Chapter 727 - 757: He Didn’t Dare to Be Too Greedy

But Jiang Ling held back.

She said, "Who hasn’t made mistakes in the past? But that’s all over now, isn’t it? We should always look forward. And I believe that after your Xiao Tao gets out of prison, he’ll be just like you and start a good, new life."

"I hope so."

After chatting with Qin Jiqun, Jiang Ling realized he was actually insecure. He felt his circumstances were poor and that he wasn’t good enough for anyone.

On top of that, his previous marriage had made him lose hope in life.

Jiang Ling actually understood that feeling. She had also hesitated for a long time. ’What if I get married again and my life becomes a total mess? What would I do then?’

Qin Jiqun finished kneading the dough. While he was waiting for it to rise, he looked up and saw Jiang Ling frowning, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Sister Ling, you’ve been divorced for over a decade, right? Why haven’t you found someone else?"

Jiang Ling was young when she divorced, only thirty.

And so, she had been on her own ever since, raising her daughter, struggling from place to place, and living a hard life.

Fortunately, Jiang Xiaoyue turned out well and was sensible. Furthermore, Qin Jiao acted as a guide, getting Jiang Xiaoyue a job early on at Jiu Yi, which was still just a clothing factory at the time.

Only then did Jiang Ling’s life begin to improve.

Jiang Ling wanted to sound out Qin Jiqun. She thought for a moment before saying, "In the early years, I was worried that if I remarried, my daughter would suffer, so I never did. Now that life has gotten better in recent years, I’ve also gotten older. Ah, well."

"Sister Ling, you’re not old at all! You’re only in your forties. I knew a guy, Brother Li, from a construction site I used to work at. It was his second marriage, and he was fifty-eight when he remarried. His wife was already sixty. If you meet the right person, it’s good to have a companion."

"Then what about you? If you met the right person, would you want a companion too?" Jiang Ling looked at Qin Jiqun expectantly.

Qin Jiqun wasn’t stupid. Although his second brother hadn’t mentioned who the person was, after chatting with Jiang Ling for a while and now seeing the hope in her eyes, his mouth fell slightly open.

He was silent for a full minute.

Finally, he averted his gaze from Jiang Ling’s.

"I... I’d better not. I’m full of faults. I wasn’t a good husband or a good father before. I..."

"Oh. Well, I’ll let you get back to work then." How could Jiang Ling not understand? This was Qin Jiqun’s way of indirectly rejecting her.

Maintaining the last shred of a dignified smile, Jiang Ling made an excuse and left.

Watching her leave, Qin Jiqun gave another bitter smile.

He had a job, a place to live, and he could hold onto the hope of waiting for Xiao Tao to be released from prison.

He was already so grateful that life hadn’t given up on him and that his family hadn’t cast him aside.

Qin Jiqun felt as if he had been reborn.

’Heaven has already blessed me with so much. How could I dare to be greedy and ask for more?’

After so many years of having no intention to remarry, Jiang Ling had finally taken a liking to someone, only to be rejected. She was distressed, and on top of that, she caught a chill that night and ended up getting sick.

When Jiang Xiaoyue found out, she got the wrong idea and immediately exaggerated the situation when she told Qin Jiao about it.

Jiang Xiaoyue said, "She was probably rejected by Uncle Qin San and got sick from it. She won’t say anything no matter what I ask."

Qin Jiao was taken aback. "No way. I don’t think my uncle would say anything too harsh, would he?"

"It’s probably not about what Uncle Qin San said. He likely just rejected her, and my mom felt sad about it. Sigh... I’m used to being alone, and I have to travel for work often, sometimes even going abroad. I really hope my mom can find a companion."

Qin Jiao also thought Aunt Jiang was a great person, but matters of the heart couldn’t be forced.

Meanwhile, when Qin Jiqun went to work the next day and saw that Jiang Ling hadn’t come in, he asked around. Hearing she was sick, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.