Chapter 54: The Younger Brother Who Failed to Bring Glory to His Ancestors
Not long after, Gu Haiyan also arrived at the restaurant. The three of them clinked their coconut drinks together: “To celebrate Huan Huan finishing the monthly exam!”
Wang Jia’an still wasn’t entirely at ease. After the toast, he reminded her again, “Huan Huan, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s normal to need time to adjust to a new environment…”
“Dad, are you just assuming I did badly?” Gu Qinghuan said faintly.
Wang Jia’an was instantly at a loss for words—until Gu Haiyan shoved a piece of sweet-and-sour crispy pork into his bowl. “Alright, eat your food.”
This Northeast restaurant’s sweet-and-sour crispy pork was crisp on the outside, tender inside, the sweet-sour balance just right, with a thin, non-greasy coating. One bite of that crunchy shell gave a satisfying crack.
Gu Qinghuan ate three pieces in a row, the sweetness starting to get to her, so she moved on to half a bowl of vermicelli from the chicken-and-mushroom stew.
The noodles had been simmered to a rich sauce color, still half-transparent when lifted with chopsticks, chewy and full of savory flavor.
After two days of exams, her brain cells felt like they’d withered away. A hearty meal like this, and half her soul seemed restored.
Unfortunately, her appetite couldn’t match her ambition—she was only 60% full, and half the pork was still left.
She let out a small burp, already planning how to reheat the pork at home to keep it as tasty as possible.
Leaning back in her chair, she was about to have some rice with egg sauce when she noticed a man outside the restaurant.
She was seated near the glass wall by the entrance, so she had a clear view of the street.
It was dinner rush—people came and went, some stopping to look at the signboard, hesitating whether to come in.
But this man wasn’t looking at the sign. His gaze kept moving, sweeping over her several times without focusing on her—like he was… looking for someone inside.
Before she could watch for long, the man stepped inside.
Another waiter greeted him. “Hello, table for—?”
“I’m not here to eat. I’m looking for someone.” The man pointed at Wen Ye, who was serving a nearby table. “Him.”
The waiter didn’t think much of it and called out, “Xiao Wen, someone’s looking for you.”
Wen Ye turned his head instinctively, but the moment he saw the man, his pupils widened sharply. He immediately looked like he was going to bolt for the kitchen.
But the man had already moved quickly toward him even before the waiter called out, and just two or three steps from Gu Qinghuan’s table, he grabbed Wen Ye’s shoulder.
The waiter could tell something was wrong from Wen Ye’s reaction. He hurried to pull the man’s arm away, stepping between them. “Hey, what are you doing?”
Realizing he couldn’t escape, Wen Ye stopped trying, his face dark.
Gu Qinghuan stayed quiet, studying the man.
He wore a black crew-neck T-shirt, loose brownish wide-leg jeans, and white sneakers. He looked relatively young—around thirty-five—with a sparse mustache that was thicker on the sides than in the middle, giving him a rather shady look.
The man forced a smile. “It’s nothing. Just my own kid—wanted to say hello.”
“Your own kid?” The waiter was skeptical. “What’s your relation to Xiao Wen?”
“I’m his uncle,” the man introduced himself. “Name’s Zhang Guangzong.”
Eavesdropping, Gu Qinghuan almost choked on her drink. Was she hearing this right? Guangzong—as in “guangzong yaozu” (bring glory to the ancestors)?
“I don’t know you,” Wen Ye said coldly. “When you people tried to sell my mom to a village man, she cut all ties with the Zhang family.”
Good lord! Gu Qinghuan’s hand froze around her chopsticks, and the whole restaurant fell silent. Almost every diner turned to watch.
Zhang Guangzong’s smile faltered. “Kid, what’s with that attitude? Your dad died early—wasn’t it natural for your mom to find another man to look after her?”
Gu Qinghuan’s fists clenched.
So did Gu Haiyan’s.
Hearing the noise from the kitchen, Sister Liu, the owner, rushed out. After quickly getting the gist from a regular customer, she and the waiter stepped in front of Wen Ye.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, so you’re that bastard who gambled away all the money from selling his own sister in one night?”
Zhang Guangzong’s face turned dark. “Who are you calling that?”
“Whoever answers, that’s who I’m talking to!” Sister Liu rolled her eyes. “Before Brother Wen died, he told me clearly—you people will never take Sister Qingliu and Xiao Wen away!”
Sister Qingliu… Wen Ye’s mother’s name? Gu Qinghuan wondered.
Zhang Guangzong snorted. “Qingliu, my ass. Even if Zhang Laidi changed her name, she’s still part of the Zhang family.
“Now her parents are old—she has to provide for them. That’s the law! She can’t just refuse!”
Gu Qinghuan didn’t need to think hard to guess where that “support money” would actually end up—straight into Zhang Guangzong’s pocket.
She put down her chopsticks and exchanged a glance with Gu Haiyan. Mom, can I step in?
Her mother nodded: Go. Mom’s got your back.
“Ahem!” Gu Qinghuan cleared her throat. “So this is the younger brother who failed to bring glory to the family.”
Wang Jia’an nearly choked holding back a laugh. Since starting high school, his daughter’s tongue had gotten even sharper.
Zhang Guangzong had been feeling smug, but that opening line set his temper off. When he turned and saw it was a teenage girl, he snapped, “What’s a little brat like you butting in for? None of your damn business!”
Gu Qinghuan stayed unfazed. “I just wanted to say—according to the law, if Wen Ye’s family situation is this bad, he can be exempted from the duty to provide support. Even if you took it to court, you’d get nothing.”
She didn’t know the exact details, but the fact that Wen Ye wasn’t even in high school anymore was enough to prove his family’s income was very low.
Zhang Guangzong hesitated, trying to speak, but Gu Qinghuan kept smiling and continued, “Of course, you can still sue. First, you’d have to prepare filing materials, submit them to the court, then wait a week. Next comes mediation.
“Mediation could last a month or more. From the looks of you, you’re not accepting mediation, right? Then it goes to trial—and trials require fees. Do you have the money for that?”
“Even if you pay, you’ll have to wait for a hearing date—fastest is three months, slowest half a year. In reality, it could take even longer. All that time, and you have to front the costs yourself—just to maybe end up with nothing. Doesn’t that sound like a waste?”
She shook her head and sighed. “Are you sure you want to go through with that?”
Zhang Guangzong didn’t know any of these procedures—he’d just heard that children must support their elders, so he’d rushed over to get money.
In his head, the math was simple—he’d heard Wen Ye was working in Mingde High’s cafeteria. Mingde High was a fancy place; surely he was earning plenty.
A son giving money to his mother—that was only natural!
