Lady's Home

Chapter 9

Xiang Bing remained silent, focusing on drinking his black tea. Zeng Yushan, however, blushed with anger. Judging from her expression, Jian Dongping initially thought she was about to explode, but to his surprise, she simply retorted with great restraint:

"Mom, everyone's situation is different."

“But I think, Yushan, what Mom said is true. Mom has been through so much, she understands people and things much better than you.” A thin, high-pitched voice trembled as it came from beside Jian Dongping. He looked closely and saw that it was Fang Qi’s half-sister, Fang Rouzhi. Fang Rouzhi was just as her name suggested; she looked like a willow branch swaying in the wind, but her expression showed an unusual shrewdness.

"Hmph! What do you, a laid-off female worker, know about the hardships of starting a business? You should mind your own business." Zeng Yushan retorted to Fang Rouzhi without any politeness.

"Yushan!" Fang Qi called out softly.

Zeng Yushan glanced at Fang Qi defiantly and remained silent.

"It's okay, it's okay," Fang Rouzhi said with an embarrassed smile. "I'm not angry."

“Yes, eldest sister should have that kind of magnanimity,” Shen Biyun said softly. Jian Dongping noticed a hint of schadenfreude in her eyes; she seemed to be enjoying the embarrassed expression on Fang Rouzhi’s face after the blow. Then, she turned her head towards Jian Dongping.

“Dongping, I’m so glad you came today. Actually, I met you when I was little, you might not remember, but you were only 10 years old then, and you left a very deep impression on me,” she said kindly.

"Really?" Jian Dongping was quite surprised.

"Back then, your mother was still alive. She was a very generous and beautiful woman. She wasn't highly educated, but she was very sensible." Shen Biyun sighed softly. "I know your father had a precious son, but I've never met you. I rarely went to your house. That time, I was just passing by. Dongping, you were only a little taller than this table back then, a tiny little thing." Shen Biyun recalled with interest, "When we first met, Dongping, you even helped me find my hair clip that I had dropped outside. I wanted to give you a 10-yuan reward. Guess what you said?"

Jian Dongping shook his head blankly; he had no recollection of it.

“You gave me a bank account number, saying it was your private account, and told me to deposit money in it. You also said that I could call you if I ever needed your help.” Shen Biyun covered her mouth and giggled as she said this. “I’ve never seen such a shrewd child before. You were only 10 years old then. I suggested to your father that I send you to live with me as my son, but your father disagreed. He’s so stingy.”

"Such a thing is true?" Jian Dongping looked at his father.

“Yes, that’s right,” Jian Qiming said briefly. “Biyun, let’s not bring up these old stories anymore.”

“I don’t want to bring it up, but for some reason, seeing Dongping today made me think of the past.” Shen Biyun’s voice was suddenly filled with sadness.

"Mom's here again," Zeng Yushan muttered.

"Grandma must be missing Uncle again," Fang Xiaoxi interjected, her voice sweet but rather sharp.

Fang Qi seemed to have suffered a blow. She stood up, her face pale, and said, "I'll go check the kitchen." Then she hurriedly left.

Who is Fang Xiaoxi's uncle? Is he Fang Qi's younger brother? What exactly happened in their family? How many people are in their family? Jian Dongping was completely confused.

"Mom, please stop bringing that up, okay?!" Zeng Yushan frowned in dissatisfaction.

"Seeing Dongping today, I was just expressing my feelings," Shen Biyun said quietly.

"Oh, forget it, you just want to torture people!" Zeng Yushan snorted coldly.

Shen Biyun's eyes flashed with cold light. "We have guests today, so you should pay more attention to your words and actions. After spending so much time with people from the lower classes, you've forgotten how to speak properly."

“Mom, charity work isn’t just about helping the poor; we’re helping those who need help. It’s very meaningful work!” Zeng Yushan retorted.

"Oh, how magnificent," Shen Biyun said sarcastically.

“I think Auntie has become increasingly fierce since she started working,” Fang Xiaoxi interjected with a chuckle. “She can’t stand anyone here.”

Jian Dongping felt that this 16-year-old female high school student understood the art of arguing and attacking better than her mother, Fang Rouzhi. She was clearly stirring up a conflict.

"You little parasite are becoming more and more like your mother. All you do all day is think about is money and stir up trouble," Zeng Yushan sneered.

“Yushan, Xiaoxi is your niece,” Shen Biyun said coldly. “I feel that since you got married, you have become more and more ill-mannered and heartless.”

The word "marriage" immediately propelled Zeng Yushan's emotions to their peak.

"Mom, I won't attack your marriage, so please don't attack mine either, okay?!"

Shen Biyun stared coldly at her daughter.

Neither of them spoke, and Jian Dongping felt that the atmosphere at the dinner table had suddenly become very awkward.

At this moment, something unexpected happened to Jian Dongping.

Ling Ge suddenly spoke.

"Stop arguing, just listen to me," Ling Ge said seriously. Jian Dongping tried to stop her, but it was too late; she had already finished speaking.

“I found that Zhou Jin called this family’s landline before she disappeared. Did anyone answer it? The exact time should be,” she pulled out a small notebook from her pocket, “around 3:30 pm on May 7th. Also, her last call was to Su Zhiwen. This at least shows that she knew Su Zhiwen.”

Jian Dongping was truly surprised that she would suddenly bring up this issue at this juncture. However, it was hard to say whether she had chosen the wrong time to ask. Because Jian Dongping found with great interest that the awkward scene of the mother and daughter arguing immediately came to an end, and everyone's attention was focused on Ling Ge.

"Excuse me, what's that person's name, Zhou something..." Zeng Yushan asked.

“Zhou Jin, Zhou as in Premier Zhou, and Jin as in cautious,” Ling Ge replied.

"Wow, you've investigated so thoroughly. Is your aunt a police officer?" Fang Xiaoxi asked.

The little girl speaks very concisely and to the point.

Jian Dongping quickly answered for Ling Ge, "She works at the telephone exchange. Zhou Jin is a columnist. She recently went missing, so she was just checking on things. But I also find it strange that she would call this family, and the call seems to have lasted... how long?" He asked Ling Ge, just in time to see her drinking rice wine. He immediately took the cup from her lips, placed it on the table, and, suppressing his anger, said softly, "Darling, drink it later."

Ling Ge lowered his head and flipped through his notebook.

"The call lasted two minutes and twenty seconds," she replied, then said to Jian Dongping, "The rice wine is delicious; you should have some too." She seemed to have forgotten about her earlier anger. Jian Dongping noticed that Ling Ge's alcohol tolerance was truly exceptional; after drinking so much rice wine, her complexion remained unchanged, and her speech was still very clear.

"Ha, she seems to really like rice wine. Here's some for you to take back later," Shen Biyun said with a smile.

"Thank you, but no need," Jian Dongping quickly replied.

“Okay,” Ling Ge agreed cheerfully, then asked, “Then I won’t drink. Who’s going to answer this phone?”

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"You mean, that person's last phone call was to Su Zhiwen?" Zeng Yushan asked sharply.

“Yes,” Ling Ge replied.

Zeng Yushan sneered and said, "Only my mother knows about Su Zhiwen's affairs."

Jian Qiming coughed.

“Yushan,” he said calmly, “no matter what you think about your mother’s marriage, Su Zhiwen is still your family member and your mother’s husband. Now that your family has suffered such a misfortune, I hope you can be more understanding.”

"Forget it, Qiming, most kids these days have no conscience," Shen Biyun said calmly.

Zeng Yushan pouted unhappily: "I didn't receive that call anyway. Xiang Bing and I weren't out that day; we went out to buy things. Right, Bing?"

"Yes," Xiang Bing replied like a puppet.

“Maybe my older sister knew, or maybe it was Aunt Yufen who picked her up; the two of them are there all day long,” Zeng Yushan said.

"I don't know, it's been so long..." Fang Rouzhi said softly, her face clouded with worry.

"I didn't answer it either. I was listening to music and drawing at the same time, so I didn't hear the phone ring at all." Fang Xiaoxi ate her salad with an indifferent expression.

“It’s also possible that Zhou Jin is looking for someone, and she’s just calling to ask if that person is there. Of course, it’s also possible that she’s calling on purpose to scold someone or to warn them.” Jian Dongping said while observing everyone’s expressions. Fang Rouzhi looked sad, Zeng Yushan looked somewhat gloating, Fang Xiaoxi was curious, and Shen Biyun was indifferent.

A moment of silence.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll take that call.” After a while, Shen Biyun said.

"Ah..." Ling Ge called out softly.

Jian Dongping looked at Shen Biyun and thought she was a woman of courage.

“I was just about to go out when I got a call. It was a woman calling, asking if this was Shen Biyun’s house. She sounded rather rude.” A hint of humor flashed in Shen Biyun’s eyes. “I said yes, and asked what she wanted. She asked if Fang Qi was home. I said yes, and she hung up. As she hung up, she said something, but I don’t remember what it was. I thought she might be Fang Qi’s friend, so I didn’t pay any attention.”

At this moment, Fang Qi walked back from the kitchen, looking preoccupied.

"Did she call you later, Fang Qi?" Shen Biyun asked her as soon as she sat down.

"No," Fang Qi said blankly.

"Then there's nothing I can do," Shen Biyun said to Jian Dongping with a smile.

Strangely, Shen Biyun didn't mention the last phone call Zhou Jin made to Su Zhiwen. She didn't even show the curiosity she should have. Perhaps the occasion wasn't right? Jian Dongping thought that maybe Shen Biyun would ask him about the details of that call through her father later.

"Are you sure it was that day?" Ling Ge asked Shen Biyun.

“I don’t remember exactly, but it must have been that day,” Shen Biyun said slowly. “Zhiwen went to Hong Kong early that morning, so I remember what happened that day very clearly.”

After saying this, Shen Biyun sighed with a hint of sadness.

At this moment, Xiang Bing, who had been silent and expressionless, suddenly burst into an extremely inappropriate laugh.

"Hahahaha." Xiang Bing propped his head up with his hands and laughed like a madman, tears streaming down his face.

Jian Dongping and his father exchanged a puzzled look.

"Bing, what's wrong?" Zeng Yushan asked him worriedly.

But Xiang Bing didn't answer her; he just shook his head and laughed.

Shen Biyun threw the napkin on the table and glared fiercely at Xiang Bing.

Dinner lasted about two hours. Jian Dongping and his father then drove off separately; he had to take Ling Ge home. He had been worried that Ling Ge would get drunk and vomit in his car, but this worry was clearly unnecessary. Although Ling Ge had drunk a lot, she showed no signs of intoxication. As soon as she got in the car, she immediately pulled out her notebook and diligently began taking notes.

"What are you writing down?" He turned the headlights up a bit.

“I have to write down everything they say, otherwise I’ll forget it,” she said.

"Aren't you dizzy?" he asked her.

She shook her head and quickly jotted down notes in her small notebook. Jian Dongping wanted to tell her that he had already recorded the entire conversation with a voice recorder, but seeing how enthusiastically she was taking notes, he couldn't bear to spoil her fun and ultimately kept quiet. After a while, she finished writing, stuffed the notebook into her small cloth bag, and then took out another small notebook. Jian Dongping recognized this green notebook; it was Ling Ge's ledger. Ling Ge stipulated that her daily expenses could not exceed 30 yuan, so she kept a daily record of her spending. Every time he saw her diligently writing down "pancake and fried dough sticks 1 yuan, instant noodles 3.5 yuan, shoe repair 2 yuan," Jian Dongping found it amusing.

"How much did you spend today?" he asked her.

“Wait a minute, let me calculate,” she muttered for a while before answering him, “I spent 32 yuan, hehe, I saw that legless person again today, and I gave him two yuan, so I went over budget. But thinking about it, he doesn’t even have legs, what’s two yuan to him?”

"Are you saving up for your dowry by being so frugal? How much have you saved?" he teased with a smile.

“No, I’m saving my retirement savings account,” she replied.

"Old-age pension? What does that mean?" Jian Dongping was very confused.

"Didn't I say I plan to stay single? I've told you that before, and several times. Why don't you ever listen to me?" Ling Ge rolled her eyes at him.

"Single? Are you kidding me?" Jian Dongping had heard her talk about being single, but he never took it seriously because he thought it was just something she said casually.

“I’m not joking. I’m serious. I don’t plan to get married or date again. I made up my mind when I came to this blind date with you. Otherwise, I would at least dress up, wouldn’t I?” she said. Jian Dongping knew that Ling Ge had a previous relationship before she met him, and that her graduate school boyfriend had later become friends with one of her best friends.

"Are you planning to remain single because of that graduate student?" he asked, trying not to sound sarcastic, but it seemed difficult; he still thought she was talking nonsense.

“After that incident, I can no longer trust anyone,” she said, putting the small ledger back into her small cloth bag.

The serious expression on her face caught his attention.

"It can't be that bad. You broke up with him a long time ago."

She didn't speak.

"Was there any other reason for your breakup?" he asked.