The gardener warmly smiled. "No worries, dear. I was just cleaning my way to go to the other side. Do you want to join me?" He expectantly asked.

She blinked her eyes. "M-Me?"

"Yes. Do you like flowers?"

"Yes.."

He beamed. "Oh great! Then let's go."

His hands were slightly dirty because of the soil that got stained onto her hand a bit. Her brow slightly twitched, feeling a little messy.

There was a water sprinkler pot at a distance where they stopped. "It's time to water these flowers. Do you want to do it?"

Jiang Ruiling awkwardly smiled. "I have never done gardening.."

He blinked. "It's just watering the plants. It's not so difficult. Look, I will show you."

He turned, but his foot fell on a sickle lying on the ground, and he almost stubbed his toe with it. "Ouch!"

Jiang Ruiling widened her eyes. "A-are you okay?"

He grinned in embarrassment. "I forgot I put the sickle there..I am glad it didn't hurt you."

He coughed and hastily put the sickle back in his toolbox. As he got up, his knee crashed onto the bucket full of water lying beside the water sprinkler. He tumbled down with the bucket. He wanted to balance, but his foot slipped because of the water, and it splashed all over his clothes, making them even messier than before. He crashed on the ground with a thud.

"Oww.." he rubbed his back in pain.

Jiang Ruiling was horrified.

This gardener... shouldn't be really gardening at all! He will kill himself one day like this. How can anybody be so clumsy?

He smiled. "It's okay. Accidents happen.."

Why does it feel it happens too many times with you? You seem to be used to it.

Jiang Ruiling offered to help him, but he dismissed it. "It's alright, dear. I can get up by myself."

He supported his arm on the ground when a figure came to his side and held his shoulders. The gardener turned and brightened. "Mei!"

Cheng Mei nodded. "I will help you."

Jiang Ruiling rapidly blinked her eyes.

Huh?

He leaned on her support and slowly stood on his feet. Cheng Mei stated. "Your back hurts."

"Not really-"

"I will call the doctor."

"No it really doesn't-"

She glanced at him, and he promptly took his words back. "Yes. I need a doctor."

"Hm."

Cheng Mei then looked at Jiang Ruiling for a second. Then she held the gardener's arm. "You need to rest."

Jiang Ruiling's jaw dropped. "T-The gardener.."

Cheng Mei stopped and narrowed her eyes. "Gardener?"

historical

Just at that time, Mrs. Zhang merrily came in, holding a tray with two tea cups on it.

"Here, Ruiling. Hope you like my tea. Oh Ling, you are here too. Wait, what happened to you?"

Cheng Mei plainly said, "He fell. Back hurts now."

Mrs. Zhang's mouth twitched. "Ling is always so irresponsible. Tell me again. Why are we allowing him to do gardening?"

"Because I love gardening," he indignantly said.

"So much that your hobby hurts you more than letting you enjoy it. Nice."

His face flushed in embarrassment. "It's not like that!"

Mrs. Zhang looked at Jiang Ruiling. "Oh! I forgot to introduce you two. Ling, she is Jiang Ruiling."

He smiled. "Yes, the one our Xue brought home."

"Yes. And Ruiling. He is Cheng Ling. Lihua and Xue's father."

She froze. She stared at him as if thunder struck her. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times.

"Y-You.."

Cheng Mei said without much emotion, "He is my husband, not a gardener."

She stiffened. Embarrassment filled her from head to toe. "I...I am so sorry! I really didn't know..Please forgive me for the misunderstanding."

She said nothing. Mrs. Zhang laughed. "Oh! No wonder you look as if you saw a ghost. You don't need to be sorry, dear. Anybody would have mistaken him to be a gardener. And it's not completely a lie. He is the gardener of this residence, haha."

Jiang Ruiling really wanted to bury herself in this garden now!

I mistook sister-in-law's father to be a servant!

Cheng Mei looked expressionless, but Jiang Ruiling could sense that she really didn't like this misunderstanding.

"I.."

Cheng Ling waved his hand in dismissal. "It's not your fault. Anybody would have mistaken me."

Cheng Mei plainly added, "I wouldn't have."

"T-that's because you know me."

"I wouldn't have judged some other stranger either," she stated.

Silence.

Jiang Ruiling felt the pressure in the air and Cheng Mei's strong gaze at her.

I-I have really offended her now, have I not?

Cheng Mei held his arm. "Let's go."

Cheng Ling exclaimed. "No, no, wait. I need to talk to her about Lihua! I haven't heard anything about my daughter.." His tone was emotional.

But she crushed all his hopes. "Later. Treatment first."

"Lihua-"

"L.A.T.E.R."

Cheng Ling immediately straightened up. "Yes."

As they left, Jiang Ruiling awkwardly said, "She really doesn't like me, right?"

"Who? Oh, Mei? Well, she loves Ling a lot and is very sensitive if anybody says or assumes something about him. But honestly, nobody can blame you."

She furrowed her brows. "Is it really only that? Even in the room before when we met for the first time, she seemed a little distant.."

"Ah.." Mrs. Zhang scratched her chin. "Firstly, it's her nature. She is a calm and quiet type of person. And secondly...um well...there is another reason I might know for her behavior, but I will tell that later. Let's first finish our tea, or it will get cold!"

Jiang Ruiling worriedly said, "I should apologize to her."

Mrs. Zhang shook her head. "It's really alright. Plus, it takes a bit of time for her to bond with new people she meets. The Cheng family generally stays out of the limelight. They don't expose themselves so easily. As such, they mostly stay within their residence and don't meet others that much. But she will warm up to you soon, trust me."

Jiang Ruiling wondered if that would really happen....