"I'm so happy that you finally have a man."
At the table, Qiao Mo sat lazily in her chair, her legs drawn up, her knees against the edge of the table, her chestnut curls pulled over her left shoulder. She raised her eyebrows at Yi Tongxi and smiled, then gave a little hiccup.
"When will you bring him back for us to see? You have no experience in love, so don't run into a jerk."
Yi Tongxi lowered her head and blew on the hot soup, saying, "Lu Shengyao is very sincere and proud. He's not the kind of person who would play tricks."
"Really? How come I've never met a boy like that?" Qiao Mo sighed, "I really envy you. You go to school when you should go to school, and you fall in love when you should fall in love. You're like a blank sheet of paper, clean and pure. Unlike me, all the romance is for the sake of making money."
Yi Tongxi was slightly stunned when he heard this. He looked at Qiao Mo and said, "Sister, drink less wine and eat more food. There are so many dishes."
She shook her head, turned the glass in her hand, and sneered: "What is this little beer? It's not even enough to fill the gap between my teeth."
"When did you become so good at drinking? I remember you never used to drink at all."
"Ha, you fool, my job at the club is to drink with people," Qiao Mo said with a wanton expression on her face, her eyebrows dancing and her manner full of charm. "But we usually drink foreign liquor, which is much stronger than beer. I only discovered that I had a good capacity for alcohol after I entered this line of work. Many men can't drink as much as I can."
Yi Tongxi looked at her and said, "Sister."
"Did I scare you?" Qiao Mo tilted her head and brushed her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't make it clear. Actually, the job of accompanying guests to drink is not as bad as you think. The place I work at is a business club, and most of the guests are quite refined. It's not like what you imagine." She said, "Xixi, I don't sell myself."
Yi Tongxi was startled by that word, and felt a little stuffy in her chest. Her heart was surging, but her face was calm: "That's good. I'm really afraid that you will suffer."
Qiao Mo frowned and looked at her with a smile. "What loss am I afraid of now? Do you think I'm still the fool who used to be bullied by others?"
Yi Tongxi really didn't know what to say. The Qiao Mo in front of him was so unfamiliar, not only in appearance and behavior, but also in his bones. It was as if he had been completely broken and then reassembled. Just like... Nezha. Yes, don't laugh, it's Nezha.
She remembered when she was a child watching "The Investiture of the Gods", wasn't the part that Qiao Mo liked the most the part where Nezha cut off his bones to return to his father and cut off his flesh to return to his mother? Although it was a bit of a fit of pique, it was cruel enough, abusive enough, desperate enough, straightforward enough, earth-shattering enough, and used the most extreme way to repay the kindness of being born and raised. Just thinking about it was enough to feel good.
So, is Qiao Mo falling or being reborn? She can't see it clearly.
"Sister," Yi Tongxi asked, "What are your plans for this trip back? Are you still going back to Beijing?"
"It depends on the situation," Qiao Mo shrugged, "When I left Shenzhen before, Mr. Feng gave me a sum of money as compensation. I also earned a lot this year. Anyway, I'll take a break for a while and not be in a hurry."
Yi Tongxi hesitated for a moment: "Tonight is New Year's Eve, and everyone in the family will go to the third aunt's house for dinner. Are you going?"
"Yes, why not? I heard she sold her coffee shop in Shenzhen. She shouldn't be leaving this time, right?"
"Yes, she bought a pre-sale apartment in the most expensive building in Wangjiang two years ago. It has been delivered and decorated. It is very spacious, so she invited everyone to spend the Spring Festival at her place this year."
Joe Mo nodded, "It's good, I can finally visit her mansion."
In the evening, Yi Tongxi and Qiao Mo took a taxi to the residence of the third aunt. They bought some fruits on the way. When they arrived at the community, they unexpectedly met Liang Xiao, the third aunt's boyfriend.
The man walked over with his car keys in his hand. He was tall and strong. He raised his hand to greet her and said with a smile, "It's Xixi."
"Brother Liang," Yi Tongxi felt a little awkward with this form of address, and forced herself to say, "Are you going out?"
"Yeah, I'm going out for a walk."
"But we're going to eat in a little while."
He said, "It's not convenient for me to be here when your family is reunited."
Yi Tongxi didn't know what to say. When he thot of his grandfather's rejection of him, he felt a little sympathetic to him.
"Okay, you guys go up," he said, not caring at all, looking at her and then at Qiao Mo, and said, "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year," Yi Tongxi replied.
Qiao Mo nodded in acknowledgment, but did not reply.
He brushed past her.
After Liang Xiao left, they took the fruit upstairs. The elevator went all the way to the 23rd floor. When the doorbell rang, the third aunt's melodious voice came from inside: "Here it comes!"
At this time, the others had not arrived yet, only the eldest aunt had come early to help prepare dinner. The third aunt warmly greeted the two nieces into the house, and then shouted toward the kitchen: "Eldest sister, come out and see, your Momo is back!"
The aunt snorted coldly: "What, do you want me to welcome her?"
Yi Tongxi thot to herself, see, I knew it would be like this. Qiao Mo returned to Wangjiang two days ago, but didn't notify her parents, nor did she go home to live. It wasn't until this afternoon that she made a phone call, saying that she was coming over for dinner. She was so insensible, no wonder her aunt was angry.
However, she herself seemed to be indifferent. She changed into slippers and looked around the third aunt's mansion, ignoring her mother's sarcasm.
While secretly observing Qiao Mo, the third aunt took the shopping bag from Yi Tongxi's hand, took out the fruit and looked at it, and said, "Cherries, and imported ones. Why did you buy such expensive things? Did your grandfather increase your pocket money?"
Yi Tongxi said, "No, my sister bought all of these."
The third aunt was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mo Mo, you've spent too much. I'll go wash it, you eat first, it's still early before dinner."
After a while, Grandpa and Uncle arrived. The two sat down and were about to play a game of chess. Qiao Mo took out the prepared red envelope and handed it over, smiling and saying, "I wish Grandpa a happy new year, good health and a long life."
Everyone present was stunned. The aunt and uncle looked at each other. The old man Bai received money from his grandchildren for the first time. He was also slightly surprised. He took it and nodded: "Good, good child."
Qiao Mo took out another thick red envelope: "Dad, Mom, this is for you."
The aunt stepped forward and pushed her uncle's shoulder: "Take it, it's what you deserve."
Qiao Mo's mouth curled into a subtle arc, like ridicule, like contempt, as if there was nothing, and it flashed past.
The third aunt laughed exaggeratedly and said, "Xi Xi, look at your sister, how filial she is, and then look at you."
Yi Tongxi thot to herself that the purpose of Qiao Mo's visit tonight was to show off. It seemed that this New Year's Eve would not be a good one.
It was almost time for dinner when Yi Yufei, the young master, finally arrived. He didn't come empty-handed, bringing some desserts and drinks. As soon as he entered the door, his eldest aunt and third aunt surrounded him, asking him if he was cold or hungry, and chattering away. The scene was just like when Jia Baoyu made his appearance.
Yi Tongxi rolled her eyes several times in her heart. When he walked to the sofa and sat down, she immediately got up and left, not staying with him.
At this time, I heard the third aunt shout: "Feifei, Xixi, come over and help!"
So Yi Yufei also got up and followed behind her. When the two of them reached the kitchen door, the aunt was carrying a casserole out from inside. Yi Tongxi stopped and stood to the side. Who knew that Yi Yufei would actually push her on the back and say, "Go on, what are you doing blocking the way here?"
She frowned, and before she could react, he pushed her again: "Don't block the way, did you hear me?"
Yi Tongxi was furious and simply occupied the door frame. She impatiently folded her arms across her chest and raised her right leg to step on the other side of the door frame. Since he said she was blocking the way, then fine, she would block it and see how he would get past.
Yi Yufei found it funny to see her getting angry: "Are you looking for a beating?"
The third aunt said, "What are you two doing? Come over here and help me wash the vegetables."
"Did you hear me? Get out of the way!"
Yi Tongxi sneered, "What if I don't let you? If you have the ability, you can crawl over."
Yi Yufei looked at her with interest, and nodded: "If you want to drill, then drill."
He squatted down and was about to pass under her legs. Yi Tongxi was shocked. She didn't expect him to be so shameless. The scene was really indecent. She quickly put down her legs, her face flushed, and glared at him fiercely.
Yi Yufei hooked his lips, stood up, pushed her aside casually, and then swaggered into the kitchen.
She was so angry, so angry she could die...
"Brush the abalone and oysters clean," Auntie Three instructed.
The two of them each occupied a sink. At this time, the eldest aunt came in and walked to the side of the third aunt and muttered, "Just now, Dad mentioned Liang Xiao and asked if the two of you still had contact. I said no, so don't let it slip later."
The third aunt's face immediately turned cold: "It's the New Year today. People have gone out to avoid him. What else does he want?"
The aunt said, "Liang Xiao is ten years younger than you, and he doesn't have a proper job. Beside, your relationship... I don't blame your father for opposing it."
"That's because you're all looking at him thru tinted glasses." Auntie Three was a little angry. "I'm the one who's with him. No one else has the right to judge him."
The aunt said strangely, "Isn't he just a pretty boy? Why are you so excited? Are you serious?"
The third aunt snorted: "Just wait and see, maybe one day I'll get married, and then I'll naturally shut your mouths."
The aunt was almost choked to death by her own saliva: "Marry? Who? Liang Xiao? Are you crazy? Don't be fooled by him!"
"I'm not stupid, I'm not going to be easily cheated."
"Then what do you think he's after by being with you? Isn't it your money?"
A hint of coquettishness that did not match her age appeared on her face. "How do you know he's not after me?" As soon as she said it, she couldn't listen to herself anymore. She picked up the dishes and left. "How annoying. I don't want to talk to you."
Yi Tongxi, who was standing beside them, had goosebumps all over her body. She thot that although Liang Xiao was tall and handsome, he was not a great handsome man. What was so special about him that he could fascinate her third aunt, who was so knowledgeable? Could it be that women at the age of 40 were really like tigers?
Oh, my God, I can't think about it.
She shook her head, and her gaze accidentally fell on Yi Yufei. She found that he was looking at her thoughtfully, as if he had guessed what she was thinking just now.
Yi Tongxi glared at him, what are you looking at?
Yi Yufei gave a light hum, poured the abalone into the pool in front of her, and said, "I'll leave it to you. Scrub them clean."
"Why should I take it?"
He raised his left index finger: "I was washing the kitchen knife just now and accidentally cut myself. I'm going to put on a band-aid."
The aunt was stir-frying beef. When she heard this, she said, "Don't touch the water. Go and apply iodine."
Yi Tongxi gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I washed all of these, so don't you dare eat any of them later."
"I don't like seafood anyway." He moved closer to her back and whispered in her ear, "Especially this one, don't you think it's very dirty?"
As he spoke, he put his hand into the water and touched the abalone.
The thing began to writhe shamelessly.
Yi Tongxi's scalp went numb, and his entire back stiffened.
Yi Yufei looked at her flushed face, wiped the water off his fingers, and turned to leave the kitchen.