Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Pacing in Front of the Stepdaughter’s Door
Even if this plate of fish were a delicacy from the heavens, Zhao Nuanyue wouldn’t have touched it. She reached over, pushed the dish in front of Zhao Huilan, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister, but there’s plenty of fish where Nuanyang and I work. In fact, our work assignments are to catch fish from the river, not farm. So we eat fish almost every day and have gotten sick of it. We don’t really like it anymore. Isn’t that right, Nuanyang?"
"Mhm!" Zhao Nuanyang nodded. His sister had told him not to eat the fish, and besides, it was true. ’Compared to fish, I prefer meat anyway.’
Zhao Jinghai and Wang Lianhua faltered, the smiles on their faces freezing.
Seeing this, Xia Yingyu reached over, took the plate of pork stewed with vermicelli from in front of Zhao Huilan, and placed it before her own son and daughter. "Since Huilan enjoys fish so much, let her have more. It wasn’t easy to get a fish," she said. "Nuanyue, Nuanyang, you two have some more meat."
Xia Yingyu served her son and daughter, then did the same for her mother-in-law, Wang Lianhua, and Zhao Jinghai, keeping up appearances for everyone’s sake.
Zhao Nuanyue was delighted. "Thanks, Mom!" she said with a smile.
She then put several pieces of meat and some vermicelli on her brother’s plate before piling a good amount onto her own. ’Pork stew with vermicelli and a side of white rice—so delicious.’ Zhao Nuanyang and Zhao Nuanyue ate with gusto, their faces alight with satisfaction.
Seeing this, Zhao Huilan shot a disdainful look at Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang, who were eating like a pair of country bumpkins who had never had meat in their lives. ’What’s so great about that?’ she thought. ’Fish is so much better. It’s way more delicious than meat.’
Watching Zhao Huilan eat the fish, Zhao Jinghai felt a complicated mix of emotions. ’Thank goodness it was just sleeping pills in the fish and not poison,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, my own daughter would have been the one to die.’
Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang ended up eating most of the meat.
After dinner, Zhao Huilan yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Why am I so sleepy today? I even slept for quite a while this afternoon."
Worried that the sharp-witted Zhao Nuanyue would notice something was amiss, Wang Lianhua quickly shooed her. "If you’re sleepy, go to sleep! Don’t just hang around here getting in the way."
Zhao Nuanyue understood. ’When Huilan was eating the fish, Jinghai and Wang Lianhua didn’t stop her, which means it wasn’t poison or a knockout drug. Her sleepiness now proves there were sleeping pills in the fish.’
’So they wanted to knock me out... but for what?’
Zhao Nuanyue couldn’t figure it out. From this point on, she wouldn’t even dare to drink water.
Zhao Huilan was rooming with Wang Lianhua, so her room was vacated for Zhao Nuanyue. Zhao Nuanyang stayed in his original small room, which contained only a small bed, a small table, and a small wardrobe.
Zhao Nuanyue helped Zhao Nuanyang tidy up his room. Then, she personally boiled some water for him, pouring it into a thermos and leaving it in his room. She wouldn’t dare drink water boiled by anyone else.
Zhao Jinghai’s original plan to drug the water was thwarted by Zhao Nuanyue’s actions.
As a pregnant woman who had had a busy day, Xia Yingyu was exhausted. After saying goodnight to her daughter and son, she went to her room.
Zhao Jinghai lingered at Zhao Nuanyue’s door, pacing. ’Are there any other methods I can use?’ he wondered.
Just then, Xia Yingyu needed to use the restroom. Coming out in her slippers, she saw Zhao Jinghai pacing back and forth in front of Zhao Nuanyue’s door. She was horrified, and a terrible suspicion bloomed in her mind. "What are you doing in front of Nuanyue’s room? She’s a grown young lady, and you’re her stepfather! Aren’t you afraid of causing a scandal?"
Xia Yingyu’s words were sharp and to the point.
Although Zhao Jinghai didn’t harbor those kinds of intentions toward Zhao Nuanyue, pacing in front of his stepdaughter’s door was indeed improper, especially now that his wife had seen him. He hurried over, forcing a smile. "I just had something I needed to ask Nuanyue, but I was worried she might already be asleep and didn’t want to disturb her. I was just hesitating when you came out. Nuanyue is my daughter! Even if not by blood, I’ve watched her grow up. How could I possibly do something so beastly?"
Hearing Zhao Jinghai’s hurried defense, Xia Yingyu was skeptical. However, this wasn’t a savory topic, and it could harm her daughter’s reputation. She shot him a glare and said, "They had a long train ride and didn’t eat or sleep well. Whatever you have to ask, ask her tomorrow. Now, hurry up, wash your face, and go to bed. Stop loitering out here. If I find out... I will never forgive you..."
"Hey, I’m really not that kind of person," Zhao Jinghai said, growing flustered. "Fine, fine, I’ll listen to you. I’ll go wash up and go to sleep right now."
Hearing Zhao Jinghai’s footsteps fade away outside, Zhao Nuanyue, who had been listening from her room, finally let her heart, which had been caught in her throat, settle back down.
’He’s finally gone.’
’The drugging failed, so what was Zhao Jinghai planning to do at my door?’
Zhao Nuanyue’s Divine Sense trailed after Zhao Jinghai, but it detected no further movements from him. Xia Yingyu, on the other hand, was now on guard against her husband because of his improper behavior. She couldn’t let that man have his eyes on her daughter.
’Without even realizing it, her daughter had grown up. She would be sixteen after the New Year—practically seventeen.’
’The propriety between men and women must be observed. Tomorrow, I have to talk to my daughter and tell her to be careful, both at home and when she’s out.’
The reason Xia Yingyu didn’t press the issue was that she didn’t truly believe Zhao Jinghai had such audacity. In all their years of marriage, while he was only mediocre toward the children, he had always treated her well.
Only after everyone had gone to bed did Zhao Nuanyue finally let out a long sigh of relief. Her nerves had been stretched taut all evening, not daring to relax for a single moment.
’Hua Yusen gave me three letters,’ she thought. ’One of them is for Director Hao at this work unit, my stepfather’s boss. But Jinghai wants to marry me off to Leader Li’s idiot son, and Leader Li is Director Hao’s direct superior. So even if I went to him, Director Hao probably couldn’t help, or simply wouldn’t dare.’
’Because of this, I won’t go looking for Director Hao. Tomorrow morning, if I get the chance, I’ll take my brother Zhao Nuanyang to the Jincheng City train station, buy tickets, and get out of here immediately.’
「The next morning」
Xia Yingyu woke up feeling unwell. She had Zhao Jinghai go to the factory to request three days of leave for her. Pregnant women were given preferential treatment at times like this. Besides, Xia Yingyu hadn’t used her four vacation days for the month yet and wanted to spend more time with her daughter.
When Zhao Huilan saw that Xia Yingyu was staying home to be with her son and daughter while she herself still had to go to work, she was deeply annoyed. She was about to complain, but a few sharp glares from Wang Lianhua told her to keep her mouth shut.
She recalled what her grandmother had said the night before. ’Zhao Nuanyue is like a grasshopper in late autumn—her days are numbered. I’ll have a lifetime to laugh at her, so there’s no need to get worked up over this.’
Zhao Huilan left in a huff, slamming the door hard on her way out. Despite her brief irritation, she was secretly gleeful, thinking about the "good news" she’d heard.
Seeing her stepdaughter’s behavior, Xia Yingyu frowned and muttered in irritation, "Such an ill-bred thing!"
Wang Lianhua overheard and retorted, "That’s enough. Huilan is still young. You’re the adult, are you really going to stoop to her level?"
