Chapter 1 — The Day My Father Remarried

That evening, I stared fixedly at the digital balance displayed on my banking app, refreshing the page five times in rapid succession. Two thousand eight hundred yuan. It was the monthly living allowance my biological father consistently wired to me without a single day of delay. Yet this month, the funds had yet to materialize. At first, I simply assumed the transfer was merely running late. After all, my father, Su Zhenhua, had been operating a building materials business for over a decade. While our family was far from wealthy, the stipend sent to me—a second-year university student living in the provincial capital—had never once fallen short. Whenever he grew too busy and forgot, the delay rarely exceeded a day or two. But this time... a full week had elapsed.

Unable to restrain myself any longer, I dialed his number. The phone rang seven or eight times before someone finally answered, but the voice that came through the receiver belonged to my stepmother, Liu Meiling.

Wanwan, dear? Your father is in the shower. You can just tell me whatever it is you need.

I tightened my grip around the phone.

Aunt Meiling... I just wanted to ask about this month’s living allowance...

Ah, that matter.

Her tone was utterly breezy.

Didn't your father mention it? Starting from now, there won't be any more living allowances sent over. Your father has an entire family to support now. You are a grown young woman; it is time you learned how to earn your own living.

I stood frozen in place.

Aunt Meiling... I am still a student...

Working students are everywhere; you are hardly the exception. Besides, your father is still paying your tuition, which is more than enough to fulfill his paternal obligations.

Impatience bled clearly through her voice.

Wanwan, you need to consider your father’s situation as well. Business has been sluggish these past two years, and now we have a new baby girl at home. Formula, diapers—do you think any of those things are cheap? You used to spend two thousand eight hundred yuan every single month; did you imagine that money simply blew in on the wind?

At that exact moment, the piercing wails of an infant echoed from the background on her end of the line. She hastily muttered a quick excuse.

Your little sister is hungry.

With that, she hung up the call. I remained standing completely motionless. The phone was still pressed tightly against my ear, receiving nothing save for the steady, drawn-out beep of the dial tone. A long while passed before I could gather my wits. I was fully aware of my father’s remarriage. Late last year, nearly three years had passed since my mother’s passing. When my father expressed his desire for a companion, I offered no objection. Liu Meiling had brought her three-year-old daughter into our household. I always addressed her respectfully as aunt. During my summer break, I had even gone out of my way to purchase two darling little dresses for my step-sister. Yet, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that merely a few months later, even my basic living expenses would be severed.

The cost of living in the provincial capital was by no means low. Two thousand eight hundred yuan a month, once rent, food, and essential academic materials were deducted, left almost nothing behind. I had never squandered a single coin recklessly. Even so, there were months when I had to calculate every penny meticulously just to survive until the end. And now... not a single coin remained.

That entire night, I sat wakeful upon my dormitory bed. Sometime past midnight, my roommate, Jiang Wen, woke up to use the restroom and startled upon finding me still wide awake.

Su Wan, what is wrong with you? Why is your complexion so dreadful?

I shook my head, murmured that I was fine, and urged her to return to sleep early.

The following morning, I called my father. This time, he answered the phone himself.

Dad, Aunt Meiling said that you won't be sending any more living expenses from now on. Is that true?

Silence stretched across the line for several seconds. When Su Zhenhua finally spoke, his voice carried a distinct trace of unease.

Wanwan, times are genuinely difficult for me lately. You can see how it is yourself; with an extra person in the house, our expenses have multiplied. You are a junior now, and your schedule is no longer as demanding. Going out to find a part-time job to earn some money and build your character would be a good thing.

Dad, I am studying clinical medicine. The curriculum is extremely intense; I simply do not have continuous blocks of free time to take on a job...

Oh, come on now.

His voice abruptly turned sharp with irritation.

Children from farming families manage to work the fields and still test into top universities, so why can't you carve out some time to work? Wanwan, you are grown up now; stop holding out your hand to me for everything. Aunt Meiling is entirely right; you need to learn how to be independent.

Before I could respond, someone seemed to be calling out to him from his end. He hurriedly muttered a hurried farewell and disconnected. I bit down hard on my lower lip. Independence... When my mother was still alive, she never once allowed me to worry about monetary matters. After she passed, although my father continued to wire my allowance punctually, he never once took the initiative to call and ask how I was faring. I understood his grief. I understood his need to find someone new later on. But I truly could not fathom how, for the sake of a newly constructed family, he could ruthlessly cut off the lifeline of his own flesh and blood.

My academic advisor was already pressing us to submit the tuition fees for the upcoming semester: five thousand six hundred yuan. Combined, the total sum resting in my bank account amounted to less than eight hundred yuan.

That afternoon during lunch, Jiang Wen watched in bewilderment as I ordered nothing more than a plain bowl of white rice and a single plate of stir-fried vegetables. She silently picked two pieces of braised pork from her own bowl and deposited them into mine.

Su Wan, you've run out of money lately, haven't you? Stop trying to endure it alone; let me lend you some funds first.

I offered a grateful smile, assured her it wasn't necessary, and promptly transferred the two pieces of meat back to her bowl.

Following afternoon classes, I spent a long while sitting by the campus lake, scrolling endlessly through my phone's contact list. Among all my relatives, I had saved only a single number: that of my eldest uncle, Su Weiguo. He was my father’s older brother, the owner of an automotive parts workshop on the outskirts of the provincial city. Though the operation was modest in scale, his life was relatively affluent. When my mother passed away, he had come to visit us, quietly slipping an envelope into my hand containing two thousand yuan. At the time, he had told me: Take this, Wanwan. If anything ever happens in the future, just come find your uncle.

Yet... that event had occurred three years ago.

I hesitated for two full days. My phone was repeatedly picked up and laid back down. In the end, my thumb finally pressed down to place the call.

Hello, Uncle. It’s Wanwan.

Wanwan! What made you think to call your uncle today?

His voice boomed heartily through the speaker, carrying a distinct local cadence. Is something the matter? Spit it out.

My lips parted. The words I want to borrow some money became hopelessly lodged in my throat. Try as I might, I simply could not force them out. From childhood onward, I possessed a fragile pride and thin skin, having never once stooped to begging anyone for financial assistance.

I... I just wanted to check on how your health has been lately...

Splendid!

He let out two hearty laughs. Don't beat around the bush with me. Are you short on funds? Out with it, how much do you need?

A sudden, burning sting pricked the bridge of my nose.

Uncle... After my father remarried, he cut off my living allowance. Tuition is due soon, and the money I have on hand is nowhere near enough...

My voice grew progressively softer, dwindling until it resembled the faint buzzing of a mosquito. Silence hung over the line for two agonizing seconds. He asked:

Does your father know you are calling to borrow money from me?

No... he didn't want me to speak to you about it.

I see, he murmured. Then, another brief pause followed. My heart plummeted into a hollow void. I hastily interjected:

It’s quite all right, Uncle, I was merely inquiring. I shall figure out another solution...

Wanwan.

His tone abruptly turned grave. Listen carefully to what I have to say. Your tuition, I will cover entirely. From this year onward, the entirety of your four years of university tuition will be my responsibility.

I stood rooted to the spot, stunned.

However, there is one condition.

He paused for a moment before continuing: After graduation, you must come to work at my company for a full three years. Throughout those three years, I will pay your salary in accordance with regulations and provide full insurance benefits. But you are not permitted to quit halfway through. And above all else, you must never let your father find out that you are working under my roof.