The complex emotions she felt, just thinking about whether or not to call her mom and tell her the truth, put Xie Wanying through an unprecedented torment.
Tell her mom? The matter had passed for a long time, itâs impossible to pursue it, just like Aunt Min hesitated, fearing to sprinkle a big pile of salt on her momâs wounds, making it harder for her heart to heal.
If she doesnât say anything, wouldnât it deprive her mom of the right to know the truth? Perhaps her mom always blamed only herself for not doing well in the exams back then, which led to her inability to continue her studies.
After lunch, Xie Wanying thought for a moment and decided to make a call home.
It was her brother who answered the phone.
"Sis, are you looking for mom?" Xie Tianyou, bouncing on the other end upon receiving his sisterâs call, told his sister, "Mom said, if you canât come back for work during this yearâs Spring Festival, sheâll take me to the Capital to see you. Because Sister Li Xuan said sheâs moving to a new house and wants to invite us to visit."
Hearing this from her brother, Xie Wanying suddenly remembered the text message her childhood friend had sent before, saying that the two of them had settled the loan for a new house with the help of Senior Cao. She hadnât had time to tell her family about buying a house. Wu Lixuan knew she didnât want her family to know too early, so she might be planning to invite her mom to the Capital during the Spring Festival to handle this matter.
"Sis, is the Capital really cold? Sister Li Xuan said sheâs almost freezing to death up north, and several times wanted to give up and come back to work in our hometown." Xie Tianyou said, "But mom said, she probably wonât come back, thinking she might marry up north."
Her childhood friend had told her mom about having a boyfriend, essentially admitting to her mom that she has feelings for Doctor Yin and might consider marriage. No wonder sheâs her momâs most beloved goddaughter, always telling her mom any matters in her heart rather than her. Xie Wanying smiled as she listened to the information her brother leaked.
"Dad said, marrying up north isnât good, he said Sister Li Xuan would regret it sooner or later." Xie Tianyou made no effort to keep anything from his distant sister, reporting all family matters, "Dad said men from the north arenât as good as those from our hometown. Men from our hometown are reliable. He said you must come back and marry someone from our hometown."
She understood her dadâs thinking. A son can leave home to start a business, but a daughter canât marry far away. If a daughter marries far away, how can she take care of her family? Eventually, theyâll rely on the daughter to take care of aging parents. After all, a daughter-in-law isnât reliable, and itâs too difficult to ask a son-in-law for money. It must be the son providing money and the daughter making the effort to support her dad.
"Mom argued with dad, saying we could marry any partner we wanted. Dad wasnât happy after hearing this and moved his stuff to grandpa and grandmaâs place for a few days. Mom is chatting next door now. Aunt Wang next door said she knows someone working in the Capital, and said she wants to introduce someone to you. Mom went over to ask about it for you. By the way, sis, do you have a boyfriend? Even Sister Li Xuan has one now."
What was her brother trying to do with his words?
Xie Tianyou revealed his little thoughts: "People say, having a brother-in-law will spoil me, give me money to spend, and maybe would help me with my studies to please you when heâs trying to chase you."
"You have to rely on yourself for studying; when itâs time for exams, youâre the one who takes them, not someone else." Xie Wanying told her brother to stop fantasizing about pies falling from the sky.
Holding the phone, Xie Tianyou rolled on the sofa at home, his mischievous nature unchanged, saying, "Sis, canât I even dream a little? Last time Sister Li Xuan came to our house, she brought something over, saying it was from her boyfriend for me."