CHAPTER 182: 181: SPARRING (CHAPTER 5) REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS

After Bai Hehua returned home, she immediately hid in her room, claiming her head had been blown by the wind. She walked back the whole way with her head down, and Bai Xue didn’t notice anything unusual about her. Besides, since she had left the military and went to see Shen Bin, Bai Xue just assumed her niece was feeling shy.

Laughing as she returned to the West Room, Bai Xue saw her daughter still reading a book, feeling concerned, she picked up the book directly, "You’ve been reading all day, haven’t you? Have you eaten yet?"

Knowing she wouldn’t be home at noon, Bai Xue made sure to leave the dishes and rice in the pot to keep warm, but upon returning to find the house so cold and desolate, it was clear her younger daughter hadn’t eaten.

"I’m not hungry." Ye Qian sat up excitedly, "Mom, did Dad agree?"

Yet she felt a vague concern, knowing that things wouldn’t be so simple, but the more she felt this way, the more she needed to appear happy. This way, her mother would dislike Ye Ling even more.

Indeed, just as Ye Qian expected, her mother lost her cheerful expression upon hearing her words, "Don’t mention it. Your dad favors that wretched girl and didn’t agree. I’ve been thinking about it on the way back. If you don’t get in, it doesn’t matter; you can go directly into the company. I’ll look for someone there, and I can always arrange a job for you there. Nowadays, even college graduates struggle to find jobs, so it’s better to directly have a job arranged."

"Mom, but I want to rely on myself." Ye Qian looked at her mother disappointedly, "My sister is so capable, but I have to rely on the family. I don’t care what others say about me; I just want to make you proud."

"Silly child, why bother with all that when you’re sick? There’s more to life than proving a point. You’ve got a talent for dancing and a good temperament. Your dad can pull some strings for you, and you’ll end up with a great job that others couldn’t even dream of." Bai Xue, seeing her daughter’s consideration for her, felt comforted, "I don’t ask for much; just for you to be well. Once you have a good job, won’t others envy you?"

Ye Qian remained silent, and Bai Xue just hugged her daughter, feeling stifled inside. Her pride in her daughter had been overshadowed by Ye Ling, leaving her uneasy. She wished her younger daughter could make her proud, but her daughter’s illness affected her studies. She couldn’t do much even after saying a few words.

In the end, she could only accept it.

As for Bai Hehua, after returning to her room, she secretly wiped her tears and slowly calmed down. What worried her now was finding a way to make her aunt disapprove of the marriage proposal so that when Shen Bin brings it up, her aunt’s anger wouldn’t be too overwhelming.

Time passed quickly, and as school started, the weather slowly warmed up. Over a month had gone by since she was supposed to join the company. Bai Xue hadn’t visited her oldest daughter at school, and Ye Ling’s life was quiet. The only one constantly burdened with worries was Bai Hehua.

Since that day, Bai Hehua hadn’t come up with any ideas. The next morning, she got up early to cook, had a few bites, and went to her workplace. Bai Xue didn’t notice these things, still contemplating finding a time for her niece and Shen Bin to meet up, only to learn that her niece had gotten herself into trouble over a month later.

Though her daughter’s middle school entrance exam didn’t go well, Bai Xue thought of nourishing her daughter’s body. She stewed a chicken in the evening, conveniently for her niece to join them. But as soon as the chicken was served, her niece ran to the bathroom to vomit heavily.

Ye Qian frowned, smelling the chicken fragrance that would usually whet one’s appetite; Bai Hehua’s vomiting disgusted her so much she couldn’t eat anymore, putting down her chopsticks and entering her room. Bai Xue had already reached the bathroom door and turned back to see her daughter upset, quickly following her younger daughter.

"What’s wrong? Eat while it’s hot." Bai Xue knew her daughter had grown accustomed to being pampered.

"Mom, I don’t want to eat anymore." Ye Qian listened to the sounds of vomiting from the bathroom, making her stomach churn.

Seeing her daughter looking so unwell, Bai Xue sighed, "Alright, wait a moment, I’ll bring the dishes to you. You can eat in your room."

Returning to the living room, she brought the dishes and rice into the West Room, instructing her daughter to eat alone, and closed the door to keep out the living room noise before heading to the bathroom, "Hehua, is your stomach uncomfortable?"

"Just caught a chill these past few days, my stomach’s been acting up. Chewing on some ginger will make it better. Don’t worry, aunt, go have your meal." Bai Hehua flushed the toilet, rinsed her mouth, looking slightly better, "Aunt, I want to lie down for a while, I won’t have dinner."

"That’s fine, if you feel really uncomfortable, you should visit the clinic for some medication." Bai Xue advised before returning to the West Room.

Meanwhile, Bai Hehua, after entering the East Room, slid down tiredly onto the floor, clutching her stomach, utterly lost.

After working at the unit for some time, she gradually got to know some people. Especially after Bai Hehua grew up, some young men at the unit’s cafeteria would look at her more than once and find opportunities to talk with her.

During winter, when the unit’s cafeteria heated with stoves, oddly the chimney started to emit smoke. Since Bai Hehua was temporary staff, she always arrived earlier than the permanent ones and did more odd jobs. It fell to her to manage the stove, and suddenly the stove started continuously smoking, almost engulfing the cafeteria. Bai Hehua, panicked and at a loss, was fortunate that Lin Tao from the unit arrived early and found a rag stuffed in the chimney, causing it to smoke.

This incident led to them knowing each other, and they’d chat a bit whenever they met. After Bai Hehua was scolded by Shen Bin at the company, she stayed quiet ever since then. Lin Tao noticed and asked what was wrong. Without any friends on this side, Bai Hehua shared the problem with Lin Tao, who stood up for her. This moved Bai Hehua, and Lin Tao’s sudden confession surprised her.

At first, Bai Hehua was scared and kept avoiding Lin Tao, but later Lin Tao stopped her, asking her real thoughts. They secretly started seeing each other.

Bai Hehua enjoyed the care Lin Tao gave her but was also thinking about how to talk to her aunt about the matter with Shen Bin. This delay lasted quite some time. Once during their date, they went out for dinner and had some drinks; they ended up at a guest house. Now she understood her situation; Bai Hehua was terrified.

Holding back a whole night, the next morning she feared nauseousness and claimed her stomach was upset, skipping breakfast and heading to her workplace, waiting for Lin Tao to show up for some advice. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)