off the plate they’d just bought. “Nice for fruit, right? Very cheap. Hongguo and I each got one.”
Sun Aiqin examined it. “Republic-era imitation. Obviously fake at a glance. But kilns back then made decent porcelain.”
Hongguo felt secretly pleased. What she’d seen matched the appraisal exactly.
“I just liked how it looked,” she said cheerfully. “Never expected the luck to buy something real.”
Sister Shan laughed. “At that price? No chance it’d be real.”
Jiang Hongguo still hadn’t met the man Sun Aiqin had remarried.
Without fully understanding the situation, she couldn’t rashly decide how to use that IOU.
They chatted a little longer before Jiang Hongguo and Sister Shan headed home.
On the way back, she learned more about Sun Aiqin. The man Sun had remarried was also someone deeply hurt by life. Two wounded people had found each other.
Sister Shan sighed. “I hope she’s met a good one this time and can live peacefully. Though… that man of hers looks fierce. Even I’m a little afraid of him. I haven’t talked to him much, so I don’t really know him.”
Fierce…
Jiang Hongguo wondered silently—had Changzong’s decision not to collect anything from Sun Aiqin something to do with her husband?
Choosing to move here as neighbors really had been wise. In time, she would understand more.
After getting off the bus, Grandma Kong was still selling tea eggs—only a few left. Jiang Hongguo bought them all so she could close up early and go home for lunch.
Sister Shan showed off the porcelain they’d bought. “Grandma Kong, don’t these look nice?”
Grandma Kong snorted. “How many have you bought already? Wasting money.”
Sister Shan laughed. “Look at you. You make more selling tea eggs than people earn at regular jobs, yet you won’t even buy soap—always picking up discarded soap scraps. Such a miser. At your age, what’s the point of being so stingy?”
Meanwhile, Jiang Hongguo picked fruit from a nearby stall. Grapes were in season. She bought three bags and handed one each to Sister Shan and Grandma Kong.
Sister Shan declined a few times before accepting. “Hongguo, you’re too generous.”
Grandma Kong accepted without protest. “Your husband’s back. Bought a lot of meat and a big fish. Said he’s making fried meatballs—and promised to send me a bowl to taste. He knows how to cook?”
Hongguo beamed. “He didn’t before, but he’s clever. Learns fast. His meatballs are delicious. Sister Shan, you should come too—I’ll send you a bowl.”
Sister Shan looked envious. “It’s not about being clever. He dotes on you, so he’s willing to learn. Hongguo, you picked well. Sun Aiqin’s new man cooks too. I knew he couldn’t be bad.”
Grandma Kong nodded. “Exactly. He likes you, that’s why he cooks. Unlike us women—whether we like it or not, we cook for the whole family. Not fair at all.”
Sister Shan didn’t like dampening the mood. But as soon as they reached Hongguo’s courtyard gate, the rich aroma drifting from the kitchen made her swallow.
“Oh my—this smells amazing! Hongguo, your husband can really cook.”
Grandma Kong added, “And he’s efficient too. It hasn’t even been an hour since he got back. Hongguo, where did you find such a man? Does he have brothers? Are they like him?”