Chapter 26 – The Incident
Novel t.i.tle: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.s.p.a.ce, the original site of translation. TQ*
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In the end, Wu Yang didn’t know what Xia Ruonan and Yao Jinxi talked about. However, Xia Ruonan had never seen Yao Jinchen and had no intention of doing so. Unfortunately, Yao Jinchen clung to Yao Jinxi like glue, making it impossible for her to see Yao Jinxi.
Even someone who knew nothing about the situation could tell that something was amiss from Xia Ruonan’s behaviour. So, Wu Yang decided to bring up this topic with Xia Ruonan and found that she didn’t hide anything.
“I don’t like him,” she said. Her emotions were undisguised on her face. “He never grows up. I think it’s because Jinxi spoils him too much.”
Wu Yang found this amusing. In his opinion, Yao Jinxi treated Xia Ruonan as a little sister. And Xia Ruonan seemed to have forgotten that she herself was also quite immature.
He teased, “It seems like he used to bully you when you were kids.”
“That’s true. But with Jinxi around, he couldn’t bully me. Jinxi was the one who got bullied the most,” Xia Ruonan frowned and repeated, “Ah, Jinxi just spoils him too much.”
It seemed that Yao Jinxi’s care for Yao Jinchen had left a deep impression on Xia Ruonan. While sibling relationships often had this dynamic, Xia Ruonan’s repeated complaints puzzled Wu Yang. “Is Jinxi much older than him?”
“No. It’s only about a four-year age difference,” Xia Ruonan shook her head as if recalling something. “Forget it. It’s not my place to discuss their family matters. Just remember that Yao Jinchen is quite annoying.”
Wu Yang chuckled, “Alright.”
He didn’t need Xia Ruonan to remind him; he wouldn’t be particularly fond of Yao Jinchen either. What was once a peaceful time was now disrupted by that little troublemaker. Wu Yang couldn’t find any more moments to spend alone with Yao Jinxi.
—This guy is really annoying.
Wu Yang watched Yao Jinxi talking nonstop to Yao Jinchen as they walked side by side. Although their appearances were similar, Wu Yang a.s.sumed they took after their mother. However, Yao Jinchen appeared more delicate and had a completely different temperament.
In reality, Yao Jinxi didn’t always indulge Yao Jinchen as Xia Ruonan had suggested. At least when it came to Yao Jinchen’s frequent requests to stay overnight, Yao Jinxi always remained indifferent.
“It’s about time,” Yao Jinxi stopped making tea, signalling the end of their tea session, which meant it was time for everyone to go their separate ways. Wu Yang felt helpless. Under normal circ.u.mstances, he could have extended their time here by an hour or two.
Unfortunately, Yao Jinxi seemed determined not to let Yao Jinchen linger here. Yao Jinchen, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving. So Wu Yang decided to set an example and stood up. “I’ll go ahead and take your brother home.”
Yao Jinxi nodded. “Thanks for always helping out.”
“No problem. It’s on my way.” As Wu Yang was about to leave when Yao Jinchen suddenly called out, “When did I say I wanted him to drive me? Brother, I can take a taxi myself.”
Yao Jinchen couldn’t stand how they treated him like a kid. “I’m leaving!”
He stood up and rushed out without waiting for any response. Yao Jinxi didn’t try to stop him and watched him leave with a complex expression.
Wu Yang broke the silence as he said, “Your brother really likes you.”
“…Yeah,” Yao Jinxi sighed. His hands paused while tidying up the tea set when he said this. “Our mother was very busy. I have always taken care of him. So he was very close to me. And our relationship… was very good.” He sounded nostalgic rather than regretful.
Wu Yang jokingly asked, “So, have you guys never had a fight? Even a minor one?”
This was meant to be a casual question. After all, which siblings close in age hadn’t fought before? They all had stubborn moments as children. Sibling rivalry was common.
But to his surprise, Yao Jinxi nodded. “We haven’t fought. Not even once.”
He fell into deep thought for a moment. Wu Yang didn’t appreciate being left out. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Yao Jinchen’s voice from the entrance, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Wu Yang turned to see Yao Jinchen, who had a stern expression as if interrogating someone. He raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully. “Oh? Can you drive me away yourself?”
Yao Jinchen hmmph-ed and laughed, “I’m afraid that you won’t leave.”
“Jinchen, why are you talking that way to him?” Yao Jinxi said seriously, looking at Yao Jinchen with a stern look. He was finally showing his att.i.tude as an elder brother.
Wu Yang found it amusing how Yao Jinchen was acting as if he were defending a grievance against them. “It’s okay. He’s just a kid,” Wu Yang said lightly.
“Brother?! Why are you siding with him?” Yao Jinchen’s face turned angry. He was clearly embarra.s.sed by Wu Yang calling him a kid. “We’re brothers. He’s just an outsider!”
Such words were almost a personal attack. Yao Jinxi’s expression turned stern and he stood up suddenly. “Yao Jinchen! Watch your language. You should have learned some manners after so many years of education!”
The atmosphere among the Yao brothers was tense. But Wu Yang, who was being called an outsider, stood aside and watched calmly. In the past, when he was at the bottom of society, what unpleasant words had he not heard? Is it funny that someone wanted to p.i.s.s him off to this extent?
On the other side, Yao Jinchen looked at Yao Jinxi with an aggrieved and frustrated expression. It made Wu Yang think that he would cry at any moment, “Brother, you still say that you haven’t changed? You have never treated me like this before.”
Yao Jinchen was acting like an abandoned wife blaming a heartless man. Yao Jinxi frowned, “You should change your att.i.tude. It’s not just me. I have tried to accommodate you and forgive you.”
Yao Jinchen shouted, “Why should I care about an outsider?!”
For Yao Jinchen to be so unreasonable, Wu Yang was quite surprised.
Yao Jinxi couldn’t think the same as Wu Yang. This is mainly because this man was his younger brother. He was no stranger to him being stubborn when he wanted something like this.
Yao Jinxi felt very sad because he had an unshirkable responsibility for him to turn out this way.
But he didn’t know what to do. Whether it was Yao Hong or Yao Jinchen, he loved his family very much. But it was this love that made them become what they are now.
He sat back down feebly and covered his forehead with his hands. He was not looking at Yao Jinchen anymore. “Jinchen, please go back first. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
Yao Jinchen clenched his fists. But this time he didn’t say anything more and turned away with a gloomy face.
“Do you want me to go after him?” Wu Yang sat back down again and asked in a relaxed tone, “Are you okay?”
“He is an adult after all. Let him be. Can he get lost?” Yao Jinxi weakly formed a smile, feeling exhausted physically and mentally, “I’m sorry. My brother…”
Wu Yang gently interrupted him and expressed his position, “It doesn’t matter. Everyone has this period of time. Your brother just left school. People there are simple-minded so their interpersonal relationships may be too upright.”
This is not a matter of uprightness. It is entirely due to personality. Yao Jinxi also understands that Wu Yang does not want Yao Jinxi to blame himself. An elder brother is like a father. If his younger brother behaves like this, he will be the only one who is embarra.s.sed.
After accepting that Yao Jinxi is okay, Wu Yang stood up and said, “Then I’ll go too. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.” Yao Jinxi noticed Yao Jinchen’s hostility towards Wu Yang. He could guess Yao Jinchen’s suspicion. Although he wasn’t in that kind of relationship with Wu Yang, Yao Jinxi had no intention of explaining it to Yao Jinchen.
He also felt that he was lucky to have Wu Yang accompanying him. This was somewhat of a reason for Yao Jinchen not to go too far. This kid had always been stubborn and refused to back down in front of others.
At this point, Yao Jinxi even felt quite grateful to Wu Yang.
Just when he thought things had settled, Wu Yang did something unexpected the next day.
In the afternoon, during the usual time when they all gathered, Yao Jinxi received a call from Wu Yang. He told him that he had something urgent to attend to and might not be able to make it tonight.
In other words, Yao Jinxi would have to spend the evening alone with Yao Jinchen…
His mind raced for a moment. But Yao Jinchen had already arrived by then. Yao Jinxi had no choice but to prepare dinner as usual. Yao Jinchen manned the front of the shop, dealing with customers who had questions about the menu.
As time pa.s.sed, Yao Jinxi became lost in thought. Yao Jinchen eventually grew impatient and decided to close the shop early when he didn’t know how to handle some customers. He started cleaning up.
When Yao Jinxi brought the dishes to the table, he noticed that the roller shutter was pulled down. Clapping his hands together, Yao Jinchen walked over. There was a smile on his face. “Just close up a bit early today since that annoying guy hasn’t shown up.”
“Wu Yang is my friend. He’s helped me a lot,” Yao Jinxi replied. Without Wu Yang, he didn’t want to talk much. But deep down in his heart, he didn’t want Yao Jinchen and Wu Yang to be so quarrelsome. “I hope you can get along well with him.”
Yao Jinchen’s originally smiling face sunk down. He picked up the vegetables and took a bite without saying a word, “I don’t like this.”
What his chopsticks were pointing at was a plate of broccoli. Yao Jinxi took a closer look and realised that broccoli was indeed not what Yao Jinchen liked to eat.
Wu Yang would always eat whatever Yao Jinxi cooked. He never complained about any dish. But over time, Yao Jinxi had noticed which dishes Wu Yang liked more.
One of those dishes was broccoli.
Yao Jinxi couldn’t say this to Yao Jinchen. So he quietly served himself a piece of broccoli. “Even at your age, you’re still a picky eater. Don’t you know that broccoli is good for protecting against radiation?”
Yao Jinchen fell silent for a moment. He then gently put down his chopsticks.
The chopsticks made a crisp sound against the plate, making Yao Jinxi’s heart skip a beat. He looked up at Yao Jinchen, who had his head raised.
“Brother, what do you really think about us?” Yao Jinchen’s voice was calm. But his face was tense. There was a hint of fierceness in his expression.
If it were anyone else behaving this way, Yao Jinxi might have lost his temper long ago. But because it was Yao Jinchen, he felt a sense of unease.
It was inevitable that they would eventually have to confront this issue. Yao Jinxi had been clinging to a faint hope that, given enough time, Yao Jinchen would come to understand where he stands.
However, he should have known better. Even if Yao Jinchen understood, he wouldn’t easily give in. And now, with the opportunity for them to be alone together, Yao Jinchen seemed unwilling to keep up appearances.
Yao Jinxi firmly stated with his voice unwavering, “I’ve given you my clear answer regarding this long ago. Do you want me to repeat it?”
“Brother, I know I was wrong back then… It was my mistake!” Yao Jinchen’s emotions escalated. He grabbed Yao Jinxi’s hand forcefully. Yao Jinxi tried to pull his hand away but couldn’t. “But you forgave me, right?”
“I forgave you because you’re family. There should be no grudges held between family members. But apart from being a family member to you, we can be nothing else. We will never be anything else! Don’t you understand?” Yao Jinxi’s voice was filled with determination.
“Why?!” Yao Jinchen yelled. His other hand slammed the dishes on the table to the ground. His eyes were red and he was clearly losing control. “Why? We’ve always been the closest to each other. You’ve always been the best for me. Why can’t we be together?”
Sensing that Yao Jinchen was losing control of his emotions, Yao Jinxi tried to calm himself down. “Let go of my hand. Only then can we talk.”
Yao Jinchen remained unmoved and coldly asked, “Are you and that guy Wu Yang already got together? Do you really like him?”
“We don’t have that kind of relationship. So let go of my hand!” Yao Jinxi used his other hand to try to break free from Yao Jinchen’s grip. But the next moment, he was tackled by Yao Jinchen across the table, crashing to the floor.
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*Author’s Note: Thank you for the votes from non-thinking fans =3=. And thank you to WS for the votes【Even though I don’t know if you read this story or not OTL. But I won’t update the childhood friends’ novel anymore. So I’ll take this opportunity to thank you here -w-】-YXF
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*Translator’s Note: I’m usually okay with incest trope and there are some incest stories that I like. But sorry, I couldn’t accept YJC. This is probably because I already favour WY very much haha. -K
Next update: 2023.11.02
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