“Little sister, I’m leaving first.” Sensing the shifting mood in the room .Second brother Xu quickly looked up at his little sister, a flicker of guilt in his eyes, before darting out of the room.
Xu Ying’s face was a mask of despair; so much money had just vanished! She picked up her pillow and furiously threw it, still wanting to succumb to sleep. But the sun streamed through the window, a persistent reminder of the day. With a reluctant sigh, Xu Ying finally dragged herself out of bed. Her gaze fell upon several red envelopes neatly placed beside her pillow.
Her face immediately lit up. She snatched the red envelopes, her eyes gleaming, and quickly got dressed before bouncing down the stairs.
“Mom and Dad, Happy New Year!” she chirped. “Happy New Year, brother and sister-in-law! Second brother, third brother, Happy New Year!” Then, turning to the youngest, “Shitou and Huzi are one year older again. Happy New Year. Come on, I’ll give you red envelopes.” Xu Ying produced the red envelopes she had prepared the night before, handing one to each of the two delighted boys.
This was the first time Shitou and Huzi had received red envelopes from their Aunty during the Chinese New Year. The two little ones beamed, their eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Aunty ! I wish my Aunty will always be beautiful and happy every day!”
“Thank you, Aunty ! May Aunty make money every day!” Huzi added with childish glee.
Xu Ying felt as though she had tasted honey, her heart swelling with joy. Everyone in the Xu family smiled, knowing they had another little money-lover among them.
“Mom and Dad, I’m going out with Jingjing and Da Ya after breakfast . I won’t be eating at home at noon,” Xu Ying announced, wiping the corners of her mouth after finishing her meal, ready to leave.
As soon as Shitou and Huzi heard their Aunty was going out, their faces fell, and their little ears drooping in disappointment.
“What’s wrong? Why so unhappy?” Xu Ying asked, her smile softening.
“My Aunty finally has a rest day , and she doesn’t want to play with Shitou,” Shitou lamented, looking up at Xu Ying with a woeful expression.
Xu Ying couldn’t help but laugh. She gently ruffled the heads of the two boys. “Alright, your Aunty will pick you up to go out and play at noon.”
Shitou and Huzi instantly transformed, their faces beaming as they nodded wildly. “Okay!”
“It’s Chinese New Year and you still go out and run around,” Mother Xu grumbled good-naturedly.
As Xu Ying stepped out of the courtyard, she met Lu Daya and Xu Jingjing, who were waiting for her. The three walked together toward the school.
“Da Ya, don’t come out later. Wait for us to make arrangements first ,” Xu Jingjing instructed, fearing Lu Daya might waver.
Lu Daya nodded meekly.
Xu Ying and her companions walked quickly, soon arriving at the Yushan Commune School. There, an unexpected opportunity presented itself. They saw Sun Yiliang, his face alight with a springy smile, chatting happily with a young girl. The girl, amused by his words, giggled from time to time. The two walked together, looking particularly harmonious, almost like a couple.
Xu Ying sneered at the sight. Indeed, he had been able to charm Chen Yanran in her previous life; he was no ordinary schemer.
“Sun Yiliang, aren’t you and your sister going back to celebrate the New Year?” Xu Ying’s voice cut through their conversation, stopping him short.
Sun Yiliang stiffened, turning his head slowly to see Xu Ying. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, replacing it with a practiced, spring-like smile. “Xu Ying, why are you here? My sister and I aren’t going back this year. Our family is far away, and we haven’t saved much money this year. It’s just the Chinese New Year.”
The girl beside Sun Yiliang, hearing his words, felt a pang of sympathy, mixed with a hint of admiration. “Teacher Sun,” she offered directly, “if you don’t have any money, I can lend you some. Everyone has gone back for the Chinese New Year. You and your sister must miss home after being here for so long.”
Xu Ying feigned surprise. “Teacher Sun, is your family very poor? I just saw Sun Yunjuan buy a new set of clothes, and she also bought a lot of new products. It looks like a lot of money, at least more than ten yuan. Sitting here, a one-way train ticket is only two yuan, isn’t that enough for you to go home?”
At her words, Xu Jingjing was momentarily stunned. Ten yuan was a lot of money. How could he claim to have none? “Yingying, are you mistaken? Usually, poor people don’t dare to spend so much.”
Sun Yiliang’s face suddenly stiffened, a helpless expression replacing his smile. If this was exposed, wouldn’t all his efforts be in vain? “Xu Ying, you got it wrong!” he insisted, his voice sounding weak even to his own ears.
“No, I just saw Sun Yunjuan wearing the latest clothes sold by the textile factory. I heard that the goods are still in short supply and difficult to buy,” Xu Ying stated with absolute certainty.
The girl next to Sun Yiliang, hearing this, suddenly felt a wave of unease. She too knew about the new clothes from the textile factory. She’d heard they were very expensive, certainly more than ten yuan. Her own mother worked in the textile factory’s newly established workshop, and the clothes were so beautiful that she’d begged her mother to buy them for her, but her mother had been reluctant. She was fortunate she hadn’t given Sun Yiliang any money. His family was clearly much richer than her own!
“Teacher Sun, that outfit costs more than thirty yuan. Your family is really rich.” After saying this, the girl subtly distanced herself from Sun Yiliang.
Lu Daya, hidden nearby, watched in shock. Those clothes were designed by Yingying, so she knew their value. But she never expected that Sun Yunjuan could afford them. Lu Daya suppressed a surge of anger, wanting to confront him. Sun Yiliang always claimed he was struggling, always reluctant to even buy her a movie ticket. Yet, he bought his sister clothes that cost more than thirty yuan!
“Ah? Maybe it’s the money that girl saved herself. I give her five yuan as pocket money every month. She may not be willing to spend it and saved it herself. The girl loves beauty, so she might have bought one for the Chinese New Year, but more than thirty yuan is too expensive. I will educate her when I get back,” Sun Yiliang said, feigning an angry expression.
But the girl was no fool. Hearing his flimsy excuse, she glanced at Xu Ying, then quickly announced she had something to do and left.
Now that they were alone, Xu Ying could speak directly. “Teacher Sun, are you and Lu Daya in love?”
Sun Yiliang hesitated, not wanting to admit it. But thinking of Lu Daya’s connection to Xu Ying, he reluctantly nodded. “Right.”
“Teacher Sun, since you and Lu Daya are dating, when do you plan to take her to meet your parents? You two aren’t young anymore, and you’ve reached the age where you should get married. Why not meet your parents first, and let Da Ya follow you without any status ?” Xu Ying stared at him, her gaze unwavering.
An almost imperceptible flicker of shame and anger crossed Sun Yiliang’s eyes. He and Lu Daya were merely dating; they hadn’t reached the stage of marriage. In the beginning, his target had been Chen Yanran. That girl got along well with his sister and lived a good life. He felt she could take care of his sister. But after arriving, he realized Chen Yanran was somewhat different from what his sister had described. Lu Daya, on the other hand, was a teacher, and a stable job was good. The key was that she was obedient and from the same village, so he had simply wanted someone to help take care of his sister.
It had been fine at first, but as time passed, Lu Daya actually started talking about marriage. Now, Sun Yiliang felt all affection for her drain away. Furthermore, his younger sister often spoke ill of Lu Daya. Over time, Sun Yiliang also began to feel that Lu Daya was not a good match for him. The girl he had just been talking to was the daughter of captain of the next village, from a good family, and also the team’s top scorer. He had just started to get to know her when Xu Ying’s few words completely ruined his chances.