Free Web NovelChapter 62: Chapter 62: Unfriendly Deskmate
"Dad eats at twelve o’clock sharp. It’s not even eleven yet, so we still have time." Gu Jinhua, who had also been tense, glanced at her watch and her expression relaxed.
"Thank goodness. But we should still get started on lunch. Go get your second brother’s wife to come lend a hand," Chen Suxiang said with a sigh of relief, giving the order.
"I’m not going. Dad told us not to go to the main hall, and I’d have to pass by there to get my second sister-in-law. I’m not about to go poke the tiger."
"You... honestly... Forget it. How can you be so timid? A mouse has more courage than you," Chen Suxiang grumbled, displeased.
’You’re so brave, why don’t you go yourself?’
Gu Jinhua muttered to herself in dissatisfaction, but out loud she said, "Second Sister-in-law is too lazy. It’s this late and she still hasn’t come over to help with lunch on her own. Mom, you shouldn’t spoil her so much. At this rate, is my second brother going to have to wait on her hand and foot?"
"Her behavior is quite improper. I’ll have to have a word with her one of these days. Living with your in-laws isn’t the same as living with your own parents. Her mother might be willing to treat her like a pampered princess, but I won’t indulge that habit." In truth, Chen Suxiang had been dissatisfied with her second son’s wife for a long time. It was true her family had some standing, but she had married into the Gu Family. She shouldn’t have been living at her parents’ home in the first place.
’My poor second son. Who knows how many dirty looks he had to endure while living at his mother-in-law’s house in the city with his wife. Otherwise, why would he cheat on her when he had a wife at home? He must have been feeling resentful and uncomfortable at home, which is why he sought out another woman...’
Her small eyes narrowed. ’It seems I can’t be soft on my second daughter-in-law anymore. I’ve let her become bone-idle. Jinhua told me that when she came back from the city, she saw her ordering my younger son around to fetch things... How is that acceptable? Is it right for a grown man to be bossed around by a woman?’
"Exactly. Mom, you have no idea. Whenever I used to visit the city, I never once saw her do any housework..." The moment the gossip turned to her second sister-in-law, Gu Jinhua became as animated as if she’d had a shot of adrenaline, leaning in to whisper with her mom.
Outside the door, Ye Rong stood silently for a moment, a look of grief and indignation in her eyes. Then she turned and left without a sound.
--
「In the Grade 4, Class 2 classroom of the town’s central elementary school.」
Gu Nuan Nuan sat at her desk, pretending to listen attentively to the teacher at the front of the class. Her eyes, however, couldn’t help but stray to the two empty seats in the row by the window, and memories from her past life surfaced with sharp clarity.
’It seemed that back then, the boy-girl twins had also taken a few days off around this time. They had called in sick, I think...’
"Have you heard? Lin Jiayi and Lin Jia Bao’s dad is a murderer."
Lost in thought, Gu Nuan Nuan suddenly felt a poke on her back. She glanced at the teacher and saw she wasn’t looking their way, so she shifted slightly to peer behind her. A paper wad was tossed over. With quick hands, she caught it and, using her textbook as cover, unfolded it. A line of neat, slightly childish handwriting was scrawled on the paper.
Gu Nuan Nuan raised an eyebrow. It had been many years since she’d passed notes like this. Reliving it now felt a bit nostalgic. Without hesitation, she picked up her pen, drew three large question marks under the line of text, crumpled the paper back into a ball, and gently tossed it back when the teacher wasn’t looking.
"Yesterday, a bunch of police came to their house and surrounded it. Everyone’s saying their dad killed someone and ran away. Apparently he killed a lot of people. It’s so scary! Lin Jiayi and Lin Jia Bao are the children of a murderer. We have to keep our distance and not play with them anymore. What if we get into an argument and they kill us too?"
The note was quickly tossed back. Gu Nuan Nuan unfolded it and couldn’t help but smile.
’Talk about rumors getting out of hand. How could it get this exaggerated?’ She picked up her pen and had just started to write, "Yesterday, Lin Jiayi and Lin Jia Bao’s father..." when she suddenly paused. After a moment’s thought, she crossed out the line, crumpled the note, and stuffed it in her pocket.
’Forget it. I’d better not try to defend them. Let everyone spread whatever rumors they want. A murderer’s children? Heh heh...’
"Zhang Liye, you have your hand up. Is there something you want to say?"
Gu Nuan Nuan was startled by the teacher’s voice, suddenly so close. She looked up and saw that the one with his hand raised was her deskmate, a small, scrawny boy who looked unfriendly at first glance. A bad feeling immediately washed over her. Sure enough, the next moment, the boy named Zhang Liye stood up, shot her a smug look, and announced loudly, "Teacher, Gu Nuan Nuan and Dong Xinran weren’t paying attention in class. They were passing notes."
"..."
Gu Nuan Nuan was a little dazed, completely at a loss for words. ’I actually got ratted out... and by my own deskmate, a boy no less. So much for ’opposites attract’ and getting along. I’ve looked in the mirror. At ten years old, I haven’t fully blossomed yet, and I’m not drop-dead gorgeous or anything...’
’Alright, I admit I never reached that level of beauty even when I grew up. But that’s not the point. The point is, I inherited the best features from my mom and my scumbag dad, so I’ve always been decent-looking. I even have that classical beauty of a gentle, virtuous lady from a good family that fits traditional aesthetics... Faced with a girl like me, this creature in front of me is male, isn’t he? How could he not have an ounce of chivalry and find it in his heart to cruelly ’report’ me?’
She resisted the urge to facepalm and re-examined the smug little brat gloating over having tattled on her. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember what he looked like as an adult. It wasn’t just him; she hadn’t kept in touch with any of her elementary school classmates after growing up, nor had she attended any reunions. As a result, she had no idea what they looked like now, what jobs they had, or how they were doing...
"Gu Nuan Nuan, Dong Xinran, hand over the note."
The deep, stern voice rang out, convicting them both without any investigation.
It happened to be Chinese class, taught by their homeroom teacher, Teacher He. Teacher He was a stern, rigid woman in her forties who, more than anything, detested students who didn’t pay attention in her class. Gu Nuan Nuan remembered that she also had a habit of calling parents. For the slightest infraction, she loved to summon parents to the school for a "re-education." As a result, she commanded great authority in her class. With the exception of a few favorite students, the mere mention of her name was enough to make everyone turn pale.
In the back row, Dong Xinran stood up, trembling so badly her knees were knocking together, her face pale with fear.
"Teacher, Dong Xinran and I were not passing notes. Zhang Liye is falsely accusing us." Gu Nuan Nuan stood up unhurriedly, looking Teacher He straight in the eye with a perfectly calm and open expression. Of course, she could only be so composed because, just before standing up, she had already tossed the note into her pocket dimension to "destroy the evidence."
