Jiang Sixian’s first night at the Jiang family home passed without incident.
The next morning, Jiang Yi, intending to sleep in, was abruptly awakened by a persistent knocking.
Knock, knock, knock. Through the closed door, Jiang Qionghua’s voice clearly reached her ears: “Jiang Yi! Jiang Yi! Get up for breakfast!”
“It’s eight o’clock! Get up and eat!”
“I made breakfast! Come down and eat!”
Just like any concerned parent, Jiang Qionghua absolutely refused to allow a child to sleep in on the weekend, calling out in a loud voice.
Jiang Yi was thoroughly annoyed, even starting to miss the weekends when Jiang Qionghua worked overtime. What was wrong with this woman? Was she trying to ruin her peaceful life?
Jiang Yi pulled the covers over her head, grumbling sleepily towards the door, “I’m not eating!” Missing one meal wouldn’t kill her, but missing sleep could!
The knocking stopped momentarily, then resumed with even more vigor. “How can you skip breakfast! Get up! Eat, then sleep!”
“Jiang Yi, get up this instant!”
Jiang Yi burrowed deeper under the covers, covering her ears, but Jiang Qionghua’s voice still penetrated. Early in the morning, it felt like a thousand gophers were screaming in her ears!
Ugh! So annoying!
Listening to the relentless knocking, Jiang Yi angrily threw off the covers, jumped out of bed barefoot, stomped to the door, yanked it open, and glared at Jiang Qionghua with her messy bedhead, shouting, “You’re so annoying! I said I’m not eating! Why do you keep knocking?!”
Jiang Yi was still half-asleep, her hair a tangled mess, but her eyes, glaring at Jiang Qionghua, were surprisingly alert, like a feisty little rooster.
Jiang Qionghua, momentarily intimidated by her outburst, unconsciously softened her tone. However, the thought of the breakfast she’d painstakingly prepared going uneaten reignited her annoyance.
Straightening her back, she cleared her throat, trying to hide her guilt, and said softly, “I made breakfast, a huge spread. If you don’t get up and eat, there won’t be any left~”
Jiang Yi leaned against the door, her face dark. “Not eating! Goodbye!”
With that, she slammed the door shut.
“Hey…” Jiang Qionghua watched the door close, taking a step forward only to be met with silence.
Seeing Jiang Yi close the door and presumably return to bed, Jiang Qionghua anxiously called out, “What’s with your attitude?! I’m calling you for breakfast, how can you treat me like this?!”
Inside, Jiang Yi, without turning back, marched towards her bed, shouting as she flung herself onto it, “Not eating! I have the right to sleep in!”
“If you don’t let me sleep, I’ll run away from home!”
When she lived with her mom, she had to wake up early to help with the restaurant, and that was fine. But why, after coming to Jiang Qionghua’s, was she still denied the freedom to sleep in?
Not letting her sleep was practically torture! If this was how it was going to be, she’d rather not acknowledge this cheap mother!
Hearing this, Jiang Qionghua was furious. “I’m calling you for breakfast, and you refuse? How unreasonable!” She muttered about Jiang Yi’s unreasonableness, but fearing Jiang Yi might actually run away, she didn’t dare knock again, reluctantly leaving.
Jiang Qionghua went downstairs, looking at the lavish breakfast she’d prepared with a heavy heart. That brat Jiang Yi truly didn’t understand her good intentions! A good breakfast was the start of a happy day for a family!
Just then, Ning Wenying, dressed in pajamas, came downstairs. Seeing Jiang Qionghua alone at the dining table, she asked, “Where are the children?”
Jiang Qionghua replied, “Xianxian went for a morning run. Jiang Yi…” She paused, gritting her teeth. “That little rascal is still in bed. I tried to wake her up, and she threatened to run away from home if I didn’t let her sleep!”
Jiang Qionghua complained, “Can you believe that? How unreasonable!”
Ning Wenying covered her mouth, chuckling as she pulled out a chair and sat down. “It’s the weekend, let her sleep in. When she lived with her mother, she was always working, day and night, never a moment to relax.”
Ning Wenying sighed. “Now… she’s finally here with you, it’s the weekend, she has nothing to do, can’t she even sleep in?”
Jiang Qionghua had learned about Jiang Yi’s upbringing, and hearing Ning Wenying’s words, her heart softened. Sitting beside Ning Wenying, she mumbled, “I just thought, since it’s our first family breakfast together, everyone should be there. It wouldn’t feel complete otherwise.”
Ning Wenying smiled. “If you truly consider us family, you should let Xiao Yi sleep in. There’s plenty of time for us to be together.”
Jiang Qionghua, always easily swayed by Ning Wenying, felt relieved. She said happily, “Yes, there’s plenty of time!”
They chatted for a while, and soon Jiang Sixian, refreshed after her morning run and changed into fresh clothes, came downstairs. She sat down at the table and subconsciously glanced at the empty seat beside hers, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Jiang Qionghua noticed her gaze and explained, “Xiao Yi is sleeping in, she’s not having breakfast. Let’s eat.”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “Okay.”
The three of them began to eat, Jiang Qionghua happily serving Ning Wenying.
But as if destined to contradict Jiang Qionghua, just as they started eating, Jiang Yi, rubbing her face and with a wild mane of hair, walked into the dining room.
The three at the table turned to look at her. Jiang Qionghua, surprised yet also pleased, asked, “I thought you were sleeping in? Why are you up?”
Jiang Yi glared at her. “Who could sleep with you knocking and yelling like that?” She then turned to Ning Wenying, smiling. “Good morning, Auntie Ning.”
After the greeting, her smile vanished as she gave Jiang Sixian a perfunctory, “Morning.”
Jiang Sixian nodded. “Morning. Come and have breakfast.” She gestured to the empty seat beside her, pulling out the chair.
Seeing this, Jiang Yi’s eyes widened. Pulling out a chair? A gesture of goodwill? After yesterday’s blatant hostility? What was Jiang Sixian playing at?
Oh no, oh no, could she have fallen for her?
Countless possibilities raced through Jiang Yi’s mind. Finally, she managed a strained smile. “Thanks.”
She sat down beside Jiang Sixian, then subtly scooted her chair away. Jiang Sixian, seeing her avoid her like the plague, frowned slightly, puzzled. Could it be, as Jiang Yi had said, that she truly disliked her scent?
What kind of scent could be so repulsive?
Author’s Note:
Jiang. Self-deluded. Yi…
