Chapter 08: Care
Soon, the door was opened.
The young man's eyes revealed impatience, and he exuded a cold, oppressive atmosphere.
Ying Sisi felt the tension and tightened her heart, mustering her courage to ask, “What's wrong? You seem really angry.” She glanced around; the yard was eerily quiet. Was there no one home?
After taking a few steps forward, she caught a glimpse of the disarray in the side room.
It was Qin Yanci's room.
He had originally lived in the main house, but with his brothers and sisters — aside from the baby born in the hospital, there were already three children.
One girl and two boys.
The eldest was a seven-year-old girl, while the second and third were boys aged five and three.
The children had taken over Qin Yanci’s original room.
Was he angry about that, and had he wrecked his room?
His temper was truly explosive.
She deliberately covered her mouth in surprise. “Oh no, has a thief broken in?”
Qin Yanci opened his mouth slightly. “Hmm.”
Ying Sisi stepped inside. The bed, table, chest, and clothes were all in disarray.
She reached out to straighten the table and chairs.
While adjusting the bed, she said, “Aci, I can't move this; could you help me out?”
Qin Yanci remained silent, but thankfully, he came over to help.
Together, they managed to set the bed right. Ying Sisi closed the door, but the room was still cold.
The heating must have broken.
Didn’t he feel cold?
She reached out to hold his hand, feeling the chill seep into her bones, making her shiver. Braving the cold, she attempted to warm him. “Your hands are so cold! Aren't you cold? Why don't you take care of yourself? Have you eaten yet?”
The sudden contact and concern felt like a warm light, slowly melting away the ice surrounding him. At that moment, his heart began to soften, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “No.”
“Try to see if you can fix the heating. I'll make you something to eat,” she suggested.
“Okay.”
Ying Sisi finally felt reassured enough to head into the kitchen.
There was only half a bowl of rice and two eggs left.
The stove had gone cold as well.
Had they forgotten about Qin Yanci?
She had thought that children with parents would be well cared for.
It turned out that unloved children were no different from orphans.
She used the fire tongs to grab some new coal to exchange for charcoal from a neighbor.
The neighbor seemed hesitant to say something.
Ying Sisi directly asked, “Auntie, if you have something to say, just tell me. I can handle it.”
The neighbor waved her hand but said, “I have heard that Yanci has some mental issues and tends to get physical with people, so be careful.”
“Mental issues? He looks fine to me. Does he really hit people for no reason?”
“Ah, yes, he is quite jealous and holds grudges. His temper is twisted; if anyone did better than him in school, he would hit them. He gets agitated over the smallest things, acting like a madman. His family has really done him a disservice, knowing his emotional instability, yet they sent him so far away to work and even arranged a marriage for him.”
Even though she was a beautiful and hardworking girl, their son was quite handsome, but his choice of partner wasn't as good as Ying Sisi.
“Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. Thank you for the charcoal, Auntie.” Ying Sisi said, holding onto her thoughts as she left.
Returning to the Qin home, she glanced into the side room.
The jealous, vengeful, and emotionally unstable person described by the neighbor was diligently checking the heating.
With his brow furrowed and eyes lowered, he didn't seem like a twisted individual at all.
However, the occasional hostility he displayed did indeed frighten her.
She decided to observe him for a while.
If things became unbearable, she could always run away from the marriage.
After all, no one had consulted her during the engagement.
She returned to the kitchen, quickly replaced the charcoal, and then rinsed the rice to steam.
Just then, Qin Yanci walked in. “Sisi, the heating is fixed.”
Ying Sisi beamed and gave him a thumbs-up. “You're amazing!” She took out a tightly wrapped snack from her pocket and offered it near his mouth. “This is your reward for fixing the heating. Ah~”
Weren't his parents living at the unit anymore?
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