novelraw Chapter 501 - 475: Waiting to Grow Up
Chapter 501 - 475: Waiting to Grow Up
Qian’s face feigned seriousness while she stifled her laughter inside.
"You little rascal, are you secretly laughing at me? Let me tell you, I’m just being lenient with you women, not fussing over trifles with that old lady," Mr. Yu tried to regain some ground.
Qian lowered her head, trying hard not to burst into laughter, and cooperated by speaking.
"Yes, Uncle, you’re a man among men, you truly understand the principle of family harmony before governing a country. Someone who achieves great things doesn’t sweat the small stuff, unlike those petty women. That’s your magnanimity, otherwise with a punch from you, my aunt would surely faint."
This flattering praise was right on the mark.
Mr. Yu’s lips formed a small arc, wanting to smile but not too obviously.
"How can I lay hands on a woman? I’m always being lenient with her. That old lady has been unreasonable for decades, always quick to punch—this, this domestic violence is wrong, nobody should hit anyone!"
The more he explained, the less sense it made...
Qian found Mr. Yu’s demeanor rather endearing. From her understanding, Mr. Yu always had a firm hand managing his company, his team being exceptionally strong. Such people tend to be gentle towards their wives at home, not daring to speak back when scolded, further adding to his charm.
"Uncle, our city has so many attractions, why not have the driver take you somewhere else? What’s there to see here."
The neighborhood was developed by Yu Mingyi. The environment was nice but not nice enough for Mr. Yu to come for a stroll alone.
Mr. Yu appeared to stroll aimlessly, circling the neighborhood, finally stopping under a tree, reminiscing while looking at the new sprouts budding on the tree.
Seen up close, the little green sprouts were refreshing, especially to someone who endured a bleak winter; they were delightful to see.
"This is a jujube tree; it’s been here for many years," Mr. Yu said seriously, touching the branches.
"They say tortoises live for a thousand years, jujube trees for ten thousand; actually, jujube trees probably live for just over a century, right?" Qian wasn’t too knowledgeable about this, speculating whether Mr. Yu traveled all this way just to see an old jujube tree.
"This tree isn’t a hundred years old, but it definitely has some decades. It was here when I was young. Later, the area underwent many changes, but it remained. When your brother bought this land to develop it, I had only one request: to keep this tree."
"Wow... tough for my brother."
To incorporate this short tree seamlessly into the upscale surrounding environment, my brother truly should reward his designer’s efforts with a chicken drumstick in their boxed lunch; it wasn’t easy.
It also showed my brother’s filial piety, always fulfilling our parents’ requests unconditionally. Mr. Yu probably mentioned it casually back then, and my brother remembered.
Noticing Mr. Yu’s gaze, Qian awkwardly smiled and changed the subject, "Are the jujubes from this tree sweet?"
"I don’t like eating jujubes, so I don’t know."
"..." This conversation hit a dead end, chatting with this old man is tough!
"But your little aunt likes them, especially the jujube cake your aunt makes. Women just love to eat these things, so sweet, what’s so good about them. But don’t underestimate the contribution of this jujube tree. Back then, there were a few of these trees in the area, and when they bore fruit, the youngest led his friends to conquer them, defeating other jujube-picking children at lightning speed, and always brought home the most spoils!"
"He’s been a bully since young..." Qian could easily imagine Yu Minglang boasting as a child.
Anyone raising such a mischievous kid must find it quite troublesome.
"I did reprimand and educate him, telling him not to be so selfish and to leave some for others, but he never listened. He remembered his aunt liked eating them, turning our family’s meals into jujube cake after jujube cake, that little rascal made things awkward for me, who would want to eat that stuff! Moreover, during this season, there’d be complaints knocking at our door. Not only did he pick jujubes, but he’d also lead friends to skip classes and pick melons. The villagers came to us; back then we lived not far from the Li family. When we weren’t home, they’d go to his little aunt. She compensated the villagers with 2 yuan and then cried and fussed with me for a week, like a little girl unable to grow up."
"What happened then?" Her man was a real troublemaker as a kid, and 2 yuan was quite a sum then. How many melons did he ruin for the villagers?
"Later your aunt gave her five yuan, and then she finally smiled through her tears. She’s just that kind of personality, likes to take advantage but can’t be the one losing out, even after marriage she’d often come home to scrounge, taking whatever she could. But to call her a bad person, wouldn’t be quite right, yet how did things come to this now..."
As Mr. Yu reminisced, his heart was filled with nostalgia, but thinking about his sister now, there’s nothing but endless regret.
Qian remained silent.
She knew Mr. Yu had no one to confide in, treating her like a sounding board, as a junior she shouldn’t express any opinions.
Whatever criticisms Mr. Yu could say about his sister were fine, but it would change if she said them.
Mr. Yu was silent for a long while. Passing by this area today, he somehow thought of his youth, when though not wealthy, the whole family stayed together. Even with minor conflicts, there were no major dramas. Last night after Qian left, his wife once again recounted all the things his sister had done over the years.
Only after she spoke did Mr. Yu get a shock. He genuinely didn’t know his younger sister had done so many things and felt a little sorry for his wife’s tolerance and patience over the years. This family managed to come this far, largely due to Mrs. Yu’s magnanimity and refusal to hold grudges.
There was a feeling he couldn’t quite describe; passing by here, he remembered there might still be a jujube tree and wanted to see if it was still there. Unexpectedly, he ran into Qian.
Qian understood these feelings; Mr. Yu saw the tree once harvested by the family back when they weren’t affluent, yet the affection faded. The family that was once united had grown apart, quite heartbreaking.
The aunt always acted selfishly, never considering others’ feelings, but her brother still cared for her, only this time Mr. Yu was deeply hurt.
Qian originally felt annoyed by her aunt but seeing Mr. Yu touching the jujube tree and reminiscing, she felt more sympathy for her aunt.
This willful old lady used her stubbornness to bury the brotherly affection her brother had for her.
"You little devil, what are you thinking about, looking so serious?"
"I’m thinking I must cherish everyone who’s good to me because anyone’s affection and kindness aren’t guaranteed. I can’t exhaust the love of those who are good to me, and I must not make them feel disheartened. Sometimes it’s cute for girls to be a little headstrong, as long as it’s not an issue of principle, but overdoing it isn’t good. After all, those who care for me and love me won’t always have the patience to wait around until I mature."