Can't Hide My Love for You - Chapter 101

Dahuang, hearing the sensitive word, let out a howl and tried to scramble back into his doghouse. But it was too late; Father Cheng grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, hoisted his front legs, and led him into the house.

Mother Cheng, meanwhile, did a sweep of the house, tidying up stray items to make the place look neat and comfortable. This was accompanied by Dahuang’s howling from the bathroom, interspersed with Father Cheng’s scolding. After a light swat, Dahuang finally behaved.

Dahuang had short fur; a quick wash and a blow-dry were enough to get him dry. Plus, the weather was nice today with plenty of sun—a few laps around the yard would naturally dry him off. The Cheng family lived in an urban village in a detached house with a courtyard large enough for Dahuang to frolic in.

“Wife, what do you want for lunch? I’ll go buy the groceries,” Father Cheng said, coming out with a change of dry clothes while wiping his hands.

“Let’s wait until they get back,” Mother Cheng replied. Just as she finished speaking, she heard the sound of a car engine outside.

The two women had packed one suitcase for their belongings, while the rest were gifts for the elders. When they pushed open the courtyard gate carrying large bags, Dahuang was already waiting at the entrance, having heard the noise.

“Woof woof woof!!!” Seeing his little master whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, Dahuang was particularly excited, wagging his tail in circles. The air around him smelled of dog shampoo.

“He smells so good,” Chi Yi noticed immediately.

“Must have just had a bath… Alright, alright, I know you missed me, stop pawing at me.” Cheng Yixin struggled to peel off Dahuang, who was vigorously pawing at her pant legs. She added, “Don’t cling to me; I didn’t bring you any treats.”

Dahuang seemed to understand. He let go and backed away a few steps to watch them. When his eyes met Chi Yi’s, he tilted his head. The little dog’s brain whirled at high speed; then he started barking at Chi Yi and biting her pant leg.

This look was exactly like when a neighbor played with firecrackers and blew up Dahuang’s food bowl; after that, every time Dahuang saw him, he’d chase him to bite his pants. He didn’t bite hard, just a corner of the fabric—more like an expression of dissatisfaction.

“Why is he doing this?” Chi Yi was bewildered. She remembered that the last time she came, Dahuang was very enthusiastic toward her; why was he using his mouth this time?

She had no way of knowing that the dog had already remembered her: whenever that woman appeared, it was a precursor to being dragged off for a bath!

“I don’t know,” Cheng Yixin was also puzzled. Although it was just playing around, doing this to her girlfriend was not okay! She reached out, and Dahuang received his second swat of the day. He let go and obediently followed behind them.

“Mom~~” Having been away for a long time and finally having a holiday, Cheng Yixin felt particularly affectionate seeing her mother.

“Auntie.” Chi Yi was still a bit restrained. After all, she was at her girlfriend’s house and couldn’t fully relax just yet.

“You brought so many things? Why didn’t you just move the whole mall over?” Mother Cheng chided while welcoming them inside. “What’s for lunch? Did you buy groceries on the way back? I’ll have your dad go buy some.”

“We bought some seafood; just cook it however,” Cheng Yixin said.

Mother Cheng began rummaging through the bags her daughter handed over. Besides food ingredients, there were also fresh red paper, ink, and calligraphy brushes.

“Why buy these?”

“Didn’t we say we’d let Chi Yi write the New Year couplets this year? She’s been practicing; her calligraphy is great.”

“Aya, that was just joking. How could we actually make someone write them?” Mother Cheng poked Cheng Yixin’s forehead. “I’m surprised you have the nerve.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m thick-skinned,” Cheng Yixin made a face.

“It’s not like that,” Chi Yi said with a smile. “Aren’t the couplets sold outside quite expensive? Writing them ourselves saves a lot.”

This immediately earned the approval of the budget-conscious Mother Cheng. “Yes, yes! Hand-written couplets outside cost at least 50 a pair! Let me tell you, two years ago, a son of someone in our village was idling at home and selling hand-written couplets for the New Year. He insisted on ‘giving’ me a pair!”

“So did she give it?” Cheng Yixin asked curiously.

“She did. I didn’t want it, but she forced it on me. But do you think ‘giving’ really means free? She just wanted my business. In the end, I gave her 100! That was enough for me to buy so many pairs of couplets.” Thinking about it made Mother Cheng feel a sting in her wallet.

“Since she said it was a gift, you didn’t have to give money in that situation, right?” Chi Yi asked, confused.

“Of course you could not give,” Cheng Yixin explained to her. “But wouldn’t that mean owing a favor? Favors are harder to repay.”

“Exactly. That’s why I say one shouldn’t accept rewards without merit; I’d rather be a sucker,” Mother Cheng nodded. “Chi Yi, you still have a lot to learn.”

Chi Yi nodded, looking like a diligent student.

With some time left before lunch, Mother Cheng busied herself with the ingredients in the kitchen while Father Cheng, interested in the hand-written couplets, brought out a folding table and set it up in the shade of the courtyard.

Father Cheng had tried to learn calligraphy before, wanting to write his own couplets, but his skills were limited. Even his “Fortune” (Fu) character didn’t look very aesthetic, so Mother Cheng nipped his ideas in the bud.

“Mmm~~ Not bad, not bad.” Father Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, watching Chi Yi write the character “Cheng” on a piece of white paper. He nodded with approval. “I’ve practiced writing before too; let me show you.”

Chi Yi handed over the brush. Father Cheng made a grand sweep, writing his own name on the paper: Cheng Wenwu.

“How is it?” Father Cheng’s expression held a hint of pride.

Brush calligraphy is much harder than writing with a regular pen. Even to a layman, Father Cheng’s characters lacked any notable merit. But the man was her girlfriend’s father—her future father-in-law!

Chi Yi struggled to squeeze out a compliment: “Uncle’s writing is very distinctive. The characters are like the person—very free and easy.”

“Hahaha!” Father Cheng laughed triumphantly. “Alright, no need to flatter me. Your auntie says my writing looks like Dahuang scratched it out.”

Dahuang, who was napping nearby, heard his name and quickly raised his head: “Woof?”

The red paper they bought was one large sheet, so to make couplets, they had to cut them into rectangles themselves. Cheng Yixin cut a whole sheet, enough for three pairs of couplets. She grumbled, “Cutting this is too much trouble. I bought some blank pre-cut couplet paper online; it’ll arrive tomorrow via express. That’ll be enough for you to write for a long time.”

“That’s perfect. I’ll use these to practice.”

Seeing it was about time, Father Cheng went inside to cook, with Mother Cheng as his assistant. The two in the yard practiced calligraphy. Cheng Yixin helped fold the guide lines, and the finished couplets were spread on the ground to dry.

Dahuang, having woken from his nap, started causing trouble, walking back and forth over the couplets on the ground. Fortunately, the ink dried quickly, and no prints were smeared.

“Dahuang, no stepping!” When Cheng Yixin scolded him, Dahuang would run away, only to trot back a moment later to be a nuisance.

Cheng Yixin finished folding the last set of lines, pushed up her sweater sleeves, and went aggressively to catch Dahuang, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. She placed a scrap piece of paper on the concrete and said to Chi Yi, “Pour some ink here.”

Chi Yi didn’t know what she was doing but poured some anyway. Cheng Yixin grabbed Dahuang’s paw, pressed it into the ink, and then used it to “stamp” the scrap paper.

While stamping, she said, “Step, step, step! You like stepping? I’ll let you step all you want!”

The plum-blossom prints on the red paper went from dark to light. Dahuang, scolded by Cheng Yixin, closed his eyes, unwilling to face the situation. At this scene, Chi Yi couldn’t help but laugh; truly, Teacher Cheng was quite cute sometimes.

Having vented her anger, she still had to resignedly wash the dog’s feet. By the time this was finished, the cut red paper was all used up, and Dahuang was freed, running off at full speed.

Cheng Yixin carefully observed the couplets spread out in a row and nodded, highly satisfied. “This writing looks much better than what they sell outside.”

“I wrote a small pair too.”

While her girlfriend was in a “human-dog war,” Chi Yi had used the remaining red paper to write a pair of mini couplets, leaving them on the table to dry.

Festivity accompanies Wang’s arrival Wealth flows in as Wang arrives Horizontal scroll: Wang-Wang Prosperity

“This is too cute.” Cheng Yixin was full of joy. She looked at the couplets, then at Chi Yi, and reached out to rub her face. The more she looked, the more she liked her.

Chi Yi’s face was rubbed into a “3” shape. She asked, “Who are you calling cute?”

“He’s cute,” Cheng Yixin paused. “And you’re cute.” She then gave Chi Yi a kiss on the lips.

The family gathered around the table for lunch. They had bought seafood on the way back. According to the Cheng family’s eating habits, the seafood would usually be made into spicy dishes like spicy crab. However, out of consideration for Chi Yi’s palate, Father Cheng made all the seafood in a mild style.

Seeing a table of mild dishes and knowing the old couple loved spicy food, Chi Yi felt a bit bad.

“We’re used to spicy; eating mild occasionally is quite fresh and savory,” Mother Cheng said.

“Yes, yes,” Father Cheng added. “Chi Yi, eat more.”

After lunch, Cheng Yixin wanted to sit for a bit before dragging Chi Yi for a nap. Before the nap, she wanted to re-watch the first episode they hadn’t finished last night.

While they were chatting in the living room, they heard footsteps outside.

“Whoa, what’s on the ground? Writing couplets, Old Cheng?”

The three in the living room came out at the sound. It was a familiar villager who would drop by when he was idle. He was friendly but had a bit of a habit of taking small advantages.

“Yes, yes.” Father Cheng introduced the guest in the house.

“Wow, the young lady’s writing is so good; you could sell these. You don’t have to buy couplets this year.”

Father Cheng didn’t respond but smiled and invited him in to sit, heading inside himself. Likely, he didn’t want to engage too much on the topic, lest more “wool” be sheared from him.

Chi Yi gave a polite smile. “I’m still practicing.”

“Since you’re practicing, give a pair to me? Or I can buy them from you. Your couplets are so beautiful, better than what’s sold outside. I can even promote them for you—you could set up a stall and sell them.” The villager’s flattery was clearly aimed at getting free couplets, thinking that since he put it that way, a thin-skinned young lady couldn’t possibly actually take his money.

The couplets on the ground were for practice; for Chi Yi, it was just a matter of nodding. Just as she was about to agree, Cheng Yixin secretly tugged her sleeve.

She whispered, “If you give them to him, he’ll spread the word and you’ll end up having to give them to the whole village.”

President Chi was not so idle as to provide couplets for the entire village; she had a holiday to spend.

“Sure,” Chi Yi said. “50 a pair.”

As soon as she spoke, the villager’s smile visibly froze. In the end, he still pulled out the money and bought them. He only regretted that he shouldn’t have said he would buy. The villager left with the couplets, likely grumbling in his heart.

In the time it took Father Cheng to have a cup of tea, the two had already earned 50 yuan. He was quite surprised when he heard about it.

“He actually bought them? That’s basically a zero-cost business—higher profit than me selling hotpot.” Father Cheng pondered, his shrewd business mind lighting up. “How about you just set up a stall and sell couplets at the entrance! Our house is right at the village entrance; you can make back the travel costs in these few days!”

“Possible, but unnecessary,” Cheng Yixin said. Her President Chi did not look like someone who lacked travel money.

Seeing such a good path to fortune blocked, Father Cheng felt a bit of regret.

“Uncle, when does the hotpot shop usually start its holiday?”

“In previous years when Yixin was busy, we usually worked until New Year’s Eve and took the first day of the New Year off,” Father Cheng rubbed his stubble. “Since you’re back this year, I’ll go post the red notices and start the holiday this afternoon. Your auntie and I haven’t rested in a long time.”

“What, a holiday?” Mother Cheng, coming from the kitchen while wiping her hands, laughed. “You’re someone who can’t stay idle. Don’t start thinking about going out to work on the second day of the holiday.”

“Aya, we’ll talk about that when the time comes!” Father Cheng said.

“Uncle’s idea for a stall is good. How about I write the couplets and you sell them at the stall? Whatever you sell is yours; it can also fill the revenue gap from the hotpot shop being closed.”

Mother Cheng was still thinking about the 100-yuan couplet she was overcharged for, and since setting up a stall just meant sitting there, she readily agreed for the sake of the novelty.

With the division of labor decided, Cheng Yixin dragged Chi Yi upstairs for a nap.

Chi Yi still had some reservations about the 50-yuan price tag. “Is 50 a bit expensive? Should we lower it a bit?”

“It’s not expensive; hand-written ones are this price. Besides, a ‘pair’ here includes door stickers and New Year scrolls; the quantity isn’t small. 50 was the price from two years ago; this year it’s probably 80 or 100.” Cheng Yixin thought for a bit. “Of course, if you sold them on a live stream, you could sell them for 200.”

Thinking of the people online, Chi Yi curled her lip. “Let’s not.”

Since the first episode of Heart aired, Chi Yi had first gone viral for her looks, then gained fame from the bat incident, followed by various strange rumors and “leaks.” In the Heart Super Topic on Weibo, many posts appeared from people claiming to know a certain guest.

@YongYuanYouGeNi: My friend and Cheng Yixin were in the same class. They say the boyfriend she had in school was average-looking but rich. I expect she’ll choose Zhou Zheng in the end. As for the CP with Chi Yi, it’s entirely for hype.

@KaTeTuGeGe: Stop calling Cheng Yixin the ‘ideal type’ of the lesbian circle. Someone I know has had contact with her; she’s actually incredibly straight, maybe even a bit homophobic. Like Chi Yi, she’s just riding the same-sex rumor for traffic. Just watch—after the second season ends, she’ll hype a romance with a male guest for a while.

@dwhii: Chi Yi is actually the illegitimate daughter of some rich tycoon. In private, she smokes and drinks. Her ex-boyfriend was a second-generation rich guy from some group. Her orientation is bi; she pursued Cheng Yixin but was rejected. Knowing Cheng Yixin was on a dating show, she used her connections to join as well.

After reading these “leaks,” Cheng Yixin let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t mind those people’s rumors; they have no bottom line just to grab attention. Should I have the legal department handle it?” Chi Yi asked with concern.

“No, ignore rumors that have no evidence,” Cheng Yixin said, letting out another sigh, looking mentally exhausted. “I just don’t understand…”

“Their logic is something an ordinary person can’t understand. Haven’t I been described as having an unrequited love? Just look at it as a joke,” Chi Yi comforted her.

“No.”

“What I wanted to say is…” Cheng Yixin looked toward the sky speechlessly. “They could have just insulted me directly, yet they had to say I’m homophobic. It’s really NOT okay.”

“…” Was that the important part??!