After school that afternoon, Jiang Yan pulled Ye Wan to the cafeteria to have chicken soup and chicken again.
Ye Wan felt that returning to the Gu residence wouldn't mean food, so it was better to eat something before going home. Being full would give her the strength to recover her body.
Sitting opposite each other, Jiang Yan looked at her inquiringly several times. As Ye Wan drank her soup, she asked, "Just ask whatever you want to ask directly."
Jiang Yan awkwardly scratched her head. "I didn't dare to ask at noon with Ning Xin there. Do you seem to know Gu Yun Ting?"
"Yes, we know each other." Ye Wan admitted readily.
"You really know each other? No wonder he helped you at the bridal shop last time. How did you meet?" Jiang Yan was truly, truly curious.
"When I was little, my mother worked for the Gu family, and I lived with her at the Gu residence then." Ye Wan felt that there was nothing to hide anymore.
She hadn't intended to hide it from anyone, but she simply felt there was no need to mention it.
"Then you and Gu Yun Ting are childhood sweethearts?" Jiang Yan was extremely excited and immediately started imagining a love story where they had betrothed themselves in their childhood.
"How is that possible? Don't overthink it. Hurry up and eat." Ye Wan didn't want to talk about other things, nor could she bring herself to. The things her mother did were something she would never be able to speak of in her life.
Knowing that Ye Wan didn't want to talk about it, Jiang Yan didn't press further. Her large eyes darted around as she continued to fantasize. She had already become a fan of the Ye Wan and Gu Yun Ting pairing. Their looks alone deserved to be married on the spot.
She imagined that the children Gu Yun Ting and Ye Wan would have would be incredibly good-looking!
Ye Wan had no idea that in just a few minutes, Jiang Yan had conjured up so many scenarios. The two girls finished the pot of chicken soup, feeling full and satisfied. Ye Wan headed to take the bus.
Jiang Yan asked her one last question, "Are you still living at Gu Yun Ting's place?"
Ye Wan nodded.
Jiang Yan's heart leaped with joy. Perhaps the pairing she was rooting for could actually lead to marriage!
...
When Ye Wan returned to the Gu residence, she was about to go to her room when Ling Feifei stopped her. "Oh, you still know how to come back? Since you're back, go weed the garden. I'm in charge here now!"
"Got it." Ye Wan replied indifferently and went back to her room to put down her schoolbag before continuing to weed.
Ling Feifei let out a sneer and instructed the kitchen to prepare seafood for dinner, demanding Australian lobsters air-freighted from abroad. She wouldn't eat local ones. After giving her orders, she went upstairs to sleep.
When Gu Yun Ting returned, Ye Wan was still squatting by the flower bed, weeding. He merely glanced at her briefly before looking away, as if he didn't even want to spare her another glance now.
At dinner, Ye Wan was once again summoned to serve them.
"Peel this plate of shrimp for me," Ling Feifei gestured.
Ye Wan put on gloves and began to peel the shrimp. Mantis shrimp were not easy to peel, and by the time she finished, her fingers had been pricked countless times. She presented the shrimp meat to the two of them and stepped back, standing at attention.
"Peel this plate of crab next. I'll say this upfront: I don't like it when people use tools to peel crab. Use your hands!"
Ling Feifei tapped the table, looking displeased at Ye Wan's face, which was still fair despite being tanned for a long time. She found it particularly irritating and was determined to make things difficult for this woman today.
No matter how much Ling Feifei harassed Ye Wan, Gu Yun Ting showed no reaction and continued to dine elegantly.
Ye Wan knew Ling Feifei was deliberately making things difficult for her. She picked up the crab and began to peel it. The crab legs were tough, and the claws even harder. Ye Wan's hands started to ache, and it took her half an hour to peel the entire plate of crabs.
Ling Feifei found it uninteresting and, not wanting to give Ye Wan any more opportunities to be in Gu Yun Ting's presence, waved her away!
Just a mere maid, yet possessing such a seductive face, was truly repulsive. She had to find a way to get Gu Yun Ting to agree to fire this person and kick her out of the Gu residence!
Ye Wan returned to her room to wash her hands. Her fingers were now numb with pain, and only then did she notice that blisters had formed on them from the ordeal.