At that mont, a greedy thought surfaced: What did Mother Huang’s disapproval matter? As long as Xiaojue himself agreed, wouldn’t that be enough? The person she was marrying was Xiaojue; what business was it of anyone else? As long as Xiaojue ca, she would never again say such foolish things about breaking up. She took a deep breath and smoothed her hair, suddenly anxious that she might not look her best and feeling a touch of nervousness.
The door opened, and Yan’s mother’s clearly disappointed voice could be heard, "Oh, it’s Xiaoya..."
Yan Xixi’s heart plumted.
"Xiaoya, co in, do co in..."
"Auntie, I’m here to give you New Year’s greetings. Is Xixi ho? I sent her a text, but she hasn’t replied..."
"Xixi is at ho."
Yan Xixi ca out. Despite her deep disappointnt, she showed none of it, forcing a smile as she said, "Xiaoya, didn’t you go back to your hotown? Why are you back so soon?"
Xu Xiaoya was beaming. "I only stayed for a few days and got back last night. I slept until 11 AM today, as I had nothing to do. Zhong Minghui also went back to his hotown and isn’t back yet. Feeling incredibly bored, I figured I’d co over and wish you all a Happy New Year. Xixi, it’s been ages since we last saw each other! Ha, on my way here, I was just thinking about how your stir-fried Chinese broccoli with shredded pork is the absolute best. And look, you actually made it today! I’m starving..."
Yan’s mother had already dished out rice and, with a pleasant expression, handed a bowl over. "Xiaoya, you two go ahead and eat. I’ll whip up another dish."
Xu Xiaoya quickly caught her arm. "Auntie, don’t stand on ceremony with . There’s plenty of food. You should eat with us too."
Yan’s mother didn’t insist and sat down with a smile. Xu Xiaoya’s eyes lit up. "Xixi, our new house is finished! It’s a three-story building. The ground floor has five storefronts that can be rented out. My mom said the two floors above will be for and my younger brother in the future, one floor each. I’ve worked so hard all these years, and now I finally have sothing to show for it. Even if I don’t work in the future, I can just be a landlady collecting rent..."
Yan Xixi asked leisurely, "How much did it cost?"
"I’ve spent the entire million-plus yuan I sent ho over the past few years. Even the last 50,000 yuan in my account, I gave it all to my mom because my younger brother is getting married this May and needs money for jewelry and betrothal gifts for the bride’s side. Sigh, now I only have a little over 800 yuan left on . I’m just waiting for work to start again so I can earn money for food and rent..."
Xu Xiaoya was very different from Yan Xixi. She worked at the nightclub to earn more money for her family, taking on any job, and she wasn’t one to keep things for herself. She spent almost all the money she earned on her family and boyfriend, considering it her greatest motivation, and always spoke of it with beaming pride.
Whenever Yan Xixi saw her like this, she always felt like saying sothing, but in the end, she never did.
"Oh, right! Zhong Minghui has submitted his graduation thesis too. He said he can get into a major state-owned enterprise, so his future looks really promising. Xixi, just you wait! My life will get easier soon. When that ti cos, I’ll quit the ’Harem’ and find a proper, steady job. Even if it only pays one or two thousand a month, it won’t matter. It’ll be Zhong Minghui’s turn to support then..."
Yan’s mother was very happy for her and said a few encouraging words. However, Yan Xixi just kept her head down, eating, and didn’t say a word.
Xu Xiaoya grew dissatisfied and nudged her. "Hey, Xixi, why aren’t you talking?"
"Xiaoya, from now on, you should try to save so of the money you earn. Don’t just focus on subsidizing your family and Zhong Minghui. You need to think about yourself too..." She pushed the entire dish of stir-fried Chinese broccoli with shredded pork towards Xu Xiaoya. "Hurry and eat. It’s getting cold..."
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