Chapter 5 — The Day My Father Remarried

Look at your daughter toiling away at the bubble tea shop, working her fingers to the bone, how utterly exhausting.

Yet we must on no account let our hearts soften.

She is grown now.

She needs to learn how to stand on her own two feet.

Her words caught me off guard, and a bittersweet amusement bubbled up inside me, forcing a chuckle past my lips.

Alright, alright.

Your imagination is far wilder than the diagnostic charts I have to write every day.

I am being completely serious! Su Van, you need to wake up and see things clearly. Your stepmother is far from being a kind and decent person.

I remained silent for a long moment before finally offering a quiet reply.

Yes, I know.

The truth was... how could I possibly not know? Yet apart from enduring it all in silence... what else was within my power to do? That house belonged to my father. That woman was his lawful wife. That little child was his stepdaughter. And as for me... merely an adult, biological daughter. No matter what words might pass my lips... they would only be treated as burdensome and superfluous. Yet throughout that entire evening, the parting glance Liu Mei Ling had cast before she left lingered stubbornly in my mind. It felt as though a tight, suffocating clump of cotton had lodged itself deep within my chest.

That entire summer vacation, I chose not to return home. My father called to ask if I would be coming back. I simply told him I was staying in the provincial capital to take on a part-time job. He did not press the matter with any further questions. He merely offered a brief parting instruction.

Then make sure to look after your own safety.

I asked him how his business had been fairing lately. He gave me a vague, perfunctory response.

It is getting by.

I inquired after his health, asking if he was feeling well. He replied.

Still holding up.

After that... a heavy silence stretched across both ends of the line. In the end, it was I who broke the stillness, speaking in a subdued tone.

Well, since you are busy, I will hang up first.

It was only after the call had ended that a sudden realization dawned upon me. This very summer... my step-sister had reached the age of four. Old enough to start attending kindergarten. A reasonably decent private nursery school in the provincial capital easily cost two to three thousand yuan a month. Add in the various specialized enrichment classes, and it was by no means a minor expense. In all likelihood... the bulk of my father’s hard-earned money was being poured directly into that. My thoughts drifted back to my mother. Before she passed away, she would so often say.

Once Van Van finishes her schooling and graduates, our family will finally have a much easier life.

I am going to buy you the most stunning dress imaginable.

And then I will take you traveling all over the world.

Yet... she never lived to see that day arrive.

Late in July, my eldest uncle called me up. He asked how I was spending my summer vacation. When I told him I was working a part-time job, he chuckled warmly.

Whenever you have some free time, make sure to drop by my workshop and take a look around.

Do not spend every waking moment solely focused on earning money.

You must also start thinking ahead about your future after graduation.

His words stirred a long-forgotten promise deep within my memory, causing a subtle ripple in my heart. And so, choosing a quiet weekend, I boarded a bus bound for my uncle’s workshop.

The automotive parts factory was situated in the sprawling industrial zone on the western outskirts of the city. Its actual scale far exceeded anything I had imagined. Several heavy-duty cargo trucks stood parked in the concrete yard. Inside the cavernous workshop, machinery roared in a ceaseless, thunderous symphony of production. My uncle led me on a tour around the facilities, explaining the operations as we walked.

This right here is the stamping press.

That over there is the automated welding line.

And those neatly arranged on the shelving units are the fully finished automotive components.

When we had completed the entire circuit, he turned to me with a reassuring smile and asked.

Well, what do you think?

Does it look all right to you?

It is truly massive, Uncle.

I nodded in genuine admiration.

Much larger than I had ever pictured in my mind.

We only managed to expand the grounds over these past few years.

He pointed toward an enclosed office situated further inside.

Come along.

Let us head up and sit for a while.

The walls of the office were completely covered with business licenses, official permits, and various industrial certifications. Detailed production planning charts were plastered across every available surface, densely packed with serial numbers, order codes, and strict delivery deadlines. One could tell at a single glance that the business was truly flourishing.

My uncle poured a cup of tea and placed it before me, then seated himself behind the large desk to look me in the eye.

Van Van.

You are studying medicine.

Will you look down on your uncle’s workshop for being greasy and crude?

I hastily shook my head in denial.

How could I ever do such a thing!

The mere fact that you are giving me the chance to come here fills me with profound gratitude.

He waved a dismissive hand.

There is no need to speak of gratitude between us.

We are family, blood and bone.

You have run into difficult circumstances.

As your uncle, it is simply impossible for me to stand by and offer no help.

However, regarding my wish for you to come work here once you have graduated...

It is not entirely without selfish motives either.

I raised my gaze to meet his. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

Your temperament...

Is an absolute mirror of your mother’s.

Soft-hearted to a fault.

You swallow every grievance and injustice entirely on your own.

As for your father’s side of the family...

There are certain matters...

That I am simply not at liberty to tell you just yet.

But you must bear this firmly in mind.

When I asked you to come here today...

It was entirely to ensure you always have a safe path to retreat to.

I froze in place, a sudden chill running through me.

My father...

Is there something wrong with him?

He is quite alright.