CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: I WILL BE A LOYAL AND WORTHY PARTNER

"Mom, your cooking is amazing today. These fried meatballs are so tasty," said a girl in her early twenties at the dinner table.

The man beside her, presumably the girl’s father, also expressed his admiration, "Yes, they’re indeed very good. Delicious."

Aunt Fat said, "These weren’t made by me; they were made by Jingming’s wife."

"Jingming’s wife?" The man’s chopsticks paused.

"Yes, indeed."

"Mom, you mean Brother Jiang from next door?" The girl, Xu Ru’an, Aunt Fat’s daughter, is a junior in college and doesn’t often come home.

So she hadn’t met Sang Yu.

"Yes, you’ve been in school all this time, so it’s understandable you don’t know," Aunt Fat replied.

"Mom, is Brother Jiang’s wife good-looking?" Xu Ru’an asked curiously.

"Pretty, very pretty," Aunt Fat said, very seriously.

"How pretty?"

Aunt Fat thought for a moment and said, "Prettier than movie stars."

Xu Ru’an was somewhat interested.

She thought she must find an opportunity to meet her next time.

Beside her, Xu Cheng agreed with Aunt Fat’s opinion. On the day of the wedding, although the dress wasn’t extravagant, it was clear the girl was indeed beautiful.

The only downside was that she was a bit thin.

...

Sang Yu was walking along the road when she suddenly stopped.

Her gaze fell on a mother and two children not far off.

There was a boy and a girl. The girl was very thin, and her clothes were already too small, full of patches.

In contrast, the boy’s clothes looked new.

They were sitting by the street eating noodles.

A bowl of noodles was in front of the boy, and the woman also had a bowl of noodles in front of her.

Only the girl had nothing in front of her.

She watched for a long time until the boy put down his chopsticks and said something to the woman beside him.

The woman gently wiped the boy’s mouth, then took the boy’s remaining noodles, divided some for herself, and then placed the bowl in front of the girl.

The girl’s eyes were fixated on the bowl of noodles.

But she hesitated to start.

Not until the woman beside her said something did she begin to gobble up the food.

She saw the disdain on the woman’s face as she looked at the girl.

Soon, the girl finished the bowl of noodles, seemingly in just two bites.

The woman also finished the bowl of noodles in front of her, then said something to the boy next to her before getting up to leave.

The girl hurriedly followed.

Sang Yu noticed that the girl was barefoot.

Even as they walked away, Sang Yu couldn’t avert her gaze.

Her expression gradually grew sorrowful, her eyes looked vacant, seemingly lost in thought.

When she reached the hospital and heard He Xiulan’s voice in the ward, Sang Yu softened her expression and pushed the door open.

"Xiao Yu is here?" He Xiulan smiled at Sang Yu.

Sang Yu smiled back, "Yes, Auntie, these are the fried meatballs I made. Please take them home to eat later."

He Xiulan sniffed them with delight, "Hmm, they smell wonderful. Thank you, Xiao Yu."

Sang Yu shook her head, "It’s nothing."

"Xiao Yu, how about we switch? Anyway, I have nothing much to do, so I’ll come every other day to take care of Jingming. This way, you won’t be too tired," He Xiulan suggested.

He Xiulan still had to take care of Jiang Lan, and apart from painting, Sang Yu didn’t have much to do, so she naturally didn’t want to trouble He Xiulan.

Besides, she was Jiang Jingming’s wife; she ought to take good care of him.

"No worries, Auntie, I don’t have much to do most of the time."

He Xiulan said, "But going back and forth is quite exhausting."

"It’s fine, Auntie, I’m not tired."

"I’m planning to be discharged tomorrow," Jiang Jingming’s voice suddenly interjected.

"Discharge? Can you be discharged now?" He Xiulan asked in surprise, looking at Jiang Jingming.

Jiang Jingming said, "I asked the doctor this afternoon, and I can."

In fact, he felt sorry for Sang Yu, having to go back and forth, which was too tiring.

Moreover, she couldn’t conveniently paint in the hospital.

"Oh, in that case, it’s good, it saves Xiao Yu the trouble," He Xiulan nodded. Since the doctor agreed, there was no problem.

He Xiulan exchanged a few words with Sang Yu and then left.

"You don’t really need to do this; you can rest a bit more in the hospital. It’s not tiring for me to make a few trips," Sang Yu said, taking out the food she brought for Jiang Jingming.

"You are not happy." It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

Even though Sang Yu put on an act when she entered the room.

He still keenly sensed the sadness in Sang Yu.

This was the first time she’d revealed such an emotion.

Sang Yu’s hand paused as she abruptly looked up at Jiang Jingming.

Jiang Jingming’s gaze was direct and unflinching on her.

Sang Yu lowered her head, not speaking.

"Can you tell me why?" He intuitively felt this might be related to why Sang Yu was hiding herself.

Sang Yu said indifferently, "Nothing, it’s just that my aunt came to find me today."

It wasn’t because of this; Jiang Jingming was certain.

But he didn’t press her.

"Sang Yu," Jiang Jingming’s voice was serious and earnest.

Sang Yu looked up at Jiang Jingming.

"We’re already married. In some sense, we are family. I am someone you can rely on and trust.

I consider myself a loyal partner.

I will also strive to be a qualified companion.

I hope, when you encounter something unhappy or happy, you can tell me. I’m here for you to confide in.

I hope I can become someone you confide in."

His deep eyes looked at her, his dark pupils filled with sincerity, containing a touch of gentle warmth rarely shown.

At this moment, Sang Yu’s heart seemed to be gently squeezed.

Seeing his gaze, she instinctively lowered her head, her eyelashes hiding her emotions, her heart pounding.

A confidant?

Since childhood, she felt she shouldn’t show her scars to others.

Because not everyone could empathize with your scars, and some might even tear them open again,

so she learned to keep silent, no longer revealing that scar to anyone.

But he told her he could be someone for her to confide in.

Really? Could he empathize? Could he help protect that scar with her?

Seeing Sang Yu’s silence, Jiang Jingming also understood she’d hidden too deeply, possibly due to her experiences.

So it wasn’t possible to open up all at once.

He changed the topic, "Did your aunt come to see you because of your cousin’s matter?"

Hearing him shift the conversation, Sang Yu suddenly felt relieved, "Yes."

She nodded.

"She didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?" He should have told Lin Wen to be more mindful of the family situation beforehand.

He still hadn’t considered everything.

"No, what difficulty could she possibly cause me?" Sang Yu replied lightly.

"That’s good. I’ll handle it; don’t worry," he assured her.

Sang Yu looked up and gave him a smile, "Alright."