Chapter 173 - 171: Aunt Li, We’re as Close as Mother and Son

Chapter 173: Chapter 171: Aunt Li, We’re as Close as Mother and Son

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"I heard from Ah Ming that you’ve already received your acceptance letter from Tsinghua University?"

The car moved at a steady speed down the road. For some reason, she always subconsciously saw Jiang Xia as an adult. It was only when she mentioned Ah Ming that she remembered he was the same age as her son.

’She mulled over the question. It was probably because Jiang Xia had always been so mature, so thoughtful and methodical in everything he did. From the perspective of a business owner, he was already the very definition of a successful person.’

"Yes, I got it yesterday," Jiang Xia said with a smile. "Aunt Li, you don’t have to worry. Ah Ming’s score is so high, he’s sure to get into the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His acceptance letter should be here in the next day or two."

"Mhm."

Li Weiya chuckled. "If his score were just a little bit higher, he might have been able to get into the same university as you. Then you two could have looked out for each other."

"Haha, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Qingmei aren’t far from each other. We can meet up whenever we want."

"That’s true."

"When you go to the Imperial Capital, are you planning to move the company there too?" she asked.

Jiang Xia nodded. "Yeah. The Imperial Capital is the nation’s center, after all. There are far more opportunities there than anywhere else."

"Then what about me? You asked me to quit my job to help you. Are you just planning to leave me here all by myself?" Li Weiya asked with a teasing smile.

Jiang Xia stiffened, scratching behind his ear. "Aunt Li, to be honest, my current plan is for you to serve as the director for *Cat and Mouse* and help take some pressure off me. As for the future, I’d like to invite you to the Imperial Capital to take charge of your own animation division."

Li Weiya’s gaze dimmed slightly. She wasn’t young anymore; she was almost forty this year and wasn’t too keen on leaving her hometown.

’If she could groom Ah Ming early on to become Jiang Xia’s right-hand man, then her quitting her job wouldn’t have been for nothing.’

"Let’s worry about the future when it comes," she said quietly.

◇

Upon arriving at Hongyun Garden, Jiang Xia went home to grab the company’s official seal and handed it to Li Weiya. It would be awkward for him to be present for the contract signing with his father-in-law, so he had to let Li Weiya handle everything on his behalf.

’Anyway, all the details were finalized today, so the rest could be handled however. At the end of the day, he was just finding a way to give the merchandise rights for *Cat and Mouse* to his father-in-law. There wouldn’t even be any possibility of a contract dispute in the future.’

"You’re just handing me the official seal so easily? Aren’t you afraid I’ll do something crazy with it?" Li Weiya teased. "I could bankrupt a little rich boy like you in minutes."

Jiang Xia blinked. "Aunt Li, we may have a teacher-student relationship, but our bond is like a mother and son’s. You wouldn’t hurt your own son, would you?"

Li Weiya froze for a second, then scolded him playfully, "Get outta here! Stop trying to take advantage of me. What’s the benefit of being your mom? Working for you for free? In your dreams."

Jiang Xia didn’t explain, just kept laughing cheekily.

In fact, he wasn’t wrong to call her that. In his past life, after Wang Ming died driving drunk into a river, Li Weiya cried herself into a wreck. She had been a beautiful, well-preserved woman, but she aged years in a very short time.

During that time, it was Jiang Xia and Lin Yanwan who visited her often. Later, they acknowledged Li Weiya as their godmother. Lonely and bereaved, she essentially gained another son, and only then did a smile slowly return to her face.

But who would have thought that less than three years later, an earthquake would strike and take her godson, too.

"Alright, the seal is with me. You can rest easy; I won’t do anything foolish with it," Li Weiya said with a laugh.

"It never even crossed my mind."

"Well, I’m heading off. Don’t see me out. Oh, right! When you have time, bring that little girlfriend of yours over for dinner. I haven’t even met her yet."

Li Weiya smiled and waved, then stepped on the gas, and the car sped away.

She couldn’t help but smile as she recalled what Jiang Xia had just said.

’That cheeky brat, actually trying to make me his mom. Raising just one son, Ah Ming, has been hard enough in this life. How could I possibly handle another? I want to retire early and enjoy my life!’

’Still, Jiang Xia really is outstanding. If it had been a few years earlier, it wouldn’t have been out of the question to accept him as a godson.’

She shook her head, clearing away her jumbled thoughts. Li Weiya parked near the market, got out to buy some groceries, and headed home to cook.

◇

Back home, Xia Shanshan was in the middle of cooking. Cured ribs were stewing in the pot, and the unique, sweet and savory aroma of air-dried radish filled the air.

She glanced at her son, who was gulping down water, and subconsciously assumed he had spent the afternoon at his "daughter-in-law’s" place again. She didn’t ask any questions; as long as he was home safe, that was enough.

"I thought you weren’t coming home for dinner." Xia Shanshan picked up a kitchen knife, chopped some garlic scapes into sections, and said, "We’re having shredded pork with garlic scapes tonight. Oh, right, are your father-in-law and mother-in-law home?"

"Uh... they’re both at work," Jiang Xia lied with a straight face.

"Running a factory must be busy work. Next time, just bring Yanwan and Xiao Man over for dinner. It’s no trouble at all—just two more pairs of chopsticks. My cooking might not be the best, but at least they won’t go hungry," Xia Shanshan said with a smile. She’d grown quite fond of the two girls.

"Mom’s cooking is the best in the world!"

"And who crowned you number one? You?"

"Xiao Man did."

"Hahaha, that girl is such a sweet-talker..."

After joking around with his mom for a bit, Jiang Xia went back to his room, closed the door, and made a phone call. This business of signing a contract with his father-in-law still required his wife’s cooperation.

"Is my dearest wifey home~?" he cooed after the call connected, clearing his throat and deliberately drawing out the last word.

"What is it? I’m cooking," Lin Yanwan said. She was wearing an apron, holding the phone in one hand and a spatula in the other.

’Seriously. He’s a grown man and he’s still acting so childish.’

"I have some good news for you," Jiang Xia said with a laugh. "I found someone to sign the contract with Dad. It’s our godmother. I talked with her all afternoon, and she agreed to play along with me."

’Lin Yanwan understood. She knew "godmother" meant Li Weiya; there was no one else it could be.’

Besides, she knew enough about Qitian Animation Company. Even though she hadn’t joined the company, she had been involved in matters big and small, so she was indeed the most suitable candidate.

"What about Dad? He drank so much yesterday. Is he feeling any better today?"

"He’s fine. A good night’s sleep and he was back to his lively self. But he seems to have taken what you said yesterday to heart; he’s been asking about *Cat and Mouse* all day." Lin Yanwan turned off the stove, walked over to the window, and sighed softly.

’As his daughter, it was agonizing that she had a solution but couldn’t just come out and say it.’

"In a bit, I’ll write up a message and send it to you. The gist of it is that the *Cat and Mouse* company is putting the merchandise rights up for bid. After you send it to Dad, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Let our godmother handle the rest."

"Okay," Lin Yanwan said.

’She had complete faith in Jiang Xia’s ability to get things done.’

"Darling, thank you."