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Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Eight Hundred Mindful Thoughts
"No," Si Chen responded indifferently, "Don’t worry, Dean Yu is an upright man. His suggestion for us to divorce was just a blip in judgment."
After that banquet, Yu Zhengxiong privately spoke with Si Chen, apologizing for urging them to divorce. As the Dean, his actions were indeed inappropriate, and he deeply regretted his momentary confusion. There was nothing he could do about it, apart from expressing his apologies.
Having lived for many years, he was deeply ashamed of himself for his actions and found it hard to face Si Chen and Tong Yao.
No one can guarantee that they won’t make mistakes in their lifetime. The ability to acknowledge and confront them does count for something.
Tong Yao gave a murmur of agreement, "This old man isn’t too bad after all. It’s a good thing that he didn’t make things difficult for you. By the way, did you get my home phone number? I lost it during a fit of anger some time ago. It has been too long since I last phoned home. I want to give them a call."
With that, Tong Yao giggled, "At first, I thought you and Boyi were brothers as you both looked and seemed quite similar. Neither of you is my type, so I was rather resistant, and I resented my parents for it."
To be honest, from the moment she met Si Chen, Tong Yao was taken aback by his aura and good looks. After spending some time with him, she found his character to be quite agreeable as well. Living out their lives together seemed like a good idea.
In the ’80s, although arranged marriages were falling out of favor, many women still couldn’t take control of their own marriages. Cases of deceit and marriages of convenience were not uncommon. She considered herself lucky in this regard.
Of course, this luck didn’t come by chance, but through Tong Yaohui’s wise judgment. Maybe his original intention to sponsor Si Chen’s education was altruistic, but when he noticed Si Chen’s growing excellence, he probably thought of marrying his beloved daughter to him. Tong Yaohui was well aware of Si Chen’s temperament and knew that he would treat his daughter well, hence he was content to marry his daughter off to him.
After considering this, Tong Yao concluded that Tong Yaohui was a wise old fox, having found a good match for his pampered daughter.
"And now?" Si Chen’s motion stilled slightly as he was holding a soy milk, his voice was bland but he broke out in a slight sweat.
Tong Yao had mentioned many times that she despised arranged marriages, but she never expressed how she felt about him.
Si Chen found it hard to grasp girls’ thoughts; the only certainty he had was that Tong Yao didn’t dislike him.
"What about now? Aren’t things fine now? I’m not nagging about a divorce, am I?" Tong Yao’s face turned slightly pink, purposely avoiding a direct response to Si Chen’s question. Having never been in a relationship in her previous life, she didn’t know what it felt like to fall in love. However, there was one thing she was sure of, she had a good impression of Si Chen.
"Yes, things are good." Si Chen watched Tong Yao’s slightly pink cheeks and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. He put down his soy milk, took a pen and paper from the drawer and wrote down a series of numbers, "I just called home the day before yesterday. Mom and Dad miss you. It’d be good for you to call them regularly to chat."
Tong Yaohui knew Tong Yao’s temperament and thought that Tong Yao blamed him for not making any calls. He didn’t suspect anything and often contacted Si Chen to ask about his daughter’s situation.
"So you’ve been in touch with my family all along?" Tong Yao was rather surprised. She hadn’t expected that this seemingly introverted guy was actually quite good at maintaining a harmonious relationship with his in-laws.
What in-law wouldn’t appreciate a son-in-law who often called to chat?
This guy appeared quiet and reserved, often speaking only a few words. She had no idea he was so cunning, winning over her parents first. It would take at least 800 wits to pull this off.
"You’re here; they’d worry if you didn’t call." Si Chen explained casually.
"True." Tong Yao nodded in agreement. Seeing that it was already six o’clock, she hurriedly gulped down her soy milk, picked up Si Xiaohui’s breakfast, and got ready to leave. "I’m headed to set up the stall early. You should get ready for work."
The sun hadn’t risen yet and it was rather cool outside. As Tong Yao exited the family compound, she took a glance at the wasp nest. It was indeed quite large, almost the size of a washbasin. The sight of the densely packed nest gave her goosebumps, knowing that a sting from these little things was no laughing matter. However, since she was in a hurry to set up her stall, she didn’t linger.
Upon reaching He Fang’s house, Tong Yao was taken aback. The front door was wide open but no one was there. The wooden cart in the yard was empty. Unsure whether He Fang had encountered an issue or had overslept, Tong Yao yelled for He Fang a few times from the entrance. He Fang then hurriedly came out of the house.
"Sorry, sis, I overslept this morning. Please wait for a bit as I’m fetching water. I’ll be done soon."
He Fang looked apologetic on the surface, yet her actions exposed her lack of urgency. Tong Yao noticed these inconsistencies but chose not to openly question her.
"No worries, take your time, Fang. I’ll go find Xiaohui at the school entrance first."
He Fang was taken aback then quickly nodded, "Alright, you go ahead! I’ll be there soon."
Seeing Tong Yao really leaving, He Fang became anxious. If Tong Yao had thrown a fit and reprimanded her, she could have used that opportunity to say something. Now, Tong Yao hadn’t said anything, making her the passive party instead.
He Fang was used to being meek. Without someone guiding her, she quickly became indecisive. After much thought, she decided to bring the items to the school first.
"Why didn’t Fang come with you?" asked Si Xiaohui, who was waiting at the school. She found it strange that only Tong Yao came without bringing any items. After all, they were supposed to sell milk tea, not themselves.
"She’ll be here soon. You can start eating your breakfast first." Tong Yao handed over the breakfast to Si Xiaohui. She had a lot on her mind and was not in the mood to chat.
Although she only took a quick glance at He Fang earlier, she was certain that He Fang wasn’t beaten last night. The swelling on her face had also significantly decreased and she seemed in good spirits, indicating that Aqiang probably didn’t give her a hard time and had instead probably sweet-talked her.
He Fang was usually afraid of oversleeping and missing out, and she’d never overslept before. Whenever she made the slightest mistake, she would be filled with guilt and wish to slap herself. Today, despite her verbal apologies, her facial expression made it clear that she thought she was in the right. Something was off, very off.
Tong Yao had a bad premonition, feeling like this situation wasn’t as simple as He Fang just oversleeping.
Si Xiaohui, as long as she had something to eat, didn’t care about anything else. She didn’t even notice that something was wrong with Tong Yao’s mood.
"Sis, even Teacher Niu is here before me, isn’t he?" When He Fang reached the school entrance and saw the milk lying on the ground, she appeared rather embarrassed. After Tong Yao left, she planned to pack up and follow, but Aqiang woke up and insisted that she stall for time to gain the upper hand.
Despite convinced that Tong Yao harbored ill intentions towards her, every time she faced her, He Fang’s face reddened uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure why, especially when Tong Yao looked at her. The feeling was as uncomfortable as being caught stealing.
