Don’t Even Think About It - Chapter 10

When enemies reunite, there are bound to be plenty of theatrical antics, a meeting like this was practically guaranteed to stir up some “bad blood.” Qiao Yan had deliberately intended to tease Zhou Xiyun, fishing for trouble just to disrupt her peace. Even though she had been given the cold shoulder with a shut window, she wasn’t angry at all, in fact, it suited her desires perfectly.

Qiao Yan just couldn’t help being mischievous. She always loved to needle Zhou Xiyun, otherwise, she felt uncomfortable all over.

This was yet another one-sided victory, an unbroken streak from childhood to adulthood.

It didn’t take long for the lights in the room across the way to go out. Its owner had stopped working, and the entire small building gradually merged into the silence of the night.

The old-style courtyard lacked the modernization of newer residential complexes. There was only a single, rust speckled, dim yellow streetlamp in the alley here, and it stood over ten meters away from the Zhou family home. The faint light could barely trace the outlines of the surroundings, but it wasn’t clear, looking out, everything appeared beautifully blurred and hazy.

Qiao Yan waited until her hair was completely dry before changing into her pajamas. Before turning off the light, she instinctively glanced outside. Then, she pressed the switch and lay down to rest.

Saturday morning was foggy. The dew was icy, and a persistent dampness permeated the air.

The elders of the Qiao and Zhou families rose early, getting out of bed before the sky even broke dawn. Ms. Xu went downstairs at six to cook. After serving Grandma, she drove out to buy groceries, rushing to the morning market to snag the freshest ingredients.

Xu Ziqing didn’t care if Qiao Yan slept in, nor did Grandma. Knowing how tiring it was for her to run the shop, they indulged her and let her stay in bed a bit longer.

Her bed at home was truly soft and comfortable. By the time Qiao Yan woke up, the sky was fully bright, though it was not yet half past eight, and the groceries hadn’t been brought back yet.

When Qiao Yan walked downstairs bleary-eyed, Grandma was already neatly dressed and sitting in the first-floor living room drinking tea. Zhou Xiyun was sitting there as well, keeping the elderly woman company and chatting.

Zhou Xiyun was dressed quite casually today, wearing a light gray, shallow V-neck linen top paired with wide-leg pants. Her smooth, waterfall-like black hair was secured with a barrette, while the ends of her hair cascaded down loosely. The styling was classic but not aged, instead, it accentuated her refined and charming elegance.

Qiao Yan rarely saw Zhou Xiyun like this. The gentle, scholarly aura was so pronounced that, at first glance, she hardly looked like herself. Most of the time, Zhou Xiyun was rather proper and serious, whether regarding work, studies, or even toward the friends around her, she was always reserved and meticulous, never this relaxed.

Catching a glimpse of this moment by chance, Qiao Yan paused for a beat, feeling a little conflicted about whether she should go down and interrupt them.

Hearing the faint sound of footsteps coming from above, Zhou Xiyun instantly stopped talking and turned her body to look over.

Grandma also spotted Qiao Yan hovering at the top of the stairs and called out to her warmly, “Come down, come down, come rest here. There’s still food in the kitchen. It just needs to be heated up to eat. Ziqing saved a big bowl of porridge for you.”

Qiao Yan went down and greeted her politely, “Grandma, morning.”

Grandma chided in the local dialect, “It’s already eight or nine o’clock, what do you mean morning? The sun is already beating down on the bed, so bright you shouldn’t even be able to sleep.”

Qiao Yan rubbed her nose sheepishly, knowing this was a roundabout way of nagging her. She didn’t argue and just let the elderly woman ramble.

Grandma said, “Xiyun came over at seven-thirty.”

Qiao Yan laughed it off, “I’ll definitely get up earlier tomorrow. When the time comes, I’ll cook poached eggs in sweet fermented rice for you.”

“Then I’ll be waiting for it.”

“You got it!”

Fearing that the elderly woman would lecture her further, Qiao Yan quickly slipped into the kitchen to stuff down a few bites of food, intentionally avoiding the person in the living room.

With someone else present, Zhou Xiyun didn’t act out of turn either, behaving exactly as if she hadn’t seen Qiao Yan the night before. This person didn’t pay any extra attention to Qiao Yan and, quite unhurriedly, poured tea for Grandma.

Grandma absolutely adored Zhou Xiyun, doting on her like she was practically her own grandchild. Whenever she came over, Grandma would give her food and drink, sharing any good things with Zhou Xiyun, whatever Qiao Yan had, she had too.

Zhou Xiyun hadn’t come empty-handed this time either, she had likewise bought gifts for the two elders. She was especially thoughtful toward Grandma, bringing several large boxes of expensive nutritional supplements alone.

Qiao Yan quietly edged over and asked in a low voice, “Didn’t you say you have no money? How can you buy so many things?”

Zhou Xiyun replied with absolute composure, “My mom paid for it.”

Qiao Yan looked deeply skeptical. “Oh.”

“It’s a loan,” Zhou Xiyun said, making it sound quite convincing.

Qiao Yan: “Then why aren’t you paying me back my money?”

Zhou Xiyun remained expressionless. “Spent it. It’s gone.”

Only a fool would believe her, but Qiao Yan ultimately chose not to expose her, letting it slide for the time being for Grandma’s sake. She secretly kicked Zhou Xiyun’s pant leg, not hard, purely to vent her resentment.

Zhou Xiyun remained completely unmoved. With an unruffled expression, she gracefully offered the tea to Grandma’s hand and said softly, “Try this one, Xinyang Maojian. I just got it a while ago.”

Grandma happily reached out to take it, beaming from ear to ear. She picked up the cup, gently scraped the lid against the rim, and then took an elegant sip.

The elderly woman wasn’t actually an expert in the art of tea, nor was she particularly fond of it, she just appreciated the thought. The companionship of young people was the most precious thing to the older generation. They all loved this kind of gesture, even if they were drinking plain boiled water, they could still taste sweetness in it.

As the biological granddaughter sitting right next to them, Qiao Yan watched the whole thing happen, witnessing firsthand Zhou Xiyun’s live performance of how to be a model citizen, while secretly looking down on her.

The private conflicts between the two young women couldn’t be brought to light. No matter how big of a rift there had been between them in the past or recently, they still had to put on a facade of harmonious coexistence in front of Grandma.

Grandma handed a cup of warm tea to Qiao Yan, telling her to try it, and asked, “How is it?”

Qiao Yan praised blindly, “Delicious.”

Zhou Xiyun’s gaze fell onto Qiao Yan’s face, her eyes slowly sweeping over her.

Trading blow for blow, Qiao Yan shot a glance back, her beautiful apricot eyes narrowing slightly in a glare.

As if completely failing to register this warning, Zhou Xiyun poured another cup of tea and calmly placed it in front of Qiao Yan. “This one is sweeter, not bitter.”

Reluctantly, Qiao Yan picked up the teacup, drank it, and said against her actual feelings, “Not that great. It’s not as good as the previous one.”

Sampling the tea this way, one cup of this and one cup of that, they soon tried every single tea on the table. Qiao Yan drank a stomachful of water, and within a short while, she felt incredibly bloated.

Xu Ziqing didn’t return until nine-thirty, and Zhou Huiwen arrived shortly after to help out.

Both mothers were diligent. The moment they stepped through the door, they started working without a moment’s pause, rushing to stew the soup and cook the rice.

“If you two are free, tidy up the table. Also, I forgot to buy drinks this morning. Qiaoqiao, go to the shop in a bit and buy two bottles of Weiyi milk,” Ms. Xu commanded.

Qiao Yan was naturally accustomed to bossing people around. Even though she was the one explicitly told to go run the errand, she turned around and naturally delegated the task to Zhou Xiyun: “I’ll wipe the table. You go buy the drinks.”

Zhou Xiyun responded just as naturally, “No money.”

“You don’t even have thirty yuan?”

“No.”

Qiao Yan fished out her phone and transferred 30 yuan to her via WeChat. “Now you owe me another thirty.”

Zhou Xiyun replied, “Put it on my tab for now.”

Qiao Yan said, “That makes 528 yuan in total.”

Zhou Xiyun: “I’ll pay you back next time.”

The shop was right at the entrance of Xijing Courtyard, a five minutes round trip.

Zhou Xiyun took the money and went out, returning a short while later carrying a bottle of Weiyi milk plus a large bottle of Cola.

At the small shop, the Weiyi milk was fifteen yuan a bottle, and the large Cola was seven-fifty. Zhou Xiyun transferred seven yuan and fifty cents back to Qiao Yan, adding a note: Remaining balance owed: 520 yuan and 50 cents.

Qiao Yan pretended to be blind, seeing the WeChat message but choosing not to reply.

Being in the exact same house and yet texting each other made it feel like they shared some sort of shady little secret… though the two of them did, in fact, share a rather ambiguous past.

A little later, the two of them entered the kitchen to help out. Standing side by side in front of the sink, they plucked and washed the vegetables, occasionally carrying dishes and rinsing plates.

Xu Ziqing told Qiao Yan to put on an apron. “Don’t get your clothes dirty, oil stains are hard to wash out.”

Qiao Yan was incredibly lazy. “I won’t. I’m not even getting close to the stove.”

Zhou Xiyun fetched two aprons and tossed one over Qiao Yan’s shoulder. Qiao Yan disliked floral patterns, preferring solid colors instead. She immediately and bossily stuffed the floral apron back into Zhou Xiyun’s hands, saying, “Switch. I want yours.”

Zhou Xiyun didn’t mind either; a switch was a switch.

Tying the aprons was a mutual effort. Qiao Yan went first, and then Zhou Xiyun turned her around to tie the straps for her. Being her usual impatient self, Qiao Yan urged, “Hurry up. If you dawdle any longer, the water is going to overflow.”

Zhou Xiyun didn’t listen. Instead, she took the opportunity to pat the back of Qiao Yan’s head, signaling her to zip it.

Qiao Yan bristled instantly. Turning around, she said, “What are you patting me for? If you press down on me too much, I won’t grow tall.”

Zhou Xiyun countered, “You’re already tall enough.”

Qiao Yan snapped back, “I’m not even 175 cm yet.”

“Mm,” Zhou Xiyun replied nonchalantly, deliberately poking her sore spot, “Still not as tall as me.”

Qiao Yan shot her a glaring look, her mouth twisting into a silent, threatening grimace.

Zhou Xiyun deliberately pressed down on her head again, insists on poking the bear when Qiao Yan was already fuming.

The two competed with each other in secret, not daring to let Ms. Xu and the others notice.

Born with a temperament that responded to gentle treatment but resisted force, Qiao Yan could hardly swallow this kind of frustration. Incensed, she yanked at the corner of Zhou Xiyun’s top and even gave her an annoying pinch.

Zhou Xiyun reacted quickly, shifting her body sideways to dodge it.

Refusing to back down, Qiao Yan swung her hand to grab her.

Zhou Xiyun avoided her again, making absolutely sure Qiao Yan couldn’t touch her in the slightest.

Qiao Yan had a fiery temper, once she got worked up, she became completely reckless, losing all sense of boundaries. Boiling with a surge of spite, she took a big step backward straight into Zhou Xiyun’s embrace. Reaching behind her, she planted her hands directly onto Zhou Xiyun’s slender waist and began kneading wantonly, aiming to tickle her. She was quite audacious, her hands being thoroughly unruly.

Zhou Xiyun froze entirely, her body shuddering slightly.

Thinking she had gained the upper hand, Qiao Yan didn’t know when to stop and instead doubled down.

Zhou Xiyun stood dead still, and in the next second, she grabbed Qiao Yan in a vice grip.

Qiao Yan struggled, but it was useless.

Zhou Xiyun used a lot of force, squeezing hard enough to leave a red ring around Qiao Yan’s wrist.

Right at that moment, Ms. Xu, who was cooking, suddenly spoke up, “Qiaoqiao, get me a plate for steaming fish.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xiyun loosened her grip, letting Qiao Yan off the hook for the time being.

Like a big dummy, Qiao Yan didn’t feel anything amiss and didn’t think twice about it, completely unbothered by what the person behind her was up to. She hurriedly responded, “Hold on, I’ll get it right away!”

The fish-steaming plates were in the outermost cabinet, so Qiao Yan bent down to search for one.

Zhou Xiyun kept watch behind her, unhurriedly smoothing out the corner of her clothes.