Yu Wan’s overbearing attitude gave the production team no choice but to give her some fresh ingredients. With these fresh ingredients, they wouldn’t have to work so hard to find food in the village at night. Yu Wan felt that she had done a great deed and proudly carried the ingredients back to the little run-down house.
Dinner was made on the kind of clay stove that was commonly seen in rural villages. Yu Wan was a pampered miss who had never even dipped her hands in water. Even if Yu Jue had led a hard life in his previous life, he had never truly lived in a rural village. He had no way to deal with these clay stoves, so he could only rely on Yu Yao, who had full survival skills.
Yu Yao skillfully started a fire and prepared dinner. Yu Wan sat in the small courtyard that Yu Jue had tidied up and admired the stars that could not be seen in the city. She looked quite relaxed.
Yu Jue wanted to help Yu Yao in the kitchen, but he choked on the strong smoke in the kitchen and coughed repeatedly. His eyes were filled with tears, and after a while, they turned red from his rubbing.
Seeing that he was really uncomfortable, Yu Yao pushed Yu Jue out of the kitchen. “Go wait outside. Don’t cause trouble in the kitchen.”
Yu Jue coughed and said worriedly, “Yaoyao, can you do it alone? Why don’t I go in and help you?”
Yu Yao blocked the door to prevent him from entering. She said helplessly, “Forget it. I won’t make any complicated dishes. I’ll just make some egg noodles. I’ll be done in a while. There’s nothing I need your help with.”
Yu Wan was sitting in the yard admiring the night sky. When she saw Yu Jue being pushed out, she said, “Third Brother, since Sister Yu Yao said that she doesn’t need our help, that means she can handle it herself. You’ve been busy for the entire afternoon. Come and sit here and rest.”
Yu Wan patted the other small stool beside her. Yu Jue still remembered that these small stools were originally covered in a thick layer of dust. Yu Yao had personally washed them.
Yu Jue mocked her in his heart. Yu Wan was indeed still the same as before, only knowing how to pretend.
Although he was dissatisfied with Yu Wan, Yu Jue still remembered Yu Lang and Yu Heng’s plans. He had to gain Yu Wan’s trust. Only when Yu Wan revealed her true motive would they learn about that organization’s next moves and adjust their own response plan.
Hence, Yu Jue could only pretend that nothing had happened as he walked over to Yu Wan and sat down on the stool beside her.
He did not want to open his mouth to speak, so he also looked up at the sky. In the countryside without any light pollution, the sky seemed to darken especially early. The stars in the sky were also especially bright. If one looked carefully, one could see a faint galaxy spanning the sky. It was a galaxy that could not be seen with the naked eye in the city.
Yu Wan felt that this was a good time to have a heart-to-heart talk. She asked softly, “Third Brother, what are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at the Milky Way,” Yu Jue said, his voice laced with emotion. “The Milky Way is really beautiful…”
Yu Wan did not think that the shining stars were anything interesting. They were not diamonds or jewels. They were just illusionary scenery.
However, Yu Wan did not want to destroy the peaceful atmosphere. Hence, she pretended to admire the stars in the sky and sighed softly. “Yes, the stars are really beautiful. I haven’t sat quietly with Third Brother like this for a long time to look at the stars.”
Yu Jue did not speak. He was waiting for Yu Wan to speak, wanting to hear what she would say next.
Yu Wan waited for a while but did not hear Yu Jue’s answer. She was not discouraged and spoke softly again.
“Third Brother, over the past two years, you, Eldest Brother, and Second Brother have been getting busier and busier with your work. Our family can only meet twice or thrice a year. In the past, I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with this family atmosphere, but ever since Sister Yu Yao returned to the Yu family, I’ve been feeling like I’m losing you guys…”
Yu Wan sighed, and her voice carried a hint of bitterness. ��In the past, when you were busy, we couldn’t see each other all the time either. But now, I can’t stand being separated for such a long time. I keep feeling that Eldest Brother and Second Brother are deliberately distancing themselves from me…”
Yu Jue nodded lightly and said as if nothing had happened, “I didn’t know you actually thought that way. Wasn’t our family like this in the past? I often flew around the country. Second Brother stayed at the research institute all year round. Eldest Brother went out early and returned late every day, spending almost all of his time in the office. You have to go to school too, have a lot of extracurricular activities, and have so many friends who can hang out with you. We often don’t see each other for months and we don’t speak to each other. I think things are the same as before.”
“How can it be the same?” Yu Wan laughed bitterly and shook her head. “Third Brother, you guys treat me the same as before. You might not even see me or speak to me for months at a time, but you guys aren’t like this to Sister Yu Yao…”