Chapter 603: The Watch
Chapter 603: The Watch
Jiang Mother didn’t know Dong Yan, and Jiang Xia treated her as if she were invisible.
Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan each took one of Jiang Mother’s arms and walked away.
Dong Yan had been shopping with her friend, intending to buy her daughter a new watch and a new dress for the National Day dinner at the Zhangs’ place.
She had already bought the dress.
Her daughter had been raving about Jiang Xia’s watch, so she couldn’t resist buying her a good one today.
It had been too frustrating lately.
Jiang Xia had actually become her daughter’s foreign language teacher!
And her daughter said she was an excellent teacher.
She didn’t just enter a classroom—no, it was a great hall!
Her daughter said Jiang Xia’s classes weren’t held in a classroom but in the Great Hall.
Not only Q University students, but also Beijing University students attended her lectures.
They said that when she entered the Great Hall, she amazed everyone and outshone all the others!
She transformed the students from shock to admiration.
The school was abuzz with the rumor that she wasn’t teaching a class but giving expert lectures! They said she was Q University’s most beautiful and youngest expert.
And after her first class, the Great Hall was packed for her second!
Her every class, except for answering questions, was silent, with all the students listening attentively.
Now her daughter came home every day talking about Jiang Xia.
Gu Heng listened with a proud expression!
But Dong Yan felt frustrated.
She thought her daughter was foolish!
It made Dong Yan feel like she had lost!
She felt that her daughter was inferior to that woman!
How could her daughter be less successful than her?
Why should her daughter have a worse life than Jiang Xia?
So she had specially arranged to buy some foreign exchange coupons to purchase a watch at the Friendship Store.
Dong Yan hadn’t expected to see Jiang Xia there.
She glanced at Jiang Mother, who was very beautiful, but didn’t look like Jiang Xia at all!
She didn’t even look like the woman in the photo!
What was going on?
Were they mother and daughter?
Jiang Xia spoke up again.
"Mom, do you want to buy some clothes?"
"No, you just bought me some last time. Xia Xia, do you want to buy something for Lei’s parents to take back?" Jiang Mother didn’t want to spend too much of her daughter’s money. Her son-in-law had already bought new clothes for her and her husband when he came home last time.
Now that Jiang Xia had bought her such an expensive watch, she felt it was only right to get something for her in-laws.
It was best to treat both sides equally.
"Maybe we could pick out a watch for your in-laws? I’ll pay for it." Jiang Mother tugged her daughter back.
Jiang Xia replied, "No need, they already have watches. My mother-in-law doesn’t wear one because it’s inconvenient for her work. Lei and I have already bought them gifts."
Jiang Mother nodded, relieved. "Then do you want to go for coffee?"
The capital city had coffee shops.
She had enjoyed a cup during her last business trip and was feeling nostalgic.
"Sure." So the three of them went for coffee.
Dong Yan: "..."
Why did Jiang Xia call that woman "Mom"?
What was the relationship between the woman in the photo and Jiang Xia?
Could the woman in the photo have died?
Dong Yan was afraid. She feared that Jiang Xia had been adopted and that Gu Heng would take her back.
No wonder Gu Heng looked so devastated when he returned.
Dong Yan’s friend noticed her unease and asked, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Dong Yan had no mood for shopping and nodded. "My stomach hurts a bit."
Her friend thought she was on her period. "Then let’s stop shopping and go back home!"
"Okay."
Dong Yan returned home around five, almost six.
Gu Heng was already home and, seeing his wife return, asked with concern, "Did you go shopping?"
Dong Yan looked at him with a complex expression and nodded. "I wanted to buy a watch and some clothes for Xiao Yue for the National Day dinner at the Zhangs’ place."
Gu Heng thought of Jiang Xia when he heard about the watch.
Jiang Xia also liked watches.
He asked casually, "Did you buy one? Let me see."
"Not yet. I had a stomachache, so I came back early."
Gu Heng replied, "You can buy it next time, or I can go and buy one for Xiao Yue tomorrow. You should rest. What brand and style do you want? Just let us know."
Dong Yan was busy the next day, and the day after was National Day: "A Plum watch, the latest model. Just something that looks nice. I have foreign exchange coupons, so I can go to the Friendship Store."
Longines was more expensive, but she was a bit hesitant. The more expensive ones were even harder to part with.
Dong Yan thought about Jiang Mother's attire.
She was dressed better from head to toe than herself!
Her skin was well-maintained.
She had an extraordinary presence!
Noble, elegant, beautiful, and graceful.
She even outshone the wealthy matrons!
Jiang Xia was a bit like her in some ways—her skin and her posture. The way she walked was very beautiful.
"Okay", Gu Heng replied.
The next day, Gu Heng bought two foreign exchange coupons at a high price from a colleague. During his lunch break, he went to the Friendship Store and bought two watches.
The watches were similar in style and price, differing by only a few dozen yuan.
He originally wanted to buy two identical ones, but the two daughters had different auras.
When he got home, Gu Heng took out the watch for Gu Yue and gave it to her.
Gu Yue was overjoyed: "Thank you, Dad!"
Although it wasn't the one she had her eye on.
She now had a Plum watch. She could buy a Longines next time!
Gu Yue put it on and asked Dong Yan, "Does it look good?"
"It looks good. Isn't there an even better one?"
Gu Heng paused in his tea drinking: "I think this one suits Xiao Yue better. It looks very pretty on her. Doesn't it look good? If not, I can go back and ask if it can be exchanged after work today."
He thought the one that suited Jiang Xia more was in his briefcase.
Exchanging them wasn't a problem.
He hadn't yet figured out how to give the watch to Jiang Xia.
Now that she was her daughter's teacher, could he have his daughter give it to her as a Teacher's Day gift?
Dong Yan said, "It looks good. You've already bought it, so where can you exchange it? Just this one will do!"
Saving a few dozen yuan and making her daughter happy was enough.
Gu Heng watched as the mother and daughter studied the watch. He silently took his briefcase and went to the study, closing the door behind him. He took out the other watch and put it in the safe.
He would wait for the right opportunity to give it to Jiang Xia.
Dong Yan looked at the closed study door, deep in thought.
*
The next morning, after finishing her classes, Jiang Xia went home for lunch. Then, she set off on her journey home with the children.
Jiang Father drove them to the airport.
Her grandparents and Li Qiufeng weren't going back. Only her aunt was returning with them.
Her grandparents were too lazy to make the trip, and the main reason was the high cost of airfare. They refused to spend the money, insisting they would return for the New Year.
Li Qiufeng stayed behind to keep her grandparents company and to watch the National Day flag-raising and military parade.
Zhao Chenglei gave the invitation left by Zhang Rui to Li Qiufeng: "You have nothing to do at home, so you can go and see it."
Jiang Xia also said, "It's a rare opportunity, worth a look."
This invitation was for the cast and crew, allowing students and the public who participated in the background performances to attend.
Even such invitations were not easy to come by. Many people wanted to see it, and many were vying for the chance.
Zhang Rui had originally wanted to get a few more tickets to take her grandparents, but they were too old to make the trip.
Q University and Beijing University would both have outstanding student representatives and professors, as well as performance teams, invited to attend.
Both principals asked Jiang Xia if she wanted to participate, but she declined. Her three children were still nursing, making it inconvenient.
She smiled and asked the principals to give her an invitation next year, as it would be even bigger.
Both principals laughed and agreed.
Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan had both participated as outstanding representatives from their school, but they weren't attending this time. They would fly back with them.
The flight was at two in the afternoon and landed after four.
(End of Chapter)
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