SWNOVELXO Chapter 92.1 - The Real Wealthy Family’s Son (2)
He Juan had settled into the He family home, naturally losing her job at the school cafeteria. The only work she had left was a bit of handcrafting, picking up materials from a factory to knit hats and scarves, earning a bit of hard-earned money.
After the initial excitement of seeing He Sijia, He Juan began to feel uneasy. The next morning, she woke up early to compete with the maids for chores.
While the family sat down for breakfast, He Juan was still busy in the kitchen.
He Sijia noticed the different dishes, took a sip of the vegetable porridge, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction. “Delicious.”
Lin Xiumei heard this, glanced at the porridge in her bowl, and noticed a leaf with a small hole from a bug. She frowned slightly, said nothing, and pushed the porridge aside.
When breakfast was finally served, He Juan continued to linger in the kitchen, wiping surfaces here and there with a cloth, pretending to be busy. Her eyes darted toward the dining room occasionally, and when she was noticed, she immediately turned away and kept busy.
He Sijia, seeing He Juan in her cheap gray clothing, working alone in the kitchen, pursed her lips and looked at He Dongchen. She whispered, “Can you call … out from the kitchen…”
The first problem He Sijia faced was how to address He Juan. Calling her “Mom” didn’t feel right, and “Auntie” felt awkward. Unlike He Dongchen, who had bluntly addressed them as “Mr. He” and “Mrs. Lin” from the start.
He Dongchen leaned back in his chair and threw the responsibility back to her. “She’s your biological mother. You go yourself.”
He Sijia blushed, hesitated for a while, and finally, reluctantly, went to the kitchen.
Seeing this, He Dongchen turned to Lin Xiumei, whose expression was hard to read, and said, “See? That’s the power of blood ties. They’ve only spent 1 night together, and she already knows how to care for her.”
Lin Xiumei paused slightly, took a deep breath, and then forced a kind smile. “Then why don’t I see you caring for your biological mother?”
He Dongchen replied confidently, “That won’t do. If I started being warm and friendly, you’d probably whisper that I’m a gold-digger. He Sijia doesn’t have to worry about that, I’m really envious.”
Lin Xiumei was taken aback. What kind of reasoning was that?
He Zhenglan, seated at the head of the table, frowned slightly. Indeed, if this newly found son had immediately called him “Dad,” he would have had some doubts.
As they spoke, He Sijia had already brought He Juan out of the kitchen. The atmosphere between the two had noticeably become more natural. He Juan followed behind He Sijia, gazing at her with teary eyes.
The He family couple found it rather nauseating.
He Dongchen had already started eating breakfast. The table was filled with food, and it was clear that not all of it was made by He Juan. Just by looking at the presentation and the variety, it was easy to tell. The dishes He Juan made were hearty but lacked finesse. The more complex breakfast items were clearly not her work.
He Dongchen glanced around and spoke meaningfully, “Mom, this isn’t the kind of breakfast you used to make at home.”
He Juan came back to her senses, quickly wiped the corner of her eye, and explained, “We don’t usually have these ingredients at home.”
He Dongchen suddenly understood, “I see. The breakfast made from He family’s ingredients is naturally all dishes He Sijia likes. I was just wondering if you were doing it on purpose. After all, you serve He Sijia at school every day, so you must know what she likes.”
With these words, everyone reacted differently, their thoughts varying.
Lin Xiumei quickly said, “Dongchen, tell Mom what you like to eat, and I’ll have someone buy it.”
He Zhenglan asked with concern, “Ms. He and Sijia knew each other before?”
“Of course, my Mom served extra dishes to Sijia every day. She’d only serve meat in the shredded green pepper dish and only beef in the potato beef brisket dish. Right, He Sijia?” He Dongchen smiled as he threw the question to He Sijia.
Under He Zhenglan’s suspicious gaze, He Sijia could only harden her resolve and say, “That’s right.”
He Juan quickly waved her hand and anxiously explained, “Sijia is sweet and pretty. Our cafeteria colleagues all like her, so it’s nothing to serve her more dishes.”
He Zhenglan looked at the mother and daughter, who had some resemblance, and nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation.
He Sijia and He Juan both sighed in relief, as this incident made the rest of the meal tasteless and distracted
***
He Dongchen, keeping his achievements and status low-key, finished his breakfast and went out to continue his tutoring work.
He Zhenglan asked him not to go, saying it was shameful for He family’s son to be a tutor for others.
He Dongchen shrugged, “I’ve been earning money by tutoring and doing homework since middle school. If you think it’s embarrassing, then just disown me.”
He Zhenglan frowned, “How can you speak like that?”
Feeling he had been too harsh, He Zhenglan softened his tone, “The past is the past, and now is now. I’ll have the secretary get you a card so you won’t have to earn that hard money anymore.”
“Alright,” He Dongchen raised an eyebrow. Money is always welcomed.
“I don’t need much, just enough to cover the money spent on He Sijia over the years. Similarly, I want to be reimbursed for the money I spent on He Sijia’s behalf growing up.”
He Zhenglan’s face showed displeasure, “We’re family. Is it necessary to be so calculating? It feels so cold.”
“It is necessary, very necessary,” He Dongchen nodded. After saying that, he turned and left, continuing to tutor the kids. The father and son were nice people; it wouldn’t be good to cancel on them.
Meanwhile, He Sijia also went out.
She left because she felt uncomfortable at home, suffocated and just wanted to escape.
Because she had graduated from high school and turned 18 last month, He Sijia no longer needed to hide when she went to see Sima Yongqing. She always brought Sima Peiting as a shield.
“Miss He, please wait. The president is in a meeting,” the beautiful secretary said, setting down a cup of coffee before gracefully walking away.
He Sijia watched her shapely back, then looked down at her own figure, feeling somewhat discouraged and gloomy.
When Sima Yongqing finished his meeting and saw this scene, he went over, embraced her, and placed her on his lap. He gently lifted He Sijia’s small chin and asked, “What’s wrong, my little girl?”
He Sijia looked at the short stubble on Sima Yongqing’s chin and mumbled, “Why am I so small?”
Sima Yongqing’s gaze slid over He Sijia’s neckline, and he understood, “I like them small.”
“Disgusting!” He Sijia playfully scolded.
After they had some playful banter, He Sijia leaned against Sima Yongqing’s chest and sighed, “I don’t even want to go home now. The atmosphere feels so strange, and nothing seems right.”
Sima Yongqing frowned, thinking that the guy named He Dongchen was quite sharp, managing to resolve the awkward situation and shift the tension onto He Sijia.
“Do you want me to get rid of He Juan?” Sima Yongqing asked coldly.
“No!” He Sijia shook her head vigorously. After all, she was her biological mother, and it looked like she had been through a rough time.
Sima Yongqing nodded and said, “If you’re unhappy, talk to me. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
He Sijia nodded earnestly, her smile sweet. She felt grateful that she had mustered the courage to pursue Sima Yongqing; now, it seemed like her efforts were paying off.
He Sijia had dinner outside before taking a taxi home.
As she was lost in thoughts of Sima Yongqing’s handsome face, she suddenly saw a familiar figure outside the window.
“Stop the car!” He Sijia shouted. After getting out, she saw He Juan, drenched in sweat and carrying a large sack, and hurried over to ask, “Why didn’t you take a car home?”
Seeing her daughter dressed in a princess dress, He Juan quickly stepped back, licked her cracked lips, and smiled awkwardly, “I’m covered in sweat. Stay away so you don’t get affected.”
He Sijia felt a pang in her heart at these words and asked gloomily, “Why didn’t you take a car home? And what’s in that big bag?”
“The bus stops at the foot of the mountain, and taking a taxi is too expensive. I need to save the money for you,” He Juan explained, hefting the bag on her back. “This is the material I got from the factory. The hats I make are beautiful. I’ll knit you the prettiest one later.”
He Sijia suddenly remembered that the He family’s villa was in a mountainside area. The bus only went to the foot of the mountain, so He Juan had to carry this large sack and hike up for over half an hour.
He Sijia looked at He Juan’s sorrowful face with a heavy heart. Despite being the same age, Lin Xiumei went around in luxury cars without a single wrinkle, while He Juan’s face was covered in lines, her eyes filled with worry, making one feel a pang of sympathy.
“Next time you go out, let the family driver take you,” He Sijia blinked her sore eyes, took a wad of cash from her bag, and stuffed it into He Juan’s pocket. “Take a taxi when you come back. Don’t walk.”
Seeing her daughter’s concern, He Juan’s tears flowed freely.
It’s all worth it.
***
When He Dongchen came home in the evening, he found that He Juan and He Sijia’s relationship had improved. They were busy together in the kitchen; He Juan was chopping vegetables, and He Sijia was washing them, while the former maid stood aside, unable to help.
In the living room, Lin Xiumei was sitting on the sofa, flipping through a fashion magazine with a rustling sound. He Zhenglan was probably working late and hadn’t come home yet.
He Dongchen raised an eyebrow and deliberately walked over, saying loudly, “That’s why people say daughters are like a warm, caring jacket. Mrs. Lin, wasn’t He Sijia helping you like this when she was at home too?”
Lin Xiumei closed the magazine with a graceful motion and placed it on the coffee table, her exquisite nails gleaming.
“I never went into the kitchen.”
“And also, son, you should call me ‘Mom,’ not ‘Mrs. Lin.'”
He Dongchen sat down beside her and shrugged, “That’s not possible. Calling ‘Mom’ after just 1 day feels insincere.”
Lin Xiumei took a deep breath. Indeed, it had only been 1 day. While He Dongchen didn’t even utter the word “Mom,” He Sijia had already been warmly helping He Juan.
For a moment, Lin Xiumei couldn’t tell whether He Dongchen was too cold-blooded or if He Sijia was just more affectionate.
In any case, she felt uncomfortable!
When dinner was served, He Zhenglan arrived late and placed a card in front of He Dongchen. “Everything is in there.”
Everyone looked at the card, puzzled.
He Dongchen picked up the golden card with two fingers, played with it for a moment, and asked curiously, “How much is it?”
He Zhenglan sighed and explained patiently, “Excluding large items such as pianos and jewelry, it’s 15 million.” To put things in perspective, He Sijia’s piano teacher’s annual salary alone was 500,000.
He Sijia, who had been confused, immediately reacted, her face turning pale. Her hands, resting on her lap, began to tremble.
He Dongchen smiled, accepted the card, took out 1,000 yuan from his pocket, and placed it on the table.
He calmly said, “I started collecting bottles for money when I was 5. By 8, I began picking tea leaves to earn money. On weekends and during summer vacations, I got up at 4 in the morning, braving wind and rain to pick tea until it was too dark to see. On Fridays, while others lazily went home from school, I ran home non-stop with a basket to pick tea leaves. This routine continued until I entered the city high school.”