After the divorce, my ex-husband and son lined up to pursue me.

Chapter 87 A Way Out

Jiang Xia took out a wooden box from under the bed and was about to open it.

But it didn't open.

The box wasn't locked, but it had a small mechanism designed into its falcon-like structure.

There is a small wooden combination lock; you can open it by rotating it one by one to match the six digits.

Jiang Xia thought for a moment and then spun Ruan Yuanchao's birthday, which was incorrect.

She tried Ruan Muhuai's again, but it still wasn't right.

Could it be mine?

That's not right either.

"That's strange..." she wondered. What kind of numbers could be used as a password for the wooden box that Grandma Ruan had specially left for her?

The door was wide open and hadn't been closed. Lou Yushi came to the door upon hearing the noise: "What's so strange? Oh, an antique wooden box!"

Jiang Xia smiled and explained the whole story. She also tried Grandma Ruan's birthday and her wedding date with Ruan Muhuai, but neither was correct.

Jiang Shan also ran over curiously. She was about to go back and wanted to say hello to Jiang Xia while carrying her bag. When she saw the wooden box, she also offered her suggestions: "Could it be for some special and important day, and they made a password for it?"

"Extremely important..."

Jiang Xia tried the date of Grandma Ruan's death again, and unsurprisingly, it was completely wrong.

We tried it on the old man's birthday, but it still didn't work.

Lou Yushi couldn't remember. Jiang Shan scratched his head and said, "Sister Xia, this wooden box was left to you by your grandmother. The password must be related to you. Think about it, what kind of days are particularly important to you?"

"Me?" Jiang Xia's breath caught in his throat.

But she quickly realized that it couldn't be... If Ruan Muhuai didn't know, how could Grandma Ruan possibly know?

Perhaps...

She tried to recall the date of her first academic paper publication, which was the only date she could remember.

After all, many first times in life are the most meaningful.

Surprisingly... it actually worked!
As the last number rotated and landed, the wooden box opened with a click.

Jiang Shan felt she had guessed correctly and happily grabbed Lou Yushi's hand, but the two of them didn't rush to look at it. They just stood aside quietly and didn't disturb her.

Inside the wooden box, the first thing that catches the eye is the paper.

Jiang Xia took them out one by one; they were clearly handwritten, and were written by Grandma Ruan herself.

“Jiang Xia, when you opened this wooden box, it means you definitely can’t hold on any longer and have nowhere else to go. Don’t worry, Grandma is here.”

"It's a pity I'm not your biological grandmother. Our marriage brought us together. I'm very grateful to you. Back then, you listened to my husband's advice and married my grandson in the prime of your life. But I also feel sorry for you. You gave up your career to raise Xiaobao. There's no point in saying more. I'm no longer here, but I've prepared a way out for you."

“The Ruan family has never divorced for generations, but the times are different, and we shouldn’t use old traditional ideas to bind anyone. Jiang Xia, you are free. When you got married, Grandma wrote a marriage certificate for you and Mu Huai. Now, Grandma has also prepared a divorce agreement for you.”

The decision is yours.

"In the end, Grandma transferred the tea garden in Qinghe to you. She did it without your knowledge, and no one else knew. You don't need to tell them; it's yours."

"Take good care of yourself, Xiaxia."

There was no signature at the bottom, but every stroke of the pen, filled with genuine emotion, had already brought tears to Jiang Xia's eyes and blurred her vision. Lou Yushi and Jiang Shan, upon seeing this, quickly closed the door and quietly left without saying a word.

Jiang Xia carefully held the letter, gently placing it against her heart...

She has no blood relation to anyone; she is just a grandmother in her husband's family.

But behind the scenes, he prepared so much for her.

At the very bottom of the wooden box were two gold bars. Judging from their craftsmanship, they were at least a hundred years old and must have been part of Grandma Ruan's dowry.

Jiang Xia spent a long time calming herself down and tidying everything up, leaving only the divorce agreement written by Grandma Ruan herself. She couldn't sleep all night, and the next day, when she went to the research institute, she made several copies of the agreement and contacted a courier to mail them.

Even the fastest cross-city express delivery takes at least two days.

In the secluded Taoist temple nestled deep in the mountains, the old man was, as usual, training Ruan Yuanchao in horse stance early that morning.

"Stand properly! Use your legs! Straighten your back and lift your head!"

The old man had just finished warming up and was about to practice his sword and boxing when he casually used his wooden sword to direct Ruan Yuanchao. If any of his movements were not up to standard, he would strike him without any mercy.

Ruan Yuanchao had long been driven crazy by his teachings, full of complaints and bitterness, but no matter how she acted coquettishly or threw a tantrum, it was no use.

"Great-grandfather..."

He still cried; his little mouth twitched, and tears streamed down his face.

"Cry, cry! You feel uncomfortable if you don't cry every morning!" The old man was used to it, and as he spoke, he poured water into the wooden bucket that Ruan Yuan was carrying in her two little hands.

As the weight increased, the little guy cried and screamed, and cried even harder.

The second grandfather was chanting scriptures and doing his morning prayers in the meditation room. Hearing the child crying, he frowned in distress.

My great-aunt was busy making breakfast inside when she heard the noise. She quickly wiped her hands with her apron and rushed out. "Why are you crying again? Brother! Are you not even Xiaobao's great-grandfather? They say grandparents love their grandchildren more, but this is two generations apart. How can you be so heartless!"

The old man strolled along nonchalantly, laughing heartily, "Didn't my son and grandson grow up like this? But they weren't that bad!"

“I’m not a coward… Great-aunt…” Ruan Yuanchao cried and talked back, not forgetting to call for help.

The great-aunt couldn't stand it and rushed over, but the old man pushed her away, saying, "Mind your own business! If you have time for this, go take care of your own grandson!"

My aunt was directly rebuked, and she was so angry that she gritted her teeth and stomped her feet.

The old man turned and glared at Ruan Yuanchao again: "If you're not a coward, then you better practice your horse stance properly. Don't even think about getting up in less than half an hour! And don't say that your great-grandfather doesn't love you. A child without a mother has no one to care for him!"

"Ah..." Ruan Yuanchao groaned in pain.

A child without a mother...

How did he end up like this? Where is Aunt Xinrou? Does his new mother really not know how to care for him?
Ruan Yuanchao cried incessantly, feeling wronged.

The old man was pacing around nearby with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back. Just as he was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of Uncle De, who had come back from shopping down the mountain. In an instant, Uncle De ran over, waving an EMS document bag in his hand: "Grandpa, there's a package. It even has your name on it."

"My package?" The old man took it, still completely bewildered.

Living in the mountains, apart from occasionally sending Uncle De down the mountain to buy things, he was basically isolated from the world. Even if something happened outside, they could only communicate by phone. Who would mail him things for no reason?

Puzzled as he was, the old man was completely stunned when he opened the package.

(End of this chapter)