In the kitchen, Cheng Xining quieted down for a moment before starting to speak again, "Brother Nan, don’t you think that the two of us right now, one washing vegetables and the other chopping, really look like husband and wife?"
As soon as she said this, He Nan’s chopping paused abruptly, and the atmosphere in the kitchen instantly turned colder. Cheng Xining realized she had said the wrong thing and grew somewhat scared.
"Brother Nan, I want to use the bathroom."
After speaking, she inched her way out of the kitchen, sticking close to the fridge.
Seeing Shen Mianmian comfortably watching television in the living room, she instantly felt annoyed, "I’m going to use the bathroom. You go to the kitchen to wash the vegetables."
Why should she, a young lady of status, have to serve this little girl who appeared out of nowhere? The water is so cold; she certainly didn’t want to wash them. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Knowing that Cheng Xining had received a cold reception from He Nan, and that was why she was so enraged, Shen Mianmian didn’t argue with her and stood up to go to the kitchen.
Just as she was about to wash the vegetables, He Nan said, "Go watch TV; no need to help here."
When Brother He said no help was needed, it really wasn’t needed. Perhaps it wasn’t her help he wanted. Thinking that they might just be lovers having a small tiff, Shen Mianmian didn’t want to intrude and went back to sit on the sofa.
"Why are you still sitting here? Weren’t you asked to help?" Coming out of the bathroom, Cheng Xining was unhappy to see Shen Mianmian still sitting on the sofa. Her commands didn’t work; she couldn’t get this little girl moving, could she?
Shen Mianmian looked innocent, "Brother He said the kitchen didn’t need any help."
Brother Nan had asked her for help but didn’t want this little girl’s help; was it because he looked down on this little girl?
Brother Nan had never liked interacting with girls; this assumption made Cheng Xining feel a bit better. She sat down next to Shen Mianmian and stared at her, asking, "What’s your name?"
"Shen Mianmian." She had anticipated Cheng Xining’s questioning and wasn’t flustered at all.
"What kind of name is that? It sounds so tacky." Cheng Xining frowned in disdain, then lifted her chin, proclaiming proudly, "My name is Cheng Xining, I’m twenty-one years old, older than you, so you should address me as Sister Cheng, but I don’t like people trying to make connections with me, so you can’t call me Sister Cheng, only Miss Cheng."
Shen Mianmian’s mouth twitched, "Miss Cheng."
Cheng Xining was pleased with Shen Mianmian’s attitude, "What’s your relationship with Brother Nan? Why are you living at his house?"
"Brother He’s former comrade-in-arms, my village chief, asked Brother He to look after me a little." Afraid of any misunderstanding, Shen Mianmian tried her best to play down her relationship with He Nan.
"Brother Nan does value brotherhood." Cheng Xining didn’t doubt Shen Mianmian’s words but found it strange, "It’s New Year’s Eve. Why aren’t you going home? Even if Brother Nan is looking after you, does he need to do it to this extent? You’re sixteen, right? A young man and woman together, aren’t you afraid of what others might say?"
Her questions were probing and all on point.
"I don’t have a home. I rent the house across from here. It just so happens Brother He is alone too, so we decided to spend the New Year together." Shen Mianmian explained calmly.
"The house across is rented by you?" Cheng Xining felt relieved internally; so she was a neighbor! No wonder Brother Nan was spending the New Year with her; it seemed there really was nothing between them.
Even though their relationship was clear, Shen Mianmian was after all a woman and also pretty, so Cheng Xining still felt somewhat uneasy.