The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 174 - 173: You Did That on Purpose, Didn’t You?
"What prospects can you have, always hesitating? I think even the children have more initiative than you. Times have clearly changed, yet you’re still cowering. I bought you a job, and you finally managed to get a permanent position, only to be sent right back to square one because of that stupid mess you made. Is there anyone else like you? Everyone else is thinking about how to improve their lives. What have you done? I think your third brother is doing great. He earns a living with his own two hands. He doesn’t steal or rob, so what danger could there possibly be?"
He Ze’s face flushed crimson. He felt he had completely lost face in front of everyone, especially when Mr. He brought up his fall from being a factory worker to his current state. For a moment, he was overcome with embarrassment and shame.
Mrs. He had been eavesdropping at the door for a while. She sighed to herself. ’It’s the New Year,’ she thought, afraid the father and son would clash again, so she hurried inside.
"That’s enough, both of you. We’re about to eat. Come on, clear the candies and melon seeds from the table. It’s time to serve the food." As she spoke, she shot He Nan a meaningful look.
Understanding the signal, He Nan quickly pulled He Ze out of the room to help bring in the food.
When He Ze entered the kitchen, he saw Gao Cuiyun. He already resented her because of what happened with Little Chen, and now his mood was even fouler. He shot her a glare, snorted, and walked out with a dish.
He Nan frowned as he watched his brother’s retreating back.
’What’s wrong with our second brother?’
Gao Cuiyun pretended not to hear. She was used to it. No matter what she did, He Ze would always find fault with her.
Xue Yue had her back to them, stir-frying the last dish. The wok sizzled loudly, and she didn’t hear anyone enter.
But when she finished cooking and entered the room, she glanced at He Ze and froze for a second. ’Is that what He Ze looks like now?’ she wondered. ’He seems so different from my memory of him. He’s much tanner, and so thin he’s almost unrecognizable.’
’The little girl next to him is pretty, but she looks so small and thin. They both look a bit malnourished. Have things really gotten that hard for them?’
After a brief glance, Xue Yue went and sat down next to the children.
As was tradition, Mr. He said a few words of blessing, and then the meal began.
Everyone was, as always, full of praise for Xue Yue’s cooking. Xiao Yu clutched a bowl nearly the size of her face, gobbling down her food so voraciously her face nearly disappeared inside it.
Mrs. He’s heart softened at the sight, and she kept placing more food in the girl’s bowl. The little girl snuck a peek at Mrs. He before lowering her head and continuing to wolf down her meal.
From the beginning of the meal to the end, Gao Cuiyun never once looked up, keeping her eyes fixed on the bowl in front of her.
Aside from He Ze and Gao Cuiyun, who were too weighed down by their thoughts to have much of an appetite, everyone else seemed to enjoy the meal.
It was hard to say whether He Lang did it on purpose, but right after dinner, he started swaggering around, pulling out cash to hand out as New Year’s money. He gave each child ten yuan, not even bothering with red envelopes, just handing over the bills directly.
Xiao Yu received some too, of course. The little girl looked lost, glancing repeatedly at He Ze for guidance.
Grinning, He Lang pulled out another 200 yuan and slapped it on the table in front of Mrs. He. "Mom, this is from your son, for you and Dad."
Mrs. He glared at him. "We don’t want it. Take it back."
He Lang leaned back, saying lazily, "Just take it. I did pretty well for myself this year, so I’m giving a little extra. Big Brother, Second Brother, you two can just give whatever you want. Don’t feel like you have to copy me."
As he spoke, he shot a casual glance at He Ze out of the corner of his eye. He Ze’s expression was awful; a gloomy shadow had fallen over him.
He Nan nodded and said casually, "Your brothers can’t compare to you. You earned that money the hard way, kid. Don’t be so extravagant in the future. Sister-in-law, our third brother has always been like this, money just burns a hole in his pocket. You should keep a tighter rein on him."
Xue Yue just smiled without saying a word.
A short while later, He Ze made an excuse and left with Xiao Yu.
The others stayed, sitting on the heated brick bed to watch TV. Back then, there was no Spring Festival Gala; TV dramas were broadcast on New Year’s Eve instead.
Two episodes of the drama aired, and by the time they were over, it was already past ten.
The children had been running wild all day and were starting to get drowsy.
On the way back from the family home, Xue Yue shot him a sideways glance. "You did that on purpose, didn’t you? We agreed to give out the money tomorrow. Why were you in such a rush to hand it out just now?"
Their family was doing better this year, so giving the kids a little extra was fine. Even giving 200 yuan to Mr. and Mrs. He to help out the other two families was something Xue Yue wouldn’t object to. She just hadn’t expected He Lang to pull a stunt like that.
"After what you did, what were Big Brother and Second Sister-in-law supposed to give?"
He Lang lifted his chin, unconcerned. "I told them to give whatever they wanted. Don’t worry, Big Brother gets what I meant. He won’t try to overdo it."
Xue Yue pursed her lips. "So your second brother must have offended you, then?"
He Lang snorted. "Not really. I just don’t like seeing him have an easy time."
"And that’s not offending him? Tsk, tsk. You’re so petty."
"Hahaha."
In truth, this was He Lang’s real nature. He had always been the type to hold a grudge, and he certainly wasn’t magnanimous. He lived by the principle of getting his revenge on the spot.
He Ze was, in fact, absolutely furious. When he got home from his parents’ house, he smashed the only cup he owned.
’So what if he has a bit of filthy lucre? What’s there to be so smug about?’
The loud crash scared Xiao Yu so much that she hugged her head, crouched on the floor, and started to cry.
The sound of his daughter’s crying brought He Ze back to his senses.
He took a moment to compose himself before picking up Xiao Yu and trying to soothe her. The little girl had overeaten, and now, from crying so hard, she threw up. The sight sent a jolt of panic through He Ze.
「The next morning」
A large group of children came running to give Xue Yue and He Lang their New Year’s greetings. Xue Yue, who had just woken up, quickly roused Ruanruan and Shiyiye and sent them off with their older cousins to make the rounds at other houses.
When the two children returned, Ruanruan placed the lucky money and candy they had received on the table.
"Mom, this is the stuff Shiyi and I got," she said. "This is the lucky money from First Uncle and Second Aunt. The smaller one is from Grandma."
Four ten-yuan bills, and two one-yuan bills.
Xue Yue pressed her lips together and looked at He Lang. "See? Look at the precedent you set. Now Big Brother and Second Sister-in-law felt they had to give ten yuan, too."
He Lang shrugged. "That’s not my fault. I told them to give whatever they wanted. If they chose to give that much, they gave that much. It’s just a few families exchanging money anyway."
He Lang bent down and asked Ruanruan, "Did you go to Second Uncle’s house for New Year’s greetings?"
Ruanruan nodded. "We did. Brother Xiao Yang and the others didn’t want to go at first, but Brother Xiao Chen insisted."
He Lang let out a low chuckle. "Did Second Uncle give you any lucky money?"
Ruanruan shook her head. "No. Second Uncle’s house is really poor. They didn’t even have any candy."
"And what was the look on your Second Uncle’s face?"
"I think Second Uncle was about to cry."
"HAHAHAHA—" Hearing this, He Lang laughed so hard he doubled over.
Xue Yue watched him with a helpless expression. ’He’s a grown man, how can he still have such a twisted sense of humor?’
Ruanruan and Shiyi stared at He Lang in confusion, wondering what their father found so funny.
The world of adults was truly a complicated place.
