Chapter 15: The Nasty Old Lady

Chapter 15: The Nasty Old Lady

The woman didn't notice Lu Yu, and habitually walked in, made to grab Cheng Miao by the arm, saying, "I have to wake you up every day, so hurry up!"

Lu Yu stepped in front of Cheng Miao just as she moved to grab him. "What are you doing?"

The old lady was startled, squinting as she sized up Lu Yu. "Well, well, if it isn't the little Lu brat?"

Lu Yu said nothing, just stared at her coldly.

"Why are you staying here? I'm paid to take care of one person. If there's another one, the price goes up."

Cheng Miao was startled awake by the voice, his eyes snapping open. When he saw who it was, he instinctively covered his butt and shrank into the corner of the bed.

"Get up now, or I'll hit you!" The old lady didn't take Lu Yu seriously at all. She brushed him aside and reached for Cheng Miao. Cheng Miao scrambled up in a panic, grabbing his clothes and pulling them on. He didn't want to get smacked in front of Lu Yu.

The old lady started warming up breakfast off to the side, muttering about how she'd gotten a bad deal.

Lu Yu watched from the side and gathered that this woman was probably hired by Cheng's mom to look after Cheng Miao. He finished dressing and packed both their school bags.

The old lady ladled porridge into bowls and set them on the table—one big bowl and one small one. She gave Lu Yu a disdainful look. "Why are you still here? There's no food for you."

Cheng Miao snorted. "Lu Yu will be living with me from now on. Pour him a bowl too."

"Your mother is really generous, dragging all sorts of filth into the house, not even caring about bad luck." With that, she picked up her bowl and took a big slurp of porridge.

Cheng Miao felt anger rising in his chest. He shoved the bowl of porridge across the table. "If he doesn't eat, I won't either!"

The old lady raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself! If you don't, you'll starve." She glanced at Cheng Miao and continued drinking on her own.

Cheng Miao pushed the porridge in front of Lu Yu. Then he snatched the bowl from the old lady's hands, quickly spat into it, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Go on, drink it. Keep drinking."

The old lady slammed the bowl down in anger, spilling porridge everywhere. "You little rebel!" She grabbed Cheng Miao's arm with one hand and, with the other, smacked him hard on the butt like she'd done it a thousand times.

Everything happened so fast. Lu Yu was still stunned by what Cheng Miao had just done when Cheng Miao had already been hit.

Lu Yu darted over to Cheng Miao in a flash, driving his elbow hard into the old lady's side.

The old lady winced and instinctively let go. Lu Yu quickly pulled Cheng Miao to his side, his gaze cold and hard as he stared straight at the old lady. That icy, ruthless look wasn't a look a child should have.

The old lady was frightened by his eyes. She rubbed her side and snorted, "Fine, I'm done with you. Truly ill-mannered little brats." With that, she shot them a dirty look and stormed out the door.

Cheng Miao started to chase after her. "What do you mean ill-mannered? Say that again—"

Before he could finish, Lu Yu grabbed his arm.

"Let me go, you old witch." He pushed Lu Yu's hand away, determined to settle this with her today.

Lu Yu dragged him over to the table. "The porridge will get cold if you don't eat it now."

Cheng Miao sat down in a huff, grabbed another bowl, and poured half the porridge into it, handing it to Lu Yu. "That old hag is so annoying!"

Lu Yu took the bowl, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If it's because of me, you don't have to fight with her."

Cheng Miao bristled. "Who did it for you? I just hate her. Did you hear what she said? What does she mean by bad luck? Her stepping into our house today is the real bad luck. And at her age, she's fat from eating so much, yet she still skimps on food for two kids."

Lu Yu nodded calmly. "She really is annoying."

Cheng Miao nodded. "Exactly." Then he pouted, "And she hits me too. Every morning if I don't get up, she hits me."

"Can't you just get up on your own?"

"I can't. My parents have to go to the market to sell vegetables very early, and I was always late for school. So they hired this old lady to look after me. She doesn't take good care of me at all!"

Lu Yu finished his bowl of porridge and said flatly, "Mm. Hurry up and finish yours so we can go to school."

Cheng Miao gulped down a few bites, then looked at the messy table with some hesitation. "Should we clean this up? If my parents see it, we're in trouble."

Lu Yu frowned. "She'll complain to your mom before you even leave school."

Cheng Miao's face fell. This was bad—he probably couldn't avoid a beating. He might as well clean the table first, or the punishment would be worse.

He was about to grab a rag to wipe the table when Lu Yu grabbed his arm. "Forget it. We'll clean up when we get home from school."

The two of them slinging their bags over their shoulders, walked and discussed what to do about lunch. By the time they reached school, they had a basic plan.

As they walked into the classroom, the bell rang. Lin Jinrui was holding a small notebook, keeping track of who was late. Seeing the two of them, she hurriedly waved them in—once the bell rang, they'd be marked down.

Cheng Miao smiled at Lin Jinrui. Seeing her so real and lively brought him comfort. It was good to be alive.

Lu Yu, for once, gave her a rare, careful look and nodded slightly.

Lin Jinrui was startled by their responses. She nervously checked her clothes, found nothing wrong, and then awkwardly turned her face away.

Cheng Miao's head throbbed a little. This girl seemed both insecure and sensitive. Getting to know her and helping her would probably be tough.

Cheng Miao sat down, thinking about how to approach Lin Jinrui, when his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden argument.

Two girls had arrived late and rushed in, only to be stopped at the door by Lin Jinrui, who was noting down their names. The two girls argued that they were less than a minute late, and that in other classes it wouldn't even count as being late—only someone as petty as Lin Jinrui would make such a big deal.

Lin Jinrui stood to the side, at a loss, her face flushed red as if she were the one who had been late.

Cheng Miao watched as Lin Jinrui stammered, unable to say a word. He slowly stood up to help her, but was yanked back down by the person behind him.

He sat back down, leaning back slightly toward Lu Yu, turning his head just a bit. "What are you doing? Aren't you going to take this perfect chance to play the hero?"

Lu Yu said expressionlessly, "It's not the right time yet."

"Oh." Cheng Miao turned back around. He had an inexplicable trust in Lu Yu—after all, he firmly believed that the quiet ones are the most dangerous.

Before long, the argument at the front finally died down. Judging by the two girls' grumbling expressions, it seemed Lin Jinrui had won. Cheng Miao was a bit surprised—he'd thought she would just give up on recording their names. At least she had some backbone.