abcnovels
Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Chapter 138
That Caucasian couple was named Davis, with the husband named William and the wife named Yvette, who was half Chinese since her mother was of Chinese descent. As a result, both of them spoke Chinese fluently and had no problem communicating in daily life.
They proposed to meet Ye Ping and Yu Feng before deciding whether to accept Yu Shu's sponsorship, primarily concerned that Ye Ping and her husband might be difficult to get along with. They inquired about the couple's reasons for wanting to travel.
Initially, Ye Ping was very nervous, as it was her first time speaking to foreigners face-to-face, causing her to stutter. Upon hearing their inquiry about the reasons, she pondered for a moment and said, "In the past, my world was very small, confined to just a few dozen square meters of living space. My early life was quite bland, growing up and getting married haphazardly, then spending nearly fifty years in a muddled state. From television and the internet, I learned that the world is vast, with people living all sorts of different lives. I want to be an observer and see it all with my own eyes."
Her thoughts aligned perfectly with those of the Davis couple, who immediately decided to take Ye Ping and Yu Feng along on their upcoming journey.
Ye Ping and Yu Feng excitedly prepared their luggage but realized that after living most of their lives, there was nothing truly indispensable or essential to bring for such an extended trip.
"We need to bring enough money," Yu Shu said with a smile as she handed them two cards. "These are my supplementary cards. This one has a monthly limit of one million yuan, and the one for your father, Yu Feng, has a limit of one hundred thousand. Feel free to use them as needed."
Ye Ping's hands trembled as she held the cards. "Where would we need so much?"
"Better to be prepared than lacking," Yu Shu said, hugging Ye Ping's arm and swaying. "You don't know when you'll be back next time, so why don't you go and meet Shen Youlin's parents before leaving? They're also in Rong City."
Upon Yu Shu's suggestion, Ye Ping felt both anxious and eager, as meeting her future in-laws was inevitable. Observing Shen Youlin's parents would give her a glimpse into Yu Shu's future married life.
"Let's meet them, but instead of going to a restaurant, invite them over. I'll cook us a simple home-cooked meal."
"Let's just go to a restaurant. That would be too much work for you!"
"Since you know it's hard work, you can help me out."
Yu Shu glanced at her delicate, porcelain-like hands. "I... I'll hire someone to help you."
The housemaid had returned after the New Year's holiday and assisted in preparing the meal, with Yu Feng helping out by washing and chopping ingredients.
Yu Yang pulled Yu Shu aside and whispered a critique, "Our mom didn't scold you for hiring the maid."
Yu Shu looked puzzled. "Scold me for what?"
Yu Yang cleared his throat and imitated Ye Ping's former demeanor, furrowing his brows and speaking harshly, "Why hire a maid? Do you think money grows on trees? Cooking isn't that hard. If you did more housework regularly, there'd be no need to hire help and waste money!"
This did sound like something Ye Ping would have said in the past. Yu Shu glanced toward the kitchen, where Ye Ping was cheerfully chatting and learning how to handle large lobsters from the maid.
"Also, yesterday I broke one of those expensive crystal glasses from your cabinet - the ones that cost two thousand eight hundred yuan each. In the past, if I had broken even a bowl, Mom would have slapped me and scolded me harshly. But this time, she didn't say a word and even helped me clean up the shards."
At the moment the glass shattered, Yu Yang had instinctively frozen, not even daring to look at Ye Ping's expression. It wasn't until Ye Ping gently asked twice if he was hurt that he regained his senses, gazing at her with utter bewilderment and disbelief.
His reaction pained Ye Ping's heart. In the past, when they were poor, she had treated every item in the house as precious, reluctant to discard even the most worn-out objects as long as they still served a purpose. However, she had gradually forgotten that family, not inanimate objects, was the most important thing.
It's often said that poverty breeds discontent between husband and wife, but if truly impoverished, who wouldn't be miserable? Poverty is a wretched existence for everyone.
"Remember to pay for the glass," Yu Shu said.
"Oh, come on! That's not the point!" Yu Yang exclaimed.
"If you don't pay, I'll deduct it from your allowance. That glass was part of a set gifted by your brother-in-law."
As Yu Yang continued protesting about not wanting to pay for the glass, Shen Youlin returned carrying an entire king crab. "Why are you pestering your sister?"
"Brother-in-law, my sister wants to deduct money from my allowance."
"Hey, no big deal. Whatever she deducts, I'll add a zero for you."
Yu Shu sighed, "He broke the 'lifetime' glass you gave me."
"What the f***!" Shen Youlin instantly became enraged. "You broke the 'lifetime' I gave your sister?"
Yu Shu stared at the ceiling in exasperation - his 'lifetimes' were quite numerous, as most of the glasses in the cabinet were gifts from him.
Yu Yang retorted, "In this day and age, a glass still represents a 'lifetime'? What you gave my sister was a 'tragedy,' a 'cup of misery'! Did you know that?"
Shen Youlin and Yu Shu exchanged a glance before jointly pummeling Yu Yang in a mixed martial arts fashion - it's never too late to discipline a younger brother, as long as you can overpower him.
Ye Ping found the scene amusing and cheered them on while picking vegetables.
After the workout, Yu Shu felt hungry, just in time for the braised abalone and pork to be served. She slipped into the kitchen to sneak a bite.
"Don't use your hands; it's hot," Ye Ping swatted her hand away and handed her chopsticks.
"Mmm." Yu Shu accepted the chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised pork to blow on and cool it.
With no one else in the kitchen at the moment, Ye Ping pulled Yu Shu aside and spoke softly, "Don't spoil Yu Yang too much. Even among siblings, there should be boundaries. Right now, his tuition and living expenses are all covered by you. While I won't comment on the tuition, the living allowance you give him is too generous. One thousand yuan would be more than enough."
"Not enough," Yu Shu said, putting the braised pork into her mouth.
The rich, savory sauce and tender yet not greasy meat were delicious.
"If it's not enough, he should work part-time," Ye Ping insisted. "He's an adult with hands and feet."
Yu Shu shook her head. "No need. These few years of university are his best time. Why waste it as cheap labor? He can focus on studying now and work later on."
Ye Ping hesitated. "Did you resent me back then?"
"Not really. I just didn't have a choice at the time. But I do have some regrets. Whenever I talked about university life with others, my memories were far fewer than theirs."
Those interesting clubs, school celebrations, endless online forums and gossip - Yu Shu had participated in so few of those events. She hadn't even tried all the campus eateries, always caught up in a flurry of responsibilities, wasting her prime years.
"Ah..." Ye Ping couldn't help but sigh again.
If only she could have afforded to support her children comfortably, who wouldn't want that?
"It's all in the past, no need to dwell on it," Yu Shu reassured her. "I don't mind anymore." She picked up a piece of abalone. "Alright, I know what you're getting at. Yu Yang is my brother, so of course, I'll help him if I can. It's best if he can succeed on his own merits, but if not, I'll ensure he never has to worry about food and clothing in this lifetime."
Yu Shu sighed. "You're worrying unnecessarily again, aren't you? Concerned that I'll spoil Yu Yang but also that it might affect your own life. And you're worried he might not amount to anything in the future, right?"
As the mother and daughter were chatting, the doorbell rang. Yu Yang jumped up to answer it.
Yu Fanxing exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, who is this little charmer? Just as adorable as Shu Shu."
"B-beautiful sister," Yu Yang stuttered.
I didn't mean to stutter, but she called me a little charmer!
Yu Fanxing paused, smiling even more brightly.
At that moment, Ye Ping came to greet her. "You must be Youlin's sister. Please, come in and have a seat."
Yu Fanxing felt as sweet as if she had just drank honey. It's no wonder they're family - each one more eloquent than the last.
Yu Shu covered her face. "Mom, this is Shen Youlin's actual mother, over ten years older than you."
"Ah?" Ye Ping's jaw dropped in astonishment.
Behind Yu Fanxing followed a man carrying an enormous gift box like a small mountain. Once they entered the room and the gift was placed down, revealing a face frequently appearing on economic channels, the jaws of Ye Ping, Yu Feng, and Yu Yang nearly dislocated.