Free Web NovelChapter 47: Chapter 47: Daughter-in-law
She typed Jiang Xia’s QQ number into the search box, and when "Qingfeng Fuyue" popped up, she stared blankly for a moment.
If their first meeting in the pouring rain of their past life had laid the foundation for their romance, then all the small, fated moments that followed only served to deepen their mutual affection.
Back then, she had once believed that the phrase "When faced with indecision, you can ask the spring breeze" was referring to Jiang Xia, just as "The leaves settle in the evening mist" referred to her.
’But we didn’t get to grow old together. It’s such a shame...’
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she typed "Jiang Hanhan" as the contact name and sent a friend request.
He accepted almost instantly. A smile unknowingly graced Lin Yanwan’s lips as she quickly typed on her keyboard.
Lin Baobao: I sent you the music. Give it a listen and see if it works.
Jiang Hanhan: You got it!
Jiang Xia felt a surge of excitement. He saved the file to his "Cat and Mouse" assets folder, then opened it, closed his eyes, and listened intently.
The Hungarian Rhapsody wasn’t overly intense; the melody was pleasant and gentle.
The piece came to an end.
Jiang Hanhan: This is exactly it! I can already see the scene in my head. Thanks, babe! Mwah~
Lin Baobao: Is there anything else you need me to do?
Jiang Hanhan: Well, yes, but it might be a hassle.
Lin Baobao: Just tell me.
Jiang Hanhan: Cat and Mouse doesn’t have any dialogue, but the background music that fits each scene is there from start to finish. Without the score, this classic masterpiece would lose its soul.
Jiang Hanhan: I was originally planning to just find some royalty-free stuff online and throw it together with some editing software, but the result wouldn’t be nearly as good. It wouldn’t be able to properly convey the characters’ emotions in the moment.
Lin Yanwan’s brow furrowed slightly.
Lin Baobao: So, you’re saying you want me to try scoring it?
Jiang Hanhan: Up for the challenge?
Lin Baobao: But I remember the original production had a full symphony orchestra. There’s no way I can do that all by myself, right?
Jiang Hanhan: It doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it can express the characters’ emotions, that’s enough.
Lin Baobao: Well... I’ll give it a try.
Jiang Hanhan: Love you, babe! Mwah~
Jiang Xia stretched. With that, the score for the first episode was taken care of.
In any case, Lin Yanwan was a professional when it came to music. It was definitely better than him aimlessly searching for a bunch of useless assets online and trying to hack something together.
"Xiaxia, dinner’s ready," Xia Shanshan’s voice called from the kitchen.
"Oh! Coming."
He called back, then quickly typed a message: "Babe, I gotta log off for dinner. My mom made braised pork ribs. You want some?
Without waiting for Lin Yanwan to reply, Jiang Xia logged out of QQ. If he left it running on the computer, his parents could easily see their chat history.
Jiang Wende was already home from work and was in the kitchen washing the bowls and chopsticks. Jiang Xia washed his hands and helped carry the dishes to the table.
At the dinner table, the family of three chatted casually, just like any other day. It was usually Jiang Wende recounting stories about the interesting passengers he’d had, with mother and son listening quietly and chiming in once in a while.
’I really enjoy this life.’ If he hadn’t been so impatient for success in his past life, maybe his studio wouldn’t have gone bankrupt. Then Jiang Wende wouldn’t have had to work day and night to pay off his debts, a path that led directly to his fatal car accident.
’This time, I will absolutely not let that tragedy happen again.’
"Your mom tells me your grades have improved a lot recently," Jiang Wende said casually.
Earlier in the kitchen, the couple had formed a united front: for the time being, they wouldn’t meddle in Jiang Xia’s love life. As long as his grades improved, they were fine with everything coming out into the open and even meeting the parents right after the college entrance exams.
’Oh, right. It seems the parents have already met.’
Jiang Xia, who was in the middle of gnawing on a pork rib, instinctively glanced at his mom, wondering what she’d been whispering in his dad’s ear this time.
"I guess you could say it’s a steady upward trend?" he replied cautiously.
"Mm, not bad. One step at a time, stay grounded, and try to live without regrets."
"I’ve done the math. There are exactly three months until the college entrance exams. If you take a small step forward every day and a giant leap every month, getting into the top twenty of your grade by the eve of the exams shouldn’t be a problem," Xia Shanshan said, eating nonchalantly.
’In her mind, her future daughter-in-law was ranked first in the grade. If the two of them wanted to get into the same university, how could he not put in the effort?’
Jiang Xia: "?"
’How the hell is that "one step at a time"? Mom, you’re a teacher, don’t you realize how absurd that sounds?’
’Even though I was reborn, I don’t have a cheat system or anything! My memory is just a teensy bit better than before, that’s all.’
"Can’t do it? If you can’t, then you can forget about the computer, your phone, and seeing your friends. You’ll be locked in your room studying and doing practice problems day in and day out."
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that as long as my grades improve, I get unlimited internet access?"
"That’s right."
"Deal!" Jiang Xia agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
His animation was at a critical juncture, and he’d been racking his brain for a good excuse to get online. Talk about perfect timing; his parents had just handed him the perfect solution.
"Then it’s a deal. We’ll use your exam results as the benchmark. The moment your grades slip, all these privileges will be revoked." A corner of Xia Shanshan’s mouth curled up. ’To get this little rascal to take the bait,’ she thought, ’you have to prod him a little.’
"Well... I’m done! Mom, Dad, take your time."
Jiang Xia shoveled down the rest of his rice, dropped his bowl, and dashed off to the study to get back to his grand undertaking.
Watching him rush off, Jiang Wende was taken aback for a second. He looked at his wife. "Is this really going to work? He’ll just end up spending all his time on things other than studying."
"Our son’s been a sly one since he was a kid. Have you ever seen him make a deal where he comes out on the losing end?"
Xia Shanshan pursed her lips, picked up a pork rib with her chopsticks and placed it in his bowl, then continued, "I saw that girl today. She’s the older sister of one of my students. She came to pick up her sibling after school, and you’ll never guess what happened." freewebnσvel.cøm
Jiang Wende asked in surprise, "She called you ’Mom,’ too?"
"Not exactly, but our son was there, too. The two of them were practically inseparable, and they seem to be very much in love. And..."
Xia Shanshan pressed her lips together. "She gave me a hug and said I reminded her of an elder who was very kind to her when she was young."
At these words, Jiang Wende’s eyes went wide. This was even more wild than when she had called him ’Dad’.
"Could it be that she was just too embarrassed to call you ’Mom’ right then and there, so she tried to get closer to you that way instead?"
"That’s what I thought afterward, too. But the look in her eyes at that moment was... off. It was like..." Xia Shanshan pondered for a couple of seconds before finally finding the right words.
"It was like she’d suddenly seen a relative she hadn’t met in a very long time. Her eyes were a mix of joy, relief, guilt, and other emotions."
"You got all that from a single glance?" Jiang Wende looked skeptical.
"It’s called a woman’s intuition. Something you wouldn’t understand."
Xia Shanshan shot him a glare and went on, "But I really have taken quite a liking to her. If they can make it all the way, I’d have no objections to her as a daughter-in-law."
...
(One more Chapter coming.)
