The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie-Chapter 246 - : Shuangjiang and Xu Fang recognize each other, secretly date on New Year’s Eve (5 updates)

Chapter 246: 246: Shuangjiang and Xu Fang recognize each other, secretly date on New Year’s Eve (5 updates)

He turned around and walked away, fading into the distance.

Jiang Fuxi stood at the doorway for a long time before she turned back into the courtyard, still remembering the mottled moonlight that fell beneath the silver pine tree that year, capturing the stubbornness in the youth’s eyes.

He had pleaded with his grandmother to take in the child from the Luo Family and raise him.

“I will support Luo San with my own money; what business is it of theirs? I’d like to see who dares to wag their tongues.”

“They wouldn’t dare while you’re watching, but what about behind your back?”

“Let them talk; I’ll support him regardless.”

The Old Madam was infuriated by his lack of competitiveness and scolded, “Brother Zhi!”

The young man softened his tone, never having groveled like this before, “Grandma, I’m begging you, can Luo San come live with the Jiang Family?”

“Even if I agreed, the Luo Family wouldn’t.”

The teenager was very determined and defiant, “If they don’t agree, I’ll just take him.”

“It’s easy to say, but his household registration is with the Luo Family; how can you take him without their agreement?”

“I’ll take him by force.”

The Old Madam, furious, exclaimed, “Nonsense!”

The young man who had been standing straight suddenly bent his knees and knelt under the silver pine tree, “If you won’t let me be reckless, I’ll be reckless anyway. If you don’t help me take Luo San, I’ll stay kneeling.”

The Old Madam walked away briskly.

At night, the air was cold, and the young man knelt under the tree for a very long time.

She was there too, standing as long as he knelt.

Gui Family, from Old Madam’s side, came to persuade, “Sister Xi, try speaking to him.”

She shook her head, looking at the figure under the distant tree, “Why would he listen to me?” She turned to Gui Family, “Is Brother Zhi’s soup ready?”

Gui Family replied, “It’s being kept warm in the kitchen.”

“I’ll go get it.”

That night, Jiang Zhi vomited blood and was unconscious all day.

That very night, the Luo Family’s fool was gone, reduced to ashes by a fire, Jiang Zhi started that blaze at the Luo Family and returned with an orange cat named Luo Si.

Jiang Fuxi, holding an umbrella, walked in the courtyard, her thoughts drifting.

A girl approached, carrying a tray. The tray, piled high with New Year’s gifts prepared by the old lady for relatives’ guests, was too high and blocked her view. She didn’t see the person in front and stepped on the snow, slipping and bumping into what was ahead.

New Year’s gift boxes fell all over the ground, along with a black umbrella.

The girl hurriedly picked up the black umbrella and handed it over, nervously apologizing, “Sorry, Miss Third.”

The girl was young, someone Jiang Fuxi hadn’t seen before, probably a new servant of the Jiang Family. She took the umbrella, “No worries, the path is slippery; walk slowly.”

The girl was pleasantly surprised, “Thank you, Miss Third.”

Jiang Fuxi smiled and said there was no need for thanks, then took the umbrella back to the main house.

After Jiang Fuxi had gone far, a middle-aged woman walking with the girl began scolding, “How can you be so reckless? Seems all our teaching about manners was in vain.”

The middle-aged woman was also a servant of the Jiang Family, having worked there for years.

The girl, new to the household and barely familiar with the people, remarked, “Miss Third is really nice.”

The woman did not respond.

As the girl rearranged the gift boxes, she chattered about things she had heard from around the estate, “Why is the young master always so indifferent to Miss Third? Aren’t they on good terms? I see Miss Third treating him very well.”

She had seen the young master a few times but hadn’t dared to look up, having heard he was the moodiest in the family.

The woman chimed in, “There’s a feud.”

The young girl, intrigued by the hidden tales of the wealthy families, excitedly asked, “What feud?”

“I also heard it from others.” The woman looked around to make sure no one was listening, then began gossiping with the girl, “The young master used to have an orange cat. They say Miss Third accidentally fed it something unclean, and later the cat died. The young master bore a grudge against Miss Third after that. They say because of that incident, Miss Third fell seriously ill, was bedridden for days, and almost lost her life. If the Old Madam hadn’t intervened, the situation would have been irretrievable. Since then, their relationship hasn’t been good.”

The girl felt indignant on behalf of Jiang Fuxi, “Is all that fuss worth just a cat? Besides, Miss Third didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Well, these are just rumors; who knows what’s true? But it’s true that the young master did have a cat, taken from the Luo Family, now what was its name…” The woman pondered, “Its name was Luo Si.”

At 8:30 pm, Zhou Xufang and Wen Baiyang had just finished their New Year’s Eve dinner, and the table was still not cleared when Wen Baiyang brought over some fruit and green tea.

She didn’t have a TV, so they had the Spring Festival Gala playing on the computer.

Zhou Xufang made a call to Jiang Zhi, “Are you almost here?”

Jiang Zhi said, “I’m still on the elevated section of Cangning Road.”

“Then keep driving, I’m hanging up.”

Worried about distracting him while driving, Zhou Xufang immediately ended the call.

Wen Baiyang sat with her watching the TV for a while before getting up to clear the table.

Zhou Xufang followed her to gather the dishes, saying, “I’ll wash them.”

Wen Baiyang shook her head, “You’re a guest.” Worried Zhou Xufang might not understand her sign language, she wrote it on her phone to show her.

Skilled with the mind and hands, excellent in cooking, and gentle and virtuous—Zhou Xufang thought, if she were a boy, she would surely marry a delightful girl like Wen Baiyang.

No, that’s wrong, she would have to marry Jiang Zhi.

Zhou Xufang stopped the thoughts swirling in her mind, “Let’s wash together.”

Wen Baiyang nodded, “Okay.”

The two of them went to the kitchen together to clean up.

“Bai Yang.” Zhou Xufang turned her head so Wen Baiyang could see her speaking, “Can I take some dumplings back with me later?”

She felt a bit embarrassed, “Jiang Zhi hasn’t eaten yet.”

Wen Baiyang wiped her hands and wrote on her phone, “I wrapped so many just for you two to take.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zhou Xufang had tried wrapping some too, but hers fell apart the moment they hit the water and looked quite ugly, unlike Wen Baiyang’s, which were beautifully crafted with various designs.

Oh, right, Zhou Xufang asked her, “Are you really good with computers?”

Wen Baiyang looked at her puzzled.

Zhou Xufang said, “I saw many trophies on the cabinet.”

She wrote back, “I’m fairly good.”

Zhou Xufang admired her deeply, capable both in the hall and the kitchen.

Oh, Mr. Qiao is indeed very fortunate.

After washing the dishes, Zhou Xufang sat in the living room while Wen Baiyang was in the kitchen packaging the pastries to take with her.

When Wen Baiyang came out of the kitchen, Zhou Xufang was standing behind the couch, looking up at a photo wall. She pointed at one of the photos, “Bai Yang, is that girl in the photo you?”

Wen Baiyang nodded, “It’s me, this is my grandmother.” Worried she might not understand, she wrote the word “grandmother.”

It was a photo taken with her grandmother at the mountain behind her ancestral home when they still used old-style mobile phones, making the photo quite blurry.

Zhou Xufang thought for a moment, “Is that photo taken at Da Mai Mountain?”

Wen Baiyang hesitated a bit before answering, “Yes.”

What a coincidence.

Her hometown was Da Mai Mountain, she was proficient with computers, and she worked just below her home.

“Five years ago, I visited Da Mai Mountain.” At that time, Zhou Xufang had just fled back from abroad and had rescued a couple on Da Mai Mountain, who invited her to their village.

Wen Baiyang stayed silent, calmly watching her.

“Is it you, the girl from the fire?”

The child was young back then, her features not yet fully formed; when Zhou Xufang had carried her out from the fire, her face had been blackened, obscuring her appearance, but Zhou Xufang remembered the old woman in the photo.

Wen Baiyang nodded, “It’s me.”

Her eyes had already turned red, “Thank you,” she wrote, “Thank you for saving me.”

The year she was born, Da Mai Mountain faced a drought, and from then on, she became the village’s calamity—born under shameful circumstances, deaf-mute, with her father dead and her mother gone, her life was cursed, a born disaster star.

Floods blamed her, famines blamed her, anyone’s death in the village blamed her too.

That year, when she was fourteen, something happened to the Tieshan Family in the village, nearly costing two lives. As the village hadn’t seen rain in a long time and the harvest was poor, the village head discussed with a few elders whether to burn her alive or drown her. It was during this time that Zhou Xufang arrived in the village, and it was she who saved the two lives of the Tieshan Family.

In the end, they decided to use fire.

It was Zhou Xufang who carried her out of the blaze. By then, her eyes had turned red, and the villagers dared not approach, but instead secretly picked up hoes from the ground, telling the children in their arms that she was a demon.

They had all forgotten who had saved the two lives of the Tieshan Family; they only remembered a ‘monster’ with red eyes entering the village.

Zhou Xufang had a guess, “Did you start working at the convenience store because of me?”

Her eyes rimmed red, Wen Baiyang smiled and nodded her head.

“I understand,” Zhou Xufang didn’t spell it out, but asked, “When is your birthday?”

“July.”

Then Zhou Xufang said, “I’ll buy you a big SpongeBob for your birthday.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Okay.”

No need to say more; their understanding was good, always had been.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Wen Baiyang couldn’t hear, so Zhou Xufang pointed at the door, “It must be Jiang Zhi, I’ll go open the door.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Xufang went to open the door while Wen Baiyang went to the kitchen to pack dumplings.

The visitor wasn’t Jiang Zhi but a stranger Zhou Xufang hadn’t seen before.

The stranger was also surprised and spoke first, “Who are you? Where’s Wen Baiyang?”

It was Wen Ya.

Zhou Xufang said, “I’m her friend.”

Wen Ya walked straight in and called out in the living room, “Wen Baiyang!”

She couldn’t hear.

So, Wen Ya went directly to the kitchen.

Seeing her, Wen Baiyang was surprised, “Have you eaten? I made a lot of dumplings.”

This sign language was commonly used, and Wen Ya could understand it, “Can I even eat now?”

Her tone was unusual, very harsh, “What exactly did you tell Nanchu?”

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She was aggressive, clearly here to settle scores.

Wen Baiyang typed on her phone, “I still have guests.”

Wen Ya ignored it, “I’m asking you. What did you whisper to him to make him quarrel with his grandfather during the New Year’s, and now he’s in the hospital? Are you satisfied now?”

Accusing her with every sentence, furious, she could no longer hold back her anger and lashed out at Wen Baiyang.

Zhou Xufang was also there and probably guessed the reason.

“Can you sit in my room?” Wen Baiyang used sign language.

Zhou Xufang understood, “Okay.” She was worried, “If you need me, just knock on the table.”

Wen Baiyang nodded.

Zhou Xufang left to give them privacy.

Once the room’s door closed, Wen Baiyang typed another line on her phone, “Ms. Wen, I have guests, please lower your voice.”

But Wen Ya was not at all quiet: “Every year you used to spend New Year’s at your grandmother’s. Why didn’t you go this year? What are you plotting? Do you really want to marry into the Qiao Family?”

Wen Baiyang just watched her rage impotently.

She had pretended to be the gentle and delicate Mrs. Qiao for five years, never speaking too loudly. It wasn’t really her nature; she reserved all her sharpness and dominance for the ones she despised the most.

Wen Baiyang felt it was both sad and laughable.

She wrote, “This is my business, please don’t interfere.”

Wen Ya’s emotions were somewhat out of control, “You are the child I carried for ten months, why can’t I have a say?” She looked at the girl in front of her, struggling to maintain her composure, “Bai Yang, one must be self-aware. Let’s not mention your inability to speak and hear, you might not even be able to have a normal child. Nanchu is an only child, would the Qiao Family allow you to give birth to a disabled offspring?”

Disabled, disabled…

Wen Ya always hung the word ‘disabled’ on her lips, constantly reminding her to know when to advance or retreat, to recognize what’s good for her, to not indulge in vain hopes or daydreams.

“Is it my fault? Isn’t my disability caused by you?”

Wen Ya scoffed, “So you hate me? You don’t want me to have a peaceful life, you deliberately seduced Nanchu to make things difficult for me in the Qiao Family!”

Wen Baiyang didn’t want to respond.

Taking her silence as an admission, Wen Ya lashed out at her, “Well, you’ve succeeded. Now I’m persona non grata within and without. Mr. Qiao wishes Shenxing would divorce me immediately.”

She had been married into the Qiao Family for over five years and still had no children; Qiao Shenxing clearly had no intention of letting her bear a child for the Qiao Family. How could she not be anxious?

She softened her tone, reverting to her usual manner, her voice tinged with sobs, “Consider it as me begging you, Bai Yang, please break it off with Nanchu.”

Bai Yang turned away without looking at her, “You may leave.” She put away her phone, no longer replying to any messages.

Before leaving, Wen Ya had one last thing to say, “Nanchu’s grandfather is still in the hospital, seriously ill. It’s best you stay away from the Qiao Family.”

After Wen Ya left, Bai Yang then went to her room.

“Sorry Xu Fang, to have left you sitting here alone.”

“It’s alright.” Xu Fang had overheard Wen Ya’s harsh words and wanted to say something comforting but didn’t know what to say.

“That person just now is my birth mother,” she wrote on her phone, “She’s also Nanchu’s stepmother.”

Zhou Xu had heard some things from Jiang Zhi and, fearing to hurt Bai Yang, restrained herself from asking.

The doorbell rang again.

Zhou Xu looked toward the door, “This time it should be Jiang Zhi.”

She opened the door.

Jiang Zhi stood in the doorway, “Have you finished your New Year’s Eve dinner?”

“Mm.”

He entered the room, slowing his pace, and said to Bai Yang, “Sorry for the disturbance today.”

Bai Yang shook her head and went to get some packaged dumplings, along with some barley tea and snacks, handing two bags to Zhou Xu.

She took a note from the fridge and wrote, “Keep the dumplings in the freezer. Those with vegetable skins are shiitake fillings, those shaped like ‘golden ingots’ are shepherd’s purse fillings, and the rest are celery fillings. I also packed two side dishes; the one in the green box is spicy and the one in the red box is not.”

Zhou Xu was worried about her, “I’ll stay with you a bit longer.”

She waved her hand, “I’m fine, you and Jiang Zhi should head back.”

Not until they left Bai Yang’s home did Jiang Zhi ask, “What happened?”

“Her birth mother was here just now. Her attitude was appalling, and she said some really nasty things.” Zhou Xu had a very bad impression of Ms. Wen.

Jiang Zhi carried the bags and held her hand, “It’s probably because of Mr. Qiao’s situation.”

“You know about it too?”

He said, “I just spoke with Nanchu on the phone. He’s fine, just needs a few days to recover.” He only got the gist from Qiao Nanchu.

Mr. Qiao was approaching eighty, his heart wasn’t great, and though he had many grandchildren, Nanchu was his favorite. During the New Year’s Eve dinner, some elders brought up Nanchu’s lifelong commitment, and he forthrightly mentioned having someone in mind. Upon hearing it was Wen Ya’s daughter who couldn’t speak, Mr. Qiao slammed the table in opposition, leading to a heated argument. The old man, frail with age, couldn’t handle the confrontation and collapsed with a roll of his eyes.

“Are they trying to force the lovers apart?” Zhou Xu was very worried for Bai Yang, such a delicate and slender girl was surely no match for the Qiao Family.

Jiang Zhi patted her head, soothing her, “Forcing them apart won’t work. Nanchu is not someone who can be compelled by anyone.”

Mr. Qiao’s condition had stabilized, but he was still unconscious. In the hospital room, his children and grandchildren were present, but they had sent Nanchu outside, fearing that the old man might faint again upon seeing his ‘disobedient’ grandchild.

Qiao Nanchu sat in the hospital corridor, sending Bai Yang a message.

“I’ll be late.”

Her reply was brief, “Okay.”

Qiao Nanchu didn’t mention his grandfather’s hospitalization, “Has Zhou Xu left?”

“Back home.”

He typed several excuses for why he couldn’t return, deleted them all, and finally sent, “Wait for me at home.”