CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 130: FADED, FADED, OUR FEELINGS HAVE FADED

As Ye Manman and Cheng Yuan came down the stairs, talking and laughing, Cheng Yuan’s mom was stunned, her eyes wide open in disbelief.

But when she saw Cheng Yuan looking even paler in the sunlight downstairs, Auntie couldn’t help but scold her out of concern.

"You child, if only you had figured things out earlier, I would’ve worried less and eaten and slept better. Look at you now, I’ve only sold two pieces of clothing because of this. I’ll go make two eggs, make sure you eat them, okay?"

Auntie walked up to Cheng Yuan and tidied her slightly messy hair. Under the many crow’s feet and wrinkles, her eyes were bloodshot.

Seeing this, Cheng Yuan couldn’t help but tear up again, apologizing repeatedly out of guilt.

"I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t do this again."

She had been lost in her own world these past few days, tormented by pain, totally unaware that her mom was also unable to eat or sleep well, just like her.

Her mom used to be so lively, never suffering from insomnia.

Seeing her blame herself again, Auntie gave her a light smack on the forehead and then went to the back kitchen to boil eggs for her.

"It’s good that you know you’re wrong. Eat all the eggs later so I won’t have to worry anymore. Honestly, you’ve been fretting over nothing every day."

Auntie was a straightforward woman, often out and about at markets, so her tone was understandably stern. But it was this very tone that revealed the motherly love within.

Cheng Yuan obediently replied "Mm," and then noticed He Chen, who was still waiting in the store with Ye Manman for so long.

Though she was always a bit wary of him, Cheng Yuan mustered the courage to apologize to him.

"I’m sorry for making you wait so long for Manman in the store."

Her eyes were still red, and she spoke to He Chen very cautiously, as if the image of him being a bully with a fierce expression, almost lifting Xie Fengmian with one hand, was etched in her heart.

However, He Chen didn’t care about how others perceived him.

He simply said it was okay and then fell silent, quietly waiting for Ye Manman.

Cheng Yuan didn’t say much more, but her eyes that longed for the outside world revealed her thoughts.

"Why not just take the stuff and go register later? Don’t be afraid, we’ll go with you, okay?"

If you’re doing a good deed, you should see it through to the end. You can’t just offer encouragement without following through, and you certainly can’t leave someone to face it alone after pumping them up.

Since it was just the start of the year, and every household had plenty of meat, Sweet and Spicy Duck’s business wasn’t doing great, so closing the store for a while wasn’t a big deal.

He Chen had no objections; after all, Ye Manman’s safety was always his top priority. If she wanted to accompany Cheng Yuan to face those bad people, he naturally wouldn’t want to leave her side even for a step.

"Okay."

Cheng Yuan gratefully thanked her again. Just then, Auntie came back and placed three bowls of brown sugar boiled eggs in front of them.

"It’s cold, have some. It’s just us mother and daughter here, nothing fancy, don’t mind it, okay?"

Ye Manman didn’t have time to decline before Auntie turned, and sternly spoke to Cheng Yuan.

"Finish everything, hear me? You’ve barely eaten these past few days. Look at you, you’ve become so thin. You hardly have any flesh on your face, and you’ve already lost the bit you gained over the past few days."

"Eat up, I’m watching you."

Auntie clearly wasn’t giving them a chance to refuse, and it would be inappropriate to decline now, seeing as the food was prepared and set before them.

It seemed improper to interrupt someone during a moment of family bonding, so Ye Manman obediently picked up a spoon and sipped slowly.

He Chen had the same thought as her, but he also missed the chance to refuse. At this point, he felt it would be uncomfortable to say anything, and instead quietly drank.

One had to admit that taking a sip of sweet brown sugar water in the middle of winter was incredibly comforting, and Auntie was generous with the sugar. Any more, and it would taste too sweet.

Ye Manman couldn’t finish two eggs, so she gave one to He Chen.

They usually did this at home, but Auntie saw it. She had just been watching Cheng Yuan force her to eat the second egg, and now she was speaking to them again.

"You’re also too thin, girl. Why is your appetite so small that you can’t even eat two eggs? How will you gain weight like this? You know, a girl who gains a bit of weight is blessed, right?"

After this, Auntie turned to He Chen.

"And you, such a big man, look how robust you’ve grown, yet look at your wife, so thin. At home, do you not allow her to eat her fill?"

"I’ve heard your store does pretty well, right? Could it be you can’t cook and are too busy having her take care of you?"

Once an elder considers you part of the family, their scolding becomes uniform. Just as she had been blaming Cheng Yuan for being picky and not listening, she was now reprimanding the pair of them.

Ye Manman wanted to retort, but she hadn’t opened her mouth before Auntie’s stern yet caring gaze made her back down. He Chen bowed his head and repeatedly affirmed, promising to take good care of his wife and help her gain some weight.

Maybe it was because they had never experienced such direct concern from an elder, but Ye Manman was at a loss for words, unsure how to react.

But unlike other situations, she found that although some words were stern, they indeed warmed her heart.

Once Cheng Yuan forcefully swallowed the second egg and drank all the brown sugar water, Auntie stopped reprimanding them, cleaned up the bowls and went to the kitchen to wash them.

Ye Manman and He Chen turned to look at each other simultaneously, both seeing a sense of relief in each other’s eyes, along with a heartfelt gratitude and a longing for the care of elders they had never experienced.

They envied Cheng Yuan, envying her for having such a good mother.

Even though her father was gone, having such a strong yet gentle mother was truly a blessing.

"I’m sorry, Manman. My mom is just like that... She always talks without stopping and goes on and on once she catches someone."

Cheng Yuan was very apologetic, and she was particularly worried that He Chen would get angry and mad at being reproached by her mom, almost choking on her egg in panic.

But luckily, neither of them seemed the least bit upset.

After informing Auntie that they were going to register for the college entrance exam, they prepared to leave.

And just as they were stepping out, a hurried figure rushed in, almost bumping into them.

Luckily, He Chen quickly reacted, grabbing Ye Manman and pulling her two steps to the side, thus avoiding the awkward and painful face-to-face collision.

"Eh? Yuanyuan, why are you out?"

"You’ve come to your senses!"

The newcomer was Cheng Yuan’s good friend Jiang Yuan, who was now also Ye Manman’s friend. After all, this lively girl insisted on meeting her when she first met Cheng Yuan.

At that time, they thought Ye Manman was a celebrity, and Cheng Yuan spent a long time explaining it to Jiang Yuan later, but Jiang Yuan refused to believe it, and whenever she came to see Cheng Yuan, she always tried to chat with Ye Manman. Over time, the three of them became familiar.

However, Jiang Yuan didn’t like studying and had no plans to go to college. She was here purely to see Cheng Yuan.

Seeing that Cheng Yuan had come to her senses, Jiang Yuan’s smile broadened, and she eagerly bounced around them.

"Are you going to register for the college entrance exam? Why so early?"

"Why is it that no matter how I persuaded you, you didn’t listen, but once Manman came, you figured it out? Is it true that new love surpasses old love?"

"Ah, it’s faded, faded. The feelings have faded."

"That said, I’ve never been to the education bureau, have I? I want to go broaden my horizons. I won’t register, I’m just going to watch, hehe."