Meng Xueyun had been preoccupied with Ye Linchen's college entrance exam, but she didn't dare ask Ye Zhenghua. Now that he had brought it up and even supported her, she immediately looked up with joy.
"Really? You agreed?"
“You’re doing this for the good of the family, but Xiaochen doesn’t understand. You need to talk to her properly. Don’t be too hasty; you can’t rush things.”
"No problem, I'll definitely talk to her about it."
Meng Xueyun immediately agreed with a smile.
Meng Zihan understood.
So that's what my uncle was planning.
She immediately stopped objecting.
After explaining everything to Meng Xueyun, Ye Zhenghua returned to the living room, satisfied, and continued to wait for Ye Linchen to come back.
As the clock hands moved in circles, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and dishes were placed on the table one after another. The Ye family gathered in the living room, but no one stopped at the Ye family's door.
"What's going on? Is that brat coming back or not? The whole family is waiting for her! This is outrageous!"
Meng Xueyun couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing.
"Wait a little longer, they'll be back soon."
Despite saying that, Ye Zhenghua was also anxious and uneasy.
Meng Zihan hadn't eaten much at noon and was starving. Now that the food was on the table, she could see it but couldn't eat it, which made her even hungrier.
She couldn't bear it any longer and quietly pulled Meng Xueyun along.
"Aunt, please talk to Uncle and tell him not to be too anxious. My sister still has some money; maybe she ate out."
Meng Xueyun had no desire to wait any longer and immediately relayed her words to Ye Zhenghua.
"Old Ye, let's eat first. Xiao Chen still has three yuan and eighty cents on her, she can eat anywhere. If it gets any later, she'll have nowhere to sleep and will naturally come back."
Ye Zhenghua thought it made sense, and since he was also hungry, he nodded, got up from the sofa, and prepared to eat.
When I got to the table, I saw three dishes laid out on it.
A cold radish salad that I see every day, a stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a spinach soup.
Each dish was so bland that you couldn't see a drop of oil, let alone any meat.
Compared to the glistening, oily twice-cooked pork served in the cafeteria at lunchtime, Ye Zhenghua had absolutely no appetite.
Thinking about how he had to hand over several hundred yuan of his salary every month, Ye Zhenghua was furious.
He pointed at the dishes on the table, then turned to Meng Xueyun and demanded, "Why is it all vegetarian? Do you think our family are rabbits? There's not a drop of oil in it!"
Seeing that Ye Zhenghua's expression was off, Meng Xueyun quickly offered an explanation.
"Xiaohan needs to pay for tutoring, it's a huge sum of money. We can't skimp on this, there are only a few months left until the college entrance exam, so let's be more frugal..."
Ye Zhenghua exploded upon hearing this: "You can't even afford meat, and you still want to supplement your diet? If you don't have the ability, don't try to put on a show. Don't spend a lot of money and still fail the exam!"
Meng Xueyun couldn't stand such words and got angry too.
Her face flushed red, her lips trembled, and she screamed, "Ye Zhenghua, the exam hasn't even started yet, and you're already cursing her like this..."
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Meng Zihan quickly stepped forward and grabbed Meng Xueyun's arm. With red eyes, she shook her head at her, signaling her to hold back and stop arguing.
Meng Xueyun remembered that Meng Zihan had repeatedly told her to agree to whatever Ye Zhenghua said.
As for how to do it, that's another matter. There's no need to confront it head-on and make things worse.
If Meng Zihan can just get through these few months, we'll talk about it after she gets into university.
Meng Xueyun barely suppressed her anger and smiled at Ye Zhenghua, "I know, I'll make stir-fried meat tomorrow." She then tugged at Ye Zhenghua's sleeve, pulling him to sit down, "This meal will have to do for now."
As soon as Ye Zhenghua sat down, Meng Zihan quickly put a piece of shredded radish on his plate and said ingratiatingly, "Uncle, please eat first, don't be angry."
Ye Zhenghua was still furious. He hastily ate a few mouthfuls of rice and went back to his room.
The twins were also dissatisfied with the food. They exchanged a glance, quickly finished their meal, and left the table.
Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Meng Zihan cleared away the dishes and chopsticks, then pulled Meng Xueyun into the kitchen.
"Auntie, don't go against Uncle anymore. The money is in your hands, you make the decisions. What right does he have to tell you whether or not you'll tutor me?"
While washing the dishes, Meng Zihan whispered, "Also, don't make the dishes too vegetarian. Uncle will definitely not be happy if he comes home after a long day at work and eats this, and then we'll argue again."
Meng Xueyun nodded: "You're right, but this is all the income we have at home. We're practically living on zero. If we don't cut back on food, where else can we cut back?"
"How about we stop giving me milk? Every little bit helps. It's only for a few months anyway, I can bear with it..." Meng Zihan said, feeling wronged.
"No, you need your energy right now, so we should give you more nutrition. We can't stop giving you milk. Or we can stop giving you Xiaonan and Xiaobei milk. They're both healthy, so it won't matter if they don't drink it for a few months. We'll save more money, which can be used to help you catch up on your studies."
This was Meng Zihan's true thought. Seeing that her aunt's words aligned with her own wishes, Meng Zihan declined a few times, but then agreed.
They were whispering to each other, and Ye Linnan, holding a water glass, stood at the kitchen door and heard everything clearly.
He didn't go in, but tiptoed back to the living room and told Ye Linbei what he had overheard.
"My older sister was right after all. After she sacrificed herself, now it's our turn."
Ye Linbei said bitterly.
"What should I do?" Ye Linnan asked. "I want to drink milk."
He especially loves playing basketball and hopes to grow taller.
Drinking more milk can help you grow taller.
This is a crucial time for growth, and it would be such a shame if we didn't grow taller because we stopped drinking milk.
“If Mom has made up her mind, nothing you say will make a difference, since we are not her only family.”
Ye Linbei's words had a sour tone.
Just then, Meng Xueyun came out and saw the two of them sitting on the sofa whispering to each other. She called out to them in an annoyed tone.
"Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei, why don't you tidy up the tables and chairs? Can't you do anything else, but not this little thing? Look at your sister Xiao Han..."
Ye Linbei was already feeling suffocated, and hearing her say that made him even more displeased. He stood up and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Meng Xueyun asked.
"Go have some fun," Ye Linbei said dismissively, and went to change his shoes.
Ye Linnan followed him in step and changed her shoes as well.
"Where are you going to play? Put the tables and chairs away before you go."
Meng Xueyun tried to call them back, but all she got in response was the sound of the door slamming shut.
Ye Linnan and Ye Linbei went downstairs, not knowing where to go, and just wandered aimlessly around the steel mill.
Before they knew it, the two wandered to a nearby newspaper stand and found a familiar figure standing in front of it.
"It looks like the eldest sister!" Ye Linnan quickly nudged Ye Linbei.
Ye Linbei looked closely and realized it was true.
My dad had been waiting anxiously for my older sister to come home, but to his surprise, she was here leisurely reading the newspaper!
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