TYAM Chapter 89

Fu Er walked into the elementary school with a bright smile and a light step. The security guard reached out to stop her. “Middle school students aren’t allowed in.”  

Fu Er’s smile froze. She skillfully pulled out her ID and showed it to him. “I’m here to pick up a child and have a chat with their homeroom teacher.”  

“…You’re in your twenties?!” The guard looked at her like he’d seen a ghost and quickly stepped aside. “Alright, alright, just dress more maturely next time.”  

Fu Er mumbled an acknowledgment and stepped into the campus again.  

Breathing in the air here made her feel both familiar and nostalgic.  

There were still fifteen minutes before school was out. She had arrived early and could take a short stroll around.  

Tao Yingqi happened to be passing by with some teaching materials, and the two ran into each other.  

“Little  Fu?”  

“Sister Qi!” Fu Er beamed. “I’m here to pick up Xingwang from school!”  

Since Tao Yingqi wasn’t in a hurry, she leaned against the railing and chatted with Fu Er about recent events. Then, the young woman suddenly shifted the topic, her eyes lighting up. “By the way, I’m planning to buy an apartment at the end of next year. Any recommendations for good housing developments?”  

Tao Yingqi thought she had misheard.  

“You… plan to settle in Yuhan?”  

“Kind of, but property prices are rising fast, so the sooner, the better.” Fu Er quickly calculated her savings and how much her parents might help. Her mind worked at lightning speed. “A two-bedroom, one-living-room place would be fine. If it’s by a lake or river, even better. About seventy to eighty square meters. I don’t want anything smaller, it would be uncomfortable to live in.”  

Tao Yingqi felt a mix of emotions. “You’re so young. There’s no need to push yourself to work so hard. You should take breaks and relax sometimes.”  

She had been working overtime and dealing with students for five or six years now, and despite all that, she could barely afford a down payment, let alone the mortgage.  

Yet this junior standing in front of her—not only did she lack the exhaustion of someone ground down by work, but she also radiated a kind of bright energy and was already shopping for an apartment.  

“It’s like this,” Fu Er said with a solemn face. “I have a terminal illness. If I don’t earn money and buy a house, I’ll die.”  

Tao Yingqi: …?  

Meanwhile, Peng Xingwang walked out of his classroom, spotting his homeroom teacher chatting with Teacher Fu. He hopped over and greeted her, “Hello, Teacher!”  

“Your brother got swarmed by parents, so I’m picking you up instead,” Fu Er waved at Tao Yingqi. “We’ll talk later!”  

As she led Peng Xingwang out of the school, the boy suddenly realized something was off.  

“You know Teacher Tao?”  

“Of course,” Fu Er said with a grin. “We’re good friends. We’ll even be neighbors in the future.”  

---

Jiang Wang originally planned to gather his friend and boyfriend for a meal, but he got caught up chatting with enthusiastic parents at the school gate, and a few clients also stopped by. By the time Ji Linqiu finished his class, Jiang Wang was still nowhere to be seen. So, Ji Linqiu simply took Peng Xingwang back to his own place for dinner.  

Nowadays, both Ji Linqiu and his father worked as lecturers at the Buwang Education Center, while his mother ran a tailor shop and helped cook whenever she had free time. If things got too busy, she would call Linqiu home to lend a hand.  

They were already very familiar with Peng Xingwang. The boy was talkative, well-mannered, and adored by the elderly. Chen Danhong practically treated him like her own grandson, even adjusting her cooking to avoid spicy food for his young stomach.  

That night, Ji Changxia happened to bring over some fresh beef, perfect for a family meal. With five people at the table, they even threw in a pot of homemade chicken soup.  

Peng Xingwang went straight to his homework after arriving, not even touching the TV remote. When he finished, he helped set the table, much to the old lady’s delight.  

“Come, come, Grandma Chen will get you some soup!”  

Ji Changxia had just finished a busy period at work and wanted to spend time with the family. The dinner conversation was lively, filled with fresh topics.  

Peng Xingwang wolfed down two bowls of rice before heading out to the courtyard to watch the parrots.

After another round of neighborhood gossip, Ji Changxia suddenly remembered something and smiled. “Our community recently organized a volunteer event to visit elderly people living alone, and I signed up to help.”  

“When we were delivering food and supplies, I noticed that one household had two elderly women living together.”  

Chen Danhong was curious. “Maybe their husbands passed away, so they decided to live together? That sounds pretty nice.”  

“I actually asked them,” Ji Changxia shook her head. “Neither of them ever married or had partners. They’ve just lived together their whole lives.”  

Ji Linqiu’s gaze flickered slightly, and he quietly lowered his head to sip his soup.  

“How could that be?” Ji Guoshen looked worried. “Did something happen to them when they were younger? Can they really take care of each other?”  

“What’s so hard about that?” Chen Danhong dismissed the concern. “You think women can’t lift a gas tank or carry a sack of rice just because there’s no man around? When you were in Xinjiang volunteering as a teacher, I raised two kids by myself just fine.”  

Ji Guoshen wanted to say more, but hearing that, he felt guilty and just nodded in agreement.  

Ji Changxia had spent the whole afternoon with the two elderly women, helping them with chores and chatting with them. Thinking back, she still felt a little emotional.  

“I asked them if two women living together ever got into fights.”  

“And they told me it was no different from an ordinary couple. They had little quarrels, but nothing that lasted overnight.”  

“Guess how old they are?”  

Chen Danhong was fully engaged in the story. “They must be in their sixties?”  

Ji Changxia held up eight fingers. “One is 79, the other is 83. They’ve almost lost all their teeth.”  

Ji Guoshen had never heard of such a thing. “They never married? No men ever came to propose?”  

“They’re happy without marriage. Maybe they never liked men in the first place,” Ji Changxia said indifferently. “Living freely and happily into old age… seems like a pretty good life to me.”  

Chen Danhong had been about to agree, but then she suddenly remembered her own son. She quickly glanced at Ji Linqiu, who was silently drinking his soup, and awkwardly changed the subject. “Well, that’s their business. We’re just listening.”  

She had spent her whole life as a housewife, and upon hearing about these two women, her first reaction was actually envy.  

How nice it would be — two women, sharing housework, no in-laws to serve, a peaceful life together.  

But when she thought about it more, something felt unnatural. It was hard to say exactly what, but it seemed… off.  

Ji Linqiu remained silent throughout the rest of the meal. When he finished, he put on his coat, said goodbye to his parents, and left with Xingwang.  

Once their children were gone, Ji Guoshen picked up a rag and started wiping the table, looking troubled.  

Chen Danhong noticed his mood. “What now? Your daughter didn’t ignore you, did she?”  

“It’s not about Changxia,” Ji Guoshen said irritably. “Do you think those two elderly women might have… that kind of relationship?”  

Chen Danhong was puzzled. “What kind of relationship?”  

She saw Ji Guoshen frowning and took a moment to realize what he meant. She wasn’t concerned. “So what if they live together? I’ve heard that in some places, like in Chaoshan, lots of women do that. You’re overthinking it.”  

“But Linqiu said before that he doesn’t like women,” Ji Guoshen said, deeply worried. “And now, he’s always with Boss Jiang. He works in his company, they share an apartment. He said it’s for convenience, to avoid commuting back and forth for meetings. But something feels off to me.”  

“You’re worrying too much. Stop overthinking,” Chen Danhong took the rag from him and washed it, drying her hands as she spoke. “I was talking to Sister Huang downstairs. We’re planning to enroll in a senior citizen university together. What do you think?”  

“The tailoring shop work can mostly be done in the mornings, and I can bring things home to finish in the evenings. But if I go to school, you’ll have to cook sometimes.”  

Ji Guoshen was taken aback. “You… want to go to senior citizen university?”  

He actually thought it was a great idea – if his wife attended classes, they’d have more to talk about. But like a child, he didn’t know how to react. “But if you’re busy, who’s going to take care of the house…?”  

“Then just eat at the cafeteria with Linqiu,” Chen Danhong laughed. “You’re the one who said their meals are nutritious, with soup and meat every day. I’ll make something nice for you on weekends.”  

This wasn’t about food at all.  

Ji Guoshen had thought he could use this excuse to make her stay, but after listening to her, he suddenly realized how much he actually depended on her. Now, he was reluctant to let her go.  

“Alright,” he finally agreed, reasoning overtaken by the scholar in him. “Where will you study? How long is the program?”  

“Four bus stops away. They teach all kinds of subjects. It’s great.” Chen Danhong smiled. “This way, you two won’t look down on me for not knowing anything anymore. Apparently, they even have English classes! Ha, can you imagine this old lady learning English?”  

“…We never thought that!”  

---

Driving home, Jiang Wang spotted a familiar figure on the roadside.  

Ji Linqiu wasn’t wearing his coat properly; it was just draped over his shoulders. He was holding Peng Xingwang’s hand, walking slowly in the night.  

Jiang Wang slowed down and matched their pace for a while, but Ji Linqiu didn’t seem to notice.  

So, he honked lightly and playfully called out, “Who’s this handsome teacher and this poor little kid?”  

Peng Xingwang was both happy and annoyed. “Big Brother! Who are you calling a poor little kid?!”  

Ji Linqiu snapped out of his thoughts, saw who it was, and smiled. He got into the car with Xingwang.  

But even after getting in, he remained silent, like a lone bird separated from its flock.  

Jiang Wang chatted idly with Xingwang while keeping an eye on Ji Linqiu through the rearview mirror. He could tell something was off. Whether it was work-related or personal, he wasn’t sure.  

After Peng Xingwang finished rambling about school, he suddenly remembered something and excitedly said, “At dinner, Sister Changxia talked about two old ladies who live together until they are ninety! They had such a great relationship!”  

Ji Linqiu paused. “Weren’t you outside looking at the parrots?”  

“My ears work just fine!” The kid said proudly. “Even if I sit in the last row, I can still hear the teachers whispering up front!”  

Jiang Wang instantly understood and casually probed, “Two old ladies?”  

“Yeah! They never got married and lived together all their lives,” Peng Xingwang said, full of enthusiasm. “Isn’t that awesome? They could watch My Fair Princess together, put on face masks together, and never fight over the remote.”  

“If only Brother Wang and Brother Linqiu could do the same,” the boy sighed. “I wouldn’t even want to leave for college. I’d want to live with you guys forever.”  

Jiang Wang chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle the kid’s hair.