Guan Xiaoxuan carried the just-bought vegetables home, pushing open the door, and the house was filled with a strong smell of alcohol.
The half-brother, who was of different fathers but the same mother, lay sprawled on the sofa playing with his phone. He didn't even greet me when I came back. While he changed his slippers, he asked:
"Where's Mom?"
"Inside." Wu Le was engrossed in a heated game of King of Glory, replying without looking up.
Guan Xiaoxuan frowned and said, "Uncle Wu is drinking again?"
Nunu Wu:
"My dad is just like that, he has to drink two cups, whether there's something going on or not."
Guan Xiaoxuan looked at the empty wine bottle on the table, her brow furrowed even deeper. It was before noon, and Uncle Wu said he had drunk one and a half liters. He loved to get drunk and cause trouble when he drank, and in the end, it was always Mom who suffered the consequences.
Putting down the basket, I walked towards my parents' room. Before I could knock, I heard heated arguments coming from inside.
"Guan Ling, I have raised Xiaoxuan for eighteen years. What else are you dissatisfied with? Is there any stepfather in the world who can do as well as me? She is all grown up now, it's time she moved out and lived on her own!"
"Where do you want to take her? It's not safe for a child to live alone outside! You're good to Xiaoxuan, and Xiaoxuan knows it. After she started working, the first salary she earned, she gave it all to buy you alcohol. Not even her own mother got a share!"
Mother Guan Ling spoke in a choked voice:
"This child has been with me since he was little, never complaining and always obedient. After growing up, he never asked us for a single penny, even his college tuition was earned through working part-time. As a mother, I feel so guilty, how could I possibly throw him out? He is my own flesh and blood!"
Guan Xiaoxuan listened outside the door, her nose tingling with a hint of sadness.
Having grown up in a reconstituted family, after her parents' divorce, relatives took care of Guan Xiaoxuan, and the feeling of being a guest in someone else's home made her learn to read people at a very young age. When she was seven years old, her mother remarried Wu Jianhai, who was then working as an employee of a state-owned factory.
Fearing that Wu Jianhai would consider her a burden, Guan Xiaoxuan vied with each other to do housework and studied hard, all for the sake of earning a few words of praise from the adults; at first, Wu Jianhai was still quite amiable, until Wu Le was born. Due to some reasons, Wu Jianhai lost his stable job, and his attitude towards Guan Xiaoxuan began to become indifferent.
When Guan Xiaoxuan was taking the college entrance examination, Wu Jianhai even considered forbidding her from going to university and instead working early to support the family.
Luckily, Guan Xiaoxuan was able to support herself. During her university years, she worked several part-time jobs and diligently studied through hard work. After graduation, she opened a Taobao store and sold jewelry she had designed and made herself, earning a stable income each month.
Seeing that Wu Le was about to take the college entrance examination soon, and going to university would be another significant expense, Wu Jianhai had the idea of asking Guan Xiaoxuan to move out again. The empty room could be rented out to earn living expenses.
I had long wanted to move out and rent a place of my own, so as not to burden my mother; but Guan Ling was worried about my safety living alone and refused to agree, insisting that I wait until after marriage to become independent.
Wu Jianhai didn't get angry about this. This kind of argument has happened in the Wu family more than once.
"He is your son, not mine! I have already done my best!"
A roar of fury, Wu Jianhai's voice reverberated from within the room, followed by a series of crashing sounds as objects shattered.
Wu Le immediately jumped up from the sofa and rushed towards the room, but he was stopped by Guan Xiaoxuan.
"Just ignore it, pretend you didn't hear anything. I'll take care of this."
"Sister..."
Wu Le looked like he wanted to say something, but Guan Xiaoxuan had already gone into the kitchen without a word, carrying the vegetables and starting to cook.
A thought that had lingered in my mind for a long time gradually became clear.
Guan Xiaoxuan was cooking, secretly making up her mind.
You should marry as soon as possible and leave the Wu family. |
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