Chapter 4 — The Day My Father Remarried

After hanging up the call, I stared at the recent call log glowing on my phone screen. A strange, inexplicable sensation welled up deep within my chest. Uncle... his kindness toward me had always carried an unusual, almost heavy undertone. Yet, he strictly forbade me from breathing a word to my father about him paying my tuition fees. Nor was I ever allowed to mention securing a job at his company after graduation. He offered no explanations. And I lacked the courage to probe. That night... fragments of memory drifted back to the days when my mother was hospitalized. I vaguely recalled a fierce, bitter argument between my father and my uncle during that period. What the dispute was precisely about remained a mystery to me. I only remembered my uncle stepping out of the hospital room that afternoon, his face drained of all color, looking utterly ashen. Seeing me standing rigidly out in the corridor, he simply reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he gently patted my head. Not a single word passed his lips. Then, he turned and walked away into the shadows. Afterward... my mother passed away. Not long after that... my father remarried. And soon following that... my living allowance was quietly cut off. All of these scattered events felt like tangled knots tied onto the very same frayed rope, one succeeding the other in an unbroken chain. Yet, I could never manage to untangle them. I only knew for certain that my uncle's parting injunction—

"You must not let your father know."

felt more and more like a sharp, venomous thorn, embedding itself deeper and deeper into my flesh. Liu Mei Ling tracked me down during the summer break of my sophomore year. It happened precisely while I was manning the afternoon shift at the milk tea shop. The glass door chimed as it was pushed open, and a woman dressed in a floral summer dress stepped inside, carrying a toddler in her arms. The moment I raised my head, my movements froze. It was Liu Mei Ling. Evidently, she had not anticipated running into me here either. Her expression stiffened awkwardly for a couple of seconds before she hastily forced a strained smile onto her face.

"Oh, Wan Wan."

"Are you working part-time here?"

I set the cup I was holding down onto the counter.

"Aunt Mei Ling, what brings you out here?"

"I brought your little sister into the city for her vaccination, and thought we'd look around while we were at it."

"I was getting thirsty, so I dropped by for a drink."

As she spoke, she hoisted the little girl higher in her arms. The child, around four years old, wore two tiny braided pigtails and was contentedly sucking on her finger. I quickly prepared a cup of warm honey grapefruit tea for the little girl. Just as I reached out to hand it over, Liu Mei Ling declined to take it. Instead, she fixed her gaze on me, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Wan Wan."

"Does your father know you're working at a milk tea shop?"

"Yes, he does."

"Oh..."

"Doesn't your father's heart ache for you?"

Her tone dripped with a sickly sweetness.

"I heard that medical students have an awfully busy schedule."

"Studying all day, working nights."

"Can your body possibly handle this kind of exhaustion?"

"It's manageable."

"I'm used to it."

She nodded slowly, pulling up a chair to sit down with the child in her lap. While feeding the little girl sips of water, she continued in a leisurely, deliberate drawl:

"Still, Wan Wan."

"You shouldn't hold it against your father for cutting off your living expenses."

"The pressure on your father's shoulders these days is genuinely overwhelming."

"Just look at your little sister—she's only four."

"Everything costs money."

"And your father's business hasn't been doing all that well over the past couple of years."

"You're grown up now, too."

"Earning a little money of your own,"

"and helping out the family a bit is only right."

I offered no reply, quietly wiping down the surface of the counter. She let out a soft laugh.

"However..."

"How much can you possibly make working at a milk tea shop?"

"I happen to know someone who runs a beauty salon."

"They're looking for a receptionist right now."

"Three thousand yuan a month."

"Plus one meal provided."

"How about I introduce you to them?"

I shook my head.

"There's no need for that, Aunt Mei Ling."

"My class schedule is completely packed."

"Working here at the milk tea shop gives me much more flexibility."

"Have it your way, then."

She pouted slightly, dropping the subject. Ten minutes or so later, she scooped up the child and departed. Before stepping out, she glanced back at me one last time. That look in her eyes... I could not quite put my finger on the exact emotion, save for a lingering sense of quiet, triumphant satisfaction. Once my shift ended and I returned to the dormitory, I opened WeChat and messaged Jiang Wen, recounting the entire encounter. Within seconds, her incoming voice call lit up my screen.

"Tu Wan!"

"Your stepmother deliberately came looking for you just to show off!"

"She went out of her way to see how utterly miserable your life has become!"

I let out a soft chuckle.

"Maybe she really just brought the kid in for a vaccination."

"Total coincidence."

"A coincidence my foot!"

Jiang Wen shrieked so loudly through the speaker that I had to reflexively pull the phone away from my ear.

"Just how many milk tea shops do you think there are in this entire city?"

"Why on earth did she happen to waltz right into yours?"

"I bet you anything that the moment she gets home tonight, she's going to turn to your father and say..."