People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

.......

After the gathering ended, the children said goodbye to their elders and led their children home.

The old house where they were laughing and joking just moments ago is now empty except for the six elderly men and women, all over 60 years old.

The aunt next to her quickly tidied up the yard, cleaning up the food and the yard.

With everything back in place, the aunt went back inside and prepared a bath for Mr. Zhuang and Ms. Huang.

Zhuang Chaoying tiptoed toward Ah Ling, who was playing a computer game, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face, his eyes filled with tenderness.

He hugged Ah Ling from behind, gently brushing his chin against her hair, and whispered.

"The water's ready, time for a relaxing bath."

Ah Ling was engrossed in the final stages of the card game, not looking back as she operated the mouse.

"This hand of cards is about to end, wait a little longer."

Zhuang Chaoying didn't urge her, but simply stood behind her and played cards with her.

Not long after, as the computer screen displayed the game over message, he shut down the computer, got up, took Zhuang Chaoying's arm, and the two walked together towards the bathroom.

They had just celebrated their sixty-first birthdays, and she looked like she was in her early forties, radiating the unique charm of a mature woman.

She still maintains a perfect figure, and every move she makes exudes elegance and composure.

He had to admit that whenever Ah Ling wanted, he was always captivated by her; her hair, nails, skin, and body always conjured up a multitude of images in his mind.

Zhuang Chaoying's muscles are firm and toned, which is related to his ability to maintain his physique over the years.

Go into the bathroom.

Ah Ling naturally took off her clothes, slowly stepped into the bathtub, and reached out to take Zhuang Chaoying's hand.

Years of mutual support have made such actions incredibly commonplace.

The two lay in the bathtub, surrounded by constantly rising bubbles, and the bathroom was filled with steam.

The two held hands tightly, and Huang Ling turned her head slightly to gaze quietly at Chao Ying, who had her eyes closed.

The question that had lingered in her mind for nearly thirty years was finally ready to be asked.

She took a deep breath, breaking the brief silence.

"Chao Ying, please answer my questions truthfully, okay?"

Zhuang Chaoying slightly opened her eyes and softly replied, "Mmm!"

Huang Ling paused, staring at him intently, and slowly asked, "When did you come into his body?"

"Huh?" Zhuang Chaoying suddenly jolted, instinctively loosening her grip on A Ling's hand.

He was shocked. Ah Ling actually knew?

Could it be that my disguise over the years wasn't perfect enough, and I've given myself away?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

He frantically screamed in his heart.

[System, system, what do we do if we've been detected?]

Several seconds passed.

This issue has no impact on the task progress; host, please resolve it yourself.

He looked up nervously at Ah Ling, his Adam's apple bobbing, and he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears.

"Ah Ling." His voice was so hoarse that even he didn't recognize it, and his toes, soaking in the hot water, curled up involuntarily.

Is this the time for a showdown?

In his nervousness, he unconsciously swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva, his throat feeling dry and uncomfortable.

The rising steam blurred Ah Ling's face, but he could clearly see her reddened eyes—she had long hidden all her secrets in her tender gaze over the past thirty years.

When he finally mustered the courage to meet those reddened eyes.

"You know? You figured it out? You want to know about me from the past?"

Huang Ling looked at him quietly, her eyes brimming with tears, then nodded gently and said softly.

"Want to know."

"This is somewhat like being resurrected..."

Zhuang Chaoying took a deep breath, as if she had returned to the night in 1977 when she appeared at the Zhuang family's old house and felt panicked when she woke up in a strange body.

“I came here in 2024. My real name is Zhuang Chao, which is only one character different from Zhuang Chaoying. At that time, I was a 25-year-old single woman. I remember that when I first came here, it was the day of the old lady’s birthday.”

After saying this, he looked at Ah Ling quietly, waiting for her reaction.

The waiting time felt incredibly long, every second felt like an eternity.

After a long time, Ah Ling still didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, her eyes gradually reddening, and tears fell uncontrollably in large drops.

He was getting anxious and started rambling incoherently.

"Ah Ling, I know this is hard to accept right now. If you can't accept it, I...I..."

He didn't know how to express it, only feeling a pang of sadness in his heart, as if he were about to lose the most precious thing in his life.

"No wonder you stood up for us, remembered the dates of my period every month, were so considerate and attentive, became so good to Xiaoting, and treated both children equally. I knew it, I knew it."

Just as he was at a loss, Huang Ling suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugged him tightly, and gripped the skin on his back with her fingers.

“I knew it. You weren’t the same person before. No wonder I always felt you were so sensitive, like a girl. Do you think I’m stupid? I figured it out a long time ago, and I fell in love with you a long time ago. I love you. I only love you. No matter if your soul is male or female, I will only love you. Chao Ying, thank you. Thank you for saving my life and my child’s life.”

"What should I call you, Ah Chao?"

As Zhuang Chaoying listened to A Ling's confession, her eyes reddened, and she trembled as she embraced that familiar body. Thirty years of anxiety, forbearance, and restraint collapsed at this moment.

He was no longer loving Ah Ling on behalf of Zhuang Chaoying; she was now Zhuang Chao!

Her voice was muffled in the crook of his neck. "Ah Chao, I love you, I love you so much."

At that moment, he finally heard Ah Ling speak of the love she had expressed from the depths of her soul.

The so-called "tasks" in the system are never fictional characters from TV dramas—but rather real, flesh-and-blood encounters and redemptions between two souls across time and space.

He tightened his arms, feeling the real warmth in his embrace.

"I came here for you; it was all destined."

"Ah Ling, I love you too!"