But Tan Jiao hesitated and gently poked my back. Cheng Baozhu mustve fallen head over heels for Zheng Zhiwei for some reason. Sometimes, what a woman wants is not a man's idea of being respectful.
Even though it was only a poke, I felt as if her soft touch had gone through my back and straight to my heart. Yet, she was already in front of me with her hands behind her back as she said, Lets go then, Ah Yu.
She seemed somewhat happy, walking leisurely on our way back. Her expression looked calm as if she had not said anything just now.
I, on the other hand, still felt a weak, restless voice constantly urging me.
When we got back to the garden, we saw Feng Yan sitting alone there, enjoying some tea. She was wearing a thick, white downed jacket and a black dress. She greeted us with a smile.
She invited the two of us to tea. I must admit that a warm cup of tea in the cold truly warmed and calmed my heart. I had always respected Professor Cheng and his wife. As such, I was determined to save them from the fire.
Wheres the professor? Tan Jiao asked.
With a smile, Feng Yan replied, Probably in his reading room. We sometimes dont see each other for the whole day.
How is Ruyings cold? I asked out of courtesy.
Shes much better now. She always catches a cold, so dont be too worried.
At that moment, some noise came from the front of the garden. They were from the workers that we saw yesterday. Feng Yan stood up and told us, I need to attend to them. You guys carry on.
Then one of the workers called out, Miss Cheng, weve come to work.
Feng Yan walked over, greeting them with a smile as she asked, Have you two eaten lunch?
Not yet, Miss Cheng.
In that case, Ill go cook up some of the dumplings we made this morning. You guys can start working, Ill bring you the food later.
Thank you, Miss Cheng, the two said simultaneously.
The two workers took a few glances at us before going to the other side of the garden to work.
Your professor and his wife respect each other a lot. I havent seen them talking once today.
I did not think there was anything strange about this. The professor was conservative, a workaholic. Naturally, he would not be too close to his wife. As such, I thought that their relationship seemed normal. However, later events would prove that women are sometimes more sensitive about these things compared to men. Especially a woman like Tan Jiao who liked to come up with pretty far-fetched theories about things.
At that moment, Tan Jiaos phone rang. It was the phone that I got her from the village. She seemed surprised. Zhuang Yu, why are you calling me? I thought you were already leaving?
She got up and walked away. Perhaps the conversation with Zhuang Yu was private. Keeping my distance, I followed her. When she stopped by some bushes, I took out a cigarette and waited for her.
The two talked for quite some time. The volume was low, so I could not hear anything. Initially, Tan Jiao would take glances at me from time to time. Later on, she turned her back to me.
After finishing three cigarettes, her conversation with Zhuang Yu finally ended. Yet, she stood there without moving.
Whats the matter? I came to her after putting out the cigarette.
Tan Jiao turned to me with a smile, but her eyes looked watery. Zhuang Yu said shes worried about me, so she decided to come after getting back home.