Chapter 56

Some fears were etched into the bone, impossible to forget for a lifetime.

The moment she laid eyes on Uncle and Auntie, all of Wen Xin’s good mood evaporated in an instant. Nothing remained except disorientation and panic.

Wen Xin had left home years ago. Aside from occasional money transfers, she had almost no contact with the two of them and certainly hadn’t told them her current address.

So how had they found her? Why had they come specifically to seek her out? What did they want?

Time seemed to stand still until Auntie’s voice, brimming with feigned cheer, shattered the silence. “Yo, Wenwen’s back!”

“You must be exhausted after a full day of work. Your boss too—making you work through the holiday like this. Look at our Wenwen; she’s gotten so thin from all the fatigue.” As she spoke, she shoved the assorted bags she was carrying into Uncle’s hands to free up her own, reaching out to grab Wen Xin’s wrist. “It breaks Auntie’s heart.”

Her grip was as strong as ever, like a vise clamped around Wen Xin’s wrist. It hurt.

A chill ran down Wen Xin’s spine. A flood of old memories surged through her mind. It took her a long moment before she finally parted her lips to ask, “…How did you and Uncle get here?”

“To see you, of course!” Auntie shot her a look that said she knew perfectly well why they were there. She tilted her chin toward the things in Uncle’s hands. “Our Wenwen’s such a busybody. You didn’t even come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so your uncle and I had to come find you instead.”

“Mm.” Uncle picked up the thread, pressing the butt of his cigarette against the nearby windowsill to extinguish it. He lowered the bags to show her what they’d brought. “We got you a crate of duck eggs and a chicken—one of our own free-range ones. Healthy and safe to eat.”

“Right, and some homegrown radishes and loofahs.” He chuckled with a show of affection. “I remember you didn’t like meat much as a kid. These were your favorites.”

As if.

Wen Xin didn’t dislike meat; she’d simply lived under someone else’s roof, keeping her head down and her tail tucked, making do. Even now, she hadn’t forgotten Uncle and Auntie’s barbed insults—calling her a money pit, saying she should be grateful for scraps and in no position to expect anything better.

But at the moment, Wen Xin had no desire to argue the point. She just wanted to know the real reason for their visit. “Uncle…”

Before she could finish, Auntie cut her off. “Oh, come on, why are we all standing around talking? We’re here so rarely—won’t you invite us in to sit, Wenwen?”

“Come on, come on!” She urged Wen Xin to open the door while waving Uncle inside. “It’s been so long. We have so much to tell you.”

“Your brother asked me to say hi on his behalf. You wouldn’t believe it—he originally planned to come with us to see you, but he’s been too swamped lately to make the time.”

Wen Xin knew she was lying and didn’t take it seriously. She simply went along with it. “Thank him for thinking of me.”

“Have a seat, Uncle and Auntie. I’ll brew some tea for you.” The longer she spent with them, the heavier the suffocating weight grew in her chest. Desperate for a breather, Wen Xin made an excuse to leave. She turned and slipped into the kitchen, sliding the glass door shut behind her.

The glass was a special kind—crystal clear from the inside looking out, but opaque the other way around. She stood inside pouring water while covertly watching their movements.

It didn’t take long for Uncle and Auntie to grow restless in her absence. They began glancing around, whispering to each other as if plotting something secretive.

Wen Xin knew their visit wasn’t innocent. In that first shocked instant, her thoughts had scattered. Now they were clearing up. Based on what she knew of them, this trip was likely about money—again.

If so, how much did they want?

What sum could possibly compel them to track down her address and make the special trip?

Wen Xin felt unsteady. The excessive tension and worry triggered her instinct to seek help. She admitted she was timid, admitted her cowardice. She simply couldn’t face whatever was coming on her own.

On impulse, she reached into her pocket for her phone. Should she call Shi Qianyu? If it was A-Yu, she could surely help.

But when she actually pulled out the phone, she couldn’t bring herself to dial.

Why bother her? A-Yu had already done so much for her. Wen Xin didn’t want to drag her into this mess, didn’t want her to see those hidden, ugly parts of her past.

Those dark, painful scars were hers alone to bear. No need to taint A-Yu with them.

In the end, she didn’t make the call.

Wen Xin carried the teacups back to the living room.

She had been gone a while, and Auntie was clearly growing impatient, on the verge of complaining. But she remembered the purpose of their visit and held back—for now. “There you are.”

“This tea smells divine. Living in the city really is different; you can’t get stuff this good back in the village.” Unable to restrain herself any longer, she steered the conversation to the point. “Wenwen, you’ve made a pretty penny these years, haven’t you?”

There it was.

At that familiar phrase, Wen Xin paused for a long moment before replying, “Just enough to get by.”

“What are you saying?” Auntie clucked her tongue, plainly disbelieving. “I heard from Jiao Jiao back home that you changed jobs, right? To that place called Qi… something.”

“Qi Qing,” Uncle prompted from the side.

“Right, right, Qi Qing!” Auntie slapped her thigh with exaggerated flair. “Jiao Jiao told me all about it. It’s a big company—great benefits, top pay. Not just anyone can get in. You should have seen her face; she was green with envy. She even said you must’ve pulled some strings.”

“I scolded her for it. Told her our Wenwen earned it fair and square—pretty, hardworking. No matter how jealous you are, you can’t beat that. Right, Wenwen?”

The Jiao Jiao in question was a former coworker of Wen Xin’s. They’d been in the same department, seats side by side, even hailing from the same area. Jiao Jiao had been slower on the uptake and often asked Wen Xin for help with tricky tasks.

Wen Xin hadn’t interacted with her much but thought she seemed decent—no backstabbing gossip, at least.

She had no idea how Auntie had pried the info out of her but trusted Jiao Jiao meant no harm. So she didn’t play along. “You’re overthinking it. It’s not that impressive.”

Same as when she was a kid—a real clam. She’d wasted all that flattery!

Unable to keep up the pretense, Auntie dropped the act. “Fine, Wenwen, let’s cut to the chase. The family’s in a bind—we need money fast. You’re doing so well now; a few tens of thousands won’t hurt you. Be straight with me: do you have thirty thousand?”

Thirty thousand?

Wen Xin’s eyes widened. It was an outrageous demand.

“How would I have that kind of money?”

“Then figure something out for us,” Uncle chimed in earnestly. “Your brother’s getting married soon. The bride’s family is asking for a hefty bride price—car, house, the works. It’s tough on us old folks.”

“Think of it as helping your brother. And don’t forget who raised you all these years. Without us, would you even be alive? Time to pay back that debt of gratitude.”

“I’ve been paying it back all along,” Wen Xin countered. “Ever since I started working, I’ve sent money to your account every month. That was to…”

“Oh, please—that pittance? It’s not even a dent. At best, it’s a little filial piety!” Auntie slapped the table, her voice rising to a shout. “When your family was in trouble, I helped. Now your brother’s in a spot— you can’t just ignore it. You wouldn’t pull such an ungrateful stunt, would you?”

“If you don’t have it, borrow from someone else! You’re different now, working at a big company, rubbing elbows with rich folks. A bit here, a bit there—it adds up. Pay it back later!”

What shameless nonsense.

Even timid, withdrawn Wen Xin nearly laughed in outrage. She couldn’t fathom how Auntie could say such things. True, debts should be repaid. No matter how poorly those years had gone, Wen Xin was grateful they’d taken her in—fed her, clothed her. She knew exactly how much they’d spent, and she’d paid back far more. Yet they were still unsatisfied.

She knew arguing reason with them was futile. And if she gave in today, agreed to their demand, they’d only come back wanting more, greedier each time.

In that moment, anger overpowered fear. Perhaps spending so much time with Shi Qianyu had rubbed off on her—learning a trick or two about standing her ground. For once, Wen Xin found her courage. She stopped yielding and stated her refusal plainly. “I can’t do it.”

Uncle and Auntie’s faces froze.

They hadn’t expected such a flat rejection. They’d figured they’d squeeze a few thousand out of her at least—today a bit, next time more. Keep pressing, and she’d cough it up eventually.

But she’d refused. How could she refuse?

“Don’t forget who toiled bitterly to raise you, feeding you the finest food and drink—and now look what you’ve become: an ungrateful wretch!”

At the sound of her shout, Wen Xin instinctively felt a surge of fear. But she fought it down and met Auntie’s eyes head-on. “Toiled bitterly? Finest food and drink? Auntie, stop lying. You know better than anyone how I’ve scraped by these past years.”

“You little bastard, still talking back to me!” Auntie was losing control. She raised her hand to strike, but Uncle grabbed her arm from the side and scolded her in a low voice. “Talk this out properly. If you actually hit her, we’ll never see that money!”

“If we don’t get it, then we don’t get it! This little brat has grown her wings now—she doesn’t give a damn about family ties. Does she think that’s any way to repay us?” Auntie’s face flushed red, her words growing shrill and venomous. “If her parents were still alive, she’d probably drive them to an early grave!”

“Those two worthless deadbeats, dying so young and leaving everything on me like some hands-off bosses…”

In her rage, she was starting to say things without thinking.

Wen Xin hated more than anything when people spoke ill of her parents. All the pent-up emotion she’d been suppressing exploded in that moment. She shoved Auntie hard. “Get out!”

“Get the hell out—all of you!” She’d never realized she had such a temper in her; perhaps she was losing control too. She grabbed the things Uncle and Auntie had brought and dumped them all out the door in a frenzy.

Auntie opened her mouth as if to hurl more abuse, but Wen Xin didn’t want to hear it. She rushed to the kitchen, snatched up a knife, and gripped it tight, brandishing it like a talisman against evil spirits. “Are you leaving or not?”

“What, you gonna kill me? Come on, take a swing—right here!” Auntie was still ranting, taking a step forward.

“Try taking one more step!” Wen Xin glared at her, voice hoarse. “I have no dad, no mom, no friends, no family—nothing to lose. I’d come out ahead killing both of you.”

“If you’ve got the guts, come at me! After I finish you two off, I’ll head straight to your place and take out your son too!”

She’d gone mad—this girl had gone completely mad.

Uncle and Auntie had never seen Wen Xin like this. For a moment, her wild words and actions cowed them, and they hesitated, not daring to advance.

Time dragged on as the three of them stood frozen in standoff. Finally, Uncle yanked at Auntie’s arm. “Let’s go. Just go for now.”

With the out she’d been given, Auntie finally backed off a few steps instead of pressing forward. But her mouth kept running, spewing curses about Wen Xin dropping dead soon.

Once the two of them had left, Wen Xin hurried over, slammed the door shut, and threw the deadbolt. Clutching the knife, she stood guard by the door until the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.

Only then did she seem to exhale at last. She slid down against the door and sat on the floor, choking back sobs.

At some point, a neighbor must have knocked and asked what was wrong, but she couldn’t remember if she’d answered. She just felt so wronged, the wave of grief swelling with every passing second until she could hold it back no longer.

In the end, she broke down and wept openly.