“Filial support obligation?” she said with a laugh. “Since my father has a duty to support you, then you should just go down below and find him. Let him support you.”
After speaking, she got on her tricycle and left.
Only the Shen elderly couple were left standing there, completely bewildered in the wind.
“What did that unfilial thing just say?” Old Man Shen was so angry his chest hurt. “I’m going to die of anger.”
“How did the eldest son end up with something like that?” Old Lady Shen was also furious. “We haven’t even blamed her for killing the eldest, and she already dares to tell us to go underground? And she ran? She can run, but she can’t run from the house! Didn’t she say she’s renting outside now? Go ask around. I’ll move in directly and see if she dares not take care of me!”
“Old woman, you’re right. She must support us in our old age!”
Just now they had clearly seen that girl selling buns she must have made quite a bit of money.
If she wasn’t giving them money to show filial piety, was she planning to spend it on some man instead?
……
Shen Wei didn’t take the old couple seriously. As long as she had no moral burden, no one could use morality to bind her.
After taking a nap, she planned to go to the department store to pick out a gift for Nana.
Tomorrow was Nana’s birthday. Every year when Li Na celebrated her birthday, her parents would reserve a table at a state-run restaurant to treat guests.
Winter was approaching, so Shen Wei chose a thick red scarf with attached gloves. It was a bright festive red exactly the kind Nana liked.
The next day, she prepared slightly fewer buns. The Wu sister who had tried her plain buns on opening day hadn’t managed to buy any and was still a bit regretful.
“My family really loves your buns. The fillings are all the same, but yours are just tastier than anyone else’s!”
“Sister Wu, I’ll set some aside for you tomorrow,” Shen Wei said.
By now, they had become familiar with each other. Sister Wu’s family background was quite good her husband worked in a government office, and their life was very comfortable.
“Alright then, I’ll go buy groceries. I still have to make sweet and sour pork for my husband at noon.”
After Sister Wu left, Shen Wei went back, tidied up a bit, changed into a purple dress she had previously bought at the department store, and went to the state-run restaurant.
“Weiwei! Over here!” Li Na was waiting at the entrance.
“Nana, happy birthday!” Shen Wei handed her the scarf she had bought.
“Wow! Such a bright, festive color I love it!” Li Na linked her arm with Shen Wei’s as they walked inside. “Hurry up, I ordered your favorite braised pork today.”
As soon as Shen Wei entered, she saw Wang Qingsong a fair-skinned young man with a round face wearing glasses.
After some polite greetings, Wang Qingsong brought up the topic.
“Uncle, Auntie, my mother’s meaning is that she hopes I and Nana can settle things as soon as possible. You also know my grandmother’s health isn’t good, and we don’t know if she can make it through winter. If she could see her grandson’s wife, she would definitely be very happy.”
Li Na’s mother quite liked this future son-in-law. He was gentle and polite, and most importantly, filial which was very important.
If a person didn’t know how to be filial, what difference was there between them and an animal?
She was just about to agree when she felt her daughter lightly kick her foot.
Li Na’s mother quickly changed her thoughts, realizing that when it came to her daughter’s marriage, her daughter’s own opinion mattered most, so she said, “Our family only has Nana as our daughter, so we’ll listen to her in everything.”
If Wang Qingsong had said this a week earlier, Li Na would probably have agreed. But hearing him start every sentence with “my mother” reminded her of what Shen Wei had once called it “mama’s boy.”
She couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of dislike.
“Let’s eat first. Today is my birthday. We can talk about other things later.”
Wang Qingsong was slightly surprised by Li Na’s reaction. Although he was a bit unhappy inside, he still smiled and agreed, “Right, it’s Nana’s birthday today. Happiness comes first.”
Li Na picked up a piece of braised pork for Shen Wei and, taking the opportunity, leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “If you hadn’t pointed it out before, I wouldn’t have noticed but Wang Qingsong always says ‘my mom says’ every other sentence. He’s like a baby who hasn’t been weaned yet.”
She had just finished speaking when Wang Qingsong, on the other side, spoke again. “Nana, eat some spinach. My mom says women should eat more greens.”
Shen Wei couldn’t hold it in and almost laughed out loud.
……
Lu Cheng was on a blind date today.
Ever since Shen Wei had gone to their house and made a scene, turning the Lu family into a laughingstock, Lu’s mother had immediately started looking for another suitable daughter-in-law candidate.
Soon, she found one.
The girl was named Sun Xiaoxiao. She came from a remarried family and was said to have started washing clothes and cooking at the age of eight, taking care of her younger siblings. She was very hardworking.
As Lu Cheng brought her past a state-run restaurant, he saw Shen Wei.
The girl had bright eyes and white teeth, and the purple dress she wore made her look like a refined figure from a poster.
In the past, he had really misjudged Shen Wei.
A martyr’s daughter dressing like a rich capitalist’s young lady she truly didn’t know how to live properly.
Compared to Sun Xiaoxiao beside him, who was still wearing patched clothes, the difference was immediately obvious.
“Comrade Sun, shall I take you to eat at the state-run restaurant?” Lu Cheng asked.
Sun Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hands in panic. “No need, I’m not hungry, and I heard the food there is very expensive.”
Lu Cheng felt even more satisfied with her.
“It’s fine, I’ll treat you.”
To make Shen Wei realize that his blind date partner wasn’t irreplaceable, Lu Cheng deliberately took Sun Xiaoxiao to sit at the table directly across from Shen Wei.
As expected, Shen Wei noticed him quickly.
“Xiaoxiao, what do you want to eat? Just order anything,” Lu Cheng said generously, even shooting Shen Wei a provocative look.
Shen Wei couldn’t be bothered with him, but when she saw Sun Xiaoxiao, her gaze paused.
Sun Xiaoxiao was her elementary school classmate. Both were similarly introverted, and while they knew of each other, they were not friends.
She only remembered her as a girl as pitiful as herself.
Watching Sun Xiaoxiao act shy and restrained in front of Lu Cheng, Shen Wei felt like she was seeing her past self.
She had once thought this gentle man would pull her out of the fire pit but instead, she had jumped into an even deeper one.
Every girl desperate to marry usually didn’t come from a happy family background; human nature is to avoid harm and seek benefit.
In the end, Sun Xiaoxiao didn’t dare order anything and let Lu Cheng decide, who ordered her a bowl of three-ingredient noodles instead.
Sun Xiaoxiao was deeply moved. Since childhood, because of her ordinary looks and her mother’s remarriage, few people had treated her well. Lu Cheng was the first man who had been kind to her.
When the steaming bowl of noodles arrived, Sun Xiaoxiao asked softly, “Aren’t you eating?”
“I’ve already eaten. You eat,” Lu Cheng said gently.
Sun Xiaoxiao lowered her head shyly and began eating in small bites.
Shen Wei finished her meal but didn’t leave right away. She wanted to find a chance to say a few words to Sun Xiaoxiao.
Even if it made her seem meddlesome, she truly didn’t want Sun Xiaoxiao to follow the same path as she did in her past life.