After the funeral ended, while the deceased passed, the living still had to face life’s daily trials. Zeng Yu’s elder brothers and sisters stayed at the university guesthouse, never setting foot in their old home again. That place held their memories of the past, but now only contained traces of their father’s life with another woman. Their birth mother had long since been erased like footprints on a beach washed away by waves. Everyone now regarded that usurping woman as Professor Zeng’s widow – no one remembered the original Mrs. Zeng anymore, except for them.
They arranged to meet with Xunxun and her mother through Zeng Yu to discuss the distribution of Professor Zeng’s inheritance face-to-face. Sister Yanli refused to attend. In her view, she was still their stepmother, and they should personally visit her home if they had matters to discuss – this was basic respect. Moreover, in her mind, there wasn’t even a question of “distribution.” Whatever her husband left behind naturally belonged to her, and no one could take it away.
Sister Yanli didn’t understand the law. While she could remain stubborn and naive, Xunxun couldn’t afford to be so optimistic. The house where Professor Zeng lived with Sister Yanli was purchased before their marriage and was joint property with his previous wife. After marrying Sister Yanli, under pressure from his children, Professor Zeng never added her name to the property deed. In other words, the home Sister Yanli considered hers had little to do with her. Even if she pursued her rightful interests through legal channels, she would likely end up with very little. Professor Zeng’s children from his previous marriage could unite to force her out.
In the end, Xunxun represented her mother in “negotiations” with her step-siblings. Xunxun apologized again for past events and tried to explain that while Sister Yanli may have been wrong years ago, in the fifteen years since marrying into the Zeng family, she had fulfilled her duties as a wife and cared for Professor Zeng until his final day. She hoped they would consider Professor Zeng’s feelings and show mercy, if not for the person then for the Buddha’s sake, at least allowing Sister Yanli to have a peaceful life after losing her husband.
[Continuing the translation faithfully through the rest of the chapter, maintaining consistent characterization, cultural context, and narrative flow…]
Zeng Yu’s siblings remained unmoved, standing firm in their position that Sister Yanli should only get what she legally deserved. They were willing to forgo all funeral expenses and pension money, only asking for the return of their parent’s house. If Sister Yanli insisted on living there, they could make some concessions considering her marriage to their father – she would need to surrender all of Professor Zeng’s pension money in exchange for the house she was accustomed to but didn’t own.
As soon as these terms were presented, Xunxun knew they wouldn’t work. With Sister Yanli’s temperament, she would rather die than move out but asking her to give up the pension she’d already received would be like asking for her life. Zeng Yu’s siblings said if Sister Yanli wasn’t satisfied with their terms, they could meet in court and let the law make a fair judgment.
Their confidence in saying this surely came from knowing a legal battle would only benefit their side. Xunxun felt disheartened, realizing they weren’t after money – the pension meant little to them. They were seeking justice for their mother who died with grievances, having waited abroad for over a decade for this day. She understood she couldn’t convince them anymore and could only hope they would grant some time until after the New Year when her divorce settlement house’s lease expired, so she could persuade Sister Yanli to move in with her.
Finally, Zeng Yu, who had remained silent during the discussion, spoke up. She told her siblings she would transfer the house their father had put in her name to them if they would stop pushing people to desperate measures.
Her siblings were deeply disappointed, asking their little sister if she had forgotten who gave birth to her and who had torn their family apart.
Zeng Yu replied that she only knew that no matter how many houses they reclaimed, no matter if Sister Yanli was left with nothing, the dead wouldn’t come back to life, and the past would remain the past.
After a long standoff, both sides made concessions. Zeng Yu transferred her house to her siblings, while the house where Sister Yanli currently lived would be jointly owned by her and Zeng Yu. Sister Yanli would have no right to sell the house but could live there as long as she lived.
On the way back, Zeng Yu accompanied Xunxun part of the way, remaining silent, but Xunxun understood her pain. They were her blood relatives – with Professor Zeng gone, they were her closest family. Though the siblings hadn’t had many chances to meet over the years, they maintained close feelings, with her older siblings always doting on their little sister and keeping each other in their thoughts. Now their relationship was strained because of outsiders.
Xunxun thanked her, feeling the word “thanks” was too light.
But Zeng Yu said, “I never considered that house mine. You and I both know if my father had lived longer, he would have arranged for your mother’s future. He would certainly have left that house to her. What I’m doing now is just fulfilling his wishes.”
Xunxun replied, “Regardless, there’s no reason you should lose out because of my mother. In a few months, when the market improves, I’ll sell my small house and give you the money. Though it’s not enough, at least I’ll feel better.”
Zeng Yu mocked, “You – your problem is you think everything through too clearly, divide everything too precisely. I’m willing to take the loss; what’s it to you? Besides, how can you compare with me? I’m a modern career elite, while you’re an unfortunate divorced, unemployed woman. Losing that house is like cutting my hair – it’ll grow back in a few years. But you selling your house and giving me the money is like losing a limb. That’s being crippled, understand?”
Xunxun could only bow her head and smile bitterly, knowing Zeng Yu’s temperament too well, with many things remaining unsaid.
“Don’t be too grateful to me; rather, I should thank your mother for accompanying the old man through his final days. But I’ll be frank – after this time, I’ve fulfilled my obligations. If she faces more troubles in the future, she can’t count on me anymore. In the end, it’ll all fall on you. I advise you to think more about yourself.”
After the seventh day of mourning, Xunxun seriously began looking for work. Though she wasn’t immediately desperate for money, she couldn’t and wouldn’t stay in a home with just Sister Yanli. Having lost her partner and support, Sister Yanli became anxious and agitated. She stopped dancing and barely left the house, doing nothing but sighing and finding every excuse to vent, with Xunxun, being closest to her, becoming the primary target. Xunxun was blind to marrying Xie Pingning, foolish to leave him, degrading herself by having an affair with Chi Cheng, and deserved her fate for not ending up with Chi Cheng after the divorce. One day, Xunxun returned from grocery shopping to find Sister Yanli sitting in the downstairs garden playing with a neighbor’s grandchild. The neighbor’s wife saw Xunxun and praised Sister Yanli’s good fortune, saying daughters were still considerate and dutiful.
Sister Yanli snorted, saying having a daughter was great misfortune – losing money and reputation wasn’t enough, but after divorce, she returned home to become a burden.
Xunxun thought to herself that she’d been back home less than twenty days, never missing her share of food expenses, yet had become such a despised presence. If more time passed and their resources dwindled, who knew how Sister Yanli would portray her?
Knowing her situation, Zeng Yu offered to let her stay at her place for a while. Xunxun couldn’t bring herself to trouble Zeng Yu further, especially since Zeng Yu frequently associated with Lian Quan. She declined and instead focused more urgently on finding work, waiting for the tenant’s lease to expire so she could move to her place.
After graduating, Xunxun worked for three years and then spent three years as a housewife. Returning to the workforce, she discovered it was more difficult than being a fresh graduate. With the same educational background, employers preferred recent graduates, finding it easier to shape a blank canvas than to work with a used draft. Her professional skills, though not completely lost, had grown rusty. Moreover, at twenty-eight or twenty-nine, prime age for marriage and childbearing, many large companies believed women at this age would have reduced enthusiasm for work, fearing they would have to accommodate marriage leave, maternity leave, and endless personal matters after hiring such an employee.
Xunxun was attractive, but not beautiful enough to cloud employers’ judgment, and she was past her prime years. Her education was solid but not outstanding. Companies interested in her appearance completely ignored her professional skills, wanting her merely as an office ornament, while those focused on professional qualifications felt they could find better candidates. She felt like a rejected dish – useless but hard to discard.
Just as she was hesitating, a former colleague offered hope. Her former office colleague had become the financial director of another large company and said they planned to add a cost accounting position. He knew Xunxun’s accounting abilities and attention to detail well, but there was only one position, and upper management favored a recent graduate with a master’s degree from a prestigious university. Through her former colleague’s mediation, the company agreed to hire both Xunxun and the graduate for a two-month trial period before deciding who would stay.
Xunxun cherished this hard-won opportunity. The large company had a good industry reputation and excellent benefits. If she could successfully secure the position, it would be a blessing amid misfortune. The day before officially reporting for work, Zeng Yu even canceled her “weekly date” with Lian Quan to help her buy new professional attire. Under Zeng Yu’s “high standards and strict requirements,” two outfits made Xunxun’s heartache, deeply feeling how quickly prices had risen. Her pitiful savings probably wouldn’t last as long as she had imagined.
Putting on a pencil skirt and high heels to work in an office building felt like a different lifetime. Xunxun resolutely began her probation period. Her competitor was a 25-year-old female graduate student, still carrying the fresh arrogance and artistic air from campus, though fairly easy to get along with, always addressing her as “Sister Xunxun.” Xunxun worked diligently at her assigned tasks, never arriving late or leaving early, treating every colleague kindly, and completing work assigned by superiors ahead of time even if it meant overtime, allowing no room for error. She left early and returned late each day, busy constantly. As Sister Yanli put it, anyone would think she was researching rockets for the country.
After working for over a month, as the trial period neared its end, her supportive former colleague invited her out after work. Sitting in the revolving restaurant on top of the building, with faint piano music playing, her colleague praised her performance over this period, and Xunxun repeatedly expressed gratitude. Somehow, the topic shifted to life, marriage, and family. The now-successful male colleague spoke of his superficial relationship with his wife, suddenly sighing: “Three years ago, I never imagined you would quietly resign to get married. Later, I often thought, if I had been braver then, might we have had a chance?”
He said this in a joking tone, and Xunxun still maintained a smile but slowly put down her cutlery.
When her colleague noticed her silence, he gently touched her hand with concern. “Xunxun, I heard you’re divorced…”
Xunxun quickly withdrew her hand. He was not one to be inappropriate and swiftly changed the topic. The rest of the meal passed pleasantly enough.
However, after that night, Xunxun began looking for new job opportunities again. Zeng Yu said she was too sensitive, that some mild flirtation between male and female colleagues was manageable, and no reason to be so pessimistic.
A week later, as the trial period ended, her colleague invited her for another talk, this time in the director’s office. Xunxun sat at the far end of the spacious desk, listening to him sigh regretfully, saying that with her professional skills, if she hadn’t resigned back then, she would surely be a senior professional by now. But she had inexplicably wasted several years and missed the timing for certification examinations, which was truly unfortunate… Xunxun understood and returned to her temporary desk to pack her things. Before leaving, the female graduate student seemed somewhat sad, hesitating before simply calling out “Sister Xunxun…” Xunxun said nothing, just smiled – a loss was a loss.
By coincidence, on the bus ride home, Xunxun unexpectedly received a call from another company she had applied to. This was one of her backup plans after returning from the revolving restaurant. They informed her that after reviewing her resume, they found her suitable for their finance position and asked her to come for an interview the next day.
Xunxun tried to recall all the details about that company. She had indeed submitted her resume on a job website a few days ago, but it was just one of many applications she had cast into the sea of opportunities. If she remembered correctly, this was a local office newly established by a well-known domestic enterprise, still in its early stages – which meant her chances might be better. Xunxun had only been hoping for luck, never expecting to get a response. She felt both joy and sorrow, marveling at life’s dramatic turns.
Arriving home and just opening the door with her key, Xunxun heard Sister Yanli’s long-absent laughter, accompanied by the fragrant smell of hot food. This was a treatment Xunxun hadn’t enjoyed for a long time. Since starting work, she had no time for housework, and Sister Yanli had no interest in cooking. Xunxun usually ate out after work, often bringing back takeout for her mother.
“See, she’s back. I told you it would be her,” Sister Yanli called out.
Xunxun stopped at the entrance because she saw an uninvited guest sitting on the sofa. Over the past month, Chi Cheng had called her several times. Initially, she had dealt with him briefly, but as things got busier, she blocked his number, finally gaining some peace. Now, he sat on Sister Yanli’s sofa, holding Xunxun’s usual cup, as comfortable as if he owned the place.
Sister Yanli was beaming, with an exquisite jewelry box on the coffee table in front of her. When she saw Xunxun, she proudly displayed its contents to her daughter.
“Come, daughter, help me see which clothes look best with these earrings?”
Xunxun couldn’t help but look at the earrings twice, mainly because their golden color was so eye-catching. Rather than believing this was Chi Cheng’s taste, she was more inclined to think he was cleverly playing to her mother’s preferences.
Sister Yanli held the earrings against her earlobes, and Xunxun truly feared her mother’s ears might separate from her body under their heavy weight.
“Do they look good?”
“They’re nice, but it’s year-end now. Aren’t you worried about wearing something so eye-catching and getting robbed?”
Sister Yanli sullenly put the earrings back in their box and said to Chi Cheng, “Didn’t I warn you? My daughter never thinks of anything positive. Isn’t it frustrating?”
Chi Cheng smiled without speaking.
Xunxun said bluntly to Chi Cheng, “I told you to stop pestering me. Why did you come to my home?”
Chi Cheng exchanged a helpless look with Sister Yanli, as if saying, “See? This is her temperament.”
“I invited him,” Sister Yanli looked at her daughter. “I’ve been wanting to find a chance to thank Chi Cheng. When your uncle was sick and passed away, he helped a lot. Where are your manners? Is this how I taught you to treat guests when you were young? Even someone three years younger than you is more mature and sensible.”
Xunxun’s face alternated between red and white, especially at Chi Cheng’s smile, which seemed to mock her for once again misreading the situation.
“Xunxun, don’t blame me for interfering, but you’re in the wrong here. Did you forget today is Auntie’s fifty-first birthday? No matter how busy you are, you shouldn’t neglect family.”
Xunxun smiled self-mockingly. Others might not know, but she knew well. Sister Yanli’s parents had many children, and when she was born, she wasn’t given much attention, to the point that no one remembered exactly which day she came into this world, only knowing it was roughly in winter. Even the birth date on her ID card was randomly reported back then. So when Professor Zeng was still alive, Sister Yanli would celebrate one birthday according to her ID card date and another according to the day she remembered. As for which day she remembered as her birthday, that depended entirely on her preference – whichever day she said was her birthday became her birthday.
Sister Yanli surprisingly tried to smooth things over, “Never mind, children are all debts, it doesn’t matter if they forget. You must be tired, come eat.”
Xunxun had a splitting headache and mumbled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know today was such an important day. I already ate outside before coming back, you two enjoy!”
“You can still eat a bit more. Xunxun, why so formal?” Chi Cheng stood up and walked to her side.
Xunxun wanted to slap him. He appeared so brazenly in her home and had the nerve to tell her not to be formal!
“No thanks.” She walked toward her room. Sister Yanli noticed what she was carrying and asked curiously, “Oh, did you get fired?”
Xunxun replied wearily, “Don’t worry, I’m just changing jobs.”
She closed her door but could still faintly hear Sister Yanli complaining to Chi Cheng: “With her uncle gone, there’s no income source at home now, and jobs aren’t easy to find, yet she’s still being picky…” She kicked off her shoes, not even bothering to change clothes, and fell onto the bed, covering her head completely with the blanket, ostrich-like, hoping to isolate herself from the outside world.
After a while, just as she was beginning to feel some peace, Xunxun felt the mattress sink slightly. Before she could react, someone lifted a corner of her blanket. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chi Cheng sitting casually on her bed.
Xunxun couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a pillow to hit him. This had been her bed since her teenage years, no man had ever sat on it – not Professor Zeng, not even Xie Pingning. Who did he think he was, so brazenly entering and invading her most private space?
Chi Cheng awkwardly dodged the forceful pillow hits before finally grabbing it away. His hair was slightly disheveled, though, of course, Xunxun knew she wasn’t looking very elegant either.
“What are you doing? If you won’t let people slap your face, you won’t let them hit your head either? Why don’t you just buy a safe and lock yourself in it?” Xunxun was furious. “Get out and go sing happy birthday!”
Chi Cheng said, “Your hidden side is quite violent…” He dodged another pillow attack and laughed, “Zhao Xunxun, do you want to have three hundred rounds of bed warfare with me?”
The shameless are fearless, and the utterly despicable are invincible! Xunxun had no way to vent her frustration, so she kicked the blanket hard and covered her face with a loud wail. She finally understood why so many women enjoyed throwing tantrums – they were forced into it with no other options, and it felt much better than maintaining dignity and grace.
Chi Cheng stopped pushing her to the limit and stood up, returning her space. “Alright, enough teasing. I’m just worried about you. You’ve lost weight, and your complexion is as bad as an old woman’s. Why make yourself so miserable? You don’t welcome me, so there’s no point in staying. But there is one thing I’d like to ask of you.”
He pulled away her hands covering her face, and she saw a shiny new door key dangling before her.
“Now that the company is on track, I’ve moved out of the hotel and just found a place to settle down. I don’t have many people I can trust here, and I tend to lose things. Keep this key for me – if I ever get locked out, I’ll have a spare.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Xunxun flatly refused.
“Do you hate me so much that you won’t leave any room for possibility?” Chi Cheng said helplessly. “If I had anyone else I could trust with this, I wouldn’t have to trouble you.”
“I’d be a fool to believe you. What about your cousin?”
“I told you he’s a bastard!”
“Isn’t there someone in the living room who instantly became your cross-generational friend?”
Chi Cheng forced open her hand and placed the key in her palm. “You’d be underestimating me if you think I’d casually give out my key to anyone. When I say I only trust you, I mean only you.”
Xunxun immediately threw the key onto the floor. Chi Cheng’s expression changed, and she almost thought he would get angry, but after staring at her silently for a few seconds, he bent down to pick up the key and placed it back on her bedside table.
“I do like you quite a lot, but not as desperately as you imagine. If our roles were reversed and you considered me the most trustworthy person in this city, I would cherish that trust, unrelated to desire. But I doubt you have such a person in your heart.” He fiddled with the key, “Your strong rejection of it – could it be that you’re afraid you won’t be able to control yourself one day and use this key to open my door?”
Seeing Xunxun about to lose her temper again, Chi Cheng quickly knew when to stop, leaving the key and turning to leave. At the door, he smiled again. “One last thing, honestly! If you ever change your mind, you have the key. You can use it to open that door anytime, as long as I’m still in this city, any time at all.”
Chi Cheng left without eating dinner. After seeing him off, Sister Yanli walked into her daughter’s room, leaning against the doorframe while eating the birthday cake Chi Cheng had brought, saying, “Know when to stop – if you overdo it, you might scare him away, and then you’ll have plenty to cry about.”
Xunxun smiled bitterly, “What would I have to cry about? Just over two months ago, you said he was flirtatious and younger than me, that such men couldn’t be relied upon.”
“Different times call for different words.”
“I never wanted to be with him at any time!”
“If you didn’t want to be with him, how did Xie catch you in the act? These things, thinking about them too much lead to trouble! Like when I was young, I could have married anyone, but ended up with your good-for-nothing dead father, suffering half my life. Wake up! Mom’s been through it all, I don’t want you following my path. He’s well-off, attentive to you, and interested in you – I can’t even understand why. While he’s still interested, quickly settle things. You’re not an eighteen or twenty-year-old maiden anymore, you’re divorced, though fortunately without children – that’s a hundred times better than when I had you. With your uncle gone, we two women have no strong support. Who else can I count on in my latter years besides you? That Chi Cheng boy is quite sensible…”
Xunxun thought to herself: Whether he was sensible or not was debatable, but his money certainly was.