Chapter 6 (3)
Kang Long didn't live with Yu Shuang, but he was there almost every day. He had a better relationship with Chun Er than Chun Er had with Yu Shuang. When Yu Shuang dropped her off in the morning, he'd try to pick her up, and occasionally help Chun Er with her homework.
I feel relieved and at ease.
But she felt bad.
From leaving the mess at his brother's house to bringing Chun'er back, Kang Long had performed well, but the more he did this, the more Yu Shuang felt he hadn't paid her back. She would rather he draw a clear line. She told Chun'er the same thing, "I'm not your mother. If there's anything I can't think of, you can bring it up and we can discuss it. Remember, you and I are equal. I'm your friend." Chun'er whispered, "Auntie, I'll pay you back later..." Yu Shuang was anxious, "Kid, that's not what I meant..." Before leaving, her mother and grandmother told Chun'er that her aunt had money and they all had to rely on her. In Chun'er's eyes, money was something that had oppressed her since she was a child.
"Do you love money?" Yu Shuang asked.
Chun'er was stunned. No one had ever asked her this question before.
"Lu Xun hated money, so he put it under his insoles and stepped on it," Yu Shuang continued. "If you hate money, you can do the same." He paused, then added, "But I don't want you to hate money. Money has no attributes; it depends on how you use it. Don't be afraid of it. Study hard, learn skills, and one day you can be like my aunt."
Like what? Yu Shuang didn't say. She meant managing money like her aunt. But Chun'er didn't understand. She only knew that her parents used to say that her aunt didn't get married, was selfish, and only cared about herself. She didn't want to be like her aunt. "Chun'er," Yu Shuang asked seriously, "what is your ideal?"
"Ideal." Chun'er repeated.
“It’s about what you most want to do and what you most want to achieve in the future.”
"I want to get married," Chun'er said without hesitation, "to have my own home and a child."
Oh my! What kind of values are these! What kind of abuse have Yu Qing and his wife done to their child? Yu Shuang was furious! But the little tree was already growing. How could she pull her back? Yu Shuang was deeply aware that her eldest niece was not her successor! But she couldn't say "no". Getting married, having a family, having children, millions of people did it. What was wrong with that? She was the only one who was different.
Yu Shuang had no choice but to change the subject, "Don't call me uncle from now on."
Chun'er blinked. No sound.
"Call me Teacher Kang."
"I'm afraid of the teacher..." Chun'er said timidly. The teacher and she had a cat-and-mouse relationship.
"Call me uncle. Uncle Kang. Remember that." Yu Shuang ordered.
Chun'er nodded.
Kanglong brought chestnuts to make chestnut-filled sugar dumplings. Chun'er wanted to help, but Yu Shuang, worried she'd cause trouble, sent her to do her homework. She stood by the kitchen counter, watching Kanglong work.
"Were you a woman in your previous life? Have you ever calculated it?" she asked.
He didn't answer and went about his business.
"Or lie to me."
"What are you lying to me about?"
"Have you ever been married and have a family life?"
"No."
"You do the work so efficiently." She smiled.
"Didn't you exercise?"
Yu Shuang tutted twice, "Blame me, I corrupted the great intellectual into a househusband."
Kang Long said, "He's not corrupt. He hasn't entered the siege yet." Kang had told her that he'd been too focused on academics before, and that he was ready to take a break after being promoted to professor. Yu Qing's death was also a direct shock to him.
Life is short.
Yu Shuang changed his tone to a softer one, "Don't come so often."
"You think I'm annoying?" he said. "I get along well with kids."
"It's too much trouble for you to waste your time."
"You still like that?"
"What?"
"Afraid of owing me."
Click on the red heart. Yu Shuang quickly denied it and said no.
Kang Long added, "Even if you ask me to come right now, I can't."
"Another visiting scholar?"
"No, I'm going home."
"What's going on?"
"My dad's business."
Yu Shuang was shocked, "What happened to him?"
Kang Long said: "That aunt passed away."
Yu Shuang's mind raced for a few moments before she finally understood who Kang Long's father was. She politely put on a sad expression. She knew Kang Long didn't like this aunt. He had only mentioned her once in front of her, and that was in a negative light—he called her mercenary. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the major hurdles in life, and Yu Shuang thought this might be an opportunity for her. Kang Long had been busy since Yu Qing left, and now it was her turn to lend a hand. Yu Shuang said generously, "If you need any help, just let me know." Kang Long nodded. Then he left. A few days later, he came back. It hadn't been the seventh day of his death yet.
Yu Shuang asked about the situation, and Kang Long said that everything that should be done had been done, and that his aunt had her own children.
"Where's your dad?" she asked.
"He's mentally prepared." He's been sick for more than a day or two. Kang Long had his father's fortune told, and he was unlucky for his wife.
"What will he do in the future?" Yu Shuang asked with concern.
"Maybe I'll find it again."
Yu Shuang was astonished. Was marriage really that addictive? Two wasn't enough? Another spring at this age? Unbelievable.
"Before that." Yu Shuang was anxious to repay the favor.
"Let's not talk about that."
"You only have this one dad." Yu Shuang coaxed, "I didn't feel this way before. When my mom passed away, I was sad. When my brother passed away, I felt hopeless. It was like I was the only one in the world."
"Don't we still have Chun'er, my dear niece?"
"no the same."
Kang Long was expressionless. "He and I can't live under the same roof and dislike each other."
Yu Shuang immediately said, "Come to my place, ask your dad to come to my place, my place is big."
Kang Long was moved and sighed, "Don't be silly, what is his relationship with you? If he asks who you are, how will you answer?"
"girlfriend."
"Why would my girlfriend do this?"
"Then we'll marry before we get married. Anyway, let's just keep him in the dark for now," Yu Shuang thought. "I'm telling you, these are dangerous times. He's an elderly man, too lonely. Maybe..." She'd considered suicide at the time, starving to death—but then her instinctive urge to eat prevented her from dying. "Be filial to your father sooner rather than later, and don't regret it," Yu Shuang said with a serious expression.
Kang Long's heart softened. What a kind woman! But he also understood that Yu Shuang's actions adhered to the law of conservation between them—fairness. It was like good deeds being rewarded. So, at Yu Shuang's urging, Kang Long expressed his desire to take him in with him to live with him. His father immediately refused.
"You're not too old to be unable to move or do anything. If you want to be filial, get married soon!" Kang's father urged. Kang Long was displeased. He repeated his words to Yu Shuang, who also felt horrified. His son was still unmarried, while his father had already been through two marriages. They were indeed two different kinds of people. It would be best if they were not put together.
"My dad thinks I'm a kind of pollution."
"Pollution of what?" Yu Shuang didn't understand what he meant.
Kang Long smiled bitterly and said, "When I lived with my mother before, he said I was polluted by her. Married people think that those who are not married are a kind of pollution. They pollute society and pollute his perfect family life."
“Then I am also polluting.”
"You are." Kang Long touched her head.
"In the past, white people looked at black people as pollution, and men looked at women as pollution."
“It’s still discrimination against women now.”
"Aren't you quite self-reliant?"
"The rich see the poor as pollution," Kanglong lamented. "In the eyes of the rich, the poor are inherently slovenly, impolite, uneducated, and unsuitable for intellectual labor."
“The rich got ahead.”
"That's right. Education, industry...all kinds of resources." Kang Long said.
"No wonder Harry Potter didn't master magic until the seventh film," said Yu Shuang.
"What's the meaning?"
"His parents died early, and he was adopted by someone else. He has no resources."
You really know how to draw inferences from one example. Kang Long smiled, "Train Chun'er well."
With her husband on the other side of the mountain and her daughter on the other side of the sea, Yu Jia suddenly had a lot more free time. It was the off-season, and work at the publishing house was light, so many colleagues were on vacation. Yu Jia didn't take any time off, planning to save up her vacation time and focus on visiting her daughter. She didn't dare mention going to see Li Ren. After Li Ren left, he'd call once a week, asking about the family and briefly explaining his own situation. He didn't mention leaving the house or getting a divorce. Yu Jia thought he'd calmed down. She'd given him freedom, so what difference did it make whether they divorced or not? Although they were physically together, their hearts were not together, but appearances were just as important!
She was still Di Liren's wife, holding that title. Don't underestimate the title; it's useful. People are all dog-eyed. As long as she was still "the wife of an official," people around her would inevitably look up to her.
Li Ren had just arrived in the area when he was awarded a meritorious service, claiming to have saved a herder's child. It was completely coincidental. He was commended within the system. The people at the publishing house immediately responded. Director Zhang smiled at Yu Jia. Her workload had also decreased significantly, and if she wasn't there occasionally, no one would bother to ask.
Yu Jia also felt that Liren was determined to achieve something this time.
He has the ability.
In front of his leaders, he is tolerant and considerate; in front of the people, he has boundless love; in front of his daughter, he is tolerant and magnanimous; in front of his relatives, his words are his bond.
Liren is a good actor, but he just won't act in front of her! Also, if he and her both acted, life would be too tiring! But isn't she tired and miserable?!
There was good news at home. Yu Yi had been accepted into his doctoral program and had found a girlfriend, effectively solving two major problems at once. Yu Jia asked his brother to bring him home for dinner.
A physics PhD from a prestigious university, two years older than Yu Yi, from Linqu, Shandong, Yu Jia loved mutton. She cooked a huge pot. Seeing her in person, Yu Jia was even more disappointed than her brother. The Yu family has always prized appearance, but the girlfriend Yu Yi brought with her had a square face, glasses, braces, and rough skin. Without makeup, she could play the role of an ugly woman. But since her brother had chosen her, Yu Jia had no choice but to hold her nose and eat a scallion. She just couldn't understand why Yu Yi had gone from one extreme to the other, choosing Yu Rui in the past and this woman now. She worried about the future generations of the Yu family.
However, after a meal, Yu Jia saw that the female doctor spoke naturally, was confident and generous. Although she ate in a bold manner, she was still a good girl. She asked the female doctor what she liked about Xiaoyi. The female doctor put down the lamb chops and said in a matter-of-fact spirit, "Honest, she looks good."
Make up for what you lack.
Yu Jia thought carefully and thought that this girl might have the kind of true confidence that Yu Yi was in urgent need of.
Liren left. Yu Jia needed friends and was willing to care for them. She went to see Yu Shuang, took care of Shuang and Chun'er, and asked about her and Kang Long's situation. She set up a table at home and invited Meng, Rui, and Shuang to come. It was just a simple sister gathering, without men. Yu Meng knew Yu Jia's worries and advised her at the dinner table, "Sister, you are so free now, it's a good time to do something."
Yu Jia forced his face and said, "What can I do? Go to work and go home. Just eat and wait to die." It's a bit pessimistic, but this is the truth.
"Start a business, find something to do." Meng was full of energy. She opened a beauty salon and held a social position. Soon she would be able to join a certain association. Liangcai was in charge and had already invited the chairman of the association to dinner.
The future is bright.
Yu Meng had the illusion that her life had just begun - she had been delayed by Luan Chengyun in the past and had wasted her best years.
And Yu Rui was doing well too, with a new job and a new life. Everything was new. Yu Jia's life was new too, except that it felt like a cloudy day. She felt unmotivated.
As the drug wore off, her face changed again, slowly returning to its "original appearance." Wrinkles remained wrinkles, cheeks remained cheeks. True purity is revealed after the fading of excess. Anything fake cannot withstand scrutiny. Just like her relationship with Li Ren.
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