Chapter 70: Those Truly Meant to Be

"Excuse me... do you need any help?" Jiang Yao stood at the entrance of the neighboring shabby wooden door and gently knocked.

No one responded from inside; the child’s cries continued unabated.

"Excuse me..." Jiang Yao tried again, knocking softly.

The wooden door suddenly swung open.

Standing in the doorway was a woman who looked somewhat haggard, her whole demeanor reeking of alcohol and impatience. She glanced at Jiang Yao, "What do you want?"

"Oh, I heard noises from inside, so I thought..."

"I just accidentally knocked over the kettle. Is that any of your business?" the woman snapped.

"Sorry to bother you..." Jiang Yao turned to leave, but suddenly seemed to recall something and looked back. "Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?"

The woman before her gave Jiang Yao an uncanny sense of familiarity.

Upon hearing this, the woman couldn't help but scrutinize Jiang Yao.

The two of them stood face to face, studying each other, and suddenly, simultaneously, realization dawned on them.

"Aren’t you..." Jiang Yao never expected to meet an acquaintance here, "Are you the sister who fell after drinking and ended up in the hospital last time?"

The woman seemed to sober up a little and couldn't help but smile, scratching her hair. "Yes, last time you even helped me look after my child for a whole day. I’m really sorry."

She was not someone who enjoyed socializing, but since Jiang Yao had helped her before, she felt compelled to be polite and friendly.

"It’s nothing," Jiang Yao waved her hand, her gaze inadvertently sweeping into the room, where she spotted the blind little girl she had seen before. "But, how come you suddenly moved here?"

The woman gave a bitter smile, glancing back at her child. "Come in and sit."

The recently moved-in room was simple, but already cluttered with empty bottles.

Jiang Yao stepped over the bottles and took a seat on a small stool, accepting the glass of water the woman handed her, and looked around.

The woman sat across from her. "You must be curious. Wasn’t I supposed to be marrying my fiancé? Why did I bring my child here?"

Jiang Yao nodded.

"I came here to hide."

"He... he doesn’t treat you well?" Jiang Yao asked, surprised.

The woman quickly shook her head. "No, he’s wonderful, too wonderful, in fact, to the point where I don’t know what to do. I just haven’t figured things out yet. Every time I think about marrying him, I feel uneasy. And... in some sense, I’m not divorced yet..."

Jiang Yao nearly choked on a sip of water.

Perhaps it was the presence of a familiar face, or perhaps because Jiang Yao had once helped her, the woman felt the urge to confide.

"Xiaoxiao, come here," she beckoned her daughter. The girl wiped her tears and walked over to her mother.

"Back then, I left her father secretly, and only after leaving did I realize I was pregnant. Legally, we never filed for divorce. Now, if I want to remarry, I’ll have to go back and settle the divorce first, but..."

"Is he a bad person?"

"No," the woman shook her head, "In my memory, he’s always been a good person, good to me, good to everyone. I just never expected..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, and seeing the bitter, troubled look on her face, Jiang Yao didn’t press her further.

"You don’t want to see him again."

The woman nodded. "This is my grandmother’s hometown. I wanted to be alone here, to think about what to do next."

"Then you’ve come to the right place. Everything here is wonderful."

"You seem to really like it here. What about you? Why did you come?"

Jiang Yao propped her chin in her hand. "I came to play a game of hide-and-seek."

She pulled a lollipop from her pocket and placed it in Xiaoxiao’s small hand. "It’s very sweet."

Xiaoxiao grasped the lollipop, bewildered but polite, and thanked her.

The woman smiled with relief. "This child, from the moment she was born, couldn’t see a thing. The doctor said there’s still hope, but she needs the right corneas. But finding suitable corneas isn’t easy, and her surgery requires very advanced skills. So we wait, and wait, and we’re still waiting."

"Oh, your name is Jiang Yao, right?" The woman collected her thoughts. "You look much younger than me. You can call me Sister Aqing."

Over the next days, Jiang Yao and Sister Aqing became more and more familiar.

They often dried freshly cut sweet potatoes together in the courtyard, watched dramas under the grape trellis, occasionally followed entertainment news or chatted about gossip.

Sister Aqing’s lonely nights drinking became fewer and fewer.

Here, the sky was always blue, and the clouds drifted slowly overhead.

Time passed swiftly, and before long, summer was giving way to autumn.

Sister Aqing was inside, choosing an outfit for her daughter to wear on their outing.

Jiang Yao stood in the yard, hanging freshly washed clothes on the line.

A Mercedes slowly pulled up in front of the little courtyard.

The car door opened, and a tall, well-built man stepped out, about forty years old, yet still carrying an air of elegance.

Jiang Yao looked at him in surprise, then realized, "Mr. Zhou!"

Jiang Yao had met Mr. Zhou before—he was Sister Aqing’s fiancé.

Mr. Zhou was surprised to see Jiang Yao, then smiled in understanding. "I never thought I’d run into you here. Is Aqing living here?"

Jiang Yao glanced at the little wooden door next door.

The door swung open, and Sister Aqing emerged. "A Yao, what do you think of this outfit?"

Before she finished, she noticed Mr. Zhou, and immediately turned to retreat back inside.

"Aqing, where else do you want to hide?" Mr. Zhou called after her.

Sister Aqing stopped and turned. "How did you find me here?"

"You told me once how much you cherished the time spent with your grandmother. This place is your late grandmother’s hometown," Mr. Zhou said softly. "Aqing, stop hiding from me. I told you, I don’t care about your past at all, just as you’re willing to accept my sister’s child. Whatever the problem is, let’s face it together, okay?"

Sister Aqing clenched her fists.

"Aqing..."

"Alright," she glanced at Jiang Yao, then at Mr. Zhou, "Aren’t you coming in? Standing out here saying all that—aren’t you afraid people will laugh?"

Mr. Zhou immediately brightened. "Alright, let’s talk inside."

Jiang Yao watched their backs as they walked into the house, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. She couldn’t help but sigh, "People truly destined to meet will never be separated, no matter what."

Just as she finished speaking, a familiar male voice sounded behind her. "A Yao."