When Huo Xingchao and He Nian arrived home, they saw their neighbor, Aunt Lin, hanging clothes in the yard. As soon as Aunt Lin saw the neatly dressed family walking in, her eyes widened in surprise.
After a moment, she excitedly shouted, “Sister Guan, Xingchao is back! Your son and daughter-in-law are back for the New Year!”
…
Her loud and energetic voice immediately attracted the people in the staff building. Many heads popped out of the windows to greet them.
“Oh, Xingchao is back! How many days will you stay at home this time?”
“Xingchao, your mother was talking about you this morning. You finally came back.”
“So these are Luo Luo and Hao Hao. Oh, they’ve grown so big. They are really smart-looking…”
Huo Yiluo and Huo Yihao, the twins, looked up curiously at the unfamiliar scene before them.
Due to the busy work of Huo Xingchao and He Nian, they usually lived in the capital except during the New Year holidays. If Huo’s parents missed their two grandchildren, they would buy tickets to the capital to visit them and stay there for one or two months. Since they had already retired, Mother Huo handed over the work in the textile factory to Jiang Xiaxia, and she would help with cooking and take care of the grandchildren at home, so she had plenty of free time. Therefore, Huo Yiluo and Huo Yihao, the twin siblings, had no impression of their hometown. They usually lived in a courtyard house in the capital, where the neighbors were not as close as they were now. But now, with heads popping out of the windows of the building, calling out their father’s name, they were instantly amazed.
Huo Yiluo tugged at her mother’s pants leg and spoke softly, “Mom, where is Grandma?”
“Grandma is waiting for you at home.”
He Nian picked her up and nodded to the neighbors, smiling as she walked up the stairs.
Huo Yihao hurriedly followed behind, stepping his small legs anxiously. “Mom, I want to be carried too.”
“Mom can’t carry you.”
Huo Xingchao curved his lips, bent down, and lifted him up. “Let me tell you, when we get to Grandma’s house, take care of your sister and don’t play with your firecrackers, understand?”
Huo Yihao, held by his collar, touched the firecrackers in his pocket and glanced at his father’s half-smiling eyes. He could only respond with disappointment, “Oh…”
…
The Huo family lived on the third floor, and the door had already been opened. Mother Huo had come to the staircase and her eyes lit up when she saw the four of them. She kept shouting, “You finally arrived!”
A few days ago, Huo Xingchao called home and said they would arrive today. Since morning, Mother Huo had been anxiously waiting and had prepared a big table of food, pacing back and forth until they finally returned.
Huo Yihao immediately rushed into her arms and exclaimed, “Grandma!”
Mother Huo happily embraced him. “Ah, Grandma cooked your favorite sweet and sour fish for lunch. It’s a big one, guaranteed to satisfy our Hao Hao!”
…
Huo Xingchao’s two children were very close to Mother Huo As Mother Huo frequently traveled to the capital, she would stay at her second son’s house for four months each year. Although Huo Zhiwen had been living with her for a long time, for some reason, he had changed. He used to be a good child, but his mother spoiled him too much. He became overweight and had a domineering temper. At the age of ten, if something didn’t go his way, he would throw tantrums and roll on the ground. On the other hand, Huo Yihao and Huo Yiluo, the twin siblings, inherited their father’s good genes and grew up lovely. The granddaughter had a gentle temperament, loved to act coquettish, and was obedient. The grandson was lively, clever, and sensible. As a result, Mother Huo’s heart gradually favored them more.
Mother Huo walked into the house, holding Huo Yihao, while smiling she asked He Nian, “How long is your vacation this year?”
“It’s the same as previous years. You know, the hospital is busy regardless of holidays. Mom, how about staying at our place for a few days after the New Year?” He Nian suggested with a smile.
They had entered the house by now, and it happened to be dinner time. Knowing that Huo Xingchao had returned today, the whole family sat at the table waiting for them, including He Yi.
He Yi was in his senior year of high school this year, and he had grown rapidly in height. He took Huo Yiluo from his sister’s hand and spun her around. The little girl giggled as she spun. Jiang Xiaxia sat at the innermost seat of the table, next to the chubby Huo Zhiwen. While the adults were not paying attention, he stuffed his mouth with meat.
Then he watched his Uncle’s family together with his Mother.
In fact, since the first time Huo Zhiwen was taken to the capital to play by his grandmother for a while, Huo Zhiwen had been thinking that it would be great if his Uncle was his father.
If his father were his Uncle, he could buy him a wardrobe full of new clothes, buy lots of toys, and have snacks in the house all the time.
He could also have a lot of pocket money, and his classmates would have to follow him around all the time.
Instead, now even a pair of sports shoes required his mother and grandmother to discuss for a long time.
They were all family, why was Huo Yihao so comfortable while he lived in hardship?
It’s really unfair.
Yes, they were all family, why was He Nian so comfortable while she had to squeeze into this small house and live a tight life?
Then, she looked at her husband’s family. After so many years, they hadn’t made any progress and her husband was still an ordinary worker. She couldn’t hide her discomfort anymore.
When He Nian entered earlier, she was slim, wearing a brand new wool coat, high heels, with her hair curled, looking extremely stylish. On the other hand, she had deliberately chosen the best clothes from her wardrobe today, but compared to He Nian, she still looked like a village woman.
Huo Chenyang worked in the workshop all year round, with calloused hands and unshaven beard. He wore a work uniform and didn’t look like a man in his thirties, but rather like a middle-aged man in his forties. On the other hand, He Nian’s husband was dressed in a suit, looked young, and carried large and small bags, none of which were cheap. Some people even believed they had a 20-year age gap between the two brothers!
No wonder her mother-in-law didn’t want to come back every time she stayed in the capital, and even after He Zhiwen went there once, he came back crying and questioning why he wasn’t the son of his uncle.
…
In fact, Jiang Xiaxia’s life was already quite good. She lived with her in-laws, and they took care of the living expenses and utilities. She could save her entire salary. Moreover, due to the one-child policy, they only had one child, so they had no financial pressure. But as they say, comparison breeds dissatisfaction, and when she saw how well her former best friend He Nian was doing, she suddenly felt that she was lacking in every aspect. Her salary wasn’t good, the house wasn’t good, her husband wasn’t good, and her son wasn’t good. Even her in-laws clearly showed favoritism.
As she thought about it, she blamed everything on Huo Chenyang. It was because he was useless that, after so many years, he was still an ordinary workshop laborer. Not to mention Huo Xingchao, he couldn’t even compare to his own father!
Back then, it should have been He Nian marrying him. Yes, if He Nian had married Huo Chenyang, she might have been able to marry Huo Xingchao, and now she would be the one living a good life in the capital!
…
With these thoughts, Jiang Xiaxia looked at He Nian with eyes filled with envy and resentment.
In fact, her thoughts were completely groundless. Not to mention the fact that she had conspired with Huo Chenyang, causing his engagement with He Nian to be canceled. Even if we assume that He Nian did marry Huo Chenyang, there was no guarantee that Huo Xingchao would have been interested in her. But Jiang Xiaxia, who had fallen into a fixed mindset, had no self-reflection. She only blamed others for her own shortcomings. From an early age, she had enjoyed a sense of superiority. If He Nian had always been worse off than her, she probably wouldn’t have revealed this side of herself and would have continued to help her and treat her well. But now that He Nian had surpassed her, she felt extremely unbalanced, thinking that everything was the other party’s fault, and she deeply resented her.
—Just like now.
…
After the family sat down, Huo Yiluo quietly snuggled into her father’s arms and whispered in his ear, “Daddy, can I have chocolate?”
Huo Xingchao scooped a bowl of porridge for her and said, “Eat your dinner first.”
“But you said if I eat vegetables, I can have chocolate.”
“Did you eat them?”
“I did… I ate a little.”
…
Earlier, when He Nian was holding her, Huo Yiluo asked her mother to pick out a small piece of vegetable for her. She quickly swallowed it without much chewing and then hurriedly went to her father, asking for chocolate.
Children always liked sweets, and Huo Yiluo was no exception. The fridge and snack cabinet at home were filled with her favorite cakes, candies, and chocolates. Huo Xingchao often used these treats to threaten her when she refused to eat her food.
“You eat your dinner first, and then we’ll see how many vegetables you eat before deciding how much chocolate to give you.”
The little girl immediately wrinkled her nose, pitifully staring at her father, and acted coquettishly, “Daddy…”
Huo Xingchao remained unmoved and scooped a large serving of vegetables onto her plate.
…
Fortunately, after dawdling for a while, Huo Yiluo managed to endure and finished all the vegetables. Then she immediately jumped off the table and looked at her father with shining eyes.
“Alright, Mom put the chocolate in your little backpack. You can go get it yourself.”
“Okay, Daddy!”
…
Huo Xingchao watched her rush out like a small cannonball and smirked, instructing Huo Yihao, “Go watch your sister and make sure she doesn’t eat too much.”
Huo Yihao obediently put down his chopsticks and went to find his sister.
…
“How can you be like this as a father? The child hasn’t finished eating yet.”
Father Huo glared at him. “Did I treat you like this when you were a child? Yihao is only four years old. I can understand if you don’t take care of him, but why would you let him take care of Yiluo?”
Huo Xingchao raised an eyebrow. “Dad, I only have one son. I have a responsibility to nurture his sense of responsibility.”
“I think you should have some sense of responsibility yourself. If something happens to Yihao or Yiluo while you’re busy, you wouldn’t even know!”
“That’s why I’m telling you, let you and Mom come to the capital and live with me, so you don’t have to worry at home all the time.”
“Xingchao, that’s not possible.”
Jiang Xiaxia immediately became anxious. If Father and Mother Huo went to the capital, she would have to take care of everything, including cooking. She didn’t have the time for that.
“Your father and I have been living here for over fifty years. Going to the capital all of a sudden, we wouldn’t be able to adapt. Besides, it’s not common for parents to live with their youngest son…”
…
As they chatted, they didn’t notice what the children were doing. It wasn’t until later that they realized Huo Zhiwen had also put down his chopsticks. Then, after a while, they heard the deafening cry of a little girl.
“Wah, wah, wah, Dad, Dad, wah, wah, he took it, he took it… wah, wah, wah, wah…”
It was Yiluo.
He Nian’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly stood up in a fluster.
Huo Xingchao frowned and put down his wine glass, striding towards the inner room.
But before he reached the door, there was a loud “bang.”
The little girl’s cry stopped for a moment and then became even more heartbreaking.
“Brother, wah, wah, wah… Brother…”
…
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.