The Art of Teasing - Chapter 115

Chapter 115

A few minutes later, Wen Zhengyu heard a commotion drifting up from the downstairs hall—the voices of her cousins' wives and their children. She rose and went down, finding her eldest uncle had brought Lian Hui, Lian Xin, and Lian Ming, along with their entire families. She greeted them with a smile, deciding to seize the advantage of a full house to slip away later. She guessed the old lady would be angry if she sneaked off, but that was better than having something suddenly thrust upon her. She'd never had any dealings with the Lian family before; having these relatives pop up out of nowhere was one thing—she'd accepted that—but having a huge inheritance left by her mother spring on her all at once was something she really found hard to digest.

Lian Hui's gaze swept back and forth over Wen Zhengyu's face. "What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight with Ye Ling?"

Wen Zhengyu choked for a second, a little embarrassed. "No." Noticing Lian Xin's face was wreathed in smiles, she asked, "Brother Xin, some good news?"

Lian Xin laughed and answered, "Yes." He stepped forward, wrapped an arm around the old lady's shoulder, winked, and grinned. "Right, Grandma?"

The old lady swatted Lian Xin. "Already scheming for it," she said, then sighed feelingly, "This little worrier really is a handful!"

After her eldest uncle, Lian Huairen, had seated himself, he asked, "Have you told Yu'er yet?"

"I have," the old lady replied. "And what a long-winded business it was."

Whenever the old lady complained about Wen Zhengyu's slow temperament, Old Master Lian—who had the same measured pace—was invariably dragged into it. Seeing this, Old Master Lian hastily told Wen Zhengyu, "Whatever your grandmother says, goes. Don't argue with her."

Wen Zhengyu realized this wasn't just the usual weekend family visit; something was going on, and it concerned her. She called out, "Eldest Uncle," then turned to Lian Huaixin for rescue, calling, "Youngest Uncle."

Lian Huaixin said, "Your own things, you keep yourself."

Before long, her second uncle, Lian Huaiyi, and third uncle, Lian Huaili, arrived with their families.

Wen Zhengyu now understood why everyone had come back, and any thought of slipping away evaporated completely. She sat limply to one side.

Once everyone was assembled, the old lady summoned her sons, grandsons, and the granddaughters-in-law who handled finances into the study. She also told Lian Xin to go upstairs and bring down the aluminum alloy case from the safe. "You go," she said to Lian Xin, "the way this little worrier looks so unwilling, I'm afraid she'll just create chaos."

Wen Zhengyu cast her grandmother a silent look and abandoned all resistance.

The old lady began, "It's been nearly twenty-eight years since Huaijin passed away. All these years Yu'er has stayed with the Wen family, and we haven't looked after her at all. Not once did we even give her a red envelope for New Year's, and for anything that came up, she had no mother to arrange things for her." As she spoke, she waved toward Wen Zhengyu, who was sitting far off. "Come over here. Talking to you about things is just exhausting!"

At the mention of her mother, Wen Zhengyu's heart grew heavy. She moved to sit beside the old lady.

The old lady took Wen Zhengyu's hand and addressed the assembled family: "Wen Shiyi is the child's biological father, and the Wen family wanted to keep her. We couldn't very well take her away by force. You all know what his situation is. The dowry Huaijin left behind absolutely cannot remain with the Wen family. Back then, everything that accompanied Huaijin on her marriage was carried back, and in addition, the Wen family compensated us with money and several houses equal to the dowry's value."

"It was agreed at the time that everything would be given to Yu'er once she came of age. All these years, the business ledgers of these properties have been kept meticulously; the account books are stacked in the storeroom." She patted the aluminum alloy case Lian Xin had placed on the table. "The jewelry and household items Huaijin brought as her dowry are easy enough to handle. The reason I've called you all here today is still these shares. With Huaijin gone and Yu'er still young, all her assets were registered under my name. Although I've explained this clearly to you before, it's best to go over it again face-to-face and make a proper handover."

The old lady used a key to open the case. On the left side were neatly stacked document pouches; on the right were several property ownership certificates lying on top. After she lifted out the document pouches, Wen Zhengyu saw that beneath those certificates were more of the same kind of booklets, and next to them was an aluminum alloy box slightly larger than an A5 sheet of paper.

Staring dumbfounded at the thick stacks of property deeds, Wen Zhengyu looked up at the old lady in astonishment. "Grandmother, are these all property deeds? You said 'a bit of property'?"

The old lady glanced at the deeds. "This is only a tiny bit." Seeing Wen Zhengyu fixated on the small box, she added, "That one holds keys. I'll take you to those later."

Wen Zhengyu blinked, staring blankly at the old lady. She discovered that Grandmother was truly wealthy.

The old lady's main purpose in calling everyone back this time was to inform them of this matter, and to clearly confirm which parts of their jointly owned businesses belonged to Wen Zhengyu. All the assets the old lady had managed on her behalf were recorded plainly in black and white; each branch of the family knew the score. Everything was clarified in just a few words.

Afterward, the old lady kept Wen Zhengyu behind and told her in painstaking detail about the other holdings. Aside from a catering company and a food company, everything else was equity investments yielding dividends, plus fixed assets—real estate, shops, and office buildings managed by a property management company. She didn't understand high-tech industries, nor did she have the energy to learn, so her investments were in relatively stable traditional sectors like food and real estate. Whenever she had surplus money, she bought houses and buildings. Since managing it all by herself was too much, she'd set up a property management company.

"That's it for the real estate," the old lady said. "There's no more than this. Then there's the furniture made for your mother's marriage, and the residences that were part of her dowry. Some old houses have already been torn down in demolitions; what remain are two garden estates, neither very large—just modest two- or three-courtyard compounds. They were rented out in earlier years, but later, seeing that people like refined places for dining, I turned them into private dining clubs."

Wen Zhengyu looked silently at the old lady and said nothing. Even if she relied on her own abilities, she could never earn this much in several lifetimes—scraping together antiques for a lifetime wouldn't even make enough to buy one commercial building from Grandmother.

She said, "Grandmother, holding all this feels a little hot."

The old lady said, "I see it clearly now. If these things were left to you by your grandfather, you definitely wouldn't feel they were too hot to handle. Is a grandfather real family, but a grandmother is not? A father is real family, but a mother is not? Or are you still blaming us for not looking after you when you were little, and only now claiming you back?"

"No, that's not it."

The old lady didn't care whether Wen Zhengyu felt this way or not. She didn't think that a few months of time together could match the twenty-plus years of bond Wen Zhengyu had shared with Wen Ru. She said, "Looking at you, I feel there's still hope for Huaijin—that nothing is truly gone. Fortunately, she left you behind; everything she had, her bloodline, is carried on by you. As for me, I just hope you'll be safe, sound, and smooth-sailing all your life."

The old lady drew Wen Zhengyu into speaking a few heartfelt words, and only then brought out the documents for Wen Zhengyu to sign.

Ye Ling received a call from Grandmother, asking her to come over when she had time. She had a business lunch she couldn't get out of, so after eating she went to the Lian residence.

She guessed that at this hour, Old Madam Zhang and Old Master Lian would be taking their afternoon nap, but with Wen Zhengyu there, she wondered if she could catch up with her and nap together to catch up on sleep.

When she arrived at the Lian house, the two elders were indeed napping. Wen Zhengyu's several uncles were all present, and Lian Xin was busy on his laptop on the sofa.

With elders around, it wasn't convenient to go straight to Wen Zhengyu, so she kept her uncles company over tea.

Lian Xin, however, asked her to meet another day when they were free—to find a place for tea and a chat.

Ye Ling asked, "Chat about what?"

Lian Xin said, "Chat about investments."

Ye Ling understood. Another business deal. She nodded. "Alright."

Seeing Ye Ling's gaze keep darting upstairs, Lian Huaixin said, "Yu'er is in her room."

Ye Ling smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, Youngest Uncle, and Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Third Uncle—I'll excuse myself now." She went cheerfully upstairs to find Wen Zhengyu.

She knocked lightly on the door, and Wen Zhengyu's voice came from inside: "It's unlocked." Pushing the door open, she saw Wen Zhengyu sprawled face-down on the bed, looking utterly limp and trampled.

When Wen Zhengyu saw Ye Ling, she only lifted her head before burying her face back into the quilt.

Ye Ling went over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?" Her gaze swept over Wen Zhengyu, then over the furnishings in the room, feeling a silent sigh. Truly a young lady born with a golden spoon. She leaned close to Wen Zhengyu's cheek and asked, "Why do you look like you've been put through the wringer?" If she hadn't known the Lian family hadn't laid a hand on her, she'd almost suspect Wen Zhengyu had come out and been punished for it.

Without raising her head, Wen Zhengyu pointed at the nearby dressing cabinet.

Ye Ling followed the direction and saw three exquisitely carved, delicate chests sitting on the cabinet. Each chest was about twenty-odd centimeters tall, thirty-odd across, with an arched top edged in copper, and brass locks. She asked, "What about those chests?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Open one and you'll see. The key is right beside them."

Ye Ling gave Wen Zhengyu a suspicious look, then stood, picked up the key, and unlocked one of the chests. Inside was a layer of silk; she lifted it to reveal a collection of small, exquisite wooden boxes that looked very much like jewelry boxes. She turned her head toward Wen Zhengyu. "May I open one?"

Wen Zhengyu nodded.

Ye Ling took out one box and opened it. Inside, in dazzling abundance, was a box full of gemstones of the purest color. Her eyes widened and she shot a glance at Wen Zhengyu, immediately understanding what all this was. "Your mother's things?"

Wen Zhengyu gave an "mm." "The old lady gave them to me."

Ye Ling let out a soft "oh," put the box back, and almost blurted, "Will you sell them?" but quickly swallowed the words. This was something she must never ask Wen Zhengyu again.

She sighed with feeling. "This is wonderful." She closed the chest lid, adding, "When my parents died, their estate was handed over to my step-grandmother to manage, and she managed it straight into a total loss—not a single cent left. A real grandmother is truly different."

Wen Zhengyu lifted her head. "Lost it all?" She didn't believe it.

Ye Ling said, "Exactly, lost it all right into her own pockets."

Wen Zhengyu was speechless.

Ye Ling returned to the bedside and asked Wen Zhengyu, "What did Grandmother call me here for?"

Wen Zhengyu buried her face back into the quilt, making no sound.

Ye Ling thought to herself: Since she's not objecting, and the old lady is getting on in years, she must want to see Zhengyu settled. And now she's even brought out the dowry her mother left… A thought sparked, and her eyes suddenly brightened. "Is she calling me to discuss the betrothal gifts?"

Wen Zhengyu made an "hmm?" sound and lifted her head to look at Ye Ling: Betrothal gifts? Where did that come from?

Ye Ling said, "She's already preparing your dowry. I'd think it's time for me to prepare the betrothal gifts."

Wen Zhengyu felt something off about that statement. She hesitated for a couple of seconds, then said, "You're living in my house, so doesn't that mean you're marrying into my family?"

Ye Ling picked up Wen Zhengyu's slender, bony fingers with their long nails and said, "Just look at these nails. I'm marrying, you're marrying out. Even if I moved into your house, at most I'd count as an uxorilocal son-in-law."

Wen Zhengyu looked at her nails in puzzlement. "My nails are fine." She pulled her hand out of Ye Ling's grasp and said with a perfectly straight face, "You are forbidden from cutting my nails."

Ye Ling's smile lingered meaningfully. "Alright, I won't cut them."

Wen Zhengyu sullenly buried her face in the quilt again, playing ostrich, unwilling to move, a passive protest. She hadn't even sorted out her thoughts, and now the inheritance her mother left and Ye Ling had both been dumped on her at once. Her mother's legacy coming to her was, by both emotion and law, entirely proper—she couldn't refuse it even if she wanted to. As for Ye Ling, she had no idea whether Ye Ling had set a trap for her or she had trapped herself; it had all happened so muddle-headedly... and now they were at the point of discussing marriage. Wen Zhengyu found this simply horrifying. She hadn't even been in a proper relationship, and now marriage was on the table.

Wen Zhengyu felt a twinge of dread. All this wealth being handed to her—she wasn't skilled in finance or business. What if she lost it all? With so much money came many more covetous eyes; she didn't know if she could handle it. And the pace of development between her and Ye Ling had far exceeded anything she'd anticipated; she was now completely psychologically unprepared. This was entirely not a rhythm she could adapt to or accept.

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