That evening when she returned home, Bai Lihua learned from her brother and sister that Yi Huailiang intended to sell the house. Her expression darkened considerably.
Yi Yufei couldn't understand why she suddenly seemed so agitated. "That's his own problem. Ultimately, it has nothing to do with us."
"Nonsense," Bai Lihua frowned. "If he dies someday, all his assets will go to you and Xixi. If he keeps messing things up like this, he won't even be able to keep the house."
Yi Yufei paused, taken aback. "That's not certain. What if his business takes off?"
"Do you really think that's possible?" Bai Lihua shook her head and sighed, then went into her room to make a call.
Truthfully, during the first two years after the divorce, Bai Lihua hadn't been this pragmatic. Not that pragmatism was inherently bad, but it simply didn't align with her former self. Back then, she'd been driven by a stubborn determination, almost like she was competing with Yi Huailiang. She'd been determined to make her life better, hoping Yi Huailiang would eventually regret his decision. But after enduring the hardships of being a single mother—a lowly office worker with a meager salary, struggling to provide for two children's food, clothing, and education—her mindset gradually shifted. Now, she actually hoped Yi Huailiang would have smooth sailing and a steady stream of wealth, as that would lighten her own burden.
Who would have thought that man would become more unreliable with age, even resorting to selling houses?
As for Yi Yufei, property matters were hardly worth worrying about. He could buy one when he made money later. The real problem now was that Yi Tongxi seemed to be ignoring him.
Unbelievable. She hadn't spoken a word to him when she came home that night, not even playing on the computer. Clearly, she was furious.
Yi Yufei approached the bedroom door and saw her sitting at the foot of the bed, soaking her feet while flipping through a book.
Truthfully, they rarely had serious arguments. Their usual bickering and teasing were just playful banter—sometimes even staged for Bai Lihua's amusement, just the family having a laugh. The last time she'd sulked like this was months ago... Why was that again? Hmm, he found it a bit embarrassing to recall.
It was a weekend afternoon when Bai Lihua was away. The house was quiet. He was watching porn in his room when, of all times, Yi Tongxi woke from her nap and pushed open the door. He didn't have time to close it before she walked right in—nothing major, really. But Yi Tongxi's drama queen tendencies kicked in. Covering her face, she blurted out, "Yi Yufei, you disgust me! Watching this filthy crap again! Disgusting!"
He'd been annoyed too, snapping back, "You've seen it before, so why pretend?!"
Yi Tongxi stamped her foot. "Who watched it? Who watched it?!"
He seemed to snort coldly. "The playback progress wasn't where I left off last time. You think I didn't notice?"
Caught red-handed, Yi Tongxi's face flushed crimson then drained pale. Finally, overcome with shame and anger, she turned and ran back to her room, slamming the door shut. She didn't emerge for the entire afternoon.
In truth, Yi Yufei understood perfectly well. Her anger wasn't about being caught watching adult films. Sometimes she didn't care about the incident itself, but rather whether the people she cared about cared about her feelings. That's what mattered to her.
Today was no different. Fortunately, she was the type to respond to softness rather than harshness, and he happened to be quite skilled at appeasing girls. With a few soothing words and letting her little fists punch his chest twice, the siblings buried the hatchet. Soon they were playfully wrestling and teasing each other again.
Two weeks later, winter break arrived as scheduled. Before the Spring Festival, Yi Huailiang departed Wangjiang once more, taking his last remaining capital with him. No one knew how long he'd be gone this time, nor did anyone care. For at the same moment, Bai Lihua's younger sister—Yi Tongxi and Yi Yufei's third aunt—Bai Lifen, returned from Shenzhen in her imported BMW to celebrate the New Year.
Oh, To be precise, according to her ID, she should be called Bai Lina—years ago, Auntie disliked the character "Fen" for being too rustic and changed it on her own, simultaneously altering her age to be five years younger. Thus, you'd observe an interesting phenomenon: in Shenzhen, she was the 34-year-old Bai Lina; in Wangjiang, she was the soon-to-be 40-year-old Bai Lifen.
Of course, this wasn't particularly important. Aside from herself, others didn't pay much attention to it. When she arrived home that day, Yi Tongxi and Yi Yufei came downstairs to greet her. The trunk was stuffed with bags and packages—all gifts for the family. Yi Tongxi received the latest iPad. Auntie Bai affectionately hugged her, laughing, "I keep hearing your mom complain about you fighting with your brother over the computer at home. Well, no more need for that now."
Yi Tongxi jumped for joy. Bai Lihua, however, remarked, "Why buy her such an expensive thing? High school studies are so demanding—when would she have time to play? Don't let it interfere with her studies."
"It's precisely because studying is so exhausting that we need to relax, right? Plus, you can look up stuff anytime." Auntie San winked and nudged Yi Tongxi playfully with her shoulder. The two looked more like friends of the same age.
Back when she was little, Yi Tongxi had idolized this woman. She was so stylish and generous, without a trace of the stiffness expected of an elder. More like a big kid herself, she'd hang out with her niece, chatting about celebrities, gossip, and Korean dramas. When talking about handsome guys, she'd squeal like a teenage girl. She'd even secretly encourage Yi Tongxi to fall in love early, behind Bai Lihua's back.
Perhaps it stemmed from her never having married or had children. She had once been pregnant, but the man responsible, Mr. Zheng, came from a complete family with children of his own. He didn't need her to bear more offspring, so after two miscarriages, nothing came of it.
This was Auntie San's taboo—no one in the family dared mention it except her.
Back when Grandma was still around, she brought it up twice, mostly worried about what would happen to her when she got older. At the time, she'd just split from Mr. Zheng. Hearing this really got to her, and she suddenly snapped, wailing bitterly: "Where were you all before? If you truly cared about me, you should've urged me to push through and have the baby! If I'd had a child, would Zheng Guoxiong have dared to brush me off so casually? But you lot? The moment you heard Mr. Zheng wouldn't let me have it, you didn't dare lift a finger! Out of the whole family, who stood up for me? What good does it do to talk about it now?"
After Grandma passed away, naturally no one brought up the child anymore. Over time, she herself would occasionally mention it, as if afraid everyone had forgotten, but never directly. Instead, she'd beat around the bush, leaving her intentions unclear.
For instance, she'd tell her eldest sister: "If there's no other way, I'll just move into a nursing home. You can visit me when you have time."
Her eldest sister would stammer nervously, unable to respond.
Or she might say to her second sister: "Oh dear, when I'm old someday, why don't you adopt either Feifei or Xixi over to me? We're all family anyway, and they seem to like me quite a bit. What do you think?"
Bai Lihua felt a lump in her throat and could only vent to Yi Yufei and Yi Tongxi: "I really don't know what your third aunt is thinking. It's like she's deliberately testing my reaction. It's utterly baffling..."
Hearing this, the siblings felt uneasy too. They'd discussed privately that Auntie treated them like her own children, and they'd certainly care for her in her old age. But adoption? Absolutely not.
As she grew older and saw more of the world, Yi Tongxi's affection for her aunt turned into a complex emotion. She didn't want to admit it, but a barrier had already formed within that affection. No one could guarantee eternal closeness with anyone beyond their immediate family.
She only hoped this Spring Festival would pass without incident.
That evening, the family gathering saw all three members of Auntie's household present. Grandfather was out of town, attending a reunion with old comrades in a neighboring city. This worked out well—his relationship with his third daughter had always been strained, and the delayed encounter brought a collective sigh of relief.
The atmosphere at the table was relaxed and warm. Everyone focused their attention on the two hapless high school students in the family, making conversation effortless. It must be said, this is the advantage of being a student—their limited life experience meant few taboo topics, and their futures brimmed with promise. Gathering together naturally called for discussing joyful, hopeful things; it was basic tact.
However, as another younger relative, Qiao Mo seemed somewhat overlooked.
Bai Lihua, observant as ever, served her food and asked gently, "MoMo, how many days off does your shop get for Spring Festival?"
Before Qiao Mo could answer, her mother Bai Liyun snorted. "What vacation? She got fired."
"What happened?"
"She just doesn't know how to get along with people. Stiff as a board. She never lasts long anywhere."
Bai Lihua countered, "It's normal for young people to switch jobs. Give it time."
Qiao Mo's father, Qiao Shi, took a sip of wine and grumbled, "This kid's been working for a year or two now, yet she hasn't saved a penny. She just sits around all day, lost in her own thoughts. Three days fishing, two days drying nets..."
Before he finished, Yi Tongxi set down her soup bowl. "I'm full." She tugged at Qiao Mo's sleeve. "Sis, let's watch TV! 'I Am a Singer' is on tonight!"
Bai Lihua exhaled in relief, scolding, "All you ever do is watch TV! Did you finish your homework?"
Yi Tongxi stuck out her tongue and led Qiao Mo away from the table.
That sly fox Yi Yufei also wolfed down his meal and retreated to the living room for refuge.
Bai Lihua changed the subject: "Kids these days have it tough. Xixi often gets so exhausted she doesn't even want to go to school."
Just then, Auntie Three suddenly chimed in: "She still needs to study. If she doesn't get into college, she'll be finished."
A silence fell over the table, and the air in the living room instantly turned awkward. Yi Tongxi sadly noticed a flicker of embarrassment on Qiao Mo's face.
Then her uncle-in-law grew displeased. Leaning back in his chair, he offered a forced smile. "What's the point of college anyway? You just end up working for someone else. Look around—college graduates are everywhere. You can grab them by the handful."
Auntie San swirled her wine glass with a soft chuckle. "Times have changed since our days. A degree is your ticket in. Not just for jobs—even when dating later on, people will look at your education."
Yi Yufei rose from the sofa, slipping his keys into his pocket. "Let's go for a walk. Sounds like fireworks outside."
"Sure."
The three children silently slipped away from the verbal sparring, escaping into the cold winter night to breathe in several mouthfuls of crisp air.
Yi Yufei led the way, while Yi Tongxi, arm-in-arm with Qiao Mo, lagged slightly behind. She forced a lighthearted tone: " I can't wait to start working and earning money! Then I can buy whatever I want—dye my hair, get my ears pierced, wear makeup and high heels. No one will be able to tell me what to do!"
Qiao Mo didn't smile. Though she was beautiful even without a smile, she really did look a bit wooden.
"Stop talking nonsense," she said, her head bowed. "Study hard. Don't end up like me. My life holds no hope."
Yi Yufei turned to look at her. "You're only twenty. You're young and beautiful. You have plenty of opportunities."
Yi Tongxi was freezing, burrowing into her brother's embrace, pressing her cheek tightly against his chest, her eyes misting over from the wind.
Yi Yufei fiddled with his phone, opened the music player, then slipped one earbud into Yi Tongxi's ear before putting the other in his own.
The prelude began—an old song. Hearing the first three lines, Yi Tongxi couldn't help but curve her lips, lowering her head to smile deeply.
"The Wind Blows On," by Leslie Cheung.
Hmm, such good taste.