"...Su Li, the family is going through such a hard time. I hope you can help Tang Yuanxiao. The money you used to open the factory in Fengcheng County came from our Tang Family, so we were always entitled to a share of it."
"I helped out at that factory for so long and did so much work. Back then, Tang Yuanxiao insisted the factory was yours, and I couldn’t change his mind. But now that the Tang Family is in such dire straits, you can’t just stand by and watch us suffer."
"I’m not asking for the factory. Just give us some money. It doesn’t have to be a lot—five thousand will be enough. If you give us five thousand, I’ll never bring up the factory again."
Mrs. Tang’s thinking was simple. With that money, the family could pay back its debts and still have some left over. That would be perfect.
Fearing Su Li wouldn’t give her the money, Mrs. Tang even brought up Little Tang Mo at the end of the letter.
"...it also cost a lot of money to raise Tang Mo back then. You saw how much we spent, you know it."
Between the lines, it sounded like she was demanding six years’ worth of child support for Little Tang Mo.
Su Li quickly scanned the first part of the letter, her expression a mix of speechless scorn for Mrs. Tang’s shamelessness and entitlement.
But when she saw Little Tang Mo’s name near the end, her eyes turned ice-cold.
’She really finds new ways to shock me every time. I don’t know where she gets the nerve.’
Su Li crumpled the letter into a ball, tore it to pieces, and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
’Today is a happy day. I won’t let something like this ruin my mood.’
Su Li touched the bracelet on her wrist, trying to salvage her mood, and continued walking briskly off campus.
Su Li was a little surprised that Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t told Mrs. Tang he’d already raised the money, but she wholeheartedly approved.
’Mrs. Tang just hasn’t learned her lesson. She needs to feel the pressure of being in debt to finally quiet down.’
’Although... it also led to this brilliant idea of hers to ask me for money.’
’Tang Yuanxiao definitely doesn’t know about this. If he did, he’d be absolutely mortified.’
Su Li was right. Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t told Mrs. Tang that he’d received a huge sum of eight thousand yuan.
Eight thousand yuan. A little more and he would have been what people called a "ten-thousand-yuan household"—a symbol of wealth.
After taking Mrs. Tang to the nursing home, Tang Yuanxiao paid back all the money he had borrowed. He even asked the lenders to keep it a secret and pretend he hadn’t paid them back yet.
Mrs. Tang was already isolated from the outside world and had no way of knowing.
Tang Yuanxiao had no intention of telling her, either. All he wanted now was to save up enough money to pay back Su Li and Wu Sheng as soon as possible.
Su Li decided to act as if Mrs. Tang’s letter demanding money had never happened. Once she tore it up, she put the matter out of her mind.
Her mood immediately soared the moment she saw Wu Sheng and Little Tang Mo waiting at the gate.
"Wu Sheng! Little Mo!"
Wu Sheng had picked up Little Mo first, and they were waiting for Su Li together. When she came out, they all got into the car.
Both Wu Sheng and Little Tang Mo noticed the new bracelet and earrings Su Li was wearing.
"Mama, pretty," Little Tang Mo said, admiring them.
Wu Sheng, who had been a second too slow, was beaten to the punch by Little Tang Mo. He sounded a bit exasperated.
"Little Point, you stole my line again."
Wu Sheng huffed. "Su Li, they’re beautiful. Very, very beautiful. Who gave them to you?"
Su Li smiled. "Chang E and Li Li. Where are we going for dinner?"
"You’ll know when we get there," Wu Sheng said, keeping her in suspense.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination: a private restaurant housed in a traditional courtyard home.
Wu Qihua and Wu Dong were already there.
Seeing Su Li’s group arrive, Wu Qihua smiled. "You’re here! I’ll tell them they can start bringing out the dishes."
"Auntie, Wu Dong."
Su Li greeted them, and Wu Dong returned the greeting. "Cousin, Su Li, Little Mo."
As soon as Little Mo saw Wu Dong, he immediately sat down next to him.
Wu Dong’s grades at his school were pretty good; he had just barely scored high enough on the entrance exams to qualify for an undergraduate program.
He almost wasn’t accepted and only got in off the supplementary admissions list. By the time his acceptance letter arrived, the semester was about to start.
Grandma Wu, his younger aunt, and Wu Dong himself were ecstatic. Wu Dong could finally fulfill his dream of studying in the Imperial City.
He usually lived in the dorms but would visit Wu Sheng’s place on weekends, so he had grown quite close to Su Li and the others. Naturally, he was included in Su Li’s birthday celebration.
Wu Sheng had said he would take care of the birthday preparations, and he had done... an amazing job.
This was the thought that ran through Su Li’s mind when she saw the dishes, when she took her first bite, and again after the meal was over.
The food was incredible!
Especially the roasted and braised pig’s trotters!
The aroma, the flavor... it was just... it was divine.
Eating it filled her with such a sense of bliss; it couldn’t have been better.
Su Li almost ate her own tongue.
The meal was a lively and satisfying affair.
By the end, every single one of them was stuffed to the brim.
After dinner, Wu Qihua leaned back in her chair, lazily savoring the memory of the meal. "I wish I could eat here a few more times, but unfortunately..."
This private restaurant was notoriously difficult to book. They only served one table per day, and their days off were unpredictable. The waitlist for reservations was impossibly long.
If Wu Sheng hadn’t gone to great lengths, telling them it was for his fiancée’s birthday, they never would have gotten a table.
They were all too full from dinner to have any room for birthday cake.
After dinner, they all chatted for a while. Wu Qihua and Wu Dong gave Su Li her birthday presents before they left.
Wu Qihua’s gift to Su Li was an article of clothing—a qipao.
A hand-stitched qipao, so exquisite it could be considered a work of art, designed to sway gracefully with every movement.
Wu Qihua’s mother had made it for her as part of her dowry. Wu Qihua had never worn it, so she had a master tailor alter it to Su Li’s size before giving it to her.
Though it was just a dress, its value was priceless.
"There aren’t many opportunities to wear something like this nowadays, but you can wear it for your engagement, your wedding, or other special occasions. You’ll look beautiful in it."
The qipao, nestled in a classic wooden chest, was handed to Su Li.
The moment she took it, Su Li could tell that the wooden chest itself was no ordinary object.
It wasn’t just well-made; it was clearly an antique. Its value was, once again, something Su Li didn’t dare to guess.
She wanted to say it was too valuable, but Wu Qihua didn’t give her the chance. As if knowing what Su Li was about to say, she cut in.
"When an elder gives you a gift, you should accept it happily."
Su Li: "..."
Wu Dong gave Su Li a gift as well, though it wasn’t from him personally. It had been made for Su Li by his younger aunt and Wu Xia back home.
Wu Dong had been over to Su Li’s home for dinner with Wu Sheng a couple of times and had noticed that both Su Li and Little Tang Mo wore cloth shoes. He mentioned this to his younger aunt and Wu Xia.
His aunt and Wu Xia hadn’t known when Su Li’s birthday was, but when they heard she liked wearing cloth shoes, they set about making some for her.
They made two pairs, one for Su Li and one for Little Tang Mo.
The shoes had arrived in the mail just in time for Su Li’s birthday, so Wu Dong brought them along as a present.
Su Li accepted them, both surprised and deeply touched. "Please tell your aunt and Wu Xia thank you. They really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble."
Wu Dong scratched his head. "They wanted me to thank you, too. They all loved the clothes you sent to the family."
After returning from Wu Family Village, Su Li had picked out some clothes from Pinjun and bought some shoes to send back to Grandma Wu, the younger aunt, and the others.
There was something for everyone, and his aunt and the others were delighted when they received the package.
The clothes Wu Dong was wearing were also gifts from Su Li, all from the Pinjun brand.
After the meal, Wu Qihua and Wu Dong headed back to the Wu Family’s house, while Wu Sheng drove Su Li and Little Tang Mo home.
Of course, there was still one gift left to give. Wu Sheng had prepared a present, too.