Chapter 49: The Whole Family
The group chat had no new updates. Jiang Chuchu figured the other two were still busy rescuing the kitten, so she didn’t call to check.
When she got home and no one said anything, she couldn’t wait any longer. She directly called Gu Qinghuan.
“Done with the kitten rescue?”
“All done. I’m home eating now,” Gu Qinghuan replied, just as she ladled herself a bowl of soup and waited for it to cool.
“How did you end up handling it?” Jiang Chuchu asked.
“Xia He gave Xin Bao a bunch of tough questions to make her think it over slowly. For now, the kitten is staying in my office, and Xin Bao will be responsible for caring for it. I gave her a spare key—but I’ll only agree to her adopting it if she comes up with a solid answer,” Gu Qinghuan explained.
Jiang Chuchu was stunned for a good few seconds. “…Huh?”
Gu Qinghuan repeated what she and Xia He had told Yu Xin, then summed up, “I can see Xin Bao wants to change, and adopting this kitten could be a turning point for her. But if she can’t take care of it properly, I think it’s better she take things slowly.”
“I see.” After hearing the whole story, Jiang Chuchu could understand why Gu Qinghuan and Xia He acted this way.
Even though it wasn’t a video call, she still nodded unconsciously. “I think that’s good.”
Still, when she thought about the person giving Yu Xin a hard test being Xia He, she felt… complicated. She’d thought that guy didn’t care for anyone.
“What if Xin Bao really can’t answer?” Jiang Chuchu asked.
“Then nothing—find the kitten another home,” Gu Qinghuan said matter-of-factly.
Jiang Chuchu was dumbfounded. “You’d really not let her keep it?”
“It’s not that I won’t let her. It’s that she’s not capable of raising it. Whether it’s a cat or anything else, we all know her situation in the Yu family. If she’s not ready, she shouldn’t rush into it,” Gu Qinghuan said calmly.
Jiang Chuchu had nothing to say. Even though Gu Qinghuan was right, something about it still didn’t sit well with her.
After hanging up, the more Jiang Chuchu thought about it, the more restless she felt. She finally called her brother.
Receiving a call from his little sister left Jiang Yuxuan pleasantly surprised—his voice even pitched up when he answered. “Chuchu, what’s up?”
“Brother, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Jiang Chuchu said, spilling everything in one breath.
At first, Jiang Yuxuan thought it was just a petty fight between girls. But as he listened, he realized it wasn’t what he thought, and his tone grew more serious.
“So, are you upset because Gu Qinghuan was too cold toward Yu Xin, and you’re standing up for her?” he asked.
Jiang Chuchu was caught off guard. “No—how can you call it cold? She didn’t do anything wrong…”
“Then is it because Yu Xin’s thinking is too naïve, so she can’t really solve the problem, and you’re frustrated with her?” Jiang Yuxuan continued.
“Not that either,” Jiang Chuchu scratched her ear. “I think Xin Bao’s already trying really hard. And the result isn’t out yet—maybe she’ll come up with an answer.”
“Then, Chuchu, why exactly are you unhappy?” Jiang Yuxuan pressed.
Jiang Chuchu stayed silent for several seconds, then hung up and went to find their mom.
“Maa! Brother bullied me!”
It took Zhu Qinglan more than ten seconds to sort through the story. In the end, she could only laugh helplessly.
Jiang Chuchu sulked, lying on her mom’s lap. “Brother is just a bully! If I knew the answer, why would I ask him? I’m just annoyed!”
Zhu Qinglan stroked the top of her head, comforting her. “Alright, your brother didn’t mean it. He just wants you to think it through yourself.”
“I can’t think it through,” Jiang Chuchu mumbled, pressing her head into her mother’s embrace, her voice muffled. “I’m not that smart.”
“Who says so? My Chuchu is the smartest,” Zhu Qinglan patted her back, then paused for a few seconds before adding, “You’re upset about this precisely because you’re smart.”
Because what seemed like an insurmountable problem for Yu Xin was nothing to Jiang Chuchu.
She had enough confidence and resources to do whatever she wanted—saving a stray cat, or even a hundred of them, was no big deal for her.
But for Yu Xin, what she could brush aside without a second thought required serious effort. And Gu Qinghuan wouldn’t hesitate to make Yu Xin give up if she failed.
It was precisely because she clearly understood this gap in perspective that it hurt so much.
It was like throwing away clothes she didn’t want, only to see a friend wear them the next day as if they were precious.
Not anger. Not embarrassment. Just a painful clarity.
She desperately wanted to help—but, as Gu Qinghuan said, this was something Yu Xin had to solve herself.
“Mama,” Jiang Chuchu asked, “have I been too wasteful before?”
The thought that she had unknowingly squandered things others might never get in their lifetime made her feel both regretful and ashamed.
Zhu Qinglan thought for a moment and didn’t answer directly.
She had plenty of “big truths” she could lecture, but as a parent, she thought it was good for her daughter to think it through on her own.
Besides, with friends who could inspire this kind of reflection, she believed her daughter wouldn’t go astray.
“You can find your own answer to that,” Zhu Qinglan said, “but as your mother, I don’t want my precious daughter to be sad.” She turned Chuchu’s face toward her, pinched her nose with a smile. “My daughter deserves everything.”
Jiang Chuchu felt much lighter and playfully stuck out her tongue. “Mama!”
“Alright, leave the serious questions for later—figure them out slowly. For now,” Zhu Qinglan stood up, pulling her along, “lunch should be ready, and I’m going to enjoy the fish your dad caught.”
“I caught some too!” Jiang Chuchu jumped up. “Eat mine!”
Zhu Qinglan smiled, letting her daughter pull her toward the dining room.
Ever since the last fried skewers meal, the family’s taste in food had shifted—no more counting calories, just eating happily.
Though the scale number had gone up, Zhu Qinglan thought she looked much healthier.
When mother and daughter reached the dining room, Jiang Youwei was just setting down a platter of grilled fish, looking proud. “Look! I caught this one.”
Even if he hadn’t cooked it, he’d caught it and carried it in—so why shouldn’t he claim the credit?
“What about the one I caught?!” Jiang Chuchu demanded.
“That was a catfish—it’s still in the tank. We’ll cook it in a few days once it’s cleaned out,” Jiang Youwei said, still in high spirits. He took out his phone to snap a picture of the grilled fish and posted it on his Moments.
Jiang Youwei: Caught a big fish—having lunch with the whole family.
Jiang Yuxuan, who’d just been hung up on by his sister and now blindsided by his father’s social media flex: Dad… did you forget you have a son?
