CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: STATUS IN THE FAMILY

Zhao Meimei came home at night and was subjected to a joint scolding by her mom and dad.

Liu Xiue shouted at her, "Zhao Meimei! You’ve got some nerve! Not only do you go out without telling us, you’ve started not coming home at night!"

Zhao Meimei knew she was in the wrong, hung her head low, and silently took the scolding.

This time even Zhao Dazhuang was angry, "That Hu, you know what her family does! You just follow her? If it weren’t for your Brother Yangyang, where would you have stayed last night!"

Zhao Meimei bit her lip and, through lowered lashes, sneakily observed her mom and dad.

Liu Xiue’s eyes were red, "Last night your dad and I couldn’t sleep at all, I was at the grocery store staring at the entrance all night without seeing you. Do you know how worried I was!"

Liu Xiue pointed her finger at Zhao Dazhuang, "Your dad especially took the car to your school to look for you everywhere, and when he got back, he was so frightened he cried! Can you be more considerate, child!"

Zhao Dazhuang’s face turned embarrassed, and he vehemently denied, "Nonsense, who cried!"

Liu Xiue blurted it out at the time, and now seeing Zhao Dazhuang embarrassed, she held back a laugh in front of Zhao Meimei.

Zhao Meimei hadn’t fully realized the seriousness of the situation before, but hearing her dad cried, her nose tingled, her eyes turned red, her heart ached for her dad.

Zhao Meimei hurried to admit her mistake, "I was wrong, I won’t do this again next time."

Liu Xiue almost burst into laughter upon hearing her apologize. This mischievous kid’s best trait is being quick to admit fault, although whether she’ll actually change is another matter.

After admitting her fault, Zhao Meimei felt the issue should be settled now, got up, and nestled against Zhao Dazhuang’s neck, calling him, "Dad!"

Zhao Dazhuang pushed her away, "Back off, you’re annoying!"

Zhao Meimei cozied up to him with a grin, "I’m not annoying, Dad, I really like you."

Zhao Dazhuang glared at her, "Who are you fooling! You liking me? I think the person you like most is your Brother Yangyang!"

Zhao Meimei hurriedly flattered him, hugged her dad’s neck, and kissed him on the face, "No, I really like you too."

Zhao Dazhuang couldn’t keep a stern face against her kissing and compliments, and hugged her, "You can’t do this again next time, you scared your mom and me nearly to death."

Zhao Meimei giggled and acted spoiled with her dad. Once she acts spoiled, her dad can’t do anything about her, neither can her mom nor her Brother Yangyang. Zhao Meimei learned early on that acting spoiled works wonders; she uses it whenever there’s trouble, and it works every time.

Zhao Meimei mentioned Shi Yang agreed to come pick her up to stay in the town over the weekend. Liu Xiue paused, turned to scold Zhao Meimei, "Look at you, always bothering your Brother Yangyang. He’s about to take his college entrance exams; if his studying gets disrupted, you’ll be hated for sure!"

Zhao Meimei, unconvinced, muttered softly, "My Brother Yangyang wouldn’t hate me."

By noon on Sunday, Shi Yang rode his bike over to Zhao Meimei’s house. He first went to the grocery store to check-in, where Zhao Dazhuang saw him from the display window and hurriedly came out, waving, "Yangyang!"

Shi Yang rode up close and greeted, "Uncle Zhao."

Zhao Dazhuang went inside and took out a few cold beverages. Not knowing which ones were tasty or expensive, he randomly grabbed some colorful, nicely packaged ones, put them in a plastic bag, and handed them to Shi Yang, "Your aunt is cooking at home; go upstairs quickly."

Shi Yang smiled and agreed, locked his bike at the grocery store entrance, and turned to head into Zhao Meimei’s house.

Shi Yang entered the house as Zhao Meimei was lying on the sofa watching TV.

Her family had just bought a new color TV before New Year, playing the most popular cartoons now. Xu Xu squeezed next to Zhao Meimei, laying her legs across him, holding a bag of shrimp chips, eating one herself and turning to feed one to Zhao Meimei.

Upon hearing the noise, Zhao Meimei turned her head and saw Shi Yang, quickly jumped off the sofa, not caring to wear her slippers, and dashed towards Shi Yang, happily shouting, "Brother Yangyang!"

Shi Yang also smiled, lovingly caught Zhao Meimei’s arm and embraced her, letting her hang off his belt, "Here’s some cold drinks, your dad brought them."

Liu Xiue popped her head out from the kitchen, saw Shi Yang, and cheerfully said, "You guys enjoy yourself for a bit, I’m still finishing the dishes!"

Shi Yang wasn’t treated as a guest, Liu Xiue just said that and went right back into the kitchen, not bothering to formally entertain him.

Shi Yang held Zhao Meimei as they approached the sofa, placed her down, then turned to look at Xu Xu standing nearby.

He had seen this boy before; he was particularly handsome, unforgettable at first glance.

Shi Yang smiled and greeted Xu Xu, "Hello, Xu Xu."

Xu Xu hurriedly returned the greeting politely, "Hello, Brother."

Shi Yang grinned, sat himself on the sofa, and Zhao Meimei immediately snuggled up against him. Shi Yang glanced at Xu Xu still standing by and beckoned him, "Come sit down."

Shi Yang’s status in Zhao Meimei’s home became clear; he was as comfortable and at ease as if he were in his own house.

Xu Xu bit his lip, a hint of envy flickered in his eyes.

Shi Yang casually placed the cold drinks on the coffee table, Zhao Meimei eagerly asked, "Brother, what flavor do you want?"

Shi Yang, "Anything’s fine."

Zhao Meimei then asked Xu Xu, "How about you?"

Xu Xu, "Any one is good."

Zhao Meimei took a careful look, picked out two identical ones, giving one to each herself and Xu Xu, finally secretly handing the only one with chocolate thin crisp to Shi Yang...

During lunch, Zhao Dazhuang timed locking the grocery store and returned home, everyone gathered around the table.

Zhao Dazhuang concernedly asked Shi Yang, "College entrance exams are fast approaching, is studying particularly tiring now?"

Shi Yang smiled, "It’s okay, it was tough when my grades weren’t up, but now I’ve caught up. Just have a lot of practice problems, otherwise it’s manageable."

Liu Xiue reached out her chopsticks and placed a piece of chicken in each of the kids’ bowls, spoke to Shi Yang, "Eat more, Meimei said you usually live alone outside, how do you manage meals?"

Shi Yang took a bite of chicken, freed his mouth to reply, "I usually buy meals."

Liu Xiue frowned, "That’s not good, things outside have no nutrition, with studying being so tiring, wearing down your health."

Shi Yang explained with a laugh, "I usually stay at the teacher’s place and eat with the teacher, just handle meals myself over the weekend."

Liu Xiue nodded, "That’s doable then."

As Liu Xiue served Shi Yang, she also served Zhao Meimei and Xu Xu.

Zhao Meimei looked at the egg served with two slices of cucumber, frowned, "Cucumber isn’t tasty; I don’t want it."

Zhao Meimei swiftly picked up the cucumber slices and accurately delivered them into Shi Yang’s bowl, "Brother, help me eat these."

Shi Yang was in the midst of picking vegetables into his mouth, quietly took Zhao Meimei’s cucumber slices without minding her, eating them in big bites.

Xu Xu, holding his bowl, glanced from Zhao Meimei to Shi Yang’s face, "...."

Zhao Meimei had never liked cucumbers or tomatoes since she was little. Every time there’s cucumber fried eggs, cucumber fried meat slices, or tomato fried eggs, she would complain and murmur, "I don’t eat cucumbers... They’re disgusting... Brother, help me eat them."

Thrown into Shi Yang’s bowl.

"Tomatoes, oh, they’re all mushy, look so unappetizing, Brother, you eat them?"

Thrown into Shi Yang’s bowl.

Zhao Meimei had developed this habit since childhood and couldn’t change it,

Shi Yang had grown accustomed to cleaning up Zhao Meimei’s leftovers, even Liu Xiue and Zhao Dazhuang saw nothing unusual about it.

Whenever Shi Yang is around, Zhao Meimei’s unwanted food ends up in his bowl; Shi Yang isn’t around, Zhao Dazhuang can step in as replacement.

Zhao Dazhuang expressed to Liu Xiue, look at that? Even eating leftovers, I don’t rank first in our daughter’s heart.

Xu Xu’s beautiful big eyes lowered, pursed lips, withdrew his gaze, quietly continued eating, the originally aromatic meal suddenly seemed to have lost its taste.