Lin Jiangxue could not help frowning. “What kind of eldest sister are you? You don’t even have your own brother’s phone number?”
Chen Siyin replied helplessly, “If you had Chen Zimo’s contact information, why would you rush me back in such a hurry? I still have a pile of matters to handle at the company!”
The third sister, Chen Qingya, suddenly remembered something. “Half a month ago, Xiao Miao climbed up a tree and wouldn’t come down. None of you were home, so I told Chen Zimo to climb up and rescue the cat. Who knew that this useless country bumpkin was so clumsy that he dropped his phone into the pond? He even wanted me to help him. As if I would help him… So he doesn’t have a phone.”
Lin Jiangxue was dumbfounded, unable to believe what she had just heard. “He doesn’t even have a phone?”
Even Chen Tinghao, who had remained silent all along, showed a look of surprise.
Chen Siyin stared at Chen Qingya. “He helped you rescue the cat. His phone fell into the water. As his sister, didn’t you think of buying him a new one?”
Chen Qingya looked impatient. “Eldest Sister, I’m already annoyed by him. Why should I buy him a phone? He’s so useless that he drops his phone just climbing a tree. And he dares to speak ill of Zixuan? I’m not his sister. Besides, he gets 100,000 yuan in pocket money every month. Can’t he buy one himself? When has the Chen family ever lacked that little bit of money? If you ask me, isn’t he just trying to win our sympathy? Why not stop his pocket money? Once he has no money, he’ll naturally come back obediently.”
Chen Qingya had a temper and spoke harshly, but this suggestion unexpectedly gained everyone’s approval.
As long as he had no money, Chen Zimo would quickly return to the Chen family. Then…
Hearing this, the old butler, Uncle Zhang, who had been dozing beside them, suddenly trembled and became fully alert.
He cautiously said, “Master, Madam, Young Misses, Young Master Chen Zimo does not receive that much pocket money.”
“What?”
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
Uncle Zhang chose his words carefully. “The young masters and young ladies’ pocket money all goes through the family accounts, so I distribute it. As for Young Master Chen Zimo’s pocket money…”
He hesitated, then steeled himself and continued, “Young Master Chen Zimo only receives 300 yuan per month.”
“What?” Chen Qingya’s voice shot up so sharply it nearly startled the old butler into a heart attack. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! 300 yuan isn’t even enough for one-tenth of a face mask. What can that amount even do?”
Even Chen Tinghao, who rarely lost his composure, showed dissatisfaction. “My son only gets 300 yuan a month? How is that possible? Has my Chen family become so poor?”
Seeing their disbelief, Uncle Zhang’s lips twitched. He was old, yet had been ordered around late at night to search everywhere for Chen Zimo and stay up with them. Was it easy for him?
After calming his startled heart, he explained, “Master, Madam, when Young Master Chen Zimo returned home two years ago, you said he hadn’t received proper education outside and often mixed with dubious people. You were afraid giving him too much money would spoil him. At that time, Driver Old Wang came to pick up Master. Madam casually asked him how much pocket money he gave his grandson back in the countryside. When Madam learned that Old Wang gave his grandson 300 yuan a month, she decided that Young Master Chen Zimo would also receive 300 yuan. It has not changed in two years.”
Chen Tinghao and everyone else were stunned.
Old Wang’s hometown was in a remote rural area. There, a child receiving 300 yuan a month was considered fortunate.
But they were now in Huacheng, the provincial capital of Guangdong East!
Two people having morning tea could easily spend more than 300 yuan.
Lin Jiangxue frowned. “Uncle Zhang, that’s your negligence. It’s been two years. Couldn’t you have reminded me to raise his allowance?”
Uncle Zhang sighed. “Madam, I told you three times. But every time I mentioned increasing Young Master Chen Zimo’s pocket money, he would do something to anger you. The first time, he broke a vase worth over 100,000 yuan. The second time, when Miss Zhang came as a guest, you told Chen Zimo to hold the dog. The dog scratched your dress. The third time, half a year ago, you told him to pick up Fourth Miss. On the way, she was almost harmed by bad people. Fortunately, she was rescued. In anger, you and Master beat Young Master Chen Zimo until he was sent to the ICU. After that, you told me never to bring up increasing his allowance again.”
Only then did Lin Jiangxue remember and realize she had wrongly blamed the butler.
Chen Tinghao looked displeased and said to Lin Jiangxue, “No matter what, he is still my son. If outsiders found out my son only received 300 yuan a month, where would I put my dignity?”
Lin Jiangxue became irritated. “Chen Tinghao, you’ve never handled household matters. Now you want to intervene? Are you saying I managed this family poorly? Besides, if he had no money, couldn’t he ask you? Would you really refuse him that little allowance?”
Chen Tinghao froze. “I never gave him money?”
He then looked at Chen Siyin, Chen Qingya, and Chen Shuting.
Chen Qingya curled her lips. “My own allowance isn’t even enough. Why would I give money to that country bumpkin?” Get faster updates on g.com.
Seeing the other daughters shake their heads, Chen Tinghao frowned. “So he hasn’t had money for two years? How could you, as his sisters and mother, treat him like this? He is still of my Chen family blood!”
Silence fell over the room.
After a long moment, Chen Qingya said coldly, “He did it on purpose. That country bumpkin must have wanted to win our sympathy by staying silent. If his pocket money wasn’t enough, couldn’t he speak up? Besides, we provide him with food and clothing. What does he need money for? Ah, I see. No wonder his hands aren’t clean. Even if his allowance wasn’t enough, he shouldn’t steal and sell things from the house!”
Silence once again.
Chen Siyin frowned. She had once scolded and hit Chen Zimo for secretly eating her snacks from the refrigerator. More than once.
No wonder.
What snacks could 300 yuan buy?
Perhaps only the cheap five-mao spicy strips poor children ate.
Even so, stealing was still wrong.
Yet Chen Siyin felt something was off tonight, though she could not pinpoint what.
Finally, Lin Jiangxue said, “Go to sleep. Whether Chen Zimo deliberately cut ties to manipulate us or stole because he lacked pocket money, none of that excuses his behavior. When he can’t survive outside and comes back, I will properly discipline him. No manners, no etiquette. How can he be my son? As for the kidney transplant, we’ll talk about it when he returns.”
After a chaotic night, everyone was exhausted. They washed up and went to bed.
Only Chen Siyin lay awake, tossing and turning.
She had not openly opposed her parents earlier, yet she felt hollow inside.
She could not understand why.
“Chen Zimo doesn’t understand rules and has done so many wrong things that the whole family dislikes him. But he is still my biological brother. To give his kidney to the adopted son…”
Unable to figure it out, she stopped thinking about it.
She checked the time, then went downstairs to the kitchen. After searching for a long time, she could not find what she needed.
Frowning, she woke Aunt Zhang. “Aunt Zhang, where is my medicinal millet porridge? Was Zixuan too upset today and didn’t prepare it for me?”
A stiff expression appeared on Aunt Zhang’s wrinkled face. She opened her mouth as if to speak but held back.
“Young Miss, if you want medicinal millet porridge, I can cook it now. It takes some time to simmer. You can eat some fruit first.”
Seeing her hesitation, Chen Siyin only frowned slightly and did not think much of it. She nodded and returned to her room to handle company matters.
More than half an hour later, Aunt Zhang brought the millet porridge. It indeed contained many herbs. Chen Siyin took one sip and immediately frowned.
“Aunt Zhang, why is your medicinal millet porridge completely different from what Zixuan makes? It’s been over a year. Haven’t you learned anything from him? What kind of work are you doing?”
Aunt Zhang was old and already suffered from mild neurasthenia. Being woken in the middle of the night to cook porridge had left her impatient.
If not for the relatively high salary from the Chen family, she would not serve this group of ungrateful people.
“Young Miss, I’m afraid you will never taste that medicinal millet porridge again.”
“Huh?”
Chen Siyin looked puzzled.
Aunt Zhang felt resentment. For two years she had watched Young Master Chen Zimo’s obedience and kindness. She had long been upset about how they drove him away.
What a good child he was.
He helped her with chores and always smiled even when beaten or scolded, never throwing a young master’s tantrum.
Unlike the adopted son, who acted obedient before the family but arrogant before servants.
Half a year ago, she had been slapped by Chen Zixuan because he slipped on a wet floor she had just mopped.
At her age, old enough to be his grandmother, she had been slapped and could not fight back.
Thinking of this, Aunt Zhang could not hold back.
“Young Miss, why do you think the millet porridge was made by Young Master Zixuan? Haven’t you noticed anything over the past year? Or do you simply assume only Young Master Zixuan would do such a thing?”
She looked at Chen Siyin, whose eyes were filled with confusion.
“Wasn’t it Zixuan?”
“Young Miss, you really didn’t know? For more than a year, it was Young Master Chen Zimo who cooked the millet porridge every night. And today, you drove him out of the Chen family. So you will never taste it again.”
She sighed. “He spent over an hour every night carefully making that porridge for you. He persisted for more than a year. Yet you credited someone else. How cold must his heart have been? Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but we servants all think that leaving the Chen family might be a good thing for Young Master Chen Zimo.”
Realizing she had spoken too much, Aunt Zhang covered her mouth. “Young Miss, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to sleep.”
Even after she left, Chen Siyin remained stunned.
“For more than a year, every bowl of millet porridge was made by Chen Zimo? How is that possible? How could it be that clumsy, ill-mannered Chen Zimo who never learned from his mistakes? And Zixuan had no reason to lie to me. Why did Aunt Zhang say the servants think his leaving is a good thing?”
She remembered that after eating the porridge for some time, her stomach problems had improved.
She had praised Zixuan then. He only smiled, neither admitting nor denying.
Could it be?
But Chen Zimo had already left. Aunt Zhang had no reason to lie.
Chen Siyin had graduated from university, studied MBA in the United States for a year, then returned to Chen Group. To earn recognition, she started from the bottom, working tirelessly day and night, doubling the company’s market value from 10 billion yuan to 20 billion yuan.
In such a large Chen family, with only an adopted son and a biological son who had been lost, she, as the eldest sister, had to shoulder everything.
Long-term high-intensity work had left her stomach in constant pain.
When the biological son returned, she feared losing the recognition she had worked so hard for.
That was why she disliked Chen Zimo.
Now confusion filled her eyes.
“Who actually made the millet porridge? I’ll see tomorrow. Maybe Zixuan will make it for me again.”