Can't Take My Eyes Off You

C 74-75

"Jiang Yao, I'm not hungry right now, is it okay if you be by yourself? I need to be alone," Lu Yuqing said as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I'm okay, but are you sure you don't need me to keep you company?" Jiang Yao was genuinely worried. It would be devastating for those involved when it came to the realization of such matters, especially for Lu Yuqing, who was always so ambitious and committed.

Lu Yuqing shook her head with her downcast eyes. Jiang Yao bit her lip and didn't say anything. Since Lu Yuqing wanted to be alone, it wouldn't be any help to be with her either.

After Lu Yuqing left, Jiang Yao stayed back to have a cup of coffee before leaving. She bought some food and groceries in the county, then took the bus and returned to her house.

Her parents were caught by surprise when she suddenly came home. They hurriedly rushed to her and helped her unload the bags in her hands.

They frowned as they saw the marks left on their daughter's hands after carrying so many heavy bags and chided her. "You silly girl, I'm glad you're home, but why did you buy so many things? You can just buy whatever you like though, what did you buy so much for? Look at your hands," her mother murmured grumpily as she carried the bags from Jiang Yao's hands. She placed the bags on the table, then turned around, took Jiang Yao's hands into hers, and gently stroked them. "Don't do this again, okay? A girl's hands should be tender and delicate. You're going to be a doctor soon, don't ruin yourself like this."

"Mom, why do you describe doctors as if they live in a wonderland and don't need to work? Let me tell you, I don't need delicate hands to be a doctor, but I have to be physically strong, with strong arms too. That's so when I perform surgery, I can hold my scalpel steadily and I'm able to sustain my stamina and energy into performing surgery for long hours."

"Yes, you're absolutely right, my darling." Mrs. Jiang nodded and smiled warmly. She looked at her daughter and imagined her as a great doctor in the future. "Yaoyao, do you still remember the old uncle living in the front village? He's a typical patriarchal old man. Since you were a child, you've excelled academically that we couldn't help but brag about your achievements. I bet he got jealous, so he joked that it's a waste to send girls to school because they would eventually be married into another family. Hmph! Now, everyone knows that not only do you have a great husband, but you also study well. When you become a doctor, don't treat those people who have badmouthed you. If they come to you, prescribe them with the most bitter and expensive medicine."

There were many busybodies in the village who disagreed with the Jiang family for continuing to support Jiang Yao's study. Most girls in the village dropped out of school after the completion of the compulsory five-year primary school education. Some fortunate few were lucky enough to further their studies to secondary school level. The Jiang family's motto was to support any of their children who excelled in their studies and were able to further their studies, regardless of the financial constraint.

Jiang Yao's education level would be higher than her brothers' after graduating from college. Everyone babbled about how the Jiang family was crazy to sabotage Jiang Yao's marriage for the sake of allowing her to continue studying, but surprisingly, she married the son of the wealthy Lu family at the tender age of eighteen.

Now, everyone in the village was envious that Jiang Yao was a child full of blessings. She was born into a happy family with her loving parents and brothers. She married the son of the wealthiest family in the county. Rumor had it that not only her husband was treating her very well, but her husband's family had even offered to financially support her studies up to college.

Jiang Yao giggled at her mother's remarks and said, "Okay, Mom, I'll take your advice. They'd better not come to see me, but if they do, I'll prescribe the most bitter medicine for them as an act of revenge. Serves them right for meddling in our family's affairs."

Mrs. Jiang quickly shook her head. "I'm just kidding. Listen, you must be a good doctor, don't bully your patients. Do you understand?"

"Hey, stop preaching at her." Mr. Jiang laughed out loud. When he asked Jiang Yao if she would stay for dinner, he couldn't help but sigh dejectedly when Jiang Yao said she would go back after a while. "Honestly, I think that you got married too soon. You already have another home after only being at home for less than two decades."

Jiang Yao went back to the Lu family after a short visit. Mrs. Lu got off work early today. When she saw Jiang Yao, she casually asked about Lu Yuqing's purpose for seeking her out. Jiang Yao assumed that Lu Yuqing had intended to keep the matter under wraps for the time being and handle it on her own.

Jiang Yao blurted out some excuses to get it over with. While she was helping Mrs. Lu prepare dinner, she asked about Lu Xingzhi's friends.

"Mom, does Xingzhi have a lot of good friends in Jindo? I remember some of his friends attending our wedding." Frankly speaking, Jiang Yao couldn't remember what happened or the guests who had attended their wedding because back then, she wasn't interested in Lu Xingzhi's business. Now, however, she was intrigued and wanted to get to know him more.

It was such a rare occasion that Mrs. Lu glanced at Jiang Yao with a mix of confusion and amusement. Then, she chuckled and teased, "I see that you've been very interested to know about Xingzhi lately. From what I've observed, you've miss him every second since he returned to the base. I think you might have gone after him to the base if you didn't have school, am I right?"

Jiang Yao wasn't feeling timid and shy after being teased. Instead, she smiled and admitted, "He's my husband, so of course I miss him. By the way, Mom, I won't be coming home for the National Day holiday. Xingzhi has asked me to visit him at the base."

"Alright, go ahead." Mrs. Lu laughed gently, then added, "Xingzhi has a few close friends in Jindo. The eldest is Liang Yueze, he's a young and successful businessman; the second eldest lives abroad, he is a professor in cultural studies or something. Xingzhi ranks third. The fourth is Zhou Weiqi, he works in the Jindo Industrial and Commercial Bureau. The youngest is Chen Xuyao, he is an architectural designer. He's said to be very famous in his field. These fellows are from wealthy and powerful families in Jindo, and they attended your wedding."

Jiang Yao couldn't recall any of their looks at all, but she figured any of these people should be famously known in Jindo.

"Oh yes, there's a girl named Luo Lauren, she's pretty and interesting. I think she and the second buddy are a couple, I can sense that they are very close and he takes care of the girl, but I'm not sure if I'm wrong because Xingzhi never mentions anything about them." Mrs. Lu began to gossip about Lu Xingzhi's friends. She got even more excited when she saw Jiang Yao listen enthusiastically, so after telling her about Lu Xingzhi's social circle, she began telling her all about Lu Xingzhi, from his childhood to his college days. Mrs. Lu shared Lu Xingzhi's life stories with Jiang Yao.

For Jiang Yao, getting to know Lu Xingzhi was like opening the door to a whole new world. She realized that Lu Xingzhi's dullness was au naturel. When he was born, he was very composed and calm unlike other children. He didn't cry often, he didn't throw tantrums, and he didn't even laugh much. However, he was a troublemaker and more fearsome than other children.

Jiang Yao didn't know that Lu Yuqing was preparing to deal with Zhao Zhuangzong's extramarital affair. In the blink of an eye, her college registration was just around the corner. She and Jiang Lei went to the county town to buy a suitcase and collect the train tickets.