After being reborn, who wouldn't want to have a younger sister?

Chapter 529 Housekeeping
Hearing the car downstairs, Yang Zhi got up from her seat and ran briskly to the balcony.

Perhaps because she had been sitting for too long, her legs were slightly numb, and she couldn't get her slippers on properly even after trying several times. So Yangzhi had to hop on one leg to open the sliding door to the balcony.

A van drove into the yard, and employees in work uniforms got out. Zhou Ping was directing people to move things into the house.

Yangzhi has good eyesight. At a glance, she could tell that it was a box containing liquor or tea. She didn't recognize the brand name, but judging from the packaging, it must be expensive.

Yang Zhi frowned unconsciously. She, who was always frugal, found this kind of extravagant behavior utterly distasteful.

However, Zhou Ping downstairs saw her on the balcony and called out to her. Yang Zhi could only nod reluctantly in response, then took a step back and silently moved away from the balcony.

No matter how much Yang Zhi disliked Zhou Ping, she wouldn't say it out loud. At most, she would complain in her heart, but she would never show it to his face.

Yang Zhi glanced at the time and felt that her brother should be home by now. He usually told her in advance if he was coming home late, but she wondered if something might have changed today.

Staying home in Nanxi was boring. She wasn't the only one at home. Although Yangzhi had repeatedly emphasized that no one should come to the third floor, and Zhou Ping and the nanny did the same, the occasional noises coming from downstairs still made her feel uncomfortable, uneasy, and a little uneasy.

Yang Zhi hasn't left the house recently, staying home quietly. The only time she went out was when Tao Shuxin asked her to go visit her teacher.

Yang Zhi would definitely not agree to this. In less than two years of high school, her impression of the teachers was far less than that of Xu Mingyuan and Tao Shuxin. Moreover, she spent a lot of class time doing practice problems and didn't even take graduation photos. Her teachers' faces were almost blurry in her memory.

Of course, these are not the main issues. The main problem is that Yangzhi herself couldn't get over it and felt that with the messy relationship between the three of them, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to see any of them.

So no matter how hard Tao Shuxin tried to pull her, Yang Zhi refused to go out, and even deliberately said that she was only going for future work, which made Tao Shuxin furious.

If Yang Zhi wasn't particularly unwilling, she wouldn't have rejected Tao Shuxin in a hurtful way, but Tao Shuxin wouldn't stop, so there was nothing she could do. Anyway, it was good that her brother didn't say anything.

Just as Yang Zhi took out her phone, considering whether she should call Xu Mingyuan, the familiar black car roof came into view.

Yang Zhi quickly ran to the fence and waved. Hearing a car horn, she immediately smiled and her eyes crinkled into squinty eyes.

However, Yang Zhi, who was about to run downstairs, suddenly stopped.

Zhou Ping saw me just now. If I go down now, will she laugh at me?

Will people say that she's such a grown-up and still thinks about finding her brother all the time?
Yang Zhi wasn't sure if Zhou Ping would say such things, but Tao Shuxin often did, so Yang Zhi became more cautious. Ugh, so annoying...

In fact, Yang Zhi felt that she was no longer as worried as she used to be when no one was around. Instead, she was bored at home alone and just wanted Xu Mingyuan to come home soon.

As for why she's bored now, Yangzhi hasn't considered this question that she would never have thought of before.

Yang Zhi hesitated for a moment, then decided that since she had already informed him, she might as well wait upstairs. She decided to peek out from the stairwell and see if he would still be startled when he came upstairs.

Perhaps having learned from Xu Mingyuan, Yang Zhi also has a bit of a mischievous streak.

But after waiting for a long time, seeing Xu Mingyuan still talking downstairs, Yang Zhi finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Yang Zhi, aren't you going to Jiangcheng with your brother?"

Seeing Yang Zhi tiptoe down the stairs, Zhou Ping asked.

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhi glanced at Xu Mingyuan. Seeing that he had no intention of answering her, she could only reply indifferently, "I don't want to ride in a car."

Yang Zhi didn't like being treated like a child, especially since Zhou Ping was an outsider with preconceived notions.

However, it wasn't that Yang Zhi didn't want to go to Jiangcheng, but Xu Mingyuan was going to the company, and there was nothing she could do if she went with him. She would encounter a group of strangers who would fawn over her at the company, and the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable.

Besides, it's summer vacation now, so it's not appropriate to continue living in Jiangcheng. Also, Tao Shuxin keeps calling to ask where Xu Mingyuan is; if I told her they were both in Jiangcheng, she'd probably go crazy.

Xu Mingyuan, who was standing to the side, found it amusing. Xiao Yangzhi's personality was quite ordinary; she was the type that was difficult to please.

If Zhou Ping were to appear before her as a wicked stepmother, Xiao Yangzhi would absolutely not dare to find fault with her.

But the friendlier Zhou Ping's attitude was, the more Xiao Yangzhi took advantage of her; she couldn't change her spineless nature anytime soon.

After all, Xiao Yangzhi is still a little girl who hasn't grown up. With Xu Mingyuan protecting her, she has become a bit bolder and is more likely to show her childish side.

In fact, Zhou Ping could easily tell what kind of girl Xiao Yangzhi was, but she was already a grown woman, so why would she lower herself to argue with a little girl?

Seeing that Xiao Yangzhi really didn't like her, Zhou Ping didn't force her and started chatting with Xu Mingyuan.

"Brother, where's Dad?"

Yang Zhi found an opening in the conversation and tried to pull Xu Mingyuan away.

Even though everyone's home, they don't think of spending time with her right away. Yangzhi might get a little upset.

"I don't know. My dad left the company at noon. Do you know, Aunt Zhou?" Xu Mingyuan asked.

“Yes, he went to have tea with a friend,” Zhou Ping replied.

"Can't we even drink tea at home? Why do we have to go outside?" Yang Zhi muttered, then turned to Xu Mingyuan and asked, "Brother, shall we go play badminton?"

"Okay, let's go now?"

"Hmm... Brother, go change your clothes first. It's so hot outside, you're wearing too many layers."

Yang Zhi pinched Xu Mingyuan's sleeve and found a very good reason.

You should rest for a while after just getting home, how can you play badminton outside? Besides, the afternoon sun hasn't set yet, the backyard is so hot it'll kill you.

Of course, if Zhou Ping hadn't gone around gossiping with Xu Mingyuan, Yang Zhi wouldn't have bothered making up an excuse; dragging him away was the most urgent thing to do.

"Yangzhi, wait a moment." Seeing the two about to go upstairs, Zhou Ping called out to the puzzled Yangzhi, picked up a box from the table and handed it to her, saying, "These are lychees that I asked someone to buy. Try them."

"I don't like eating lychees."

Yang Zhi glanced at the exquisitely packaged wooden box but did not reach out to take it.

"Eat up, lychees are good for a girl's health, they're good for her beauty and complexion."

"Thank you..." Yang Zhi took the box, its heavy weight almost making her drop it. The lychees themselves weren't heavy; it was the box that was. This made her ask with some confusion, "How much did you pay for it?"

"The price is 19.9 yuan."

"Oh."

I was quite surprised by the price of the lychee; it's not much different from the market price. Lychees don't keep well, so they're not cheap to buy here.

Yangzhi doesn't like eating overly sweet fruits; she always finds lychees a bit too sweet.

Tao Shuxin, on the other hand, loves to eat lychees. When the market is in full bloom during lychee season, she buys a bag every few days. When she's full, she complains that Yangzhi didn't help her eat them, saying that she's caused to get pimples from eating them all by herself.

Yang Zhi wasn't an unreasonable girl like him, nor was she someone who couldn't control her mouth. At most, she would pout and try to get Xu Mingyuan to be affectionate with her.

And that's exactly what she did, never getting tired of it.

After tasting the lychee flavor, Xu Mingyuan wiped his glistening lips clean, glanced at a pair of exceptionally beautiful, slender white fingers peeling open a lychee shell, and resisted the urge to suck on it.

Yang Zhi leaned against Xu Mingyuan's chest, peeling lychees very slowly. It wasn't that she was trying to seduce him; she simply wanted to kill some time. Compared to playing badminton, Yang Zhi, who had never liked sports, preferred to stay quietly for a while. Besides, it was so hot outside, and getting all sweaty was uncomfortable.

"The lychees that Aunt Zhou asked someone to buy are quite delicious."

The lychees weren't very sweet, but they were juicy enough, which suited the taste of mangoes, prompting her to give Zhou Ping a rare compliment.

"Eat as much as you like, and if you're still hungry, have her buy more," Xu Mingyuan said with a smile.

"That's not a good idea. She said she had someone buy it for her, which is too much trouble."

Yang Zhi doesn't have the audacity to ask someone for help just to get a bite of lychee.

"What's wrong with that? It's not like we didn't spend any money. They'd be happy to sell more," Xu Mingyuan said casually.

"Won't this result in a loss?"

Yang Zhi rummaged through the box of lychees, which still contained ice packs. They looked quite good, and she wasn't stupid; she felt they were much better than those sold in the market.

"How could we possibly lose money? Each one sells for 19.9 yuan, there's plenty of profit to be made."

"One?" Yang Zhi stared blankly at Xu Mingyuan. Seeing him nod, she asked stupidly, "Is it made of gold?"

Yang Zhi rarely showed a look of surprise. The best-looking lychees on the market would not cost more than 20 yuan per catty, and 20 yuan could buy two catties of slightly worse-looking ones.

She had never even heard of lychees that cost twenty yuan each, but now she'd eaten them ahead of time.

"There are even more expensive ones, I'll buy them and try them next time."

"That's enough to buy a chicken. You don't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you're in charge of the household..."

Yangzhi muttered to herself, the lychee in her hand no longer smelled sweet, and it even felt a little hot to the touch.

During the year she lived in Jiangcheng, apart from Tao Shuxin complaining that her cooking was bad, Yang Zhi basically cooked all the meals herself.

Moreover, Yangzhi specially planted vegetables on the rooftop in order to save some daily expenses.

However, Yangzhi suddenly realized that everything she was doing seemed to be just for her own amusement, and only she cared. It was a pity that her brother was playing along with her.

“Aunt Zhou came here to enjoy life. Do you think everyone is like you, living frugally?” Xu Mingyuan laughed.

“There’s no need to waste it…” Yang Zhi’s already waning goodwill towards Zhou Ping vanished again. She then turned to Zhou Ping and asked, “Brother, do we want to live like this from now on?”

"It won't be that shabby, but the expenses probably won't be low either," Xu Mingyuan said.

"Hmm." Yang Zhi nodded, then said, "Brother, have I caused you any trouble?"

"No, we've been through thick and thin together, what trouble could you possibly cause me now? Do whatever makes you happy, and stop overthinking."

"All right……"

Looking at the lychee in her hand, Yang Zhi found it hard to swallow, feeling a mix of guilt and panic.

Thinking back to the days when I was a street vendor, I wanted to brag to my brother about the ten yuan I earned from my first sale, but now I just eat the fruits of my hard work in one bite.

Yangzhi is quite bad at accepting new things, and she knows it herself. Although her brother helps her try things, he doesn't force her whenever she shows resistance.

Then, just like a little snail, when its antennae encountered a problem, it quickly retracted into its shell.

"If you don't want to eat it, just leave it. We'll return it to Aunt Zhou downstairs and tell her that we can't afford such expensive food. Let's give her a piece of our mind together."

Seeing that Xiao Yangzhi was still holding the lychee in a daze, Xu Mingyuan smiled, snatched it away, and threw it into the box, giving the petty little girl a bad idea.

"Come on, she'll just go and complain to Dad." Yang Zhi had some emotional intelligence; not wanting to cause a scene at home over such a small matter, she blinked and looked at him, asking, "Brother, aren't you going to eat?"

"You're already so beautiful, why would I want to eat lychees? Let me taste whether you've gained weight first."

As Xu Mingyuan spoke, he took a big bite out of Xiao Yangzhi's cheek.

"what……"

Yang Zhi got saliva on her face and rubbed it all over Xu Mingyuan. Anyway, she was going to change clothes, and she could just wash it off later.

They didn't play badminton after all, and lingered around until it was almost lunchtime before Yangzhi reluctantly let Xu Mingyuan go and picked up a comb to tidy her messy hair.

As dusk approached, the lychees displayed on the ice packs reflected a faint light, their round and plump appearance quite appealing.

She had no appetite and Yangzhi was not in the mood to enjoy the extravagant food.

The thought that it was bought by a rather troublesome outsider with the family's money made Yangzhi feel even more heartbroken.

In fact, Xu Mingyuan would occasionally buy expensive food, but it was bought by his own family. Yang Zhi never felt anything was wrong with it, but being a practical person, she didn't think it tasted good. Tao Shuxin, on the other hand, would exclaim and find it novel.

Yang Zhi, feeling wronged, returned the lychees to Zhou Ping. She felt that Zhou Ping had been cheated because the lychees were bought with her own money, and now Zhou Ping was enjoying them.
Yang Zhi simply picked up the phone; she figured she might as well call Tao Shuxin.

Why are you making a phone call?

When the call connected, the person on the other end sounded seven parts dissatisfied and three parts resentful.

"Hey, Sister Tao Tao."

"Huh? Was that you on the phone? Where's your brother?"

Tao Shuxin found it strange; she had assumed it was Xu Mingyuan calling using Xiao Yangzhi's phone.

After all, Xiao Yangzhi called very few times, and sometimes Tao Shuxin would pretend not to see her calls, which infuriated her.

"My brother is downstairs. Do you want some lychees?" Yang Zhi asked.

"I have some at home, thank you!" Tao Shuxin was quite surprised that Xiao Yangzhi would ask her if she wanted lychees. That shouldn't be the case. So she simply asked, "Hey? Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if you wanted some. They're so expensive, each one costs twenty yuan."

"One? Twenty yuan! Is the shell made of gold? Or is the meat made of gold? It's so expensive!"

"Who knows? Aunt Zhou bought it. She's made a mess of our house. She doesn't know anything about being thrifty or managing a household well," Yang Zhi complained.

"Yay! You'd better save some for me! Remember to hide it first! Don't let your brother eat it all! He eats whatever's in front of him, he never leaves any for me!"

Tao Shuxin didn't hear Xiao Yangzhi's complaints at all; she subconsciously ignored them. All she could think about was how expensive this junk was, and how she had to try it to see if it was salty enough.

"..."

It seems that Tao Shuxin is not a thrifty person, which makes Yang Zhi feel a little sad.

Not only are you not helping me complain, but you're also so busy eating, you might as well just stuff yourself to death...

(End of this chapter)