Volume 1 / Chapter 40: A Little Family Meeting
The drizzling rain had been falling non-stop all day, soaking into the air and seeping into every corner of the house. No matter where one sat, there was always a trace of dampness.
It wasnât until nearly 8 p.m. that her parents finally returned home. Her mother was flecked with raindrops, and her father looked like heâd just walked out of a waterfallâcompletely drenched, not even a rain poncho on.
MĂČ XuÄyĂĄo had just stepped out of the washroom, fresh from a cold shower. The household didnât have a water heater, so even in this weather, it was cold showers or nothing.
If it had been a sunny day, it mightâve been tolerable. But on a blustery rainy evening like this, she came out shivering, goosebumps blooming across her arms.
Still, they had to tough it out a little longer. Only once the weather turned really cold could she justify going to the public bathhouse.
Not that the bathhouse wasnât open this time of yearâjust that bathing there always cost more. And when you could save a little money, you tried to.
âYou're back?â XuÄyĂĄo called, toweling her dripping hair as she looked toward her parents. She was dressed in nothing but panties and a tank top, completely at ease in her own home. âDid you two plan this or something? Youâre always coming home at the exact same time.â
âJust proves your dad and I are fated to be together.â Her mother winked, placing a hand lightly on Fatherâs shoulder. âHoney, help me take off my shoes~â
âUgh, gross.â XuÄyĂĄo pulled a face full of exaggerated disgust and padded off to her room, still toweling her hair.
On her chair lay SĆ«tĂĄng, their lazy tabby cat. As XuÄyĂĄo entered, the cat reached out a languid paw and patted her pale, soft thigh.
âWhat is it, hmm? Are you warming up the chair for me?â XuÄyĂĄo changed into looser clothes, scooped the cat up, and set it gently on her desk. Then she sank into the chair with a sigh.
She wore her middle school uniformâtwo sizes too large on purpose. When they first bought it, they'd thought she might have a growth spurt, and figured itâd save them from having to buy a new one later.
Turned out⊠she barely grew. From 1.55 meters to 1.58, and that was it. So the uniform still hung on her like a sack, even after three years.
Still, it was well-kept and perfectly fine for lounging around the house. Especially in winterâits roominess let her wear layers underneath without discomfort.
Now she tucked both hands into the long sleeves, leaving just a few fingertips poking out to lightly tap her sleepy tabby sprawled across the desk.
âDid you have dinner yet?â her father called, knocking gently on her door.
A year ago, he wouldâve just barged in. But now⊠well, she was his daughter. Even a father had to observe certain boundaries.
Of course, habits built over a lifetime werenât so easy to change overnight.
âYeah, already ate.â
âSo⊠youâre skipping dinner?â
âMm-hm.â
âAlright then. Your mom and I will just make some rice noodles and soup.â
âOkay.â
With her parents home, the house warmed up again with that familiar, bustling energy.
XuÄyĂĄo sat at her desk, swinging her legs as she worked through her homework. Whenever she got tired, she could reach over and stroke SĆ«tĂĄng, who made for the perfect little stress relief ball.
SĆ«tĂĄng was a very good catâor maybe just an extremely lazy one.
She barely moved, loved nothing more than sprawling out asleep, and had this magical ability to stay wherever she was put. Pick her up, move her, and sheâd simply continue napping like nothing had happened.
You could pet her anywhereâbelly, paws, even stroke her fur the wrong wayâand sheâd barely react. Maybe just roll into a new position.
A truly agreeable little cat.
That said, she wasnât completely inert. Occasionally, her feline curiosity would kick in and sheâd start pawing at nearby objects.
Right now, she was batting lightly at a small roll of correction tape.
Correction tape was still considered a bit of a luxury back then. Most students fixed their mistakes with cheap 50-cent rolls of sticky paper tape. Youâd press it over the wrong word, peel it off, and with it came a thin layer of paperâmistake erased.
The downside? You couldnât use the same spot too many times or youâd tear the paper.
But compared to correction fluid or branded tape dispensers, this method was more economical and got the job doneâas long as you didnât keep writing the same word wrong.
To save money, XuÄyĂĄo always bought these tiny tape rolls from a stand outside the school gate. If she messed up on the same line again, she had a backup methodâcorrection patches.
Unlike the ârip-and-hideâ of tape, these patches covered the mistake. Cheap and easy, they were great for emergencies.
Only drawback? Use too many, and your notebook started to look like a medical chart covered in plasters.
She reached over to grab the tape roll. Sƫtång let out a soft meow in protest.
âMrrrow~â
âHold on, let me use it first, then itâs all yours.â XuÄyĂĄo coaxed her patiently.
As if understanding, the little cat tucked her chin onto her paws and waited quietly.
When XuÄyĂĄo finished and handed it back, SĆ«tĂĄng happily resumed playing, paws dancing in place but never knocking it off the desk.
âXuÄyĂĄo, done with your homework?â her motherâs voice came as she pushed open the door without ceremony.
âAlmost,â she mumbled, not looking up.
âCome out when youâre done. Weâre having a family meeting.â
âA meetingâŠ?â XuÄyĂĄo drooped her eyelids. âThereâs no exams coming up, are thereâŠâ
âWhy? A family meeting means exam time to you now?â her mom laughed. âItâs just a little chat.â
âWhy call me for that? You guys can just decide whateverâŠâ
âThat sounds like sour grapes.â Her mother clicked her tongue playfully. âWeâre giving you decision-making power now.â
âFor real? What kind of decision?â
âCome out and find out.â
âAlright, let me finish copying this passageâŠâ
Her pen began racing across the pageâher handwriting turning noticeably messier.
She could write neatly, if she took her time. But speed turned her script into chicken scratch.
Some peopleâs sloppy writing looked artistic. XuÄyĂĄoâs? Like a dog had dragged a muddy stick across the page.
Who said girls automatically got neater handwriting after transitioning? Lies. Unless you built up the habit from scratch, nothing changed.
Finally, she tossed down her pen, gave a long stretch, and stepped out of her room.
Sƫtång leapt down and trotted after her, weaving between her feet.
âHey, heyâwatch it!â XuÄyĂĄo stumbled and looked down to find a furry body circling her legs. She scooped SĆ«tĂĄng up before accidentally stepping on her.
âAhem.â Her mom gave a dramatic little cough, as if to announce something serious.
Three chairs had been arranged into a triangle in the living roomâa formation as formal as the word âmeetingâ could imply.
âIâve been thinkingâŠâ her father began after clearing his throat. âIf we keep working odd jobs, itâll take forever to pay off our debts, and our standard of living isnât improving either. XuÄyĂĄoâs in high school now. Three years will pass in the blink of an eye, and college expenses will be another big burden.â
He paused, glancing between them. âSo I thinkâitâs time for us to start a business. Thatâs the only way weâll really earn money.â
âA business? What if we lose everything?â XuÄyĂĄo asked hesitantly.
âThatâs the risk,â he nodded. âThough honestly, I donât think we will. Right now, weâve got just over ten thousand yuanâpart of it was leftover from your surgery fund. Weâd saved it in case of complications later onâŠâ
âComplications⊠I feel fine, though,â XuÄyĂĄo murmured, letting SĆ«tĂĄng crawl from her arms onto her lap.
There was more she didnât say. Some mornings, sheâd still wake up with the vague illusion that something was missingâlike a limb that hadnât quite let go.
âThatâs good,â her mother smiled. âSo hereâs the idea. Weâll use that moneyâsome for renting the shop, and some as our⊠wellâŠâ
âInventory funds,â her father corrected.
âRight, inventory.â Her mother shot him a look. âSo picky with words. Look, even XuÄyĂĄo didnât say anything.â
XuÄyĂĄo scratched her head awkwardly. To be honest, she hadnât really noticed the mistake. âBuying goodsâ sounded a bit off, but the meaning was clearâno need to nitpick.
âThe shop owner seems to like me,â her father continued. âSaid I gave him a good first impression. Rentâs super cheap tooâjust 800 yuan a month. Thatâs what makes me hesitate⊠Feels like itâs too good to be true.â
âBut maybe this is just our lucky break?â XuÄyĂĄo offered.
âSo what do you think?â her father asked.
âWellâŠâ she shrugged, âIf you two think itâs a good idea, go for it. I mean, if we can live comfortably for once, of course Iâd love that. And if we do lose money⊠I trust Dad wonât mess it up, right?â
âHah! See? My daughter knows me!â Her father slapped his thigh proudly and beamed at her mother. âCanât you trust me a little too?â
XuÄyĂĄo twitched. All this âdaughter, daughterâ talk still made her skin crawl a bit.
âIâm just weighing the risks,â her mother said with a sigh. âNot doubting your skills. But can you guarantee there wonât be a loss?â
âHonestly? Iâm 99% sure this is a winner,â her dad said, puffing up. âIn business, you have to act fast. No room for hesitation.â
âSo confident, are we?â
âOf course! Donât you know who I am?â he grinned. âWhen have I ever lost money doing business?â
To be fair, XuÄyĂĄo had heard from her mom that he never lost in business itself.
The problem? He always ended up squandering profitsâor worse, gambling them away.
So in the end, the losses were even bigger.
âLetâs give it a shot then,â her mother finally said, firming her tone.
âGreat! Iâll get things moving right away. You two just sit back and get ready to live the good life!â her dad laughed, full of spirit.
âIf we make money, I want a real birthday gift this year!â XuÄyĂĄo declared, eyes already sparkling with anticipation.
âNo problem! Iâll only buy the expensive stuffânot whatâs right, just whatâs pricey!â
âReally!?â
âEnough, you two!â her mom rolled her eyes. âWe havenât made a single yuan yet and youâre already spending it! Youâre both money-burning machines!â
âWell, what else is money for but spending?â XuÄyĂĄo and her dad chimed in unisonâand burst into laughter, eyes meeting in a quiet moment of mutual glee.
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