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Chapter 708: Chapter 708: Childhood Sweethearts
"What’s this attitude of yours?" Si Xiaohui asked deliberately, her face hardened as she turned to Guo Jinnian. "Don’t forget you’re living in my house, you know. If you piss me off, I can kick you out at any time."
Guo Jinnian laughed. "Isn’t this house built with your older brothers’ money? What’s that got to do with you? I may not know everything about your family’s business, but I know enough. You better stop making a fool of yourself here."
"You..." Si Xiaohui hadn’t expected Guo Jinnian to be so audacious. Her face turned red with fury. "Guo Jinnian, don’t be so cocky. Even if I have disagreements with my brothers, I am still a Si. I have more right to live here than you do. I’m the hostess here; you’re merely a transient guest."
"Keep it up and see if I don’t tell Yaoyao you’re bullying me. See if she doesn’t toss you out," Guo Jinnian retorted rudely.
Si Xiaohui became a little scared. She had no doubt that Tong Yao would indeed do it. If she were expelled now, she would end up homeless.
With this thought in mind, Si Xiaohui’s arrogance sagged a bit. "So I just asked where you were from, and you threw a tantrum. I’m not afraid of Tong Yao, and I don’t believe she would kick me out while my mother’s mourning period has yet to pass."
Guo Jinnian countered, "Oh my, you still don’t know Tong Yao’s temper? If you aggravate her, nobody would care about your mother’s mourning period."
Si Xiaohui, furious, glared at her. "How could Brother Hongwei even like a woman like you? He must have gone blind."
Guo Jinnian hadn’t heard about Si Xiaohui’s relationship with Gu Hongwei from Tong Yao, but her intuition suggested that Si Xiaohui had unusual feelings for Gu. She decided to probe a bit. "Do you like Hongwei? Why are you so concerned about his affairs?"
Si Xiaohui had been doing some disgraceful things in recent years and had long given up feeling ashamed. She chose to deliberately provoke Guo Jinnian, raising her chin to say:
"Yes indeed, I do like Brother Hongwei. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and we grew up together, very close. If it hadn’t been for Tong Yao meddling, I’d be married to Hongwei by now. Who knows, he may still have feelings for me. You may just be my replacement."
She was disappointed and fanciful about the person she loved in her youth, who was still unmarried and doing pretty well.
She thought her taste had been excellent for choosing Gu Hongwei. As it turned out, Gu did have remarkable ability. It was a little ironic, though, that after so many years of going through ups and downs, Gu had never liked her.
Si Xiaohui was unsatisfied. She kept imagining marrying Gu to become his wife. But to her surprise, Gu was going to marry Guo Jinnian! How could Guo reap the rewards without making any sacrifices? Why?
Why couldn’t it be her?
She and Gu had grown up together. Why should she have nothing?
"As if Gu Hongwei would like a woman like you," Guo Jinnian said, rolling her eyes, not taking Si Xiaohui’s words seriously. "At most, you have a one-sided crush on Hongwei. You suffer from fantasy."
Having observed Si Xiaohui the last few days, she had a fair understanding of her character. In Tong Yao’s words, she was completely absurd. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
If Gu Hongwei could like Si Xiaohui, he wouldn’t be Gu Hongwei then.
Furious, Si Xiaohui was about to retaliate, but Tong Yao’s voice came from outside the door. Knowing someone else had returned, she glared at Guo Jinnian before turning away to her room.
Entering the house, Tong Yao was discussing road construction with Si Chen and Gu Hongwei.
"I think the rural roads here are too narrow. Cement roads would be suitable, while for the main road leading to the city, it should be tarred. It’s wide enough for big vehicles, so it must be tarred," Tong Yao suggested.
Si Chen nodded. "The idea is good."
Gu Hongwei agreed too. "I think it can work."
The three of them were talking as they entered the living room. Seeing Guo Jinnian watching TV, Gu Hongwei went to her, asking, "Is the wound bothering you? The stitches can be removed tomorrow."
"No, I have a good constitution and recover quickly," Guo Jinnian shook her head.
Tong Yao chirped, "Why not let Ahchen remove the stitches?"
Upon hearing this, Guo Jinnian immediately shook her head to refuse: "No, let’s not. I’d rather have another doctor do it. It’s just odd having Dr. Si doing it."
Si Chen nodded: "Hongwei is free tomorrow. He can take you."
Watching the two declining the other’s help with the stitches, Tong Yao could hardly contain her laughter.
The abdominal wound wasn’t a particularly private area. As far as Tong Yao concerned, there was nothing to be embarrassed about. But since the two parties felt differently about it, she didn’t mention it again.
Glancing around, she didn’t see Si Xiaohui. She raised an eyebrow in question. "Did Xiaohui go out?"
Guo Jinnian looked towards Si Xiaohui’s room, "No, she’s in her room."
As she said this, she stood and turned to Gu, "Come back to my room. I need to ask you something."
Without hesitation, Gu helped her back to her room.
Tong Yao and Si Chen exchanged a glance. They had a rough guess about what was going on, but neither voiced it. Si Chen softly said, "Rest for a while. I’ll cook lunch."
Tong Yao followed him, "I’ll come with you."
They had bought some groceries from the market on their way back, planning to have a hearty lunch. It had been a while since they all had a good meal because of their busy schedules.
While Si Chen cooked, Tong Yao stoked the stove. In a soft voice, she said, "The funerary rites are in two days. We need to buy more ingredients tomorrow. With the hot weather, the food can’t stay fresh for long. Shall we buy a refrigerator? Even if we don’t come here often, Lijuan and Boyi can use it when they visit from the city."
"Sure," Si Chen had no objections.
Seeing Tong Yao’s sweaty forehead, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Just put some big logs in the stove. Sit by the door where it’s cooler."
Tong Yao accepted the handkerchief with a flippant remark, "I’ll just think of it as a sauna."
Ever since Si Chen arrived in Kyoto, it was their first extended holiday together. Their days went by in a mundane fashion, but Tong Yao felt absolutely content.
Watching Si Chen chopping vegetables, she teased, "Oh, Dr. Si, you’re truly an ideal man. Successful in your career and even capable in the kitchen. I must have saved the Milky Way in my previous life to get a husband like you in this one."
Si Chen replied softly, "It’s me who saved the Milky Way in my last life. That’s why I was able to marry you in this life."
If he hadn’t met Tong Yao, Si Chen wasn’t sure what his life would have been like. Possibly, influenced by his parents, he might have chosen to stay single his whole life.
