Another day drained by studying!
Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong trudged upstairs, one after the other. Wen Dongrong stuffed his briefcase into a large bag.
The bag held his briefcase, the couple’s study materials for their tutoring classes, and their “pride,” which absolutely couldn’t be discovered by Wen Ying.
They used to think work and social obligations were exhausting, that studying was simple, and they often scolded Wen Ying for not trying hard enough. Now they realised just how tiring studying could be.
As they opened the door and entered, Chen Ru called out, “Wen Ying!” Wen Ying replied from her bedroom, saying she was exhausted from studying and going to sleep.
Chen Ru thought: *You think your studying is as tiring as mine?*
Wen Dongrong first noticed two boxes on the table.
“What’s this?”
Chen Ru leaned over and saw two identical boxes, both labelled “Happy Birthday.”
Whose birthday was it?
Chen Ru’s birthday was in the first half of the year, long past. Wen Dongrong’s was in December, still months away!
Chen Ru pointed toward Wen Ying’s room, “Is she making up for my birthday and celebrating yours early?”
Chen Ru couldn’t figure out Wen Ying’s tactics. A birthday gift wasn’t a big deal, but she worried Wen Ying might use it to make unreasonable demands. This wasn’t baseless paranoia—Wen Ying had sweet-talked Chen Ru into agreeing to things several times before, leaving Chen Ru regretting it once her head cleared.
Wen Dongrong didn’t care. A gift? He was definitely opening it.
Say what you will, but the tie and leather shoes Wen Ying brought back from Macau last time had let him show off in front of his rival, Old Li.
Beating Old Li was tough otherwise—his skin was thicker than most. Only comparing their children could really hit him where it hurt.
As Wen Dongrong opened the box, he wondered what early birthday gift he’d get this time.
He already had a tie and shoes. A belt or wallet would be nice.
Wen Dongrong always tucked his shirt into his trousers, making him look taller and sharper, with a belt that stood out.
A belt—it had to be a belt!
But when he opened the box, it wasn’t a belt or even a wallet. It was a cassette player.
Why would Wen Ying give him a cassette player?
He thought he’d opened the wrong box and tore into the other one. Another cassette player.
Two gifts, two identical cassette players.
Wen Dongrong’s blood surged, his face flushing as he whispered to Chen Ru, “Did you tell her?”
Chen Ru glared at him, “No way! I never said a word. Don’t try to pin this on me!”
If they hadn’t told Wen Ying, how did she know to give them cassette players?
Wen Dongrong didn’t buy it, and Chen Ru was puzzled too.
The next morning, the family of three sat down for breakfast. Wen Ying brought up the cassette players, “Mum, Dad, do you like the gifts I got you?”
Wen Dongrong and Chen Ru exchanged a glance. Wen Dongrong cleared his throat, “Why’d you get us cassette players? We don’t need them. Where’d you buy them? Can they be returned?”
“Yeah, you’re just wasting money!”
The couple played off each other, stubbornly denying the truth.
Wen Ying finished her porridge, wiped her mouth, and said, “Why wouldn’t you need them? They’re great for listening to music! Mum’s under a lot of work stress, and music helps her relax. I got one for Mum, so I couldn’t leave Dad out, right?”
Listening to music?
Who uses a cassette player for music? Did she think they were too old to know better? Music was for portable players.
Cassette players were for learning English!
The couple was half-convinced, but Wen Ying had already set down her bowl, grabbed her schoolbag, and headed out, waving goodbye to her parents.
Chen Ru choked on her frustration.
“Do you buy that excuse?”
Wen Dongrong rolled up his sleeves to clear the dishes, “What can we do if I don’t? I told you, kids these days are hard to manage. Just buy a couple of tapes and make do with listening.”
It was a decent cover.
Wen Dongrong suspected Wen Ying had figured it out.
But as the head of the family, he couldn’t let his pride crumble.
From now on, he’d use the cassette player for English tapes but pretend it was for music. As long as no one called it out, he could keep up the act.
He was confident he could pull it off!
Chen Ru wasn’t so confident. The thought that Wen Ying already knew made her want to explode.
—Why was she even studying for the postgraduate exam? Why did she sign up for tutoring classes?
If she failed, how could she face Wen Ying?
Wen Dongrong was one of the culprits who’d pushed her into this. Chen Ru had no energy to mock him and shooed him off to work.
When Wen Dongrong came to Rongcheng on weekends, he either borrowed a friend’s car or took a shuttle bus. But he knew this wasn’t sustainable. No matter how good a friend, he couldn’t borrow their car every week, and the shuttle meant he had to head back Sunday night, as there were no early Monday trips.
Not just Chen Ru, but Wen Dongrong also felt the family needed a car.
If they didn’t buy a house, their savings could cover two cars. But with the house purchase, money was tight. Renovations and other expenses were piling up.
Fortunately, his older and younger brothers had settled in the city and didn’t need his support. The Shu family was another story—helping them only bred resentment, so they’d cut ties completely.
Wen Dongrong thought carefully and realised he could save a decent amount this year.
With that money, a new car might be out of reach, but a used one was doable.
Or maybe… quit smoking?
Since Chen Ru moved to Rongcheng, Wen Dongrong ate all three meals at work. The only personal expense left was cigarettes.
His cigarettes were mid-range, not cheap, costing two to three thousand yuan a year. For a car, a year’s cigarette money could buy two wheels!
While Wen Dongrong debated quitting smoking, Chen Ru wrestled with whether to bring the cassette player to work.
Wen Ying didn’t come home at noon, and Chen Ru rested at the office.
As a client manager, she was busy when work demanded it but had free time otherwise. At noon, she could use the cassette player to listen to tapes… Fine, she’d bring it. On her way to work, she’d stop by Xinhua Bookstore and buy the English tapes recommended by her tutoring teacher!
Her pride might be stubborn, but her actions were honest.
…
At school, Wen Ying noticed Xie Qian was in a good mood, and Xie Qian noticed her cheerfulness too.
“You first, or me?”
“I’ll go first. Turns out my parents secretly signed up for an English tutoring class—they’re studying for the postgraduate exam. To show my support, I got them each a cassette player!”
“…”
Wen Ying’s face screamed, “Praise me for being clever,” but Xie Qian couldn’t bring himself to do it, unable to imagine her parents’ expressions when they received the cassette players.
“My stuff’s sorted too. My mum decided to find a job in Rongcheng. She met with a company over the weekend, and it went well. She should start soon.”
Xie Qian had gone to the Jiang family to thank Jiang Xuekun, and Zou Weijun had joined him.
This shift in attitude, actively engaging with others, thrilled Xie Qian.
Not only that, his mum was no longer resistant to seeing a therapist. She even asked to meet one and wondered if Xie Qian could come along. He agreed instantly.
—What had Wen Ying said to his mum to make such a difference?!
