Whispers in the Gathering Dusk

After seeing off the last group of relatives and closing the security door, the laughter and greetings of "Come again when you have time" faded away in the hallway, and the house instantly became quiet, even somewhat empty.

The afternoon sun was already setting, casting long, warm patches of light through the window onto the living room floor. The air still held a strong smell of tobacco, sunflower seeds, and a mixture of perfumes and food odors. The coffee table was a mess, piled high with tea-stained cups, a small mountain of sunflower seed and peanut shells, fruit peels, scraps of paper, and several empty fruit bowls. The two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes that had been deliberately displayed were mostly empty.

The smile on Zhang Fen's face seemed to be paused, slowly fading away, replaced by a mixture of exhaustion, the relaxation after dealing with a "social battle," and a lingering worry. She didn't pack up immediately, but instead slumped into the sofa, letting out a long sigh.

Lin Jianguo silently got up, went to the balcony to get a broom and dustpan, and began to clean up the fruit peels and cigarette ash on the floor. Lü Yi had slipped back to the small room where he was temporarily staying at some point. The door was closed, probably because he had been a little "overloaded" by the room full of strangers and noise and needed some time alone to recover.

Lin Feng helped his father carry several empty fruit platters and water glasses back to the kitchen. The water gurgled, rinsing the tea stains off the cups. He looked out the window at the sky gradually turning orange-red, thinking of his second aunt Wang Guifang's face, flushed with excitement and filled with endless longing for "special channels" and "getting rich by hitching a ride," and Sun Penghui's perpetually detached and absent-minded expression.

There were some things he felt he needed to say. Not to sow discord among relatives, but based on the most basic judgment and a sliver of remaining responsibility towards the concept of "family."

He dried his hands and went back to the living room. His mother was still sitting on the sofa, her eyes closed, her fingers gently rubbing her temples.

"Mom," Lin Feng called out, and sat down on the single sofa next to her.

Zhang Fen opened her eyes, looked at her son, and her eyes still showed signs of fatigue. "What's wrong, Xiao Feng? Are you tired? You've been busy all morning."

"It's alright." Lin Feng paused, looking calmly at his mother, his tone even, as if stating an objective fact. "What my second aunt was saying earlier, about Brother Hui's job abroad... I work at the law firm with Lawyer Zhou and have handled some similar cases."

Zhang Fen stopped rubbing her temples, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. "A case? What case?"

"Well..." Lin Feng carefully chose his words, trying to make his statement sound professional and objective, reducing any subjective assumptions, "Like the kind of 'investment' my second aunt described, which sounds like it has high barriers to entry, insider information, high returns, and prohibits employees and their relatives from investing, but then uses special channels through personal connections... In many cases, it's very similar to telecom fraud, especially those organized overseas telecom fraud gangs."

He spoke calmly, without exaggeration or deliberately amplifying the fear; he was simply stating a possibility.

The weariness on Zhang Fen's face was instantly replaced by astonishment. She sat up slightly, her eyes widening. "Electric... electronic fraud? You mean... Penghui might be... doing that?" Her voice lowered unconsciously, filled with disbelief.

"I can't be sure," Lin Feng immediately clarified, not wanting to cause a misjudgment. "It's just that the key points he mentioned, such as 'insider information,' 'high commissions,' 'working overseas,' and 'relatives are prohibited from investing but there are private channels,' are common tactics used in many telecom fraud cases to attract victims and control 'employees.' Moreover, not being able to come back for the New Year is not a typical management style of a foreign company."

He paused, watching the changing expressions on his mother's face, and added, "Of course, it could just be a more aggressive, gray-area sales model within that industry, Brother Hui himself can indeed make money. But the risks are definitely much greater than Auntie imagines. That 'colleague' who proactively contacted her likely has ulterior motives."

Zhang Fen fell silent. Her hands, resting on her knees, unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes. The expression on her face slowly shifted from astonishment to a complex and solemn one. She recalled her sister's animated expression and eagerness to immediately invest, combined with her son's calm analysis... Those details that she had previously dismissed as mere boasting and talkativeness now resurfaced in her mind, seemingly shrouded in a shadow of suspicion.

"No wonder..." she murmured, her brow furrowed. "I was wondering why she suddenly became so keen on investing, talking about 'special channels'... She usually haggles for ages when buying groceries, spending tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. Where did she get so much spare money? She's probably using her savings and wants to drag us into it..."

She looked up at Lin Feng, her eyes filled with a plea for confirmation and a last glimmer of hope. "Xiao Feng, you... you really think it's true? You're not just guessing, are you? This is no small matter."

"Mom, I don't have evidence, so I can't be 100% certain," Lin Feng said calmly. "But I suggest you at least remind your second aunt to be extremely cautious about that 'special channel' and anything that requires investing money. It's best to thoroughly investigate the background of that 'company' and 'colleagues' before making any decisions. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Zhang Fen nodded heavily, her expression hardening. "I understand. Don't tell anyone about this... don't tell anyone else."

She looked at her son, her tone carrying an adult's worldliness and helplessness. "I know your second aunt best. She's very concerned about her image and stubborn. If you were to tell her directly, 'Your son might be involved in fraud, and you're being scammed,' she would definitely get angry! She'd think you're jealous of Penghui making a lot of money, cursing their family, and slapping her in the face. There's no way to say that."

She sighed, stood up, and began tidying the messy coffee table, her movements somewhat forceful, as if venting her frustration. "I need to find a private opportunity to talk to her about this. I can't mention Penghui's work problems; I'll just say... just say there are a lot of scammers out there these days, and nine out of ten strangers who contact you asking for investments are scams. Tell her to be careful, hold onto her money tightly, and not just listen to what they say. As for Penghui... I also need to subtly inquire about the situation."

As she tidied up, she seemed to be organizing her thoughts, or perhaps convincing herself. "Yes, that's how it should be. I can't be too blunt; I need to save her face, but I also have to make the risks clear to her. Whether she listens or not is up to her..."

Watching his mother's busy Back View and listening to her whispers filled with considerations of China social etiquette, Lin Feng understood. His mother's approach was perhaps the most appropriate and most likely to be accepted.

This is often the case among relatives. Even when risks are clearly visible, they can't be as frank as they are with outsiders. If they speak too lightly, the other person might not take it seriously, thinking they're meddling or making a mountain out of a molehill; if they speak too harshly, it can easily damage relationships or even turn them into enemies. This is especially true when it comes to sensitive topics like children's futures and "get-rich-quick dreams," where striking the right balance is even more difficult.

The best solution was for the mother, as the older sister, to communicate privately with the aunt in a caring and reminding tone. This approach saved face for the aunt while also conveying a warning. Whether the aunt would listen or realize the error of her ways in time was beyond their control.

Adults must take responsibility for their own perceptions and choices.

"Okay, Mom, you handle it." Lin Feng also stood up and helped empty the cigarette butts from the ashtray into the trash can. "If you need me to provide some similar cases or script analyses, you can tell your second aunt that I saw them at the law firm and let her refer to them."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later." Zhang Fen nodded, the worry on her face not completely gone, but her eyes showed a new determination to do something.