TDU Chapter 381
Chapter 381 Milk
I stood at the doorway for a long while, hesitating, unable to decide what my first words should be.
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Taking it out, I saw a WeChat message from Xiao Sun.
——“Jie, have you arrived?”
At those words, a small sense of relief settled in me.
Yes, I hadn’t yet told Xiao Sun I’d arrived safely.
——“Yes.”
I was about to slip the phone back into my pocket when I noticed he was {currently typing…} so I kept the phone in hand and waited.
——“Jie, my eyelid’s been twitching all day. Could you send me your location? I’ll come get you after the wedding tomorrow.”
I couldn’t help but smile a little. Was Xiao Sun the superstitious type too?
——“What are you worrying about? I’m just visiting my family, not going to war.”
——“No, Jie.”
His reply came quickly.
——“There’ve been so many bus accidents in the news lately. I can’t help worrying. Tomorrow I’m free anyway, I’ll drive over to pick you up.”
——“No need, it’s too far.”
——“It’s not far. Just send it.”
Seeing how insistent he was, I shared my location. After a simple {Got it} reply, there was no further message from him.
I slipped my phone away and slowly let out a breath.
Yes, I had my own life.
This return home is to bring a definitive closure to this village.
The sooner it ended, the sooner I could be free.
Pushing open the door, I found them happily gathered around, preparing to eat.
My mother, my father, my younger brother, and a chubby girl I’d never seen before.
That must be… my future sister-in-law, then?
When they saw me step inside, two of them rolled their eyes, and my so-called sister-in-law of mine didn’t even bother to look up, just kept eating.
Only my old man stared blankly at me.
How fitting. Such a predictable welcome, such a ‘warm and harmonious’ family scene.
“Laidi, you’re back?” The old man stood up, face expressionless, and said to me, “You eaten yet?”
“Dad, I’ve eaten.” I nodded. “Since Chengcai’s getting married, of course I had to come back.”
"Right on time, you can wash the dishes." that woman said. "How many years you been sittin’ back doin’ nothin’ in this house? Did I give birth to ya just so ya could take it easy?"
“No, Mom.” I smiled and shook my head. “All the money for this food came from me. I don’t see why I should also be the one scrubbing the dishes. That’s not fair.”
A flash of viciousness flickered unmistakably in her eyes. The kind of look one only ever shows in court when intent on utterly destroying the opponent.
And yet, my biological mother’s eyes reflected the very same expression.
“Alas… child…” The old man beckoned to me. “Come sit, eat a little something with us.”
“I’m not eating, Dad.” As I spoke, I pulled a thick red envelope from my bag and set it down before Chengcai. “Chengcai, congratulations on your marriage. Now that you’re starting a family, you must learn to take responsibility.”
My younger brother picked at his teeth with a fingernail, wiped it on his pants, and right in front of me tore open the red envelope, never once looking my way.
He roughly counted through it, then rolled his eyes before tossing it in front of my mother.
“Damn it, only ten thousand yuan,” Chengcai spat.
“What?!” That woman exploded on the spot. “Zhang Laidi!!”
“Mom, my name is Zhang Chenze now,” I replied.
“Zhang Laidi, have you no shame?!” She jabbed a finger at my face, her voice dripping venom. "In this whole dang village, which big sister don’t shower her brother with cash when he gets hitched? You’re thirty-five already! Been workin’ out yonder for over ten years, and nobody even wants ya. You expect yer brother to end up the same way?!"
“Mom, I’m thirty-three.” I kept my voice steady. “Ten thousand yuan is already me doing my utmost. Since he’s getting married, it proves he has the ability to build a family. Starting this month, I won’t be sending living expenses back home anymore. I came back this time just to make that clear.”
“What?!” She snatched up an empty bowl from the table, raising it as though she meant to smash it across my face.
“Hey!” The old man hurried to block her. "Enough! Enough! Laidi finally made it home, don’t go hittin’ her!"
The air grew unbearably tense.
I exhaled, turned away, and said, “I was planning to show my face at Chengcai’s wedding. But it looks like there’s no need anymore. Since everything’s been made clear, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Laidi ah!” the old man called out to me. "It’s plum late now! How ‘bout stayin’ the night?"
I glanced at the sky outside; it was indeed a bit difficult.
The village was different from the city; past five in the evening, darkness had already fallen.
Going out now meant no cars could be hailed, and my phone was almost out of battery.
I turned back and nodded. Though I detested this place, these people were, after all, my family. They might make me feel repulsed, but they wouldn’t put me in danger.
“Alright, I’ll stay for the night. I’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”
“Laidi… won’t you stay a couple more days at home?” the old man asked again.
“I’m quite busy. I just came to see you and will go back afterward.”
After saying that, I stepped into the inner room, which had once been my bedroom. It hadn’t been cleaned in many years; it was piled high with clutter, with only a dusty bed barely visible among the mess.
This environment wasn’t harsh for me, after all, I had slept on a sofa for three years; there was no hardship I couldn’t endure.
I climbed onto the bed, brushed away the cobwebs at the headboard, found a long-forgotten wall socket, and pulled a charger from my backpack to power up my phone.
Luckily, I was wearing casual clothes; if they got dirty, I could just wash them later.
I had come to sever this unbearable bond of family, so enduring a little discomfort was only fair.
From now on, I would slowly get better and try, as best as I could, to {find my own happiness}.
I didn’t turn on the light, simply staring out at the pitch-black world through the dark window.
Compared to the city, the village was quieter. There were no cars honking as they sped through the streets at midnight, no drunken lunatics shouting in the streets.
I was only slightly warm. The weather in June had invited many insects into the room, but it was of little consequence. They were just mosquitoes and moths, which I was used to coexisting with in Chengdu.
As long as I made it through tonight, I could begin my new life, a night stretching solely for me.
“Laidi…ya asleep?”
The old man’s voice came from the doorway.
He was holding a stainless steel cup, standing just outside.
I slowly furrowed my brow. “No… what is it?”
“Milk, for you,” he said quietly. "I ain’t reminded ya to drink more milk in nigh on years."
He set the cup on the table, sighed, and then left the room.
I stared at the milk, still swaying in the cup, feeling nothing but nausea.
When I was nine, the old man had heard that drinking milk could make a girl’s chest grow, and she could marry into a better family. From then on, he brought me a cup of milk every night.
He never cared whether I had eaten, whether I was happy, or whether the milk was expired or too cold to swallow. All he cared about was whether I drank it.
And because of this, the mere sight of milk would turn my stomach. It wasn’t until my insomnia worsened that I began to gradually begin to drink it again, under the doctor’s guidance.
TL Note: Zhang Chenze doesn't seem to fear insects currently, I wonder what caused her phobia?
