Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 6.2

Even though the walls were patchy and the pipes were rusty, Su Zhiluo always washed the sheets with jasmine-scented laundry detergent and kept a few pots of nameless green plants on the windowsill, allowing gentle vitality to sprout from all the decay. No matter how nice things were outside, she cherished this home more.

Su Zhiluo entered the bedroom and saw Liu Chengxu lying face down on her bed without her shoes on. She didn’t scold her but held a gift bag in her hand and asked, “What did you buy for me this time?”

She then pulled out four pairs of earrings and two boxes of lipstick. Su Zhiluo put on the earrings and asked, “Do you know how to pick lipstick colors?”

“I picked them with my friends. Two friends advised me, and they both said these colors suit you.”

Su Zhiluo opened the packaging, picked up a mirror, and dabbed the lipstick on her upper lip with her finger. University students certainly had an eye for color—orange and peach, which suited her and fit the winter mood.

Liu Chengxu lay on the edge of the bed and tugged at Su Zhiluo’s clothes. Su Zhiluo met her bright and focused eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Liu Chengxu looked as if she was longing for a kiss.

Su Zhiluo slowly turned around. The sound of Liu Chengxu’s soft voice reached her ears, “Sister-in-law, you’re so beautiful.” I want to kiss you.

Liu Chengxu had chosen two types of lipstick: matte and lip gloss.

One made her want to lick, the other made her want to kiss.

Liu Chengxu asked her, “Do you like them?”

“I like them a lot,” Su Zhiluo said honestly. “When you come back and bring me things, it feels like such a surprise. I keep thinking, ‘What did our Chengxu bring me back today?'”

Our Chengxu, our Chengxu. It meant she and her sister-in-law formed a family. Overjoyed, Liu Chengxu blurted out, “Sister-in-law, I love you.”

Su Zhiluo tasted a hint of the lipstick’s sweetness and looked at Liu Chengxu out of the corner of her eye, feeling a little sensitive about the word “love.”

This was the first time Liu Chengxu acted so well. Even though her heart was pounding and she was nervous to the point of collapse, her face was covered with an innocent smile.

Su Zhiluo put away the mirror, suppressing the heat in her cheeks.

She silently chided herself for her wild thoughts. How could she think that Liu Chengxu’s affection for her was that kind of boundary-crossing love?

After a nap at noon, the two went out in the evening. They ran into Aunt Zhang next door, who was bringing her granddaughter home. Aunt Zhang warmly stopped Su Zhiluo, “Does your Chengxu have any plans for the winter break?”

Su Zhiluo wasn’t keen on Liu Chengxu working at the bar. She figured Aunt Zhang might know of other opportunities and asked a couple of questions. Just as she thought, Zhang Rulan pulled out a flyer. “This is one I kept when I was looking for a tutoring class for my Mingming. Lots of parents are looking for tutors now, so I thought maybe your Chengxu would like to be a teacher.”

Su Zhiluo quickly took it. Zhang Rulan said, “I specifically asked. The hourly rate for those with higher education isn’t cheap. It’s easy to make over a hundred yuan for a few hours.”

Su Zhiluo flipped through it. This was much better than working at the bar, and it could be added to her resume later.

“What about my friend if I go?” Liu Chengxu worried about Meng Zhengyue. Cha Baomei was going home for the New Year, and Meng Zhengyue was staying at school alone. It would be very unsafe for her to go to the bar alone.

“Don’t be so stubborn. Ask her if she wants to go with you.”

Su Zhiluo gave her a look, and Liu Chengxu immediately called Meng Zhengyue. Meng Zhengyue agreed, saying it was a good chance to change jobs. Liu Chengxu was afraid she was just accommodating her and asked repeatedly. Meng Zhengyue laughed, “Am I a fool? Don’t I know what I want to do? I actually wanted to change jobs, too. I always felt that singing at the bar for so long made me think of it as my safe and comfort zone. If something happens later, I might just want to do that again. A change is good.”

After hanging up, Su Zhiluo laughed at her, “Look at your friend. And you were worried. You should learn from her—be brave and venture out. Do what you want to do; don’t always stay in your comfort zone.”

At first glance, it sounded like she was worried about Liu Chengxu working as a waitress every day in the future. Upon closer examination, it sounded like she was saying Liu Chengxu shouldn’t treat her as a comfort zone.

Love, when it has no response or certainty, becomes sensitive and suspicious.

“What are you thinking about?”

Liu Chengxu shook her head, putting on an indifferent smile, afraid that the person she liked would notice something.

At the supermarket, they ran into Su Zhiluo’s friend. Her friend lived in a factory and had come out on her day off to buy discounted vegetables and fruits to cook for herself.

The two walked side by side, talking. Liu Chengxu followed behind them, noticed the skincare section, and went over to grab a discounted tube of hand cream.

Chang Ru-yin whispered, “Your little sister-in-law looks a bit down. Is it because of me?”

Su Zhiluo hadn’t noticed. She turned back to look at Liu Chengxu and paused, waiting for her. “She’s always had that expression since she was a kid. You know that.”

Liu Chengxu had evolved from a little hedgehog; she used to be quite prickly. Chang Ru-yin had been on the receiving end of her eye rolls several times and often told her friend sympathetically that she was likely the type that couldn’t be tamed.

Chang Ru-yin: “So what about you and Yang Jie?”

Su Zhiluo: “I told her to stop wasting her time on me and that she could find someone better.”

Chang Ru-yin: “She came to me yesterday and asked if I had a good relationship with Liu Chengxu, wanting to talk to her.”

Su Zhiluo: “It has nothing to do with Chengxu. It’s me who’s the problem.”

After the conversation, Chang Ru-yin noticed that Liu Chengxu’s eyes were practically glaring at her.

On the second floor, the sweater section had discounted items, and Su Zhiluo held them up against Liu Chengxu.

Liu Chengxu was still wearing Su Zhiluo’s old sweater. They used to be very poor, and Liu Chengxu grew fast, so Su Zhiluo tossed her old clothes to her. They fit perfectly back then, but now the sleeves were too short.

Su Zhiluo: “Why didn’t you say anything about them being so short?”

“I grew another centimeter or two in college, so they don’t fit anymore.”

Su Zhiluo looked at her height. She seemed even taller than her sister. She would even be suitable as an international supermodel in the future. Su Zhiluo felt a sense of pride; she had raised Liu Chengxu so well.

Back at home, Su Zhiluo changed the coal in the stove, and Liu Chengxu put a kettle of fresh water on it.

Lighting a stove in the winter was more cost-effective than buying an air conditioner. During the day, a pot of soup could be kept on it, stewing slowly, filling the air with a fresh aroma. At night, water could be boiled for tea, and the warm air would linger. The house had a constant source of heat all day long.

Su Zhiluo carried the hot water into the bathroom and poured it into the basin. Steam immediately billowed up, enveloping the small space in a haze. She quickly pulled the door shut; the warm, moist air filled the bathroom, so it wasn’t cold even when undressed.

Liu Chengxu was collecting clothes on the balcony when something ice-cold landed on the back of her hand. Fine snow was falling outside, drifting down like scattered feathers.

“Sister-in-law, it’s snowing! Sister-in-law, come look.”

Su Zhiluo didn’t answer. She was sitting on the sofa with her back to Liu Chengxu. Liu Chengxu ran inside and saw Su Zhiluo rubbing her knee.

Liu Chengxu rushed over: “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”

Su Zhiluo frowned. She rubbed her knee; the pain was still there. She said, “I caught a chill.”

Liu Chengxu squatted beside her. “Let me see. Is it rheumatism…”

“Stop! Don’t say that.” Su Zhiluo was young and didn’t want to be told she had rheumatism. “I just got cold, a little aftereffect. It’ll be fine soon.”

Liu Chengxu asked, “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

Su Zhiluo’s leg had been hurting for many days. Liu Chengxu hadn’t noticed because she was at school. Su Zhiluo said, “It doesn’t hurt often.”

Liu Chengxu: “I’ll go buy some heating patches; that will help.”

Liu Chengxu immediately got up to leave, but Su Zhiluo, wearing slippers, pulled her back, her face stern. “It’s late. Where are you going? Stop fussing.”

Liu Chengxu acted as if she hadn’t heard and still tried to leave. Su Zhiluo said, “Go get me some hot water from the kitchen.”

They lived in the suburbs, which had thugs, local riff-raff, and gambling layabouts. One family in their building had a man who loved to gamble, and they usually walked around his place.

Liu Chengxu mumbled, “Sister-in-law, I don’t like winter anymore.”

Su Zhiluo chuckled, “You said that when we had a cold snap in spring, you said that during the summer heat, and you’re saying it in winter now.”

“I didn’t say that in autumn.”

Liu Chengxu paused and pursed her lips. Liu Chengxu and Su Zhiluo would never like autumn. It was the season her sister left.

Liu Chengxu lowered her head, rubbing her own hands to warm them, and gently placed them over Su Zhiluo’s knee. Her warm palms slowly seeped through the skin, bringing a reassuring warmth.

Su Zhiluo flinched. She pulled her arms in. “Go take a shower; the water’s going to get cold.”

Liu Chengxu quickly got hot water for Su Zhiluo and immediately urged her to go take a bath. When Su Zhiluo came out, Liu Chengxu was lying in her quilt. Liu Chengxu said, “Sister-in-law, I’ve warmed it up for you.”

Liu Chengxu made room, and Su Zhiluo lay down. Liu Chengxu then bounced onto Su Zhiluo’s bed, nearly making Su Zhiluo fear that she’d break the frame. Liu Chengxu pulled her own quilt over and laid it horizontally on the bed. “I’m sleeping with you so you don’t get cold again.”

Liu Chengxu lay beside her and whispered, “We’ll buy a big house later, install air conditioning and floor heating, and I won’t let you be cold anymore.”

Su Zhiluo slowly hummed in response.

Liu Chengxu seriously envisioned the future: she would stay in City A with a stable job. She would rent a bright, spacious house first, give all the money to Su Zhiluo to save in the bank, and once they had enough, they would buy a house—a two-bedroom with heating and air conditioning.

Liu Chengxu felt deeply sorry for her sister-in-law. Liu Chengxu covered Su Zhiluo’s knee with her hands all night.

Su Zhiluo woke up in the middle of the night. Groggily, she looked at Liu Chengxu’s lowered eyes. She was incredibly well-behaved and very caring.

In the morning, Su Zhiluo felt something wasn’t right. She lifted the blanket to look inside. Liu Chengxu was sleeping pressed against her abdomen, her face flushed red from the heat. Su Zhiluo realized this, took a deep breath, and tensed her stomach. The sleeping person immediately chased after her to stay pressed against her. As they squeezed together, Su Zhiluo’s leg pressed against Liu Chengxu’s stomach.

Su Zhiluo smiled helplessly.

A puppy.

Sensing Liu Chengxu was about to wake up, Su Zhiluo closed her eyes.

Liu Chengxu’s lips unconsciously brushed Su Zhiluo’s abdomen. Su Zhiluo’s slender waist instinctively pulled back. Liu Chengxu opened her eyes, woke up, and stared blankly at Su Zhiluo’s lower abdomen. Then, she leaned forward, her lips pressing against her abdomen for a soft kiss.