Chapter 49: The Teenage Wife
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The following day at noon, Fang Lian was called away by Hu Xuemei to take care of an errand, leaving Yan Xuan as the only one to return home for lunch.
As they were eating, Yang Qingqing, wearing an apron, suddenly came over and sat down beside Yan Xuan. She folded her hands on the table and rested her chin upon them, a charming smile playing across her pretty face.
“Yan Xuan, is the beef soup all right today?”
Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Yan Xuan felt that Yang Qingqing’s voice was unusually gentle. Her soft greeting sounded like that of a young bride, newly married and still unfamiliar with her husband’s tastes.
Yan Xuan praised her sincerely. “It’s excellent!”
Yang Qingqing’s cooking had improved by leaps and bounds over the past week. It was obvious that she had truly been putting her heart into it.
“Hee-hee.”
Delighted by the compliment, Yang Qingqing gave two foolish little laughs, then handed him a ledger. “This is the breakdown of our living expenses for the week. Take it and let Lian have a look.”
Yan Xuan picked up the ledger and flipped through it, laughing with a sigh. “There really was no need for this.”
Yang Qingqing recorded every expense, large or small, in the ledger. Whenever she thought of the miserable circumstances her best friend had endured while earning money, she wished she could split every dollar in half before spending it.
“You don’t know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you run a household...” Yang Qingqing muttered under her breath.
In an instant, the innocent young bride had transformed into a worn-out housewife approaching menopause.
“When you came home at noon, I noticed you kept looking at me strangely. Is there something you want to say?”
Yan Xuan had already guessed that she was troubled. “If you have something to say, say it quickly. I have to get back to school.”
After Yan Xuan pointed it out, Yang Qingqing hesitated and fidgeted for quite a while before finally summoning her courage.
“Yan Xuan, could I ask you a favor?”
“Go ahead.”
“Could... could you lend me some money?”
“What do you need it for?”
“I’m planning to go back to school for a while.”
“Have you withdrawn your leave of absence?”
“No...”
Yang Qingqing shook her head without offering any explanation.
“How much do you need?”
Yan Xuan did not press her further.
The fact that Yang Qingqing had come to him for money to return to school meant that she did not want Fang Lian to know.
What was she planning to do?
Yang Qingqing held up two fingers and asked tentatively, “Would two thousand be all right? If that’s inconvenient, a thousand would do...”
Before she could finish, a notification appeared on her phone informing her that Yan Xuan had transferred five thousand.
“Huh?”
Yang Qingqing blinked in bewilderment.
“Pay me back slowly. I’m not in a hurry to use it either. Ah... I’m full!”
Yan Xuan drained the last of his beef soup and let out a deeply satisfied belch.
“Thank you.”
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After clearing away the dishes and taking them back to the kitchen, Yang Qingqing returned just as Yan Xuan was preparing to leave. Unable to hold herself back, she asked, “Aren’t you going to ask what I need the money for?”
Yan Xuan turned around. “Didn’t I already ask? If you don’t want to tell me, then forget it.”
“It’s not that I can’t tell you.”
Yang Qingqing quickly washed the dishes, put them away in the cupboards, and wiped the water from her hands. Then she untied her apron and walked over to Yan Xuan.
“I want to burn incense for Zhu Rui’s wife.”
In front of Yan Xuan and Fang Lian, Yang Qingqing acted carefree and thoughtless every day, as though she had completely forgotten about what had happened to Zhu Rui.
But at night, she often dreamed of a woman leaping from a rooftop while clutching a child in her arms, only to wake in terror an instant later.
As the days passed, the psychological strain accumulated until Yang Qingqing could no longer bear it.
“No wonder you didn’t want to tell Lian.”
If Fang Lian learned about this, she certainly would not agree to let Yang Qingqing go. She might even lecture her about superstition.
Yang Qingqing clasped her hands together and pleaded, “You must keep this secret!”
“I won’t tell anyone. But if you’re only going back to burn incense, the round-trip tickets will cost around six hundred. Is there really any need to spend two thousand?”
“I also want to visit Zhu Rui’s wife’s parents. I asked one of my classmates about them. They only had one daughter.”
“You don’t have to take every burden upon yourself...”
Yang Qingqing’s gaze lowered slightly, and she said nothing.
Yan Xuan took out his phone again and transferred another five thousand to her.
He knew that any further persuasion would probably be useless. What mattered most was whether Yang Qingqing could overcome this hurdle in her own heart.
“Why... why did you transfer more money to me?”
“If you feel guilty, then spend a little more. Ask me for more if it isn’t enough.”
“All right...”
Something about this felt wrong to Yang Qingqing, but she could not put her finger on what it was.
Suddenly, Yan Xuan asked, “Come to think of it, was Zhu Rui a local from your university?”
Yang Qingqing nodded. “I think so.”
“Your university is in Egret City?”
“Yeah. It’s in the university district there, tucked away in some obscure corner.”
“How about... I go with you?”
“Why?”
Yan Xuan explained, “The coastal regions around Egret City have particularly strong clan ties. Zhu Rui is in prison because of you, and his wife and child both died. I’m worried that members of his clan might come looking for trouble.”
Yang Qingqing did not seem particularly concerned. “Would they?”
“Whether they will or not, we’ll see. Let’s go this weekend. You can just treat it as a trip to relax.”
“Shouldn’t you tell Lian first?”
“Of course—”
Yan Xuan had been about to say “of course,” but then remembered that Yang Qingqing was one of the women in his cyber-girlfriend circle. He changed the words at the last moment.
“You can find a time to let Lian know.”
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He tossed the hot potato back to Yang Qingqing—not because he wanted to shirk responsibility, but because he was testing her indirectly.
If she chose to keep this matter hidden, then once he drew her out of that circle later, he would have ample room to maneuver.
“All right...”
Yang Qingqing nodded and agreed. Even as she wrestled with her doubts, she did not forget to reassure Yan Xuan.
“Don’t worry. I’ve found another job recently. I’ll pay you back little by little.”
“Another job?”
“Modeling clothes for an online shop. I can do it from home, and it won’t interfere with cooking for you and Lian.”
“Clothing model? What kind of clothes?”
The man’s tightly furrowed brows and urgent tone left Yang Qingqing somewhat bewildered.
Was Yan Xuan worried about me?
Her breathing grew slightly heavier as a feeling she had never experienced before spread through her heart.
It was warm, and sweet...
Yang Qingqing quickly explained, “Don’t worry. It’s menswear modeling. Nothing strange. The owner runs a popular women’s clothing shop and is trying to expand into menswear, so she hired me as a male model.”
“Really?”
Yan Xuan finally relaxed.
Yang Qingqing was a carefree girl who knew little about social niceties and had almost no experience of the world. Yan Xuan was genuinely afraid that someone might deceive her.
“The shop owner is in Egret City too. Since we’re going there, I can meet her while I’m at it. If you’re worried about me, why don’t you come along?”
After saying it, Yang Qingqing inexplicably began to feel self-conscious.
In her mind, the important part of that sentence was not whether Yan Xuan would accompany her, but the words: “If you’re worried about me?”
“I’ll send you my identification details later. You can buy the tickets for me.”
Yan Xuan nodded, seemingly accepting what Yang Qingqing had told him without question.
“All right... And what would you like for dinner tonight? I’ll make arrangements.”
“Yesterday’s chicken legs were good. Can you make them again?”
“I’ll see whether the market has any live chickens later.”
Yan Xuan began putting on his shoes. Yang Qingqing stood quietly beside him, her hands folded and hanging naturally at her waist, like a newlywed wife gently seeing her husband off to work.
“I’m leaving...”
“Wait.”
Yan Xuan was just about to turn around when Yang Qingqing suddenly called him back.
She walked slowly over, then turned and handed him two heat packs.
“The weather’s getting colder. Your injury hasn’t fully healed yet, so you need to keep warm. And...”
Yang Qingqing paused, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
“Come home early.”