In the evening, An Shishi's family sat together for dinner.
Father An wasn't present; he was often away, usually home only one or two days a week.
The three women sat together, none of them in a hurry to eat.
Mother An had long, jet-black hair, pinned up with a wooden hairpin.
She wore a black sweater with an old red jacket over it.
Her clothes were old-fashioned, but she was exceptionally beautiful.
She had an oval face, slightly thin cheeks, a smooth forehead, and long, willow-leaf eyebrows.
Beneath her brows were a pair of beautiful eyes, like two new moons, with clear, distinct whites and pupils.
Her features were delicate, and looking closely, both An Shishi and An Shuishui resembled her.
People in rural areas married early, so even though her daughter was already eighteen, she was only in her early thirties.
Despite being in her thirties, she looked very young, not at all like someone her age.
Her skin was fair and translucent, unlike the typical dark, yellowish complexion of rural women.
Mother An exuded a gentle and virtuous aura, but her slightly furrowed brows and the inadvertent melancholy in her eyes revealed her as a sorrowful beauty.
At this moment, her youthful, pretty face wore a serious expression.
An Shuishui was still immersed in the joy of having new clothes and gifts.
An Shishi noticed her mother's expression but didn't speak first.
Mother An couldn't hold back any longer and finally asked, "Shishi, don't you have something to say to me?"
An Shishi remained silent.
Unlike when facing her younger sister An Shuishui.
Facing her mother, she needed to sort out her thoughts, deciding carefully what to say and what not to say.
But seeing her daughter's silence, Mother An's face grew more displeased.
She had worked hard to support her two daughters' education, even borrowing from relatives to ensure her eldest could attend university, hoping she could change her fate through knowledge, not fall into bad habits.
The thought that her daughter might have gone astray made her feel utterly hopeless.
Suddenly overcome with sorrow, she began to cry.
An Shishi didn't expect her mother to cry.
She was a bit stunned.
An Shuishui, too, nervously asked, "Mom, why are you crying?"
Mother An looked at An Shishi and said, "I sent you away to study, not to learn bad things. You have greatly disappointed me. If I had known, I would have let Shuishui go to school instead."
An Shishi felt helpless at her mother's words.
She asked, "Who told you I've gone astray?"
She turned to An Shuishui, "Shuishui, was it you?"
Feeling guilty, An Shuishui immediately lowered her head.
Though simple-minded, she wasn't foolish. Her sister said she hadn't gone astray and that the things were bought by her boyfriend.
But she was still worried.
What if her sister was lying?
So she told their mother about her sister suddenly having money to buy many things and about her having a boyfriend.
Mother An said coldly, "Don't worry about what Shuishui said. Are you afraid of others speaking the truth about what you've done?"
An Shishi felt extremely helpless, "What have I done? I know some people from the village who went astray, but I'm not one of them. Can't you stop thinking the worst of me?"
"Fine, you don't admit it, so let's hear your explanation," Mother An said angrily.
But deep down, she still hoped her daughter could give her a reasonable explanation.
An Shishi had no choice but to explain how she met Xu Xiuwen and how they got together.
Of course, she omitted some details.
She told her mother that they fell in love after a kiss in the library, and their feelings grew stronger, naturally leading to a relationship.
Her story, mixing truth with lies, was the hardest to discern.
After hearing her daughter's story, Mother An remained silent.
An Shuishui asked, "Sister, is Xu Xiuwen really as excellent as you say?"
An Shishi glared at her. She had only been away for half a year, and her sister had turned into a little tattletale.
However, she nodded seriously and replied, "Xu Xiuwen is the most outstanding guy I've ever met, and he treats me very well. So, Mom, don't worry. I haven't gone astray."
"And Shuishui, you called him brother-in-law just now when receiving gifts, and now you call him Xu Xiuwen? I didn't know you were like this."
An Shuishui smiled sweetly and immediately corrected herself, "I misspoke. It's brother-in-law."
Mother An retorted, "Don't call him brother-in-law. I haven't agreed yet. Your sister's words sound nice, but who knows if they're true."
An Shishi said earnestly, "Mom, whether you agree or not, I've made up my mind about him. As long as he wants me, I'll be with him forever."
Mother An knew her daughter's character well and could tell from her tone that she was serious.
She remained silent for a long time before saying, "Silly girl, how can you be so certain about someone? If he doesn't treat you well, will you suffer like me?"
The sisters fell silent upon hearing their mother's words.
They had often seen their mother with bruises and scars, a part of their childhood memories.
They knew how much she had suffered.
The three women looked at each other, their eyes glistening with tears.
An Shishi wiped her tears and said to her mother, "Mom, Xu Xiuwen is not like Dad. He would never hit me. He treats me very well. Don't worry."
She suddenly remembered something, stood up quickly, walked back to her room, found her bank card, and returned to the dining table.
Holding the bank card in her hand, An Shishi said to her mother, "Mom, there's 100,000 yuan in this card. He gave it to me and told me to spend it as I please. If he didn't care about me, why would he give me so much money?"
Mother An was startled upon hearing this.
She momentarily forgot her sadness, staring wide-eyed at the bank card in her daughter's hand.
A hundred thousand yuan?
That was an unimaginable amount for her.
Her daughter's boyfriend gave her 100,000 yuan before they were even married? And told her to spend it freely?
Mother An wondered if she was dreaming.
An Shishi's sister, An Shuishui, also stared at the card, her pretty face turning red.
Noticing their expressions, An Shishi turned to her sister and said, "Shuishui, now that your sister has money, you don't have to work anymore. Focus on your studies. After you finish your senior year, I'll pay for your college tuition next year."
An Shuishui was so happy that she cried.
She hugged her sister tightly, tears streaming down her face.
She could finally go to college without having to work.
Mother An couldn't help but ask, "Will he be angry if he finds out you're using his money to pay for your sister's education? Will it affect your relationship?"
An Shishi shook her head, "No, he's not like that. I've told him about Shuishui before, and he fully supports her continuing her education."
Mother An, hearing this, instinctively asked, "Is he so concerned about Shuishui because he has feelings for her?"
An Shuishui's face turned red from her cheeks to her ears.
"Mom!"
An Shishi's expression immediately turned cold, "Mom, if you think that way, I'll be really angry."
Mother An regretted her words instantly.
She didn't know why she suddenly said something like that.
Seeing her daughter's cold expression, she quickly said, "I'm sorry, Shishi. I said the wrong thing."
Hearing this, An Shishi's anger subsided a bit.
She turned to her sister, who was still hugging her, and said, "Shuishui, the money for your education comes from your brother-in-law. You should thank him, not me. But don't worry, your brother-in-law is a good person, not someone despicable."
An Shuishui nodded, "I understand, sister."
This time, Mother An didn't object to her calling him brother-in-law.
The three women chatted for a while longer, mostly with Mother An asking questions and An Shishi answering.
An Shuishui stayed quiet, just holding her sister.
When they talked about the 100,000 yuan, Mother An reminded her daughter not to spend it recklessly.
An Shishi felt a bit helpless and said, "Xu Xiuwen earned 3 million from writing novels and sold a TV series for 10 million. He made all this money in just six months. He doesn't lack money."
Mother An couldn't comprehend what 3 million or 10 million meant.
An Shuishui, leaning against her sister, wasn't scared by these numbers. Instead, she admired her brother-in-law even more.
"You handle it yourself then. I won't interfere," Mother An said after a moment of silence.
Knowing that Xu Xiuwen could make money and treated her daughter well, even though she hadn't met him yet, she already had a good impression of him. She went from firmly opposing to accepting him.
An Shishi said, "Tomorrow I'll go to town to get a bank card and transfer 20,000 yuan to you. If you need money while I'm not home, just let me know. Also, I'll see if I can buy a phone in town. If not, I'll go to the county to get you one."
Mother An quickly refused, "No need, I don't need a phone. Keep the money for yourself; I don't need it."
An Shishi didn't want to argue with her mother and insisted, "Listen to me on this. Let's eat; the food is getting cold."
Seeing her daughter's firm attitude, Mother An didn't say anything more, "Alright, let's eat then."
An Shuishui looked at her sister, feeling that she had changed.
In just half a year, her sister had become more assertive and seemed more attractive and confident.
She couldn't help but wonder if the outside world had such a powerful influence.
What was it like out there?
She really wanted to see the outside world as soon as possible.
She soon thought of her brother-in-law.
If her sister wasn't lying, her brother-in-law was only a year older than her, yet he was so capable and good at making money.
Without even meeting him, An Shuishui already admired and respected her brother-in-law.
The home-cooked meal was naturally not as good as the food she had with Xu Xiuwen at school or the French cuisine she had tasted before.
But An Shishi ate happily because it was the taste of home.
The An family was poor, living in three earthen houses with four rooms.
The main room in the middle was for guests and dining. The left room was the parents' bedroom, and the two small rooms on the right were the sisters' bedroom and the kitchen.
Their yard was fenced with bamboo, and in the corner was a small thatched hut, their simple toilet.
After dinner, An Shishi returned to her room, and An Shuishui followed.
An Shishi took out her phone and called Xu Xiuwen.
She felt it was necessary to tell him about giving money to her mother and buying a phone, even though he had told her she could spend the money as she pleased.
After the call ended, she noticed her sister's expression.
She had been standing beside her during the call.
An Shishi asked, "What's wrong, Shuishui? Why are you looking at me like that?"
An Shuishui asked, "Sister, do you really like brother-in-law?"
She had seen the expression on her sister's face during the call.
Her sister had been smiling the whole time, her eyes shining with love.
It was the first time she had seen such an expression in her sister's eyes.
An Shishi smiled at the question, pulled her sister into a hug, and said, "Of course I like him. When you meet him, you'll understand why I like him so much."
An Shuishui asked, "Brother-in-law is so excellent; won't a lot of people like him?"
"Yes, many people like him, countless even."
An Shuishui immediately said, "Sister, you have to keep an eye on brother-in-law. Don't let other women take him away."
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid." An Shishi ruffled her sister's hair with a pampering smile.
...
When Ning Wanqiu returned home, Xu Xiuwen had already prepared dinner.
Mother and son sat at the table and ate together.
Xu Xiuwen asked, "How was the car shopping this afternoon?"
Ning Wanqiu replied, "I like two cars, the Hyundai Elantra and the Chery QQ. I can't decide which one to buy."
"Which one do you like more?"
"I like the Elantra more, but it's a bit expensive, probably over 100,000 yuan. The QQ is only 50,000 yuan."
Xu Xiuwen thought it would be more expensive, but hearing it was just over 100,000 yuan, he said, "Then buy the Elantra. You get what you pay for. Don't worry about the money; I'll cover it."
Ning Wanqiu actually preferred the Elantra but thought it was too expensive.
Hearing her son say this, she no longer hesitated and agreed.
Xu Xiuwen added, "Since you like it, buy it tomorrow if there's one in stock."
"Okay, thank you, son." Ning Wanqiu felt touched.
Her son had grown up and could now buy her a car.
She recalled the past, her eyes momentarily distant.
While eating, Xu Xiuwen suddenly remembered, "Are we spending the New Year at Grandma's place again this year?"
Xu Xiuwen had never seen his father or grandparents. Since he could remember, there were only his maternal grandparents.
So every New Year's Eve, they would spend it at his grandparents' place.
Ning Wanqiu nodded.
Xu Xiuwen said, "In that case, buy the car early, and we'll drive there. No need to take the bus."
His grandparents lived in the countryside, and they could only take a specific bus to get there.
Xu Xiuwen had bad memories of that bus—crowded, with all sorts of smells and constant noise, which made him carsick as a child.
But there was no choice; that was the only bus.
Ning Wanqiu nodded, "I understand. We'll go to the 4S shop together tomorrow morning."
"Alright."
After dinner, Ning Wanqiu went to her bedroom.
Xu Xiuwen washed the dishes and then returned to his room to call Cheng Lu.
They couldn't stop talking once they started.
They talked until almost 10 PM when Cheng Lu's mother reminded her to sleep, and they reluctantly hung up.
While talking to Cheng Lu, Xu Xiuwen also sent texts to Tang Weiwei on another phone.
Simultaneously talking on the phone and texting, keeping both girls company.
Xu Xiuwen managed it well, multitasking without any mistakes.
He realized he might be on an irredeemable path as a scumbag.
Even if he wanted to turn back now, it seemed too late.
All he could do was treat the three women even better.
Thinking of Xiao Youran, who had cried her eyes out after he turned her down today, Xu Xiuwen sighed deeply.
He and Xiao Youran were just not meant to be.