Sister, can I be a maid too?

"Otherwise, if you were kidnapped, we, as your parents, wouldn't have anywhere to look for you, right?"

Jiang Yubai lazily hummed in agreement.

Seeing his expression, Qin Huiyi raised an eyebrow and continued in a leisurely tone:

"Okay, let me guess, the classmate who let you stay overnight... wouldn't be surnamed Lin, would he?"

Chapter 174: That "brother" sounded really nice, how about calling me that again? (Seeking monthly votes!)

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yubai's lips twitched:

"Mom, are you going to ask next—'Is her last name Lin? Is she in the same class as you? Does she live next door to you? Is she a twin?'"

He simply leaned back on the sofa and said irritably:

"Why don't you just name them? Are they the sisters Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan?"

Qin Huiyi looked at him with interest for a few moments, then slowly said:

"Such a strong sense of antagonism! All I asked was if the surname was Lin, and you reacted so strongly?"

She smiled and decided to cut to the chase:

"Alright, since you insist, I'll be frank—are they Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan, sisters or not?"

—No, Mom, I was just saying, you didn't have to name names, did you...?

Jiang Yubai's arrogant demeanor vanished instantly, and he coughed lightly, feigning composure:

"Uh... well... it really is the two of them..."

Qin Huiyi and Jiang Pinglan exchanged a glance, their eyes carrying a subtle, indescribable meaning.

"Can't you two just say what you want to say?" Jiang Yubai couldn't help but complain. "I'm not blind, I can see you two exchanging glances in front of me."

Jiang Pinglan folded the newspaper and asked with great interest:

"Why did you suddenly decide to visit their home for the New Year? You gave us the address on the phone yesterday, Changliu Village, Qing'an District. It takes more than an hour to get there by car."

"I'm just killing time anyway, and I don't have to go visiting relatives for the New Year."

Jiang Yubai leaned back and began to explain at length.

"No matter what, they are my employees. They work hard cooking all the time, so as their boss, I have to show them some appreciation during the Chinese New Year, right?"

"Besides, their elders are also at home. It's perfectly normal for me to visit them, bring some New Year's gifts, and give them a gift."

He counted on his fingers as he spoke:

"Besides, didn't you two go out to meet with investment friends yesterday? I'm just showing consideration for my employees and promoting team harmony, is there anything wrong with that?"

Qin Huiyi became increasingly speechless as she listened, and said irritably:

"We only asked you one question, why are you rambling on and on?"

"...I'm not afraid you two will misunderstand."

"What misunderstanding? You think you had ulterior motives for visiting a female classmate's house on the first day of the Lunar New Year?" Jiang Pinglan shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry, your mother and I definitely didn't misunderstand."

Jiang Yubai felt that his father's words sounded a bit strange, but he couldn't find any fault with them, so he could only say "Oh" with some doubt.

"So," Qin Huiyi took a sip of tea, steer the conversation back on track, "what's the young lady's family like?"

“Home? It’s great. Grandma was so hospitable. She even gave me a bag of vegetables before I left,” Jiang Yubai replied.

"Hmm," Qin Huiyi nodded, "What's the situation with my parents?"

"My mother is probably gone. My father is still alive, but we don't seem to get along very well. I don't know the specifics."

Jiang Yubai suddenly realized what he was saying, and his expression immediately became wary.

"No, Mom, why are you asking this? Are you checking our household registration?"

"Why are you checking my household registration? Just asking around," Qin Huiyi said calmly. "So you missed the bus last night, and those two sisters let you stay?"

"correct."

Just mentioning Jiang Yubai makes me angry, and I can't help but complain:

"What else can I do? My dad won't come to pick me up, and if no one else will take me in, am I really supposed to sleep under a bridge?"

"Hey, hey, what do you mean I won't come to pick you up? I just didn't have time... Besides, didn't I ask you later if you wanted me to come pick you up? You said you'd already made all the arrangements."

Jiang Pinglan corrected him in a serious tone.

"Is there any difference between the two? Aren't they both abandoning your own son?" Jiang Yubai complained. "Besides, when did you send that message? I was already in bed with him, okay?"

Qin Huiyi glanced at Jiang Pinglan with annoyance:

"I haven't finished asking my question yet, can you please stop interrupting me?"

"Alright, alright, I won't bother you. Go ahead and ask."

Jiang Pinglan waved his hand and continued reading the newspaper.

Qin Huiyi turned her gaze back to her son.

When Lao Jiang mentioned this to her last night, Qin Huiyi felt a little worried.

But then I thought about it again. My son is probably staying at those two sisters' house. The three of us have been neighbors for so long, and we know how to maintain proper boundaries.

Besides, it's the Lunar New Year, so the other party's parents should be home.

Since she had been agreed to stay overnight, she figured there was nothing wrong with it, so she didn't ask any more questions.

However, she didn't expect that the girl only had her grandmother at home.

"So... when Grandma heard you were going to stay, she didn't say anything, did she?"

Jiang Yubai blinked, the image of her grandmother's hesitant expression flashing through her mind.

"What can I say? It's just for one night," he replied without changing his expression.

Anyway, Grandma invited him to stay for dinner the next day with a smile.

Qin Huiyi nodded, then suddenly asked:

"By the way, which room are you sleeping in?"

—Wow, Mom, that's a really sharp question.

“Of course it’s the guest room,” Jiang Yubai answered matter-of-factly. “Where else would we sleep? In the woodshed?”

Seeing that his mother wanted to say something more, he quickly waved his hand, his voice tinged with weariness:

"Alright, alright, Mom, are you done asking questions? I've been on the bus and changing trains all the way back to bring you both groceries. Now that the interrogation is over, can I go upstairs and catch up on some sleep?"

Perhaps it was the bag of fresh, green vegetables on the coffee table that had the effect, because Qin Huiyi finally waved her hand, indicating that he could leave.

"Okay! I'm going to catch up on my sleep now, don't wake me up unless it's absolutely necessary—"

Jiang Yubai felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He picked up his suitcase and went upstairs with light steps.

He plunged into the room and only let out a long sigh of relief when he was completely nestled in the soft bed.

Although I had a blanket on last night, sleeping on the floor is still not as comfortable as sleeping on a mattress.

In addition, I went to bed too late yesterday for some reason, so my sleep quality was really not good.

As soon as I lay down, drowsiness and the fatigue of the journey washed over me.

He only had time to take out his phone and let each of the sisters know he was safe before he drifted off into a sweet dream.

......

......

The July breeze is so gentle~ Even the clouds feel warm~

"The weather will be muggy soon~ then a shower will come after the clouds~"

Jiang Yubai slowly opened his eyes, and after a few seconds of confusion, he realized that his phone was ringing.

Ever since he found out that this was the song that some idiot liked the most, he searched for it out of curiosity and listened to it. He immediately liked it and set it as his ringtone.

He rubbed his still slightly sore eyes, reached for his phone, and glanced at the screen—

The caller ID clearly displayed three words: Teacher Zhang.

Jiang Yubai instantly regained most of his senses.

He cleared his throat, pressed the answer button, and held the phone to his ear:

"Hey, Teacher Zhang, Happy New Year!"

"Hey Jiang Yubai, Happy New Year!" Zhang Shufen's kind and smiling voice came from the other end of the phone. "Have you eaten yet?"

—Uh...lunch or dinner?

He glanced at the time.

"Not yet, teacher, we're just about to eat."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about everyday things, then Jiang Yubai blinked and tentatively asked:

"Teacher, is there something you need on your call?"

"Yes, that's right," Zhang Shufang's tone became more serious when it came to business, "The results of the final exams came out, you saw them, right?"

"Hmm, it came out before the New Year, right? It seems...okay?"

"It's more than just okay!"

Teacher Zhang's voice suddenly rose, filled with obvious laughter.

"Mathematics and physics have always been your strengths, so it's normal that you managed to hold your ground this time."

"But the improvement in Chinese and English surprised even your subject teachers. They said you've really clicked this semester!"

Jiang Yubai understood a bit and couldn't help but ask:

"Teacher Zhang, um... Lin Tingwan's grades have improved quite a bit this time, right? What about that progress scholarship..."

Sure enough, Zhang Shufen's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Hey, that's why I called today to tell you about this."