Chapter 6: Xia Yu Changes
Xia Yu placed the bowl of glutinous rice cakes on the coffee table in front of the sofa, grabbed one, and plopped onto a big armchair to watch TV, not sitting with her sister.
Last night, Xia Yu had been worried that her clever sister would discover her secret. If that happened, she’d be in trouble.
Seeing Xia Yu like this, Xia Ling thought maybe Xia Yu didn’t like her anymore. Xia Ling gave a cautious glance and asked, “Second Brother, what’s wrong? Wouldn’t the big sofa give you a better view?”
“No thanks, there’s a difference between men and women. I’ll just sit here.” Xia Yu answered casually.
Hearing this, Xia Ling was certain something was up, that maybe her second brother had a secret he didn’t want to share.
Just as Xia Ling was about to dig deeper, their father Xia Hong came down to brush his teeth.
Seeing their dad, Xia Yu’s eyes lit up. She thought for a bit, then summoned the courage to approach him when he finished washing up: “Dad, my hair has grown long. I want to get it cut.”
Xia Hong glanced at Xia Yu’s flowing locks, which were long but neat. They didn’t affect her increasingly adorable looks.
“It’s the Chinese New Year, so haircuts cost more. Besides, you’re not in school yet, so why rush?”
Hearing this, Xia Yu knew exactly what her dad meant. With disappointment, she sat back down in her chair.
Once Xia Hong left, Xia Ling came over, smiling, and ran her hand through Xia Yu’s hair. “Second Brother, your hair is really nice! Why don’t you grow it out like me? After all, you’ve got such a cute face for a girl.”
Xia Yu took it as a joke and didn’t pay much heed. After all, he was a boy and needed a haircut anyway.
Not getting a response, Xia Ling got annoyed and snatched the remaining glutinous rice cakes before getting up. “I’m going out to play; you can have the TV.”
Xia Yu wasn’t surprised by this since she knew her sister had many girl friends. It didn’t make sense for her to be invited out now.
Xia Le was the last to wake up. While brushing his teeth, he saw Xia Yu in the living room watching TV—nobody greeted each other, they just exchanged glances.
In the bathroom, Xia Le thought Xia Yu seemed different after returning—from being clingy to him, now he was okay with it. He always disliked having Xia Yu cling to him anyway.
Despite that, Xia Le felt a bit empty inside.
Why did Xia Yu stop clinging to Xia Le? First, Xia Yu feared he might discover her secret. Secondly, she remembered clearly that Xia Le didn’t tell anyone about her being caught. Instead, he chose to hide it out of fear, which made Xia Yu lose faith in him.
Since no one likes me, I’ll just stay alone, thought Xia Yu. She had almost lost trust in her friends. She wondered what she went through at such a young age.
Time passed quickly. When Xia Le tried to take the remote control, Xia Yu immediately stood up and left.
Because Xia Yu no longer enjoyed being around her brother. She wasn’t the kid who clung to her older brothers anymore.
