Liu Yong’s family rarely cooked at home. Despite living next door, they would cook dinner at home but spend their days at Xia Xiaolan’s house. The whole family was quite lively there, chatting and laughing while helping in the kitchen. Li Fengmei hadn’t expected Liu Fang to show up.
The second day of the Lunar New Year was meant for visiting the graves of Xia Xiaolan’s maternal grandparents, and the offerings had been prepared well in advance.
Unexpectedly, Liu Fang arrived with the Liang siblings. Liu Yong’s face darkened as he tried to close the door, but Liu Fang placed her hand on the doorframe.
“Quick, give New Year’s greetings to your Uncle!”
Liang Huan was visibly uncomfortable, but Liang Yu, being the more sincere child, said, “Uncle, I miss my cousin. Where’s Taotao?”
Liu Yong couldn’t close the door after that.
Liang Yu had visited last year and had played well with his cousin Liu Zitao. Even after a year, he still thought about Liu Zitao. Liu Yong couldn’t be too harsh in front of the children. Liang Huan took after her mother, while Liang Yu’s personality resembled neither Liu Fang nor anyone from the Liang family.
“Taotao is out playing. Would you like to wait inside and watch TV while Uncle finds him?”
Of course, that was fine.
No child could resist the allure of television. Liang Huan called out “Uncle” and followed inside.
Liu Yong’s house was clean but as run-down as it had been the previous year.
Liang Huan secretly grimaced, thinking Liu Yong and Li Fengmei were too stingy. With “Blue Phoenix” doing such good business and making decent money, they hadn’t even bothered to renovate or build a new house.
Like the neighbor’s newly built house she’d just seen – it was quite nice for a village home. Couldn’t her Uncle afford to build one like that?
At least they’d bought a large color TV this year; otherwise, Liang Huan would have died of boredom in the countryside.
Liang Huan had expected to see Xia Xiaolan and had dressed particularly well for the occasion, not wanting to be outshone. The journey to the village had been difficult – without her father’s car, the three of them had to take buses from Hedong County to Anqing, then from Anqing City to the village.
With snow on the ground, Liang Huan had wrapped her leather boots in newspaper to keep them clean during the walk.
After dressing up so nicely, not seeing Xia Xiaolan left her feeling frustrated, like punching into cotton.
After letting the Liang siblings in, Liu Yong blocked Liu Fang at the doorway:
“What are you doing here? It’s New Year’s – don’t upset everyone!”
Liu Fang was furious. Previously, she’d been the one unwilling to visit her family, but now that she wanted to return, Liu Yong was rejecting her.
“Brother, I don’t care if you take Second Sister’s side – you’ve always favored her anyway. But it’s the second day of the New Year, surely I can come home to pay respects at our parents’ graves?”
If Liu Yong were being completely unreasonable, he could have forbidden Liu Fang from the grave-sweeping – after all, he was the son of the Liu family, while Liu Fang was a married-out daughter.
And she accused him of favoritism! Between his two sisters – one kind and honest, the other shrewd and cruel – how could Liu Yong not show favoritism?
His hand itched to reach for the carrying pole behind the door.
“Fine, fine, fine. Pay your respects and then leave! I don’t have such a shameless sister. You truly became a Liang family member, determined to be their perfect daughter-in-law. For Liang Bing’an’s promotion and fortune, you’d even sell out your niece!”
Liu Fang felt indignant.
If she’d known Xia Xiaolan had found herself a good match, she wouldn’t have tried matchmaking.
She hadn’t gained any advantage and only brought trouble upon herself, even affecting her husband. The mere mention of this matter filled Liu Fang with regret.
“I was wrong, Brother, I truly was wrong. Can we not bring this up?”
Xia Xiaolan hadn’t suffered any real harm, but the Liang family had faced serious consequences. Liu Fang thought it was an overreaction – no one had been hurt! But she dared not voice these thoughts openly. For Liang Huan’s sake, and her husband’s, she had to keep pretending!
The commotion between Liu Yong and Liu Fang was audible next door. Not only did Li Fengmei hear it, but Xia Xiaolan did too.
Her aunt seemed to have grown smarter.
Life had probably taught her some lessons. Someone who had once been so arrogant now at least knew to verbally admit her mistakes – though it was just lip service. Mountains may move but nature rarely changes; Liu Fang’s personality, formed over decades, couldn’t transform completely.
Liu Fen naturally heard the commotion as well.
With Mayor Tang Hongwen still present, Liu Fen didn’t want to create a spectacle. But it was the second day of the New Year, and though Liu Fen wanted nothing to do with this sister anymore, she couldn’t stop her from coming to sweep their parents’ graves.
They shared both parents – that bond couldn’t be severed.
“What’s going on?” Mayor Tang couldn’t pretend not to notice.
Since arriving in Qijing Village, Tang Hongwen’s strongest impression had been of the hardships Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan had endured.
Now, even with Liu Yong as a small business owner and Xia Xiaolan as a university student, they still faced various troubles. He could hardly imagine what their lives had been like before.
Since Tang Hongwen had gotten involved, he would see it through.
With family embarrassment exposed, Liu Fen had no choice. She vaguely felt that her New Year’s Eve rejection had been ineffective, that Mayor Tang hadn’t given up his intentions. This wouldn’t do – Liu Fen needed Tang Hongwen to see the difference between them. She didn’t mind airing family grievances and explained Liu Fang’s despicable actions:
“…Fortunately, the marriage didn’t happen, or Xiaolan’s life would have been ruined.”
To the Liang family, Xia Xiaolan only had a pretty face, and marrying Fan Zhenchuan would have been marrying up. But Liu Fen knew her daughter had more ambition than other people’s sons, and didn’t need marriage to change her life – especially not to a scoundrel like Fan Zhenchuan!
Liu Fen always remembered Grandmother Yu’s words: one person’s honey is another’s poison. She would never forgive anyone who tried to use her daughter as a bargaining chip.
The memory still angered Liu Fen, but Tang Hongwen remained particularly calm. “No need to be angry. In the future, her aunt will be the one begging you and your daughter. When you’re in a good mood, you might favor her with a smile; when you’re not, you can ignore her. The better you live, the more unbearable it becomes for her.”
One could judge character by voice alone, and Tang Hongwen assessed Liu Fang’s nature with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy.
His words nearly made Liu Fen laugh.
Is Liu Fang begging her? She neither cared for nor could imagine such a thing.
But Tang Hongwen hadn’t said everything explicitly. Both Xia Xiaolan and Grandmother Yu understood his meaning – Liu Fang’s visit today was certainly to humble herself. Why humble herself? She was hoping to take advantage of Xia Xiaolan.
But Tang Hongwen’s words carried another meaning that even Li Fengmei caught.
Of course, Liu Fang would have to beg Fen in the future – if Fen agreed to be with Mayor Tang, given the Liang family’s obsession with official positions… Just thinking about it made Li Fengmei’s shoulders shake.
Xia Xiaolan was numb to it all. How could she not admire Tang Hongwen’s ability to say such things with a straight face?
“Mom, it’s fine. Let her sweep the graves. Our conflict with the Liang family shouldn’t affect our maternal grandparents. Aunt is their daughter; according to custom, she has the right to return for grave-sweeping.”
Next door, Liu Fang was still peering into the house:
“Where are Sister-in-law and Taotao?”
She hadn’t seen Xia Xiaolan or Second Sister Liu Fen either. It was the second day of the New Year – where could they all have gone?
Liu Yong pointed at the new house, “They’re having breakfast at Xiaolan’s place. But given your despicable actions, I don’t feel right going to Xiaolan’s house. Just wait here and leave after sweeping the graves.”
The new house next door belonged to Second Sister.
Liu Fang was stunned. Her brother was being too generous – still living in a run-down house himself but paying to build a new one for Second Sister?!