After Divorce: Why My Aloof Ex Starts Chasing Me?-Chapter 87: Lost Treasure

After seeing Jiang Zhixun off, Madam Jiang did not return to the compound immediately; instead, she went to the rental apartment to find Shen Qingqing.

She wasn’t there.

Fortunately, Madam Jiang had a spare key, so she could just unlock the door and wait inside.

The clothes and bed linens that Jiang Zhixun had washed were still hanging there; they had dried in the many days that had passed.

The purpose of Madam Jiang’s visit was to persuade Shen Qingqing to return to the compound.

But to be honest, she was not confident at all.

She wasn’t sure if Shen Qingqing would listen to her.

Thinking about this made Madam Jiang want to sigh again.

She had never seen anyone more "unfortunate" than herself; her son and daughter-in-law were both incredibly stubborn.

If she weren’t still young and in good health, she would have been driven to her grave by them sooner or later.

While Madam Jiang was lost in thought, she tidied up Shen Qingqing’s room.

Since the rent had been paid, the room had to be cleaned whether it was occupied or not.

She changed the bed linens and neatly put away the clothes in the wardrobe.

The last time he was at the rental apartment, Jiang Zhixun had cleaned the place.

However, after so many days, some areas still gathered dust, so Madam Jiang, with nothing better to do, decided to clean again.

She then went to the neighbor’s to exchange for a briquette and lit the coal stove.

She filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove to ensure there was hot water available at all times.

In the kitchen cabinet, there was a little rice and flour left, but nothing else to eat.

With Shen Qingqing’s hand not yet healed, she couldn’t carry heavy objects.

Madam Jiang made another trip out, buying eggs and twenty pounds of rice, along with some vegetables.

After doing all of this, Madam Jiang came to realize something.

Deep down, she was quite certain that Qingqing would not return to the compound with her.

...

Shen Qingqing accompanied Shi Yu on a matchmaking date, first going to see a movie, then having a meal at a state-run restaurant.

When they checked the time, it was already two in the afternoon.

Shi Yu and Chen Shaojie had become familiar with each other and were no longer as reserved as when they first met.

Shen Qingqing, wanting to give them some space to talk, subtly suggested, "It’s quite close to my place from here, why don’t you guys come over for a sit?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shaojie immediately understood she wanted to leave.

If they refused, Miss Shen would definitely suggest they visit somewhere else and then head home herself.

Chen Shaojie was unsure of what to do and instinctively looked at Shi Yu.

To Shi Yu, the matchmaking was important, but so was friendship.

"If you don’t mind, why don’t we cook at your place tonight? Since Mr. Chen isn’t in a hurry to return to the Northwest, it’ll save you from having to cook dinner for yourself."

Shi Yu’s intention was to help Shen Qingqing with her chores.

After all, she hadn’t been home for a while, there would surely be a lot of work waiting.

Now that she’d met Mr. Chen, the matchmaking had temporarily reached a conclusion.

Compared to wandering in a park, finding a place for everyone to cook together seemed more interesting.

Fearing that Shen Qingqing might find it inconvenient, she quickly amended her offer, "Otherwise, we can go to my place, I have everything at home, and after dinner, we can drop you off home."

But even as she said it, Shi Yu’s heart pounded nervously.

If they went to her place, she worried that the Shi Family might show up and cause a scene in front of Shen Qingqing and Chen Shaojie.

Although she didn’t plan on hiding her family situation from Chen Shaojie,

being caught in the act of a family quarrel was still quite awkward.

Certain things were unavoidable; she hoped that after she confessed her situation, the Shi Family might then appear before Chen Shaojie.

Shen Qingqing thought Shi Yu’s suggestion was a good one.

Getting to know someone on a deeper level allows you to see their subtle qualities.

Her place may be small, but it had a living room and kitchen, accommodating a couple of guests wouldn’t be an issue.

"Let’s go to my place, then after dinner, Mr. Chen can take you home."

Shen Qingqing blinked, teasingly.

Shi Yu blushed a little.

She sneaked a look at Chen Shaojie, and finding him looking back, felt even more embarrassed.

She stammered, "Okay, let’s buy something first, you probably haven’t had time to get groceries since no one’s at home."

They definitely needed to buy some things; otherwise, it would be tough to entertain guests.

Where Shen Qingqing lived, shopping was convenient.

With their decent incomes and enough ration coupons, they could buy things quite generously without having to scrimp and save.

There was still some grain at home, but any fresh produce had been given to the neighbors before Shen Qingqing left for the Northwest.

They bought a fish, two pounds of pork belly, and a couple of vegetables, all paid for by Chen Shaojie.

Shen Qingqing felt a bit embarrassed and hurried to pay for the roast duck as well, feeling slightly better afterwards.

Carrying a pile of things back home, they found the door open, sunlight spilling into the corridor, very noticeable.

Shen Qingqing assumed it was Jiang Zhixun being troublesome again, and the smile faded from her face.

Chen Shaojie didn’t think much of it, guessing perhaps a thief had broken into Shen Qingqing’s place.

He quickened his steps, carrying the bags.

Upon seeing a middle-aged woman sitting inside, Chen Shaojie hesitated, then quickly deduced her identity.

She must be Old Jiang’s mother.

Not knowing her surname, he simply called out, "Auntie, I’m Chen Shaojie, Jiang Zhixun’s comrade."

Madam Jiang initially thought the man had entered the wrong house.

But upon hearing this, she immediately understood.

"Come in quickly, is Qingqing back too?"

Shi Yu tugged on Shen Qingqing’s sleeve and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "What’s going on?"

Shen Qingqing shook her head. freёweɓnovel.com

She didn’t know why her mother-in-law was there either.

But her intuition told her it must be Jiang Zhixun’s idea.

Upon entering the house and not seeing that man, Shen Qingqing’s mood lifted a little.

"Auntie, why are you here?"

Having been called "Auntie" for the past few days, Madam Jiang still wasn’t used to the title.

She coughed awkwardly.

"Zhixun suddenly had an emergency and went back to the Northwest. I came to let you know, so that you won’t be worried if you couldn’t find him."

Shen Qingqing said nothing.

She simply didn’t want Jiang Zhixun to appear before her again, and now the man had left.

Thankfully, he didn’t blame her, otherwise how could she face the Jiang Family elders?

The atmosphere was a bit awkward, and Chen Shaojie scratched his head, "Old Jiang really left?"

Madam Jiang nodded, "He really left. I just saw him off at the train station, he must be far away by now."

The elders might not know the specifics, nor if Jiang Zhixun had a mission, but Chen Shaojie knew better, right?

Thinking to himself, in matters of love, Old Jiang was as immature as ever.

At the first sign of trouble, he just up and leaves. Is this how a mature adult resolves problems?

Having left, it would be difficult for him to return.

If something happened in the meantime and Miss Shen needed him, could he rush back in time?

Spiraling silently over Jiang Zhixun’s lack of foresight.

Miss Shen didn’t want to see him in the compound, couldn’t he just stay at an inn nearby and pretend he’d gone back to the Northwest?

Meanwhile, on the train, Jiang Zhixun was lost in thought.

He couldn’t eat.

His heart felt empty, like he had lost something precious.

After half a day, when his emotions settled, he realized he’d done something foolish.

By leaving, he wouldn’t see Shen Qingqing at all, how could he win her back?

He might as well have stayed at an inn near her place for a while...