Can't Take My Eyes Off You

C 280-281

In her previous life, her interactions with others were very simple. After graduating from college, she went on to work in the hospital, which meant she only had to get along with her colleagues. Their interactions were limited to nods in greetings, and no one knew her identity or family background.

After that, she left for the small mountain village, most of the people there were simple and had a great amount of respect for her and Wen Xuehui, and had even been very careful when dealing with them.

Feeling uncomfortable with Mrs. Ge suddenly barging in like this, Jiang Yao was at a loss for what to do for a while.

"Mrs. Ge, it's not that I don't want to accept your goodwill, but you may not know the situation in my house at the moment. There isn't any cooking ware in the house, and there isn't any place to cook. There's a welcome feast in the cafeteria later in the evening so I don't need to prepare anything. I'll be leaving with my husband to Jindo City tomorrow to attend his friend's wedding, and probably won't be home for a couple of days. Giving this to us would be a waste." Jiang Yao was not deliberately rejecting it, but there was no better chance for her to voice out.

"Oh? A welcome feast? There's going to be a welcome feast in the cafeteria for you?" Mrs. Ge focused on this point, and then muttered under her breath, "When I first came with Wenwen, the cafeteria didn't prepare any kind of welcome feast for us at all."

Hearing that, Jiang Yao felt slightly awkward. It seemed that she had said too much, and probably the wrong thing too.

She could see that Mrs. Ge was a petty person, because the explanation that had come out from her mouth indicated that she held some resentment toward some people.

Once she understood that, she was slightly regretful of what she had said. But it was too late, and Jiang Yao could only pretend that she did not hear Mrs. Ge's mutterings as she stood in awkward silence.

Mrs. Ge looked at Jiang Yao, feeling that the difference in treatment between them was unfair, and also secretly thinking that Sergeant Lu's wife was someone who did not know how to be a decent person. Should she not extend the invitation to the mother and daughter to eat in the cafeteria?

After waiting for a few seconds and Jiang Yao not extending the invitation, Mrs. Ge felt dissatisfied. She felt that Sergeant Lu's wife was just a young woman who did not know how to be a decent human being.

But she did not speak her mind, and she did not feel good saying that she and her daughter would like to have a good meal either.

Mrs. Ge and Jiang Yao were both silent, and in order to avoid the awkwardness, she raised her hand to caress her daughter's head. Looking at Wenwen, Jiang Yao thought of another adorable little girl, Huang Chenchen.

Ge Wenwen and Huang Chenchen were incomparable, with one look at Huang Chenchen, you could tell that she was from a wealthy family. She was dressed neatly and smartly, her face and hands were also clean, and was even a little bit of a neat freak.

The clothes that Ge Wenwen was wearing had patches over patches, and even in this weather, her clothes were dirty. Jiang Yao sneaked a glance at Mrs. Ge, and secretly thought that for a child to be dirty and not paying attention to hygiene, was it because of the adults in her life? Mrs. Ge herself was not dressed any cleaner either.

"Aunt Lu, do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."

Just as Jiang Yao was about to open her mouth to say something, Ge Wenwen suddenly asked her a question, and it sent Jiang Yao into a stunned silence once again.

"Ay! Such an ignorant child, how can you ask someone else for food!" Mrs. Ge slapped the back of Wenwen's head, although it was done lightly, the little girl started to cry loudly.

"But I'm hungry! I'm hungry! Didn't you say that Aunt Lu comes from a big city, and she would definitely have brought a lot of good things!" Ge Wenwen said as she cried, and she pulled on Jiang Yao's hand insistently. "Aunt Lu, I'm hungry!"

Jiang Yao could not react for a few seconds, and she watched as Mrs. Ge reprimand Ge Wenwen loudly. She felt that Mrs. Ge was doing this intentionally for her to witness.

"Mrs. Ge! Mrs. Ge! Stop beating the child." Jiang Yao tried to stop her, and thought deep down that if she wanted to discipline her child, she should do it at home, why would she do it in front of her? If she did not know any better, she would say that such an adult deliberately planned this with a six-year-old child.

Besides, she did not know whether the child was hungry for real or not, but the fact that the things the girl thought about her which was the same as her mother's, that was definitely real.

"Ay, children. The older they get, the more disobedient they are. Don't indulge her too much, just give her some biscuits or candy to send her away. If she takes more than that, it will only make this little lass more spoilt." Mrs. Ge gave her a helpless look as she gave Gu Wenwen a little kick, and turned around to give Jiang Yao an embarrassed smile. "I don't really have much at home to give her to eat, and she may not have eaten fully during lunch time."

"..." Jiang Yao really did not know what to say.

What did she mean by just giving her some biscuits or candy? Was this not called indulging the child?

Mrs. Ge was definitely the first person that Jiang Yao had met in her entire life that rendered her so speechless.

"Mrs. Ge, it's not that I'm being stingy or anything, but I really don't have anything in the house." Jiang Yao said, " I rushed to board the plane after my class, and I only grabbed my clothes and necessities for the trip. Once I got off the plane, I came straight here. I wouldn't have anything like snacks in the house."

Disregarding the fact that there really was not anything in the house at the moment, even if they did have anything, Jiang Yao was not willing to give it to these kinds of people. Even if it was only a six year old child, she would not indulge them!

"I don't believe it! Unless you show me your bag!" Gu Wenwen stomped her feet as she pointed to Jiang Yao's backpack that was on the chair.

"You little brat! She already said that she has nothing to give you, why do you keep insisting!" Mrs. Ge brought down her hand quite hard this time, and the sound was loud, Jiang Yao flinched slightly, it sounded quite painful. Seeing the red mark on the tanned skin of the child's arm, Jiang Yao felt a sense of uneasiness and unhappiness in her heart.

Thinking about the fact that this was her neighbour for the foreseeable future, she could not help but feel bitter inside.

"Mrs. Ge, it seems like it's already quite late, and the child is also hungry. Why don't you take her home and prepare dinner." Jiang Yao was not in the mood to deal with the pair of mother and daughter. The older one unpleasant, and the younger was not any better. She even demanded that Jiang Yao turn over her bag?

The sky had indeed started to darken, and Jiang Yao had arrived a little late to the base. At this hour, those who ate early would have probably finished dinner already.

"Don't worry, we're not in a hurry!" Mrs. Ge did not have any plans to return home, and she ignored Wenwen who was crying, sitting down in one of the chairs. "Recently, it's only been me and Wenwen at home, and we're not in a hurry to eat. Children like to cause trouble, and you shouldn't indulge them. You've just arrived at the base, and you're probably not accustomed to being alone. I can wait with you until your husband returns home."

Jiang Yao glanced at Mrs. Ge, who had an eager expression on her face as though expecting her to ask about her family affairs, making Jiang Yao even more reluctant to speak.

Although she was curious why Platoon Leader Ge was not at home, she guessed that by the way Mrs. Ge was raising the topic, there had to be something lying in wait for her.

"Mrs. Ge, as you can see, I was also preparing to do the laundry. You really can't let a child go hungry, and having a chat isn't really that urgent. You should return home first." Jiang Yao said as she pointed to the clothe lines on the balcony which had Lu Xingzhi's clothes on it.