Chapter Sixty-Nine: An Angry Huanhuan

Listening to Lin Guoshan’s words, Chen Huajiang was fuming inside. This guy really had the nerve to say such things? Even though Chen Huajiang knew his brother-in-law was just showing off in front of his girlfriend, puffing himself up, he still felt deeply annoyed.

“We’re all family here, there’s no need to be so formal,” he replied. “How about staying for dinner tonight? It’s not much, but I can go buy some braised dishes.”

Chen Huajiang forced himself to be polite and made a show of heading out.

“No need, Fangfang and I are going to see a movie. We won’t be eating here tonight,” Lin Guoshan said, standing up. He gave Fangfang a quick glance and headed for the door.

“That’s right, Guoshan and I already have tickets. We can’t let them go to waste. Goodbye, Chen,” Fangfang said, rising with him and waving to Chen Huajiang as they left together.

Just then, Lin Jiayin emerged from the kitchen carrying a dish.

“Huh? Where did they go?” she asked. “They left just like that? They couldn’t even stay for a quick dinner?”

Seeing her brother and his girlfriend gone, Lin Jiayin was clearly displeased.

Chen Huajiang shrugged and replied with four words, “Caught up in romance.”

“Nonsense!” Lin Jiayin shot him a glare, finding his words crude. She wiped her hands and sat down.

“Huajiang, I really don’t think that Fangfang is a decent person. My brother being with her—it’s not good,” she said, frowning and evidently seeking her husband’s opinion.

“No need to worry about that, and especially don’t mention it to your brother,” Chen Huajiang replied, rolling his eyes. “If you say something, you’ll be accused of meddling, of cursing their relationship. If they break up, your brother might resent you for life. And if they don’t, and end up together, Fangfang will be your sister-in-law. Wouldn’t it be awkward every time you meet?”

Lin Jiayin nodded slightly, knowing the truth of his words, though she still couldn’t help worrying about her brother.

“Go wash your hands!” she scolded, seeing him sneaking food without washing up. She swatted his hand and pointed to the kitchen.

“All right,” he replied.

Chen Huajiang put down his chopsticks and headed to the kitchen. As he was washing his hands, he suddenly heard crying from Huanhuan’s room, along with his wife’s angry voice.

“What’s going on?” Chen Huajiang immediately forgot about washing up and hurried to Huanhuan’s room.

When he arrived, he saw Lin Jiayin sitting with Huanhuan over her knee, spanking her hard while scolding, “You little troublemaker, who told you to cut up your schoolbag?”

“Bad mommy, bad mommy!” Huanhuan sobbed, struggling and crying.

“That’s enough, don’t hurt the child,” Chen Huajiang quickly stepped in, lifting Huanhuan off her mother’s lap and shooting Lin Jiayin a disapproving look. “Is it really that big a deal?”

Lin Jiayin was incensed, pointing to Huanhuan’s little bed. “Can’t you see for yourself? Is this a small matter? She cut her schoolbag to shreds—how is she supposed to go to school tomorrow?”

Chen Huajiang looked over and saw that the small schoolbag on the bed had indeed been reduced to a pile of rags. It was so tattered it was barely recognizable, looking more like mop strings than a bag.

“She’s just a child; maybe she thought she needed the fabric for a toy. Why not ask her first before punishing her?” he said, still protecting Huanhuan. He set her down gently and asked, “Huanhuan, what happened? Why did you cut up your schoolbag?”

Tears streaked down Huanhuan’s face as she glared at Lin Jiayin, her stubbornness and dissatisfaction clear. But after three seconds, seeing Lin Jiayin’s fierce glare—unwilling to admit fault—her courage crumbled. She burst into tears and clung to Chen Huajiang, hiding behind him.

“Alright, let’s hear her out,” he soothed. “Don’t be afraid of Mommy, Daddy is here.”

He found it a bit exasperating—why were mother and daughter at loggerheads again? He patted Huanhuan’s small head and gently urged her.

Huanhuan hesitated, glancing warily at Lin Jiayin, until her mother pressed, “Your father’s asking you a question—what happened?”

Finally, she spoke, making Chen Huajiang roll his eyes—he really had no authority in his daughter’s heart.

But as Huanhuan recounted the story, Chen Huajiang’s expression grew serious.

It turned out the cause was a child’s desire to compare. Huanhuan’s deskmate, Zhang Feifei, had mocked her because her schoolbag had a patch. Huanhuan envied Zhang Feifei’s pretty, embroidered bag and was upset that her own was plain and patched. Out of anger, she cut her bag to pieces.

“Is it really worth it to compare yourself to Zhang Feifei? Why not compare with the other kids in kindergarten?” Chen Huajiang said. “When I drop you off, don’t all the children have army-green bags with patches? Why is it a problem for you?”

“Did any of the other children cut up their bags? Why do you have to be different?”

Lin Jiayin didn’t think much of it, just finding her daughter too mischievous.

“I don’t want patches, I don’t want them!” Huanhuan shouted, gripping Chen Huajiang’s collar. “I want one with flowers, and I want one with Mimi Cat!”

“You—”

“All right, don’t lose your temper with the child,” Chen Huajiang quickly interceded as Lin Jiayin grew angrier.

“Our Huanhuan doesn’t have to be better than everyone else, but at the very least, she should have what other children have,” he said, squeezing his wife’s hand reassuringly. “Jiayin, kids at this age are bound to compare. It’s normal.”

He knew well enough—even if she was little now, Huanhuan would grow up to be a strong-willed young woman.

“Hmph, you just spoil her. You want flowers? What cat? I’ll find time to make you one,” Lin Jiayin said, giving Chen Huajiang a sharp look. She felt comforted by his concern for their daughter, but also a bit jealous, as if his attentiveness might steal Huanhuan’s affection.

Back in those days, every wedding required the “three rounds and one sound,” and Lin Jiayin was no stranger to needlework.

“I don’t want it, I don’t want it! You don’t even know what Mimi Cat is—there’s no way you’ll make it look good,” Huanhuan protested, shaking her head.

“What’s Mimi Cat?” Chen Huajiang asked, lifting her onto his lap.

“It’s a cat with whiskers, long ones, and a big face—like this,” Huanhuan explained, gesturing with her hands across her face.

Lin Jiayin chuckled at her daughter’s antics; who knew what kind of cat she meant? She was sure Chen Huajiang wouldn’t understand, so the task of making the schoolbag would fall to her in the end.

But Chen Huajiang caught on right away. He smiled and said, “So it’s Big-Face Cat! All right, tomorrow the three of us will go out together. We’ll check the department store—there should be Big-Face Cat schoolbags for sale. When you see the one you like, we’ll buy it for you.”