chapter 7

Chapter 7

Cheng Yubai hadn’t spoken to me for three days.

He’d always been the quiet type, but never like this. No matter how nicely I tried to talk to him, he just ignored me, treating me as if I didn’t exist.

“You cheapskate – drink some cold water.”

I muttered softly at his back.

Was it really necessary to get so angry just because I helped him pick up a love letter? That girl was so pretty-he wasn’t losing out.

I couldn’t stand his long face anymore. I stomped my foot and ignored him right back.

That’s how the cold war began.

These days, he cooked in silence, and I ate in silence.

Dad wasn’t home, and there was no one to mediate. The two of us just kept our standoff, not saying a word.

But as Saturday approached, I calmed down quickly-

A couple of weeks ago, before the cold war, a new shop selling creamy ice cream cones had opened on the east side of town.

Because I’d once spent recklessly and ended up in the hospital, Dad never gave me pocket money directly anymore. Now it all went through Cheng Yubai.

He was the stingiest person ever.

He refused to buy me snacks, and he looked down on street food. I had begged him for ages before he finally agreed to take me out for ice cream this Saturday.

But judging by how things were now, that promise was probably off the table.

I hid in my room pretending to do homework, sneaking glances at him all morning, but he showed no intention of going out.

When I saw him take out a small stool and settle by the washing machine, I finally lost my patience.

“Cheng Yubai!”

I rushed over like a little calf, accusing him angrily, “You liar! You don’t keep your word!”

Cheng Yubai glanced at me lazily. “…What did I say?”

I pouted, full of righteous indignation. “You said you’d take me for ice cream this Saturday!”

“I did say Saturday.”

Cheng Yubai calmly rolled up his sleeves, unbothered. “But I didn’t say when on Saturday – morning? Afternoon? Evening? There’s a pile of chores at home. Who knows when I’ll be done?”

“Cheng Yubai, you’re doing this on purpose!”

I was almost in tears, and shouted in frustration, “You’re still mad about what happened before! You cheapskate, I only helped you pick up a love letter! Is it that big of a deal?!”

“Only helped me pick up a love letter?”

Cheng Yubai repeated my words, gave a cold laugh, and said coolly, “Do I need to remind you, Manman? Who am I?”

“Who are you?” I glared at him. “Of course you’re you! Unless you’re my…”

Halfway through, I froze.

Remembering Cheng Yubai’s other identity, I touched my chin and the anger melted away. “You mean our engagement, huh?”

“Hey, Cheng Yubai-”

I pretended to be mature, let out a sigh, pulled a stool over, and sat down next to him.

Cheng Yubai was sprinkling laundry detergent into the aluminum basin. I patted his shoulder and said in a world-weary tone, “It’s the modern age. No one does that old arranged marriage stuff anymore. The TV always talks about freedom in love and marriage. Our engagement doesn’t have to count – you can date whoever you want. You really don’t need to feel any pressure.”

As soon as I finished, Cheng Yubai’s face grew darker.

He started washing the clothes in the basin coldly, then took the washboard and brush, scrubbing hard at a patch of mud on the fabric.

That shirt was mine.

When he finished, he tossed it into the basin beside him and started on the next one.

Hmm… that one was mine, too.

In fact, not a single item in that basin belonged to him or Dad.

It wasn’t really necessary to go to so much trouble.

We’d recently bought a washing machine. Sure, it still needed some manual work, but it really saved effort.

But Cheng Yubai was so picky – he always said the machine didn’t clean well enough, or that the clothes weren’t soft after drying. Other than thick winter clothes and bedsheets, he basically hand-washed all the clothes I changed out of.

Thinking about this, I pursed my lips, and the last bit of anger in my heart disappeared.

Fine, I’d just try to cheer him up.

“Sorry…”

I apologized awkwardly, and at last Cheng Yubai’s expression eased a little.

He poured out the dirty water, rinsed out the suds, then put the clothes back to rinse again. He changed the water again and again, and only when there were no more suds and his long, slender fingers had turned red did he finally stop and start using the washing machine to spin them dry.
After finishing all this, the coldness between his brows finally faded away.

Seeing the crooked, messy ponytail on my head, Cheng Yubai turned directly around, picked up a comb, sat down on the little stool, and patted his thigh to signal me to sit in front of him.

Seeing he wasn’t angry anymore, I quickly grabbed my own little stool and trotted over.

The sunlight outside the window was just right.

The comb’s teeth gently grazed my scalp. I rested across Cheng Yubai’s thigh, my eyes half-closed, so comfortable I was almost drifting off to sleep.

In the long silence, Cheng Yubai suddenly called my name softly, “Manman-”

“Mm?”

I yawned, replying lazily.

Cheng Yubai continued combing my hair at an unhurried pace, his expression calm as he asked, “Can you really accept me falling in love with someone else, maybe even getting married?”

“Why wouldn’t I be able to accept that?”

I still didn’t open my eyes, fumbling to sit up and switching to lie across his left thigh. “It’s your freedom, after all…”

Cheng Yubai paused.

After a moment, he said slowly, “But have you thought about it? If I start dating someone else, I won’t be able to treat you well anymore. My girlfriend wouldn’t be happy about that.”

My eyes snapped open.

That-

I really hadn’t thought about.

Biting my lip, I turned my head to sneak a glance at him. Cheng Yubai’s expression was very calm, as if he was considering things for my sake. He continued, “It’s already like this if I’m just dating. If I get married, it’ll be even worse.

“I wouldn’t be able to wash your clothes or cook for you, and I wouldn’t be able to keep playing with you. When you grow up, your dad will be old, and by then he definitely won’t be able to take care of you. All the chores, big and small, in the house would fall to you alone…”

It was the first time Cheng Yubai had ever said so much, and none of it was what I wanted to hear.

Picking at the hem of my pants, my breathing gradually quickened. I couldn’t help but ask, “And you? Where would you go?”

“Me? Of course I’d move out.”

Cheng Yubai’s expression was full of regret. He gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “If I marry someone else, I’m not yours anymore. How could I keep living at home?”

I was stunned.

Yes, I had thought about Cheng Yubai being with someone else, but I’d never imagined he would leave this home!

In my mind, even if he fell in love or got married, he would still live with us in this house, cook delicious meals for me, and play with me every day.

But now, he was telling me that once he got married, he would leave.

…How could that be?

“No!”

I shouted, jumping up and grabbing his arm in a flustered, angry motion. “I won’t let you go! No, no, no!”

Cheng Yubai smiled gently and firmly pulled his hand away. “But Manman, I have to go.”

After speaking, he sighed as if unintentionally. “What a shame – healthy and delicious meals, clean clothes ready to wear, a warm and tidy room… all these things that once belonged to you will be taken away.”

Only then did I realize there were so many things that could be taken away from me.

But Cheng Yubai still wouldn’t let me off. Like a devil, he leaned in, his eyes full of meaning. “Manman, if I marry someone else, you’ll have to put yourself to sleep from then on.”

I froze completely.

The moment he finished that sentence, the fragile little girl inside me quietly shattered.

My nose tingled and I almost wanted to cry.

But then I remembered I was a student of the new era, a future progressive woman, so I stubbornly held back my tears. Yet just as I was fighting not to cry, Cheng Yubai tossed out another light remark-

“Looks like the ice cream I promised you will have to go to someone else instead.”

The last straw finally appeared. As soon as he said that, I broke down and started crying aggrievedly on the spot: “No!”

Cheng Yubai coaxed me patiently: “No what?”

Hugging my head, I sobbed desperately: “Don’t give my ice cream to someone else!”