An auction
Having been outmaneuvered by Cheng Zhou, Hu Tong was seething with anger.
To prove her superhuman self-control, Hu Tong gave up on the idea of kissing anyone. Like correcting a wrong answer, she crossed out her relationship with Cheng Zhou, gave it a perfunctory reflection, and then completely forgot about it.
When winter break ends and spring arrives, she'll try someone else. It's just a kiss, isn't it? If this person isn't close to her, she'll find someone else who is.
Hu Tong thought to herself, ignoring Cheng Zhou who was looking at her with a hint of something in his eyes, and walked away with her head held high, leaving her parents and Cheng Zhou looking at each other in confusion in the living room.
Mr. Hu muttered, "Xiao Zhou, what taboo have you broken this time?"
Hu Jiale narrowed her eyes: "Or is it that she tried to steal something from you but failed and couldn't save face?"
Hu Tong has been particular since childhood, always wanting to be the first in everything. Even with a newly opened tissue box, she would take the first one. If anything didn't go her way, the little girl would make a big show of expressing her dissatisfaction.
The three of them were already used to this situation.
Cheng Zhou was impressed by Hu Jiale's understanding of Hu Tong, and replied, "Yes, she does want to take away something that is quite important to me."
“Then give in to her, that’s just her temper,” Hu Jiale said nonchalantly. “What does she want? Aunt Lele will secretly buy you a new one to make up for it.”
His chastity.
Cheng Zhou closed his eyes slightly, unsure of how to begin.
While Cheng Zhou remained silent, Hu Jiale had already taken out her phone and asked him how much money he should transfer.
Cheng Zhou remained silent for a long while before carefully saying, "No need... I think. Once I'm ready, if conditions allow, I might, perhaps, probably give it to her for free..."
"How can that be?" Hu Jiale raised her eyebrows and said seriously, "One thing at a time, how much is it? Is five hundred enough?"
Cheng Zhou looked to Hu's father for help, hoping that the other party could help him out of this predicament.
Hu's father understood, clapped his hands, and said generously, "That means it's not enough! Wife, Xiao Zhou is too proud to say it's not enough, so let's double it for him!"
Hu Jiale nodded: "One thousand."
She looked up, observed Cheng Zhou's expression, and continued to raise the price, "Two thousand?"
"Three thousand?"
"four thousand?"
The absurd feeling of this auction-off of virginity made Cheng Zhou feel like he was on fire. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "...Really, it's not necessary."
Mr. Hu scratched his head in confusion: "Isn't that enough? What does Tongtong want?"
Cheng Zhou pushed himself up with his long legs and stood up. "I'm a little hungry. I'm going to go find something to eat."
He left in a hurry, and his calf bumped against the coffee table, making a sound that made Hu Jiale feel a pang of pain.
"Are you alright, Xiaozhou?" she asked with concern.
Cheng Zhou shook his head slightly, said nothing, and dragged his feet away like a wisp of a ghost.
Mr. Hu was even more puzzled: "Why would you go to the toilet if you're hungry...?"
After that day, Cheng Zhou didn't dare to look at Hu Tong anymore, and the two of them had nothing to say to each other.
As Lunar New Year's Eve approached, Grandma Cheng brought a large amount of New Year's goods, preparing to take her sullen grandson out.
Hu Jiale tried her best to persuade her to stay, but the old lady smiled and waved her hand, "No, the elders on Cheng Zhou's father's side want to come and see, I'll take him back to meet them."
Mentioning this, Hu Jiale said indignantly, "You think you can just watch whenever you want? Why didn't you do that earlier?"
Cheng Zhou's father was the eldest son, but the elders in the family favored the youngest son. His hardships during his life are well-known, and he didn't even get peace after his death.
Cheng's father suffered an acute myocardial infarction due to long-term overtime work. Before he was even buried, that group of people started eyeing the compensation money and the house, deliberately causing trouble when the Cheng family was too busy, completely disregarding blood ties and family affection.
"My brother died for no reason. Shouldn't we get an explanation?"
"Yes, yes, you've lost your man, but you can remarry, sister-in-law. Where is my mother going to find a good son? Where am I going to find a good older brother?"
"Besides, if it weren't for the two of you, my older brother wouldn't have worked himself to death!"
"Who knows which random guy you're going to support with my brother's hard-earned money! Give me back my money!"
Cheng Yin, being gentle by nature, cried until her voice was hoarse while holding Cheng Zhou.
Hu Jiale was furious and picked up a brick, ready to fight Cheng Zhou's second uncle.
Grandma Cheng rushed out and slammed the bank card into someone's face.
A one-time death benefit of 120,000 yuan—a thin card—bought out Mr. Cheng's future.
"Take the money and get out! You can't have the house. Even if you hang our whole family at our doorstep, the property deed will still be in my daughter Cheng Yin's name!"
Thugs are afraid of those who don't value their lives. After taking the money, Cheng Zhou's second uncle left with his group, cursing and swearing.
Grandma Cheng helped her daughter up, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and the mother and daughter continued to arrange the funeral.
A month later, Cheng Yin took Cheng Zhou to the police station to change his surname and added her son's name to the property certificate.
What was Cheng Zhou's original surname? I've forgotten.
Anyway, ever since Hu Tong could remember, his name was Cheng Zhou.
Hu Jiale looked down on that family, so naturally she had many objections to Old Lady Cheng bringing Cheng Zhou back to her hometown to meet her relatives.
“The car only knew to turn after hitting the wall,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Xiao Zhou got into Peking University and remembered his grandson.”
"You can't say that. People change." Grandma Cheng pursed her lips. "His grandmother has had a hard life too. She used to secretly bring us eggs. It's good to have another person who cares about Xiaozhou."
Hu Tong squatted to the side, a trash can in front of him, crunching on the spicy rabbit head that Grandma Cheng had brought, his mouth smeared with red oil.
She seemed indifferent, but she listened intently for a while. Finally, she couldn't help herself and said in a drawn-out tone, "Wow, they actually gave me something as expensive as eggs. I'm so envious. All I get are cold, hard gold."
Old Mrs. Cheng blushed at the undisguised sarcastic tone and said irritably, "Then give me back the longevity lock I gave you."
"That won't work."
Hu Tong grinned and moved closer to the old woman, pressing her cheek against her shoulder. She said in a sweet voice, "Even the dog poop Grandma Cheng gives me smells good. For your sake, I don't mind being a little cold."
"You get to say everything!" Old Mrs. Cheng couldn't help but laugh, groaning as she pushed her head away. "I can't argue with you, so don't get the oil on my clothes."
After laughing and joking around, Hu Tong rolled his eyes at the taciturn man next to the old lady, then squatted down in front of the trash can and started munching on sunflower seeds.
Cheng Zhou sat upright next to her grandmother, keeping her eyes down and pretending not to receive Hu Tong's glaring gaze.
He could guess the meaning behind that glance even from a single faded gray-brown hair: I'm not like you, Cheng Zhou. I'm a little princess who can make people happy and only accepts gold as gifts. You're a cheap piece of trash who can be bought with an egg and is also bad at talking.
Cheng Zhou sighed inwardly, and for some reason, he felt a little like arguing—his virginity had been auctioned off for a high price of four thousand without the buyer's knowledge!
Well, thinking about it this way makes it even more pathetic.
Cheng Zhou picked up the cup, poured water instead of wine, and silently toasted himself, this pitiful person.
"It's getting late."
Grandma Cheng stopped smiling, looked at Hu Jiale who was full of disapproval, and sighed deeply, "That family is related to Xiaozhou by blood after all. If I leave, I can help them a little, and they will have another place to go."
Hu Jiale said helplessly, "What are you thinking..."
“Grandma Cheng is right, Mom!” Hu Tong said.
Hu Jiale stared in surprise at her suddenly rebellious daughter.
Hu Tong looked up and smiled at her mother, a thin, translucent piece of sunflower seed shell fluttering faintly near her lips.
"They're going to give Cheng Zhou eggs over there, so there's no need to worry about him starving to death!"
"Oh dear! You—" Old Mrs. Cheng took out a tissue to wipe Hu Tong's mouth, and then gently pinched Hu Tong's mouth, which was both lovable and hateful. "Naughty boy, wipe your mouth clean before you speak."
"I only mentioned it once, and you keep going on and on. Tell Grandma, did you grow up eating nothing but eggs?"
Hu Tong stubbornly insisted, "Yes!"
The old woman was furious and poked her forehead with her finger.
On the other end, Hu Jiale, seeing Hu Tong acting foolish and pretending to be stupid, had an idea.
“Alright, it’s fine if you want to take Xiaozhou back to the countryside. I was planning to invite my brother’s family over this year, and I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough space at home, but now I don’t have to worry about that.” She stood up and helped Grandma Cheng carry her printed cloth bag. “Come on, I’ll see you to the door.”
Grandma Cheng suddenly grabbed the cloth bag, narrowing her eyes in confusion, "Invite whom?"
“My brother, don’t you remember him?” Hu Jiale said with a smile, “And my sister-in-law, my nephew. My mom and dad passed away early, so the bond between siblings must not be broken.”
"Are you still asleep and talking in your sleep, Hu Jiale!"
Grandma Cheng was furious: "Those two old folks deserved to die so young! They wouldn't let you go to school back then, and they even wanted to marry you off to an old bachelor so they could get the dowry to build a wedding house for your younger brother!"
Hu Tong and Cheng Zhou were startled by the old woman's outburst. They instinctively huddled together, looking like chickens in the village that had been frightened and had their feathers standing on end. They stared blankly as the old woman swung her cloth bag at Hu Jiale.
"Hey, let's talk this out!" Mr. Hu pretended to stop them for a couple of moments.
Hu Jiale suppressed a laugh, raising her hand to block it as she said, "Oh dear, people change, and my brother can't make decisions for his elders. I don't blame him."
"Don't try to take my words at me." The old woman slung her bag over her shoulder angrily. "Well, they are siblings after all, it's none of my business. Happy New Year in advance!"
After saying that, she reached out and grabbed Cheng Zhou's arm, and started to walk out.
Seeing that Aunt Lele's act was not yet over, Cheng Zhou secretly exerted his strength and stood firmly in place.
Hu Jiale glanced at Cheng Zhou approvingly, then grinned and moved closer to the old woman, "Ah, with your support, I feel much more at ease..."
What did she support?
Grandma Cheng frowned in puzzlement and looked at her grandson, Cheng Zhou, who pretended to be confused and shook his head.
Hu Tong knew her mother was definitely going to give Grandma Cheng a drastic treatment, so she silently took two steps back.
Hu Jiale was very satisfied with the results. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, over the years, I've actually always felt anxious..."
Although they didn't know what Hu Jiale was trying to say, both the father and daughter nodded in agreement.
"What's the panic?" Grandma Cheng asked.
Hu Jiale sighed deeply several times, her hesitant expression infuriating, but she skillfully spoke before the old woman could erupt in anger.
"No matter how good Tongtong is, she's still just a girl. She doesn't have a younger brother to support her, and there's no boy in the family to carry on the family name. Now she has her cousin—"
Snap!
The thick cloth bag finally landed on Hu Jiale's head as she had hoped.
"You want a really tall gate? I'll go cut down two bamboo poles for you, will that be enough?"
Old Mrs. Cheng pointed her finger at the man and cursed, "Hu Jiale, you've wasted all those years of schooling! The food you eat is worse than what you'd feed pigs!"
"You despise yourself, don't drag Tongtong into it!"
"Sigh, there's no such thing as self-deprecation, it's just how it is!"
Hu Jiale nimbly jumped behind her father, dodging an attack, and continued to add fuel to the fire, "Tongtong's father and I plan to transfer the house to my nephew, so that even if Tongtong gets married and her father and I leave, she will have somewhere to go."
These words were so absurd that Old Lady Cheng didn't even have the urge to raise her hand to hit them.
When Hu Tong saw Old Lady Cheng looking at him, he quickly lowered his head and pretended to cry, muttering things like "More brothers, more homes" and "Blood is thicker than water"...
Grandma Cheng's lips twitched twice, and she let out a soft snort through her nose. "I see now. You're all ganging up on me to annoy me. Fine, this matter of recognizing relatives isn't up to me. Let Xiao Zhou decide for himself."
Four pairs of bright eyes turned to Cheng Zhou at the same time.
Hu Tong grinned at him with a snarling expression, which was full of threat.
Cheng Zhou smiled slightly, his eyebrows raised, drawing up his deep black eyes, and a hint of affection appeared in his eyes.
Hu Tong suddenly felt her face burning, looked away, and heard Cheng Zhou say gently.
"I have no feelings for that place, Grandma."
"Those who are related by blood but not by affection are not considered family."
What about those who have feelings for each other but no blood relation?
Hu Tong subconsciously thought about it, then turned his face, only to be locked in by Cheng Zhou's burning gaze.
"All the people I cherish are here."
With a bang, Hu Tong's mind instantly boiled. Heat burst forth, then was pressed down by her black hair, turning into something hot, damp, and invisible, wisps that enveloped her.
Perhaps that was her feeling for Cheng Zhou.
Hu Jiale sniffed with emotion, put her arms around the old lady and Cheng Zhou's shoulders, and said loudly, "Alright, we're family now, you can't leave, stay and celebrate the New Year!"
Hu's father happily helped Cheng Zhou carry his luggage upstairs.
Hu Jiale wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye with her finger, turned to look at Hu Tong, and said, "What are you standing there for? Go help Grandma Cheng make the bed."
"Mother……"
Hu Tong's face was still red. She blinked slowly and murmured, "Is Cheng Zhou also eyeing my house?"
*Smack!* Hu Jiale swung her cloth bag and smacked her daughter's bottom.
"Don't be silly, Mom was just joking! Neither your cousin on your uncle's side nor your adopted brother Cheng Zhou can take your house away!"
Hu Tong muttered, "That's not the way I meant to steal it..."
Cheng Zhou argued softly, "I'm more than ten days older than Hu Tong, Aunt Lele—"
"Hey, shut up!"
When the topic turned to sensitive issues, Grandma Cheng quickly pinched her grandson and frantically gave him meaningful glances.
Regardless of whether the grandmother and granddaughter had such thoughts at all, at this time, it was better for them to keep their presence as low as possible, so as not to arouse Hu Tong's suspicion and make him take those jokes seriously.
"Listen carefully, Hu Tong!" Hu Jiale chuckled and poked her daughter's forehead. "Yours, yours, all yours!"
Hu Tong, unusually, didn't resist. She stood there, letting her mother poke her around, her face flushed, her eyes darting around as she muttered, "They're all mine? Then my godson is too—"
Cheng Zhou pressed his lips into a straight line, remained silent for a moment, but still couldn't help but say, "I'm the older brother."
As the Hu mother and daughter were watching, Old Mrs. Cheng started talking about Cheng Zhou's gray-brown hair, changing the subject.
"Brother Pipi, with your hair dyed that color, you'd be more like a grandpa!"
Cheng Zhou lowered his head, letting his grandmother ruffle his faded hair.
Grandma Cheng clicked her tongue in disgust: "Old Man Li next door loves to follow trends so much, but he didn't end up looking like you!"
Cheng Zhou answered sincerely, "Grandma, Grandpa Li is bald, he has no hair..."
"Pfft!" Hu Tong couldn't help but hug his mother's arm and laugh gleefully.
Amidst the laughter, Old Mrs. Cheng stomped her foot in annoyance.
"Hey, I told you to shut up, you idiot!"
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