Chapter 60: Do I Still Have a Chance?

Chapter 60: Do I Still Have a Chance?

By the evening, He Tingyue arrived on time to pick Jiang Yu up to go home for dinner.

By the time Jiang Yu arrived, the meal was already prepared.

As He Feiyan had mentioned, He Tingyue was quite skilled in cooking. Except for the cold dish, the rest of the dishes on the table were made by him.

He Feiyan whispered into Jiang Yu's ear, "I told you, my brother’s really something. You’re not missing out."

Jiang Yu scolded jokingly, "Don't talk nonsense."

"Sigh, my brother’s been single for so long. If you don’t like him either, that’d be pretty sad for him," He Feiyan said with a pretend sigh.

Jiang Yu didn't respond and instead focused her attention on the food.

There were six dishes and one soup for three adults and two teenagers.

There was chicken, fish, and braised pork.

Most of the dishes were meat-heavy.

"Do you always eat this well?"

This meal was a feast compared to what they usually had.

He Feiyan shook her head, "How could we? Even if we had the money, we still needed ration tickets, which were issued by the factory in limited quantities."

With only He Tingyue earning money in the family, the tickets were distributed in fixed amounts by the factory. It was already quite good that they could eat meat several times a month.

But most of the time, He Tingyue didn't have the time to cook, so they would get dishes from the canteen.

The food from the canteen lacked flavor and was downright tasteless.

"Back then, my brother used to go hunting in the mountains with his friends, so we had more meat at home."

Later, He Tingyue's friend had an accident, and he stopped going up the mountain.

Jiang Yu listened eagerly. "How do you hunt? Do you use a gun?"

She remembered that there were also hunters in South River Village, who usually kept a gun at home.

"You can use a gun or a crossbow," He Tingyue replied, while adding a piece of braised pork with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat to her bowl.

At that time, people's stomachs lacked oil, so it was natural to crave meat.

Jiang Yu noticed that the two teenagers barely touched the meat, but He Tingyue had seen it too.

"In our village, we also have mountains. I once picked up a wild chicken on the mountain."

He Feiyan gasped. "No way! You’re so lucky, Jiang Yu. Can you take us there sometime?"

"Sure, but I can't hunt. However, there are plenty of wild fruits and vegetables. I've picked chestnuts and there are also persimmon trees. In the spring, you can find fresh bamboo shoots."

Stewing fresh bamboo shoots with meat makes for a tender and delicious dish.

At home, Jiang Yu hardly ever got to taste meat all year round.

Meat was all for Jiang Hao—his daughter never got a bite.

After the meal, He Tingyue offered to drive her home.

It was already dark outside, so Jiang Yu didn't refuse.

But feeling a bit full, Jiang Yu wanted to take a walk.

He Tingyue pushed his bike and walked with her, all the way to her building.

"Thank you for walking me home. I'll head up first. Be careful on your way back."

He Tingyue looked at her and handed her a flashlight.

"You take it."

Jiang Yu held the flashlight, feeling the lingering warmth of his palm, and tightened her grip slightly.

"What about you?"

He Tingyue said, "It's fine. You go up first."

After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Yu eventually handed the flashlight back to him.

"Why don't you come up with me?"

He Tingyue looked down and nodded.

"Let's go."

In the dark, narrow stairwell, only their footsteps and faint breathing broke the silence.

When they got to the door, it was time to say goodbye again.

Jiang Yu took out her keys to open the door, and in a daze, she heard the man behind her ask,

"Jiang Yu."

"Hmm?" She instinctively turned around.

"Do I still have a chance?"

They were standing very close, so close that Jiang Yu could almost feel his burning body temperature.

In a daze, she answered without thinking, only realizing what she'd said after he was gone.

"Let's see."

It was neither a clear yes nor a clear no.

Jiang Yu leaned against the door, letting the cool night air wash away the warmth from her cheeks.

Suddenly, she ran to the window, tiptoeing to catch a glimpse of him riding away on his bike.

Jiang Yu pressed her lips together but couldn't help smiling slightly.

"He's already gone, and you're still watching?"

Ya Xiangling, wrapped in her coat, came out of the room.

Jiang Yu was startled. "Aunt, you're not asleep yet?"

"How can I sleep when you haven't even gone home?" Yao Xiangling pouted.

Even knowing He Tingyue was an honorable man who wouldn’t overstep, she couldn’t stop worrying about him.

……

At the same time, the rest of the He family was also tossing and turning after dinner.

He Feiyan was waiting for He Tingyue to return, wanting to see if there had been any progress between him and Jiang Yu.

As for Zhengdong and Lilan, they had something on their minds.

They couldn’t say they liked her much; what they felt was more of a sense of crisis.

Unlike He Feiyan, they were adopted children who were already old enough to understand when they joined the He family.

Their dad had died in the line of duty, their mom had abandoned them, and their grandparents and uncle had treated them horribly.

Later, He Tingyue took them in with their father's last letter and adopted them, changing their surnames according to their father's wishes.

Those memories of abuse were burned into their minds, impossible to forget.

They were afraid their new sister-in-law wouldn’t like them and would send them away again.

"Brother, do you think big brother will not want us anymore?"

He Zhengdong pressed his lips together. "I don't know. He probably won't."

He Lilan's voice was soft. "What if she doesn’t like us?"

He Zhengdong said, "Then we’ll have to please her. We’ll behave, eat less, and do more work. Don't worry, I’ll protect you."

He Lilan pouted. "We did that back home, but our grandparents still beat us."

"Shh, big brother’s here."

He Feiyan also heard it and rushed out immediately.

"Big brother, how did it go?"

"What do you mean how?"

He Feiyan tilted her head. "You and Sister Jiang Yu! Did she agree to date you?"

He Tingyue replied, "No."

He Feiyan's expression fell instantly, disappointed that such a good opportunity had been missed.

"What happened?"

He Tingyue ignored her, but in fact, he was in a good mood.

Jiang Yu hadn't agreed, but she hadn't refused either.

In fact, judging by her attitude, he felt that he still had a chance.

"Mind your own business and go to sleep," He Tingyue said, pushing her head lightly.

He Feiyan held out her hand and said, "I’ll invite her to a movie later, so give me some money."

In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to ask him for money so confidently.

Without hesitation, He Tingyue pulled out a large bill and handed her a meat coupon as well.

"After the movie, we can grab dinner at the state-run restaurant."

He Feiyan couldn’t help but feel a little jealous, wondering if he was favoring his girlfriend over his sister.

"Got it."

The next day, when she asked Jiang Yu if she was free,

She heard her say, "I might not be free tomorrow because I have a blind date with Xie Feifei’s cousin."

He Feiyan’s eyes widened in shock. "What?! Xie Feifei’s cousin is back in town?"

"Yeah, we’ve already had our first meeting." Jiang Yu nodded.

He Feiyan was stunned. "Is he only seeing you?"

"No, I think I’m actually the third one he’s met." Jiang Yu counted on her fingers for a moment.