Gather the Blossoms While They Bloom

"What is it now?"

Chen Jianjun appeared in the doorway, disgruntled, muttering that he couldn't even watch TV in peace.

"All this arguing, day in and day out."

"Dad! She hit me!" Chen Mengyao, sitting on the floor, immediately pointed at Chen Rongrong.

Chen Jianjun glanced sideways at his niece. He knew better than anyone what had happened, but delivered his final verdict: "No matter what, hitting someone is wrong."

"Rongrong, apologize to your little sister."

"Why should I apologize!? She rummaged through my things! She insulted me too, and now I'm the one who has to apologize? Why?" Chen Rongrong had bottled things up for far too long. Before, she still had the college entrance exam to take and was living under someone else's roof, but now the exam was over.

And after the awful things Chen Mengyao had said, she was still the one being told to apologize.

"You hit someone and still think you're in the right!?"

Chen Jianjun glared, asserting his authority as the head of the household. "Have I spoiled you too much?"

"?" Chen Rongrong froze, as though she had just heard the biggest joke in the world. She stared at her uncle and sneered without saying a word.

"Oh, all right, all right. Lao Chen, you say less too. Rongrong isn't a child anymore. She's a college student now and has a mind of her own. Rongrong, listen to your aunt. Apologize, and we can put this behind us."

"Everyone, say less, say less." Liu Mei tugged at her husband's arm, seemingly mediating the quarrel with perfect fairness.

She said earnestly, "Rongrong, it hasn't been easy for your uncle to raise you. We know you're not our child and aren't close to us, and we never expected you to repay us, but don't quarrel with us over such a little thing, all right?"

"Think about it. Our whole family relies on your uncle's little shop. It only makes a few thousand yuan a month, and we have to pay for your schooling too. It hasn't been easy for us either. Hurry and apologize, and this will be over."

"Wasn't it just one meal at KFC? This child, still remembering even that. Lao Chen, don't you think it's funny?" Liu Mei sounded as though she were joking.

She took Chen Rongrong's hand and urged her to apologize quickly.

But Chen Rongrong snatched her hand away and glared coldly at Liu Mei. "What do you mean, it hasn't been easy for your family to raise me!?"

"The government didn't send you money, is that it?"

Chen Rongrong had steeled herself. She looked coldly around at the three members of the family, especially the youngest, Chen Mengyao.

Chen Mengyao had never treated her as an older sister. She was even worse off than the dog the family kept. Had Chen Mengyao always thought she was spending her father's hard-earned money?

But what were the facts?

Chen Rongrong was an orphan. Her orphan's allowance was 950 yuan a month, and when her father died, he had left her uncle a sum of money.

So how had it come to this, that raising her hadn't been easy?

When Chen Rongrong brought this up, Chen Jianjun's expression changed abruptly. His wife, Liu Mei, also suddenly realized something was wrong and hurried to interrupt. "Rongrong, what are you saying!"

"How could you think that of us?"

"Quick, stop talking!?"

"Am I wrong?!"

But Chen Rongrong seemed to have thrown all caution to the wind. She pointed at Chen Mengyao and said, "My dad clearly left money for me! And I've helped you with work too, but has she ever treated me as her sister?"

"Have you ever treated me as family?"

"The government gives me 950 yuan a month. What have you done with it?"

"Shut up," Chen Jianjun said through gritted teeth, his face cold.

"I won't! You took my allowance to pay for Chen Mengyao's tutoring..."

Smack!

Before Chen Rongrong could finish, Chen Jianjun finally lost control and slapped her hard.

A burning pain immediately spread across Chen Rongrong's face.

Chen Rongrong clutched her face and stared at her uncle, her head spinning slightly.

"Oh! Lao Chen! Have you gone mad!"

Liu Mei was startled when she saw what happened.

She shoved her husband fiercely, then hurried to check on Chen Rongrong. "Rongrong, are you all right? Does it hurt?"

"Don't hold it against your uncle. He's out of his mind! Does it hurt? Quick, let Auntie have a look."

As Liu Mei spoke, she tried to move Chen Rongrong's hand away.

But Chen Rongrong shoved her away hard.

She looked coldly around the room.

Her uncle, Chen Jianjun, stood there expressionless.

Her aunt, Liu Mei, looked worried.

Her younger cousin, Chen Mengyao, stood farthest away, her big eyes wide and her face innocent.

Heh.

Chen Rongrong sneered, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"Rongrong!" Her aunt called after her, then stopped short of saying more.

Bang!

The door slammed shut like a gust of wind.

The house fell deathly silent.

Finally, her aunt let out a long sigh. "Lao Chen, did you see that?"

"In the end, she's not our own child. No matter how much we raise her, she'll never be tame."

It was already nine at night. There was no nightlife in the small county town, and beneath the dim yellow streetlights, the empty road looked rather desolate.

Chen Rongrong walked alone along the road, unsure for the moment where to go.

In front of her friends, she was bright and glamorous.

But in truth, she lived in straitened circumstances. Whenever she asked her uncle and aunt for money, she always had to find ways to please them and say nice things.

After the college entrance exam, she had often gone out for meals and had fun, leaving her with very little spending money.

Now she couldn't even scrape together ten yuan.

Before she knew it, she had reached the post office in the little county town. She really had nowhere to go, so she sat down on the steps.

A breeze blew through the July night, and Chen Rongrong felt a little chilly.

She checked her phone. It still had more than ten bars of battery left.

Meanwhile, back at her uncle and aunt's home, Liu Mei couldn't help scolding her husband. "Lao Chen, honestly, how could you hit her?"

A man like Chen Jianjun was unwilling to admit he was wrong even when he had made a mistake. He merely said, "She'll come back on her own in a little while."

"Sigh..." Liu Mei let out a sigh.

Chen Rongrong sat outside the post office for nearly an hour, a bleak scene before her.

She looked at her phone. At that moment, she really was hesitating over whether to go back.

But when she thought about going back, she would have to put on a fake smile and swallow her pride again.

Chen Rongrong felt a wave of resistance.

She had to find somewhere to stay tonight.

Chen Rongrong scrolled through the contacts on her phone. Dong Xue? Shi Zhenzhen?

If she went to them, they might laugh at her.

Shen Ding? She thought of his goofy face.

Better forget it.

Then she came to Zhou Yuwen.

Chen Rongrong hesitated, thinking that at least she had money.

He was also willing to lend her money.

So Chen Rongrong called Zhou Yuwen.

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen was at home playing a game with Shen Ding.

Seeing that it was Chen Rongrong calling, Zhou Yuwen answered curiously. "Hello?"

"Zhou Yuwen, could you lend me some money?" Chen Rongrong spoke sincerely, her voice tinged with a sense of grievance.

Online payments already existed in 2015, but they weren't widespread yet, so borrowing money meant they had to meet in person.

Chen Rongrong said she could come to Zhou Yuwen's house to get it. He didn't need to come over; that would be too much trouble.

But Zhou Yuwen said directly, "Where are you?"

"Outside... the post office."

"Wait for me."

With that, Zhou Yuwen hung up.

"Hey? Brother Zhou, what are you doing?" He was still connected to Shen Ding on voice chat.

"Oh, something's come up. I'm getting off."

"Damn, don't, Brother Zhou! Finish this round! I don't want to lose!" Shen Ding pleaded.

But Zhou Yuwen wasted no words and hung up.