Li Qing knew this so clearly because she had once delivered takeout there during summer vacation.
That day was Qixi Festival, which also happened to be her birthday.
The bouquet of flowers was a gift from the customer’s admirer, but the customer didn’t even glance at it and told her to keep it.
…It was the first gift Li Qing had received since becoming an adult.
Li Qing thought the bouquet looked expensive and figured she might be able to sell it for a hundred or two.
But just as she left Wutong Garden, she ran into Yuan Tingshen by the roadside.
At that time, Yuan Tingshen looked much more fragile and frail than he did at school.
Raindrops slid down his cold, expressionless face, and the aloof aura around him seemed softened by the continuous drizzle.
Seeing how pitiful he looked, Li Qing gritted her teeth and handed him the bouquet… though she also had the intention of humiliating him at the time.
Li Qing’s speechless reaction was too obvious, and Yuan Tingshen snapped back to reality.
If it was a thief, how did they know the password to his secondary card?
He needed to investigate.
Yuan Tingshen stood up and walked out of the classroom.
Li Qing withdrew her gaze and shook her head, muttering to herself, “I must have been out of my mind back then.”
How could she have felt sorry for Yuan Tingshen at that moment? There was an inexplicable sense of brokenness about him that completely appealed to her.
…
As soon as Li Qing left school after classes ended, she received a call from the hospital, informing her that her hospital account balance was insufficient and reminding her to pay the fees promptly.
Li Qing acknowledged it and hung up.
While heading toward the old town district, she calculated in her mind the money she had earned from part-time jobs recently.
…It still wasn’t enough.
She would save for a few more days and deposit it into the hospital account first.
Li Qing rode her electric scooter into the old town district, planning to go to Ninth Street, when she encountered Li Jianhui on the way.
“Ungrateful daughter, how dare you… cough, cough, cough…”
Li Jianhui started cursing as soon as he saw her.
Li Qing ignored him and sped past him.
Kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake.
“Damn it!”
“I raised you for nothing all these years. Sooner or later, I’ll marry you off!”
Li Jianhui’s vulgar insults echoed behind her, and even the neighbors couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Give it a rest, Old Li. You’re no better yourself.”
“Exactly! Your wife is lying in the hospital. Have you even visited her? Li Qing has been taking care of everything from start to finish.”
“What a father to have… mother and daughter are truly unlucky…”
“You… all of you!”
Li Jianhui immediately turned and glared at the group of idle, gossipy middle-aged women sitting at the street corner.
“What? Can’t we speak the truth? I heard Ruohua’s illness was caused by you dragging her down!”
“We’ve been neighbors for decades. We know your true colors all too well, hmph.”
“…A bunch of gossiping hags. I won’t stoop to your level!”
Li Jianhui stomped around in a fit of rage, reduced to impotent fury, looking both ridiculous and pathetic.
His reaction only spurred the gossipy women on, and they began recounting Li Jianhui’s “glorious deeds” over the years.
As soon as Li Qing arrived at the bar, Yuan Miao eagerly handed her an exquisitely wrapped gift box.
“Mom, this is a gift for you~”
“?”
Li Qing raised an eyebrow in surprise and glanced at the others by the bar counter, each holding a gift prepared by Yuan Miao.
“What is it?”
She asked casually.
Yuan Miao urged her to open the box and see.
“Open it and you’ll find out.”
Hearing this, Li Qing opened the box and found a hand-knitted scarf covered in brand logos.
This seemed to be a luxury brand.
Li Qing had a bad feeling. She picked up the receipt and nearly fainted from anger.
“…A scarf for five thousand?!”
She gritted her teeth as she spoke.
Yuan Miao looked innocent and asked in confusion, “Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Where did you get the money?”
Li Qing asked him again.
Wasn’t all his money kept with her for safekeeping?
Yuan Miao chuckled twice.
“Mom, don’t worry about that. Try it on and see if it fits.”
“…Take it back for a refund.”
With a dark expression, Li Qing placed the scarf back into the box, carefully closing the gift box—this was five thousand yuan!
The thought that she hadn’t even managed to save five thousand yuan after working multiple part-time jobs for over a month straight made her heart ache.
How successful would she have to become in the future to afford raising such a spendthrift?
“No!”
Yuan Miao puffed out his cheeks, glaring angrily at Li Qing. “This is a gift I gave you! I’m not returning it!”
He didn’t understand—when he used to give his mom gifts, she would always be so happy.
But his young mother now was so displeasing.
Seeing Yuan Miao’s stubborn “I did nothing wrong” attitude, Li Qing also grew angry.
“You won’t return it, is that it?”
“I did nothing wrong, why should I return it!”
Yuan Miao stiffened his neck and retorted.
This time, even if his mom beat him, he wouldn’t admit he was wrong!
“Ahem, Xiao Li.”
Seeing that the mother and son were about to come to blows, Zhao Wenyi quickly stepped over and led Li Qing upstairs.
Meanwhile, Luo Zhengyu took Yuan Miao to the bar counter.
Yuan Miao pouted, feeling deeply wronged. “Why is my mom so angry? If she doesn’t like this gift, I can just get her another one.”
Luo Zhengyu and Zeng Huai exchanged a glance.
Zeng Huai said succinctly, “You tell him.”
“…”
Luo Zhengyu shrugged. “Alright then.”
He turned to ask Yuan Miao, “Is your family well-off?”
Yuan Miao blinked, thinking of the dozens of acres of estate his family owned, and nodded honestly. “I’ve never lacked money since I was little.”
Luo Zhengyu clicked his tongue.
“Looks like Xiao Li either struck it rich in the future or really listened to her dad and married a wealthy man.”
“Ahem.”
Zeng Huai coughed to remind him.
Yuan Miao’s angry attention shifted from Li Qing to Luo Zhengyu.
He slapped the table loudly, his tone full of dissatisfaction. “Uncle Luo, my dad and my mom truly love each other! They’re so lovey-dovey!”
“Really?!”
This time, Luo Zhengyu was genuinely surprised. “I can’t imagine Xiao Li being lovey-dovey at all.”
Zeng Huai coughed twice more.
Luo Zhengyu caught on and, seeing Yuan Miao’s puffed-up angry face, smirked teasingly.
“…Alright, alright, I misspoke. I apologize.”
“Hmph!”
Yuan Miao turned his head away, planning to ignore him for three minutes.
Although he felt a bit guilty saying that himself, because most of the time, it was his dad who clung to his mom affectionately.
“Ignoring me?”
Luo Zhengyu leaned in with a smile. “Then I won’t tell you why your mom is angry.”
Yuan Miao instantly turned his head back, wearing an obedient and ingratiating smile.
“Uncle Luo, you’re the best!”
“Hah.”
Luo Zhengyu looked helpless. “Has your mom ever told you about her family background?”
Yuan Miao froze for a moment, then shook his head in confusion.
Mom only ever mentioned Grandma to him, but she had already passed away before he was born.
He had asked about Grandpa, but every time he did, his mother’s expression would turn cold, bluntly stating that such a person didn’t exist.
Later, his father told him that not everyone in this world had a happy and perfect childhood.
At the very least, his mother didn’t.
So after he was born, to make up for her regrets, his mother gave him the best of everything.