Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Truth Behind Ruan Shaodong's Remarriage Before long, a slightly plump old woman walked out with a beaming smile. "Miss Ruan... is that Tangtang who's come?" Chu Tang was slightly taken aback. "Grandma, do you know me?" The old woman walked up to Ruan Chutang, tears welling in her cloudy eyes, her expression deeply moved. "Tangtang has grown so tall. Time really flies." Chu Tang's lips parted slightly, not quite understanding what was going on. Jiang Shixu spoke up at the right moment. "This is where I learned to cook." Chu Tang turned to look at him. Jiang Shixu explained, "This is Grandma Wang. She used to be the Su family's housekeeper. Aunt Su's cooking skills were also learned from this old lady." Grandma Wang looked at Ruan Chutang, weeping tears of joy. "This really is Tangtang. Your eyes are exactly like your mother's. Tangtang, I even held you when you were little." When Chu Tang heard Grandma Wang mention her mother, her eyes instantly filled with a pool of tears. "Yes, I'm Tangtang. Grandma Wang, I've come to see you." "Come in, come in, have a seat." Grandma Wang invited them inside. "Zhuzi, go to town and buy some groceries. Get plenty of good stuff. I'll cook a meal for President Jiang and Tangtang in a bit." "Got it!" The man called "Zhuzi" replied, then hopped on the motorcycle in the courtyard and drove off. Grandma Wang held Chu Tang's hand and reminisced about the past, telling her many stories about Su Qingyun's younger days. It was only then that Chu Tang learned her mother had taken the initiative to learn cooking in order to pursue Ruan Shaodong. Her mother—a young lady from a distinguished family who had never so much as touched a drop of water for housework—had willingly stepped into the kitchen and picked up a spatula for the sake of a man. Chu Tang's emotions were complicated. When she was little, she remembered her parents loving each other deeply. Even after her mother passed away, Ruan Shaodong had been depressed for quite some time. Since he loved her mother that much, why did he remarry just two years after her death? And why did he marry her mother's best friend? When she was young, her mother had brought her to meet Yang Xuelian a few times. Yang Xuelian didn't live in Jiangcheng, so although she and her mother were close friends, they didn't see each other often. Chu Tang remembered that she used to quite like Yang Xuelian. Every time they met, Yang Xuelian would take her to buy pretty little dresses and delicious little cakes. But after Yang Xuelian married Ruan Shaodong, whatever affection had existed between them was completely used up. To be fair, after marrying into the family, Yang Xuelian had treated her very well—even better than when she was just her auntie. She gave her the best of everything in food and clothing. But Chu Tang could never bring herself to like Yang Xuelian again. Thinking of this, Ruan Chutang asked softly, "Grandma Wang, do you know Yang Xuelian?" Grandma Wang thought for a moment. "Is she that young woman who was very close to your mother? I know her. Before your mother got married, she used to come over to the house often. She was your mother's college classmate—the two of them were very close." Chu Tang's expression darkened slightly. "She's my stepmother now." Grandma Wang paused, as if recalling something. After a moment, she said, "I remember that before your mother passed, that Miss Yang came to the hospital to see her several times. Once, when I went to the hospital to visit your mother, I heard her say that after she was gone, she hoped Miss Yang would take care of you. She said she didn't want you to become a child without a mother's love. Your father was there too. Your mother said that if your father was going to remarry, it could only be Miss Yang—she wouldn't feel at ease with anyone else." "How could this be..." Chu Tang's face turned slightly pale, a dull ache pressing in her chest. Father marrying Aunt Yang was actually her mother's dying wish? And all of this was simply because her mother didn't want her to grow up without a mother's love—she wanted a stepmother to take her place and love her well. Chu Tang's eyes reddened at the corners, her lashes trembling slightly. She said nothing more. Jiang Shixu silently took her hand, his rough thumb gently squeezing her palm. At noon, Grandma Wang cooked up a full table of dishes. The flavors were exactly the same as what Su Qingyun used to make. Chu Tang didn't want to dampen the mood. She temporarily set aside those sad thoughts, forced out a bright smile, and praised Grandma Wang's cooking. Grandma Wang said animatedly, "Tangtang, you don't know this yet, but President Jiang came to visit me many times before. Every single time, he insisted on following me into the kitchen to watch me cook." Hearing this, Chu Tang turned her tear-misted eyes toward Jiang Shixu, her voice tinged with a nasal tone. "Why did you come here to learn how to cook?" The man's features were gentle, his voice soft. "To cook for you." Chu Tang asked in confusion, "Why?" Jiang Shixu slowly turned his head and looked into her beautiful eyes. "During the time after Aunt Su passed away, you never ate properly. I was worried about you." Speaking of Su Qingyun, Grandma Wang also grew melancholy and let out a sigh. After a moment, the old lady said, "A few years after your mother got married, I fell ill. The doctor told me to rest well and not overwork myself, so I simply resigned and returned to my hometown. Later, when your mother was sick and hospitalized, I went to visit her a few times. That's when I got to know President Jiang. He was only in his teens back then—still just a child himself." As she spoke, Grandma Wang's gaze shifted between the two of them. "President Jiang truly cares about you. When he saw you refusing to eat because you were heartbroken, he came to me specifically to learn how to cook. He's a smart young man—he picked it up in just a few days." "Later on, President Jiang would occasionally come by to visit me. He also found a doctor to treat my illness and covered all the medical expenses, saying it was tuition for learning to cook." Chu Tang thought of something and suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief. "The meals the nanny brought me after my mother passed away... you made those yourself?" "Mm." A single, simple syllable, yet it stirred a thousand waves in Chu Tang's heart. ... A few more days passed in the cool October autumn breeze. That day, Gu Zechuan dressed himself up to the nines and headed to an auction. Among the items up for bidding was a pink diamond necklace, said to be a former treasure of the British royal family. He wanted to win that necklace as an engagement gift for Su Yu's cousin. Chen Wan, dressed to the nines herself, accompanied him to the auction. No sooner had they arrived outside the venue than Gu Zechuan spotted Ruan Chutang. The man she was clinging to was the very same one he'd fought with before. Gu Zechuan walked over with a dark expression. "Chu Tang, what are you doing here?" Ruan Chutang had just been in conversation with someone. Seeing Gu Zechuan approach to greet her, that person took their leave. Ruan Chutang, holding onto Jiang Shixu's arm, replied in a cold tone, "What else would I be doing here? Attending the auction, of course." By then, Chen Wan had walked over. Hearing this, she sneered contemptuously. "You? Attending an auction? What could you possibly afford?" Gu Zechuan's gaze swept over coldly, displeasure written across his brow. Chen Wan reluctantly fell silent, though a disdainful snort still escaped her nose. Then her gaze landed on the man beside Ruan Chutang, and she froze for a moment. This man had handsome features, an aristocratic bearing, and was dressed head to toe in custom-tailored attire, with a watch on his wrist worth tens of millions. Not only that—he exuded an imposing aura that kept others at a distance, carrying the innate presence of one born to power. In front of a man like this, even the handsome Gu Zechuan was reduced to mere background, paling in comparison. When had Ruan Chutang managed to latch onto someone like this? The contempt on Chen Wan's face was replaced by envy. Jiang Shixu's expression was cool and aloof; he didn't even spare Gu Zechuan or Chen Wan a single glance. He only said to Ruan Chutang, "Let's go, Tangtang." His tone was exceedingly gentle. Chen Wan was stunned. The relationship between these two was clearly anything but ordinary. Ruan Chutang paid Gu Zechuan no further mind and followed Jiang Shixu away. Chen Wan stared at Jiang Shixu's retreating figure, a thoughtful look on her face. Gu Zechuan strode after them, leaving Chen Wan standing there alone.