Should be less than two hours until Niu meets them, the one she has been looking forward to the past two days. The sun this morning seems to be brighter than usual, clear blue skies, warm oolong tea, what a perfect way to start the day. Not to mention that she has already checked and finished some of her work for the next few days which makes her able to let the right hand person handle the shop. Just as Niu’s luck, the golden morning hour breaks because of the sound of her phone ringing. Niu rolls her eyes and lets out a heavy sigh just by seeing the contact name. The fourth child, Quan’s younger brother, Xiao Bèi. Obviously, she knows where the conversation is leading to. “Hello?” Niu greets first once she picks up the phone. “Hey, can you send me some money? Quan told me that he will return it back later.” Xiao says like he is in a rush. Knowing that he doesn’t have any work on weekends and hearing this kind of voice tone is obviously annoying for Niu. What makes it even worse is that Quan never told her anything about it and unfortunately she never can get used to it. “Sorry to say Xiao but Quan doesn’t tell me any–” The sentence is not finished yet but Xiao already cuts in. This is one of their favorite behaviors on how they treat Niu, never listen and always want to be listened to. “Ya ya ya, I’ll wait til ten.” And the way he speaks doesn’t have any respect like that, absolutely annoying and irritating for Niu or any other people. But again, Niu can’t say anything or fight back so she just closes her eyes tightly and holds her breath in order not letting her anger overflow. After that, Xiao hangs up the phone right away with a smug and proud face before waiting for any reply from Niu. He lights up his cigarette then makes another call with someone else. Not long after, the person who he is calling picks up his call. “Hey, I’ll be there. It’s on me tonight.” He only needs to say that one sentence arrogantly toward a certain someone then hangs up the phone. “Where are you going tonight?” A female voice comes behind him but Xiao doesn’t bother to look toward the source. “Extra errands.” He says and still types something on his phone. Slowly that woman approaches him and gives him a back hug, a sensational one which makes Xiao’s grin grow wider and puts his phone down immediately. “Last night was amazing~” She says seductively and finally Xiao turns around to face her. Without any warning, he closes the distance and nuzzles his face toward that woman’s neck. “Hey… it tickles…” It makes her giggle and playfully slaps Xiao’s shoulder. “Where’s my breakfast?” Xiao then pulls his face away only to look at her with a face that is full with lust. Now both of them are grinning to one another until that woman pulls him to get back inside the bedroom, giving him what he just asked her for. Back to Niu’s side, she sits there with eyes closed tightly, trying to calm herself down. Taking a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, and slowly letting it all out. Her emotion, the anger, keeps boiling hard whenever it comes from Quan’s siblings even though she has been treated like this for more than a decade. Another phone call comes in and before she answers that, she looks toward the contact’s name. Thankfully, it’s coming from someone who is very welcome in her life. “Hello?” Niu speaks up first. “Hey, sist. It seems like Quan won’t be able to go back home this weekend because he planned a meeting with my boss this afternoon. It’s around two if I’m not mistaken.” Enlai informs while he is cooking his breakfast. Rice porridge with chicken breast slices along with lots of vegetables on it, one of Enlai’s favorites. Hearing that information, it makes Niu’s uneasiness go away a little bit. By knowing that her husband won’t be around when her kids come back which means she can spend all of her time with them even though it’s just for two days. “Glad to know that and thank you Enlai. Do you know how he is doing there by any chance?” Niu asks and slightly stirs her tea. Fortunately, hearing her brother's voice somehow can relax her a little bit. “Hmm… I think he is going to be super busy for the next few weeks or maybe months? Remember what I told you about his boss' retirement, right? I think he’s trying to take the offer.” Enlai answers then takes a small bite from his pot, checking whether the taste is just perfectly fit with his preference. “I see…” taking a sip from her tea. Niu seems to be thinking about something as her eyes are also looking around her surroundings. Just one of her habits when she is in her deep thoughts. “That’s a good thing, isn’t it? He has a lot of things that need to be focused and handled at the same time. We’re in the advantage position at this point.” Enlai speaks up which wakes Niu up from her own world. Even though Enlai doesn’t physically appear beside her, he can tell what’s going on in Niu’s mind. “Mhm, I know that but it’s just that…” Not finishing her sentence, Niu sighs heavily and takes another sip from her tea. Now that concern and uncomfortable expression is painted on her face. As always, Enlai gets to know what’s going on inside of Niu’s mind just based on her voice tone and the way she speaks. “Don’t ever think that it’s a bad thing, Jie. Try to throw away those guilty feelings if that ever gets into you. If it’s not us, not you, they will keep doing it. No one can stop them unless someone would actually do something.” Enlai says firmly, trying to convince her thoughts. Hearing that, Niu backs slowly stirring the tea with a furrowed face and can’t say anything back at him. Sometimes knowing Niu being like this, Enlai’s heart aches, figuring out exactly what’s in her thoughts at the moment. “You’re not alone, Jie. I’m here and always be here for you. You won’t be alone to face this, okay? I promise.” He continues with a more soothing voice that could melt some of Niu’s doubts and thoughts. Niu closes her eyes and takes a deep breath then slowly lets it out before taking another sip from her tea. Thank goddess her brother’s words can get through her heart. She feels so grateful to have him as her brother. “Thanks, Enlai. I’ll try my best as well.” Niu replies after slowly putting her cup on the table as her eyes back focusing on the backyard view. “No. We. We’ll try our best because you’re not alone.” Enlai says firmly to encourage his sister once again which makes Niu smile softly and chuckle. “Yes, Enlai. We’ll try our best together.” She repeats firmly. “Good. Alright, gotta go, Jie. See ya!” With that being said, Enlai hangs up the phone and leaves Niu to enjoy her golden hour in the morning. Just from that simple greeting from her brother, it enlightens the weight on her chest from the previous call. Remembering her children will come, Niu finishes the last sip of her tea then gets up from her seat to go to the nearest convenience store that has an ATM inside of it. When she is about to enter the store, someone familiar just comes out from there and their eyes meet. It’s Niu’s neighbor, the one who helped her back when the first time she got that scar, Peiyu. “Hey, Niu! It’s been a while, isn’t it?” She greets with that bright face and approaches Niu with open arms even though her hands are full with grocery bags. On the other hand, somehow Niu doesn’t react much so she just lets herself be embraced by Peiyu. “Do you wanna talk for a bit? I bought some snacks!” She speaks up again and brings the bags up to signal how stuffed it looks. Niu smiles and nods her head. “Sure. But I need to use the ATM first. Do you mind waiting for a couple of minutes?” Niu asks for consent. “Of course! Take your time, okay~?” As always Peiyu has such a bright side which can give warmth to people around her. After that, Niu gets in the convenience store and transfers the money to Xiao then gets out quickly, not wanting Peiyu to wait for too long. With that being said, now the two of them are on their way to the nearest parks there and sit on the benches near the river. The weather is just so perfect for them to enjoy the view and such a calming atmosphere around them. “How is it going?” Peiyu says, breaking the silence with that pity and guilty expression on hers. Again, Niu doesn’t react much to it as she just closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. “I’m okay, Peiyu.” Niu replies and a warm smile appears back on hers. Hearing and getting that response, Peiyu returns the smile before she turns around and rustles her grocery bags. She takes out one pack that has two rice balls in it and two cans of coffee. “Oh,” Her excited face suddenly fades away, she seems to just remember something “You don’t drink coffee, right?” Then she looks at Niu with her puppy eyes. Niu just smiles and nods again which makes Peiyu frown. “Sorry… I don’t have anything else other than coffee or beer…” She says with that apologetic face. “No need to be sorry, Peiyu. I’ll drink when I get back home, okay?” Niu replies and pats Peiyu’s shoulder to make relieved and no longer pressured by guilt. “Thank you, Niu. You’re still as kind as the first time we met, always have that positive atmosphere around you. Nothing changed at all.” Even though Niu knows that Peiyu is saying these as compliments, the last sentence makes Niu’s eyebrow twitch. “Ahh…” Her chuckles sound awkward but it seems like Peiyu doesn't notice that as she turns her focus back on the pack of rice balls on her lap. “You’re too kind, Niu.” Peiyu speaks up again in the middle of unwrapping the pack of rice balls while Niu just gazes at the river. “If I was in your position, I'd never forgive and probably already divorced him.” Peiyu continues and hands the rice ball to Niu as she accepts it gladly by slightly bowing down. “Well… I have my own reason why I choose to stay, Peiyu.” Niu replies calmly then takes the first bite of it. “Your children, right?” Peiyu asks, then Niu just simply answers by nodding her head a couple of times. “I’m jealous of how you're really a strong and a great mother, Niu. Such a waste you got a player family.” This is where Niu twitches her eyebrow once again and stops herself from chewing her food. Even though Peiyu doesn’t actually emphasize that particular word and just says it casually, Niu catches it differently. “I beg your pardon?” Niu replies and finally turns her head to look back at her with sharp eyes. On the other hand, the other person still calmly eats and enjoys every bite from the rice ball. “Hm? Don’t you know about it? Just like what I said, Bèi’s family is just full of bastards.” Peiyu answers with her mouth still full as she keeps her gaze toward the food in her hands. Meanwhile Niu tries to understand the points and the meanings of what she just said. “Many people in Lijiang and those who are working with Quan and his boss say that Quan is the only one that has value in Bèi’s family while the others are just trash.” She explains more then takes another big bite. Hearing that, Niu squints her eyes and slowly looks back toward the river. It’s true that she knows every single bad thing about Quan’s siblings' behavior and what they have done but she never thought that it could actually reach other people as well. “Hmmm…” Niu hums in return and finally takes another bite. “You know it already, right?” Now it’s Peiyu turns to look at her with that serious look. Well, it probably doesn’t look like that since her cheeks are all puffy from how full her mouth is. “Well… I know that his siblings love clubbing, drinking, gambling, and stuff. Just the usual wasting money, right?” Niu simply answers casually then continues munching her food. “Those things are mostly done by the brothers.” From here, Peiyu’s voice tone changes a little bit. Therefore it makes Niu glances at her, only to find Peiyu is looking at her weirdly as if Niu’s previous answer is not quite right. “Have you heard anything from his sister? Liao Bèi?” Her voice tone sounds more intimidating than before. Niu just stays still there, not saying anything back. Peiyu sighs heavily and looks around first before leaning closer to Niu’s ear. “She is having an affair with another man.” She whispers which immediately holds her breathing for a moment with that widened eyes. The food in her hands has almost slipped away but fortunately she still has some of her senses. After that simple statement, Peiyu draws herself back and watches Niu’s reactions closely. She is completely shocked and it is too late for her if she wants to hide it. “Sorry, what?” is the only word that comes out from Niu and it sounds totally unsteady. “Well… it’s still just a rumor, Niu. There is no clear fact or something but some people in Lijiang sometimes catch them together and Liao seems to be happier and all smiley around that person? They are also hundred percent sure that it’s not Zeng, her husband.” Peiyu explains, then looks back to her rice ball. Even in the middle of a serious conversation, it seems like nothing can disturb her from eating, huh? On the other hand, Niu doesn’t say anything with her frowned face like she is her own world of deep thoughts again. “You know about how problematic she is with her husband, right?” Peiyu asks as her mouth is once again full with food and Niu just simply nods her head. “Nah, this is the basis of why the rumor is made of. Everyone knows about how tough Zeng is toward anyone, even to his own family. He barely gives permission to his children and wife to simply leave the house! But now this! People nowadays can frequently see Liao going out somewhere!” Peiyu explains in a more dramatic way with her body gesture and raised voice tone. However, the person who is listening to her doesn’t react much as she just nods her head and slowly looks away from Peiyu. “Do–” When Niu is about to ask for furthermore, Peiyu’s phone rings and picks it up right away. “Hello?” Peiyu says and gestures her hand at Niu, telling her to pause. With that happens, Niu leans back on the bench, trying to relax herself from the information she just heard. She pulls out her phone from her pocket then suddenly remembers something because seeing the time that her children might be coming in no time. Quickly, she takes the last big bite then nudges Peiyu’s arm and tells her that she needs to leave now. Fortunately, Peiyu understands it right away so the two of them bid a simple goodbye to one another. After that, even though Niu knows there is no need for her to rush back home, she somehow has the urge to do so. Usually it only takes around fifteen minutes from the river to her home but this time she only needs ten minutes. Based on how she is rushing it, she pants heavily in front of her door and feels grateful that her children haven’t arrived yet. Hence, she goes straight back to the terrace and takes some rest there. “Are you okay, ma’am?” A worried voice can be heard from behind. None other than the housemaid, Qiu. “Ohh… I’m fine, Qiu. Thank you for asking… I was just rushing to get back here before they came.” Niu tries to answer steadily between her gasping for breath. Well, she is already in her forties so of course rushing her step back here will drain so much energy. Hearing that, Qiu lets out a sigh of relief but also can’t help but chuckle at seeing how Niu can’t hide her excitement to meet her children. “Do you need anything, ma’am? I can help you prepare something for the kids later.” Qiu offers. “I guess we only need to take out their favorite snacks and drinks from yesterday. Can you help me with that, please?” Niu answers and looks at Qiu with apologetic eyes as Qiu shows her warmth smile. “Gladly, ma’am.” She replies and bows before leaving to do Niu’s order. Not long after that, just like how Niu predicted, she can hear a loud noisy voice from the front yard. A familiar and very lively one that can blow away all of her tiredness in a flash. She gets up from her chair and somehow her footsteps are getting faster than usual just to open and greet the people who are on the other side of the front door. Once she opens it, the greeting she has been looking for months finally comes. “Hi, Mom!” Both Heng and Jieru shouts excitedly and runs to give her a big hug. “Hello there, my lovely children.” Of course, Niu happily accepts and embraces them in a tight hug. The two of them keep mumbling excitedly about their stories which makes Niu hard to keep up with them. “Okay, okay. I would love to hear all of your stories later when we are having lunch, sounds good?” Niu says once they break from the hug. A sign of disappointment nowhere to be found as both of them just nod their head and show their silly smiles. “Alright then, please take some rest for a bit in your room. Qiu already prepared some snacks for you guys.” She suggests her children what to do and of course they will obediently do that. “Yeeaayyy! You’re the best, Mom!” They say synchronously and give her another big hug before running into their room. Now, the two of them have already left, Shoi-ming is the only one still in the room as he just watches those lovely moments. “Hi, Mom.” Shoi-ming greets her with open arms as both of them close their distance and finally share a warm embrace. “You worked really hard, Shoi-ming~” Niu praises and gently pats his head. They are just staying like that, enjoying the moment, and letting their feelings of yearning for each other flow. Until finally Shoi-ming is the first one who pulls away and shares an endearing eye contact. “I’m really grateful you’re okay, Mom.” Shoi-ming speaks up and Niu smiles softly at him. “Of course, I’m. Why wouldn’t I? You should trust me more, Shoi-ming~” She replies and brings her hand to caress Shoi-ming cheek. Another moment of silence fills in the room as they just stay there until this time Niu speaks up. “Do you need to take some rest? Your room is already tidied up by Qiu.” Niu offers but Shoi-ming shakes his head immediately as he pulls Niu’s hand to sit on the sofa. “I’m not that tired, Mom. I prefer to spend my time talking with you.” Shoi-ming says and both of them now are sitting next to each other. “Mhm. Sure, let’s hear your story first then hehe.” Niu replies playfully. “Before that, I actually wanted to ask you about something.” The sudden changes in Shoi-ming's voice makes Niu look at him curiously but also a bit surprised. “Have you heard anything about aunt Liao?” Out of the blue question but weirdly it’s just exactly about what she just heard this morning, not long ago. “What about her?” Niu asks, pretending not to know anything about it. “I think she’s having an affair with someone else.” Shoi-ming continues and it is like what Niu thought as well. What a coincidence she heard the exact same two things before noon. What kind of sign could it be? Well, there is only one way to find out.
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