Chapter 48: Jiang… Brother Ah Yu

Because of that episode, by the time Su Tian left school, there were hardly any people left on campus.

She didn’t scurry away quickly this time, walking at a normal pace. Sure enough, before long, Jiang Chiyu caught up with her not far from the school.

The two walked side by side without speaking for a while.

Su Tian was lost in thought, thinking about the joint exam at the end of the month.

She really, really, really didn’t want to get a tutor!

Then she would have no time to relax, having to spend every day under pressure.

Just thinking about it felt like being thrown into a steamer – suffocating and agitating.

Wanting to shift away from this agitation, she took the initiative to find a topic to chat with the person beside her. “Jiang Chiyu, are you confident about the joint exam at the end of the month?”

“Even if I’m not, I have to be.” Jiang Chiyu looked ahead as he walked with one hand in his pocket, matching her pace. At this point, he smiled. “After all, someone wants me to rank first in the grade.”

Su Tian opened her mouth, wanting to stubbornly deny it again, but then recalled him patting her head in the classroom. So the words that came out changed to: “Can you watch your behavior and not do anything excessive in public?”

“What?” Jiang Chiyu glanced at her. “Is it illegal for me to pat my little piggy’s head?”

Su Tian stared at him. “You’re the pig!”

“If you’re not a pig, why did you use a pig head for your avatar?” Jiang Chiyu laughed and asked lazily.

“When I used the pig head avatar, that account was already yours!”

“I don’t acknowledge it.”

The two bickered noisily, though it was mostly Jiang Chiyu speaking lightly while Su Tian was rendered speechless time and again, only able to make a fuss.

They soon reached the entrance of their neighborhood. At this point, they still hadn’t ceased fire. Su Tian grew bolder the more she was thwarted and finally stumped Jiang Chiyu, exclaiming animatedly, “Can’t retort now, can you?”

Jiang Chiyu suddenly called out, “Dad, Mom.”

“Don’t try to fool me! Your expression doesn’t match!”

Right after she said that, she suddenly heard a snicker coming from the front left.

Su Tian looked toward the source of the sound in a daze and saw Uncle Jiang standing by the flowerbed at the base of their building, looking at them. Auntie Jiang was squatting on the ground covering her mouth and laughing.

Su Tian instantly widened her eyes.

The two walked over to greet them. Mrs. Jiang joked, “I watched you two the whole way. Chiyu, with that sharp-tongued personality of yours, can’t you go easy on the little girl?”

Jiang Chiyu didn’t bother responding to this suggestion.

Instead, Su Tian spoke up for him. “It’s not like that. He usually does let me have my way.”

Mrs. Jiang continued teasing, “For example?”

“For example, for example…” Su Tian racked her brain but couldn’t think of a single instance.

Jiang Chiyu glanced at her and laughed in exasperation. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Su Tian glared at him. “Then you say it.”

Jiang Chiyu smiled wryly. “I let you have your way every single moment. Otherwise, you would’ve been reduced to tears by my retorts countless times in these two weeks.”

“I’m not that thin-skinned!”

“You’re thin-skinned all over, from head to toe.”

Seeing that the two were about to bicker again, Mrs. Jiang played the peacemaker. “Alright, alright, you must be thirsty after arguing the whole way. Tian Tian, come sit at our place for a bit later. I just bought some lemon blossom tea.” She pointed to the supermarket shopping bag in Mr. Jiang’s hand. “We also bought pork loin. I plan to make sweet and sour pork loin for dinner. Go home and let them know, then just come eat at our place tonight. I remember sweet and sour pork is your favorite.”

Hearing “sweet and sour pork”, Su Tian couldn’t say the polite refusal she originally intended.

Auntie Jiang’s sweet and sour pork was truly, truly, truly delicious!

So she nodded reservedly, but couldn’t suppress the small note of joy from creeping into her voice. “Okay!”

They walked together to the space between their two villas. Mrs. Jiang said, “Making sweet and sour pork has many steps in the beginning. Tian Tian, you can rest at home for a bit before coming over, or just come directly. I’ll have Chiyu keep you company.”

Jiang Chiyu: “No, I’m going to study.”

Seeing Jiang Chiyu seem a bit reluctant, Su Tian instead agreed in a flash. “Okay!”

Jiang Chiyu looked over at her. She immediately added gleefully, “I’ll come right away!”

Su Tian dashed back to her family’s villa. The Jiang family of three also headed toward their home.

Mr. Jiang went to open the door. Mrs. Jiang glanced at her son and laughed. “You really going to study?”

Jiang Chiyu lazily grunted through his nose. “Mm.”

Mrs. Jiang didn’t refute him, but her expression clearly showed disbelief as she covered her mouth and giggled.

Annoyed by her laughter, Jiang Chiyu added, “I’m going to play games.”

Mr. Jiang had just opened the door. Jiang Chiyu directly walked in first. Watching his back, Mrs. Jiang tugged on Mr. Jiang’s sleeve and whispered with a laugh, “How is our son still so tsundere?”

The two also entered the house hand in hand.

When Su Tian got home, neither her mom or dad were there. So she told the housekeeper, went to her room to change into casual clothes, then excitedly ran next door.

She had just run out of her courtyard when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back, took a box of mangoes and a box of strawberries from the kitchen fridge, then headed to Jiang Chiyu’s house again.

Mr. Jiang opened the door for her. Mrs. Jiang had just put on an apron and greeted her from the living room. “Tian Tian, have a seat. Oh, you even brought fruit. Thank you, Tian Tian.” Mrs. Jiang didn’t say any polite words and directly told Mr. Jiang who had sat back down on the sofa to read the newspaper, “Jiang! Go! Wash the fruit!”

Mr. Jiang drawled, “You want me to wash them? There’ll hardly be any left after I wash them.”

Su Tian couldn’t help laughing.

Mrs. Jiang made a motion to whip him with the towel she was using to wipe her hands. Su Tian took the initiative. “Auntie Jiang, where’s the kitchen? I’ll go wash them.”

“The pork loin is soaking in the kitchen sink.” Saying this, Mrs. Jiang glared at Mr. Jiang again. “You’re so lazy, one day I’m going to soak you in there too.”

Mr. Jiang just laughed.

Mrs. Jiang continued, “Then Tian Tian, just take them directly to Chiyu’s room to eat. He has a bathroom in his room. Your Uncle Jiang and I don’t like eating fruit before meals.”

Su Tian nodded. “Okay.” She looked around at this house that had the same layout as hers but a completely different decor. “Where is Jiang… Brother Ah Yu’s room?”

She almost misspoke, accidentally biting the tip of her tongue. For a moment, she even broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Mrs. Jiang didn’t seem to notice anything amiss and pointed to the second floor. “It’s the room at the very end after you turn right.”

Su Tian went upstairs holding a box of strawberries.

Unlike her home which had a completely European style decor, Jiang Chiyu’s house had a cozier and more minimalist interior. But the layout was the same. Su Tian’s own room was also at the end of the second floor hallway, so this wasn’t unfamiliar to her.

She paused in front of the last door and listened for a moment but didn’t hear any movement. So she knocked twice.

After waiting a bit, there was still no response.

Su Tian recalled him saying he was going to study. Could he have fallen asleep while reading?

It wasn’t impossible, because she often did the same thing herself.

She pressed down on the door handle. As soon as she pushed it down, the door opened a crack on its own.

Su Tian didn’t enter directly, but leaned closer and peeked inside through the gap in the door.