Can't Possibly Fall for My Wife Again After Rebirth, Right? - Chapter 4

Pulled into the back kitchen by Fu Qiao, Xu Yingran was still completely unaware of what she had just called Fu Qiao’s parents. After all, they had been married for so many years, and her parents had basically lived with them; calling them “Mom” and “Dad” had become ingrained in her muscle memory.

It wasn’t until Fu Qiao turned around with a troubled expression that Xu Yingran finally realized her blunder.

“It was one thing when you called me ‘wife’ in front of our classmates, but why are you calling my parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’?” Fu Qiao was a little angry. She felt Xu Yingran’s jokes today were in poor taste and couldn’t help but feel displeased.

Xu Yingran froze. “Did I… did I just say that?”

Fu Qiao stared at her calmly, her silence serving as the answer.

“I… I probably just said it out of habit…” Noticing Fu Qiao’s eyes widening slightly, Xu Yingran quickly changed her excuse. “I must still be half-asleep and a bit muddled. I didn’t mean to call them that on purpose.”

Seeing that Fu Qiao didn’t look convinced, Xu Yingran added, “Really.”

Fu Qiao didn’t know which of Xu Yingran’s words today were true and which were fake. At eighteen, they were still just older children, and Fu Qiao was thin-skinned. Being called “wife” and then having her parents called “Mom and Dad” all in one day made her incredibly uncomfortable. She shot Xu Yingran a glance and whispered, “Don’t make jokes like that again.”

Xu Yingran looked at her and nodded gently.

The back kitchen was actually quite spacious. This was a proper storefront Fu Qiao’s parents had leased, so it was filled with various large freezers containing mutton and other semi-finished skewers. In the middle of the kitchen were two large basins filled with soaking white dishes; Fu Qiao had clearly been washing them just now.

“Have you eaten?” Xu Yingran asked softly.

Fu Qiao had been helping here since school let out; she hadn’t had a spare moment to eat. She shook her head slightly.

Seeing that shake of the head made Xu Yingran’s heart soften. It was nearly 8:00 PM; if Fu Qiao hadn’t eaten yet, she must be starving. Xu Yingran scanned the kitchen and spotted some disposable chopsticks. She snapped a pair open, picked up a dumpling, and held it to Fu Qiao’s lips.

As the warm dumpling touched her lips, Fu Qiao’s dark eyes widened, looking at Xu Yingran with total confusion.

“Have some dumplings,” Xu Yingran said with a light smile. “My mom’s dumplings are delicious. Try one.”

It wasn’t that Fu Qiao had never eaten Zhao Yu’s dumplings before, but she was baffled as to why Xu Yingran suddenly wanted to feed her.

But with the dumpling pressed against her lips, she couldn’t let Xu Yingran keep holding it there forever. Fu Qiao slowly opened her mouth and took the whole dumpling in one bite.

“How is it?” Xu Yingran tilted her head, curious. “Good?”

Zhao Yu’s dumplings had thin skins and generous filling. Fu Qiao’s mouth was completely full, her cheeks puffed out like a little rabbit foraging for food.

The more Xu Yingran looked, the cuter she thought Fu Qiao was. Perhaps because eighteen-year-olds were still essentially kids, she found it hard to connect this version of Fu Qiao with her future self. She felt the current Fu Qiao was much more adorable.

Sinful, sinful… how can I keep thinking my wife is cute…

Despite her internal grumbling, Xu Yingran naturally stuffed another dumpling into Fu Qiao’s mouth as soon as she finished the first, acting just like she had been serving her wife meals for years. She even asked considerately, “Do you need some water? Is it too dry?”

Fu Qiao wasn’t that delicate. She shook her head to indicate she didn’t need water, but the moment she opened her mouth to speak, Xu Yingran shoved another dumpling in.

After eating seven or eight dumplings like this, Fu Qiao finally couldn’t take any more. She kept her mouth shut and shook her head, signaling she was done.

“Alright then.” Xu Yingran pulled out a tissue to wipe Fu Qiao’s mouth, then naturally tucked the used tissue into her own pocket. She said to Fu Qiao, “I’ll go give the rest to Dad… uh, to your aunt and uncle. Leave these dishes here; I’ll wash them in a bit.”

Fu Qiao watched Xu Yingran leave, feeling that her attentiveness was very strange.

They had always been close, but never quite like this—feeding her and wiping her mouth. It made Fu Qiao feel quite awkward.

Soon, Xu Yingran returned wearing a pair of blue rubber gloves. She beamed at Fu Qiao. “Go sit over there for a while. I’ll do the scrubbing.”

Fu Qiao shook her head. “I don’t need your help. You should go home.”

Xu Yingran refused. “You’ve been busy since school ended and haven’t even eaten or rested. Just go sit; I’ve got this.”

Fu Qiao’s heart felt like a jumbled mess at these words. Truthfully, she didn’t really like people knowing about her family’s situation. Fu Qiao had great grades and a refined appearance; she was a “good student” in the eyes of teachers and peers. But her family’s business was “messy.” When the barbecue got busy, she would be covered in oily smoke; sometimes, she even felt disgusted by herself.

Young people have strong self-esteem. Although Fu Qiao didn’t say anything harsh, she really didn’t want others to know the gritty details of her home life.

But Xu Yingran had grown up with her. They had been in the same class since kindergarten and were neighbors. Xu Yingran probably knew her family’s situation better than Fu Qiao did herself.

Watching Xu Yingran scrub the dishes, Fu Qiao felt bad just standing there. She grabbed a small stool and sat beside her. “I’ll help. Two people are faster.”

Xu Yingran thought that was fair; the sooner they finished, the sooner they could go home and tackle the homework.

The barbecue stall was doing a brisk business. After they finished the first two basins, Fu Qiao’s parents brought another. Seeing the two girls scrubbing away, they said heart-wrenchingly, “It’s almost 9:00 PM. Stop helping and go home to rest.”

Fu Qiao’s mother added, “Finish your homework and go straight to sleep. Your dad and I won’t be home until after midnight. Remember to lock the doors and windows.”

Fu Qiao nodded, and Xu Yingran smiled at them. “It’s okay, Auntie. I’ll walk Xiao Qiao home.”

Fu Qiao’s mother smiled brightly. “Wait a second, I grilled some skewers for you to take back to your parents. They’re all the ones they like.”

Xu Yingran couldn’t refuse, so she took the warm disposable container. It was filled with meat and smelled heavenly.

By 9:00 PM, there weren’t many people left on the streets. Fu Qiao had changed into her work clothes at the shop; her school uniform was tucked away with her backpack. She would have to hang it up to air out all night at home, or it would reek of smoke the next day.

Walking back to the compound, the smell of the barbecue made Xu Yingran’s stomach growl. She figured Zhao Yu and her dad wouldn’t eat much at this hour, so she planned to wrap the leftovers in a flatbread later—it would be delicious.

As they walked, Xu Yingran realized Fu Qiao hadn’t said a word. Once they entered the quiet residential area, the silence became even more apparent.

She looked back at Fu Qiao and asked softly, “What’s wrong? You haven’t said a word the whole way.”

Fu Qiao shook her head, clutching her uniform. “Nothing.”

“Are you tired from scrubbing dishes?” Xu Yingran stopped and looked at her. “If you’re tired, tell me to come help tomorrow too. Work goes faster with two people.”

Fu Qiao glanced at her and shook her head. “No need. Why would you come help for no reason?”

Xu Yingran laughed. “We’ve been married for so many—I mean—”

The air suddenly became deathly quiet.

Fu Qiao frowned slightly, looking at Xu Yingran with total bewilderment. Xu Yingran rubbed her nose in frustration and said, “I mean, we’ve known each other for so many years. Helping you wash dishes is no big deal. Don’t overthink it.”

What kind of clumsy cover-up is that?

Fu Qiao’s frown deepened. Xu Yingran had been weird since the moment they woke up.

“Are you hiding something from me?” Fu Qiao asked. “You’re so strange today.”

Xu Yingran let out two awkward laughs. “I’m perfectly fine; it’s just your imagination. I haven’t finished my homework yet, so I’m going home first!”

Watching Xu Yingran run off, Fu Qiao was left puzzled.

Don’t we live in the same building?

Habit is a terrifying thing.

Xu Yingran had originally intended to find Fu Qiao to ask to copy her homework. How on earth did she end up spending her evening washing dishes instead? Only after returning home did she slap her forehead, remembering the unfinished assignments.

She scrambled to pull out the papers. The workload for senior year was brutal—over a dozen papers in one night. She wrote until her head spun.

The biggest problem was her biological clock. Around 10:00 PM, it started reminding her it was time for bed. That’s right—the habit of being in bed by 11:00 PM was etched into her DNA. Even though she had traveled back ten years, she still felt the urge to sleep by 11:00.

But the homework wasn’t done. She forced herself to keep writing, but her consciousness began to blur. Before 11:00 PM had even passed, she slumped over her desk and fell fast asleep. She didn’t wake up until after 2:00 AM.

Waking up with an aching back, Xu Yingran felt a wave of deep despair. Finally, she decided to “break the jar”—whoever wants to do this damn homework can do it, she was going back to sleep!

So, the next morning, when Fu Qiao came knocking on her door while sipping another carton of milk, she was immediately snatched into the bedroom by Xu Yingran.

“Fu Qiao, my dear Fu Qiao,” Xu Yingran said, pinning the girl against the door. “I beg of you, lend me your homework to copy. I swear I’ll finish in ten minutes.”

Fu Qiao was pinned by the shoulders against the wall, completely dazed. When she heard the request to copy homework, she knit her brows. “You’re in your senior year; why are you still copying homework? Do you want to fail to graduate?”

Xu Yingran didn’t care about the future right now; she had to survive the present.

“I’ll worry about graduation later. Maybe after I graduate, I’ll just work as a laborer at your family’s shop while you be the boss lady,” Xu Yingran said while snatching Fu Qiao’s backpack and beginning to flagrantly copy the papers.

Fu Qiao opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t know what to say. She could only let out a long sigh and find a place to sit, waiting for them to go to school together.