Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Only Good Looks Make You a Flirt The man was fair-skinned and clean-looking, resembling a... kept boy (pretty boy). He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, but they completely failed to hide those exquisitely shaped phoenix eyes. With a high bridge of the nose, thin lips, and slightly softened jawline, he possessed an ambiguous, gender-defying beauty. In Xia Xiaoqi's mind: The man is like a gentle, affectionate puppy who loves to act spoiled—"Big sister~" In Qiao Ran's mind: The man is panting slightly and coughing up a bit of blood, radiating a frail, sickly vibe as his deep, affectionate phoenix eyes gaze at her with boundless attachment. While each was happily indulging in their own self-scripted mini-drama, the man had already arrived in front of them, stopping a "Flying Pigeon" bicycle by propping one foot on the ground. "Why haven't you gone home yet?" the man asked. Whoa! His voice is so magnetic and sweet too. "Who are you asking?" In a rare moment of synchronicity, Xia Xiaoqi and Qiao Ran asked back in unison. Lu Xiangnan frowned slightly and said to Qiao Ran, "Look at you, drenched like this—what kind of state is that? Hurry back and change your clothes." With that, the man hopped on his bicycle and rode off. "He's mine," Qiao Ran arched her brow smugly. "Don't go stealing him." It was clear now—this must be Lu Xiangnan, the eldest of the Lu family, and also Qiao Ran's husband. What a pity. Such a fair, tender little milk-dog belongs to my bestie. Xia Xiaoqi pouted. Still, since they were brothers, her own man probably wouldn't be too bad either. What should she do? She was starting to get excited; she really wanted to meet him. When they returned home, their mother-in-law, Liu Chunhua, was squatting in front of the kitchen stove, adding fuel to the fire to cook. Seeing the two of them walk in one after the other, Liu Chunhua looked deeply displeased. "Why are you only just getting back? Xiaoli has been waiting with an empty stomach for you two to make dinner! Eldest daughter-in-law, hurry up and wash the Chinese cabbage to stew. Second daughter-in-law, go chop some firewood and tend the fire." "Oh, good grief! Who do you think you're talking to?" Qiao Ran couldn't control herself, the words slipping right out of her mouth. Xia Xiaoqi pinched the palm of Qiao Ran's hand, signaling her not to be overly rebellious right after arriving. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy to win every battle—they should figure out the rules of the game first before doing anything. "Um, my clothes are wet, I'm going to go change first," Xia Xiaoqi said, heading straight toward the rooms. "Ah, my clothes are wet too, I'll go change as well," Qiao Ran followed closely behind. A moment later, Xia Xiaoqi emerged from the west wing with her head lowered. Oops! Unfamiliar with the layout, she had walked into the wrong room and almost accidentally bumped into her eldest brother-in-law in the middle of changing clothes. Liu Chunhua stood frozen in the kitchen, completely caught off guard... Before she could fully process it, the two daughters-in-law had already vanished. Fierce and sharp-tongued as the second son's wife might normally be, she wouldn't even dare let out a peep in front of her mother-in-law, let alone the eldest son's wife, who wouldn't dare head west if told to go east. What on earth was going on today? Were their ears stuffed with donkey hair? Did they not hear a word she said? The eldest son, Lu Xiangnan, taught school in the town and could come home every few days, so the west wing had been assigned to the couple. As for the second son, Lu Yanbei, he was in the military, making it truly rare to catch a glimpse of him once or twice a year. Consequently, mother-in-law Liu Chunhua had arranged for the second son's wife to live in the lower house. The so-called lower house was a side room mostly used for storing sundries—leaking rain in the summer and letting in the wind in the winter. A low, narrow brick kang, an old table, a paint-peeled cabinet, and a mirror printed with large lotus flowers made up all the worldly possessions in Xia Xiaoqi's room. Xia Xiaoqi first stood in front of the mirror, looking herself up and down. She had to admit, although the original owner was a country girl, it didn't stop her from being exceptionally pretty. Her skin was as white and flawless as jade, with a standard oval face and almond-shaped eyes. Her features were delicate and refined, with two dark, braided pigtails resting in front of her. Every single detail was beautiful in just the right way, resembling a meticulously sculpted figurine. This face easily scored ninety-nine points—she was withholding one point just so she wouldn't get too arrogant. In truth, it looked about seventy or eighty percent similar to her original appearance, but this face felt fresh and was even younger, making Xia Xiaoqi feel like it was somewhat prettier. After admiring her own peerless beauty, Xia Xiaoqi started rummaging through the wardrobe to find clothes. The one she had on was simply too hideous—a blue cloth tunic embroidered with large, clashing peony flowers that looked utterly rustic. That outfit was a hundred-percent mismatch for her gorgeous face. Item after item was pulled out of the cabinet until Xia Xiaoqi finally slumped in defeat, sitting heavily down on the kang. They were all too tacky, one uglier than the next; they were downright hideous. The wall calendar showed October 1978. The reform and opening-up had not happened yet, and the trendy Hong Kong style hadn't swept in either. Xia Xiaoqi felt thoroughly depressed. As a delicate, beauty-loving girl, she genuinely could not bring herself to accept these patched, coarse cloth garments. In the kitchen, Liu Chunhua's sound of chopping Chinese cabbage sounded like she was hacking up a person, using immense strength as cabbage shards flew everywhere. While chopping, she kept scolding, "It's not even dark yet, and she's already following a man scampering into the room. Aren't they even the least bit ashamed?" That remark was clearly meant for Qiao Ran in the west wing. There was no helping it—who told her room to be the closest one? Meanwhile, Liu Chunhua desperately wanted to throw veiled insults at Xia Xiaoqi, but unfortunately, over in the lower house, Xia Xiaoqi couldn't hear a single thing. The west wing was originally quite spacious, but a blue curtain had been hung right down the middle, dividing it into two small sections and making it look rather cramped. Lu Xiangnan lived in the inner section, where besides a study desk, he had specially built a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books. Normally, he and his wife lived separated by that curtain—supposed to be a married couple, yet acting more like a meditating monk and nun living miles apart despite being inches away. Lu Xiangnan was reading a book when the curtain was suddenly pulled back, and Qiao Ran’s plump face popped through. "Something the matter?" Lu Xiangnan asked coldly. Qiao’s behavior deeply displeased him. After all, the two of them had always kept to their own lanes, and the original Qiao Ni had never dared to suddenly cross boundaries like this. "Just wanted to see you," Qiao Ran said, her peach-blossom eyes charming and affectionate. "It's been a long time; I've missed you so much." Lu Xiangnan seemed genuinely angry, lines creasing between his eyebrows as he gritted out, "Get out." An intellectual for you—so well-mannered he wouldn't even tell her to scram. "Oh, right away!" Qiao Ran very sensibly withdrew her chubby face. She had no idea how the couple used to get along, but it really looked like there was zero affection between them. Qiao Ran figured she shouldn't rush the flirting too much. After all, if you're good-looking it's called flirting, but if you're ugly it's sexual harassment—she had better focus hard on losing weight first. As for this fair, tender husband of hers? Big sister here had full confidence in winning him over and pulling him into her embrace sooner or later. Suddenly, the door to the west wing was yanked open, giving Qiao Ran—who was in the middle of changing clothes—a serious start. Seeing Liu Chunhua's furious expression, Qiao Ran rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What is it? I'm changing clothes here! Why don't you knock before walking into a room? So lacking in basic manners." "I'm asking you, are you going to come out and cook or not?" Liu Chunhua's booming voice was deafening. "What's the matter? If I don't cook, are you all going to starve?" "You and Xia Xiaofang have always been the ones cooking in this house." Qiao Ran let out a cold "heh." "Just because we've always been the ones doing it doesn't mean someone else shouldn't take a turn now. We're exhausted, and it's time we took a break." The old lady was completely thunderstruck, staring at the plump daughter-in-law in front of her as if she had seen a ghost. Was this really the same Qiao Ni who wouldn't make a peep even if you kicked her three times? With a tongue that sharp and biting, had she been possessed by some kind of unclean spirit?