Chapter 1532: Grievance

Ye Yaodong wasn't that anxious; since they'd already said the problem was minor, there surely wasn't any real issue.

After finishing his shower, he happened to be downstairs, so he took the chance to make a phone call.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi picked up the phone, her clear, milky voice asking, "Hello, who are you? Who are you looking for?"

"Guess who I am?"

"You're my dead-beat dad."

"How are you speaking? Who taught you that?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi chattered on, "Dou Dou's mom scolded him, saying your dead-beat dad doesn't send money back, and you just know how to eat, eat, eat every day..."

Ye Yaodong was speechless. "Don't learn from adults' words."

"Oh, okay. Dad, when are you coming back?"

"You've already called me your dead-beat dad, and you're asking when I'll return?"

"Dad, I miss you so much, mua~ Miss you, miss you coming back~ We all miss you~ Dad~ Dad~ Dad~ Dad~"

Through the phone, Ye Ye Xiaoxi kept acting spoiled, her body twisting and turning along with her soft, doting voice growing louder and louder.

The curve of Ye Yaodong's smile grew wider and wider, and the July heat vanished instantly.

"I heard you."

"Dad, Mom said she's sending me to first grade in September; I want pretty new stationery!"

"I'll buy it. I was just wondering why you suddenly speak so nicely and keep calling me."

"Dad, mua~ mua~"

"Got it, got it, received. I'll tell your mom right away to take you to buy new stationery, make you a few new outfits, buy new shoes, and get you everything brand new."

Through the phone, he could feel her joy and happiness.

"I'm glad you understand."

"I can tell what you're up to just by seeing you pout your butt."

"It's garlic-flavored, here, have some."

"You empty-headed fool, all you do is talk about farts all day. You can't be like that in two months when you start first grade, you know?"

"I know."

"Go call your mom to take the phone."

"Okay... Clang~ Mom~"

The moment the phone was put down, he heard her calling for Mom even before she stepped out the door.

She called out again and again, running out as she shouted, her voice gradually fading into the distance.

Ye Yaodong figured this call came a bit late; by the time he returned to Shanghai, school should be starting soon. By then, there would likely be many new types of stationery available, so he'd look around and buy some to mail back to the three little ones at home.

Actually, they weren't short on stationery; they bought some every year, and whenever he saw something novel, he'd bring it back for them. But children always prefer the new over the old, and at the start of school, they all want something new that they don't already have.

"Hello."

"Dad said you called a couple of days ago, saying Hong Hong Wenle was taken in for questioning?"

"Yes, I was still at the factory then. I saw two officers in big-brimmed caps come over and politely invite him to the border station. He was back in just over two hours. He said it was routine procedure, nothing serious, but I don't know the specifics; you'll have to ask him."

"Then I'll call him later to check on him."

"Mm, I heard Old Pei will be going up there in a couple of days too."

"Is everything at home settled?"

He had thought they wouldn't return until matters were fully resolved.

"That family voluntarily proposed to cancel the engagement, saying they didn't want to hold Dongqing back, especially since their own family had been traveling back and forth for over two months. As for the betrothal gifts they'd purchased, anything that had already been delivered didn't need to be returned; they said to consider it compensation."

"That's quite conscientious of them."

"Who can deny it? If it were some heartless folks, they'd claim the engagement was already set, that she was their family's daughter-in-law-to-be, refuse to cancel the engagement, and that would be very troublesome. At least now they took the initiative, saying they didn't want to hold anyone back, and even offered compensation."

"That family isn't bad, but it's also because Ah Guang and Old Pei handled everything thoroughly, leaving no room for criticism. Otherwise, canceling the engagement immediately after the incident would have made them the target of public scorn."

"Mm, Old Pei even called Yingqiu back for a visit, telling her to look after Dongqing and help find a suitable match, with the hope she could marry off as soon as possible."

"Now only Yingqiu has different connections."

"Both sisters have it hard. That's why they say children without mothers are like grass; it's only children without mothers who suffer. Better to have no father than no mother."

"What kind of talk is that? Should I go die then? Can't one have both a father and a mother?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing chuckled. "I was just making a comparison, a figure of speech. Do you really have to split hairs over it?"

"It's fine; when we get old, it'll come true. Men often die earlier than women; women live longer than men."

"That's true enough."

"That's why they say men have it hard. As children, they listen to their mothers; after marrying, they listen to their wives; in old age, they listen to their daughters. Once they've earned enough and can no longer work, they kick the bucket, and their wives get to enjoy life comfortably while the children split the inheritance."

"You always spout all sorts of nonsense..."

"Just say whether it's true or not!"

"Well, in a normal lifespan, women do live longer than men. What can be done about it?"

"Let's not argue about this..."

Ye Yaodong got straight to the point, telling her about the matters he'd handled in Shanghai a few days ago, mentioning that the family's assets had increased so she would know.

Lin Lin Xiuqing had grown somewhat indifferent to his buying houses and land by now; she didn't scold him, since once something was bought, it was bought.

A pile of various contracts and proof documents had already accumulated at home, and she had even set aside a separate drawer just for them.

Money was just numbers to her now; she hardly counted it anymore. If she wanted to know how much money the family had, she'd just grab a calculator, flip through the ledger, and add it up; she only really knew the figures when withdrawing or depositing cash at the bank.

Recalling when the couple used to sit on the bed counting a pile of money, how excited they were back then; now, they didn't even have a partner to count money with, and their happiness was cut in half.

"My daughter said she's starting first grade in September. When you have some free time, take her to buy some new stationery."

"We already have a whole pile at home; do we need to buy more? When we went shopping in Shanghai for Chinese New Year last year, we already bought..."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi protested from the side, shouting, "That's what Brother wants to buy; I didn't ask for it."

"Just let him give you his share; how many characters can you write anyway?"

"I don't want it. I don't like his. I don't want his; it's too ugly. I want to choose for myself."

"Don't waste it; use whatever we have at home."

"That's not mine; that's Brother's. I don't want his. I just want to choose for myself. I just want to choose for myself." Ye Ye Xiaoxi glared at her stubbornly.

"You're barely a speck of a child and already have a bunch of ideas. Still 'choose for myself,' choose, choose. What's so important that you're busy all day with your feet not touching the ground, yet I still have to manage your trivial matters?"

"I want it, I want it! Dad promised. He just said it; a grown-up's word must be kept!"

She stomped her feet in anger, twisting her body in various ways, protesting in every manner.

Ye Yaodong also spoke over the phone, "When you go to the factory in town, just take her along and let her choose then. Otherwise, she'll keep thinking about it and ask me for it even over the phone."

"It's just that you spoil her. Why doesn't she ask me? And ask me even over the phone?"

"Isn't it because the phone was handed to her?"

"Look, would she dare ask me? It's still because you promised her. She's not even home and still causing me trouble. You just spoil her; buy whatever she wants. We already have a pile of stationery at home, yet you still want to buy more. Do you plan to eat it?"

"I want it! A promise must be kept!"

"You found a loophole just because I didn't answer the phone for a moment, treating a chicken feather like a command flag. Who promised you? Go ask them."

"Fine, I'll give it, I'll give it. In a few days, when I have some free time, I'll go out and look around. If there's something fresh and different, I'll buy it all and mail it back."

Lin Lin Xiuqing glared at Ye Ye Xiaoxi, who was still angry and protesting. "You have so many demands. Your father is busy to death out there, yet he still has to buy things for you."

Hearing these words, Ye Ye Xiaoxi's tears fell. "But Dad promised. Wah-wah-wah... I don't want it anymore..."

After saying this, she ran back to the old lady's room while crying.

Lin Lin Xiuqing was utterly helpless.

Ye Yaodong heard only the crying. "Why is she crying? You see, I told you to buy it for her, but you said one thing after another. I said I'd buy it for her when I have time, yet you still want to lecture. Look, you made her cry. Are you satisfied now?"

"If we don't tell her, she'll think we're all very idle. Why spoil her? She's already so old; she's about to enter first grade."

"Even if she's about to enter first grade, she's still a child. It's perfectly normal to be excited about starting school and wanting new stationery of her own. If it were me, I wouldn't want anyone else's either. Besides, can boys' preferences be the same as girls'?"

"It's all your fault for promising her, so she dares to argue with me."

"With the time you're spending on the phone scolding her, you could have gone and bought her the stationery. You'd even save on the phone bill, which would be enough to cover the cost of the stationery."

"You just spoil her."

"I do spoil her, and I like it. It's not a matter of right or wrong. Small things should be satisfied if they can be. Why make her cry? Go comfort her quickly. Just tell her I bought it and will mail it back. Then she can share it with Xiao Yu."

"I know. You're the only one who knows how to be the good guy; I'm always the bad guy."

"Aren't you the bad guy? Otherwise, how could she not dare to tell you?"

"Alright, I'm hanging up."

"Remember to tell her and comfort her."

Lin Lin Xiuqing rolled her eyes. "Only your daughter is the most precious."

"Of course. It wasn't easy to give birth to her."

"I know."

Seeing her cry, Lin Lin Xiuqing actually felt heartache. The little girl knew everything; otherwise, she wouldn't have heard that the whole family was busy and then cried, saying she didn't want it anymore.

After hanging up the phone, she went to the old lady's room.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi was hiding under the covers, crying with her head down. She was still crying loudly with the covers open; in summer, the quilt was thin and couldn't muffle much sound.

"Is it not shameful to cry so loudly?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi ignored her completely and continued to cry, lost in her own sorrow.

"Alright, stop crying. I'll take you to buy it tomorrow."

The crying subsided.

"I don't want it anymore..."

"Tomorrow I'll take you to town to choose for yourself. Pick whatever you want. You can't just throw tantrums and cry every time."

"It was Dad who promised!"

"Then go ask him. Didn't he say he'd mail it back to you?"

Ye Ye Xiaoxi threw off the covers. Her eyes and nose were red, her face covered in tears, yet she still accused her, "But you kept saying he's very busy."

"He is very busy, and I am very busy too, so you need to be sensible."

She wanted to cry again, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop. I'll take you to buy it tomorrow. Anyway, I'm going to the factory in town, so I'll just take you along."

"You said 'just along,' you mean 'just along'?"

"Yes, just along. Wipe your tears and go wash your face."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi obediently got out of bed to wash her face, her shoulders still heaving; she hadn't finished crying yet.

Then, as she walked out of the room, she pouted and said softly, "I'll just buy a little bit. It'll be very quick."

"Mm."

She took a few small steps, then stopped to remind, "You must keep your word."

"I promise."

Only then did she go to wash her face with peace of mind.

Lin Lin Xiuqing helplessly shook her head and went back to her work.

Once they are all sent off to school, she will be at ease.

?? I just fell asleep while writing, slept for half an hour, then forced myself awake to continue writing. I'm too sleepy.

? (End of this chapter)