After Faking My Death, My Iceberg Ex-Wife Went Crazy for Me - Chapter 20

The elderly sleep less and wake up early.

Remembering she needed to make breakfast for Xiaoxiao, Jiang Yuheng roused herself slightly, got dressed, and washed up.

As she opened the door, a sizzling sound came from the kitchen, accompanied by the aroma of frying eggs.

Jiang Yuheng peered inside, wondering if she was still half-asleep.

“Grandma,” the girl in the apron noticed her and smiled. “You’re up so early! Have a seat, I’m almost done.”

With a practiced flip of the spatula, a golden-brown fried egg landed on the plate.

Jiang Yuheng still looked uneasy. “Let me do it. You might burn yourself.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Geng Xiaoxiao turned off the heat and gently steered her out of the kitchen. “Trust me, I’ll be done in a minute.”

Jiang Yuheng found it hard to believe, but unable to argue further, she reluctantly sat on the sofa, her eyes frequently darting back to the kitchen.

The toaster popped out two slices of golden-brown toast. Geng Xiaoxiao grabbed them and quickly assembled two egg and bacon sandwiches.

So far, there was nothing to worry about. But when Geng Xiaoxiao headed toward the pressure cooker, Jiang Yuheng rushed over.

“Be careful! You need to release the pressure first.”

The hissing sound of escaping steam and her warning came simultaneously. Geng Xiaoxiao looked a little exasperated, and a little annoyed.

“I know, Grandma. I’m not a three-year-old anymore.”

Jiang Yuheng huffed and nudged her aside. “Who was it who, as a child, sneaked up to the pressure cooker when the adults weren’t looking and tried to open it without releasing the steam? Nearly blew herself up and ended up with that long scar on her arm…”

As she spoke, Jiang Yuheng glanced at Xiaoxiao’s arm, her expression freezing.

The skin there was smooth and clear, with only faint blue veins visible beneath.

“Where’s the scar on your arm?”

“…It must have faded,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, lowering her head and tucking her hand behind her back. “One of my college roommates was obsessed with skincare and gave me some scar-fading products. It probably disappeared around then. I didn’t even notice.”

“Is that so…” Jiang Yuheng stared at her hand, then shifted her gaze to Xiaoxiao’s face.

“The soup should be ready. I’ll get a bowl,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, turning away quickly. As she moved, her head tilted, and the hair tucked behind her ear fell forward, partially obscuring her face.

Jiang Yuheng stared at her nose, a momentary daze washing over her.

It’s too similar… exactly like her mother’s.

She chuckled to herself. Getting old makes you forgetful. She had personally brought Xiaoxiao back from Hai City all those years ago. If she wasn’t her granddaughter, then who else could she be?

“I never saw you set foot in the kitchen before,” Jiang Yuheng remarked.

Geng Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. “I live alone now. It’s not like being at home anymore.”

After the pressure cooker finished releasing steam, Jiang Yuheng lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.

“Black chicken soup?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Geng Xiaoxiao carefully skimmed the surface of the soup with a spoon and a small bowl, removing the excess oil.

Ye Ling disliked greasy food. Every time Aunt Zhang made her medicinal soups, she would meticulously remove all the oil. Geng Xiaoxiao had learned by imitation…

Why am I thinking about her?

Snapping herself out of her reverie, Geng Xiaoxiao said, “I added angelica root, red dates, and goji berries. You’re getting older, Grandma, so you need to replenish your qi and bl00d.”

“I’m not that weak,” Jiang Yuheng retorted stubbornly. “You young people staring at computers all day are the ones who need nourishing.”

“Alright, alright, we all need it. I ordered some calcium supplements online. Remember to pick them up when they arrive in a few days.”

“Why waste money on that stuff?”

“I’m happy to spend money on you, Grandma.” After skimming the oil, Geng Xiaoxiao took a clean bowl and ladled out a piece of meat and two spoonfuls of soup. “Try it. Does it taste okay?”

Jiang Yuheng blew on the soup and took a small sip from the edge of the bowl. “Not bad, but it’s a little bland.”

She reached for the seasoning box, then suddenly sighed heavily.

“With your cooking skills, I can rest easy knowing you’ll be fine even after I’m gone.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Geng Xiaoxiao said, hugging her from behind, the corners of her eyes momentarily reddening.

“Grandma will live to be a hundred!”

Three days felt neither long nor short.

It was enough time for her and Chen Qiao to grab a meal, finally play that murder mystery game they’d been putting off, and try a few new cocktails at X.Lady.

But it wasn’t enough time for a proper farewell.

No one knew she was leaving except herself, and even she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to return.

Perhaps in the future, their world would have no connection to her whatsoever.

All she could leave behind, it seemed, were hugs.

Chen Qiao wasn’t good at expressing affection. When she was hugged, she froze for a moment before squirming wildly, protesting:

“What are you doing? I was just joking the other day! I already have someone in my heart. Even if you tried to buy me with your money, I wouldn’t go for it!”

She told Chen Qiao to “get lost,” but her grip didn’t loosen.

Xue Jiqing, on the other hand, took it much more naturally. He only showed a brief moment of surprise before quipping:

“Aiya, has my charm grown so potent that I can steal hearts without even trying?”

After being hugged for a while, Xue Jiqing opened his arms and returned the embrace, patting her gently like soothing a child.

“Why do you seem so sad? Just do whatever makes you happy, okay? And be happy!”

She mumbled, “Okay.”

Two days later, on Friday, the weather cleared up, a rare stroke of good fortune.

The previous night, she hadn’t stayed at Jiang Yuheng’s house. Instead, she’d spent the evening at a hotel, folding a mountain of paper gold ingots.

Today was the day to visit the cemetery.

To maintain order, the cemetery had designated a separate area for burning paper money.

Xiaoxiao lit a fire and tossed yellow paper, spirit money, and gold ingots into the small basin, softly chanting names.

As the last embers faded, she rose and walked to a tombstone, guided by memory.

“Grandma.”

The tombstone bore only a name and dates of birth and death, no photograph. The person buried beneath, like Xiaoxiao herself, didn’t belong to this world.

On the night she fell into the lake, she had carried her grandmother’s ashes, the woman who had been her only family. Later, she buried her here.

“I’m leaving soon. I probably won’t be back for three or five years. Can you receive the money I’m burning for you? Spend it wisely, okay? You need to make it last until I return…”

She rambled on for a long time, her voice cracking with emotion. “Grandma, do you still resent me? Resent me for bringing you to this strange place?”

Otherwise, why, why would she never appear in her dreams?

Yet she loved her the most.

The wind drowned out her sobs, shaking raindrops from the trees.

No one could answer her question.

After calming down, Xiaoxiao steadied herself, rose, and gently placed a bouquet of sunflowers on the ground.

The bag and plastic bags she’d been carrying were nearly empty, with only two bouquets remaining.

She approached a joint burial site. The tombstone featured a color half-portrait of a couple around forty years old, smiling happily at the camera.

Their deaths had been too sudden, leaving no remains. The tombstone marked an empty grave, and the family portrait served as their memorial photo.

After leaving the yellow roses, she placed the final bouquet of daisies at an unmarked grave in the back row.

Another empty grave, its existence known only to her.

“Wait for me a little longer,” she murmured, stroking the cold stone and wiping away the dust.

Once everything settled, once the constraints of the original novel’s plot vanished, she would find a way to carve Geng Xiaoxiao’s name onto the tombstone, restoring her identity.

This was what she owed her.