"Secretary Zhang?" Lin Haoyu reacted quickly.
"Keep it to yourself, don't say it out loud, Sixth Sister," Sun Shuhui pulled Lin Haoyu aside and cautioned. "This is the eldest branch's business. We'll just watch the show."
Lin Haoyu nodded, then asked, "Is Secretary Zhang Lin Kangzong's long-term girlfriend?"
Sun Shuhui let out a mocking laugh. "Girlfriend? Lin Kangzong has never once said Zhang Mengqi is his girlfriend. At best, she's his regular companion. It's just that Lin Kangzong and Zhang Mengqi have been seeing each other for years without a break. Lin Kangzong is just like your eldest uncle—full of wandering eyes, with more girlfriends than you can count. All the men in the Lin family are like this. Your father too—they all learned it from your grandfather—"
Lin Haoyu gave a small cough to remind Sun Shuhui not to get too carried away. Sun Shuhui immediately clamped her mouth shut, stood up straight with composure, and said that other members of the Lin family were fair game, but Lin Zhenhua was off limits.
"Mommy, how did you tell that Secretary Zhang has something going on? She's wearing really high heels—she doesn't look pregnant at all." Lin Haoyu thought back. Could Zhang Mengqi really be with child?
Sun Shuhui said, "When she saw me, she clutched her belly and then immediately let go. Her clothes and makeup are the same as before, but her demeanor and movements all point to it. Zhang Mengqi must be getting anxious. She's Lin Kangzong's classmate. He's twenty-seven this year—prime age for a man. But for a woman, that's nearly hitting the big three-oh. Zhang Mengqi has been tangled up with Lin Kangzong for years without leaving. It's impossible she has no designs. Unless she loves Lin Kangzong so much she's lost her mind."
This relationship was far too messy.
Lin Haoyu shook her head. "Zhang Mengqi doesn't seem like someone who'd lose her wits."
"Who cares what she's planning? There'll be good drama to watch from now on." Sun Shuhui was gleeful, practically wishing for chaos in the eldest branch.
Lin Haoyu had made up her mind to just be a spectator, so of course she chose to listen to Mommy. She knew nothing.
"Haoyu, why were you gone so long?" Xie Mingshan had been waiting for Lin Haoyu to come back.
Lin Haoyu said, "I was dawdling inside. Mingshan, Mommy and I are heading home. Are you waiting here for Mrs. Xie?"
Xie Mingshan looked disappointed. "Are you really not coming to hang out with me? I'll find someplace quieter."
"No, maybe next time." Lin Haoyu shook her head.
"Then you have to remember my home phone number and call me." Xie Mingshan gazed at Lin Haoyu's face with reluctance.
Lin Haoyu found it amusing and said to her, "Or you could go home and look in the mirror. You're beautiful too."
Xie Mingshan said happily, "I'll do what you say—I'll look in the mirror a lot at home. But we can't lose touch. If you won't call me, I'll call you."
On the way home, they passed several of Sun Shuhui's shops. Sun Shuhui pointed them out to Lin Haoyu with delight. "I rent these shops out to collect rent. I've hired someone to collect the rent for me every month."
Lin Haoyu looked out the window with enthusiasm every time. She noticed the shops were in prime locations and business wasn't bad at all, so she dutifully praised Mommy for having good taste and knowing how to make money grow.
Sun Shuhui was so happy her mouth couldn't close. "Mommy is teaching you now—hiring someone to collect rent has its own considerations. First, the person must be reliable and trustworthy…"
Lin Haoyu listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
One teaching, one learning—the mother and daughter were happy and perfectly in sync.
"Where's Haofei? Where did she run off to play this time? Why didn't you bring her back?" This time, Sun Fengyi had come looking for Lin Haofei yet again. When she didn't see Lin Haofei, her face instantly fell and her tone turned harsh.
Lin Haoyu thought of Lin Haofei and that yellow-haired man in sunglasses. She looked at Sun Fengyi's face—did this woman not know Lin Haofei had someone on the side?
"You can't even manage your own daughter—how dare I meddle? If Second Sister-in-law thinks Haofei doesn't listen to you, then you'd better keep a proper eye on her instead of taking your temper out on me and Sixth Sister. You're not my mother." Sun Shuhui shot back immediately.
Sun Fengyi's face turned ashen.
"Second Sister-in-law, this is your Haofei's dress. Since you're here, take it back and save me another trip. You'd better check it carefully. I'm returning this dress to Haofei exactly as it was—don't go saying I carelessly damaged Haofei's dress. I don't have that kind of malicious heart." Sun Shuhui never missed a chance to needle Sun Fengyi.
Sun Fengyi was choked speechless. "Now, now, Fourth Sister-in-law, I never said you had any malicious heart. You're overthinking it."
Sun Shuhui sneered. "I'm not overthinking. I'm just afraid someone with a vicious heart might try to harm me. After all, when others scheme against you, you can never be too careful."
Sun Shuhui had suffered a great loss at Sun Fengyi's hands over a dress in her younger days. She truly hadn't wanted to help Lin Haofei, but not bringing the dress back would make her seem petty as an elder. Now that Sun Fengyi had walked right into it, she couldn't blame Sun Shuhui for being nasty.
"The dress is fine." Sun Fengyi inspected Lin Haofei's dress carefully and had to admit it.
Only then did Sun Shuhui allow Sun Fengyi to take Lin Haofei's dress away.
Lin Haoyu stood quietly behind like a little accessory, watching her mommy show off her prowess, slashing left and right.
Sun Fengyi slunk away in defeat, and Sun Shuhui smugly planted one hand on her hip: "Trying to make me suffer? Not a chance."
"Mommy is the best." Lin Haoyu clapped her hands with practiced ease.
Sun Shuhui said, "The first and second branches think our fourth branch is a soft persimmon they can squeeze whenever they want. When I'm alone, I can swallow my pride and endure it, but you and Little Seven aren't any lower than Lin Kangzong and the others—how could I possibly tolerate that?"
Lin Haoyu was stunned by her words, her heart aching a little, yet also a little sweet: "Mommy is so wonderful! The absolute best in the whole world!"
"What about me, my good daughter?" Lin Jiahao appeared out of nowhere. "Isn't your daddy the absolute, super-duper best in the whole world?"
The emotion on Lin Haoyu's face froze, but then she remembered that this daddy was the one who proactively sent her money, so she said, "Daddy is good too." It was a bit perfunctory, but also a bit sincere—not that it mattered, because Lin Jiahao was delighted to be appeased.
Lin Jiahao happily pulled out his money—not too much, not too little, a hundred bucks. He wanted to give more, but he didn't dare, afraid his father Lin Zhenhua would freeze his bank card.
Having finally caught him, how could Sun Shuhui let him off so easily? She directly pulled out his card from his person, and this time she managed to extract quite a sum.
Lin Jiahao was stripped clean, but he wasn't angry. He just said to Sun Shuhui, "Leave me some money, will you?"
Sun Shuhui smiled brightly: "I know—a little."
Lin Jiahao swaggered off to his sports car and drove out to have fun!
Lin Haoyu watched in astonishment. So this was how mommy saved money—simple and effective!
"The most important thing is that your daddy is willing." Sun Shuhui put the card into her bag. What she was most satisfied with about Lin Jiahao was this: Lin Jiahao didn't care much for the family, but he also did care. No matter how much Sun Shuhui saved, Lin Jiahao never asked, nor did he ever reach out to her for money. Instead, he gave her whatever he squeezed out of Lin Zhenhua and Lin Lizhen. Otherwise, no matter how hard Sun Shuhui saved, she could never have built up her little private stash.
Sun Shuhui was very pleased with herself: "Mommy can guarantee that your eldest aunt and second aunt don't have as much money as I do. Your eldest and second uncles' money has to be split many ways—who knows how many households they're supporting outside. Your daddy has some situations outside, but they don't last, and he hasn't fathered children out there either."
Lin Haoyu blinked. Well, she still wasn't quite used to the husband-wife and man-woman dynamics here in Hong Kong—too complicated.
"Mommy, are you happy? Daddy… outside—you're not angry?" Lin Haoyu asked cautiously.
Sun Shuhui laughed sincerely: "Not angry. Of course mommy is happy. I never asked your daddy to have only me. Most of what I did ask of him, he's done."
Lin Haoyu didn't understand, but she respected it: "Okay."
"There's just one thing—your daddy doesn't want to strive for more," Sun Shuhui suddenly sighed. She coveted the vast Lin family fortune, but unfortunately her husband had no ambition! She started feeling sour again. "And Little Seven is the same…"
Lin Haoyu almost bolted. Really, she didn't want to hear mommy nag about this. Anything but this—her ears would grow calluses! She didn't want to strive either!
Fortunately, someone rescued her in time.
"Sixth Miss, the Old Master requests your presence."
Lin Haoyu froze. Lin Zhenhua wanted to see her?