Chapter 67: Shifting with the Winds

Interested? Playing games and being interested are two different things, aren’t they?

Even so, Haohao was obedient enough. He jumped down from the heated brick bed, slipped on his shoes, and waddled over to Lian Youyou’s side. He clapped his large hand on her shoulder and called out, “Happy New Year, Sis!”

“…”
This child seemed somewhat lacking in manners…

Lian Kewei’s wife kept trying to ingratiate herself, saying, “Youyou, even if Haohao’s grades aren’t ideal, you can see he’s sociable, right? You and Haohao are cousins, you must help him out. Helping Haohao is bringing glory to our family.”

“Aunt,” Lian Youyou replied, “You just said I never bought anything for Grandma and Grandpa. May I ask what you’ve ever bought for them? I was young before, still in school, and couldn’t earn money. But you and Uncle… Aunt, isn’t that a genuine Chanel suit you’re wearing? And Haohao’s pair of AJs can’t have been cheap. With all your wealth, how come there’s nothing valuable in Grandma and Grandpa’s house except some old calligraphy, paintings, and books?”

Lian Kewei’s wife was thoroughly vexed by this junior’s retort, but for the sake of her son’s future, she forced a bright smile. “Oh, how could I be wealthy? This outfit’s just a good knockoff.”

“Youyou, what kind of attitude is that toward your aunt!” Lian Kewei suddenly roared, not just startling Lian Youyou but also making Lian Changsheng and Shi Xuezhen jump; the teapot nearly slipped from Lian Changsheng’s hand.

“Lian Youyou!” Lian Kewei grabbed her by the collar and tossed her before his wife, shouting, “Apologize to your aunt!”

“What did I say wrong that I need to apologize?” Lian Youyou sneered, unyielding. “Was I wrong? Your wife and son dress so well—have you seen what Grandma and Grandpa wear?”

“Your aunt is an elder; it’s not your place to lecture her!” Lian Kewei retorted.

Lian Changsheng tried to mediate. “Enough, enough, Kewei, you know you’re the elder; why be so fierce with a child? Youyou, you shouldn’t speak to your uncle and aunt like that either. Your cousin’s been at a private high school for years, with a tutor on weekends—it’s not cheap.”

“Stay out of this!” Lian Kewei shouted. “Let me tell you, this wretched girl was spoiled rotten by you two old fools after losing her parents. If I don’t straighten her out today, I’m not a Lian!”

She had no parents…

Her former little brother, now her uncle, actually said she had no parents…

Shi Xuezhen stepped forward, hands trembling around the rolling pin. “What are you saying! How can you claim Youyou has no parents? Do you even hear yourself? Do you think Youyou chose this? Your sister died young, and that bastard went off and started another family—what could Youyou do? If you’re so capable, go after that Fan guy, beat him up!”

Lian Youyou stared in disbelief at the man before her, raging and utterly devoid of composure—the more she looked, the more unfamiliar he seemed.

In her memory, Lian Kewei had always been a little spoiled but never so unreasonable. How had he become like this?

“You think I wouldn’t beat Fan Chi? If I ever run into him, I swear I’ll do it!” Lian Kewei threatened, and made as if to strike Lian Youyou again, only to be stopped by his wife.

“Wife, I just wanted to stand up for you when she talked back,” Lian Kewei muttered, respectful to his wife if not his parents. “Did you see how rude she was?”

He had never liked Lian Youyou, not since she was small. She’d lived off his parents, spending their money. If it weren’t for her, all that money would have been his!

After lecturing her husband enough, Lian Kewei’s wife turned back to Lian Youyou with a beaming smile. “Youyou, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Haohao’s future job prospects.”

While they quarreled, Lu Ming arrived at the house.

“Grandma, Grandpa, Happy New Year.” Arms full of gift bags, he stood tall in his coat at the inner doorway, a crisp chill lingering about him.

“Good, good, come in, sit down,” Shi Xuezhen said, quickly fetching him a chair.

“Haohao, this is Professor Lu Ming, who’s been helping your sister all these years, and now he’s her boyfriend,” Lian Changsheng said. “You should learn from him. Professor Lu skipped grades, graduated from Binhai University, then got into MIT for a dual doctorate. Young and accomplished!”

“Oh.” Haohao answered half-heartedly, head down, still playing his game and muttering, “Take that! You’re done for!”

Meng Jiao forced a smile. “Dad, how many people can get into MIT? Even getting into Binhai University is tough. And what’s the point of all those degrees? In the end, he’s just a teacher—how much can he make…”

Before she finished, her eyes landed on the gifts Lu Ming had brought—and couldn’t look away.

“Is that… Hermès’ latest limited-edition bag?”

“I noticed last time I visited that Grandma’s shopping bag was torn,” Lu Ming said calmly. “Grandma, you can use this for groceries now—it’s sturdier than cloth.”

…

Meng Jiao had coveted that bag for ages, but Hermès was simply too expensive; she could never bring herself to buy one.

Watching Meng Jiao’s face twist as if she’d swallowed a fly, Lian Youyou pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh.

What a subtle way to show off.

“Who else is here?” Shi Xuezhen heard barking in the courtyard and looked out. “Why is everyone coming today instead of waiting for New Year’s Day?”

The man who walked in darkened the faces of Lian Youyou and her grandparents.

Fan Chi, wearing sunglasses, entered with gifts, glancing awkwardly at the crowded room. He hadn’t expected so many people—he thought only Lian Youyou and her grandparents would be home.

“Brother-in-law! How many years has it been since you visited? You shouldn’t have brought gifts!” A moment ago, Lian Kewei had threatened to give Fan Chi a beating, but now he was all smiles and bows. “Really, you shouldn’t have.”

He took the gifts without hesitation, and Meng Jiao hurried to pour tea. “Brother-in-law, you should have called ahead. My parents don’t even have good tea.”

“No need for tea!” Shi Xuezhen brandished her rolling pin at Fan Chi. “Why are you here? Come to pay respects to Mengmeng’s photo? Get out! Now!”

Lian Kewei snatched the rolling pin away, scolding, “Mom, why are you getting so worked up? My brother-in-law hardly ever visits—why yell at him? My sister died in childbirth; it’s not his fault. I remember at the funeral, he wept so pitifully…”

“Did she really die in childbirth, or was there another reason?” Unable to stand her uncle’s hypocrisy, Lian Youyou tore off her apron and threw it on the table. “Apart from my mother, you and Qu Wuyan know best!”

Fan Chi didn’t get angry, just smiled ingratiatingly at Shi Xuezhen. “Mom, I know I’ve been too busy with work to care for Youyou. But she’s always had a place in my heart. She’s my first child, the eldest of the Fan family.”

It seemed Fan Chi, like Fan Xiaoyun, had shifted tactics—when force failed, he aimed to convince her grandparents instead.

“Too busy to care? Fan Chi, have you forgotten how long it’s been since you last visited?” Lian Changsheng reminded him. “It’s been seven years. Apart from when Youyou had appendicitis and you dropped by the hospital empty-handed, you haven’t visited once!”

Shi Xuezhen wept. “Fan Chi, do you know how hard Youyou’s life has been? When she had appendicitis, her stomach hurt so much she couldn’t stand, but she was afraid treatment would cost money, so she kept quiet all morning at school. She only told her teacher the truth after being scolded in gym class for being lazy. By the time we got her to the hospital, the doctor said if we’d been any later, her appendix would have burst! Fan Chi, do you even have the right to call her your child? Have you ever done your duty as a father for a single day?”

These things hadn’t happened to the current Lian Youyou, but hearing her mother recount them still made her eyes sting.

Lu Ming, who had been silent at her side since Fan Chi arrived, now took out a tissue and handed it to Shi Xuezhen. “Grandma, don’t dwell on sad things during the New Year.”

Lian Youyou listened in silence, her heart aching as if cut with a knife.

If she had known her daughter would endure so much suffering, she might never have brought her into the world.

Fan Chi had never fulfilled his duty as a father; nor had she, as a mother…

She felt deeply sorry for her child.

Lian Kewei acted like Fan Chi’s lackey, fawning over him and still making excuses. “Dad, Mom, it’s not fair to say he never came. When Youyou was little, my brother-in-law sometimes dropped by, but you never let him in. Remember, Mom? Once you chased him out with a kitchen knife. How could he dare come again?”

“Whose side are you on, Lian Kewei?” Lian Youyou demanded, then turned to Fan Chi. “Don’t say you were afraid to come. When you were courting my mother, Grandma didn’t approve either and always tried to send you away. But you came more often than anyone, didn’t you?”