Volume One, Chapter 9: Did Grandpa Turtle Give Birth to Uncle Cluck?

Wearing sunglasses, Duoduo Jiang looked up at the sound and saw a stylish elderly lady with a head full of curly lamb-like ringlets approaching.

This elderly lady was about the same age as Principal Chen of Sunflower Kindergarten, but their styles were completely different.

Her permed hair was dyed a deep brown, with finely drawn eyebrows and red lips. She wore a golden silk dress.

While such a flashy golden color might seem tacky on others, on this lady it radiated a noble warmth, dazzling in just the right measure.

She wore slender high heels but walked briskly, giving no impression of being a woman in her sixties.

Even her fingernails were painted a bright red.

Following behind was Rui Jiang, wearing an unhappy expression. He wanted to reach out but hesitated to touch the elderly lady.

After all, although she didn’t consider herself old, her age was obvious. If anything went wrong, it wouldn’t be something that could be settled by just a few words.

But the elderly lady paid no mind. When her high heels reached Duoduo Jiang’s side, she bent over, bringing with her a faint fragrance:

“You’re Duoduo, right? I’m your grandmother. Duoduo, whatever you want, just tell grandma—I’ll buy it for you!”

As she spoke, she reached out and straightened the sunglasses that had slipped down Duoduo’s nose.

Duoduo hadn’t yet figured out their relationship when Cheng Jiang pulled her behind her, speaking to the fashionable elderly lady:

“Madam Qin, you must be mistaken. Duoduo is just my daughter and has no relation to Qin Wenze. I don’t know what he told you, but Duoduo is not your granddaughter and will not be going to the Qin family.”

Madam Qin was not angry upon hearing this; instead, she smiled warmly at Cheng Jiang:

“Little Cheng, Wenze hasn’t signed any divorce papers, and you haven’t received a divorce certificate. So strictly speaking, not only is Duoduo my granddaughter, but you are still my daughter-in-law! That boy Wenze isn’t very bright. It’s one thing for you to be angry with him, but how could you stop calling me ‘mom’?”

Cheng Jiang lowered her eyes awkwardly, opening her mouth but unable to respond.

Madam Qin was different from most mothers-in-law—open-minded, always on good terms with younger generations, and never made things difficult for Cheng Jiang.

At this moment, Cheng Jiang truly could not be rude to her.

Yet, deep down, she felt that since she had already signed the papers, she and Qin Wenze were no longer husband and wife.

Therefore, she couldn’t bring herself to call Madam Qin “mom.”

Madam Qin didn’t press her; instead, she smiled brightly and gently ruffled Duoduo Jiang’s round little head:

“Little one, call me grandma, and I’ll buy you something tasty!”

---

Duoduo Jiang heard the elderly lady’s voice repeating in her mind:

“Qin Wenze, that little bastard! Just like his old bastard father, a complete fool! Lost his own wife and doesn’t even recognize his own daughter—what a failure!

But ah, Duoduo really is my granddaughter—what a beauty! Just don’t be like your dad and grandpa, who have faces but no expressions. Someone who didn’t know might think they had a stroke or facial paralysis!”

Ah.

This grandma was the mother of Uncle Cock-a-doodle-doo!

So they all liked to talk to themselves in their heads.

Also... Uncle Cock-a-doodle-doo’s father was a bastard turtle?

Duoduo’s little brain wasn’t ready to process such complicated matters; it was hard to understand how a bastard turtle and a human could have a rooster son.

Thinking of home, there was a dull-faced turtle slowly crawling around on the floor, while Uncle Cock-a-doodle-doo, who always liked to have several females around him, sat beside a human woman on the sofa with a stern face and red lips. The old grandma had one foot kicking the turtle and the other hand slapping the uncle, cursing continuously.

The little girl furrowed her brows.

Madam Qin, of course, had no idea that her private complaints had caused her husband and son to be imagined as different creatures.

She looked at Duoduo expectantly, hoping to hear the word “grandma.”

Duoduo felt conflicted.

On one hand, her mother seemed not to want her to call this elderly lady grandma.

On the other, she didn’t want a turtle grandpa.

The old turtle was just good at having a hard shell and living long—nothing else special. How could he compare to the mighty and majestic Tiger Mom!

Even Uncle Bear had more face than Grandpa Turtle.

Madam Qin lacked the ability to read minds. Seeing the little girl’s rosy face scrunch up like a steamed bun, unable to bear the child’s discomfort, she looked pitifully at Cheng Jiang:

“Little Cheng, ever since you married in, I’ve never made things difficult for you. Now you won’t even let your little daughter call me grandma?”

Cheng Jiang sighed and said:

“It’s not... forget it. Duoduo, this is grandma—call her grandma.”

Duoduo hesitated for a moment but chose to obey her mother and obediently called, “Grandma.”

“Ah!” Madam Qin responded loudly, but before she could celebrate, Cheng Jiang continued:

---

“Madam Qin, calling you grandma is fine—after all, even without other ties, you’re an elder, and Duoduo should address you as such due to age. But as for other matters... Madam Qin, Duoduo really isn’t a Qin family child; she’s just my...”

Halfway through, Cheng Jiang suddenly lowered her head to look at Duoduo.

The child was smart and a good mimic.

So Cheng Jiang didn’t want to mention adoption in front of Duoduo, fearing that once the child understood what it meant—that she wasn’t a biological daughter of the Jiang family—she would be hurt.

She and Rui Jiang had deliberately concealed the adoption details from Duoduo to prevent her from feeling sad.

The police station had kept the files and would continue searching for the little girl’s birth parents, hoping for a chance to reunite her with her family.

But outsiders investigating wouldn’t discover the adoption relationship.

That was why Qin Wenze had misunderstood at the time.

“Madam Qin, can we move somewhere else to...”

Just as Cheng Jiang wanted to take Duoduo aside and clarify the matter with Madam Qin, Qin Wenze’s voice suddenly appeared:

“Mom! Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to act on your own?”

Then Qin Wenze hurriedly ran over from another direction.

Behind him was Yang Qianrou, wearing a fitted dress.

Cheng Jiang frowned.

It was them again.

Rui Jiang finally saw his opportunity.

Madam Qin treated her sister well, never made things difficult for the younger generation, and was an optimistic, generous elderly lady. Despite his anger, Rui Jiang couldn’t do much to her.

But Qin Wenze was different.

Wasn’t all this caused by that guy?

He was young; a good beating wouldn’t be a problem!

Rui Jiang cracked his knuckles, stepped past Cheng Jiang, and took the initiative to confront Qin Wenze.