Chapter 132 - 132: Relationship
At the beginning, when Shen Mo first arrived at Jiang Xia’s house, all the children were terrified of him, wishing they could be thousands of miles away.
Eventually, it was Jiang Gu who broke the ice, stepping forward to chat with Shen Mo. That gave all the children some relief.
As for what she said, Jiang Xia still cringes when she thinks about it, wishing she could crawl into a hole to hide.
On that day, Jiang Xia was boiling water at the kitchen entrance while Jiang Gu was playing in the yard with her friends.
Because Shen Mo had been visiting for three consecutive days, the kids Jiang Xia teaches were also curious about the handsome ‘big brother’s’ background.
After listening to her friend’s, Jiang Gu rolled her eyes and moved closer to Shen Mo.
Just like today, Shen Mo was sitting under the eaves to enjoy the shade, holding a book he’d found somewhere.
“Brother Shen,” this was the first time Jiang Gu had spoken to Shen Mo. Sher words came out in a mosquito-like whisper.
Luckily, Shen Mo’s sharp hearing caught her calling him. He put his book down and turned to look at Jiang Gu..
Jiang Gu took a step back under the stare of Shen Mo, and Shen Mo frowned.
“What’s up?” Shen Mo asked.
Jiang Gu, with her rather large amount of courage, endured Shen Mo’s hawk-like gaze and asked, “Brother Shen, do you keep coming to our house because you like my sister?”
Even Shen Mo, who had experienced great storms and waves, was shocked by Jiang Gu’s question. He didn’t even notice that the book in his hand had fallen.
Jiang Xia saw that the children had gathered around Shen Mo and was curious about what had happened. She followed them and heard her sister’s words
“Brother Shen, if you don’t like Sister, why do you always come to our house? Mother said that Brother Shen always liked to look at Sister. That was proof that he liked Sister.”
Jiang Gu’s voice got louder as she spoke, practically back to her usual volume by the time she got to “it means he likes her.” But she wasn’t done, she continued, “Mother also said when a girl blushes while looking at a guy, it means she likes him. So, do you and my sister have feelings for each other?”
Jiang Xia instantly felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She subconsciously looked at Shen Mo, who was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and they both quickly looked away.
Jiang Xia didn’t know how Shen Mo felt, but she wished she could find a hole to crawl into and never see him again.
Shen Mo cleared his throat softly, stood up and bent towards Jiang Gu. “You say that if you stare at someone, it means you like them. So, does it mean I like you because I’m looking at you now?”
Perhaps because they had already spoken, Jiang Gu was no longer scared. She stared at Shen Mo and finally spoke, “So, does Brother dislike Xiao Gu?”
Caught off guard by her question, Shen Mo could only answer, “No, I don’t dislike you.”
“If you don’t dislike me, then you must like me! So, Brother likes Xiao Gu!”
With her big, clear eyes, Jiang Gu made it impossible for Shen Mo to argue.
Due to his military background, nearly all the children feared him. But meeting one who didn’t, he found himself unable to voice any hateful words.
Seeing Shen Mo lose against Jiang Gu’s simple logic that not disliking equals liking, Jiang Xia gave up overthinking it. She sighed, saving Shen Mo from Jiang Gu’s persistent questioning about whether he liked or disliked her sister.
Jiang Xia lightly tapped Jiang Gu’s forehead. “You remember clearly all these unnecessary things you heard from Mother, but I don’t see you remembering everything I taught you. Instead, you’re focusing on these trivial matters.”
“Sister, I do remember what you taught me! I just wanted to know… Uh!”
Jiang Gu rolled her eyes and Jiang Xia knew what she was going to say. She quickly covered Jiang Gu’s mouth and shouted at the group of children, “Alright, it’s time for class. Everyone back to your seats. We’ll have to review the words and Pinyin we learned yesterday!”
Like many teachers, Jiang Xia’s words held authority. The children returned to their seats, recalling what Jiang Xia had taught them the previous day.
Jiang Xia then led Jiang Gu to fetch the boiled water. As they walked, Jiang Xia took the opportunity to remind her sister not to talk recklessly in the future.
In the following two days, whenever Jiang Xia saw Shen Mo, she would remember Jiang Gu’s words, asking if Shen Mo liked her. Just catching a glimpse of Shen Mo would make her quickly scurry away..