Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Chi Lingyan went out to take care of the aftermath of her accident, but he was constantly reminded of his daughter and her dependence on him in the hospital. Seeing the wistfulness on her face when he left, the heart of this unbending, tall and well-built old man stood no chance and melted.
Even though it was already dark and his concerns were inconvenient since it was evening, he moved swiftly and decisively, carrying a large bag of cherries and other fruits to his sister’s house. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened coincidentally. The smile on his face disappeared without a trace at the sight of the bowl of soup in his daughter’s hand and her red eyes.
The entrance hall was very close to the dining room, so he approached with huge strides. His eyes were as sharp as a falcon’s, sweeping over the table and taking a full view of everything.
He saw the softshell turtle soup that he had bought in the afternoon to supplement Chi Shuyan’s body filled Gao Yuanyang and Gao Yuanxin’s bowls to the brim. His sister and her husband’s bowls also had large chunks of meat, and even Gao Lingxue’s bowl had a piece or two. The whole family’s mouths were smeared with grease. As Shuyan took her seat, he saw no meat. Leaning over a large area were only two plates of dry and plain vegetarian dishes.
Chi Lingyan clenched his jaw. It turned out that this was how his good Third Sister and brother-in-law took care of his daughter for him.
“Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, what goodies have you brought?” Gao Yuanyang didn’t notice Chi Lingyan’s cold face at all. His eyes were fixed straight at the large bag Chi Lingyan was carrying in his hand: “It looks like cherries, Fourth Uncle, that’s great!”
7-year-old Gao Yuanxin was also delighted. Without even wiping his oily fingers, he jumped off his stool and wanted to hug Chi Lingyan’s thighs to show his love, but Chi Lingyan avoided him without hesitation.
“Fourth Uncle, you’re so great, these cherries are expensive, mother doesn’t even buy them.” Gao Yuanyang also stood up from the table and was about to grab it, but Chi Lingyan raised it upwards and Gao Yuanyang was left grabbing the air.
“Fourth Uncle?” Gao Yuanyang froze for a moment, obviously not fussed by Chi Lingyan’s action. Previously, he used to grab anything from his uncle and he would let him take it without even saying anything.
“I bought it for my daughter to supplement her body.” Chi Lingyan’s face was gloomy and sharp as he stressed the word ‘daughter’. His icy eyes shifted to Chi Guihua.
Chi Guihua shrank her neck in fright at Chi Lingyan’s gloomy face. She felt guilty, but slyly quibbled, “I just served Yan Yan some turtle and she ate too fast. Had we known you were coming, we would have saved you some.”
“Yes, Lingyan, don’t misunderstand. Yan Yan’s body is weak and she can’t eat too much turtle meat. I’ve heard others say that this turtle has too much tonic, and that the turtle soup is just the right temperature and most essential part. It could supplement her better.” Gao Han also had the nerve to help out and said rightfully so.
Chi Guihua immediately echoed Gao Han’s claims when she heard them. Although she felt guilty, she was armed with the thought that she was Chi Lingyan’s sister. Would he still dare to beat her up just for this worthless loser? Back when she was a girl herself, she couldn’t even drink this kind of turtle soup, let alone leftovers. This was already enough for such a loser. With this argument, she felt less guilty and looked at him with confidence.
Listening to the sophistry of his sister and brother-in-law, Chi Lingyan almost burst out laughing in fury. When he came, he also thought that he would be troubling his sister’s family, so he shouldn’t visit their door empty-handed. His sister has always been stingy and would not buy these kinds of fruits, so he purposely picked some extremely expensive fruits as a token of their care for his daughter.
But what did he see in his haste to come? He witnessed his sister’s family deliberately grinding his own daughter. His daughter’s lips were dry, which proved that she didn’t eat at all. Her bowl of soup was as clear as water, he could see the bottom. He loved his precious daughter to his bones and didn’t want her to suffer the slightest bit, so he entrusted her to his sister’s family. But they treated Shuyan like this. When he was around, they still treated her badly.
He hardly dared to think about how they had abused his daughter unscrupulously in the many years and months of his absence. Shuyan’s character was pure and simple. How much bullying did she have to suffer for her to cry out in anger? He couldn’t bear to think about it. The mere thought of it made him want to kill someone.
On a deeper note, he hadn’t sent back a lot of allowance from his payroll over the years, but it was more than enough to feed a big family. He knew that people were selfish, so he didn’t mind subsidizing his sister’s whole family as she had been taking care of his daughter for many years. So, he wasn’t actually very concerned about where his wage allowances went.
However, now that Chi Lingyan had come to his senses, he took a special look at Chi Shuyan. His memory was sharp, so he could see at once that the clothes his daughter was wearing were the exact ones he’d seen for years. As for Gao Yuanyang and his two siblings, their clothes were all brand new. Even his sister and brother-in-law were wearing quality materials.
Chi Lingyan just felt like he had been slapped in the face. His face was burning in pain – it hurt. The pain almost stirred his wrath again, and heartache. The former was to his sister’s family, and the latter to his precious daughter.
Chi Lingyan took the bowl with a meager share in Chi Shunyan’s hand and smashed it into the floor at will. With a muffled thud, it landed on the carpeted floor. Regardless of the mess on the carpet, he held Chi Suyan’s hand and said, “Sweetie, we should go home.”
Chi Shuyan revealed a shallow smile towards Chi Lingyan, tears welling in her eyes, looking particularly lovely and adorable: “Yan Yan doesn’t want to eat vegetarian food anymore.”
Chi Lingyan felt pained in his heart and replied, “Our Yan Yan should eat the best.”
Chi Guihua watched as the two moved and was dumbfounded. She was incredulous when she saw that the two appeared to be leaving. Were they to eat those alone? She glanced greedily at the large bag of fruits, which must have cost more than 200 yuan. Cherries were as expensive as they came.
“Brother, what’s the hurry, you haven’t eaten here yet. Sit down quickly, I will warm something for you.” Chi Guihua was unwilling to just let this expensive fruit disappear without a trace, so she got up from the table and forced a smile. As she approached, she tried to lift the bag up in Chi Lingyan’s hand and said, “Yan Yan’s body can’t stand the tossing and turning. You should leave this in the fridge for now, or else it will be rotten.”
“Sister needn’t worry. Even if they rot, it’s better than not knowing whose belly it went into.” Chi Lingyan scoffed.
Chi Guihua’s face froze for a moment. She was about to argue, but when she touched Chi Lingyan’s threatening, blazing eyes, she was terrified and dumbstruck again.
Seeing them about to leave in front of him, Gao Yuanxin, who was to the side, couldn’t take it anymore. He plopped down on the floor, rolled about making a scene, and cried loudly: “Mommy, I want to eat cherries, I want to eat cherries!”
Chi Lingyan turned a blind eye to Gao Yuanxin’s tantrums, his eyes indifferent.
“Brother, look here, this child is crying like this, so you should give some for Yuanxin first.” Seeing Chi Lingyan’s indifference, Chi Guihua immediately forced a loving smile towards Chi Shuyan, who was standing beside him, and said anxiously, “Shuyan, I know you are a good girl. Look, your younger brother is throwing a tantrum, so just let him be. Let your brother eat these cherries first and next time, next time, I’ll buy them for you. Okay?”
