“It’s nothing, really. It’s just because I got into university and then had the wedding right after. Those idle aunts and uncles have been saying some really nasty things.” Yin Li sounded both annoyed and dismissive.
“They talk all sorts of nonsense. Tch, I don’t care what they say! They’re just bored and can’t stand to see anything good happen to someone else’s family.”
She said it lightly, but her words pierced the fog of anger that had clouded Yin Jianguo’s heart like a pinprick through paper.
…So that’s how his daughter saw it?
Everyone understood the logic—people laugh at your poverty and resent your wealth. Yin Jianguo wanted not to care, but every time he heard such talk, it still stung.
Yin Li picked up an empty teacup and poured herself some water. “The truth is, I know very well that I got in largely thanks to Mom.”
She looked at Li Wenyue, whose expression had already softened. Li Wenyue was far better at regulating her emotions than Yin Jianguo—at least she wouldn’t easily take things out on Yin Li.
“It was all your own hard work. Studying isn’t something you can rely on others for,” Li Wenyue said.
“Mom, don’t you remember? When I was reviewing, I just couldn’t make sense of the math problems. You specially asked Aunt Sun, the accountant at the factory, to give me her child’s old study materials. There were a lot of problem-solving methods in there that even the teacher hadn’t taught.”
Yin Li smiled a little sheepishly. “I’m pretty slow, you know. And my English was so bad—I was too afraid to speak. You told me to just treat it like singing, to listen to the radio programs more. Later, you even bought me that set of ‘English Linguaphone’ records. They helped me so much. I’m going to take them with me. Now I’m following ‘FOLLOW ME’ on the radio, and it feels much smoother.”
Yin Jianguo had known none of this. He turned his head to look at Li Wenyue.
Li Wenyue had already looked away. She ladled some tofu soup and placed it by her stepdaughter’s hand.
It had never occurred to him that being a stepmother was indeed difficult, but Li Wenyue had already done so well. All these quiet acts of kindness came from her own goodness. She had never asked anything of him in return.
“You child, say a few words of that foreign language for me. Let me see if you’ve really improved.” No matter how much frustration Li Wenyue had felt, her stepdaughter’s heartfelt sincerity put her at ease.
She could give quietly, but when the recipient remembered her efforts, she felt her emotions hadn’t been wasted.
After all, Yin Li wasn’t like her own son—she had to nudge him along in his studies. Some things that were simple for her might not be for others. But her stepdaughter remembered, and that showed gratitude.
Yin Li spoke a few sentences without hesitation. When learning a foreign language, you had to be brave enough to speak. As for accent, as long as it didn’t hinder understanding and communication, it was fine.
The tense, knife-edge atmosphere from earlier had been scattered by Yin Li’s words—seemingly casual, yet perfectly placed to soothe.
Yin Jianguo picked up his spoon and tasted the food in his bowl. The seasoning was just right, the cabbage soft and tender, the tofu soaked with broth, the pork slices thin yet fragrant.
Since their marriage, Li Wenyue’s cooking had improved by leaps and bounds.
Yin Jianguo felt a pang of guilt. He ladled a bowl of soup and placed it by Li Wenyue’s hand.
After dinner, Yin Li sat talking with Li Wenyue. At one point, she mentioned Li Hanting’s business dealings.
She felt that Li Wenyue, with her broader experience, might have better advice.
“Seizing the policy opportunity is good, but street vending is unstable in the long run. You need to think further ahead. This kind of money comes fast but doesn’t last.” Although everyone preferred stable jobs these days, Li Wenyue believed that as long as it wasn’t illegal or unethical, making money was a good thing.
Otherwise, why would Yin Li have married him? Neither Yin Jianguo nor Li Wenyue would have agreed.
Yin Li said she understood and would talk it over with Li Hanting when she got back.
She felt fortunate that, contrary to her expectations, Zhao Xiujie wasn’t at home—she had thought it would be awkward being around him. But Aunt Li said he hadn’t come back for many days, claiming his work unit had a busy project, so he was staying there.
“I’ll talk to him about it later. Mom, what about Sister Xiaohe and the others? I haven’t seen them.” Aside from when they came by with gifts around the time of her wedding, Yin Li hadn’t seen them since.
Speaking of which, Li Wenyue reminded her, “You can all get together when you have time. Xiaohe is busy with work at her factory—she doesn’t have time to come around.”
Her stepdaughter was a bit naive. She didn’t realize that differences in outlook, wealth, and job status could make it hard for people of the same age to find common ground.
Li Wenyue considered herself fairly realistic. For example, now that her son had gone abroad to study, he needed to aim for an excellent job. His current position was just a stepping stone. Later, he would have an even better job and marry an excellent girl and have children.
Now that her stepdaughter was about to start university, if Xiaohe spent too much time with her, she might feel uncomfortable, and they might struggle to find things to talk about.
But Li Wenyue didn’t say this outright, otherwise people would think she looked down even on her own relatives.
Seeing how well his daughter and Li Wenyue got along, chatting happily every time, while he himself kept clashing with Li Wenyue over and over—
Yin Jianguo, cleaning up the kitchen, thought to himself: Was he being too petty?
And then he thought about his daughter’s room. Li Wenyue had never touched it, leaving it exactly as it was. If she truly disliked his daughter, she would have turned it into a storage room long ago.
He knew that many biological parents, once their daughter was married off, immediately turned her room into a storage closet and treated her like a guest when she came home.
This house belonged to Li Wenyue, but she had never done that.
Back when he chose to marry Li Wenyue, wasn’t it because he was afraid his daughter would be mocked for not having a mother?
Now she had one—so what was he doing?
Mother and daughter were in the room, their voices rising and falling, occasionally bursting into laughter.
His daughter was just that kind of person—everyone who spent time with her ended up happy.
Yin Jianguo felt both joyful and relieved… If only he hadn’t done what he did that day, he wouldn’t have had to marry her off so early.
But his daughter looked healthy and well. He hoped his decision hadn’t been a foolish one.
In truth, Yin Li just wanted her father to see how well she and Aunt Li got along, so that the next time he lost his temper and started overthinking, he would remember this.
Li Wenyue found it increasingly pleasant to be around her stepdaughter. And the way Yin Li spoke English had a bit of her own son’s flair—at least she wasn’t afraid to open her mouth.
Jianguo, on the other hand, was nothing like his daughter.
Li Wenyue had been holding back for days. Ever since her stepdaughter got married, she had thought their relationship would grow closer, since the children were no longer around. But instead, Yin Jianguo had been acting erratic, giving her dirty looks repeatedly.
Still, Yin Jianguo was capable both inside and outside the house. After meals, he washed dishes and swept the floor quickly, and the house was spotless when he came home.
Yin Jianguo stopped watching them. Hearing a knock at the door, he went to open it.
The moment he opened the door, he found himself face to face with a tearful Qin Yumei.
“S-sorry… Isn’t Wenyue home?”