Chapter Thirty-One: The Subtle Thoughts of Liu Jianmin's Wife

After finishing the dumplings and helping tidy up the house, Chen Xin took Zhang Zhang home. On her way downstairs, she ran into Uncle Liu, who was bringing his wife to visit his parents. Chen Xin didn't say much, just exchanged greetings and left.

Behind her, the couple didn't hurry upstairs. Instead, they stood in the entrance of the building, speculating about Chen Xin’s intentions in coming over every day to curry favor with the old couple.

"Do you think that aunt and nephew are trying to win over Mom and Dad with sweet words so that you’ll give her money to open that so-called coffee shop?"

Liu Jianmin frowned. "I don't think so. She knows I'm not fond of her coffee shop idea. Last time, I even signed an agreement with her, saying that money would be invested for only a year before being taken back."

"I just don't get what your sister is thinking. Is she afraid there’s money she can’t spend? She’s eager to lend it to Chen Xin—has she been brainwashed? I think we need to have a good talk with your parents. Our family’s money doesn’t grow on trees. Besides, if we’re going to support someone, shouldn’t it be our own child who wants to start a business? Why give it to an outsider?"

Liu Jianmin glanced at his wife, immediately understanding that she was talking about her cousin—the eldest grandson of her mother's older sister—who hadn’t gotten into university last year and didn’t want to repeat the entrance exams. He was determined to go into business with someone and had been borrowing money everywhere. The boy had a silver tongue, making his business plan sound like the next big thing, and his wife was clearly tempted. This time, her intention was to persuade the elders not to help outsiders blindly, but in reality, she wanted them to ask Chen Xin to return the money so she could convince them to lend it to her cousin instead.

Liu Jianmin doubted his wife’s plan would succeed. His father was shrewd with age, and both parents had always been dissatisfied with his wife’s refusal to have children. Why would they hand over money to her cousin for no reason? Even though Liu Jianmin didn’t like Chen Xin or her coffee shop idea, he understood that compared to his wife’s cousin’s investment plan—which didn’t even exist on paper yet—Chen Xin at least had something tangible, something you could see and touch. Wasn’t that more reliable?

Then again, it was only human to favor one’s own family, and it was natural for him to lean toward his wife. So, he silently supported her plan.

The two of them didn’t linger downstairs for long. When they entered the apartment and saw his elderly mother arranging food for them, Liu Jianmin felt conflicted again, thinking that as long as his parents were happy, perhaps it didn’t matter what they did.

His wife tugged discreetly at his sleeve, signaling him to bring up the topic with his parents as they had agreed.

Grandpa Liu, sharp as ever, saw right through his daughter-in-law’s expression and knew there was a reason for their visit that night.

“All right, out with it—what brings you here so late?”

“Dad, what are you saying? We’re just busy with work and haven’t had time. We’re not working late tonight, so we came by to see you.”

Grandpa Liu just smiled and said nothing. As long as he was silent, Grandma Liu kept quiet too, instead bringing out fruit and sweets for the couple to help themselves.

"You two talk, I'll go boil some dumplings for you. Your father made them himself."

Grandpa Liu looked at his wife. He wanted to tell her not to bother, but then again, this was their own son. For the sake of family harmony, especially during the New Year, it wasn’t worth upsetting her.

Prompted twice by his wife, Liu Jianmin finally couldn’t hold back and explained their plan, adding details about his wife’s cousin’s supposedly lucrative business venture.

“Dad, I just think, rather than letting an outsider profit, it’s better to benefit someone in the family. So, do you think you could talk to Chen Xin and have her return our money?”

Grandpa Liu kept a blank expression as he spoke, but Grandma Liu, listening from the side, began to feel indignant.

“It’s just as well you mention this today. Your sister came by a few days ago. She said she wanted to learn from Chen Xin, so she was planning to discuss with you about returning the money you lent Chen Xin, and changing the agreement so that she could partner with Chen Xin instead. We talked about this before, didn’t we? You didn’t say yes or no at the time. Your sister said she’d come to find you in a couple of days. Since you’ve made up your mind, your father will settle this for you. Tomorrow, have your sister come and give you back the money, then sign a new agreement, and bring Chen Xin over too. The original agreement will need to be updated.”

“Dad! If my sister has money, she can invest it in my cousin’s business. There’s no need to give it to an outsider.”

“You speak as if your cousin isn’t an outsider to this family.” Grandma Liu was furious. She slammed the slotted spoon onto the kitchen table with a loud clang, scaring Liu Jianmin so much that he stood up at once, completely at a loss.

His mother had always had a good temper—impatient at times, but rarely angry with anyone, let alone his wife. He knew his wife didn’t get along too well with his parents, but usually they kept their distance. Never before in the ten years since they’d started dating and married had things been so blunt.

Liu Jianmin’s wife was startled too. She didn’t think she’d said anything wrong, but her mother-in-law’s attitude and expression made her feel as though she were scheming against them. She immediately felt aggrieved.

“The girl from next door works at the notary office. Tomorrow I’ll talk to her. In the afternoon, you two take some time off, go with your sister to the notary, and have the agreement formally transferred. Let your sister return your money, and then this matter won’t concern you anymore. And don’t bother persuading us again. We have no money; otherwise, we wouldn’t have let you partner with Chen Xin in the first place—I would’ve done it myself.”

With that, the old lady abandoned the dumplings and went straight into her room.

Grandpa Liu then told his son and daughter-in-law it was time for them to leave, and reminded his son that the money belonged to his sister. As her brother, he shouldn’t meddle in how she spent it—she could do whatever she liked.

After being driven out, Liu Jianmin felt miserable. It was the first time his mother had ever been so angry with him, and yet his wife still kept complaining about his parents’ favoritism.

“Enough!” Liu Jianmin frowned. “You go home first. I have to go to the office to do some work. There’s a project report due tomorrow, and if I’m going to take time off in the afternoon, I need to get a head start. I won’t be home tonight.”

With that, he got on his bicycle and left her behind.

His wife was so stunned she didn’t recover for a long time, and when her husband’s figure had disappeared, she finally came to her senses. Feeling wronged to the point of tears, she decided not to go home, but instead went to her parents’ house to pour out her grievances.

As Liu Jianmin rode through the city in the cold wind, he gradually sobered up. He realized that both he and his wife had been in the wrong tonight. If he went to find her now, she would never see her own mistakes. As he rode, he kept thinking things over. When he finally reached the office, he picked up the phone and dialed his brother-in-law’s number.

Liu Jianmin’s brother-in-law worked at a government office in the city; he was a section chief—not a high rank, but he was good at dealing with people, and the whole family respected him. Even his father- and mother-in-law listened to their eldest son.