Chapter 58: Chapter 58 I Don’t Need Him to See It Chapter 58: Chapter 58 I Don’t Need Him to See It Bai Fei saw her start drinking, but Bai Zhi didn’t reach out, which seemed odd. Then it dawned on her.
Bai Zhi couldn’t have never had it before, could she?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Those damn Bai Yu and Bai Ye, not giving Bai Zhi something to eat was just too much. She resolved to fight them every time she saw them from now on.
“Let me help you open it.”
Bai Fei directly took it from Bai Zhi’s hand, opened it, and then handed it back to Bai Zhi.
“Eat it quickly, before it melts and doesn’t taste as good.”
Eating it was indeed a special feeling.
Bai Zhi, looking at Bai Fei, who was fretting for her, with a flash of heartache in her eyes, felt a warmth in her heart.
Original owner, can you see? The warmth you always sought but never found has always been right by your side. It’s just that you didn’t look carefully enough to notice.
The original owner was too naive, too intent on proving herself, and too concerned with Bai Da and the others, so she totally missed other people’s concern. Yet she didn’t realize that some things are like the sand in your hands; the tighter you grasp, the faster it slips away.
“Okay.”
Bai Zhi nodded slightly and started to drink. The taste was as she remembered, strong orange flavor, and after you finished drinking, a cylindrical ice block was in the middle.
Bai Fei went to the kitchen to get a kitchen knife to thickly cut into the ice block, and the two crunched on it, holding the bottles.
As they ate, they looked at each other and laughed.
“Bai Zhi, I heard my mom talking yesterday about why Second Uncle doesn’t like you, but something about that doesn’t sit right with me,”
After finishing, they sat on the steps, watching the chicks in the courtyard not far away chasing and eating bugs.
“Hmm?”
Bai Zhi’s guard went up, and she listened intently, though her voice carried a hint of languor as if she wasn’t particularly curious.
To Bai Fei, it seemed that Bai Zhi wanted to know but was also afraid to find out.
“Because Second Aunt suffered a lot giving birth to you, and Second Uncle cared a lot for Second Aunt, so he got angry.”
Bai Fei tried to make her explanation sound casual, but upon seeing Bai Zhi’s silence, she suddenly kicked herself for blabbering. She hastily slapped her knee to change the subject.
“Actually, I think that’s all nonsense. It must be because Second Uncle is bewitched by Bai Xixi, so he can’t see your good qualities. He’ll definitely recognize them sooner or later.”
Bai Zhi didn’t respond, and Bai Fei started to feel very uncomfortable. Had she said something wrong?
“I don’t need him to.”
It was no longer necessary, because the person who wanted him to see was no longer here.
She had vanished from the world, perhaps leaving only a sliver of attachment, or perhaps nothing at all.
So, she didn’t need it.
To Bai Zhi, this novel was just nonsense—clearly, the group pet seemed dim-witted, with his words full of holes, but Bai Yu and Bai Da just couldn’t see it.
So, she should stay away from them, to avoid being assimilated.
But what Bai Fei mentioned might not necessarily be true, nor could it be completely false.
Bai Da’s love for Ye Xiu was not detailed in the book, but she could feel it—it might indeed be a contributing factor.
Still, something was wrong. If that was the case, how could Ye Xiu not react at all? If there was dislike, shouldn’t they be in agreement?
What exactly was amiss?
Bai Zhi frowned, feeling like many things were a tangled mess; they seem completely chaotic, but if you find the end of the thread, everything unravels.
But she just couldn’t grasp it. How frustrating.
“Bai Zhi, don’t be sad or speak out of anger. Don’t worry, you’ve got me. I’ll always have your back.”
Bai Fei patted Bai Zhi on the shoulder, making a very serious promise.
“Cousin, I’m not upset.”
And Bai Zhi truly wasn’t upset; she wasn’t the original owner and had no expectations of them, so there was no disappointment to speak of, just sympathy.
She felt sorry for the original owner, realizing everything they had put her through, her heart ached.
Expectations were impossible,
and forgiveness, even more a foolish dream.
“Why should I care about people who don’t hold me in their hearts? Grandpa treats me well, and having you as a cousin is enough, isn’t it? You don’t really want me to go back and continue toiling for them, do you?”
By the end of her sentence, Bai Zhi even managed a laugh, which incited Bai Fei to playfully hit her on the shoulder.
“What are you talking about? How could I ever let you go back to working for them? You’re right, Second Grandpa is so good to you, you don’t need them. In the future, I’ll share my dad with you, and my brother, too.”
Bai Fei’s nose tingled as she was filled with emotion, and she took Bai Zhi’s hand firmly. She felt the Bai Zhi of the past was foolish and didn’t know how to fight back, but that was different now; Bai Zhi had finally come to her senses.
“Cousin, saying that would make Uncle sad. The love he has for you is unique—how could you share it?”
Just as the original owner had hoped Bai Da would notice her, to show her even a little bit of attention, she didn’t even need it to be love.
She would have given everything for that tiny bit of warmth.
But eventually, she realized, it was pointless.
If they couldn’t love me, then I’d make them hate me; at least they would remember me.
This was the original owner, foolish to the extreme.
Even so-called truancy or bullying the original owner was trivial, only to make them take a second glance at her.
What was the real catalyst?
Suddenly, a memory flashed by, but then it was gone—
What was all this, at such a crucial time?
“You’re right, hehe?”
Bai Fei touched her own head sheepishly, actually embarrassed to say that she had regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.
But what if their mother only loved Bai Zhi?
Bai Fei imagined that scenario and felt she would be very unhappy and start to dislike Bai Zhi. Her mother was hers alone.
So, that’s why Bai Zhi would say she hated them, right?
“Bai Zhi, let’s go make bamboo rice the day after tomorrow. We’ll go together and then bake some corn—how about it?”
It was now nearly the seventh lunar month, and the corn was ready to be roasted.
For the children, roasted corn was a rare treat.
“Sure, you guys just wait for me.”
Bai Zhi immediately agreed upon hearing the suggestion.
She hadn’t had bamboo rice in a long while and was open to trying it again.
Bai Dan returned at just that moment, riding on a newly purchased tricycle.
“Xingxing, come here.”
Even before entering, Bai Dan started calling for Bai Zhi, having brought back lots of red and green beans, along with a cake.
It was a cake that he had wanted to buy last time, but Xingxing didn’t want it. This time he bought it anyway, and because the Green Bean Cake was popular, the young lady only charged him the cost price—just over ten yuan. Besides, today was Xingxing’s birthday.
Bai Zhi looked helpless upon seeing this; she had said she didn’t like it, but Grandpa probably thought she really did want to eat it.