Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 18

Jian Hao didn’t participate in the second day of the sports meet either.

Although her stomach didn’t hurt as much anymore, Jian Sihong insisted she rest at home for another day. Since there were no classes anyway, resting wouldn’t delay her studies.

She really wanted to go cheer for Jian You and Tan Yanqing, but every word from Grandma was precious—words she’d eventually never hear again.

With nothing to do at home, Jian Hao finished the cleaning in the morning. Then, using Jian You’s colored markers and cardstock, she made two cheer posters for Jian You and Tan Yanqing—one red and one purple—to root for them in the 1,000-meter race. When Jian You came home for lunch, Jian Hao had her take them back to school.

Jian You called her childish, but the smile on her face betrayed how much she liked them.

In the evening, when Jian You returned from school, she smelled a delicious aroma the moment she walked in. Looking at the dining table, she saw three dishes laid out—all of her favorites.

She assumed Jian Sihong had finished work early today, but when she peeked into the kitchen, she saw Jian Hao standing at the gas stove wearing an apron.

“Don’t tell me you made those three dishes on the table,” Jian You said, unable to hide her shock.

“Yep.” The food in the pan was ready; Jian Hao plated it and brought it out of the kitchen. She thought it was just Jian You, but as soon as she stepped out, she saw Tan Yanqing.

Jian Hao’s eyes lit up. She put the dish on the table and walked over to Tan Yanqing. “You’re here!~”

Tan Yanqing gave a slight nod.

Jian Hao looked around. “Where’s Xinsui? She didn’t come?”

Tan Yanqing: “She had something to do; her family called her home.”

“Holy crap, you even know how to make Squirrel Fish?” Behind them, Jian You had sneaked a piece of braised pork and was staring at a fish dish in amazement. “I didn’t know you had this kind of skill; you never mentioned it before.”

“Wait.” Jian You stared at her. “How did you make this if you have amnesia?”

Jian Hao remained calm. “There are cooking shows on TV. I just tried following along.”

Just… tried?

Jian You looked at her like she was a freak.

But she couldn’t resist the smell. She moved to sneak another bite, but Jian Hao stopped her. “Go wash your hands first.”

She added, “I already called Auntie; she’ll be back soon. Let’s wait.”

“Got it!”

As Jian You went to wash her hands, Jian Hao turned around, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Tan Yanqing. “Tan Yanqing, did you get the drawing I made for you?”

“Mhm.”

“What did you think?”

“Not much to think about. She lost to me today,” Jian You interjected as she walked back after washing her hands, her chin tilted up proudly. “She finished two places behind me.”

Jian Hao: “Then Tan Yanqing must have been tired from running yesterday.”

“Go ahead, keep making excuses for her.” Jian You looked at Tan Yanqing in a great mood. “Either way, you owe me a trip to KFC.”

Tan Yanqing’s expression was indifferent; she didn’t look frustrated about not taking first place. Jian Hao swallowed the words of comfort she had prepared. She didn’t believe for a second that Tan Yanqing couldn’t outrun Jian You—she probably just didn’t want to win.

She hung her apron back in the kitchen and sat down beside Tan Yanqing. “Why did you come over? Was it—” she paused, “—because you missed me?”

Walking back from the bus stop the previous night, Jian Hao had spent a long time analyzing the meaning behind Tan Yanqing’s words. If she—a reader of over a hundred novels and a self-proclaimed expert on protagonist romance tropes—hadn’t misread it, Tan Yanqing seemed to have a tiny bit of a crush on her.

Of course, she was all talk and zero practical experience. If she was wrong, it was just a beautiful misunderstanding.

Regardless, she had practically jogged back to the complex last night, even jumping onto Jian You’s back when she ran into her at the gate. If last night was a “Butterfly Dream” brought by a shooting star, Jian Hao hoped the dream would last a little longer.

Instead of a romantic confession, however, she heard Tan Yanqing reply: “A return gift.”

Return gift? For the drawing? Was Tan Yanqing going to give her a drawing? Or did she buy something for her?

“Oh, it was just a drawing, you don’t have to be so formal~” Even as she said it, her expression betrayed her. She was very excited to see what the “gift” was.

But when she saw Tan Yanqing pull a full set of exercise worksheets from her backpack, the smile on Jian Hao’s face froze, and her right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

Tan Yanqing didn’t notice. She said quite seriously, “The sports meet is over; now we enter the study phase. I went to the bookstore after school at noon to buy you a set of worksheets. They might be helpful.”

She placed the stack on the coffee table and looked at the stunned Jian Hao, her tone earnest. “Start doing these tomorrow. Ask me if you get stuck.”

Jian Hao: “…”

“Pffft… Hahahaha!”

Jian You finally couldn’t hold it in. She clutched her stomach, squatting on the floor laughing. “She said she was bringing you something, and I thought it would be a drawing or a little gift too, but hahahaha! Jian Lai, your easy days are over, haha!”

Jian Hao looked at the worksheets, her head turning mechanically toward Tan Yanqing. “Why… did you buy these for me?”

“Even if you have amnesia now, one day you will find your family and return to your school. Since you’re still a student, you should prioritize learning.” Tan Yanqing asked, “Have you thought about which university you want to apply to?”

“I…” Jian Hao shook her head.

She didn’t even know how long she would stay in this timeline; she could go back at any moment. How could she think about university? To be honest, even back in her own time, she hadn’t decided on a school or a major. She was totally coasting through high school.

Tan Yanqing frowned slightly. “Is there a major you want to study?”

Jian Hao looked up at Jian You.

“?” Jian You had stopped laughing and picked up an apple from the table. “What are you looking at me for?”

“What do you want to study?” Jian Hao asked.

Jian You said indifferently, “I’ll probably try for the Southern Sports Institute. If I don’t get in, I’ll just go find a job.”

Jian Hao raised her voice: “No, you have to get into a university.”

Jian You frowned. “What’s it to you?”

Jian Hao softened her tone: “It’s easier to find a job after university. If you go to work right after high school, most of the jobs will be hard manual labor.”

“As long as I can make money and put food on the table, isn’t that enough? I’m not cut out for studying.” Jian You bit into her apple and turned on the TV, looking for something to watch.

Her attitude made Jian Hao stand up from the sofa. “Then what kind of work can you do? Wait tables? Or start a business? You need knowledge to start a business too, right?”

Jian You was getting annoyed and snapped back: “Does it have anything to do with you what I do?”

“I don’t want you to be too tired! If you go to work right after graduation, when you have a child later, are you going to work and take care of—”

Jian You stood up. “Stop, stop right there.” She stood opposite Jian Hao, laughing in disbelief. “Sister, I’m only seventeen. Isn’t it a bit disrespectful to be worrying about my hypothetical kids?”

“And you’re telling me to get into university? What about you? What university are you going to? You don’t even have your own situation figured out, yet you’re managing others?”

Jian Hao replied, “I’m doing this for your own good!”

Jian You: “Who even are you?! Do I need you to do things for my own good? I think you’re just a busybody!”

Jian Hao’s eyes reddened. “Then I dare you to say you’ll never have a child in the future!”

“Of course I won’t have a child! I like girls, where would I even get a child?!” Jian You was so angry her chest was heaving.

“…You like what?”

A trembling voice sounded from the doorway.

“I said I like—”

Jian You’s anger hadn’t faded; she turned around to repeat herself, but the words died in her throat when she saw the shocked face of Jian Sihong.

The two had been arguing so fiercely that neither of them had heard the door open.

The living room, still filled with the scent of food, was now silent.

Vvvvv—

The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the fan oscillating. Even though the fan worked tirelessly, the room felt as heavy and stifling as a steamer basket.

Jian You had been pulled into the master bedroom by Jian Sihong. Ten minutes had passed, and not a single sound had come from inside.

On the sofa, Jian Hao was curled up, hugging her legs. As the fan turned, a gust of wind blew over her. Her toes curled against the edge of the sofa; she shivered as the wind hit her, and even after the cool breeze passed, her body continued to tremble.

She bit down hard on the skin of her wrist, rubbing it forcefully with her teeth. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes were rimmed with red. From the moment Jian You was called into the bedroom, Jian Hao had hidden her head in her arms.

Until—

A hand on her shoulder and warmth spreading from a palm gave Jian Hao’s emotions a place to rest. She steadied herself and looked up at Tan Yanqing standing before her.

“Should I… go in and try to talk to them?”

She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were brimming with tears. Like a puppy that had done something wrong, terrified of being abandoned by its owner.

This realization made Tan Yanqing frown. She looked down at Jian Lai and took her hand off the girl’s shoulder. Finally, as if comforting a dog that couldn’t stop shaking from fear, she slowly crouched down to close the distance. She placed her hand on Jian Lai’s bare ankle, touching it gently.

Her hand was very cool. In this sweltering summer night, the touch was like a cooling patch, making Jian Hao flinch instinctively. Normally, such contact would have sent Jian Hao’s heart into a frenzy, but right now, she only bit her lip and stared at Tan Yanqing uneasily.

Aside from Jian You, only Tan Yanqing could give her a sufficient sense of security.

“No need,” Tan Yanqing said. “This is between mother and daughter. They should handle it themselves.”

“But it’s because of me—”

“Even without you, this day would have come.”

Jian Hao lowered her head. No, without me, maybe this day wouldn’t have come. After all, her very existence explained the outcome.

Tan Yanqing moved her hand from Jian Hao’s ankle to the edge of the sofa. She looked at Jian Hao fixedly. “If Jian You stops letting you stay here because of this, you come to—”

“Will she stop letting me stay?” Jian Hao interrupted with a sob.

Tan Yanqing pursed her lips. Seeing Jian Hao on the verge of tears, she asked, “Do you care that much about what Jian You thinks?”

“Mhm.”

“Why?”

“She helped me a lot.” Jian Hao was silent for a few seconds. “I love her.”

Then, Jian Hao looked up and gave Tan Yanqing a tiny smile. “I love you, too.”

This love was the love of a daughter for a mother.

Although she thought that by calling her “Auntie Tan,” Tan Yanqing wouldn’t be her godmother anymore, the truth was that her love for Tan Yanqing contained the kind of love one has for a mother.

Before her heart first fluttered, she had called Tan Yanqing “Godmother.” After her feelings developed, she would occasionally let it slip. Every time she said it, she would turn her head away awkwardly.

From Jian Hao’s perspective, the word “Godmother” was incredibly ambiguous. No matter how she said it or what tone she used, it gave her a thrill of breaking through a taboo. It was a subtle word—one that challenged her moral boundaries and stimulated her ethical notions.

Every time those syllables left her lips, she recalled a night as a child when she was staying at Tan Yanqing’s house. She had woken up in the middle of the night and glanced through a crack in the door. Under the faint moonlight, she had seen that face—post-coital, weary, satisfied, yet still as icy as ever.

Much later, when she understood desire, she would always remember that scene.

The word “Godmother” had become her own private taboo.