After closing the kitchen door and sealing the windows, Yu's mother looked around as if to make sure that Yu Nan and Zhu Yao had gone upstairs before turning her head to look cautiously at Yu's father.
"You saw the way Yu Nan looked at Zhu Yao, didn't you? And when I just praised Zhu Yao, she didn't make a fuss, she even praised her too..."
"Sigh," Mr. Yu sighed heavily, "The child is grown up, let her go."
"But those two girls..."
Mr. Yu kneaded the dough in his hands and said, “Both of our children are very promising. I don’t think we are as good as them, so I don’t need to discipline them.”
Mother Yu stomped her foot, seemingly annoyed that she had been interrupted. "Oh, old man, I'm not saying girls are no good, I'm just worried that if the two of them are bullied in the future, there won't even be anyone to stand up for them!"
"Don't you know your daughter? She's been a troublemaker since she was little! Who can bully her? I see Zhu Yao's daughter is quiet and doesn't say a word, I'm afraid Yu Nan will bully her!"
"That makes sense. She's a top student from Beiling University... How could such an outstanding young person fall for Yu Nan?"
Mr. Yu shrugged. “I only think Yu Nan is infatuated with someone, but the girl doesn’t seem to think the same way about Yu Nan.”
"So our daughter's love is unrequited? No way!" Mother Yu wiped her hands with her apron, but her mind was already racing, trying to figure out how to praise Yu Nan in front of Zhu Yao.
"Alright, children and grandchildren have their own lives to live, let's not worry about it too much. Let's cook first, and eat when the child wakes up!"
Fortunately, Yu Nan didn't hear her parents' conversation, otherwise she would probably be furious.
In Yu Nan's room, Yu Nan was planning a "shared bath".
"Sister~ Want to take a bath together? My hot water might not be enough, it'll get cold soon~"
Zhu Yao pushed Yu Nan's head, which was sticking out of the door, back inside and closed the door for her. "Sweetie, you go first. I'll just wash with cold water."
Yu Nan pouted and called out through the door, "Sister, I don't know how to take a bath, come with me~ Teach me~"
Zhu Yao: ? ? ? Are you mentally challenged?
"Yu Nan..." Zhu Yao said softly through the door, "Don't go too far... Do you know the importance of taking things step by step?"
Yu Nan, who was inside the door, shuddered and obediently shut her mouth.
How strange, what is she afraid of?
Chapter 52 Zhu Yao's Past
"Sister~"
"Um?"
In the darkness, Yu Nan turned to face Zhu Yao, as if this would allow her to see her face through the darkness.
Yu Nan's bed was a bit cramped for the two of them, and now they were lying face to face, their breaths mingling.
"Sister, I can't sleep."
"Do you have trouble sleeping in a new bed? I'll recite a poem for you..."
“I don’t want to listen to poetry anymore,” Yu Nan leaned forward and put her legs around Zhu Yao’s waist. “Let’s chat!”
What do you want to talk about?
Zhu Yao's tone was somewhat helpless as she reached out and stroked Yu Nan's face in the darkness.
"Can I... hear about my sister's past?"
Yu Nan placed her hand over Zhu Yao's hand and felt Zhu Yao's touch on her face become stronger, as if this could give her courage.
"sure."
Zhu Yao's tone remained calm, as if she were talking about a stranger.
"I was destined to be unblessed from the moment I was born..."
In Zhu Yao's heart, every place has its own unique flavor. If Yu Nan's hometown is filled with the warmth and life of cooking smoke, then Qingdao only has the cold, rusty smell of iron.
Whether it's the expressionless skyscrapers, the cold cement and steel bars, people are separated by buildings and security doors, each living in a box called "car" and "house".
There are many people in the city, but very few people you really know.
Even with the lights on and the bustling crowds, Zhu Yao couldn't feel a trace of warmth there.
From elementary school onwards, Zhu Yao walked home alone every day with her schoolbag on her back. The walk home was dark and long, but it was the only time Zhu Yao could feel peace.
Because when I got home, there was no welcome or dinner; when I opened the door, there was only my mother, who was dead drunk.
Being drunk is fine too; at least the people who are asleep won't beat or scold her.
Sometimes her mother treated her badly, hating that she wasn't a boy; other times she treated her very well, gently teaching her how to ask her "father" for money.
As for her "father"... she didn't have a "father." Zhu Yao was ridiculed by her classmates from a young age as a "bastard," a "vixen," and an "illegitimate child"...
Everything changed when I was eight.
That year, her father's only "precious son" severed ties with the family and resolutely underwent gender reassignment surgery.
Her father was furious, heartbroken that his first child had been raised "wrong," and suddenly remembered that he had an "illegitimate daughter," so he turned his attention to Zhu Yao.
So, Zhu Yao was taken away from her drunken biological mother and brought to the home of her biological father and her unfriendly "stepmother".
"The preference for sons over daughters is quite serious in Qingdao. Women aren't allowed at the table during meals. I sat at a table with my 'stepmother,' who doesn't like me, while the man sat at a separate table..."
“Before my ‘sister’ underwent gender reassignment surgery, she was still allowed to sit at the table. Later, she couldn’t even go home anymore. Of course, she didn’t want to go home either.”
"Is the preference for sons over daughters really that serious where you are?" Yu Nan fell silent. These few words sounded innocuous, but when applied to specific individuals, they carried a heavy weight.
"Actually, it's not that serious," Zhu Yao paused, "It's not like this in every household."
“That man is very controlling, but because of his profession, he has to pretend to be calm and magnanimous,” Zhu Yao suddenly wanted to laugh. “So the more open-minded he appears outside, the more narrow-minded he is at home.”
"Later, in high school, I told what I thought was my best friend about my sexuality and my struggles. She made it public and spread rumors that I liked her... Don't worry, I never liked her. I was just naive back then and just wanted someone to talk to."
"After that, I stopped relying on others."
Yu Nan paused for a moment: "Then... your family knows too, right?"
"Hmm," Zhu Yao said calmly, "I was almost beaten to death."
"and you…"
"Do you remember my successful, financially independent 'older sister'? She saved me. We had the same high school homeroom teacher. She asked the teacher to make me 'forced to live in the dormitory' so that I could escape that house."
"ah…"
Yu Nan was speechless. "You actually got into Beiling University under these circumstances."
"You can't get into Beiling University, right?" Zhu Yao pinched Yu Nan's cheek.
"That proves you're amazing, sister!"
Zhu Yao gave a bitter smile, "In that painful situation, the only thing that could numb me was studying."
"That just proves you're really good!"
Zhu Yao sighed: "My father was the only college student in the village back then, and my 'sister' is from Dihua. Maybe I really have to thank that man's genes for getting into Beiling University."
"No, it was clearly your own hard work!"
"Yeah, I guess my sister and I were both oppressed by that family environment, and we used studying to escape it..."
"elder sister!"
"Um?"
Yu Nan secretly kissed Zhu Yao: "Will asking you to talk about these things have any impact...?"
"No, it's much better to say it out loud... Besides, since we're together, you'll find out sooner or later anyway."
"So, was it your family who did the doxxing?"
"It could be a high school classmate... but without that man stirring things up behind the scenes, I don't believe it would have escalated to this point so quickly... Okay, go to sleep, it's late."
"Uh-huh…"
…
It seems that because of their "late-night talk," the two went to bed much later than usual, and didn't wake up until four in the morning.
As soon as Yu Nan came downstairs, she saw her mother tidying up the table.
"Oh, Miss is awake? Is your sleep schedule that healthy?"
Getting up at four in the morning... This is the routine for elderly people who sleep lightly.
"Uh... I'll come down and lend a hand!"
Yu's mother glanced at her and said, "You're lucky if you don't make things worse. Stand aside and don't block the way!"
Yu Nan: Waaah, Mommy…
"By the way, Yu Nan."
Yu Nan felt a chill run down her spine, and half of her body stiffened—there is a kind of fear called "your mother calling you by your full name".
What's the situation between you and Zhu Yao?
"What's going on?" Yu Nan decided to play dumb.
You like her, don't you?
Yu Nan nearly jumped up in fright, "Uh... Mom, don't talk nonsense..."
"I'm talking nonsense? I bet you'd love to be glued to him," Yu's mother said with a forced smile, holding a kitchen knife as she looked at Yu Nan.
"Mom, put the knife down and let's talk this out!" Yu Nan raised her hands in surrender.
Yu's mother sighed, "It's not that I'm against you, it's just that I feel sorry for you."
"Your health isn't good, but as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Your parents will support whoever you like."
"Mom, really? Mom?" Yu Nan's eyes lit up. "Then I do like Zhu Yao."
Yu's mother raised her hand as if to hit her, "You were trying to lie to your mother just now, weren't you?"
"Oh dear, I was just worried you wouldn't be able to accept it."
Yu's mother snorted coldly, "I can accept your critical illness notice, but I can't accept you having a girlfriend?"
"Mom...are you cursing me?"