Zhai Qing seemed quite accustomed to her mother’s accusations, her expression remaining calm.
“So, how is it? She is not exploiting you, is she?” Zhai Wen asked, giving Cheng Luo a meaningful wink.
“No, no,” Cheng Luo shook her head quickly, stealing a glance at the person beside her. “Senior is actually quite good to me.”
“That is good, then.” Zhai Wen turned back to Zhai Qing, her expression becoming serious. “That dead old man, your father, actually contacted me a few days ago. He asked if you had a girlfriend.”
Zhai Qing asked nonchalantly, “How did you answer him?”
“I told him a load of nothing! That old man did not care about you when you were little, and now he shows up trying to act all attentive. Who does he think he is!”
This was the first time Cheng Luo had seen Zhai Wen so agitated. Zhai Qing quickly offered a few soothing words of comfort.
“You are not allowed to go see him either! Stay away from that whole family; none of them are normal!” Zhai Wen added.
“Alright, alright,” Zhai Qing agreed immediately. After chatting for a while, Zhai Wen returned to the field to continue practicing with her colleagues.
“Why are you standing there like a fool?” Zhai Qing walked a few steps before realizing Cheng Luo was still standing in place.
“Ah, Senior, I just spaced out for a second.” Cheng Luo walked quickly to catch up. “Are we leaving now?”
Zhai Qing looked ahead. Instead of answering the question, she brought up her parents.
“My parents divorced very early. For as long as I can remember, I lived with my mother. It was not until the day after the college entrance examination that I met my father for the first time.”
Cheng Luo could hear that her tone was much lower than usual. She stood beside her in silence, but the way she looked at Zhai Qing carried a hint of heartache.
“The first time I met him, he took me to the ancestral house. There were many people, and everyone inside looked at me just like you are now.” At this point, Zhai Qing looked at Cheng Luo helplessly. “You do not need to look at me so solemnly. My life is very good.”
Cheng Luo looked at her with a flustered expression, not knowing what face to make. However, seeing this, Zhai Qing’s lips curled up.
“Just keep that expression. It is silly and cute, very adorable.” As she spoke, she pinched the flesh on Cheng Luo’s cheek. Truthfully, Zhai Qing never understood why Cheng Luo ate quite a bit every day yet only had a little bit of softness on her cheeks. Her body was very slender, and her arms were so thin it made Zhai Qing nervous, as if they might accidentally snap one day.
Cheng Luo puffed out her cheeks in mock anger, only for Zhai Qing to ruthlessly pinch her lips together.
“Like a little hamster, haha!” Zhai Qing laughed unrestrainedly for a few moments before turning serious again. “Alright, stop messing around. I have not finished speaking.”
Cheng Luo thought: Who is the one messing around?
“Anyway, the way those people looked at me was full of pity.” Of course, some were full of disgust and disdain. “I found out later that those people were all my father’s relatives. The reason he brought me to the family gathering was to get a larger share of the inheritance in front of his father, my grandfather. As it turned out, his plan failed. The old man was even stingier than he was. Not only was there no inheritance, but during the meal, he was even afraid that an outsider of unknown origin like me would eat a few extra mouthfuls of his food.”
Cheng Luo frowned as she listened. “How can people be like that? Even a tiger does not eat its cubs.”
Zhai Qing did not know why she was telling her these things. However, seeing Cheng Luo’s indignant expression on her behalf, she felt a bit glad that these stories were useful. It made it feel as though that person who had been kicked out of the gathering before it even ended might not feel so bad after all.
“Let us go. Where do you want to go? I can accompany you anywhere. I will give you a paid half-day off today.”
“Huh? Is there not work to handle? Why are you walking so fast? Wait for me!” Cheng Luo did not have time to ask more and jogged to keep up with the person in front.
The two wandered around the campus for a long time. It was not until Zhai Qing sent Cheng Luo home that Cheng Luo realized she still did not know where the work they had agreed upon was. Cheng Luo still had a faint smile on her face as she pushed open the somewhat dilapidated gate, but the sight inside caused her smile to freeze.
The courtyard, which was usually kept fairly tidy, looked as if it had been ransacked. Everything had been thrown onto the ground. The small saplings that had been placed in the corner now had their roots exposed, lying lonely on the dirt. Cheng Luo bypassed the mess and hurried into the house.
Before she even pushed the door open, she saw through the glass that both her parents were home. Normally, her father would not have finished work yet. Cheng Luo’s heart sank as she entered the room.
“Mom, Dad, what happened? Was there a thief?” As she spoke, Cheng Luo noticed tears in her mother’s eyes, and there was a very obvious scratch on her father’s forehead. She said anxiously, “Did you call the police?”
This sentence instantly ignited her mother, who suddenly shouted, “What police! Do you want to kill your brother!”
Cheng Luo felt as if she had been hit over the head with a club. Her lips moved stiffly. “Oh, my brother. Then since nothing is wrong, I will go back to my room.” However, before she could turn around, she was called back.
“Stand still!” Her mother faced her now, wiping the tears from her eyes with a demeanor like someone interrogating a criminal. “What have you been doing since the holidays started, leaving early and returning late? I told you long ago to help your sister-in-law with the child. Now look at what has happened; your sister-in-law wants to divorce your brother!” The way her mother looked, it was as if Cheng Luo was the one who had broken them up.
Hearing this nonsensical blame, Cheng Luo felt a bit numb, even a bit relieved. After all, everything was always her fault in the end. She did not understand; they were both biological children. Was it impossible to be treated equally, or even just similarly? Why did she feel like an outsider whenever it concerned her brother?
Cheng Luo did not want to argue and said casually, “I went to an internship; I do not have time.” She wanted to go to her room, but before her mother could lash out, her father spoke up.
“Luo Luo, you are not a child anymore. You should contribute to the family. Your brother has run into some difficulties lately; help him out.”
“How can I help if his wife wants a divorce?” Cheng Luo countered.
“You must have saved quite a bit of money, right? Your sister-in-law is only divorcing him because of his outside debts. It will be fine if you just help him pay them off.”
Cheng Luo wanted to laugh when she heard this. After her brother graduated, he tried to start a business like everyone else and ended up with a mountain of debt. When he could not pay it off himself, he went to their parents and drained their savings. Now, they were actually coming to her. Not a single person had contributed to her college living expenses.
“I have no money; I am still in school.” Cheng Luo said it flatly and escaped back to her room, closing the door to shut out the continuous stream of cursing from outside.
In truth, she had known for a long time that her parents preferred her brother. Since she was a child, she knew her birth was an accident. If they had not discovered the pregnancy so late, she probably would have been washed away like water. They would not have had to raise her for over a decade.
Cheng Luo pulled open the nightstand drawer, took out a pair of yellowed earphones, and put them in. Hugging her knees, she sat on the floor by the bed and took out her phone as a way to escape.
As soon as she turned it on, a message popped up.
[Senior: Are you home yet? Was today tiring? Soak your feet tonight; it will make you feel a bit better.]
Cheng Luo pursed her lips and began tapping away at the screen.
[cl: I am home. I am very happy today and not tired at all. Happy spinning.jpg]
Zhai Qing had just entered the house to change her shoes when her phone chimed. She threw her half-worn shoe on the floor and looked at her phone with a serious expression.
[Senior: As long as you are happy. By the way, what are you having for dinner? I will use it as a reference.]
[cl: Hotpot! Extremely spicy hotpot!]
Zhai Qing frowned after reading it.
[Senior: Do not eat extremely spicy food; it is bad for your stomach. Your nose runs if you eat even a little bit of chili. Just get mild, mild, mild, mild, mild spicy. Do not force yourself.]
Cheng Luo wanted to laugh when she saw that string of “milds.” If Zhai Qing had said it to her in person, it would have been hilarious, sounding like a stutter. As she thought about it, she laughed foolishly.
[cl: What is the point of mild, mild, mild, mild, mild spicy? Hotpot is only delicious if it is spicy.]
Zhai Qing immediately lost her composure. She kicked off the one slipper she had put on and stepped on the floor with her bare feet.
[Senior: Why do you not come out? I will take you for hotpot. I know a place that is not spicy but is especially delicious.]
Cheng Luo’s head was against the floor as she lay on her side, holding the phone with both hands, reading that sentence over and over again.
Her heart felt warm, as if she had already eaten the hotpot.
[cl: No thank you, Senior. I will not have hotpot tonight. Dinner is already made at home; I will just eat here.]
The screen went black before Zhai Qing snapped out of it. When she tried to walk inside, she realized something was wrong. Her feet were incredibly cold. She hurried to put on her slippers and stamped her feet a few times before she felt like she had come back to life.
For the rest of the evening, she practically never let go of her phone, afraid she might miss a single message. However, until she went to bed, there was never another message from that person.
The moment Cheng Luo entered the office today, Zhai Qing noticed something was wrong. “What happened to your foot? Why are you limping?”
Cheng Luo’s complexion was not very good. She looked at her helplessly. “I only realized this morning that I have a large blister on my foot. It hurts every time I walk.”
Zhai Qing started to get up to help her, but Cheng Luo was faster, hopping along quite energetically on one leg. “No need to help; it is just a few steps.”
Zhai Qing walked over to her anyway. “Why did you not take the day off? How did you get here this morning? Why did you not call me to pick you up?”
“I saw that I could still walk on one leg, so I did not want to take a day off. Do not worry, I did not walk here this morning; I took the subway. It is just that the injury is too hidden, so no one offered me a seat. As for you picking me up, that would be too much trouble for you.” Cheng Luo spoke very sincerely.
“Take off your shoe and let me see. If I had known, I would not have walked for so long yesterday. Is it serious?” As she spoke, she actually crouched down, intending to take off Cheng Luo’s shoe herself.
Cheng Luo was startled and quickly pulled her foot away. “No, no need! I already applied medicine. There really is no need to take off the shoe to look!”