Chapter 296 - 297 Princess Syndrome
Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing hadn’t slept yet; they heard arguing from next door but didn’t know what it was about, and Weilin had started crying, quickly quieting down. Xia Xiao, reflecting on today’s events, couldn’t help saying, "It couldn’t be because we brought Hong Xing, Ge Liang, my sister, and Yan Hao home today, and Yuhua got upset, could it?"
It wasn’t just Xia Xiao speculating wildly, but more that she felt something was off since Yuhua had come back today and hadn’t said a word. Although her expression was always cool and detached, today felt particularly uncommon.
Xia Xiao, preoccupied with everyone today, hadn’t noticed Yuhua’s mood. Now she wondered if perhaps Yuhua was unhappy because she and Gao Jiaxing had brought so many people home.
Thinking this, Xia Xiao sighed. Gao Jiaxing rubbed her face and said, "Don’t overthink it, my sister-in-law has always been like that, and you know it. You can’t always cater to her feelings. Just let things be, don’t mind her."
Indeed, Gao Jiaxing had started to have some aversion to Yuhua. He’d always found Yuhua difficult to deal with, and now that she was his sister-in-law and Gao Jiaxing had been away from home, he naturally didn’t know how she behaved at home.
Having only been back a few days, apart from following them to work, he hadn’t seen Yuhua lift a finger at home, not even caring for her niece’s meals, baths, or diapers.
The housework was always done by her mother and Xia Xiao. Now, Yuhua didn’t contribute and yet had opinions.
Moreover, with his senses honed by constant training and Xiao Xiao’s nourishing spring water, Gao Jiaxing was even more perceptive than Xia Xiao; he had heard the entire argument between Gao Jiazhi and Yuhua next door. Although he hadn’t mentioned it to Xia Xiao, he was quite unhappy about it.
Xia Xiao nodded, patted Gao Jiaxing’s face, and was just about to tell him to rest when she furrowed her brow, "Brother Gao, you haven’t had a bath since you came back, have you?"
"No, just changed clothes," Gao Jiaxing admitted.
"There’s still hot water in the pot. Go take a bath, wash off that smell on you," Xia Xiao insisted.
Gao Jiaxing sniffed himself, then nodded and said to Xia Xiao, "Alright, I’ll take a bath. You rest." With that, Gao Jiaxing went out.
Having just eaten, Xia Xiao couldn’t sleep either. Her mind was filled with thoughts about Yan Hao’s visit, her gaze fixing on the bed where Little Ge Liang was curled up like a small, insecure animal. Xia Xiao felt a surge of pity and couldn’t help but pull Little Ge Liang into her embrace.
After Gao Jiaxing had finished his bath and saw the large and the small figures cuddled together asleep, a smile unconsciously lifted on his face.
Regrettably, it wasn’t his son on the bed; Gao Jiaxing’s desire for Xia Xiao to have a child grew stronger, and he couldn’t help holding a mirror to his face, then looking at Xia Xiao, fantasizing about what their child might look like.
Xia Xiao woke up intermittently and when she didn’t find Gao Jiaxing in the room, she looked over to the still sleeping Ge Liang, got out of bed, put on a jacket, and stepped outside.
Unexpectedly, Hong Xing, Yan Hao, and Xia Jing had already come back. They were sitting in the courtyard, talking in low voices with Gao Jiaxing.
It was already afternoon. Gao Guoqiang and Zheng Xianghong were up, but there was still no sign of life from Yuhua’s room.
Knowing the young couple had a disagreement, no one went to call on them, leaving Gao Jiaxing to take Yan Hao to settle in. As they were leaving, Xia Jing whispered to Xia Xiao, "Sis, I won’t come over for dinner tonight."
"Where will you eat then?" Xia Xiao asked.
"I’ll just eat with Yan Hao at Youth Point during that time," Xia Jing said.
Xia Xiao felt conflicted. During the New Year, naturally, she hoped that her sister could celebrate it with her. But the situation now was different from future generations, and the Gao family was not just her and Gao Jiaxing’s own small family, so she had to consider the feelings of the other family members.
Xia Xiao brought two fish to Xia Jing, saying, "Take these back to the dormitory. You guys received a lot of fish meat today; these two can be saved for the first and second days of the New Year."
"Sister, I can’t accept these. How can I take your things? And you’re not alone now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stand on ceremony with you," Xia Jing shook her head, unwilling to take them. She wanted to discuss Sun Yuhua’s attitude with Xia Xiao, but she felt it might not be appropriate to speak out and chose to remain silent.
"Take it," Xia Xiao insisted. "I can still make decisions about these two fish, and your brother-in-law also agreed with me. You might not care for yourself, but you have to think about Yan Hao. He just joined the production team; you should help him get used to this place sooner."
Only then did Xia Jing accept the fish, gratefully saying to Xia Xiao, "Sister, it’s really nice to have you here."
Xia Xiao smiled and waved at her, "Go ahead, don’t think too much about other things."
As soon as Xia Jing left, Xia Xiao started to prepare medicine for Ge Liang. At that moment, Sun Yuhua entered the kitchen.
Surprised, Xia Xiao asked, "Where’s Big Brother?"
"Who knows where he went," Sun Yuhua replied, clearly displeased.
Xia Xiao thought about their possible argument and that perhaps Gao Jiazhi had gone out. She didn’t ask further.
But then Sun Yuhua suddenly spoke to Xia Xiao, "Didn’t your sister’s dormitory receive fish? Yet you brought her two more."
Xia Xiao felt a bit upset. She looked at Sun Yuhua and smiled, saying, "Yuhua, besides the big fish that Brother Gao and they caught, I netted these fish myself. Can’t I give two to my sister?"
Moreover, Gao Jiaxing had even mentioned giving fish to her maternal home. If Sun Yuhua knew that, she would be even more displeased.
Sun Yuhua did not respond. Xia Xiao asked her, "Yuhua, I’m going back to my maternal home with Gao Er on the second day of the New Year. Are you coming with us?"
Sun Yuhua hesitated, forced a smile, and shook her head, "You go ahead; I won’t go for now."
Xia Xiao nodded and said no more. Sun Yuhua seemed to want to say something but ultimately didn’t, and she left.
Watching Sun Yuhua’s retreating figure, Xia Xiao frowned. Living together always led to squabbles over trivial matters. It was impossible for Xia Xiao not to have any thoughts about Sun Yuhua.
However, for the sake of family harmony, Xia Xiao didn’t pursue those small grievances. Besides, Sun Yuhua was not a bad person, but Xia Xiao felt she was somewhat of a princess with her tendency of being contentious and nitpicky, which wasn’t a major issue.
They were living together temporarily, and it was unlikely that they would always live under the same roof. Moreover, Gao Guoqiang, Zheng Xianghong, and Gao Jiazhi were all good people, so Xia Xiao wouldn’t fuss over these matters.
Compared to other families, theirs was pretty good. After all, nobody was perfect. She wasn’t perfect herself, having her own flaws, and couldn’t expect everyone to be flawless.
Thus, Xia Xiao adopted a more relaxed view. Besides, Gao Jiazhi and Sun Yuhua were the eldest in the family. If she and Gao Jiaxing were not home in the future, Zheng Xianghong and Gao Guoqiang would still need Gao Jiazhi and Sun Yuhua’s care.