Give Me Another Smile

Chapter 48: Puberty?

TL Notes:

I added three paragraphs to the end of Chapter 47 that I previously missed. They're important, so please go read them.

With the person in her embrace sound asleep, Yin Zhao-an dared not make any large movements. Even so, she could not stop her heart from pounding rapidly and her face burning up.

Yin Zhao-an did not know what mood she was currently in, but she knew she was experiencing tension like never before. This was also her first time feeling flustered in front of others.

The reason Yin Zhao-an leaned over to Tang Yu was just to close the gap between them and sleep while embracing each other, just like they used to. That was all she wanted to do, and she never meant to do anything more.

By now, Yin Zhao-an could no longer feel the warmth and soft sensation she had previously felt on her lips. However, the faint dairy aroma lingered in her nostrils, refusing to dissipate.

Tang-Tang's lipsare sweet.

Yin Zhao-an looked down at the sweetly slumbering visage, her heart trembling when she watched Tang Yu's tender lips rhythmically opening and closing ever so slightly.

It was only an accidental touch! Don't panic!

Yin Zhao-an closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself. Unfortunately, no matter what she did, the heat on her face refused to subside.

Morning:

When Tang Yu woke up from her slumber, the spot next to her was already empty. Sitting up in confusion, she reached out to touch that spot, finding that it had long gone cold.

The clock by the bed showed that it was already 6.30 AM. Tang Yu normally woke up at six o'clock sharp, so, to her surprise, she had apparently overslept. Maybe it was because of Yin Zhao-an's presence that her subconsciousness had told herself that she wouldn't need to wake up so early to go to school?

When Tang Yu went downstairs, Yu Wanrou was in the middle of cooking porridge with century egg and lean meat, the smell spreading from the kitchen to the living room. There were also youtiao and soy milk on the dining table.

"Awake already, Little Yu?"

"Morning, Mommy," Tang Yu greeted.

"Mhm, morning," Yu Wanrou returned the greeting before wiping her hands on her apron and bringing a bowl of porridge to the dining table. "It seems An-An is a very early waker. I hadn't even started to make breakfast when she woke up and left. I feel wrong sending her home on an empty stomach."

After sitting at the dining table and drinking a mouthful of warm soy milk, Tang Yu said, "Maybe she's used to waking up early?"

However, Yu Wanrou shook her head in disagreement. Then, she furrowed her brows and said, "Not at all. She looked like she barely got any sleep when I saw her... Maybe it's because you have poor sleep habits?"

"Impossible!" Tang Yu hurriedly put down the youtiao in her hand and refuted her mother. "My sleep habits have always been good! I wake up in the same position I go to sleep!"

Yu Wanrou didn't refute her daughter's claims since she wasn't clear on the matter. Although her daughter indeed had good sleep habits when little, she wasn't sure if that had changed over the years. Subsequently, Yu Wanrou propped up her chin and concluded, "It's probably because of the foreign environment, then."

This was an acceptable reason, so Tang Yu readily agreed, saying, "That's probably the case."

"In that case, we'll just need to have An-An sleep over more often!"

"Pfft" Tang Yu choked on some soy milk and coughed. Then, she hurriedly pulled out a tissue to cover her mouth, her delicate face flushing red.

While gently patting her daughter's back, Yu Wanrou said, "Why are you so clumsy? Take your time eating. It's still early, so you won't be late."

When Yin Zhao-an returned home with her panda eyes, Wang Zhen just so happened to be home as well. After having worked overnight shifts at the hospital for many days, she finally remembered she still had two people waiting for her at home, so she decided to give herself a vacation.

Yesterday, when Wang Zhen was in the middle of preparing a seafood dinner, she suddenly received a call from Yu Wanrou. Then, when she heard that her daughter wouldn't be returning home, she couldn't help but reveal a mischievous smile.

"Oh? What's up with those heavy bags under your eyes? Were you dreaming of food so much you couldn't fall asleep?"

Faced with her mother's merciless teasing, Yin Zhao-an simply pretended not to hear anything as she drifted upstairs like a wandering ghost.

Dumbfounded, Wang Zhen grabbed her husband, who had just returned from his morning exercise, and pointed at their "drifting" daughter, asking, "What's up with her?"

Yin Changcheng was currently drenched in sweat. He wanted to shower as soon as possible, so while helplessly removing his wife's hand from his sweaty arm, he shrugged and said, "What else could it be? If it's not because of crooked thoughts, then it's probably because she did poorly in a test." After saying so, he promptly dashed for the bathroom.

What does he mean by crooked thoughts? Could it be that her puberty has hit? Wang Zhen put her hands on her hips as she looked at the staircase in serious contemplation. It's too bad I'm not a psychologist Maybe I should let her father give her a beating?

If Yin Zhao-an knew that the woman who gave birth to her was plotting to have her receive a beating because of puberty, she'd probably have the urge to lock herself in her room.

As for why Wang Zhen didn't think her daughter had done poorly on her exams? It was naturally because her daughter constantly occupied first place in her grade. Moreover, with her daughter's fearless attitude, it was highly unlikely the girl would feel anxious over doing poorly on a test. After having raised the girl for so many years, Wang Zhen had long since discerned her daughter's mental tolerance.

Of course, the matter of giving her daughter a beating was also nothing but a joke. There was no way she would do something so silly.

Instead, after setting up breakfast on the dining table, Wang Zhen returned to her bedroom, got on the internet using her computer, and typed the following into the search box:

[My child is constantly absent from home. Is my child entering puberty?]

Immediately, a bunch of search results appeared on the screen.

"Children become very particular about how they dress in puberty... Sometimes, they will behave abnormally and shyly in front of the opposite sex..."

Wang Zhen curled her lips when she saw the signs pointed out by the first search result. Her daughter behaved no differently from a boy. Rather than behave shyly in front of the opposite sex, Yin Zhao-an was more prone to start fights with them instead. Wang Zhen had also never seen her daughter caring about clothes, and she was responsible for choosing every article of clothing that was in her daughter's closet.

"Absent-mindedness, academic performance shows a downward trend..."

Out of the two points mentioned in the second search result, Wang Zhen only agreed with the first point. Yin Zhao-an's academic performance had not declined in the slightest, so Wang Zhen indifferently skipped this answer.

"Not coming home on time. Number of abnormal outings increases significantly... Huh?!"