Your body is already weak, and you fell into the river on such a cold day. If you don't take good care of yourself, I’m afraid it will affect you even after you get married.
Lu Daya had been refused by Xu Ying, but thinking of her usual ways, she was so scared that she quickly ate every bit of the fish and drank all the fish soup. She licked the corners of her mouth with a look of pure bliss.
This was the first time in her life she had ever tasted fish soup.
Seeing that she had finished, a smile finally appeared on Xu Ying’s face. She stood up, took the bowl, and placed it in her basket.
Then, she secretly took a few boiled salted eggs out of her space and pulled them from her pocket: "Sister Daya, keep these and eat them slowly."
"Can I give them to my second brother?" Lu Daya asked quickly. In this family, only her second brother was good to her.
Her parents were biased toward her eldest brother’s family, giving all the good things to him and her eldest nephew. Although her second brother didn't have much better, he always couldn't bear to eat the good things he got and would secretly give them to her. Now that she had something good, she wanted to give it to him too.
But since these things weren't really hers, it was better to ask first.
Xu Ying almost laughed; Lu Daya really was soft-natured: "I gave them to you, so you make the call. But you have to promise me you’ll eat some too. If I see you this weak next time, I will..."
"You will what?" Lu Daya asked, blinking with her pale face.
Xu Ying laughed in frustration: "I’ll stare at you while you eat, and I won't let you give any of it to anyone else."
Hearing this, Lu Daya chuckled: "Don't worry, Sister Xu Ying, I definitely won't give it all to my second brother. My second brother wouldn't be able to bear eating it all himself either."
"That’s fine. By the way, Sister Daya, if you’re feeling better, come with me to the brigade office this afternoon and tell them how you saved me."
Lu Daya nodded. When she first woke up, she had heard her mother cursing the educated youth Chen for being shameless and secretly stealing the credit for saving Xu Ying. It seemed it was true after all.
"Rest well, I’m heading back now." Xu Ying said, picking up her basket and leaving.
As soon as Xu Ying left, Mother Lu rushed into the room with her eldest grandson. Seeing only one pair of chopsticks on the table, her face darkened: "Oh, you dead girl, you drank all the fish soup?
Couldn't you have saved some for your eldest nephew? Why are you so greedy?"
Lu Daya shrank her neck in fear: "Yingying told me I had to finish it all, and that the rest would have to be poured out."
Mother Lu glared at her daughter and stormed out in a huff.
The eldest grandson of the Lu family, however, wouldn't have it, crying and making a scene because he wanted fish soup.
In the end, Mother Lu coaxed him by saying she would boil him an egg that night, and only then did the boy stop crying.
Listening to this farce from inside the room, Lu Daya’s heart twitched slightly. Just because she was a girl, no matter how hard she tried, her parents would never like her.
After the family finished eating and returned to their rooms, she leaned against the doorway and whispered to Lu Aimin, who was chopping wood in the courtyard: "Second brother, come here for a second."
Lu Aimin glanced around the yard, then scurried over with an armful of firewood into Lu Daya’s room.
That’s right, the Lu family had few rooms, and the one Lu Daya lived in was actually a woodshed.
"Daya, you called me?" Lu Aimin asked after putting the firewood in the corner and walking up to her.
Lu Daya’s eyes brightened. Like a treasure, she pulled an egg out of a box in the corner: "Second brother, eat this quickly. Sister Xu Ying gave it to me."
Lu Aimin looked at the egg in her hand with joy, but seeing his sister’s pale face, he shook his head: "I won't eat it. You keep it for yourself."
Lu Daya wouldn't have it: "Second brother, eat it quickly. Sister Xu Ying gave me ten; if we don't eat them, they’ll go bad. If we each have one a day, we can eat for five days."
Hearing there were so many, Lu Aimin was shocked. The captain was truly generous.
He swallowed hard, took the egg, and quickly peeled it. Then, he split the egg in two, ate half, and gave the rest to Lu Daya.
Before Lu Daya could speak, he took the eggshells and left the room. Once in the yard, Lu Aimin even ate the eggshells.
After finishing the egg, he licked his lips, still wanting more.
As soon as Xu Ying left the Lu house with her basket, before she even reached home, she spotted that bastard Dong Wenzhong.
She clenched her fists in anger, but ultimately suppressed her rage. It wasn't worth beating him up now; she would find a chance to sneakily thrash him later to vent her hatred.
Dong Wenzhong, there was a long life ahead. She would make sure this guy lived a life worse than death.
To keep from exploding, Xu Ying walked quickly past Dong Wenzhong.
Dong Wenzhong was stunned to see Xu Ying walk straight past him. In the past, whenever Xu Ying saw him, she was always affectionate and loved to chase after him.
What was going on today? Could it be because of Yanran?
"Yingying, why are you ignoring me?"
"Who are you? Why should I ignore you?" Xu Ying rolled her eyes at Dong Wenzhong, who had run up to her, and said, suppressing her hatred.
Dong Wenzhong’s expression stiffened, thinking she was still throwing a tantrum like a child, so he coaxed: "Yingying, don't be angry. I didn't know Yanran would pretend that she was the one who saved you instead of Daya.
Can you forgive her for my sake? She’s just a child, she doesn't know any better."
"She’s still a child? Chen Yanran is a year older than me, and she’s still a child? That’s a funny thing for you to say, Educated Youth Dong." Xu Ying looked at him with sarcasm.
Dong Wenzhong was choked by her words, his face turning red. He stammered: "Yingying, Yanran already knows she was wrong, but what’s done is done.
Don't make a scene. If this gets too big, Yanran will be ruined! Can you bear to see her reputation destroyed?
She’s like my own sister, and my parents listen to Yanran very closely. If you ruin her, it won't be easy for me at my parents' place either!"
Dong Wenzhong directly used his parents to pressure Xu Ying. Didn't she like him and want to be his wife?
If his parents didn't agree, how could she marry him? If Xu Ying were sensible, she should know what to do.
Hearing these familiar words, Xu Ying’s body stiffened. Hatred churned within her. Looking at Dong Wenzhong’s hypocritical appearance—even a "white lotus" couldn't compare to him—she couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him across the face.
"Damn it, you ugly man, you’re disgusting me to death."
"Xu Ying, have you gone crazy? How dare you hit me!" Dong Wenzhong roared, covering his face in shame and anger.
"Hit you? I hit you because I wanted to. She’s a grown woman who doesn't even know what she should and shouldn't do.
It’s ridiculous. She knows she’s wrong? What about Lu Daya? And your parents liking her has nothing to do with me."
"As for Lu Daya, as long as you don't admit it, there’s nothing she can do.
We can just compensate Lu Daya later."
"Compensate? You compensate, I compensate? Dong Wenzhong, you really are calculating!" After shouting angrily, Xu Ying turned and strode away. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would beat that bastard to death.
Dong Wenzhong was suddenly anxious. Why wasn't Xu Ying listening to him this time?
"Xu Ying, do you still like me or not? Don't you want to be with me anymore?"
Xu Ying was so angry her face turned green. Without looking back, she left one sentence behind: "I don't like you anymore."
If hitting people weren't against the law, she would beat that bastard to death right here, right now. But as a law-abiding citizen, she couldn't do it openly.
Dong Wenzhong stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning. His face was embarrassed, and he was green with rage.
Xu Ying actually said she didn't like him anymore.
That was impossible. She clearly liked him to death, always bringing him good food, buying him clothes, and clinging to him all day long. How could she just stop liking him?
He understood now. Xu Ying was playing hard to get.
"Xu Ying, I’ll ask you one last time. If you dare to walk away, don't even think about being with me ever again."
Xu Ying stopped in her tracks.
Dong Wenzhong was overjoyed. He knew she still liked him. He was just about to speak.