She smiled innocently, her eyes sparkling.
An Qian suddenly started having mixed feelings.
In the WeChat group, she said that Tang Yuanyuan was merely a bumpkin. She even called the latter fat, and felt that it was beneath her to be eating food like this.
But Tang Yuanyuan innocently asked if it was delicious, looking clueless, which made An Qian somewhat annoyed.
Compared to Tang Yuanyuan, this made An Qian seem rather malicious.
That was just how humans are. When one argued over something, and the other party was not on the same page, the two sides would definitely argue to no end. In the end, one might lose their sense of right and wrong, and might even lose their image.
But if one party had chosen to be considerate, it would not be proper for the other party to continue in that way.
An Qian pursed her lips, then nodded after a while. “It’s alright, I suppose.”
At that, Tang Yuanyuan cracked a wide smile, much like a child.
“Chufeng said that you don’t like to eat these, but I didn’t believe him. I told him that you would like it once you have a taste of it.”
Hearing this, An Qian glanced at Zhong Chufeng. This cousin of mine! She didn’t know if he spoke ill of her often, so she said, “My cousin never speaks the truth. I’ll have you know that he has always criticized me since young, therefore, don’t believe anything he says about me.”
“Criticize you? Why would he?” Tang Yuanyuan asked, feeling confused. “Shouldn’t cousins treat each other well?”
Just as her brother has treated her since day one, with nothing but love and care.
“You’re right, I, too, think a cousin brother should treat his cousin sister better. After all, he is a blood relative, right?” said An Qian as she deliberately looked at Zhong Chufeng.
Hearing that, Zhong Chufeng scoffed. “Treat you better? Sure, no problem. On the condition that you call me by my first name from now on, and not by full name, as you have been doing all along. If you don’t treat me as a relative, why should I treat you as mine?”
Zhong Chufeng had never really liked An Qian. It was only because of his mother’s words that he gave in. “How could you behave this way toward your uncle’s daughter? Do you realize how much younger she is to you? Besides, it’s the New Year. I’m sure you can put your differences aside and treat her in an amicable manner.”
Moreover, considering the kind man his uncle was, Zhong Chufeng agreed to the request.
However, he just couldn’t wrap his head around how the daughter of his kind uncle turned out to be such a rude and unpleasant person.
She was the complete opposite of Tang Yuanyuan.
Zhong Chufeng thought back to the time when he first met Tang Yuanyuan.
It was when he had befriended Yuchi Yishu and went over to his house for the first time. During his visit, he came across this little girl seated on the sofa. The table in front of her was full of snacks, and she was fixated on eating the cotton candy in her hand.
That was the first time Zhong Chufeng saw someone eating with such seriousness, completely devoted to it.
What she held in her hand seemed more like a precious gem rather than just mere cotton candy. Her eyes glowed brightly with every bite.
The image was burned into Zhong Chufeng’s mind.
This little girl went on to call him ‘Chufeng’. His heart almost melted as he heard the term of endearment, ears going red. Many years had passed since this incident, yet Tang Yuanyuan was still the same girl he first met, with a pure and innocent heart.
However, Tang Yuanyuan had grown over the years. Although he didn’t know how long she would be this way, Zhong Chufeng wanted to protect her innocence at all costs.
“Calling you by your first name is not a problem for me, but you have to treat me nicely first. Why should I call you so affectionately when you treat me so poorly?”
Tang Yuanyuan laughed at their bickering, and she couldn’t help but look at Yuchi Yishu. She and her brother had never quarreled in such a manner before.
Her brother had always spoiled her and was a man of few words. He usually got straight to the point.
As such, Tang Yuanyuan was rather intrigued to encounter such an interaction.
At midday, the group found a restaurant to have lunch, then rested for nearly two hours before setting off again. Three days later, they finally arrived at Snow Town.
The heavy snowfall this year made them cancel their original plan, which was to drive to the village. After finding a place to park the car, everyone set for the village on foot with their luggage in tow.
Although it was a free and easy trip, the absence of a guide meant that they had to sort out everything on their own. On the Internet, though Yuchi Yishu had appointed a local to guide them, the latter did not need to accompany them during the whole trip.
“In previous years, cars could be driven in at this time, but that’s not going to work this year. The snow is too deep, and your shoes wouldn’t be fit for it too. Go to the shop over there to buy yourselves a pair of snow boots, and then I will take you guys in.”
With the snow boot situation resolved, another problem arose. As the snow was too deep, the wheels of the luggage were practically useless. If there were only four luggages, the two young men would be able to handle it between them. However, they brought along quite a few things this time.
The local immediately said, “You don’t have to worry about your luggage. Just take your valuables with you, and we will have someone to bring the rest later.’’
“Alright.”
Then, the lot of them went back to pick out their valuables from their luggage. An Qian, on the other hand, had her own reservations about this idea. “Zhong Chufeng, could you carry my luggage along with us? I don’t want those people handling my stuff. God knows what they would do with it during the delivery.”
Zhong Chufeng was baffled and looked at her weirdly. “Do you happen to be lugging silver in your luggage? Why would they even want to take your clothes, An Qian? ”
“How would I know that they won’t go through my stuff? You never know what could happen.”
Zhong Chufeng didn’t want to help her. After all, they had already agreed that the locals would carry their luggage for them, so why should he carry her luggage for her? It’s not like there are precious items in her luggage anyway, so why is she kicking up a fuss?
“Zhong Chufeng, if you don’t help me with my luggage, I will tell your mom that you are bullying me.”
Zhong Chufeng chuckled coldly. “Go ahead and tell her. In fact, call her right this instant. Tell her you are being bullied and let your family come pick you up.”
An Qian did not expect him to react that way. Noticing that Tang Yuanyan and Yuchi Yishu were walking toward them, she said coldly, “In that case, I’ll tell Tang Yuanyuan that you have feelings for her!”
Zhong Chufeng, who had been indifferent, suddenly had a horrified look on his face.
“Yuanyuan, did you know that my brother…”
Before An Qian could say anything else, Zhong Chufeng covered her mouth and said, “Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about? Do you realize how old Yuanyuan is? What are you trying to do?”
“Will you help me with my luggage then?”
