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Chapter 80 ☆ Loft (Part 2)
Cheng Nuonuo blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Brother Ah Yan, are you still angry with me? Didn’t I explain what happened that day? I really didn’t mean to involve Sister Yaoyao…”
“Stop making excuses. You’ve targeted Yaoyao more than once!” Shen Yan said. “And even if you dislike Yaoyao, what grudge do you have against Lin Ranran? Why slander her?”
Cheng Nuonuo sobbed, “I can’t help it. I live in Lin Wuxing’s house. You don’t know how difficult it is to get along with that old woman and her two daughters-in-law…”
Shen Yan interrupted flatly, “That’s no excuse to frame others!”
Cheng Nuonuo paused, wiping her tears, and looked at Shen Yan with even more sadness. “I admit, I’m jealous of Lin Ranran! She seduced you!”
Shen Yan angrily said, “How many times have I told you? I only comforted her because she was crying!”
Cheng Nuonuo rolled her eyes, covering her face and crying, “Brother Ah Yan, I’m like this because I care about you too much…”
Shen Yan looked at Cheng Nuonuo in disbelief. “Just for this, you pushed someone to their death? You still don’t admit your mistake? I really… really…”
Shen Yan was disgusted. He once thought Cheng Nuonuo was gentle and harmless, but he realized how foolish he had been.
Cheng Nuonuo grabbed his hand, but Shen Yan shook it off. “Don’t touch me! I feel sick thinking about being with someone as vicious as you for so long!”
Cheng Nuonuo, short and thin, fell to the ground when Shen Yan threw her. Her knee hit a sharp stone and bled immediately. She cried out in pain, but Shen Yan remained indifferent.
Shen Yan’s undisguised disgust pierced Cheng Nuonuo’s heart. Her face twisted as she looked at him. “Brother Yan, are you really so heartless? You weren’t like this last night…”
Shen Yan’s face changed, and he turned away, uncomfortable. “I didn’t want to see you in the first place, but you kept pestering me.”
Cheng Nuonuo’s eyes were cold, but her tone remained shy. “But last night, you hugged me and called me Sister Yaoyao’s name…”
“Shut up!” Shen Yan was immediately furious. “You know exactly what happened last night! Cheng Nuonuo, since you insist on making a scene today, I’ll make it clear: let’s break up, and don’t come to me again!”
Shen Yan finished speaking in one breath, panting to calm down. Cheng Nuonuo’s eyes were like a stagnant pool, which made him feel uneasy. After a long silence, Cheng Nuonuo raised the corner of her lips. “Besides breaking up, do you have anything else to say to me?”
Shen Yan was silent for a moment, then hesitantly spoke, “Why is your face so…”
“You really think I’ve become ugly? You don’t want me because you think I’ve become ugly, right?” Cheng Nuonuo, who had been calm a moment ago, suddenly screamed and covered her face with her hands.
Shen Yan noticed that the fingers covering her face were as black and thin as branches, with joints protruding from the heavy work she had done recently. The backs of her hands were covered with scars and stains, which were completely different from the delicate hands he remembered.
The gentle and lovely Cheng Nuonuo was gone, and any remaining pity in Shen Yan’s heart was also gone. Shen Yan simply said, “You take care of yourself.”
Cheng Nuonuo grabbed the mud on the ground angrily and shouted heartbreakingly, “Shen Yan!”
Shen Yan hesitated when he heard this, then quickened his pace. A resentful gaze followed him, leaving him feeling trapped.
As Shen Yan’s back disappeared from view, Cheng Nuonuo wiped away her tears, feeling the roughness of her skin. Her eyelids twitched violently—her spiritual spring had lost its effectiveness! If not for losing her spiritual spring, her beauty wouldn’t have faded, and Shen Yan wouldn’t have been pulled back by Cheng Yaoyao.
Cheng Nuonuo fumed with anger at Lin Ranran, who now dared to flirt with Shen Yan. Cheng Nuonuo, who had previously lived alone, had shared her room with Lin Ranran when she returned. Now, Lin Ranran dared to come between her and Shen Yan. Cheng Nuonuo recalled the day Shen Yan came to see her, only to find Lin Ranran crying at the door, which made Shen Yan care about her. Cheng Nuonuo gritted her teeth in hatred.
Thinking of this, Cheng Nuonuo slowly got up from the ground. Cheng Yaoyao was temporarily unable to act, so could she not deal with Lin Ranran, who had lost her parents?
A faint rumble of thunder echoed in the sky, and dark clouds covered the sky in an instant. A few raindrops fell on the leaves, and the sound quickly became a steady downpour, turning the dry ground moist.
A shout came from the edge of the field, “It’s raining! Time to call it a day!”
People working in the fields hurriedly gathered their tools and bamboo hats and ran home. By the time they arrived, they were already drenched, and the draft in their houses made them sneeze.
Wang Guilian rushed into the yard, tearing off her wet clothes and becoming blinded by the rain.
The courtyard door opened, and Lin Jiaqi rushed in with a gust of wind and rain. He quickly pulled off the mattress and sheets and pulled Wang Guilian back to the eaves. “Mom, don’t get wet!”
Wang Guilian complained, “How can the weather change so suddenly? I specially washed the sheets and mattress today. Oh, look at how wet you are. Hurry and wipe yourself off!”
Lin Jiaqi took a towel and wiped his face. “You should wipe yourself too. It’s raining so hard; how can I ask you to collect the clothes?”
Wang Guilian said, “Your elder brother and sister-in-law have gone back to her parents’ home, so I am the only one at home. Why don’t you quickly find a daughter-in-law to calm your sister-in-law’s temper?”
Lin Jiaqi smiled. “Why haven’t Jiajun and Dad come back yet?”
Wang Guilian, frustrated, hit him with the towel. “Don’t change the subject! You are already 23 years old. When your father was your age, your eldest brother was already five years old! The girl your second aunt introduced to you the other day was so good. She works in the art troupe and is pretty!”
Lin Jiaqi said, “I told you, that girl is Lulu’s friend. I’ve known her for a long time. Please don’t make it awkward for us to meet in the future.”
Wang Guilian said, “Mother knows what you are thinking! How many people in the world look like Cheng Yaoyao? Xiao Wu is also very good-looking and likes you. She has asked your second aunt to talk to you several times. What are you still holding out for?”
Lin Jiaqi frowned. “Mom.”
Wang Guilian said, “I know Cheng Yaoyao is beautiful and delicate, which is why you like her. But the situation with her and Xie San…”
“She’s not that kind of person!” Lin Jiaqi’s tone became serious. “Even if she is dating Xie San, she is still well-behaved.”
“I know, I know.” Wang Guilian softened her tone upon hearing her son’s displeasure. “I know Cheng Yaoyao is a good girl, but she is now living with the Xie family and always with Xie San. Let’s not dwell on the moon in the sky. Let’s meet Xiao Wu formally sometime, okay?”
Lin Jiaqi smiled faintly. “It’s up to you.”
Wang Guilian perked up, her thoughts clearly turning to plans.
Lin Jiaqi stared at the rain for a while, then shook his head in self-mockery and went back inside.
The rain was pouring down in the Xie family yard as well. The rain cascaded off the tiles and gathered on the eaves, forming a beaded curtain. Several pots and pans were set out in the kitchen and backyard to catch the rain, creating a symphony of sounds. It was always like this in the village: heavy rain outside and a light drizzle inside. Xie Zhao often repaired the Xie family’s roof, but the area was so large that a few leaks remained. It was still much better than other houses.
Cheng Yaoyao came down the stairs from the attic and said, “There’s a leak in one spot. I’ll plug it with a basin.”
“That’s good,” Grandma Xie said, relieved, and handed Cheng Yaoyao a towel. “Hurry and wipe your hands.”
Cheng Yaoyao’s hands were dusty, so she wiped them off and said, “The attic is really interesting. Why isn’t anyone living there?”
This was Cheng Yaoyao’s first time going up to the attic. There were carved wooden doors on each side of the hall, usually kept closed. When opened, they revealed a different world. A wooden staircase led to the second floor, which was full of dust and had a woody smell. There were many large boxes and a small room, with a balcony facing the back mountain, surrounded by a railing.
Grandma Xie smiled and said, “The upstairs used to be the young lady’s embroidery room. Do you want to live there?”
“It’s quite beautiful once it’s tidied up,” Cheng Yaoyao admitted readily.
Grandma Xie said with a smile, “You can try living there. The weather will make you roast!”
Cheng Yaoyao replied hurriedly, “Then I’ll stay here in the winter.”
“It’s up to you.” Grandma Xie sat down, picked up the half-woven straw sandals, and began to weave them. “Let Brother Zhao clean it up for you. I won’t be handling it.”
Cheng Yaoyao agreed happily and then asked curiously, “There are so many big boxes upstairs. What are they filled with?”
Grandma Xie chuckled and said, “You’ve been in the countryside for so long, and you don’t even recognize a barn, let alone big boxes? Those aren’t just any boxes. The camphorwood boxes I brought as a dowry and those that Zhao’s daughter-in-law brought were finely carved. And the entire hall is filled with red sandalwood furniture…”
Perhaps due to the heavy rain outside muffling all other sounds, Grandma Xie began reminiscing about the past, a topic she rarely touched upon. “…Brother Zhao’s grandfather would rise early every morning with the farmhands and head to the fields. There would always be tenants bringing melons, vegetables, and sometimes wild geese they’d shot.”
“Back then, our family was large. We had 20 to 30 servants and farmhands. We had to steam three or four buckets of rice every day. There was hardly room for us to live. You see that row of blue brick and tile houses in the alley? We built those for our servants so they could marry and settle down.”
“After Brother Zhao’s father married, he was like a horse in a bridle, staying at home and not going anywhere. Brother Zhao’s eldest and second uncles also married, and the whole yard was always lively…”
Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei were both astonished and couldn’t help but ask, “Then what happened?”
A clap of thunder interrupted Grandma Xie, jolting her from her nostalgic reverie. Looking at the now-empty yard, she sighed, “No more talk, no more talk.”
It was also the first time Xie Fei heard Grandma Xie speak about her family’s past. Her eyes grew red. “Grandma…”
Cheng Yaoyao added, “Our family’s life will become more lively!”
Grandma Xie smiled with relief. “Yes, as long as you’re here, this house will always be noisy! By the way, why hasn’t Brother Zhao come back yet?”
Cheng Yaoyao said, “You should go back to your room and rest. I’ll wait for Xie Zhao to return.”
“Okay.” Grandma Xie rubbed her aching bones, got up, and went back inside.
Cheng Yaoyao sent the yawning Xie Fei back, lit a lamp, and waited for Xie Zhao in the yard, propping her chin on her hand. Cheng Yaoyao sat alone in the empty house and couldn’t help but reflect on Grandma Xie’s words: this yard used to be bustling, but now those people were gone.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the yard, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
Cheng Yaoyao shivered, hugging her arms tightly and suddenly feeling afraid. She hesitated about whether to wake Xie Fei for company. At that moment, the courtyard gate clanged.
“!!!” Cheng Yaoyao jumped up, her eyes wide with alarm, staring at the gate.
The gate clanged repeatedly, as if someone was pushing it from outside, and the bolt was shaking. Cheng Yaoyao took a step back, staring at the gate with trepidation, ready to flee if needed. Amid the thunder, a familiar voice called out, “Open the door!”
“Xie Zhao!” Cheng Yaoyao felt a wave of relief. She dashed through the rain, unlatched the bolt, and flung open the door.
The tall young man stood soaking wet from the rain, his features etched with intensity. He looked down at the person who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he could speak, Yaoyao fell into his arms.
***
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Vyl[Translator]
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