In the late afternoon, around five or six, Zhang Yang drove to his maternal grandmother's house.
The old-fashioned courtyard was square, with a wide stretch of open ground outside the gate.
As he parked, he spotted several cars at a glance. His younger uncle's BMW stood out, gleaming like new.
"We're here, Mom and Dad." Zhang Yang parked the car.
Zhang Zhaohai and his wife got out first and went into the courtyard.
Zhang Yang got out too and slammed the door shut. The car had barely beeped twice before everyone in the courtyard turned to stare at him in unison.
"A Porsche? Zhang Yang, you're driving a Porsche?" His older cousin Li Kaiguang, the son of his eldest aunt, stepped forward. He looked at the spirited figure standing by the car, then at the gleaming Cayenne, and was momentarily stunned.
There was a saying: you didn't need to say a word; a Range Rover would speak for you.
And at that moment, although Zhang Yang hadn't said a word, everything that needed to be said—and everything that didn't—was already clear.
"Just got it. Want a cigarette?" Zhang Yang had a pack of He Tianxia Zunshang on him, too—one thousand yuan a pack. Though he hardly ever smoked, he would occasionally have one to ease his mood.
Since becoming more disciplined, though, he'd been smoking less and less.
Li Kaiguang hurriedly took one. He knew his cigarettes, and when he lit one that cost several dozen yuan each and took a puff, he immediately felt as if something about him had changed.
It was hard to describe, impossible to put into words. Perhaps this was what money tasted like.
The two cousins walked into the courtyard side by side. Zhang Yang immediately spotted his mother surrounded by her two older sisters, who were admiring the jade bracelet on her wrist.
"With quality like this, it definitely wasn't cheap. Last time I saw one at the mall that cost over ten thousand, and it didn't even compare to this one." His eldest aunt examined the bracelet again and again.
"Is that so? Zhang Yang gave it to me. I don't know how much it cost." Song Wenqin smiled from ear to ear.
When she'd first learned the price, she'd been startled, too. A bracelet worth over a hundred thousand yuan! How could an ordinary woman from an ordinary family like her afford to wear one?
But it had already been bought. Though she'd made a few remarks about it, did she dislike it? Of course she liked it. So the matter had passed.
His younger uncle's wife, Zhou Xiaona, stood to one side, looking at it too. She couldn't hide her envy and sour expression.
"Third Aunt, Zhang Yang has really made something of himself. He's even willing to buy you such an expensive bracelet. No wonder Third Uncle couldn't stay in our little temple."
Song Wenqin barely raised her eyes and couldn't be bothered to respond. After all, she didn't want to stoop to arguing with her at their mother's house. They'd known for years what sort of person her younger sister-in-law was.
Not far away, her younger brother Song Wenbo stood awkwardly by himself.
Usually, his family was the one in the spotlight. But today, it looked like they'd have to take a back seat.
He looked at the Cayenne in the distance, then at his third sister and brother-in-law surrounded by everyone. He also glanced at the other brothers-in-law, chatting and laughing as they smoked good cigarettes. For no particular reason, he felt a little uncomfortable.
In the past, he'd been the center of attention, with everyone calling him "Eldest Uncle" this and "Eldest Uncle" that.
"Third Brother-in-law, we've got the main dishes ready. We're just waiting for you to take over," his two older sisters-in-law said with a smile to Zhang Zhaohai.
"No problem." Zhang Zhaohai changed out of his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and went straight into the kitchen without another word.
He'd trained as a cook for family banquets and had spent several years working at a restaurant. He was a true homegrown chef, and his dishes were always full of that hearty, home-cooked flavor.
Before long, delicious aromas began wafting out of the kitchen.
A little after six, Zhang Zhaohai came out of the kitchen, removed his apron, and called out that dinner was ready.
That evening, their maternal grandmother sat at the head of the table, looking over her three daughters and one son and their four families. Her heart was full, and she kept urging everyone to eat more.
Zhang Yang sat beside Li Kaiguang, his eldest aunt's son, chatting as they ate.
"Zhang Yang, you've really turned things around." Li Kaiguang sighed. There was a time when he'd felt quite superior to him.
After all, his mother had sold insurance all her life, and his father was a minor manager at his workplace. Their family wasn't rich, but they were better off than most.
His parents had already bought him a car and a house.
But today, facing Zhang Yang, he couldn't help feeling completely outclassed. It wasn't just the Cayenne; there was something else he couldn't quite put into words.
"Why do you need to envy me? Just tell me, what are you missing?" Zhang Yang found it a little funny. Li Kaiguang came from a pretty well-off family, too.
Years ago, when Zhang Yang could only spend his weekends reading at the Xinhua Bookstore, Li Kaiguang's family already had both Sony and Nintendo consoles. Zhang Yang had envied him beyond words.
"Ah, never mind, never mind," Li Kaiguang said, shaking his head. "Not a single girl I like has ever liked me back."
He drained his glass of liquor in one gulp, then coughed and spluttered.
Zhang Yang's phone, lying on the table, chimed repeatedly. Bei Wei was enthusiastically sharing snippets of her daily life with him.
Her shopping outings, her desserts, and the occasional selfie.
Although Li Kaiguang wore a pair of thick glasses, his eyesight was actually very sharp.
"Is some girl messaging you? Let your big brother here have a look."
Zhang Yang casually swiped through the photos, and a sweetly made-up face framed by long black hair appeared on the screen.
Li Kaiguang stared blankly at it, then silently covered his face with both hands, his shoulders shaking.
"Hey, are you okay?" Zhang Yang patted Li Kaiguang on the back.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Your big brother's just feeling a little down. Yeah... really down." Li Kaiguang lowered one hand and waved it to show he was all right.
Dinner that evening had actually been fairly harmonious.
Aside from his younger aunt's snide remarks now and then and his younger uncle keeping his head down and eating, everything had gone well.
After dinner, Zhang Yang and Li Kaiguang went for a walk.
Along the way, Zhang Yang unexpectedly received a video call from his younger cousin, Song Yumeng.
Song Yumeng was the daughter of his younger uncle. She'd just started her first year of college that year. Strangely enough, although her parents weren't particularly likable, Song Yumeng had followed Zhang Yang and the others around since she was little, calling them "Brother" all day long.
So at times, Zhang Yang's feelings about his younger uncle's family were really quite mixed.
He answered the call, and Song Yumeng's delicate face appeared on his phone.
"Brother Zhang Yang... Oh! Brother Zhang Yang, you've lost weight, and you're more handsome now!" she exclaimed excitedly, leaning closer to the screen as if she wanted a better look.
"Your brother's been dieting lately. Are you in your dorm?" Zhang Yang turned the camera around so Li Kaiguang and Song Yumeng could say hello to each other.
"I just got back from the cafeteria." Song Yumeng had barely said a word when a girl beside her suddenly exclaimed.
"Song Yumeng, are you video-calling a guy? My long legs are out here—watch where you point that camera!"
"Got it, got it." Song Yumeng trotted out to the balcony. "Brother, that was the long-legged beauty in our dorm. Seeing her is guaranteed to make you drool. Just wait—your little sister will definitely find a chance to introduce you to her."
Zhang Yang felt touched.
What a great little sister. Even when she knew a girl with long legs, she didn't forget about her big brother.
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