Chapter 4 — After Seeing Through It, I No Longer Love You

No explanations, no emotions. I looked at that word "Yes", and the little hope left in my heart grew cold. At 6:20 p.m., I arrived at the restaurant early. His mother was present, sitting near the window, her head bowed, looking at the menu. She wore a wine red jacket, neatly curled hair, light makeup, and looked very lively. Seeing me, she immediately smiled and waved:

“Tieu Ninh, here!”

I walked over and sat down opposite.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, you just arrived.” She pushed the menu towards me, "Just order what you want to eat. I'll invite you today, don't be polite."

I don't have any appetite, so I ordered two dishes. She ordered two more signature dishes and a pot of chrysanthemum tea. While waiting for the dish, she held my hand and looked from top to bottom, her eyes filled with concern.

"Tieu Ninh, we haven't seen you for a few days and you're already skinny? Is it because the work is too hard? It's good for young people to try hard, but you also have to know how to take care of your health."

Her hands were warm, her voice was gentle. But for some reason, I felt... a bit cold. I felt a sting in my nose and almost burst into tears on the spot. After a few days of pent-up anger, it was as if I suddenly found a way out.

“Auntie, I…” I opened my mouth, but didn't know where to start.

“I understand, I heard everything Tu Ngang said.” She gently patted my hand and sighed, "That boy is stubborn, talking too bluntly, making you uncomfortable, right?"

I bowed my head and said nothing.

“He told me when he got home.” She retracted her hand, lifted the tea cup, and gently blew the foam on top, "It's a bit unhappy to say that you two are a bit unhappy because of money matters."

My heart sank.

"Tieu Ninh," she looked at me, her voice slowing down but clearly heavier, "it's not like I told you, this... you really haven't thought it through carefully."

The warmth that had just sparked in my heart immediately cooled.

“500,000 yuan is not a small number.” She said slowly, "Your father loves you, giving you such a large dowry is your blessing. But you also have to think about how to use this money to make everyone comfortable, right?"

“Auntie, I bought a house because of my and Tu Ngang's future.” I raised my head and tried to explain, "That is the best school district. In the future, it will be convenient for our children to go to school. Besides, we have paid once, so we don't need to take on debt..."

“Pressure?” She smiled, her smile carrying a sense of understanding, "Tieu Ninh, you are still young, many things are very simple to think about. Yes, the school district is important, but no matter how good it is, it is not as good as being filial to the elderly, right?"

I was stunned.

"Tu Ngang and I are about to get married. Once we get married, we will be one family." She leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, every word was clear, "Since we are a family, we shouldn't differentiate between who belongs to whom, everything must be discussed, right? Your father gave you 5000,000 yuan, that's a good thing, but before using that money, should you ask Tu Ngang, ask for our adults' opinion?"

“I…” I was about to say I wanted to make it a surprise, but the words came to my mouth and I swallowed them.

"I didn't ask, I decided on my own, made a one-time payment to buy the house, and just put my name on it." She shook her head, with just the right amount of disappointment on her face, "Tieu Ninh, what do you let Tu Ngang think? How do we adults think? People who understand things say you're too young to understand. People who don't understand think you're wary of Tu Ngang." Angry, don't consider him a family member."

This word is very heavy. My face immediately turned white.

“Auntie, I really didn't mean that…” I quickly explained.

“I believe you don't mean that.” She interrupted, her voice a little softer, but the content was not loose, "But that's what was done. Think about it, can Tu Ngang's heart not be uncomfortable? We are adults, can't we be sad?

The waiter started bringing the food, temporarily interrupting the conversation. When the table was full of dishes, she gave me a piece of sweet and sour ribs.

“Eat, you look so skinny.”

I looked at the ribs in the bowl, completely lacking in taste.

“I called you out today, not to blame you.” She took a bite and said slowly, "I love you, and I also love Tu Ngang. The two of us are doing well, but stressing over money is really not worth it."

“So what do you mean…” I put down my chopsticks and looked at the middle-aged woman opposite, her neat appearance and sharp eyes.

“The house has already been purchased, it cannot be returned, I understand this.” She wiped her mouth, sat up straight, her expression more serious, "But it's not like there's no way to turn this matter around."

I didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

“Let's see, Tieu Ninh.” She raised her hand and counted with each finger, "First, you and Tu Ngang are getting married. Once married, you are of one mind, what's mine is yours, what's mine is also his, right?"

I nodded, but an indescribable feeling of insecurity arose in my heart.

"Second, this house, no matter whose name is written on it, will be the joint property of the couple in the future, and the place where we both live together, right?"

I nodded again.

“Third, it is also the most important.” She looked at me, her eyes suddenly became sharp, "Now just writing your name, Tu Ngang has a problem in her heart, we as adults also feel uncomfortable. This is not good for family harmony.”

She stopped, looked at my face, then softened her voice:

“So I see, the most stable way is to add the name Tu Ngang. So the house belongs to the two of us, Tu Ngang can rest assured, we can also rest assured, the whole family is in harmony, isn't that great?"

My hand under the table tightened little by little. Now I really understand. This meal... is not for reconciliation. It's to put pressure. It's for Tham Tu Ngang... to ask for half the house.

“Miss,” I heard my voice dry, “adding names… is not that simple, the procedure is quite complicated, moreover…”

“It's not complicated.” She waved her hand, not paying attention, "Just a trip to the real estate registration office to pay some taxes." Don't worry about money, let me worry about taxes. You just need to nod and go to work anytime."

She spoke lightly, as if she was just going to the market to buy a bunch of vegetables. It's not that I want to add my son's name to a red book worth 500,000 yuan.

“Miss, this is not about money.” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm, "That house was my father's dowry, my personal property before marriage. If you add a name… the nature will be completely different.”

“Where is it different?” The smile on her face faded, "Tieu Ninh, are you still keeping your distance from me? Or... is it really like Tu Ngang said, are you wary of it in your heart?"

“I don't have it!” I unconsciously raised my voice, then immediately lowered it, “Auntie, I'm really not wary of him. I just feel... this is what my dad gave me, I should have right to self-determination.”

“Of course you have the right.” She nodded, then changed her tone, "But you also have to think, you marry into the Tham family, and in the future you will be a member of the Tham family. It's yours, won't it also belong to the Tham family in the future? Tu Ngang is an only child, won't we old couple also belong to our grandchildren in the future? Since we are one family, why do we have to make such clear distinctions?

She looked at my increasingly pale face, sighed softly, her voice turned to advice, with a hint of sadness.

"Tieu Ninh, I'll be honest with you, you and I are not young anymore, we won't accomplish anything big in this life, only Tu Ngang is our hope."

“You also saw the old house we were living in. There were six floors on the other side and there was no elevator. Her legs hurt every time it rained, her back couldn't stay straight, she had to hold on to the railing to move each step up and down the stairs. In the winter it's drafty, in the summer it's hot, and the walls are mostly peeling off."

“It's been a hard life, I just hope my son has a future, marries an understanding wife, and in the future can rely on the blessing of children to live a little more comfortably. Tu Ngang is a filial child. He said early on that if he had a little savings, he would buy us a better house, with an elevator and good lighting, so that old age would be comfortable."

Speaking of this, her eyes were slightly red and she pulled out a tissue to wipe them gently.

“But saving money is not easy. Tu Ngang is so busy every day that he is exhausted, the pressure is so great that he cannot sleep well, we feel sorry for him. Now it's great, my dad gave me such a large amount of money, it's truly a good thing that fell from the sky, but I turned around and smashed it all into the school district's house..."

She stopped, her eyes fell on my face, not sure if she was blaming or sighing.

“Tieu Ninh, I'm not greedy for your money. I just see that you're not a bad person, you just don't do your job well. Think about it, if you take out that 500,000 yuan, even just half, and give us an old couple a decent house first, and with the rest you can still buy a house in a smaller school district, wouldn't that be okay for both sides?"

“What about you? In my eyes, I only had my future small family, only thinking about my children going to school, but leaving us two elderly people aside. Tieu Ninh, if you stood in our position, would you feel comfortable?

“Why is Tu Ngang so excited? It's not just because I spent money that makes me angry, it's because I don't understand things and don't put my parents in my heart!

A series of words, emotions overflowing, the voice still carrying a bit of choking. Each sentence and each word connects to each other, and it seems like there is nothing wrong with it. Initially, "family harmony" was used as a reason to discuss more names. When I refused, I immediately switched to being "filial to my parents", telling all about their hardships, in a roundabout way implying that I was selfish and only thought about myself. In the end, he dumped all of Tham Tu Ngang's feelings on me—that I didn't understand, that I wasn't filial. One layer piled on top of another, gradually forcing me into a corner.