Chapter 62 ☆ Lobster Fishing (Part 1)

In the old concession of Shanghai, the staff housing building of the scientific research institute stands deep in a quiet alley.

Cheng Zheng walked to the door, took off his glasses, and wiped the sweat off his face. It was the hottest part of the day, and if he hadn’t left a document at home, he wouldn’t have come back.

In this era of cramped living, a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment seems spacious, with simple and elegant decoration and bookshelves filled with books. The heat was relieved by the electric fan, making it feel relaxing. However, the furniture was covered with large floral cloths, bone china cups were replaced with printed glass cups, and waste paper and sundries cluttered the coffee table, looking out of place.

Dusty footprints covered the floor, and the smell of food filled the air. The small dining table was messy with dishes, soup, and fish bones. The sea fish, given to them by his unit, had always been avoided by Wei Shujuan, but today she ate it all.

A voice came from the bedroom:

“This girl has too many clothes! Look at this one; it’s perfect for my Lingling!”

“This cashmere coat is from the Soviet Union and is brand new!”

That’s Yaoyao’s bedroom! Cheng Zheng’s anger surged as he marched towards his eldest daughter Cheng Yaoyao’s bedroom.

Cheng Yaoyao’s bedroom, the best room in the house, faces south. It has sky-blue curtains, white walls, a large bed with copper carvings, and a variety of delicate ornaments and books on the table. Everything is kept in perfect condition.

Now, the wardrobe drawers were wide open. Wei Shujuan and her sister-in-law rummaged through them. Cheng Yaoyao’s good autumn and winter clothes were piled on the bed, and Wei Tao, Wei Shujuan’s nephew, sat on the bed with dusty feet, casually going through the clothes.

He held Cheng Yaoyao’s nightgown.

Cheng Zheng was so furious he nearly collapsed: “What are you doing!”

Wei Shujuan was startled. A guilty look crossed her face, and she smiled, saying, “Aren’t you going to work? Why did you come back early? I picked some melons at home, and my parents asked us to send them over. Taotao missed us, so he came to visit.”

Wei Tao, with squinty eyes and big cheeks like his mother, called out warmly, “Uncle!”

Qian Feng also laughed, saying, “Your nephew always thinks of his aunt and uncle, but it seems my son was raised by you for nothing.”

Cheng Zheng, who had no sons and only two daughters, knew the family’s property would eventually go to Wei Tao. This was the Wei family’s consensus. Cheng Zheng had always liked this nephew, and Wei Shujuan and the Wei family often supported him.

Today, however, Cheng Zheng stared coldly at Wei Tao: “What are you holding?”

Wei Tao quickly dropped the nightgown: “My cousin has so many clothes; I was just looking.”

“Yes, Yaoyao’s clothes are beautiful,” Qian Feng said with a laugh. “Lingling is growing up and will soon need her own clothes. It’s not a big deal for her to wear our old clothes. We don’t mind Yaoyao’s old clothes, but…”

Cheng Zheng cut her off: “Sister-in-law, please go to the living room. I need to talk to Shujuan.”

Qian Feng had no choice but to leave with her son. Cheng Zheng raised his voice: “Put down Yaoyao’s things!”

Qian Feng, visibly irritated, put the clothes down and went to the living room.

The door was closed, and Wei Shujuan, sitting on the edge of the bed, began to cry and complain: “My family came to get some old clothes, and you’re giving me a hard time. What will they say when they go back…”

“Your family is so inconsiderate!” Cheng Zheng was so angry his hands shook. “You can give my coat and shoes to your family, but these are Yaoyao’s things! Your nephew is old enough to know better than to rummage through his cousin’s pajamas! Is he shameless?!”

“What are you saying? How can my family be shameless!” Wei Shujuan jumped up, throwing a tantrum in her typical country style: “Only your daughter is special! She has so many nice clothes left to gather dust. What’s wrong with giving a few unwanted clothes to my family? Have you ever eaten the eggs and vegetables my family sent?”

Seeing her tantrum, Cheng Zheng felt even more disgusted: “Yaoyao wrote to me asking for clothes. She had many nice spring and summer clothes, but now none of them are available. Didn’t you take them all to your parents? And now you’re rummaging here?”

“I knew it was that troublemaker! Even though she’s in the countryside, she still writes to cause problems!” Wei Shujuan felt guilty for a moment but then shouted, “She can’t wear them anyway! What’s wrong with giving some to my parents?! Don’t think I don’t know how much money and good things you secretly sent her! I, Nuonuo, don’t even have half of what she has!”

Cheng Zheng, being a researcher, immediately focused on this key point: “Did Nuonuo tell you?”

“…” Wei Shujuan, caught off guard, rolled her eyes around and burst into tears.

Qian Feng, eavesdropping outside, rushed in to “mediate”: “Brother-in-law, I need to say a few fair words. My sister-in-law married into your family and works tirelessly. You know how the Wei family treats you, right? Yaoyao can’t wear these old clothes, and they’ll get moldy if they’re left piled up. If you’re unwilling to give them to us, we won’t take them!”

Qian Feng said to Wei Shujuan, “Sister, don’t cry. Even though our Wei family is poor, we don’t need you to support us. If we really can’t fit them in, just come back with us!”

Encouraged by her family’s support, Wei Shujuan cried even harder and started packing to leave.

Cheng Zheng watched the scene in silence. The short, scrappy woman with disheveled hair had made a mess of his eldest daughter’s room. He felt calmer than ever.

“Since you want to leave, I won’t stop you.” Cheng Zheng extended his hand. “Hand over the key to Yaoyao’s room. You can go back if you want.”

Wei Shujuan seemed stunned: “You… what did you say?”

“Forget it, I’ll just change the lock on Yaoyao’s room,” Cheng Zheng said coldly. “There’s another bus to the countryside at 4:30, so I won’t keep you here.”

Qian Feng was also stunned. This polite brother-in-law was actually kicking them out? Wei Shujuan looked even more dismayed.

It was a stroke of luck for Wei Shujuan’s ancestors that she had married Cheng Zheng.

Wei Shujuan was short and not very attractive. To save up betrothal gifts for her brothers, her parents demanded a betrothal gift of 50 yuan before letting her marry. As she grew older, Wei Shujuan thought she would stay unmarried at home until suddenly, a proposal came from a city professor.

The matchmaker bluntly said the father had left behind a daughter who would be unable to have children after marriage, so he devoted himself to raising her.

Wei Shujuan and Cheng Zheng met. The tall, thin man with gold-rimmed glasses, who was around 27 or 28, looked like someone from a movie. He was kind and friendly, nothing like her domineering father. Wei Shujuan liked him so much that she would have married him even without a betrothal gift.

After marriage, Wei Shujuan’s life seemed perfect: a spacious house, full meals, and a cultured husband. The only problem was the eldest daughter Cheng Yaoyao, left behind by her father, who became a constant annoyance.

Encouraged by her family, Wei Shujuan seized the chance to treat her illness and became pregnant with Cheng Nuonuo. However, this daughter didn’t bring her the good fortune she hoped for. Instead, Cheng Zheng began to distance himself from her and took Cheng Yaoyao to work in another province for several years.

Terrified by Cheng Zheng’s reaction, Wei Shujuan never dared to misbehave again after his return. She focused on pleasing Cheng Yaoyao, which slightly improved her relationship with Cheng Zheng.

Later, Cheng Nuonuo became more successful. She grew more attractive and charming, making Cheng Zheng happy. However, Cheng Yaoyao became increasingly willful and disappointing to Cheng Zheng. As the situation at home shifted, Wei Shujuan’s life improved. After several attempts, she managed to make Cheng Zheng retreat step by step and seemed poised to gain control.

It wasn’t until today that Wei Shujuan realized: Cheng Zheng still favored his eldest daughter.

Wei Shujuan sat on the bus back to the village. The bus was as hot as a steam room. When the attendant came to collect the fare, Qian Feng and Wei Tao turned their heads to look out the window. Wei Shujuan had no choice but to pay. After paying the 2.1 yuan ticket, she had just over 20 yuan left.

Cheng Zheng used to give her 30 yuan a month for household expenses. With money and food coupons, and now only the two of them at home, 30 yuan was more than enough. Cheng Zheng’s unit also provided various welfare benefits. Wei Shujuan managed to save more than 10 yuan a month to support her parents.

But starting last month, Cheng Zheng only gave her 10 yuan a month and 30 kilograms of food coupons. They had all the essentials like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, and if they ran out, they could buy more. Wei Shujuan tightened her grip on the money. She hurried back to her parents’ home without preparing gifts, feeling uneasy about how her family would react.

Aside from what would happen when Wei Shujuan returned to her parents’ home, Cheng Zheng sorted out the things in Cheng Yaoyao’s room and was stunned by his anger.

Cheng Yaoyao had always been the apple of Cheng Zheng’s eye. She was beautiful, and he always brought her new clothes and gifts from his business trips. Cheng Yaoyao dressed up like a doll and received compliments wherever she went. Cheng Zheng was proud of her as a father.

The two large wardrobes in Cheng Yaoyao’s room were once full of Western clothes and shoes. Now, less than half were left. Many spring and summer dresses were almost gone, with only moth-eaten or torn ones remaining, and fewer good clothes for autumn and winter.

As a man, Cheng Zheng usually didn’t pay much attention to these details. Now, he noticed that there were fewer items in Cheng Yaoyao’s room, including some left by her biological mother.

Cheng Zheng felt a pang in his heart. He remembered that before Cheng Yaoyao went to the countryside, she often quarreled with Wei Shujuan and Cheng Nuonuo, accusing Cheng Nuonuo of taking her things and complaining about Wei Shujuan taking her things to her parents’ home. Cheng Zheng had sided with Wei Shujuan and blamed Cheng Yaoyao.

If Cheng Yaoyao hadn’t written to him, Cheng Zheng would never have discovered what Wei Shujuan had done. He checked the family’s passbook ^[1]which is a bank book that records all transactions. at the bank and found that Wei Shujuan had been withdrawing small amounts of money over the years, totaling about one or two thousand yuan!

Cheng Zheng sighed deeply. He had married Wei Shujuan to find someone to care for Cheng Yaoyao, but now he felt like he had let a wolf into the house. Fortunately, he discovered this in time and could still make plans for Yaoyao.

Cheng Zheng personally supervised the workers changing the locks on Cheng Yaoyao’s room and kept the new key. He then went to the company and requested an external investigation.

Thousands of miles away in Tianshui Village, Cheng Yaoyao was counting her small fortune. She had sold some goods on the black market and stuffed all the money Xie Zhao gave her into her small purse. Today, the purse was finally full, and Cheng Yaoyao counted over 300 yuan! Adding the 200 yuan sent by her father, she had a total of 523 yuan.

Cheng Yaoyao frowned and counted her money several times, feeling there was more than expected. Xie Zhao knocked gently on the door: “Yaoyao, it’s time for dinner.”

“Come in for a moment,” Cheng Yaoyao said.