Chapter 68 : Tang Lingxue’s Dislike for Siying

When Yun Siying returned to the Youth House, she saw Shu Chengzhi sitting in the courtyard with a thoughtful expression. She quickly averted her gaze and pushed her bicycle into Nangong Ruochen’s room. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was already six o’clock in the evening. During the autumn harvest, they didn’t get off work until eight.

She began to light the fire and start cooking, completely ignoring the person in the yard. She didn’t need to guess, she knew exactly what he was thinking about.

Shu Chengzhi heard the sound of someone chopping vegetables and suddenly realized someone had returned to the Youth House. Looking around, he saw smoke rising faintly from one of the rooms. The door and windows were open, and the graceful figure inside seemed familiar. He looked closely and confirmed it was someone he knew. He was about to greet her, but when he remembered how heartless she had been to Ruxue, he looked away.

An hour and a half later, Yun Siying had finished cooking. There was a pan-fried pork dish, braised eggplant, a pork rib and kelp soup, and a plate of shredded pork with dried radish. The fragrant aroma filled the entire Youth House.

Shu Chengzhi couldn’t sit still after smelling the food. The scent was so enticing. Why had he never known Yun Siying was such a good cook?

Tang Lingxue, who had just woken up in the room, smelled the aroma and felt even hungrier. “Ruxue, the food here is really delicious.”

“Mom, that’s probably from Yun Siying and her group. Yun Siying and Nangong Ruochen are both good at cooking, and they have money. Of course their food is going to smell amazing,” Shu Ruxue replied with a hint of jealousy.

“I didn’t expect that kid from the Nangong family to end up in the countryside here too. And to be involved with that ungrateful person?” Tang Lingxue couldn’t help getting angry at the mention of Yun Siying.

“Han Yuecheng and Chen Banghua are here too. The three of them grew up together, and they seem to care a lot about Yun Siying,” Shu Ruxue said, noticing her mother’s obvious dislike for Yun Siying.

“Hmph! Those three boys, what a bunch of ingrates. Not worth being friends with. I’ll have a word with their parents when I get back.” The more Tang Lingxue heard about Yun Siying’s good life, the angrier she became. Why did her daughter have to suffer while that girl lived comfortably? God was too unfair.

Just then, Li Yanyan entered the Youth Courtyard and saw a handsome man sitting upright in military uniform, with a crew cut and a commanding figure far more attractive than Shen Subai.

Could this be the Shu Chengzhi her parents had mentioned? If so, she was more than willing. She had heard he was a battalion commander now, though it was unclear how long he’d stay in the area. To avoid any complications, she decided to carry out her plan tonight. At the thought, she smiled happily.

She walked straight to Shu Ruxue’s door, knocked, and said, “Sister, Mom wants you to bring Aunt and the others over for dinner. Be sure to invite Comrade Shen too.”

Shu Chengzhi looked at the female comrade in front of him. She was quite pretty but still not as beautiful as Yun Siying, that ungrateful woman. The two didn’t look anything alike, but he didn’t dwell on it.

“Yanyan, come in and sit for a bit. My mom’s still tidying up,” Shu Ruxue said as she opened the door and let her in.

“Wow! That smells amazing! What kind of delicious food did Siying make today?” came a voice drifting into the courtyard, Han Yuecheng not even through the gate yet.

Chen Banghua and Nangong Ruochen, walking behind him, were speechless. Was this guy trying to make everyone even more jealous? He said it so smugly, with no consideration for anyone else’s feelings.

“Hey! Isn’t this Captain Shu? What brings you to this remote mountain area?” Han Yuecheng said when he saw Shu Chengzhi, his tone slightly mocking, clearly thinking of Siying’s past.

“Speak nicely, don’t be sarcastic,” Shu Chengzhi said helplessly. This guy hadn’t been like this before.

“Did you come to see your sister?” Nangong Ruochen asked in a flat tone, it was impossible to tell if he was pleased or upset.

“Yeah. She was injured and had no money. I was worried, so my mother and I came to see her. I’m saying, you three grew up in the same compound couldn’t you have looked after her a bit?” Shu Chengzhi looked at them angrily.

“It’s not that we didn’t help,” Chen Banghua replied with a smile. “Your sister has Shen Subai, her fiancé, taking care of her at the Youth House. And in the village, she has her adoptive parents and their whole family. With adoptive parents like that, how could she possibly be short on money, let alone need our help?”

“Banghua’s right. If we got too close to her, Shen Subai might misunderstand,” Nangong Ruochen added.

“Did Yun Siying, that ungrateful woman, say something to you?” Shu Chengzhi looked at Yun Siying coldly, thinking she was being completely unreasonable.

“Nangong Ruochen, Han Yuecheng, Chen Banghua, wash your hands it’s time to eat.” Yun Siying didn’t even glance at Shu Chengzhi. After calling to the three of them, she continued working at the stove.

“Siying, we’ll be right there.” The three of them quickly headed to the well to wash their hands.

“You…” Shu Chengzhi looked at the cold indifference in her eyes and felt a tightness in his chest.

“Chengzhi, let’s go. Don’t waste time talking to that ungrateful thing who doesn’t even recognize her own birth parents. Not like our Ruxue, she treats her adoptive parents as her real parents and is still so filial to us, her biological parents.” Tang Lingxue was dressed fashionably in Dacron clothing, black leather shoes, and neatly combed hair. She looked dignified and elegant.

Yun Siying showed no reaction to Tang Lingxue’s words and didn’t even look up. She just continued doing her own thing. She didn’t miss the scheming glint in Li Yanyan’s eyes. Li Gang was no simple man. The fact that he had managed to replace the original owner’s identity with Shu Ruxue’s said it all.

Shu Chengzhi glanced at Yun Siying, who still showed no reaction, then turned and left with Li Yanyan and the others.

Some of the other educated youths looked at Yun Siying with disdain, but she didn’t explain. Even if she did, they probably wouldn’t believe her, so she didn’t bother wasting her breath.

“Siying, are you alright?” Nangong Ruochen looked at her in concern and asked gently.

“Thanks for your concern. I’m fine. It’s just some irrelevant people,” Yun Siying said with a sudden smile. She wasn’t the original owner, and she wouldn’t waste her emotions on such things.

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed how badly they treat Siying now. They used to be so good to her, their current attitude is a complete 180,” Han Yuecheng said with a frown.

“Let’s not talk about upsetting things. Let’s eat,” Chen Banghua said, tugging at Han Yuecheng to stop him from bringing up any more of Siying’s painful past.

“Wow, this sweet and sour pork is so good! Siying, you’re amazing!” Han Yuecheng exclaimed after taking a bite, giving her a thumbs-up.

“If you like it, eat more. The kelp soup is great too. Try it. I bought the kelp in the county town today,” Yun Siying said with a smile.