Sister, can I become a maid too?

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 you Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan, the sisters?"

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 really Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan, sisters?"

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

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 them 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 should show them some appreciation during the Lunar 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, there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

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

"We only asked you one question, what are you rambling on about?"

"...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, "how is the young lady's family?"

"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 have a good relationship, though 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?"

"yes."

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, what time 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 my question yet, can you please stop interrupting?"

"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 they had agreed to let her stay overnight, she figured there shouldn't be any major problems, 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 changed trains the whole way back to bring you both groceries. The interrogation is over, can I go upstairs and get some sleep now?"

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 it will rain after a cloud cover~"

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 final exam results came out, you saw them, right?"

"Hmm, it came out before the New Year, right? It seems...not bad?"

"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 held firm this time."

"But the improvement in your Chinese and English scores surprised even your subject teachers, who 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."

"According to the Academic Affairs Office's calculations, your and Lin Tingwan's improvement in the monthly and final exams ranks first in the grade."

"This time, the first-class scholarship will definitely go to the two of you."

"real?!"

Jiang Yubai's eyes lit up.

When he received his results, he discussed them with Lin Jianxia and they calculated each other's progress.

They both felt that they had a real chance this time, at least a top-two finish was guaranteed, and they never expected to actually make it to first place.

Over the phone, Zhang Shufen's tone revealed a hint of emotion:

"Actually, as you know, the most intense competition this time was between your group and Class 2. They had a good foundation and were originally quite promising."

"They had made steady progress in the previous monthly exams, but this time in the final exams... they both underperformed again, and I don't know what happened."

Jiang Yubai found it both funny and exasperating.

The two students in Class Two had consistently shown high improvement rates because they hadn't performed well before.

And now he's faltered again on this crucial exam; it seems he consistently underperforms during big tests...

"You're such a good teacher, teacher."

Jiang Yubai didn't hold back in flattering him.

"I've always remembered what you said about forming study groups to help each other. Of course, Lin Tingwan also taught very diligently."

Zhang Shufen on the other end of the phone was visibly pleased, and jokingly scolded:

"Sigh, you two are the only ones in our class who actually listened to me. Some kids, no matter how much I talk to them or what I say, it's like water off a duck's back; they don't take it to heart at all!"

After listening to his teacher finish speaking, Jiang Yubai then spoke again:

"Mr. Zhang... our seats... shouldn't need to be changed next semester, right?"

Zhang Shufang, on the other end of the line, paused for two seconds, then her tone suddenly became serious:

"If we maintain this momentum, we can certainly keep our seats. However—"

Her voice carried a hint of admonition.

"The premise is not to affect important matters. The college entrance examination is just around the corner. It's good to encourage each other, but don't interfere with Lin Tingwan... and don't delay your own."

Jiang Yubai naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind his old teacher's words and immediately made a solemn promise:

"Don't worry, teacher, I know what I'm doing and it definitely won't affect my studies."

"Okay," Zhang Shufen's tone noticeably relaxed, "The specific certificates and bonuses should be finalized when school starts."

"There will be an awards ceremony at the opening ceremony, and we'll give them to you then."

"Okay~"

After giving a few more instructions, Zhang Shufang hung up the phone.

Seeing the words "Call Ended" on the screen, Jiang Yubai finally couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

After so much hard work, it has finally paid off, and that huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

He himself wasn't particularly attached to the two thousand yuan, but... a certain little hedgehog was a different story.

Jiang Yubai curled the corners of his lips and opened the chat window with the nickname "Little Hedgehog" without hesitation, then pressed the video call button.

The ringtone rang for a few seconds—this time it wasn't hung up. The screen lit up, revealing half of Lin Jianxia's wary little face.

"what?"

She asked in a low voice, blinking her eyes.

Jiang Yubai was speechless:

"Hey, I'm giving you a video call, why are you acting like you're guarding against a thief? Do you think I'm going to eat you through the screen?"

Lin Jianxia, ​​on the other side, showed no remorse whatsoever and snorted:

"Hard to say... Just get to the point, or I'm hanging up."

Jiang Yubai: "?"

Good grief, you're so tough just because I'm not here with you, huh?

He squinted, then suddenly clicked his tongue:

"Well, my teacher just told me about the scholarship rankings, and I was thinking of telling you first."

Jiang Yubai sighed dramatically:

"Since you don't want to listen—never mind, I'm hanging up."

After saying that, he made a gesture as if to reach for the red button on the screen.

"Hey hey hey hey! Don't hang up, don't hang up—"

Lin Jianxia's flustered voice came from the other end.

Jiang Yubai held the phone up straight again, looking at the puffed-up but forced-to-give-up face on the screen. He found it amusing, but deliberately kept a straight face.

"What? Weren't you afraid I'd eat you? Why aren't you hanging up anymore?"

This rhetorical question made Lin Jianxia on the other end of the line grind her teeth in anger.

But since she needed his help right now and couldn't show her anger, she could only put on a pained expression and mumble in a low, whining voice:

"I...I was wrong, okay...?"

"What?" Jiang Yubai deliberately moved his ear closer to the screen. "I can't hear you clearly."

"I was wrong!!"

Lin Jianxia shouted in despair, her ears turning red.

"Yes, I heard that this time. It's very sincere."

Jiang Yubai nodded in satisfaction.

Lin Jianxia on the other end took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to explode, and softened her voice:

"So... can you tell me your grades now?"

"It's not that I can't tell you your grades."

Before Lin Jianxia's eyes could light up, Jiang Yubai continued slowly:

"By the way, that 'brother' you called me before sounded pretty nice, why don't you say it again?"

"Jiang Yubai, don't push your luck!"

Lin Jianxia's furious voice came from the other end of the phone.

"You're not going to tell me, huh?" Jiang Yubai remained unfazed. "Fine, then I'll just have to wait until the fifth day of the new year to tell you."

"Oh, by the way, you can just call Teacher Zhang and ask yourself, it's fine without calling her~"

Hearing this, Lin Jianxia became even angrier:

"Pah! First of all, I don't have a phone number. I'm at school all night, how am I supposed to call someone!"

"That's none of my business, bye~"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"uh-huh?"

"...I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?!"

---------

---------

(Dear readers, it's mid-month, please give me some monthly votes! Waaaaaah, Panda has already dropped three or four places in the rankings! Waaaaah!)