Xiao Ruoshui went back early the next morning. Shen Yijia did not ask her what her decision was, but when she left, she seemed to have made up her mind. The outcome would be revealed soon.
As expected, she came again two days later to bid farewell.
“I’m going back to the capital.” Xiao Ruoshui took out a box and opened it. Inside was a translucent jade pendant.
Afraid that Shen Yijia would not recognize it, Xiao Ruoshui raised her chin. “Don’t think that it’s simple. This is a piece of warm jade. On my birthday, my grandfather gave me a fist-sized piece of warm jade that he had painstakingly obtained. I got someone to make it into a jade pendant for me.
“My step-sister had been coveting it for a long time, but I haven’t given it to her. Now, you lucked out.”
Shen Yijia wanted to retort and say that she didn’t care about it. However, since Xiao Ruoshui was about to leave, she couldn’t do that. Hence, she raised a fake smile and picked up the jade pendant. “Thank you. This is the first time I’ve received such an expensive gift.”
The jade pendant was smooth and shiny. Even though Shen Yijia did not know much about jade, she knew that it was expensive.
Her exaggerated performance successfully made Xiao Ruoshui’s smugness disappear. She looked at her with disdain, as if she was asking why she had a friend like her.
“Alright.” Shen Yijia rolled her eyes and put the jade pendant back into the box. She took out a sleeve arrow and threw it to her. “I made it myself. Although it’s not as valuable as your jade pendant, this thing can more or less protect you when you encounter any danger.”
Shen Yijia was not an ungrateful person. She could sense who was good to her and treated her as a friend, so she was naturally not stingy.
Although Xiao Ruoshui’s skills were not very good, she was really obsessed with martial arts. She naturally loved the things Shen Yijia gave her. She secretly decided to exchange gifts with Shen Yijia in the future.
Shen Yijia did not know what she was thinking. She picked up a snack and stuffed it into her mouth. She said vaguely, “Are you going to listen to your father and marry the man he chose?”
Usually, women would not talk about marriage so casually. However, the two of them had even discussed how to consummate their marriage. It did not seem to be that difficult to talk about marriage.
Xiao Ruoshui shook her head. “No, I’m returning to the capital to tell my father that I want to marry Brother Yuan.”
Although she still didn’t know how she felt about Fan Mingyuan, it wouldn’t be any worse than marrying someone she didn’t know.
Shen Yijia blinked. “Will your father agree?”
It was not that she wanted to deal a blow to Xiao Ruoshui, but the people here were too prejudiced. Even the families in Xiagou Village, who had thin fields, were unwilling to marry their daughters off to someone worse off than them. They only cared about their families’ social status.
Xiao Ruoshui suddenly blushed. “If he doesn’t agree, I- I’ll tell him that I’m already intimate with Brother Yuan.”
Shen Yijia choked. For a moment, she looked at Xiao Ruoshui in a different light. This girl was prepared to go all out.
Thinking of something, Shen Yijia frowned. “Where’s Fan Mingyuan? He’s not doing anything?”
If that was the case, he was not someone to be trusted.
Xiao Ruoshui understood what Shen Yijia meant and quickly spoke up for Fan Mingyuan. “Brother Yuan said that he would send me back to the capital. When the time comes, he’ll come to my house to propose and settle the marriage first. Moreover, I’ve just decided on what to tell my father. Brother Yuan doesn’t know about it.”
Shen Yijia rolled her eyes. Xiao Ruoshui was protecting Fan Mingyuan now, even though she was smitten with Song Jingchen not long before this. Indeed, her heart for her beautiful husband was the most unwavering.
She’d completely forgotten that she chose to protect Song Jingchen after seeing his handsome face.
Watching Xiao Ruoshui leave, Shen Yijia felt inexplicably melancholic.
She didn’t have many friends. In her previous life, Da Hua was one of them. The only difference between the two of them was that they were separated by life and death.
“I wonder if she escaped those people’s capture.” Shen Yijia subconsciously muttered. She heard that once those who escaped were captured, they would be cut into pieces.
Now that she thought about it, she had really gotten lucky by transmigrating here after she died.
“You’ll meet her again in the future.” Song Jingchen thought that she couldn’t bear to part with Xiao Ruoshui. Although his heart ached a little, he still comforted her.
Shen Yijia raised her eyebrows. This sentence made her think deeply.
After Xiao Ruoshui left, the Song family’s days returned to their usual calm. The weather became hotter every day, and spring robes changed into summer clothes. In the blink of an eye, August arrived.
The fifth day of the eighth month was Song Jingchen’s birthday. Around this time last year, their family was still on the way to Xiagou Village from the capital. In addition, they had just experienced the death of their loved ones, so no one celebrated.
This year was different. Half a month ago, Shen Yijia had already started preparing. It was none other than the cake that Da Hua had brought her to eat after escaping from the courtyard in her previous life.
Da Hua said that since she did not know her birthday, the day she escaped would be her new life. Although that new life was a little short, it was the happiest day of Shen Yijia’s previous life.
After getting a stomach ache last time, Shen Yijia naturally would not be blindly confident anymore. She roughly described the cake’s appearance and taste to Madam Li. Madam Li spent five days using all the eggs in the house to make a cake that tasted about the same.
Her skills were amazing.
Following that, Shen Yijia spent ten days practicing. Under Madam Li’s guidance, she successfully made a delicious cake.
“Hubby, happy birthday.” Shen Yijia walked in with her cake with a smile. Her eyes were sparkling, and they seemed to be filled with starlight.
Even though he was already used to this girl’s face, Song Jingchen was still stunned.
Madam Li followed closely behind with a bowl of longevity noodles. “Brother Chen, happy birthday.”
“Big Brother, happy birthday.” Brother Hao quickly congratulated him.
Song Jingchen looked around at everyone present and finally fixed his gaze on Shen Yijia’s face. His lips curled up slightly. “Thank you.”
If not for her, this family would not be in its current state.
Shen Yijia was a little embarrassed by his gaze. She rubbed her nose and urged, “Mother and I spent so long preparing these. You have to finish them.”
“I will.”
Other than that, Madam Li also made a table full of dishes that everyone loved to eat.
It was rare for Song Jingchen not to share the food that came from Shen Yijia. Instead, he ate all of it alone.
During the meal, Shen Yijia even took out a jar of wine. The family was filled with children, so she bought fruit wine. It wouldn’t make anyone drunk.
Shen Yijia thought that the fruit wine would not make anyone drunk. Indeed, no one else was drunk but her.
Song Jingchen drove the wheelchair back to the room and let her lie down on the couch. Just as he was about to get up, a hand hooked around him…
