Mrs. Zhang, having reached her limit, cursed the little harlot and reached out to hit the singer.
The young singer dodged without hesitation, remembering what Zhang Ruo had said, and then gave Aheng a push. Aheng didn't react in time and got a solid slap.
Five finger marks instantly appeared on her fair face.
The entire banquet was stunned, including Madam Zhang. After a long while, she realized what was going on, and her anger flared even more. She started fighting with the young singer.
Ah Heng was left out in the cold. Madam Zhang had slapped him with all her might, and the child covered his face, seeing stars.
Yan Xi was picking up food when, without realizing it, his chopsticks froze in place. A loud noise was heard, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Ruo's mother and wife were fighting. Looking closer, A Heng was covering her face, her eyes filled with tears, completely bewildered.
Yan hope's face darkened, his eyes turned fierce, and he smashed a pair of chopsticks at Zhang Ruo.
All of this happened in less than a minute.
Zhang Ruo wasn't stupid; he naturally saw that it was Aheng who had been beaten. However, he didn't think much of it. He felt that the Wen family's situation had deteriorated significantly in the past two years, with the elderly and young in the family. So what if he was beaten? It was no big deal. He also wanted to give Yan hope a little taste of his own medicine.
No matter how arrogant Yan hope was, he wouldn't risk offending the Zhang family for the sake of a bride he wasn't even betrothed to. But then, those chopsticks struck him like lightning.
Yan hope sneered – Zhang Ruo, you're a man, can't you even manage your own woman?
Zhang Ruo retorted, "My woman, I can manage her if I want, and I won't if I don't!"
Lu Liu's eyes remained calm as he quietly watched the two. Si Wan clenched her fists at the sight of her sister being humiliated, while Sun Peng's almond-shaped eyes darted around with an expression of anticipation for the spectacle.
Yan Xi was panting heavily when he bowed to Old Master Xin at the table where he had been sitting—"Grandpa Xin, I'm celebrating your birthday again tonight."
Before the old man could react, he raised his hand and overturned the table with a loud crash.
The handsome man with sharp features pointed at Zhang Ruo and started cursing—"I don't care about your woman's business, but what's this about your woman bullying my woman? If you don't make this clear to me today, nobody's going to get away with this!"
Zhang Ruo was stunned, like a wooden chicken.
Mrs. Zhang, whose clothes and hair were disheveled, and the young singer were also stunned, stopped, and stood there dumbfounded.
Old Xin, however, laughed heartily from the main seat, pointed at Da Yi, and grabbed the child by the ear—"See that? That's what courage is! Learn from him! What kind of skill is it to be a bully only in your own backyard? If you're so capable, try protecting your grandfather and your brothers in the future."
Da Yi pouted, thinking to himself, "Forget it, Yan hope is already showing loyalty by not standing up for his brothers when they're being bullied, but he's so protective of A Heng!"
Lu Liu was somewhat displeased—Yan hope, that's too much.
Yan hope smiled instead of getting angry, his eyes narrowed, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes—Young Master Lu, my Yan family hasn’t fallen yet, and it’s none of your business to meddle in family affairs!
These words were addressed not only to Lu Liu, but also to the Yan faction members present, with particular emphasis on Zhang Ruo and Staff Officer Zhang.
Staff Officer Zhang's expression changed drastically. He had been observing from the sidelines, but as soon as Yan hope finished speaking, he angrily berated his wife and son.
Zhang Ruo was unconvinced and pointed at Yan hope through gritted teeth—Who do you think you are, threatening me for the sake of the Wen family!
Before Yan hope could speak, Si Wan suddenly stood up and said coldly, "Yan hope is nothing, and the Wen family is nothing either. Why don't I have a one-on-one spar with you?"
Si'er, however, slapped the little singer hard across the other side—"You despicable thing, hitting you will only dirty the hands of my Wen family!"
Chapter 86
Chapter 86
A few days after the banquet, Old Master Yan called and scolded Yan hope.
It seems the Zhang family exaggerated the story and filed a complaint.
It's simply that Yan Xiwen's family is making a mountain out of a molehill. Hitting Wen Heng wasn't intentional; who could have predicted that the slap would land on her face? It was purely accidental. Incidentally, it also reassured everyone of the fiery red loyalty that the Zhang and Lu families had absolutely no collusion.
Old Man Yan said, "You were too impulsive. You gave others something to talk about and didn't even leave yourself a way out. If you continue to act like this, who will you rely on after I die?"
Yan hope just smiled and said, "Grandpa, who can be a playboy for life?"
Old Master Yan is pleased. It's good that you understand; a bright future awaits you in the Yan family…
Yan hope spoke softly, "Grandpa, if I disappoint you in the future, please pretend that I was never born."
Old Man Yan shook his head and chuckled, scolding the silly boy, "You're such a fool! You're the only one I've truly raised in my life. If you do anything wrong, I, as your grandfather, can scold you and beat you, but I can't punish you. Why would I say something like that? In the future, after you and Aheng get married, while I'm still healthy, give me another great-grandson. Believe me, your grandfather can still raise him just as well."
Yan hope tightened his fingers slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then smiled and said okay.
After hanging up the phone, he twirled the card in his hand with his slender fingers. It was covered in ballpoint pen marks, and the handwriting was messy and terrible.
He dialed the number above, and a male voice that kept yawning answered the phone. His clear and gentle tone was slow but his words were simple and concise: "If it's my mother, please finish in thirty seconds. If it's my father, twenty seconds. Ten seconds for those with the surname Yun or below. If it's someone else with the surname Yun, hang up automatically."
Yan hope chuckled and raised an eyebrow—Did you receive the money I sent?
The person had translucent, fair skin, with visible veins, and traces of drool from just waking up lingered at the corner of their mouth. They slightly opened one eye—"Received. It's just applying to Z University, the acceptance letter is right here, above my cushion buttocks."
Yan Xiwang—you're still faking your status as a novice monk to deceive people.
The man smiled ethereally, his fair fingers forming a lotus shape. He glanced at the passing female believers and smiled, then sighed into the phone, "My benefactor, these days, making money isn't easy."
Yan hope twitched—"Isn't the 300,000 I gave you enough for you to squander for a few years?"
The man said, "As the saying goes, 'The weather is unpredictable and life is full of unexpected events,' so I always need to keep some money to save my life."
Yan hope smiled nonchalantly—"Before school starts, don't forget to grow your hair out and make sure you look presentable. Aren't you good at playing the goody-two-shoes?"
That lazy man, with his monk's trousers crossed and chin resting on his hand—who am I trying to impress?
Yan hope said, "I thought you missed her a lot."
The man's left hand held a round Buddhist rosary, which he twirled between his fingers. He suddenly smiled, his eyes clear and unreadable, like a tree in full bloom in spring—though I thought, that's a bit of a stretch. After all these years, we only have a little bit of affection left.
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Ah Heng looked at the empty flowerbed and planned to plant some flowers and grass, but the timing wasn't right, so she had to postpone it until the following spring.
Xiao Xia got into a good university in the local area, so he could take care of Grandpa He nearby. The grandfather and grandson were finally about to make it through the tough times. However, Xiao Xia was still a child at heart, not like an eighteen-year-old boy. Aheng couldn't help but laugh when he looked at him.
Wen's mother said that school was about to start, and Aheng should go home for a few days. Aheng packed her luggage quickly, and Siwan was waiting for her downstairs. She ran downstairs, and Yanxi, who was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine, called her to stop. He took a cactus from the balcony and picked up a dog basket, handing them to Aheng so that she could take them home and raise them.
Ah Heng said, "Hey, you're so lazy!"
Yan hope shrugged – If I can't raise it properly, I'll be at a huge disadvantage if you come after me later.
Ah Heng said irritably, "Give me the braised pork rice too."
Yan hope laughed. It's gotten so fat lately that it can barely fly anymore. It should stay home and lose some weight.
Hearing this, Ah Heng felt a little empty inside. Why was it that things were divided so clearly, like "yours" and "mine"?
Siwan laughed from the side, "It's just a few steps, you two stop bickering. It doesn't matter who raises it."
After saying that, he took Aheng's luggage, said a few words to Yan hope, and left with Aheng.
He watched her departing figure, smiled, tossed the magazine in his hand onto the coffee table, turned around, and went upstairs. After taking only a few steps, he stopped and looked behind him. The door was tightly closed.
He didn't know what to say or do to impress himself.
Because leaving like this is perfectly normal.
However, Ah Heng did not set foot here again for many years after that day.
This white house, covered in so much dust, so thick and heavy, if he hadn't spoken of it, if she hadn't mentioned it, who would have known that this was once their home?
Yes, home.
They wandered aimlessly, yet could not see the home they could ever return to.
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When Aheng moved back, she felt that her family had become very strange. They were making every effort to help her adapt to life in the Wen family. Her mother no longer deliberately distanced herself from her or treated her with excessive caution. Her attitude towards Aheng was exactly the same as her attitude towards Si'er: doting and loving, but not spoiling. Siwan often rode his bicycle to take her to the library to read. The two would argue about some issues, but he had learned to listen carefully to all her thoughts. Then, his eyes would sparkle, and he would proudly tell his elite classmates, "This is my sister." Si'er still didn't pay much attention to her, but if she bought some girly things like nail polish or perfume, she would always teach Aheng how to use them while scolding her for being clumsy. Aheng would always laugh, and then occasionally squeeze into the same bed with her to whisper some secrets.
As for Grandpa, he's been semi-retired for the past two years. He spends all day holding a little thrush and affectionately calling it "little baby." He treats everyone the same way, ignoring and ignoring them. Siwan often goes to his study to receive some advice, and when she comes out, her dimples have all fallen off. Grandpa is getting more and more long-winded these days.
Ah Heng was happy every day, often forgetting about Yan hope. Only when she tossed and turned at night and couldn't sleep would she call him. When she heard him answer the phone with a nasal voice, before he could scold her, she would quickly say with her eyes closed, "Yan Xi, what did I eat today? What did I do? How are you today? Hehe, you don't need to say anything, I know you're fine." Then, "Hmm, goodnight."
Goodnight, Wanan.
I love you, I love you.
Quickly, hang up the phone.
Then, I fell into a deep sleep, experiencing for the first time in my life how carefree I was, having some random dreams, dreams of many, many people, one, two, three, four, five, and all the dreams I was meant to have.
Unfortunately, he never dreamed of it.
She didn't see him often. Occasionally, he would come to the Wen family's house for a meal, sitting a few seats away from her. He wouldn't say much, but he would look at her with a smile and speak earnestly.
Xiao Xia often went to play with her, telling her about who next door had a crush on him, which female classmate from high school wrote him a love letter, and how girls were giving him flirty glances on the street. He puffed out his chest, looking incredibly proud.
Ah Heng laughed and teased him, "What kind of girlfriend do you want to find in the future?"
Little shrimp, point your finger and say, "Look for someone like me, someone who cooks delicious food, speaks gently, and never swears."
Si'er passed by and casually remarked, "You didn't see how your brother Yanxi got scolded, tsk tsk."
Ah Heng blushed and said, "Sigh, you won't find someone like me. I'm two years older than you."
The little shrimp grinned and said, "These days, relationships between older women and younger men are all the rage. Look at Faye Wong and Nicholas Tse."
Ah Heng straightened his hat—"But we've already divided it up, haven't we?"
Xiaoxia looked at Aheng and suddenly asked, "Sister, what is homosexuality?"
Ah Heng's hand froze, and she stared at him silently—why did he suddenly think of asking this?
The little shrimp scratched his head—"Yesterday, I went to the public bathhouse, and there was a guy who kept peeking at me. My buddy said that kind of person is gay. Homosexuals are disgusting!"
Ah Heng frowned. "Your buddy's talking nonsense. That kind of person isn't gay, he's a hooligan!"
The little shrimp blinked its watery eyes—so what is homosexuality?
Ah Heng thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Children don't need to know these things. Next time you see someone behaving inappropriately, just beat them up!"
Little Shrimp looked at Ah Heng with a mixture of understanding and disbelief, but his expression was one of annoyance and anger he had never seen before.
Z University usually starts in early September. Ah Heng is a junior and has a heavy workload, so he decided to return to school at the end of August.
Siwan drove, with Wen's mother following, to take Aheng to school. Yan Xi was studying law, and the school had a mock trial rehearsal at the beginning of the semester. He was the plaintiff's defense attorney and couldn't find the time to go to H City. He only met with Aheng briefly before returning to school.
That was their fifth year together. Half of a decade had passed, which seemed like a very long time. However, with no end in sight, she always felt that the remaining five years were so far away that they could rival a lifetime in length.
In his later years, he often said that those were his ten years, not hers. She simply spent five years falling in love with someone and then two years forgetting him.
Her grandson asked her with a smile, "You loved her for so long, but you forgot her after two years. Is it because you didn't love her deeply enough?"
She thought for a moment, then gently took the hand of the man with age spots who was sleeping by the fireplace, and said with a smile, "Maybe."