Su Jue now lived just a few steps away from the house where Xu Yueyun currently stayed, and someone attended to him daily.
It was also convenient for Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng to bring him medicine and herbal nourishing meals every day.
When Deng Jing and the children were about to arrive, Su Jue finally set aside his work to personally prepare their rooms.
Lin Zhilan’s preparations of a room for Deng Jing were not kept secret from the others.
Lin Zhilan also noticed their hesitations, as if they wanted to say something but held back.
Everyone knew that Deng Jing and Su Jue were currently at odds, and they all hoped Deng Jing could be more understanding of Su Jue.
Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng were Su Jue’s parents, and Su Lang was his younger brother.
Lin Zhilan felt that too many people were already on Su Jue’s side—there was no room left to stand.
So she chose to stand with Deng Jing.
Besides, a forced fruit never tastes sweet.
Lin Zhilan believed that if she kept pushing Deng Jing toward Su Jue, even if Deng Jing agreed reluctantly now, it would backfire in the end.
Their marital issues were for the two of them to resolve. Lin Zhilan, as the hostess, only wanted to give Deng Jing a little space to retreat.
Both rooms were prepared, waiting for Deng Jing and the others to arrive.
When Deng Jing came, she indeed chose to stay in the room Lin Zhilan had arranged for her.
In recent days, Su Jue had followed the doctor’s orders, eating whatever Lin Zhilan told him to eat—even strange-tasting medicinal tonics—and swallowing them without changing his expression.
He wanted to recover his strength enough so that he wouldn’t look frail and weak when Deng Jing saw him.
But to his dismay, when Deng Jing arrived, she barely glanced at him.
Su Pei and Su Yao hadn’t seen him in over two years. Their eyes were filled with unfamiliarity and wariness as they clung tightly to Deng Jing.
Su Jue felt both guilty and heartbroken, a bitter smile twisting the corners of his mouth.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Lin Zhilan pinched Su Lang on the waist and gave him a meaningful look.
Su Lang waved at Su Pei and Su Yao and said, “Peipei, Yaoyao, come here. Come with Uncle Su Lang and see what goodies your Little Aunt has prepared for you?”
Peipei and Yaoyao looked up at their mother.
Deng Jing nodded to them, and only then did they let Su Lang lead them away.
Soon, Lin Zhilan heard Su Lang calling from the room, “Zhilan, come in and take a look. Something’s off with these gifts?”
“What’s off?” Lin Zhilan asked as she walked over.
When she entered the room, she saw that Su Lang had already taken out the gifts for the two children.
They were two strings of shell wind chimes.
The last time Su Pei and Su Yao had visited, they had loved the wind chime hanging in Linlin’s room.
It had been a gift from Yan Yuan to Linlin.
Linlin adored it, so Lin Zhilan hadn’t let her daughter give it away.
This time, knowing they were coming, Lin Zhilan had asked Su Lang to collect many beautiful seashells from the seaside.
Then she had consulted Yan Yuan and made one string of chimes for each child.
Each shell had been carefully chosen—white, pink, and patterned ones—and when strung up, a gentle breeze made them tinkle with a crisp, delicate sound.
Peipei and Yaoyao were instantly charmed. “Thank you, Little Aunt.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lin Zhilan turned to Su Lang and asked, “There’s nothing wrong with the gifts. What did you call me in for?”
Su Lang pulled her over to a chair and made her sit down. “Didn’t you say that the couple’s problems are for them to handle? We need to give them some time alone. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are both too shy. If we stay here, they’ll never feel comfortable talking.”
Lin Zhilan tilted her head and accused him, “You’re biased.”
Su Lang just smiled and didn’t deny it.
He had given his elder brother a chance. Whether Su Jue could seize it was up to him.
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang stayed in the room with Peipei and Yaoyao, while Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng quickly made excuses to leave as well.
Only Deng Jing, Su Jue, and Lu Gang remained in the room.
Su Jue coughed lightly and gestured with his eyes toward Lu Gang.
Lu Gang suddenly stood up. “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Su Jue: “... I want to talk to my wife alone.”
Lu Gang finally understood and walked straight out, standing guard at the entrance of the courtyard.
Su Jue sat down next to Deng Jing. He tentatively reached for her hand, but she shook him off.
He paused for a moment, then forced a smile. “Xiaojing, Zhilan said I’m much better now.”
Deng Jing let out a cold laugh and spoke her first words to him. “That’s good. At least it won’t delay your work.”
A flicker of sadness passed through Su Jue’s eyes, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Deng Jing regretted them a little.
Deep down, she still loved Su Jue—otherwise, why would she still resent him?
But she was afraid.
She had endured years of separation as a couple. She had managed.
The reason she cared so much now about Su Jue being unwell was only because she was terrified he might die.
So, perhaps it was better to keep her distance, to spare herself even greater pain in the future.
Su Jue remained silent for a long time. Deng Jing waited, and an inexplicable anger rose in her, making her want to hit him.
She couldn’t even clearly articulate what she wanted from him.
When Su Jue spoke, she was angry. When he stayed quiet, she was angry too.
Her mind was in turmoil, like running into walls everywhere with no way out.
Seeing Deng Jing’s tears fall, Su Jue grew flustered. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s all my fault. If you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t bottle it up.”
Deng Jing shook her head, biting her lip as she looked at him. “Su Jue, do you even realize—you only have one life!”
Of course, Su Jue knew. He quickly grabbed her hand again.
When Deng Jing tried to shake him off, he only held on tighter.
He said urgently, “Xiaojing, I treasure my life. I treasure it very much.”
“How can I believe you? Go look in the mirror and see how old you’ve become.” Deng Jing looked at him, his graying temples visible through her tear-blurred vision.
He was just over forty, but his hair was already so white.
After barely escaping death, he wanted to return to his top-secret work again.
Deng Jing resented him for failing to fulfill his duties as a husband and father, but even more for not valuing his own life.
Su Jue reached out to wipe her tears. “I promised you—once this project in my hands is finished, I’ll come home and stay with you and the children.”
Deng Jing let out a deep sigh. “Do whatever you want. I’ve never been able to control you.”
Su Jue fell silent. His eyes turned red.
While the couple sat in silence, Jiang Chengzhou and Linlin returned from the supply and marketing cooperative with Su Li, carrying sticky rice candy and various sweets.
Deng Jing quickly pulled her hand away from Su Jue’s, blinked away her tears, and forced a smile. “Chengzhou, Linlin.”
“Hello, Auntie Unca!”
“Hello, Second Aunt.”
Jiang Chengzhou greeted them and locked the candies in the cupboard.
Su Li was mischievous, restless, and had a sweet tooth, so all the snacks at home had to be locked up now.
Still, Jiang Chengzhou left a portion on the table to entertain the guests. “Second Aunt, where did my aunt go?”
Deng Jing had just pulled Linlin into her arms. Her face looked slightly embarrassed as she glanced toward the room. “They’re in the room. Peipei and Yaoyao are there too.”
Jiang Chengzhou also noticed the awkwardness between them and simply nodded without asking further.
Su Li, not shy at all, squeezed next to Deng Jing along with his sister.
