Since you are here, you may as well settle down
Liang Huaixu could not remember when the last time something like this had happened.
It seemed to have been during adolescence, but that had been a normal stage of development, so he could face it calmly.
Now that he was already thirty-eight, all he felt was embarrassment.
After what happened last night, if Zhuang Fuyao saw him washing the bedsheets, it would inevitably look like he was trying to cover something up.
On this matter, he did not care about being thrifty. After putting the soiled bedsheet into a storage bag, he went out and threw it into the outdoor trash bin.
With nothing to do on the weekend, he drove to the suburbs to visit Old Madam Zhuang.
Old Madam Zhuang did not live together with Ji Lan and Zhuang Shaoping, but stayed in a house in the suburbs with two aunties.
The house had some years on it and could be considered the Zhuang family’s old residence. But it was well maintained. One side was planted with flowers and plants, and the other side with vegetables.
When he entered, the eighty-seven-year-old Old Madam Zhuang and the two aunties were working in the vegetable patch.
A layer of helplessness appeared in his eyes. Growing vegetables requires quite a bit of physical strength. The family all wanted the old lady to rest more. But she had a stubborn temper and was very persistent about gardening. Whoever stopped her from planting would get scolded.
The old lady was in good health, and when she scolded people, her voice was full and powerful. It was formidable. Liang Huaixu had experienced it once in his early years. Now, he did not dare to persuade her too much. He simply took out the rubber boots he kept in the trunk, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work in the field in her place.
“Go rest for a while. I’ll do it.”
He came to visit Old Madam Zhuang almost every month, so he was already very familiar with these tasks.
“Alright, I’ll rest for a bit then.” Old Madam Zhuang smiled and wiped her sweat, then said to the auntie, “Xiao Feng, go pour Xiao Liang a bowl of herbal tea.”
“Oh right, bring out the new straw hat I bought that’s in my room.”
Old Madam Zhuang took the straw hat from Aunt Feng and went over to put it on Liang Huaixu. “You’ve grown so tall. Bend down a bit!”
Liang Huaixu complied helplessly.
Only then was Old Madam Zhuang satisfied. “Wear the straw hat. Don’t get tanned. If you get too dark, it’ll be hard to find a wife.”
Liang Huaixu almost choked. “What wife am I looking for?”
“You and Fufu have been divorced for five years already. I’ve already started introducing blind dates to Fufu. I can’t favor one over the other. How about it? Shall Grandma introduce one to you too?”
“…”
A trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. “No need.”
“What do you mean no need.” Old Madam Zhuang rolled her eyes at him. “Stop working and come chat.”
There was a small wooden table in the shade under a tree.
After washing his hands, Liang Huaixu sat there, and Aunt Feng poured him a bowl of herbal tea.
Old Madam Zhuang said, “There’s chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and cassia seeds in it. It’s too hot these days. Herbal tea helps reduce internal heat.”
Liang Huaixu glanced at the dark brown herbal tea in the bowl. He did not like the taste of herbal tea. In the past, when he came, he would at most take two sips just to show appreciation.
Today, however, he made an exception and drank a whole big bowl.
Old Madam Zhuang said, “Xiao Feng, go see if Xiao Wang has finished cooking.”
After sending her away, she looked at her former grandson-in-law with a smile. “Tell me the truth. Do you still have Fufu in your heart?”
She had lived to eighty-seven. Although she had lived a life of wealth and comfort, some mistakes in her youth had caused her family ties to be thin.
In her early years, she had looked down on Ji Lan for being an actress. Because of this, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had been quite ugly.
Later, when her granddaughter was born, Old Madam Zhuang awakened a memory.
It turned out this was the world of a book, and every character would unconsciously be influenced by the plot, only breaking free from the plot’s control after the ending.
In that book, Ji Lan and Zhuang Shaoping were the male and female leads. So once they achieved their happy ending and gave birth to Fufu, their plotline was complete.
Without the interference of the plot, she realized she actually quite liked Ji Lan, and even secretly felt proud to have such an award-winning actress as her daughter-in-law.
Old Madam Zhuang had once wanted to repair her relationship with Ji Lan, but a broken mirror was hard to make whole again. Once a relationship between people stepped backward, it was very difficult to return to how it was before. With the slightest misstep, not only would the relationship fail to recover, but they might even become strangers.
Moreover, after so many years, she vaguely sensed that there might be other books in this world.
For example, a few years ago, Fufu’s personality had changed drastically, from a bright, carefree little bird into a wooden bird carving weighed down with worries, losing her vitality. When the grandmother and granddaughter spoke privately, Fufu said that although her life seemed pretty good, she felt very oppressed and restless inside, as if she were looking for some kind of breakthrough.
Old Madam Zhuang knew this was a very typical case of being influenced by the plot. She had experienced similar symptoms before. She just did not know which book this was, who the protagonist was, or what kind of ending it would lead to.
It was not until some time later that Fufu and Liang Huaixu divorced.
Only then did Old Madam Zhuang begin to guess the outline.
But just like her relationship with Ji Lan, even though once the plot finished, the characters could break free from its influence, by then the relationship between Fufu and Liang Huaixu… would probably never return to the beginning.
Since fate had already run its course, it would be better for each to live their own life as soon as possible.
Under the old lady’s scrutinizing gaze, Liang Huaixu felt a little dazed. His thoughts were in a mess, and even he could not sort them out clearly, but he still shook his head in accordance with Old Madam Zhuang’s meaning.
After leaving the small courtyard, he drove to Dongpo Mountain.
There was a temple there that was said online to be very efficacious. The abbot’s surname was Yun. He had been Liang Huaixu’s classmate in graduate school, but later became drawn to Buddhist studies and left home to become a monk.
As Zhuang Fuyao had said, he was a “materialist.” Usually, his study of Buddhist principles was only for self-cultivation. But this time, he very much wanted to seek answers from his friend.
During this period, aside from not knowing how to face the version of her from when their feelings were at their best, he had also been thinking that if the her from the past had soul-transmigrated to the present, then where had the present her gone?
“Because of these causes and conditions, after hundreds and thousands of kalpas, one remains constantly entangled.” After learning of his friend’s confusion, Abbot Yun said, “The her of now is the her of the past. How do you know that the her of the past is not the her of now?”
This was an angle he had never considered before. Liang Huaixu suddenly felt enlightened.
If the current Zhuang Fuyao’s soul had gone back to the past…
Then for her, it would be a good thing.
She could avoid the mistakes she believed she had made and choose the most optimal path.
They might not be together again, but as long as she was happy, as long as Zhuang Fuyao lived happily at every stage of time, he would be content.
*
After the restaurant’s renovation was initially completed, Zhuang Fuyao invited Beiguo and the others to try the Tang-Song Pavilion’s tea pastries.
The tentative items were cherry biluo, flower-shaped goose cake, lychee shaved ice, translucent rice cakes, butter baoluo, and spring water sheng.
Cheng Fan was also there.
Song Qing’s eyes lit up, and she quickly signaled with her eyes for Zhuang Fuyao to make an introduction.
“Baobao, let me introduce…” Zhuang Fuyao had just begun when Song Qing exclaimed in surprise, “Sister, what did you just call him?”
Cheng Fan scratched his head shyly and took the initiative to say, “My name is Cheng Fan. My childhood name is Cheng Baobao.”
“That’s what it was. You scared me for a second.”
Everyone laughed happily.
The few of them quickly became familiar with each other. They were all playful and kept calling Cheng Fan by his nickname.
Cheng Fan’s face turned red from being teased.
After trying the tea pastries, they also arranged to go to KTV to sing.
“You guys go ahead. I need to talk to Cheng Baobao about something. We’ll come later.”
On the way, Zhuang Fuyao casually brought up the chefs’ salaries.
Cheng Fan’s jaw dropped. His family’s income for an entire year might equal just one month of a chef’s salary.
“This is only the base salary. Later, depending on the sales of the tea pastries, there will also be a certain share of dividends, just like with the candies. So you and Mother Cheng really don’t need to think too much. This is the treatment you deserve.”
“But…”
Cheng Fan still felt that his family’s sugar melons were not good enough. They did not match Sister Fuyao’s beautiful restaurant that looked like a palace, nor could they compare to those exquisite tea pastries.
Zhuang Fuyao understood his concerns. “High art and popular art. We also have a Jianghu Pavilion here, and what we need are snacks like the Cheng family’s sugar melons. Even if it weren’t the Cheng family’s sugar melons, it would be other snacks of a similar type. Think about the dramas you watch. What do people of the Jianghu usually eat?”
Seeing that Cheng Fan was wavering, Zhuang Fuyao continued, “Besides the dividends from the sugar melons, you’ll also get a separate salary for working at the restaurant. It may not be as high as the chefs’, but it’s enough for you to bring Auntie Cheng to live well in Jiang City.”
“Alright, Sister Fuyao. I’ll think about it first.”
When they arrived at KTV, Beiguo and Song Qing had already prepared drinks, snacks, and fruit.
They opened with a song by Phoenix Legend.
After that, everyone picked their own songs.
Zhuang Fuyao became the microphone queen on the spot with Cantonese old songs.
Cheng Fan was a bit shy at first, but later, influenced by the atmosphere, he gradually blended in and picked a few songs as well.
Everyone sang to their heart’s content that night.
By the time they finished with “King of Love Songs,” it was already eleven forty at night.
Zhuang Fuyao and Song Qing were headed in the same direction, so she could drive Song Qing home directly.
Beiguo and Cheng Fan lived in the opposite direction.
Thinking that it would not be safe for Beiguo to go back alone, Zhuang Fuyao told Cheng Fan to take a taxi first to send Beiguo to her destination, then change the address.
“When everyone gets home, send a message in the group.”
…
Zhuang Fuyao drove off with Song Qing first.
While Shu Run and Cheng Fan were waiting for a car, a private detective lurking nearby took several sets of photos of them.
These photos were sent to Yi Han.
Yi Han looked at the photos with satisfaction.
Late at night, chatting happily with another man on the street, then getting into a car together to go home.
With these photos, she did not believe Liang Chaoluo would still be willing to go against his family for that girlfriend of his.
*
When Zhuang Fuyao finished sending Song Qing home, Liang Huaixu was waiting for her at home.
After receiving guidance from his friend, his mindset had stabilized a lot.
Since she had come, he would accept it as it was.
Even if she was no longer his wife, she was still his friend and family. She was young, so he would be more tolerant. He would protect her throughout her life and let her live happily in the world sixteen years later.
After figuring this out, there was no need to deliberately avoid her. He just had to treat it with a normal state of mind.
“Are you hungry?”
His tone was very natural. He had already begun stepping into the role of family.
“Hungry!”
Zhuang Fuyao thought he had finally come around, so she naturally played along.
He smiled lightly, his gaze calm. “What do you want to eat?”
“Spicy beef instant noodles with an egg.”
Liang Huaixu was just about to say something when Zhuang Fuyao quickly cut him off. “I’ve read the science articles. It’s already been debunked that instant noodles are junk food. At most, they just don’t have much nutrition, which is why I’m adding an egg.”
“There aren’t any instant noodles at home.”
Liang Huaixu sighed. Her love for instant noodles had started in high school and had never changed.
Zhuang Fuyao’s eyes curved. “I bought a whole box.”
“…………”
“By the way, remember to cook them. Instant noodles taste better boiled.”
“Alright.”
In the annex building, Aunt Yuan happened to wake up to use the bathroom.
From her room, she could see the kitchen in the main house.
When she glanced over there, she rubbed her eyes.
Was that Master in the kitchen?
They all knew that Master never ate late-night snacks, so this must be for Miss Zhuang. Master’s special treatment toward Miss Zhuang was something the household staff had already grown used to.
From interacting with her during this period, Aunt Yuan could tell that Miss Zhuang was truly an excellent person. Beautiful, kind, and talented. It was completely natural for Master to be captivated by her.
*
After making the instant noodles for Zhuang Fuyao, Liang Huaixu went upstairs to rest.
Before going to sleep, he thought back over the evening and felt that treating things with a normal mindset was not that difficult.
He slept very peacefully that night.
The next morning, while washing up, he ran into Zhuang Fuyao.
She had casually tied up her hair and was brushing her teeth sleepily. When she saw Liang Huaixu in the mirror, she was about to greet him when she noticed him hurriedly turning his head away.
Zhuang Fuyao guessed what was going on and looked down.
…No wonder.
She had gotten up in a rush and had not adjusted her nightdress. On top of that, the slight forward tilt while brushing her teeth made the area at her chest faintly visible… and she did not have the habit of wearing a bra to sleep.
She had felt a bit embarrassed at first, but seeing Liang Huaixu acting as if he were avoiding a snake or scorpion made her inexplicably annoyed.
With foam still in her mouth, she shot him a sideways look. “What are you avoiding? It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”
“…………”
A rush of heat went straight to Liang Huaixu’s head, and two thoughts flashed through his mind.
First, when designing the house back then, he should have installed another bathroom on the third floor.
Second, achieving a truly calm state of mind was not as easy as he had imagined.