Qiao Zixin took a taxi to the address her mother had given her. The Qiao family had moved to a larger house in a newly built residential complex, which she hadn't seen before. She heard it was 170 square meters, with three bedrooms and a living room, and that the purchase price was 420,000 yuan, with 300,000 yuan spent on renovations. In a town like this, it was considered very high-end; if it were any bigger or more luxurious, people would find it strange.
As she got off the bus, the driver saw her pulling a suitcase alone and asked in surprise, "Young lady, didn't your family come out to pick you up?"
Qiao Zixin replied with a smile, "No, they're busy."
The driver nodded, muttering as he started the car, "So busy during the New Year holiday that you don't even have time to pick up passengers? Tsk."
Qiao Zixin strode forward, searching for her building number. Her family never picked her up; because she was a girl, it was her responsibility to take care of them. They considered pampered girls as immature. Qiao Zhipeng would never drive to pick her up either. They'd never gotten along since childhood; Qiao Zhipeng liked to pick on her, and if she resisted, her mother would scold her. So they got used to ignoring each other, and gradually stopped speaking to each other. Actually, they really didn't get along, and they didn't know why they had to call her back for such a joyous occasion as the New Year.
Qiao Zixin went to the Qiao family home and rang the doorbell. Qiao's mother ran to open the door, glanced at the wall clock as soon as she saw her, and complained, "Why are you so late? Dinner is ready, your dad and your brother have been waiting for ages."
Qiao Zixin said, "I said this morning that I would be late and wait until the crowd dispersed so as not to attract attention. It's also hard to get a taxi right now."
"Alright, alright, all this trouble is because you're a celebrity, isn't it? Your brother didn't eat breakfast this morning, he's starving. Go wash your hands and come to the table to eat." Mrs. Qiao handed her a pair of guest slippers and urged her on.
Qiao Zixin looked inside and saw no one waiting for her to eat. Qiao Zhipeng had already eaten half of a plate of shrimp, and the other dishes were also nearly gone. It was clear that Qiao Zhipeng was hungry and had started eating early, yet he was complaining that she was late and making her wait. She glanced at her mother, said nothing, hung up her coat, greeted her father, quickly washed her hands, and sat down.
Mr. Qiao took a sip of his drink, looked at her, and asked, "How many days are you staying this time?"
Qiao Zixin smiled and said, "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow afternoon. My movie is released tomorrow, and I still have work to do when I get back."
Mr. Qiao frowned. "What are you so busy with that you don't even have time to stay home with your parents? Don't take offense at what I'm saying, but it's not a good thing for a young girl like you to be showing your face in public. You're young and naive now, but when you want to settle down later, the neighbors will look at you with prejudice."
Mrs. Qiao chimed in, "Just yesterday, that old lady Wang in the activity area was saying that TV programs these days are getting more and more outrageous. In one game, they made a man and a woman eat a date, and when they were doing some kind of water obstacle course, the man even picked up the woman and posed for a picture. If they got married in the future, how would they be looked down upon?"
Qiao Zixin glanced at the dishes on the table and lowered her head to eat. Qiao's mother picked up a large shrimp for her and continued, "You've always been a very strong-willed child. Don't you think your parents would ever harm you? We've lived longer than you've walked a lot."
Qiao Zixin remained silent, and they couldn't continue the conversation. Qiao's father said, "Let's eat first. This afternoon, let's see if we need anything else and go buy it quickly. My younger brother and sister will all be here first thing tomorrow morning."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Mrs. Qiao finished her rice in a few bites, and before she could even swallow, she went to open the refrigerator to check the New Year's goods.
Seeing this, Qiao Zixin naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so she got up and asked if there was anything she could help with. Anyway, there weren't any dishes she liked on the table, and if her father said anything about her having indigestion, it was better not to eat.
Mrs. Qiao unceremoniously assigned her tasks, making her move this and carry that. This was always how it was in their family; the Qiao father and son were always the ones enjoying themselves, while the mother and daughter did all the work. She used to think, since Mrs. Qiao married into the Qiao family to work and look after the children, wouldn't it have been enough for her and her daughter to work as a nanny? Was it necessary to be so subservient? But now she didn't think that way anymore. Ever since she discovered that Mrs. Qiao still found fault with her after she started earning money, she knew that Mrs. Qiao was also a sexist, even believing deep down that a woman couldn't live without marrying a man and starting a family.
After working all afternoon, Qiao's mother went out to buy some things, and finally everything was ready. Qiao Zixin hadn't been this tired in a long time. She stretched her shoulders and asked, "Mom, which room do I stay in tonight? I want to lie down for a while."
Mrs. Qiao pointed to a room and said, "That one. Wait a moment and I'll tidy it up for you."
Qiao Zixin said, "No need, you rest, I can tidy up myself." She thought it would just be a matter of changing the sheets and making up the quilt, but when she opened the door, she found that it was a study, and it was obviously Qiao Zhipeng's study for playing games!
Qiao Zixin frowned and turned around. "Mom, is this the study? How can we sleep here?"
Mrs. Qiao came over and took a foam mattress out of the cabinet next to her. "Why don't you just put this on the floor? You don't come back often. Xiaopeng is old enough to have a study room, which is convenient for work and study. Okay, I've made it up for you. Lie down for a while and then go out. Xiaopeng might use the computer. Come back in to sleep later tonight and get up earlier in the morning."
Qiao Zixin shook her head and said, "I have no problem sleeping on the floor, but he still wants to come in and use the computer? I've been very busy with work lately and need to rest properly. I don't want to be woken up when I'm sleeping. I think I'll stay in a hotel. That way, it will be more convenient for everyone."
"Who has a place at home to stay in a hotel? Do you have too much money to burn? If others knew, they'd say you're incredibly arrogant, not knowing what to do with the money you earn. Your younger brother is used to using the study; what's wrong with letting him stay for a couple of days? He's younger than you, you're a year younger..."
I never even see him once. Is this how an older sister acts?
Qiao Zhipeng came out of the bedroom wearing headphones, looked at them and said, "It's okay, I won't be playing these two days, Qiao Zixin can use the room."
Mrs. Qiao smiled and nodded, "Look how sensible Xiaopeng is! You should learn from your younger brother."
Qiao Zixin raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering why Qiao Zhipeng had changed his ways. Before, he would definitely come knocking on her door several times a day, preventing her from getting any rest.
Since Qiao Zhipeng had already said that, Qiao Zixin didn't say anything more. She closed the door, changed into her pajamas, sat on the cushion, and asked her mother, "Mom, why did you insist on calling me back?"
"Can't I call you back if there's nothing wrong?"
"No." Qiao's mother always liked to tease her, and Qiao Zixin lost her temper.
But then Mrs. Qiao started talking, "Zixin, what happened to you recently really scared me. You said you were harmed by someone else, but people in the entertainment industry are just too scary, especially your boss. Didn't you say she recognized you as her god-sister? In the end, she made you pay so much money, leaving you penniless and with nothing left. She really hurt you terribly! How can I feel at ease if I don't see you?"
Qiao Zixin felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "It's alright, Mom, it's all in the past. They're not doing too well now, but I'm still the same as before, so don't worry."
Mrs. Qiao nodded. "That's good. In my opinion, you should deposit your earnings with me. Keep some pocket money on hand. If something like this happens again, they won't be able to ask you for money, and you won't lose out, right? I feel heartbroken just thinking about you losing all your money to that company."
Qiao Zixin explained, "It has nothing to do with whether I have money in my account or not. I still have to pay whatever amount is owed. There are contract terms, and I have to pay her sooner or later. Mom, you don't need to worry about these things. The company I signed with doesn't have any unfair terms anymore. I can terminate the contract anytime I want. There are no penalties for breach of contract, and no one will make me pay money anymore."
Mrs. Qiao was taken aback for a moment. "Oh, is that so? It still won't work. I'll only feel at ease if you leave the money with me. I'll give it to you when you need it. You're always spending money recklessly outside, buying useless things. I heard Bai You say before that you spend tens of thousands on a single bag! Oh my, that's equivalent to two years of my earnings! I'll save money for you and give it to you as your dowry when you get married."
Qiao Zixin initially thought her mother was concerned about her; after all, she had suffered so much, any mother would be worried, right? But the more she listened, the more something seemed off. She had already said no one was making her pay any more money, so why was she still being asked to keep the money at home? And what was this about it being her dowry? Wasn't this money she had earned herself? How could it become her family's dowry?
Her smile faded, and she said calmly, "What dowry? I don't even have a boyfriend yet. By the way, Mom, has Xiaopeng gotten a girlfriend? He's been working for a year now, shouldn't he be thinking about marriage?"
Mrs. Qiao said with a beaming smile, "They're engaged! Xiao Peng's girlfriend is his classmate. Last year, Xiao Peng invited many classmates to his house for his birthday. I met her once; she's quite pretty. She's also a college graduate and is now a primary school teacher. She has a stable job. I heard that many people pursued her, but our Xiao Peng is really capable; he managed to win her back."
"That's great! When are they planning to get married?"
"I also want them to get married soon so I can have a grandchild, but the woman's family doesn't agree. They say that young couples nowadays prefer their own space and that living with us can easily lead to conflicts. They insist that they will only agree to their marriage when Xiaopeng has his own house, and it has to be a house in a good school district, otherwise it will be a problem for their child to go to school in the future."
Qiao's mother seemed like a loving mother who had worried herself sick over her son, but Qiao Zixin's heart turned cold. No wonder Qiao Zhipeng had been so agreeable earlier; it turned out he just wanted her money to buy a house and get married. She was puzzled. What kind of mentality did Qiao's mother have to transfer her own daughter's money to her stepson? Did she really look down on her daughter that much?
After talking for a while without getting a response from her, Mrs. Qiao looked up and saw that her face was not good. She belatedly remembered that Mr. Qiao had told her not to ask for money right away, so she quickly smiled and said, "Alright, you should rest now. Don't you like stir-fried shredded potatoes? I'll make them for you tonight."
After her mother left, Qiao Zixin lay on the mattress and gave a bitter smile. She didn't like stir-fried shredded potatoes; she only ate them because Qiao Zhipeng always liked to steal the good food, and she had to eat what he hated just to be full. Had her mother ever really paid attention to her?
She chuckled softly, looking at the chandelier on the ceiling. She had always wanted her mother to see her excellence and be proud of her, but it seemed her mother truly didn't care. Fine, from now on, she would have no more expectations for family affection.