SKS Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The General

“Grandmother.” Shen Zhuying rubbed her head lightly against Zhou Qinglan. “You’re so good.”

“Grandmother is your grandmother too. If I don’t treat my granddaughter well, then who should I treat well?”

When Fu Sizhuo finished handling his work and came downstairs, he saw the grandmother and granddaughter embracing, both with tears in their eyes.

He paused. “What were you talking about that was so moving? Tell me too?”

Shen Zhuying: “It’s women’s matters, you men shouldn’t butt in.”
Zhou Qinglan: “It’s women’s matters, you men shouldn’t butt in.”

“…”

——

The next day, the three of them went for a stroll in the shopping mall.

The two women were in charge of buying, while Fu Sizhuo followed behind, patiently carrying all the bags without complaint.

Halfway through, he answered a work call.

His demeanor instantly shifted.

Today, Fu Sizhuo wore a black tracksuit. His black hair was casually pushed back, one hand holding the clothes they had just bought, the other holding the phone, his tone calm yet sharp.

It was hard for Shen Zhuying to connect him with that sixteen-year-old Fu Sizhuo, beating on the drums on stage so recklessly.

Zhou Qinglan looked at him, sighed, and in her eyes was a mixture of heartache and relief. “Ah Zhuo and Ah Hua are becoming more and more alike.”

Ah Hua?

Shen Zhuying lowered her gaze slightly.
This was the first time she had heard that name.

After shopping the whole morning and eating lunch back at the old residence, a newly aired TV drama was playing in the living room. Shen Zhuying began to feel drowsy.

She had always had the habit of taking an afternoon nap.

Fu Sizhuo supported her waist lightly. “Go and sleep. I’ll keep Grandmother company.”

“Alright, then you chat with Grandmother.”

She said a word to Zhou Qinglan, then went upstairs.

Unexpectedly, she slept straight through until six in the evening.

Shen Zhuying woke up a little dazed.

She rubbed her head, put her hearing aid back on, and then went downstairs.

When she came down, she found Fu Sizhuo accompanying the old lady in trying on the new clothes they had bought.

The old lady was dressed in a new, modern-style qipao, her smile radiant.

Her silver hair and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes did not diminish her beauty, but instead added a touch of grace accumulated through the years.

Fu Sizhuo, for once, was lounging.

He leaned lazily against the sofa, one hand propping up his temple, dimples showing as he smiled. “I think the red one you just tried on looks prettier.”

“Brat, you’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” The old lady hurled a cushion at him. “You knew I liked this one, and yet you said the red one looked better.”

“Eh… you’re wronging me again.”

A single dim lamp quietly cast its glow, illuminating the uncontainable smiles on both their faces.

The grandmother and grandson seemed to lean against each other like this for a long while.

“Zhuying, you’re awake.” The old lady pulled her over, as if she had been angered enough by her own grandson.
“You come judge, does the one I’m wearing look better, or the red one?”

“The one you’re wearing looks better. It makes you look fresh and elegant.” Shen Zhuying followed along with the old lady’s words.

Zhou Qinglan looked as if she had someone backing her up, shot Fu Sizhuo a glance, and said with disdain, “Exactly, what kind of taste do you have?”

Shen Zhuying echoed like a recorder: “Exactly, what kind of taste do you have?”

At the grandest of occasions, this man was always cold and sharp, able to turn black into white with his words.
Yet at this moment, he was struck silent.

He folded his arms, tilted his head slightly, and calmly accepted the scolding from the two women before him, his smile loose and helpless.

Shen Zhuying met the eyes that held a helpless smile, and for some reason, felt her face grow hot.

Perhaps it was because, at this very moment, Shen Zhuying felt that they no longer seemed like strangers.

The distance between her and Fu Sizhuo seemed to be slowly closing.

Halfway through, they started a game of chess.

Shen Zhuying and Zhou Qinglan huddled together to play against Fu Sizhuo.

Right at the start, Fu Sizhuo had already lost two chariots and one cannon. As the saying goes, three cobblers together make a genius.

But with just two cobblers, they were still only two cobblers, with no sign of any qualitative change.

They played two rounds in a row, and both times Shen Zhuying and Zhou Qinglan lost.

Shen Zhuying puffed out her cheeks, her competitive spirit thoroughly ignited.

But the old lady waved her hand. “No, I’m old, I can’t keep staying up. You young people continue, continue.”

Saying this, she gave the two of them an ambiguous smile. “Go on.”

Then she turned around and went back to her bedroom.

“Still want to play?” Fu Sizhuo casually asked as he put the chess pieces back one by one.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shen Zhuying put her hands on her waist, acting shamelessly.
“This time you have to remove two chariots and two cannons first.”

After pausing for a few seconds: “And remove one horse too.”

Fu Sizhuo curved his lips slightly and went along with her. “Alright.”

In the previous two games, Fu Sizhuo had won with an almost overwhelming advantage.

But this round…
Perhaps even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.

The two of them actually managed to go back and forth quite evenly.
Every time she captured one of his pieces, Shen Zhuying would secretly feel a small burst of joy.

By the end, the board grew more and more tense, with hardly any pieces left.

Shen Zhuying stared at the endgame before her, brows tightly furrowed, unconsciously biting her lip.

Then she watched, wide-eyed, as the man placed a piece in a spot she hadn’t expected at all, and her eyes lit up.

“Are you sure you want to put it there?” Shen Zhuying asked, feigning mystery.

Fu Sizhuo paused, picked up the piece, as if wanting to take it back.

“No!” Shen Zhuying immediately pressed down his hand.
“Once the piece is placed, no regrets!”

A flash of slyness crossed the girl’s eyes, and she instantly moved her chariot three squares.

“Check!”

The defeat was sealed.

Fu Sizhuo chuckled, his face full of regret. “I lost.”

Imitating the chess masters in TV dramas, Shen Zhuying clasped her fists toward him. “Not at all, not at all, just a fluke.”

The two of them stayed at the old residence a while longer, and only when it was about time did they plan to leave.

Unexpectedly, Old Madam Zhou, who had sworn she was sleepy, came out of her room again, brimming with energy, and pulled Shen Zhuying aside to chatter with her for a long time.

So it was late at night by the time the two of them returned home.

As soon as they entered, they saw the little orange cat lying lazily and contentedly on the sofa. When it saw her and Fu Sizhuo return, it couldn’t even be bothered to move.

“Fatter, fatter, it’s really gotten even fatter.”

It had only been two days, yet it was visibly plumper.

“If it gets any fatter, it’ll really turn into a pig.” Shen Zhuying muttered.

“Meow—”

The little orange cat.
No, rather, the big fat orange cat let out a slow meow, showing its dissatisfaction.

The next morning, Shen Zhuying tactfully expressed her opinion to Auntie Li.

“Is it fat?” Auntie Li lifted the big fat orange with one hand. After it meowed ingratiatingly at her, she gradually lost her resolve.
“Isn’t it adorable this way?”

“…”

——

Two days before the Start of Winter, Shen Zhuying’s shop received a huge order.

She didn’t know which domineering CEO was planning to propose, but he had ordered 9,999 red roses from her shop.

When the deposit came through, and she saw that long string of zeros, Shen Zhuying’s smile nearly couldn’t close.

Of course she immediately set to work.

When Fu Sizhuo came to pick her up after work, together with the two new employees Shen Zhuying had just hired, five heads were squatting in a neat row on the floor, trimming roses.

Fu Sizhuo walked over and unerringly reached out to tap her round little head.