Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 33.1

Chapter 33.1

He Zhujun suddenly recalled that she had run into Yu Hongdou and her brother a few times at the school gate a few days back. Back then, she thought it was merely a coincidence.  ‘Looking at today’s situation, could it be that her brother and Senior Sister Yu are actually dating seriously?’

The eldest daughter of the He family, He Lanzhi, was initially busy organising things for the opera troupe in the garden and hadn’t appeared in the small living room, so she didn’t recognise Yu Hongdou. When she spotted her second brother with a beautiful girl, she was taken aback. However, being experienced, she quickly realised that the two probably didn’t want to be seen, so she pulled He Zhujun, who was still in a daze. The two sisters quietly slipped out of the small living room and back to the garden along the same path.

As soon as He Zhujun reached the garden, she went to find her mother. Her mother had always hoped her brother would find a girlfriend. Today was her birthday, and since there was some news about her second brother, she felt it was important to share it with her mother to brighten her day.

But she was still a bit confused. She had always looked up to Senior Sister Yu for her humour and academic skills. Yet, despite her admiration, she wasn’t sure about the idea of her being her second brother’s girlfriend.

He Lanzhi noticed He Zhujun’s expression and asked, “Do you know the female student we just saw?”

He Zhujun nodded, and muttered, “Yes, she’s my senior in school.”

As they chatted, the two had already made their way to the waterside pavilion at the back of the garden. He Zhujun entered and sat beside her mother, quietly sharing what she had seen.

Mrs. He was so thrilled that she lost interest in playing cards. She asked someone to take her place for a few rounds, then took her daughter outside and asked earnestly, “Is that your senior sister from St. John’s that I just saw in the living room?”

He Lanzhi was casually peeling an orange and replied, “She seems unfamiliar. I wonder whose daughter she is.”

Even though He Zhujun was quite straightforward, she had been raised in luxury. As soon as she heard the question, she realised that the elder sister was inquiring about Yu Hongdou’s family background. She smiled and said, “I only know that Senior Sister Yu’s brother works at the police station. Her father seems to have passed away a long time ago. I’m not sure what her family does now. But I did meet Senior Sister Yu’s mother when I went to deliver the invitation to the Yu family last time. Mrs. Yu is very kind and generous, and it seems like her family is doing well.”

Mrs. He responded nonchalantly, “These things are secondary.”

He Lanzhi smiled and remarked, “Madam is really set on getting my younger brother hitched as soon as she can. As long as he likes her, Madam won’t mind if their family backgrounds match or not. My brother has such high standards. Miss Yu is gorgeous, so it’s no wonder he has a crush on her. I just wonder what her personality is like. If she’s too petty, after they marry and spend time together, not only will my dad and the madam not like her, but my sister and sisters-in-law will also find it hard to get along with her.”

He Zhujun shook her head and replied, “Senior Yu is never shy. There was this one time when my sister-in-law and I walked past a classroom at school and saw Senior Yu studying inside. I don’t know what funny thing she remembered, but she was laughing to herself while looking at her book.”

Just thinking about that moment made her chuckle. As she shared the story, the discomfort in her heart seemed to lift a bit. ‘Senior Sister Yu knows have to have fun. If she becomes my sister-in-law in the future, at least I wouldn’t feel so lonely at home.’

He Lanzhi didn’t want to pry into her stepmother’s matters, worried it might stress her out. But out of curiosity, she asked a few more questions. Noticing that Zhujun was defending Miss Yu with her words and actions, she smiled, looked down, and munched on her oranges, choosing not to say anything more.

Mrs. He thought back to the moment with Yu Hongdou in the small living room a bit ago. A smile crept onto her face, as she nodded slowly and said, “She seems to have a nice personality and appears to be quite smart. I wonder when she and Lao Er started going out. Why haven’t they been together these last few days? When Miss Yu came by earlier, Lao Er was acting all weird and didn’t want to show up in the back. I finally got him to come out. When I went to greet him, he seemed so indifferent. It was like he didn’t even know Miss Yu at all.” She paused, eyeing He Zhujun with suspicion. “Did you really see what happened just now? He and Miss Yu might have just been having a casual chat, and you might be misunderstanding things for no reason.”

He Zhujun felt her face heat up. She had never been in love before and didn’t know what to say. 

Luckily, He Lanzhi jumped in to help her out, saying, “Since Fourth Sister is still young, she probably doesn’t get it. But honestly, I think Second Brother is a bit interesting. Back then, it was just the two of them in the corridor, and they were standing there quietly without saying a word. Madam, you know Second Brother’s personality, right? He’s not one to get involved with women. If he doesn’t want to, who could possibly change his mind?”

Have a nice day!