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Chapter 152: Mr. Huo, did you take care of the children yesterday?
But what Chen Wengang didn’t know was that before he arrived, there was a big argument at Uncle Chen’s house.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Chen Zeng bought some crabs. The day after tomorrow is Saturday, and he planned to invite his nephew over for dinner. The crabs were in the fridge, ready to be cooked. Both of his sons were eager to eat them, but he didn’t agree. When Chen Zeng returned home from work on Friday evening, the scent of crabs filled the house.
Chen Zeng lifted the lid of the pot and seemed a bit unhappy: “Didn’t I say we’d steam them tomorrow?”
His wife didn’t mind: “What’s wrong with the kids having a few crabs while they’re growing up?”
“What do you mean by ‘what’s wrong with them having a few crabs’? These are for guests. Tomorrow, Wengang is coming over for dinner. He won’t eat them all by himself. We’ll share as a family. Can’t you wait just one day? Are our two brats that hungry?”
His wife sneered, “Hungry? How novel. It’s the first time I’ve heard our sons being called ‘hungry’ just for wanting to eat something.”
Chen Zeng closed the lid of the pot again, too lazy to argue with his wife. He opened the fridge to count how many crabs were left.
His wife, on the other hand, wouldn’t let it go, rambling on: “Why don’t you admit that you’re incompetent, barely making any money, almost losing it all? You bought this rundown apartment at an old age, with monthly loans and barely any savings left for household expenses…
“What have I gained from marrying you all these years? Have I ever had a good day? I’ve served as a nanny and maid for your family, doing chores and taking care of the children. I sacrificed my own needs, and now I have to serve you and your relatives?
“Also, what do you mean by ‘family’? Who’s family with you? Your nephew can’t distinguish right from wrong, always favoring outsiders. Does he even consider us family? Are you getting senile? He easily deceived us about our old house; does he see you as his uncle and me as his aunt? He’s heartless…”
Like a rapid-fire cannon, Chen Zeng grew impatient, pointing at her nose: “Long hair, short insight! Be careful what you say. What do you mean by ‘heartless’? We’re all surnamed Chen, aren’t we a family? You’re even cursing at me?”
Before he could finish, his wife, who was originally chopping ginger, slammed the knife on the table: “Who are you threatening! I gave birth to your two sons, so what? They’re surnamed Chen, and your nephew is surnamed Chen, but I’m not? So I’m just a servant wife to you?”
The argument went back and forth, and Chen Zeng’s patience wore thin.
Pointing at his wife’s nose, he said, “This could have been peaceful, but you had to throw a tantrum. Don’t forget, this household depends on me. When you splurge on cosmetics, bags, and shoes, do you ever hold back? If you want crabs so badly, earn money and buy them yourself in the future!”
His wife, undeterred, lifted the steamer baskets: “Then let’s not eat any of them!”
Chen Zeng was furious, shaking with anger. The lid fell to the ground, steam billowing from the pot. Their two sons, originally playing games in the living room, ran over one by one upon hearing the commotion. Seeing crabs scattered all over the floor, they started crying and shouting.
It was chaos; dinner was ruined. Chen Zeng, feeling frustrated, stormed out of the house and went to smoke in the neighborhood pavilion.
This fight between the couple wasn’t sudden; it was fueled by accumulated grievances.
Chen Zeng felt his job was already hard enough. When he first joined Zheng’s company, it was through Zheng Yucheng’s connections. Initially, everyone treated him with deference, assuming he was a privileged relative. Over time, as they realized his background wasn’t as solid and Zheng Yucheng didn’t particularly favor him, that special treatment faded. Nonetheless, he wouldn’t consider changing jobs. His current position, as a minor supervisor, was hard-earned. At his age, switching jobs would only lead downward, with little chance for advancement.
Chen Zeng was somewhat confused about some things and clear about others. Although the young master Zheng and his nephew didn’t have any special relationships anymore, there was still the bond of growing up together. Plus, there were some unresolved feelings. At least he wouldn’t have been fired. But with his wife constantly provoking him to break ties with Chen Wengang, did he even need that job anymore? Should he have switched to unloading cargo at the dock or working on construction sites?
As for his family, it was equally vexing.
Chen Zeng’s salary should theoretically have been enough to support his wife and two sons. Even though they couldn’t stop Chen Xiangling from going to school, they never asked for a penny from the household. Chen Zeng accepted this reality. However, when he actually tallied up the expenses, raising two sons felt like feeding two bottomless pits. No matter how much he put in, it never seemed to be enough.
Just like when they bought a house in a prestigious school district for their children’s education, they ended up moving because the exam scores weren’t high enough, and they spent a lot on school selection fees. His wife also had high expectations for their sons, wanting to give them the best of everything. One-on-one tutoring, various interest classes—anything other kids did, she wanted theirs to do as well. She even hoped to send them abroad for studies in the future, or at least ensure they did better than their daughter. In addition to this, video game consoles, smartphones, computers—whatever they wanted, she bought. She even planned to buy them houses in the future…
With such high expectations, even if Chen Zeng sold a kidney, he wouldn’t have earned enough.
He was under a lot of pressure, and naturally, his temper flared up. His wife’s temperament rose with his. When their daughter was at home, obedient and helpful, and sharing most of the household chores, their life was more comfortable. But now, as she said, she was just a nanny at home, day in and day out.
The next day, both husband and wife were still upset.
Chen Zeng got out of bed, his wife lying with her back to the door, claiming to feel unwell.
He was at his wit’s end: “Fine, if you won’t cook, I’ll do it!”
At noon, the doorbell rang. He called out twice, but his two sons were still in the living room playing games, oblivious. Chen Zeng scolded them, went to open the door, and found Chen Wengang standing there, holding two bags of fruit.
The uncle and nephew looked at each other. Chen Zeng sized up his nephew, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. Chen Wengang, in an Oxford shirt and black trousers, looked like a refined young scholar, with a calm and gentle smile, seemingly flawless.
He led Chen Wengang into the living room, where Chen Guangzong and Chen Yaozu were glued to the TV, gripping the controllers and leaning forward eagerly. Chen Zeng suddenly felt annoyed by this contrast. He raised his voice and scolded, “All you knew was to play! Couldn’t you even pour water when someone arrived?”
Chen Guangzong and Chen Yaozu looked at him inexplicably, wondering why their dad suddenly got so angry.
Chen Wengang smiled, not oblivious to the awkward atmosphere in the house. Although he didn’t know the reason for the argument, he didn’t pry. The two nephews reluctantly paused their game, poured water, and the three of them stared at each other until Chen Zeng called them to dinner.
He prepared the meal alone. Chen Wengang’s aunt still said she wasn’t hungry and refused to eat.
After much persuasion, she finally came out to the table, still in a bad mood, criticizing everything in a strange manner.
After finishing her meal, she pushed her bowl away and returned to the bedroom to lie down.
Chen Zeng looked a bit embarrassed. He told Chen Wengang not to mind, quickly tidied up, and the two of them chatted over tea.
Chen Wengang had come today for a reason, which everyone knew, but he was adept at dodging questions. When it came to the properties and businesses under Chen Xiangling’s name, he pretended not to hear, saying girls needed some dowry, which wasn’t much.
Chen Zeng tried to play the emotional card, even bringing out the old family album for nostalgia. It was quite old, and he didn’t know where it came from; it was covered in dust. It contained pictures of Chen Wengang’s grandparents, as well as his father and uncle when they were young—pictures Chen Wengang had never seen before.
In the end, it didn’t amount to much. They each stuck to their own arguments, and after being a guest, Chen Wengang patted his buttocks and left.
Four or five days later, he received a call from his two nephews again.
This time, Chen Guangzong and Chen Yaozu were calling because their parents had been cold-shouldering each other for several days. Chen Wengang’s aunt, in her annoyance, refused to cook for her husband or do his laundry anymore, focusing only on herself and her two sons.
As a result, Chen Zeng became very angry, accusing his wife of spending money recklessly and no longer giving his salary to the family. This family conflict escalated like pouring fuel on a fire, with the couple getting physical several times. They even broke the television, and their gaming consoles were nearly damaged.
Chen Wengang had to make another trip to their house and tried to intervene.
Whether it worked or not was unclear. Chen Wengang also played it smart, giving Chen Guangzong and Chen Yaozu some pocket money. After leaving, he asked them to take out the old, outdated family album and select some photos to keep for himself.
His uncle Chen Zeng probably hadn’t looked at the album again, and he hadn’t noticed it was missing.
These old photo negatives were all gone, so Chen Wengang scanned them and kept a digital copy. He then bought a new album to put them on.
He placed this album alongside the other three on the bookshelf—besides his childhood album, there was one containing his own works and another with a photo of him and Huo Niansheng. In the updated photos from this year, Halley’s shadow was also present.
Later, around Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen Wengang and Huo Niansheng went to the market and saw a stall selling hairy crabs. He barely touched them during his visit to his uncle’s house, but now he remembered. They bought a basket and gave some to their neighbors, keeping the rest for themselves.
The fresh crabs were steamed to perfection, with plump yellow roe and tender meat. They mixed some ginger vinegar, turned on the TV, poured some yellow wine, and besides the crabs, Huo Niansheng also made a few dishes to celebrate Chen Wengang’s birthday.
His birthday was celebrated modestly, as per Chen Wengang’s request—he was busy with his studies and work, as well as preparing for the wedding after his mentor returned to the country.
Although Huo Zhenfei thought the wedding was childish, he compromised.
As for Chen Wengang, although he appeared calm and indifferent, he was obviously in a good mood lately. He often bought things at the grocery store, and the owner recently had a sticker promotion. One day, when Huo Niansheng came home, he saw Chen Wengang earnestly reading documents, but Halley’s face was covered with colorful glitter stickers, like a Venice carnival mask.
In the evening, Huo Niansheng went to the study again and found that his laptop case was covered with little fairies.
He admired them for a while but didn’t peel them off; he just took them to work for a few days.
One day at the office, Amanda hesitated for a moment and asked tactfully, “Mr. Huo, did you take care of the children yesterday?”
Huo Niansheng said, “No.” Then he asked, “Why?”
Amanda walked over and puzzledly peeled off a fairy sticker from his back.
After thinking for a while, Huo Niansheng remembered that in the morning, Chen Wengang had helped him tie his tie and gently patted his back, telling him to work hard.
In front of his subordinates, he smiled without reservation.
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My god, that uncle and aunt are the worst. Truly the epitome of Chinese Patriarchy. They failed to offer anything to their daughter and now they’re even trying to take the few things she got. And wanting to make their sons into some elite students when these brats don’t even know basic manners. They’re clowns and they have convicted their sons into lives full of failing.
+1
I’m so happy reading about playful Chen Wengang. He suffered enough his whole past life. This life’s happiness is something long overdue.