Before long, Ye Jinghong returned with Xiao Qing on her arm.
Ye Jinghong said, "Aunt Qing said she'll listen to you, but you have to agree to one condition."
I was somewhat helpless. It wasn't like I was begging her to come with us, so why did I have to agree to her condition?
Ye Jinghong glared at me. "Did you hear what I said?"
I could only force a smile. "I heard you. What condition?"
"You must show her sufficient respect and do what a junior ought to do."
What did it mean to show her sufficient respect? And what exactly was a junior supposed to do? I was completely confused.
I said, "Can you be more direct?"
Ye Jinghong coughed lightly. "It means you have to treat her as respectfully as you would an elder—serve her tea and water, massage her shoulders, rub her back, that sort of thing. As for work, she'll listen to you. But outside of work, she's your elder, and you have to listen to her."
My head was about to split in two. She was doing this on purpose.
How had Ye Jinghong agreed to such a demand?
I wanted to say something else, but Qianqian grabbed me. "Sister Ye is right. Aunt Qing is an elder. What's wrong with a junior showing her respect?"
As she spoke, she winked at me. I could only nod. "All right."
Seeing how things had turned out, Xie Yi's face broke into a smile as well. "Good, good. Since it's settled, then that's fine. Xiaobai, when do you think you can set off? Do you need two days to rest? Though I do hope you can leave as soon as possible."
I glanced at him. "Old Xie, when did you learn to be so hypocritical? If