Chapter 50: On the Way

Chapter 50: On the Way

Since He Feiyan wasn’t selling, Duan Yuzhen was out of options.

Worried that He Feiyan would catch on, she left with her tail between her legs.

After some thought, she realized she needed to get through this mess and decided to ask her friend Zhang Xiyue for help.

She wanted Zhang Xiyue to write an article for her. After all, Zhang’s mom used to be a high school Chinese teacher, and Zhang had always excelled in writing.

But Zhang Xiyue wasn’t interested and looked annoyed. “I’m swamped right now. No time to write an article for you.”

Duan Yuzhen begged, “But you’re not even working! How can you be busy? Xiao Yue, please, I’ll pay you.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiyue felt even more frustrated.

It’s not that she didn’t want to work; she just didn’t have the chance.

“My sister-in-law is pregnant, and you know my parents are planning to give her the job. There’s no room for me in this family anymore.”

Seeing Zhang Xiyue’s troubled look, Duan Yuzhen silently cursed her.

When her parents set her up with that guy, he was a great catch—a live-in son-in-law with a steady job. But Zhang Xiyue had to fall for the pretty boy, Yan Wenxuan.

“They didn’t give you the job, and they didn’t help Wenxuan get a permanent position either! When Wenxuan and I get married, how can we make ends meet on his substitute teacher’s salary?”

Because of the whole permanent position thing, Yan Wenxuan has become distant and barely talks to her anymore.

Thinking about all this, Zhang Xiyue felt even more resentful.

“Why don’t you just find someone else? That sanitation worker your parents introduced you to wasn’t bad.” Duan Yuzhen said offhandedly.

Zhang Xiyue sneered, “And why don’t you go for He Tingyue and find a sanitation worker yourself?”

Duan Yuzhen stammered, “I was just trying to cheer you up. But hey, if your sister-in-law loses the baby, do you think your parents will still dote on her?”

What she said, though casual, stuck with Zhang Xiyue.

Was she hinting that Zhang Xiyue should get rid of her sister-in-law’s baby?

Surprisingly, Zhang Xiyue thought it might actually work.

What had been troubling her now had a solution, and she even started to see Duan Yuzhen in a better light.

“Alright, I’ll help you write the article, but it’ll cost you. Three yuan per piece.”

Duan Yuzhen felt a bit annoyed, thinking that after all these years, Zhang Xiyue was still trying to get one over on her.

But knowing she was the one asking for a favor, Duan Yuzhen had no choice but to agree.

“Fine, three yuan it is.”

For the past couple of days, Jiang Yu had been busy at home sewing clothes.

After some thought, she decided to start by finishing the clothes for He Tingyue and his sister.

For He Feiyan, she made a blue floral dress. For He Tingyue, she sewed a simple cotton shirt and a pair of gray work pants.

She didn’t want anyone else handling it, so she decided to deliver it herself.

To her surprise, He Feiyan wasn’t home, and she came up empty-handed.

Later, Aunt Xu reminded her, “The three He kids are all in school right now.”

Jiang Yu, who hadn’t been to school in a while, had almost forgotten that the new semester had already started.

He Feiyan was set to graduate next semester and was waiting for her job placement.

“Thanks, Aunt Xu. I’ll come back another time.”

Xu Lihua’s eyes lit up as she craned her neck to see what Jiang Yu was holding.

But Jiang Yu had double-bagged it, keeping it well hidden.

“Jiang Yu, what’s inside?”

Jiang Yu replied calmly, “I made some clothes for Feiyan.”

“Oh, did she ask you to make them?”

“No, she bought the fabric for me, and since there was some left over, I made her a dress.”

Xu Lihua felt a twinge of jealousy and said sarcastically, “Making a dress takes a lot of fabric. You’re really willing to do that for her.”

Back at the Fu family, Jiang Ting had overheard this as well.

She was so resentful that she wished she could tear a piece of flesh from Jiang Yu. After all, they were sisters, and Jiang Yu hadn’t even considered making something for her.

Lin Hongxia saw her bitter expression and smacked her, launching into another tirade.

“All you do is cry! You’ve brought nothing but bad luck to this family! Xiangyang marrying you was the worst mistake we ever made! Where did Jiang Yu get the money for that fabric? She’s using our money! If it weren’t for you…”

“Enough! Stop all this arguing! Do you want to live or not?” Fu Aiguo snapped irritably.

This only made Lin Hongxia throw things and curse even louder.

Jiang Yu ignored them and left, still clutching the clothes.

At the alley entrance, she ran into He Tingyue, who was with Tong Fang and Sun Zailiang.

Tong Fang and Sun Zailiang, who didn’t think much of her, ignored her and looked away with unfriendly expressions.

To her surprise, He Tingyue hopped off his bike.

“Looking for Feiyan?”

Jiang Yu tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and nodded slightly.

“I made some clothes for Feiyan and was just dropping them off.”

He Tingyue felt a surge of excitement. By the size of the bag, there had to be something for him too.

“I’ll take them.”

Jiang Yu handed him the bag. “I’ll be on my way then.”

He Tingyue turned his bike around. “Let me walk you out.”

Jiang Yu waved her hand. "No, thanks. I still need to head to the department store."

"No problem, it's on my way anyway."

"On the way?" Wasn't he supposed to be going home?

He Tingyue cleared his throat. "Actually, Feiyan asked me to pick up some snow cream for her."

He had already started riding his bike, so Jiang Yu had no choice but to hop on.

Jiang Yu fidgeted with her fingers, unsure where to look. This was her first time sitting on a guy's bike.

The bike was a bit too tall, and Jiang Yu hesitated, trying to figure out how to climb on more gracefully.

To her surprise, He Tingyue reached out his arm. "Hop on."

Jiang Yu’s cheeks turned pink as she lightly placed her hand on his, using it to help herself onto the back seat.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Yu sat stiffly, like a nervous schoolgirl, barely daring to move.

There was some space between them, but she could still feel the warmth from his body and catch a faint scent of soap.

The ride to the department store was silent.

Jiang Yu felt awkward. Just a few minutes ago, they had been giving each other cold looks, and now they were sharing a bike.

He Tingyue was at a loss for words. On the outside, he looked calm, but inside, he was a bundle of nerves.

No one had ever taught him how to talk to a girl he liked.

If he wasn’t worried about coming off as too forward, He Tingyue would have just given her some money.

Just the other day, He Feiyan mentioned that she was going on a blind date with Xie Feifei’s cousin!

"We’re here. Thanks, Comrade He!"

Before He Tingyue could say anything, Jiang Yu had already dashed off to meet Xie Feifei.

Xie Feifei shot a wary glance at He Tingyue.

She grabbed Jiang Yu’s hand and asked, "Why did you come on his bike?"

Jiang Yu smiled. "Comrade He was just picking up some snow cream for Feiyan on the way."

She turned around just in time to see He Tingyue ride off without even looking at the department store, and her smile froze.

Xie Feifei snorted. "He’s probably got an ulterior motive. You know what they say—when someone’s overly eager to help, there’s usually something fishy going on."

Jiang Yu blushed and shot back, "Aunt Huang always says your Chinese isn’t great, but you seem to be doing just fine."