A well-timed display of arrogance only makes one feel refreshed.
Having heard that her aunt would be arriving at 3 PM, Meng Mian, despite her reluctance, had to immediately begin preparing dinner after finishing lunch and washing the dishes.
Zhong Lingyu sat down with Meng Mian to brainstorm menus.
Meng Mian was surprised that Zhong Lingyu knew what was happening in the kitchen.
Zhong Lingyu opened a few recipes she had saved on her tablet, handed them to Meng Mian, and said, “The food in foreign cafeterias is very monotonous. I didn’t mind at first, but after I cooked it for some of my foreign classmates once, they came to my house for dinner every few days, so I had to learn a lot.”
Meng Mian laughed, “I think Chinese food is the best in the world.”
Zhong Lingyu agreed, “I think so too.”
After choosing the ingredients, the whole family divided the work. Zhong Lingyu made a list and went out to buy the ingredients with Song Chan and Meng Mian. Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng were in charge of watching the bone broth in the kitchen and helping to skim off the foam. Song Qing pounded chili sauce according to the recipe Zhong Lingyu gave her.
With the whole family busy, Song Zhen couldn’t be idle either. He, who never did housework, was forced to clean the house, prepare chilled fruit platters, and welcome the guests.
Song Chan went to the market in the north to buy the items, and she separated from Meng Mian and Zhong Lingyu halfway there.
Passing a shopping mall, Song Chan saw a bubble tea shop having a sale. Thirsty, she bought a cup and happily drank it.
Reaching an intersection, she saw familiar figures—her aunt and cousin, Zhou Wenxuan.
The two had picked up a dress from a budget clothing store behind the shopping district, haggled fiercely with the seller until they were completely out of luck, and then, carrying the dress, walked towards her, chatting and laughing.
Song Chan didn’t want to talk to them and turned to walk in another direction.
But fate is a strange thing. As she passed the third corner, someone called out to her from behind. The voices were unmistakably her aunt and cousin.
By then, the bags and bags of clothes they were carrying were much smaller; they were stored in the car, as if they were afraid the Song family would know that their absence that morning wasn’t because they couldn’t get out of bed, but because they had gone shopping.
Song Chan didn’t want to bring it up and simply greeted her aunt.
Seeing the discounted drink in Song Chan’s hand, her aunt began to berate her again, “This brand is all saccharin! Look at you, why are you drinking it? It’s not even as cheap as bottled water. You should be more considerate of your father and stop wasting money.”
Song Chan had recently seemed to have suddenly woken up. She began to feel that her aunt wasn’t genuinely concerned for her family, but merely satisfying her aunt’s own desire for control and superiority.
“Did my cousin mention last time that she spent 23,000 yuan on a meal?”
Hearing Song Chan bring up this embarrassing incident, her aunt was clearly unhappy. “Song Chan, don’t take my words too seriously, but our family’s financial situation is different from yours. We only do what we can afford. Our Wenxuan can afford it.”
Song Chan nodded, “Oh, so we can afford it.”
As she spoke, she smiled and looked at her cousin behind her aunt, whose face had turned green with anger. At that moment, the sarcasm in Song Chan’s eyes reached its peak.
Song Chan had rehearsed many times for this day. She hated her own weakness and knew that enduring it any longer would only bring more ruthless humiliation. So, putting everything else aside, she was determined to get revenge for the restaurant incident herself.
She didn’t know how effective it would be, but she took the first step.
Her aunt rolled her eyes. “I can’t be bothered to talk to you.”
Then she busied herself answering a phone call. After finishing, she turned and walked back. Zhou Wenxuan wanted to follow, but her aunt stopped her.
Song Chan didn’t know why her aunt did this, but she didn’t care.
So Zhou Wenxuan and Song Chan reluctantly walked together towards the Song family home.
Seeing her younger sister, who had always been so ingratiating, now acting like a different person, Zhou Wenxuan panicked.
She was eager to regain her footing. To demonstrate her wealth, she insisted on buying the most expensive coffee, then carrying the most expensive cake, and even bought a dress that didn’t suit her style at a luxury store.
Not long after leaving the upscale store, Zhou Wenxuan asked Song Chan, “Do you want to buy one too?”
If Song Chan nodded, Zhou Wenxuan would have something to say sarcastically.
Unexpectedly, Song Chan retorted sarcastically, “No, I don’t want to. I think that dress is awful. I can’t wear it out of that store.”
The two had arrived at Song Chan’s apartment complex, or rather, the courtyard outside her building.
“Song Chan, are you being sarcastic?!” Zhou Wenxuan grabbed Song Chan’s arm angrily, wanting to argue.
Caught off guard, Song Chan lost her grip on her drink, which spilled onto Zhou Wenxuan’s white dress.
This dress was one Zhou Wenxuan had just bought at the mall, costing no less than the upscale store outfit, precisely to impress Song Chan.
Now she was heartbroken, looking up at Zhou Wenxuan with a fierce expression.
“I’ve put up with you for so long! You were disrespectful to my mother earlier, and now you’ve dirtied my dress! Song Chan, you’re getting bolder and bolder! Aren’t you afraid my uncle will beat you to death?”
Song Chan was still worried about her drink.
“I’ve been carrying so much stuff. Did you even help me a little? My hands were always busy, and you bumped into my drink yourself.”
“You still want me to help you carry this? Did I ask you to buy so much? And you just told my mother so confidently about what happened at the restaurant the other day, were you trying to tattle? But do you know, my mother didn’t scold me at all when she got home, because she thinks our family is the kind of people who frequent these kinds of places. My friends and I have made up, too.”
Zhou Wenxuan laughed happily as she spoke, feeling like she had won.
“Song Chan, you’re so narrow-minded. How could you think a family like ours would discipline a child over 20,000 yuan? Do you think we’re like your family, unable to afford food? Living off our charity, yet you act so arrogantly towards me. I think you just have the wrong attitude.”
Zhou Wenxuan felt a surge of pleasure and high spirits as she looked at Song Chan’s pale face.
But this triumphant feeling came to an abrupt halt the next second.
“Song Chan, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Why didn’t you come upstairs when you got home?” Zhong Lingyu came downstairs and naturally took the things from Song Chan’s hands. “These are heavy things; you should have called me to help carry them.”
Zhou Wenxuan froze.
Did she see that right? It really was Zhong Lingyu? What was he doing in this old apartment building, and so familiar with Song Chan?
Zhou Wenxuan’s arrogance vanished instantly.
Her expression was awkward, her hands clenched tightly, and she adopted a cautious demeanor.
“Are you Zhong Lingyu?”
Zhou Wenxuan and Song Chan were in the same school and grade, so how could they not have heard of Zhong Lingyu’s renowned name? This rich kid had installed two air conditioners in the classroom the moment he arrived.
Later, he became even more extravagant, providing ice cream in the summer, hot milk tea in the autumn, pear soup in the winter, and all sorts of imported snacks—Belgian chocolate, French macarons, Italian cakes… He gave them to the whole class, letting them take whatever they wanted.
Every now and then, a deliveryman would come to the door of Class 1, Grade 11, carrying a large box and handing out food, making the other classes incredibly envious…
Who wouldn’t want to know someone like that? It would be so prestigious.
Zhong Lingyu didn’t know how Zhou Wenxuan could be so shameless. Did she think he hadn’t heard her earlier remarks while sitting on the stairs? But Zhong Lingyu didn’t want to expose her, letting her continue to doubt herself and struggle with her probing.
“Hello.”
Zhong Lingyu gave a brief reply, offering a seemingly oblivious, friendly smile, but his face darkened as he turned and pulled Song Chan home. Zhou Wenxuan jogged to catch up, her heart pounding, her whole body drenched in sweat, constantly wondering if Zhong Lingyu had heard her or not.
Song Chan returned home without saying a word, focusing on preparing the vegetables.
Zhong Lingyu, having cooked two dishes in the kitchen, came over to keep Song Chan company. He teased her in a lighthearted tone, “Guess what’s on the table later?”
His gentle tone clearly indicated he was observing Song Chan’s emotions, carefully choosing his words to coax her.
Song Chan answered absentmindedly, “What is it?”
“Sticky rice duck, that’s the best dish. I’ll put it in front of you, and you can eat it all by yourself.”
“How can I possibly finish so much?”
“There are also vermicelli scallops. Originally, it was one per person, but I secretly bought you a dozen more, fresh, moon-shaped scallops, each about the size of a baby’s fist. They’re frozen in the freezer across the hall. Be sure to eat less tonight. After everyone leaves, I’ll make you a separate serving.”
A faint smile appeared on Song Chan’s lips.
Then Zhong Lingyu said seriously, “Don’t you dare try to take them from your aunt and uncle, silly! I only gave them small scallops.”
Song Chan chuckled, “Okay, okay.”
Song Chan thought, since they’ve gone to so much trouble to coax her, she couldn’t refuse them with a sour face.
A little while later, her aunt and uncle arrived.
My uncle, with his beer belly, works at the social security bureau in Yicheng. He was just promoted to office director this year, andis quite the figurehead. He walked in the door and immediately started complaining.
“This parking lot downstairs is so small! It’s easy to bump into cars while driving around. What’s that smell in the house? Ventilate it! I was wondering why it was so hot, with the windows so wide open. But your air conditioner is too small; it needs replacing. It doesn’t cool at all, unlike my central air conditioning…”
Then he went to the kitchen to check on things.
“Sister-in-law, what are you making?”
Meng Mian: “Sweet and sour fish.”
Uncle-in-law: “Is this carp?”
Meng Mian: “Yes.”
Uncle-in-law: “Oh dear, why did you buy this kind of carp? But this fish isn’t very good; it can only be cooked in a sweet and sour sauce to suppress the flavor, otherwise, you won’t taste its original flavor. Good river fish should be steamed; that way you can taste its natural flavor.”
Meng Mian: “Hehehehe.”
Uncle-in-law: “Is this a scallop? I’m already tired of scallops. I’ll get you two abalone later; their taste is so much better than these scallops.”
Song Zhen chuckled beside him, unaware of his uncle-in-law’s disdain.
After criticizing the Song family, the uncle-in-law proceeded to criticize each member individually. First, he asked Meng Mian: “Is your wife still in the same job?”
Meng Mian: “Yes, saleswoman.”
Uncle-in-law: “So, she helps weigh vegetables at the supermarket.”
Meng Mian was a little embarrassed, “Yes.”
The uncle-in-law then asked Song Qing: “Is Song Qing still the same?”
Song Qing, his mouth full of fruit, grinned foolishly and said, “Yes, still as handsome as before!”
The uncle-in-law chuckled, “What’s the use of just eating? You should get into the top ten in your grade, don’t repeat a year, you’ll embarrass your parents.”
Song Qing was so upset that he almost cried. Why did he always pick on people’s sore spots?
The uncle-in-law then looked at Song Chan: “Song Chan, do you have a plan for what kind of job you want to do in the future?”
Song Chan wanted to say she didn’t know, but was afraid her uncle-in-law would say she had no idea, so she just randomly picked one and said, “I want to be a diplomat.”
The uncle-in-law sneered: “You’re so naive. With your grades, how could you possibly get in?” Then he turned to Meng Mian and earnestly advised, “You know, the purpose of children’s education is to get a good job, right? Why don’t you let Song Chan go to a vocational school, learn a skill, and she’ll be better off finding employment afterward?”
Seeing Song Chan’s face turn red, Song Zhen quickly tried to lighten the mood, “By the way, brother-in-law, I just saw you driving a new Land Rover…” “That’s pretty good!”
The uncle straightened up, looking quite proud. “It’s not expensive. A car worth a little over a million is fine for fun. Your sister saw it and said she wanted one too. She always tries to take everything from me! Honestly, I’ll have to buy her one soon. She insists it can’t be cheaper than mine, otherwise she’ll look bad.”
Song Zhen chimed in, “If your car is considered bad, what about those of us without cars?”
The uncle replied, “You guys prefer walking anyway, so it’s fine if you don’t have a car. I drive because I need to make a good impression, but you don’t need that kind of face.”
Zhong Lingyu came out of the kitchen and accidentally met the uncle’s gaze. He could only greet him.
The uncle, seeing guests in the house, was a little surprised. “Who’s this?”
Song Zhen introduced, “This is Song Chan’s classmate. She came to play. Her family runs a business, and her parents are usually busy, so she often orders takeout, which isn’t healthy. This child is very capable; she cooked many dishes today.”
The uncle, once again displaying his all-knowing demeanor, said, “It’s true what they say, poor children learn to be independent early. In today’s economic climate, many small business owners have gone bankrupt; very few can survive.” Then, turning to Zhong Lingyu, he said, “Your parents should know this very well.”
Zhong Lingyu: “You mean…” “That’s right.”
The uncle asked again, “By the way, where’s your shop?”
Zhong Lingyu: “What shop?”
Uncle: “A shop…you can’t possibly even have a shop, can you?”
Suddenly, someone outside shouted, “Sister-in-law Meng, come quick, move the car! It’s blocking everyone’s way! How are people supposed to get through?”
The uncle happily got up. “It’s all my fault, all my fault! The car must be too big; it accidentally blocked people. But your building is too narrow, so you also bear some responsibility. I’ll definitely have to report this properly later.”
He put on his shoes as he spoke.
Perhaps because Meng Mian didn’t respond immediately, the people downstairs immediately became impatient. “So what if it’s a Rolls-Royce? Does that mean you can block the road with a Rolls-Royce?!”
The aunt was stunned. “My family has a Land Rover, not a Rolls-Royce. It doesn’t seem like they’re talking about us. Is there some misunderstanding?”
Zhong Lingyu looked quite troubled. “You’re not mistaken, it’s my car. I’ll call someone to move it right away.”
The uncle sneered again: “You must have misheard. That’s a Rolls-Royce, not Adidas, kid…”
Zhong Lingyu put one hand on her lower back, straightened her back, took out her phone, turned her chin ten degrees to look out the window at the sky, and dialed Xiao Chen’s number. “Secretary Chen, could you please move my car a little? It’s blocking someone’s way. Or you could park it in the shopping mall across the street. It won’t cost much. It’s normal for old neighborhoods to be narrow. They didn’t consider parking when they built it. Why make things difficult for them?”
The uncle continued putting on his shoes, but beads of sweat kept dripping down his face.
Zhong Xin and Zhong Cheng peeked into the room.
“Dad’s phone-calling gesture must have been meticulously planned, and he must have rehearsed it secretly several times.”
“It’s alright, a well-timed display of wealth only makes one feel refreshed.”