The next morning.

“Brother Xiong, my mother wants me to ask you over for dinner tonight,” Wang Tong said.

“Why would she invite me?” Ye Xiong was curious.

“My sister graduated from university and just found a job. My mother is over the moon and decided to invite you.”

“We should change after work and then go try some of your mother’s cooking.”

The day passed in a blink of an eye and soon it was evening.

The two returned to their on-site hostel and changed into their casual clothes before they headed towards Wang Tong’s place.

Despite knowing that Wang Tong came from a poor family, he was still shocked when he arrived.

It was a green-bricked house that was less than a thousand square feet. Algae was everywhere, and not many people lived within three hundred feet of the place. Everyone had moved out, either living in the cities or renting elsewhere.

No one was willing to live in such an out-of-way place.

“Mother, we’re here. This the Brother Xiong that I’ve been talking about.”

“Ah, Lil Tong you’re back. Come, have a seat.” An old lady with a head of white hair walked over with open arms. “So, you’re Ye Xiong. Lil Tong always talks about you. He keeps saying that you’ve helped him a lot of times.”

“It’s just friends helping each other out. Don’t worry about it.” Ye Xiong laughed.

“I hope you don’t mind that the place is rather small.”

“We’re all poor people.”

“Oh right mother, has sister not returned home yet?” Wang Tong asked.

“She called earlier and should be on her way now. That girl has been going overboard lately.” Madam Wang sounded rather unhappy.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” Wang Tong asked worriedly.

He always had the impression that his mother was incredibly proud of his sister, Wang Shu. She always said that her daughter was very hardworking and got into a prestigious university. Her results were always at the top. Nothing but praise ever came out of his mother’s mouth. She had never spoken about her daughter in this tone before.

As they were talking to each other, the sound of a vehicle came from the door. After a while, a woman in heavy make-up entered with a middle-aged man with a beer belly in his thirties or forties following behind her.

Ye Xiong understood the situation instantly when he saw the two enter the house!

“You’re back. Have a seat!” Madam Wang said indifferently.

“Is it even possible to sit on this chair?” The middle-aged man looked at the chair with disgust.

The girl with make-up came over and frowned as she looked at the chair. She was furious. “Mum, didn’t I tell you that you’ve got to take care of hygiene. Just look at this chair.”

“The chair has been wiped. That’s a scar, it can’t be wiped away,” Madam Wong explained.

“Can’t you buy some new furniture? Can this chair really be sat on? What if we have guests coming over?” Wang Shu said angrily.

“Whatever, I’ll just find something to cover it.” The middle-aged man walked over. He searched for a long time before he found a few plastic bags to put on the chair before he sat down.

“Hurry up with the dishes. Yang Bin and I are in a rush to go home!” She took out a tissue paper and wiped the chair a few times before she grabbed hold of her skirt and sat down carefully.

Madam Wang then brought out the dishes.

“I’ll help you out, madam.” Ye Xiong smiled as he walked over and helped her to bring out the dishes.

There was chicken soup, fish, pork ribs, pork knuckles, and big prawns. It was an extravagant dinner.

“Didn’t I tell you that you have to pluck all the feathers from the chicken cleanly? Furthermore, you didn’t clean the fish scales properly. Is this really pork knuckle? It’s so black and it looks nothing like one,” Wang Shu did not hold back her complaints.

Ye Xiong was an outsider so he did not have the right to say anything. However, Wang Tong could not stomach any more, and he slammed his chopsticks onto the table.

“Sister, can’t you say one or two words less? It’s difficult for mom to make such an extravagant meal all alone. She took the entire morning to get the ingredients and has been busy cooking since noon. She hasn’t even had time to eat or drink. You’ve commented so much despite her being the one cooking for you. What happened to you?”

“I already told her not to waste her time and just go to a restaurant to have a meal. However, she refused.”

“Do you think a meal in a restaurant is free?”

“I didn’t tell you guys to spend money. I’ve got money,” Wang Shu said loudly.

The atmosphere around the dining table suddenly became extremely awkward.

“We’ve gathered to have a meal. We can just eat anything.” The middle-aged man took the ladle and poured himself a small bowl of soup.

Madam Wang’s eyes turned red as she placed her chopsticks on the table and walked into her room.

Wang Tong was clenching his fists tightly. Ye Xiong believed that, were he not here, the former might explode in anger!

“Brother, I have something to tell you,” Wang Shu said out of the blue as she ate. “I hope you can stop working at Future New City. Find another job.”

“Why?”

“I’m now working as a real estate sales assistant in the Xinyi Group and I’m currently working on sales for Future New City. I don’t want people to find out that my little brother is a worker on the site. Isn’t it the same for you to be a construction worker elsewhere?”

Ye Xiong, who had been holding his tongue the whole time, could no longer stay silent.

“If it wasn’t for your brother working as a construction worker, you wouldn’t have had the money to study. If he didn’t have to live such a frugal life for your sake, do you think he’d be this thin?”

“This is a family matter, you have no right to butt in,” Wang Shu said loudly.

“Why doesn’t he have the right? When I gave you money last month to find a job, Brother Xiong was the one who lent it to me,” Wang Tong said.

“It’s two thousand dollars, isn’t it?” Wang Shu took out her purse and counted two thousand dollars. Then, she added another two pieces. “Here’s two thousand and two hundred. Take the additional two hundred as interest.”

“Sister!” Wang Tong started shouting as he could not take it any longer.

Just then, Yang Bin’s phone rang, and he answered it.

“What? The president is patrolling the workspace? How could this happen? I’m on my way back,” Yang Bin said hastily as he hung up the phone. “Wang Shu, I have something to do and I need to leave now.”

“Wait a minute, I’m coming with you.” Wang Shu picked up her purse and disappeared.

She did not even bid goodbye to her mother.

“Brother Xiong, I’m sorry for letting you witness such a scene.” Wang Tong sighed as he pointed at the dishes. “Please ignore them and let’s enjoy the meal.”

“Go call your mother so we can eat together.”

Wang Tong went in to call his mother and the latter’s eyes were still red.

“Madam, have the chicken soup first.” Ye Xiong poured a bowl of chicken soup and placed it in front of her.

“These pork knuckles are good. What’s this black stuff?”

“It’s my secret spice.”

“No wonder it’s so delicious. The fish too, it’s great.”

It had been a long time since Ye Xiong had such a delicious meal. He ate four bowls of rice before he patted his stomach.

Madam Wang said after the meal, “Wang Tong, we’ve run out of salt. Please go get some right now.”

“Mum, I can buy it tomorrow. We’re not in a rush.”

“Go quickly.” Madam Wang ordered.

Ye Xiong knew that Madam Wang wanted to send Wang Tong away so that she could talk to him.

Madam Wang sighed when Wang Tong left. “Ye Xiong, I’m sorry for that embarrassing scene.”

“Wang Shu has just started her career and has yet to realize that family is the best shelter. She will come to her senses when she learns how the world works,” Ye Xiong said.

“She might have sacrificed too much by the time she comes to her senses.”

Madam Wang’s eyes turned red again as she spoke. She wiped away her tears and continued, “I’ve been strongly opposed to her relationship ever since she got together with that Yang Bin. I didn’t expect her to be this stubborn. I really don’t understand her at all. She’s such a wonderful lady, why is she willing to sacrifice herself like that.”

…