Chapter 13: The First Visit

At exactly six o’clock, the steel factory’s end-of-work bell rang out on time. Su Yue slung her shoulder bag on, picked up her lunch box, and walked with the off-duty crowd toward the factory gate.

At that moment, Li Xiangbei was chatting with the security guard at the gate while watching the stream of people. When he spotted Su Yue, he quickly said goodbye to the old man, “Uncle, I gotta go. Let’s chat next time.”

With that, he ran toward Su Yue, casually taking the lunch box from her hands and the bag slung over her shoulder. “So, how was your first day at work? Tired?”

Su Yue smiled. “Not at all. Our supervisor showed me the ropes in the morning. It was pretty relaxed in the afternoon. What about you?”

Li Xiangbei grinned. “I’m not tired either. Wait—why do I smell braised pork?”

He brought the lunch box up to his nose for a sniff.

Su Yue nodded. “The steel factory had braised pork for lunch today. I remembered you like it, so I brought you some.”

As she spoke, she subtly observed the streets around her. She remembered Qin Mingyue saying her third uncle lived in the factory’s family housing compound.

Li Xiangbei was touched. Back in school, meat was a rare treat, and Su Yue always gave him the fatty pieces.

The factory’s family housing was just behind the steel factory—about a ten-minute walk.

Casually, Su Yue asked, “Li Xiangbei, do you know where Deputy Director Qin lives?”

Li Xiangbei was a little surprised but answered honestly, “Yeah, he lives in a standalone house on the west side.”

Seeing Su Yue nod calmly, Li Xiangbei still felt a bit uneasy and asked, “Yueyue, did the deputy director give you trouble?”

Su Yue tucked a wind-blown strand of hair behind her ear. “Not at all. I just happened to run into Qin Mingyue today and remembered she said her third uncle lived in the housing area, so I asked out of curiosity. Don’t worry—no one can bully me.”

That reassured Li Xiangbei. He pointed to a row of houses. “Yueyue, my house is the seventh from the start.”

As they spoke, they arrived at Li Xiangbei’s house. He called into the yard, “Dad, Mom, Yueyue’s here!”

Su Yue followed him in, smiling warmly. The Li family’s courtyard was small—one could take it all in at a glance. Scallions and peppers were growing in a corner.

Hearing his voice, Zhang Cuihua hurried out from the kitchen. “Xiao Su is here, come in!” She pointed to a man sitting by the door, “This is Xiangbei’s father.”

Su Yue took the lunch box from Li Xiangbei and greeted them politely, “Hello, Uncle, Auntie.” Then handed the box to Zhang Cuihua, “Auntie, I brought some braised pork.”

Zhang Cuihua took one look—it was the very same pork belly she had dished out for Su Yue at lunch. She felt even more pleased with the girl. “It’s hot out, meat spoils fast. I’ll accept it then. But don’t bring anything next time, alright? Come, come in and sit. Xiangbei, I bought soda—go get Xiao Su a bottle.”

“Thank you, Auntie Zhang,” Su Yue said politely.

Li Xiangbei chimed in, “Yueyue, it’s hot out here—come inside.”

As they stepped into the main room, they saw Liu Lanxiang had already opened a soda and, seeing them, quickly gulped a few mouthfuls from the bottle. Little Li Xiaoxue sat beside her, drooling as she watched.

Li Weibing was tugging at Liu Lanxiang’s pants, “Mama, I want some too!”

“Calm down, you rascal, you’re pulling my pants off!” she scolded while offering him a drink.

Zhang Cuihua carried the lunch box into the kitchen, told Wang Xiaoyuan to reheat the meat, and walked into the main room just in time to see Liu Lanxiang sipping soda. She felt her blood pressure spike and cursed herself for not hiding it better. She had purposely waited for Xiao Su to arrive before bringing it out—yet it ended up in Liu Lanxiang’s belly anyway.

Suppressing her anger, Zhang Cuihua said to Li Xiangbei, “Xiangbei, how come you didn’t get a chair for Xiao Su to sit?”

Li Xiangbei fetched a chair and set it near the door where it was breezy. “Yueyue, sit here. I’ll get you some water.”

Su Yue smiled and nodded.

Zhang Cuihua turned to Liu Lanxiang with a scowl, “Eldest daughter-in-law, go to the kitchen and help Xiaoyuan.”

Liu Lanxiang grumbled, “Ma, Xiaoyuan’s fine on her own. Why don’t you go help? I’ll stay here and chat with Xiao Su.”

Zhang Cuihua couldn’t be bothered to argue. Instead, she turned to Su Yue, “Xiao Su, I asked around. Your supervisor is known for being easygoing. She usually fetches her own water, too.”

Su Yue smiled, “Yes, both Sister Li and Sister Wu in the records room are kind and easy to get along with.”

Then Liu Lanxiang let out a burp and said, “Xiao Su, how much do you make a month? And how much do you give your family?”

Su Yue froze, startled.

Zhang Cuihua was mortified. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she silently cursed herself for ever agreeing to let her eldest son marry someone like this.

Trying to change the topic, she muttered, “Where is that eldest son of mine? Lanxiang, go take a look outside.”

“What’s there to look at? It’s still light out. Stop worrying,” Liu Lanxiang replied, turning back to Su Yue, “Xiao Su, you—”

“Big Sis, Yueyue hasn’t even had a sip of water yet,” Li Xiangbei suddenly cut her off, handing a tea mug to Su Yue. “Yueyue, this mug is brand new.”

Su Yue smiled as she accepted it.

“What’s that smell? Xiangbei, what are you giving her?” Liu Lanxiang grumbled, nudging her three-year-old son Li Weibing.

Li Weibing immediately ran toward Su Yue, shouting, “I want a drink too!”

Li Xiangbei stepped in front of Su Yue and glared at Liu Lanxiang. “Big Sis, if you can’t discipline your son, I’ll help you.”

He’d been holding back all day for Su Yue’s sake, but Liu Lanxiang kept pushing her luck.

Liu Lanxiang was startled by his murderous look but still tried to hold her ground. “He’s just a kid. What kind of uncle are you if you won’t even share a sip?”

Then she added resentfully, “And besides, we haven’t even split the household yet. Why are you hogging everything for yourself?”

SLAM!

Zhang Cuihua suddenly slammed her palm on the table. “What do you mean hogging? Ever since you two got married, you’ve only handed over ten yuan a month for household expenses. You’ve kept the rest. And we never said a word. What now? You think being a sister-in-law gives you the right to control your brother-in-law’s money? If you want to split the household, fine—move out. Don’t even think about our money. Wait till we’re dead if you want your share.”

Li Xiangbei glared at Liu Lanxiang and said to Zhang Cuihua, “Ma, I’m taking Yueyue out to eat.”

“Wait.” Zhang Cuihua stopped them and quickly pulled five yuan and some ration coupons from her pocket. Handing them to Li Xiangbei, she turned to Su Yue with a guilty look. “Xiao Su, we’re really sorry for today. Let Xiangbei take you out for a proper meal.”

Su Yue nodded slightly and followed Li Xiangbei out of the house.