There was definitely a problem here! It wasn’t just that she wanted Jiang Yi as her daughter-in-law.
Though Jiang Qionghua felt a pang in her heart, hearing Jiang Yi finally call her “Mom” after all this time still brought her immense joy. She decided not to dwell on how this title had come about.
Pursing her lips in happiness, Jiang Qionghua asked, “So does that mean you want to marry Sixian? When? Why not strike while the iron’s hot—the sooner the better?”
Jiang Yi chuckled and replied, “No need to rush. Let me establish some financial stability first. I can’t really marry into their family, can I?”
She said “their family,” not “the Jiang family.” Hearing this distinction made Jiang Qionghua even happier.
With a gratified expression, she said, “Marrying in wouldn’t be a problem. You’re both Jiangs—any children would still carry the Jiang name. There’s no real difference.”
Jiang Yi smiled faintly and sighed. “It’s better if there’s some distinction.”
After chatting a while longer in the study, Jiang Qionghua finally let Jiang Yi leave. Just as Jiang Yi was stepping out, Jiang Qionghua called after her, “Don’t forget to write up your proposal. Once I’ve reviewed it, I’ll allocate your budget.”
Jiang Yi nodded and flashed an OK sign before exiting the study.
By the time Jiang Yi returned to the cottage, Jiang Sixian had already finished bathing. When Jiang Yi pushed open the bedroom door, she found Jiang Sixian sitting on the edge of the bed in her sleep robe, drying her hair.
Her head was tilted slightly as the hairdryer blew through her sleek, long locks. The collar of her robe had slipped down her left shoulder, revealing a stretch of fair skin and delicate collarbone—an undeniably alluring sight.
Jiang Yi walked over, took the hairdryer from her, and began drying her hair for her.
Enjoying the pampering, Jiang Sixian rested a hand on Jiang Yi’s waist, tilting her head back to gaze up at her through half-lidded eyes. “What did Auntie want with you?” she asked languidly.
Jiang Yi ran her fingers through Jiang Sixian’s hair and answered with a smile, “Same as always—she keeps trying to give me money.”
Jiang Sixian pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “If she wants to give it to you, just take it,” she said.
Jiang Yi shook her head. “That’s her money. I can’t just accept it without reason.”
Jiang Sixian pouted. “When she married my mom, I received a huge sum of assets for no reason at all. What does that count as?”
Jiang Yi laughed, leaned down, and kissed Jiang Sixian’s cheek. “That was her love for you and Auntie Ning,” she coaxed.
“But when she gives you money, it’s also out of love. Why can’t you accept that?”
Jiang Yi tilted her head in thought. “Because I still have reservations. Maybe once I can return her love in equal measure, we can revisit this.”
Finishing with her hair, Jiang Yi decided to change the subject. She crouched in front of Jiang Sixian, smoothing her long locks before looking up at her with a smile. “Though she did bring up something interesting.”
Jiang Sixian lowered her gaze, curious. “What was it?”
Jiang Yi grinned and lightly stroked her cheek. “She asked when we’re getting married.”
Jiang Sixian let out a soft gasp of surprise. “Why would Auntie ask that?”
Jiang Yi shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe she wants me to settle down and establish myself.”
She took Jiang Sixian’s hand, gazing at her with sparkling eyes. “But I think Auntie Ning might feel the same way—otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought it up.”
Jiang Yi tapped Jiang Sixian’s nose playfully. “Congratulations, sis—you’ve achieved the milestone of parental marriage pressure. Soon enough, they’ll probably start pestering us about having kids too.”
“To avoid daily nagging, you’d better recover quickly and marry me, alright?”
Jiang Sixian wasn’t sure if this counted as a proposal, but hearing Jiang Yi say these words made her feel just as elated as if it were one. She nodded emphatically, her eyes shining as she replied, “Okay.”
Jiang Yi stood and ruffled her hair. “Did you take your medicine tonight?”
Jiang Sixian shook her head. “It’s too bitter. I’ll only take it if you feed me.”
Jiang Yi agreed readily. “Then I’ll get it for you. Will you take it now?”
“Okay.”
Jiang Yi fetched Jiang Sixian’s medication from her bag, carefully portioned out each pill into her palm, and mixed them with a glass of water before feeding them to her one by one.
Jiang Sixian truly detested taking medicine. Even with Jiang Yi by her side, she still grimaced with every swallow.
Watching her sip the water in small, reluctant gulps—like a delicate little kitten—Jiang Yi’s heart ached.
She couldn’t help but cradle the back of Jiang Sixian’s neck, murmuring, “Get better soon, so you won’t have to take these anymore.”
After struggling through the last pill, Jiang Sixian finally looked up at Jiang Yi. “I’ll recover quickly. Now go take your shower.”
She gave Jiang Yi a gentle push toward the bathroom. “I’ve laid out your clothes for you. Hurry up and wash, then come keep me company.”
Jiang Yi nodded. “Okay.”
Tonight was a rare evening of reunion under the full moon. After her shower, Jiang Yi lay in bed with Jiang Sixian, simply talking without any other activities. When Jiang Sixian began to grow drowsy, Jiang Yi pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “Jiang Sixian, sleep now.”
Jiang Sixian wrapped her arms around Jiang Yi’s waist and looked up. “Will you still be here when I wake up tomorrow?”
Jiang Yi nodded. “I will.”
“And the day after?”
“Of course.”
Still unsatisfied, Jiang Sixian pressed further. “What about next year? The year after that? Will you stay with me always?”
Jiang Yi understood what she was really asking. She stroked Jiang Sixian’s hair and reassured her, “You’ve marked me, haven’t you? As long as I carry your mark, I’ll always be by your side. I won’t go anywhere.”
Pleased by these sweet words, Jiang Sixian finally relaxed. She tugged aside the collar of Jiang Yi’s sleepwear and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, murmuring, “That mark isn’t strong enough. Let me reinforce it.”
Jiang Yi acquiesced, and another vivid love bite bloomed on her fair skin.
——————
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiang Yi and Jiang Sixian returned to their own home. Jiang Yi threw herself into research while drafting her business proposal, eagerly preparing to realize her dream of becoming a “livestock tycoon.”
During this period of self-improvement, Jiang Yi received some unexpectedly wonderful news.
One afternoon in mid-October, Yu Yu called Jiang Yi out of the blue. Startled, Jiang Yi answered anxiously, “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong? Is the money not enough? Or is something wrong with Xiao Meng…?”
On the other end, Yu Yu’s voice trembled with emotion. “No… no… Xiao Yi, we’ve found a matching bone marrow donor for Xiao Meng!”
Hearing this, the heavy stone weighing on Jiang Yi’s heart finally lifted.
Overjoyed, she exclaimed, “That’s wonderful news! When’s the surgery? How much will it cost? Where? What do you need me to do?”
Yu Yu explained that the operation wouldn’t be performed locally—they would need to go to Yuncheng’s First People’s Hospital, with the procedure scheduled for early November.
Ecstatic, Jiang Yi immediately said, “Come here. I’ll arrange accommodations for you. Just focus on taking care of Xiao Meng—don’t worry about anything else.”
After hanging up, Jiang Yi couldn’t stop smiling.
That evening, when Jiang Sixian returned from her regular meeting and saw Jiang Yi grinning at her phone in the backseat, she asked curiously, “Jiang Yi, what are you so happy about? You look like you’ve won the lottery jackpot—did something good happen?”
Jiang Yi took her hand, beaming. “You noticed?”
Jiang Sixian nodded, smiling back. “With that expression, how could anyone miss it?”
Jiang Yi scratched her cheek sheepishly. “I guess so.” But her excitement was too great to contain. She squeezed Jiang Sixian’s hand and said, “Remember the widow of my comrade-in-arms I told you about?”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “Of course.” How could she forget? This was the person Jiang Yi had given all her savings to after leaving the military.
Jiang Yi continued, “My comrade had a younger sister who was diagnosed with leukemia last year and had to suspend her studies for treatment. But now it’s okay—they’ve found a matching donor. She can have the transplant.”
She clutched Jiang Sixian’s hand tightly, her voice brimming with joy. “She’s going to be saved, Jiang Sixian. Do you understand? She’s going to be saved!”
Jiang Sixian rarely saw her this elated. Knowing her happiness stemmed from her comrade’s sister getting a second chance at life, Jiang Sixian found herself infected by the emotion and smiled as well.
Softly, she replied, “I understand, I understand. This is wonderful news!”
Jiang Yi nodded emphatically. “The best news possible!”
Jiang Sixian asked with a smile, “Is the surgery date set? Will you go to your comrade’s side to accompany them through it?”
She suspected Jiang Yi—who had done so much already—would want to witness this moment of hope firsthand.
Jiang Yi answered cheerfully, “It’s scheduled, but in Yuncheng. They’ll be coming here, so I’ll need to pick them up. It’s on the 17th—I’ll need to ask for time off that day.”
Jiang Sixian gazed at her tenderly. “You don’t need to ask. The 17th is a Saturday—I won’t be working. I’ll go with you.”
Jiang Yi looked at her in surprise. “You want to come too?”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “Of course. These are people who knew you during the years we were apart. I should meet them to understand how you lived during that time.”
Jiang Yi’s heart trembled. She squeezed Jiang Sixian’s hand and agreed, “Okay.”
Time flew by, and soon the 17th arrived. That afternoon, Jiang Yi drove to Yuncheng’s high-speed rail station to meet Yu Yu and Xu Meng.
The two stood out strikingly at the exit—neither wore any disguises, drawing countless glances from passersby.
Leaning against Jiang Yi’s shoulder, Jiang Sixian could clearly sense the difference from their last airport pickup. Today, Jiang Yi radiated pure excitement and anticipation.
It seemed these two people truly meant a great deal to her.
Curious, Jiang Sixian rested her head on Jiang Yi’s shoulder and asked, “Jiang Yi, did you used to visit the Xu family often?”
Jiang Yi shook her head. “Not exactly. But Sister-in-law would sometimes visit Xu Jie at the base—she’d make dumplings for us and even mended my uniform once.”
“The whole family is wonderful. I always enjoyed spending time with them.”
Jiang Sixian felt a twinge of something unpleasant at these words. She lifted her head to study the warmth in Jiang Yi’s eyes and found herself inexplicably unsettled.
Just then, Jiang Yi spotted Yu Yu helping Xu Meng through the crowd, pulling their luggage behind them.
Jiang Yi immediately waved. “Sister-in-law! Over here!”
Hearing this, Jiang Sixian quickly looked toward the exit.
Amid the flow of passengers, a graceful woman with long black hair—dressed in a gray coat—supported a short-haired girl in a red down jacket as they turned toward the sound.
Jiang Sixian studied the woman’s features and frowned slightly. For some reason, she thought Yu Yu’s eyes bore a faint resemblance to Jiang Yi’s mother. The realization left her vaguely uncomfortable.
At that moment, Yu Yu recognized Jiang Yi and offered a pale but gentle smile. She guided Xu Meng forward, greeting softly, “Xiao Yi…”
Xiao Yi? The nickname only deepened Jiang Sixian’s unease.
As they approached, Jiang Yi took Jiang Sixian’s hand and stepped forward to meet them. She released Jiang Sixian to take the luggage from Yu Yu.
Then, letting go of Jiang Sixian completely, she reached out to ruffle Xu Meng’s hair. “Feeling better, Xiao Meng? Was the trip tiring?”
Xu Meng smiled shyly. “Not tired at all, Sister Xiao Yi.”
Her gaze then drifted curiously to Jiang Sixian. Yu Yu, too, seemed to be studying Jiang Sixian with subtle interest.
Noticing this, Jiang Yi quickly introduced, “This is Jiang Sixian, my fiancée.”
Xu Meng’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sister Xiao Yi has a girlfriend?”
Jiang Yi nodded. “Yes, and I’ve had her for a long time.”
Though initially displeased, Jiang Sixian couldn’t help smiling at the word “fiancée.”
Jiang Yi then turned to make introductions. She drew Jiang Sixian forward, saying, “This is Xu Meng, Xu Jie’s younger sister.”
Jiang Sixian smiled at the girl. “Hello, Xiao Meng.”
Xu Meng blinked up at her brightly. “Hello, sister!”
Next, Jiang Yi gestured to Yu Yu. “And this is Yu Yu, Xu Jie’s wife—my sister-in-law.”
Jiang Sixian straightened slightly, facing the omega whose features faintly echoed Jiang Qionghua’s. With practiced grace, she said, “Hello, Sister-in-law. I’m Jiang Sixian.”
Yu Yu met her gaze and smiled gently. “Hello. It’s lovely to meet you.”
She extended a hand toward Jiang Sixian. “With someone as beautiful as you by Xiao Yi’s side, our Old Xu can finally stop worrying about her marriage prospects. From now on, we’ll leave Jiang Yi in your care.”
Jiang Sixian was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, accepting the handshake. “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. I’ll take good care of her.”
From this day forward, she would be the one looking after Jiang Yi—no one else needed to bother.
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