Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 142
by Little PandaThe Wind Blows
Xiao Yutong stood frozen, a bag of cherries in one hand and her keys in the other, utterly dumbfounded.
Hearing the sound, Yan Xi and Anzhi looked over in unison, and both froze in place as well.
For several seconds, they stood frozen in an awkward standoff, both sides struggling to maintain their composure.
Xiao Yutong’s mind raced, frantically analyzing the situation before her.
I didn’t see that wrong, did I? No, I definitely didn’t!
So that’s how it is. What on earth are we supposed to do?
How could they be like this?
What should we do now?
Awkward. This is too awkward!
Shocking. Absolutely shocking!
Usually, when someone is shocked, whatever they’re holding either flies out of their hands or drops to the floor. But Xiao Yutong only gripped hers tighter. It was only when she felt a slight pain in her fingers that she realized she had nearly torn the bag of cherries open.
“Eldest Sister-in-law…”
“Eldest Maternal Aunt-in-law…”
These two completely different forms of address made Xiao Yutong’s stiff features twitch.
She set the bag of cherries down and said expressionlessly, “I brought you some fruit.”
Then she turned and walked out.
Anzhi looked at Yan Xi timidly, looking worried as if she wanted to say something.
Yan Xi patted her head reassuringly, hesitated for a moment, and then followed Xiao Yutong out.
Xiao Yutong walked out with her brows knit, suppressing her anger.
What on earth is this? Outrageous! We’ve only had a few quiet days, and now this. If Yan Yidong finds out, that old man of mine will probably explode with rage.
She stopped and let out a sigh. Anger aside, she knew he definitely wouldn’t agree to this. And judging from the scene just now, the feelings between those two kids, Yan Xi and Anzhi, probably ran incredibly deep. She knew Yan Xi well; she had always been a person with a strong mind of her own.
This was probably going to be a massive headache, and she began to worry.
“Eldest Sister-in-law,” Yan Xi’s voice came from behind, and her temper flared instantly.
“Xiao Wu!” Xiao Yutong turned with a dark face. “When did this start?”
Yan Xi was much calmer. “It’s been going on for a while.”
Xiao Yutong’s expression soured even further as sudden realization hit her. So that’s why she kept running off to America! She had thought it was just because they had a good relationship, but now she realized how strange it was. No matter how close they were, it shouldn’t be like this.
For a while?
She was suddenly shocked. “You didn’t… You, you…” Realizing they were standing in the courtyard, Xiao Yutong lowered her voice alertly. “You didn’t start this before she was of age, did you?”
“Eldest Sister-in-law,” Yan Xi said, a bit sheepish. “How could that be possible?”
Xiao Yutong let out a slight sigh of relief, about to say “that’s good,” before realizing the situation wasn’t any better—the problem was still there. She handed the keys to her. “…I won’t tell your Eldest Brother about this. Find an opportunity to bring it up yourself.”
Yan Xi nodded. “I will.”
Xiao Yutong stared at her, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anzhi standing by the front door, watching them warily.
Unable to say a single word, she turned and left.
Xiao Yutong’s mind was in a complete mess. As she drove, her head throbbed.
She thought back to many years ago, when Anzhi had first arrived. The girl had been so timid and sensitive that she didn’t even dare to grab food if Xiao Yutong so much as glanced at her.
Back then, raising the twins had left her irritable and exhausted, and with Yan Yidong rarely around, she felt like she was raising her sons like a widowed parent, all while caring for the elderly. Yet her sister-in-law had brought back another child from the outside.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have any resentment.
In the middle of it, a small accident happened—Da Pang had an allergic reaction, and the child was so frightened that she ran away from home. Xiao Yutong had been scared half to death too.
But over all these years of slowly getting along, she realized that through comparison, a little girl was truly lovely, sensible, and sweet. Although she lived in the city with Yan Xi, she was extremely well-behaved every weekend she came back. She would help clean up the toys Da Pang and Xiao Pang messed up, and pour water for her when she was busy. When she grew older, she would help out in the kitchen.
Xiao Yutong still remembered her stepping on a small stool, helping peel garlic with a serious face, and her wide, watery eyes filled with curiosity as Xiao Yutong taught her to identify vegetables in the kitchen.
Having raised her for so many years, she was practically like her own daughter. Especially since she had always wanted a daughter; she had remarked to Yan Yidong countless times that Heaven must have seen how much she wanted a daughter and sent her one. What’s more, she was so outstanding that she felt immensely proud.
If only Da Pang and Xiao Pang weren’t rough oafs like their father, she would have made the match herself and let Anzhi pick one of the brothers to be her daughter-in-law.
She felt that someone as delicate-minded as Anzhi needed a gentle partner to truly cherish her.
Speaking of Yan Xi, she was only a teenager when Xiao Yutong first married in, so she had basically watched her grow up. This sister-in-law was also very sensible and understanding, not at all as willful as her older brothers claimed. Knowing she liked to invest, Yan Xi had even given her capital, trusting her implicitly.
Yan Xi had been single all these years. Xiao Yutong hoped she would have a happy family, but felt she should give her space and freedom—after all, finding someone to love isn’t easy. That’s why she always urged Yan Yidong not to rush her, though she was actually anxious herself.
Who would have thought that these two, one she treated as a daughter and the other as a sister, would end up together?
Xiao Yutong felt not only a headache, but her stomach was starting to hurt too.
Because of this, she was downcast the whole day, with no heart to prepare dinner. After picking up Junjun from school, she took him straight to McDonald’s.
Junjun was usually never allowed to eat fast food, so he was extremely excited this time. While grabbing his burger and devouring it, he suddenly noticed his mother seemed a bit off—the fries in front of her were about to be stacked into a tower.
Junjun thought for two seconds and gave up, focusing on eating his burger.
Adults’ business had nothing to do with him; he just needed to eat.
Xiao Yutong sighed for a while, then called Yan Yidong’s secretary’s office, telling them he should eat out and that she wouldn’t be cooking tonight.
By nighttime, Xiao Yutong was still wondering how Yan Xi and Anzhi had ended up together. It was completely beyond her comprehension. She didn’t know what to do, and she didn’t know who she could discuss it with.
When Yan Yidong returned that night and saw his wife brooding alone in the room, he went to ask Junjun what was going on. Who knew this kid was completely clueless, only saying how delicious the burgers, chicken wings, and fries were.
Yan Yidong came back. After a moment of thought, he tried to play nice: “Honey, I didn’t get full tonight. Is there any food in the house?”
Xiao Yutong glanced at him. “No.”
“Then could you make me a bowl of noodles?”
“Cook them yourself.”
“But I’ve been tired all day…”
“There are cup noodles in the kitchen, you don’t even have to wash a bowl.”
Yan Yidong said dejectedly, “Fine.”
He walked a few steps, but still turned back to ask, “Is something on your mind?”
Xiao Yutong said resentfully, “As long as you Yans don’t cause trouble for me, that’s enough.”
“What a thing to say…” Yan Yidong laughed, not taking it seriously.
Xiao Yutong glared at him. Yan Yidong quickly wiped the smile off his face, said no more, and shook his head as he went downstairs.
Xiao Yutong watched him with a complex gaze.
Keep laughing, you’ll find out sooner or later…
Although Yan Xi had some thoughts in her mind, she didn’t show them on the surface. Instead, she packed up their clothes, preparing to go on a trip with Anzhi.
“We’re going now?” Anzhi was a bit surprised.
“Mmh,” she said softly. “Don’t worry, just trust me.”
She turned her head, her gaze steady and gentle as always. “I promised I’d accompany you to see the pandas. You just need to have a good time.”
Anzhi had been quite anxious, but when she met her eyes, trust and joy shone on her face.
Xiao Yutong didn’t sleep well all night, and the next day she was low on energy, her face slightly puffy, so she let Yan Yidong take Junjun to school.
At noon, Junjun ate at school, so she made some food for herself. Opening WeChat, she saw the message Yan Xi sent her and almost jumped up.
Going to Chengdu?
Going on a trip at a time like this?
Did being caught by her yesterday really not cause them even a single shred of pressure?
Instead, she was the one who spent the night worrying and unable to sleep?
Xiao Yutong almost spat fire in anger.
Then she scrolled down to the voice message Anzhi had sent her, her voice soft and sweet: “Eldest Maternal Aunt-in-law, we’re going to Chengdu. Is there anything you want me to buy at the airport? Send it over to me.”
The younger one is still the sensible one!
Xiao Yutong’s expression softened slightly, and after a moment she sent a reply: “Nothing comes to mind right now. I’ll let you know once I think of something.”
Anzhi: “Oh, right. When I came back from the US this time, I bought a bottle of La Prairie eye cream for you at the duty-free shop. I’ll bring it over to you when we get back.”
Before she knew it, Xiao Yutong’s face bloomed into a smile. “Oh, you child, you don’t even earn much money yet, and that brand is so expensive…”
Putting down her phone, Xiao Yutong let out a long breath. That was true—Anzhi had a hard time coming back, so she should go out and play.
Oh, this child is so thoughtful. Raising a daughter is indeed wonderful. Look at those boys of mine—they’ve never bought me anything, not even a single pair of socks.
Forget it, forget it, she’d just pretend nothing had happened.
Luckily, she was the one who found out; anyone else might not have been able to keep their composure like this.
But being able to keep her composure didn’t mean she could keep a secret. While Xiao Yutong tried to hold it in, she was dying to find someone to share it with.
She thought of Liu Yiyi.
She wasn’t sure if Liu Yiyi knew. After all, Liu Yiyi and Yan Xi had been best friends for many years.
If she didn’t know, so be it. But if she did, the two of them could at least “gossip” with each other.
Xiao Yutong couldn’t hold back for long. She unlocked her phone and called Liu Yiyi to test the waters. The call connected quickly, and Liu Yiyi said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I was just about to call you. Want to go shopping tomorrow?”
Xiao Yutong: “Sure, we can go. We can get our faces done too. Oh, by the way, Yan Xi and Anzhi went to Chengdu for a vacation, otherwise we could’ve all gone together.”
“Anzhi is back? Oh…” Liu Yiyi’s tone grew highly meaningful. “Tsk, tsk, those two are even off on a vacation.”
“Yeah, isn’t their relationship incredibly close?” Xiao Yutong’s brow twitched.
“Heh, exactly. An exceptionally close relationship.” Liu Yiyi let out a few dry chuckles on her end.
The two of them fell silent in unison for three seconds.
“When you say ‘close relationship,’ is it the same kind of ‘close relationship’ I’m thinking of?”
“…Eldest Sister-in-law, it’s… well, exactly that kind of close relationship.”
“Oh?”
“Mmh.”
They fell into another bizarre silence for a few seconds.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, did you find out?”
“Cough, is there something I should know?”
“Just… is it ‘that thing’ I know?”
“How should I know if the ‘thing’ you’re talking about is the same ‘thing’ I know about?”
“…”
“I’m driving over right now.”
“Alright. No one else is home.”
“Great! Let me call Third Sister-in-law first to see if she’s free.”
“…Shengnan knows, too?”
That afternoon, the three daughters-in-law of the Yan family gathered around a table to gossip, and it was exceptionally lively.
A few days later, Yan Yidong received a file handed to him by his chief secretary. He frowned: “What’s this?”
Most of them were photos saved on an iPad showing Yan Xi and Anzhi. Some were of them hugging at the airport earlier, and others looked like they were taken by passersby of them holding hands, shopping, and buying things to eat.
Most of them were blurry.
Yan Yidong looked through them, utterly baffled.
The chief secretary said tactfully, “These were screenshotted by staff from Weibo or other social media apps. Because of Miss Yan’s status as a host, people tend to upload photos online whenever they spot her.”
“There’s nothing to this…” Yan Yidong hadn’t even finished speaking before he was taken aback by the captions on the screenshots.
“These two look so perfect together! I heard Yan-xiaojiejie1 is still unmarried, I think I understand why…”
“The couple in front is clearly in a relationship! The taller one looks a bit familiar… Oh my god, is that Yan Xi?!”
…
Yan Yidong couldn’t bear to look any further. “Utter nonsense!”
“Of course, this is just some netizens joking around; it hasn’t drawn widespread attention,” the chief secretary said.
Yan Yidong knitted his brows. “Out of thin air! They’re both kids from our family, we’re relatives.”
“Yes, it’s just that you’re about to take office soon, and we’re concerned some people might use this to stir up trouble.”
Yan Yidong waved his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, “Then make sure no such reports are allowed to come out.”
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