Chapter 44: The Person I Dislike

Li Jixiang held the bath ticket handed to her through the small window, and as she turned, she accidentally bumped into the woman standing behind her. She bowed her head to apologize, and saw a pair of white leather shoes beneath her gaze. Instantly, she looked up at the woman’s face. It was indeed the same woman who had stood in silent sorrow before Li Haiyang’s tombstone during the Qingming Festival.

For three nights, sharing the wide kang bed with An Chen’s mother, no matter how Jixiang tried to steer the conversation, An Chen’s mother only revealed that the woman’s name was Wang Fang, refusing to say another word.

“Jixiang…” Grandma Li peeked out from the women’s bathhouse door, glancing toward the ticket window. When she saw Wang Fang, she quickly drew back, turned to face the door, and covered her face, wishing her granddaughter would hurry back. She did not want to encounter Wang Fang; she feared the memories of that painful past.

“Grandma, let’s go inside.” Li Jixiang handed the bath ticket to Grandma Li and stepped aside to let Wang Fang enter first. Grandma Li had no choice but to face Wang Fang. “Hello, Aunt Li,” Wang Fang murmured softly, her eyes lowered, and quickly walked past Grandma Li.

Watching Wang Fang’s slender figure vanish into the entrance, Grandma Li grasped Jixiang’s hand and hesitated to go inside. “My feet aren’t good, but since we’ve come all this way, let’s go in and get cleaned up,” Jixiang coaxed and pleaded, finally persuading Grandma Li into the bathhouse’s large pool.

She always felt uneasy about bathing with a crowd in the big pool, but since Grandma Li liked it, Jixiang endured her discomfort and followed suit. Today, several faucets in the shower area were broken, so the pool was twice as crowded as usual. Nearly everyone had a towel draped over their shoulders, and another wrapped around their head. People sat pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, while some moved about the center of the pool.

They made their way to the far end near the water inlet, where the water seemed cleaner. Before Grandma Li could start, Jixiang obediently wrapped her hair in a towel, closed her eyes, and sat quietly, reminding herself that this body was not Li Tian’er’s—her own. The discomfort of the pool water lapping against her gradually faded.

Someone behind her at the reservoir was scooping water to wash their head, splashing droplets onto her face. Jixiang had to open her eyes. The person smiled apologetically and carried the basin away.

She then saw Wang Fang crouched in a corner, carefully scooping water to wash herself. Jixiang leaned against the pool’s edge and smiled at Wang Fang.

The steam in the bathhouse was thick, and in the swirling white mist, everyone appeared as blurred shadows. But with Wang Fang close by, Jixiang’s smile reached her eyes, and Wang Fang had to return a friendly smile. That smile lasted only a moment before her face resumed its look of desolate sorrow.

Less than an hour had passed in the bathhouse before Grandma Li became anxious to return home. In the changing room, by coincidence, Grandma Li’s clothing chest was placed next to Wang Fang’s. The two met again, and this time Wang Fang gave Grandma Li a slight nod as a greeting, saying nothing more.

Grandma Li’s face was cold, deliberately avoiding Wang Fang’s gaze as she hurriedly dressed and pulled Jixiang out of the bathhouse. Only after they’d walked a fair distance did she stop to straighten her collar and hem, clearly afraid of further entanglement with Wang Fang.

Grandma Li was always warm with people, but her attitude toward Wang Fang was puzzling. “Grandma, you seem to really dislike Aunt Wang Fang. Did she offend you somehow?”

Curiosity got the better of her, and she pretended to speak with childish innocence. “She didn’t offend me,” Grandma Li replied, her tone tinged with anger and displeasure.

“So she offended my father then?” Jixiang looked up at Grandma Li with innocent eyes.

Grandma Li was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. Jixiang pressed on, refusing to let the matter drop.

“She offended Haiyang, then abandoned him. Otherwise he wouldn’t have fallen ill and never recovered…”

Grandma Li’s eyes filled with tears. Jixiang hurried to hand her a handkerchief to wipe them away. Grandma Li pretended the wind had made her eyes water, but the sadness within could not be hidden.

“Grandma, please tell me. I’ve grown up now. I want to know about my father’s past. What kind of person was he? What did he like? I want to remember him…”

Jixiang’s words touched Grandma Li deeply. She looked up at the sky, the afternoon sunlight casting shadows through her white hair and the wrinkles on her cheeks. Grandma Li opened her mouth as if to speak, but swallowed her words.

“We’ll talk at home. It’s not good to discuss these things out on the street.”

At the entrance to the Jixiang Tofu Shop, An Ning’s bicycle was parked by the pillar. School hadn’t let out yet—why was An Ning home?

An Chen’s mother was scolding An Ning by the stone mill. When she saw Grandma Li and Jixiang coming in, she put down her raised feather duster and sighed repeatedly.

“What’s the matter, An Chen’s mom? What did An Ning do wrong for you to hit him with a feather duster?”

Grandma Li snatched the feather duster from An Chen’s mother’s hand, signaling An Ning to step aside and stop upsetting the adults.

An Ning stood stubbornly, his neck twisted in defiance.

An Chen’s mother gritted her teeth. “He’s driving me mad! An Ning has only been at school a few days and already caused trouble. He’s been expelled and isn’t allowed to repeat his year.”

“What? How is that possible? Didn’t An Ning do well in his exams a few days ago? Why would he be expelled?”

Hearing that An Ning had been expelled from middle school, Grandma Li was shocked, and Jixiang’s heart skipped a beat.

“The rascal injured the school counselor. The family reported it to the school, so how could the school not punish him? It’s his own fault—how could he hit the mayor’s son!

It’s enough to make me furious! His father arranged for him to attend technical school, but he insisted on repeating a year. Now there’s no spot left at the technical school, so he’s stuck selling tofu…”

An Chen’s mother beat her chest and stomp her feet, crying bitterly. Grandma Li tried to comfort her, advising that a child’s education shouldn’t be abandoned and they must find a way for him to return to school.

“What can we do? We’re just ordinary folk. The school’s mercy in not sending him to detention is already a favor.”

“An Chen’s mom, why don’t you and An Chen’s dad bring some gifts to the principal’s house?”

Grandma Li was experienced; years ago, she’d done the same to help her son join the army.

“No gifts. I did nothing wrong,” An Ning insisted, his chest heaving in anger.

“You stubborn fool! Are you saying they falsely accused you?”

An Chen’s mother searched for her feather duster, only to find Grandma Li hiding it behind her back, dodging her attempt to retrieve it.

“I think the only solution is for you and An Chen’s dad to visit the mayor’s house. For the sake of the child, you can’t be too thin-skinned—don’t be stingy with money when it’s needed…”

Jixiang finally understood: An Ning was expelled because yesterday afternoon he struck Chen Yu, who then hit the corner of the wall and split his forehead.

It was such a minor thing! Yet Chen Yu had already retaliated against An Ning at school today.

No wonder An Ning was indignant—it made Jixiang angry as well. The school shouldn’t just listen to Chen Yu’s family. She was a witness; she had to stand up for An Ning.

Chen Yu, that infuriating person!