Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 16.1

Chapter 16.1

When He Yunqin and his younger sister entered the house, their elder sister, He Lanzhi, came down from upstairs.

She was surprised to see He Yunqin at home at that time. “You have come early today. No classes today?”

He Yunqin smiled and said, “I came earlier to discuss my mother’s birthday.” He then walked to the sofa and sat down. 

He Zhuyun sat opposite the elder sister and sister-in-law and smiled with excitement and said, “I just saw a strange thing, elder sister, elder sister-in-law; guess what brother was doing outside just now?”

He Lanzhi straightened the big tassel shawl on her shoulders, looked at her younger sister, and said, “Your brother came back from Germany and dealt with strange people all day long. He has already contracted many strange problems. So even if you say that he repairs bicycles, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Before she finished speaking, He Zhuyun laughed so hard that she fell on Duan Ming, who was in front of her.

“The elder sister is really clever; the second brother was repairing a bicycle just now,” He Zhuyun said while laughing.

He Lanzhi was joking just now, and when she heard what her younger sister said, she was actually surprised. “Little brother, your bicycle is not good enough. Why don’t you buy a new one?”

He Yunqin took a sip of the tea the servant brought and said, “The day before yesterday, our father taught me a lesson, saying that although I have money, I need to know the principle of holding on to prosperity. I always remember the lessons our old man taught. Although my bicycle is old, it is not that I can’t ride it. It’s a pity to throw it away like this.”

He Lanzhi turned to look at Duan Mingyi and He Zhuyun and asked, “Do you believe this?” 

Duan Mingyi smiled and did not answer.

He Zhuyun covered her mouth and shook her head. “No, I don’t believe it.”

“You can use those words to deal with the madam, but we don’t believe you,” He Lanzhi said with a smile. “By the way, why did you ask Uncle Yu to bring my clothes yesterday?

It’s weird; maybe you met a girl outside.”

He Lanzhi was He Yunqin and He Zhuyun’s half-sister and she called her stepmother “Madam” all the years.

Hearing those words, He Yunqin was very calm at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he just gave some details about what happened. He didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings, so he added, “The coat has been re-ironed, and I put it in my room, and I will return it to the elder sister in a while.”

“Then please give me a new coat; I don’t want a coat that someone has already worn,” He Lanzhi said.

He Yunqin expected his elder sister to say that. “I will ask Dingxiang to make a new coat for my elder sister.”

“Why bother,” He Lanzhi said, putting down the teacup and looking at He Yunqin with a lot of interest. “Those clothes are expensive because they are made of rare materials. Even Dingxiang couldn’t find that material. Let’s keep it aside. I want to ask you: To whom did you give that coat? Are you finally willing to get a girlfriend?” 

Hearing the elder sister’s words, He Zhuyun also asked with curiosity, “Second brother, do you really want to fall in love?”

He Yunqin looked at her and said, “If I really have a girlfriend, I will not keep it a secret from you.” He spoke and then looked at his watch. It was getting late, and he needed to leave quickly, so before he left, He Yunqin went upstairs to meet his mother.

He Lanzhi smiled at He Zhuyun and Duan Mingyi on purpose and said, “As soon as I mentioned that, he slipped away. I can tell that he has something going on with a girl.”

When He Yunqin heard that, he stopped, turned around, smiled at He Lanzhi, and said, “Elder sister, if I really have a girlfriend, I will definitely bring her back to show her to my mother.”

Hearing her younger brother’s words, He Lanzhi encouraged him with a smile and asked why he was in such a rush to leave.

He Yunqin said, “I want to see my mother.” Then he went up the stairs again.

When He Yunqin left, He Lanzhi shook her head and said, “The second brother seems relaxed, but he is still very thoughtful and knows how to coax people. If you want to make your girlfriend happy, just buy her new clothes instead of giving her someone else’s clothes. Then why would the second brother give clothes to someone who isn’t his girlfriend? After thinking about it a lot, this doesn’t make any sense.”

Duan Mingyi didn’t say anything at first. But when she heard this, her eyes moved a little, and she smiled and said, “When you mentioned the overcoat, I remembered seeing a girl carrying a coat to school today. I know her; it’s Miss Yu that the Fourth Sister often talks about.”

He Zhuyun was surprised by her sister-in-law’s words. She recalled the conversation with Yu Hongdou about the coat. ‘Didn’t Sister Yu say that she wanted to give the coat back? Is it a coincidence?’

Right before she could respond to Duan Mingyi, the second brother, who went upstairs, returned. 

“Didn’t you ask me to pick out a gift for you just now? Where is the gift?” 

He Zhuyun quickly said, “It’s in my room.” Then she went to her room with her second brother.

Have a nice day!