Chapter 112: An Abandoned Main Account
On the morning of New Year's Day, after finishing dumplings and sweet rice balls, Chen Hansheng's parents each handed him a red envelope.
"Hansheng, Happy New Year. I hope you stay healthy, happy, and content in 2003."
This was Chen Zhaojun's heartfelt wish.
"Son, Happy New Year. I hope you'll irritate me a little less in 2003."
This was Liang Meijuan's sincere expectation.
Chen Hansheng grinned and accepted the envelopes, then, like a magician, produced two red envelopes of his own.
"Dad, I hope you stay healthy this year. The family wouldn't be the same without you."
"Mom, I hope you'll get angry less often, hit me less, nag less, and go out on more trips with Dad."
Surprised, his parents exchanged glances. Chen Zhaojun said, "Well, we should accept our son's blessing."
They assumed Chen Hansheng's envelopes were just for show. But when they felt the weight, they realized they were wrong.
Back in their bedroom, they opened them and found 1,000 yuan each.
"Old Chen, our son seems to be doing quite well in school. We gave him 600, and he's giving us 1,000," Liang Meijuan said.
Chen Zhaojun smiled as he tucked the envelope into his pocket. "This money is for my cigarettes, and you're not taking it back."
---
The snowfall from last night added a festive touch to the New Year. Starting from the second day, people in Gangcheng bundled up to visit relatives. The Chen family was no exception—they planned to have lunch at Hansheng's grandmother's house.
Upon arriving at the familiar small courtyard, they found many relatives already gathered, chatting warmly around an electric heater.
"Oh, the university student is here!" Chen Hansheng's second aunt teased as he walked in.
In such gatherings, any "newcomer" naturally becomes the center of attention.
As the only university student in the family, Chen Hansheng attracted great interest.
"Hansheng, are your classes tiring in college?"
"Hansheng, do you have a girlfriend yet?"
"Hansheng, can you help your cousin with her holiday homework?"
Chen Hansheng warmed his hands by the heater and casually picked a few questions to answer.
His eldest aunt wasn't pleased, as the spotlight had shifted from her son to Hansheng. Having had past friction with Liang Meijuan, she couldn't resist a sarcastic comment:
"College students are a dime a dozen these days. Even the ones working at Xiao Hai's factory don't earn much."
Xiao Hai, Hansheng's older cousin, was working at a factory in Shanghai.
Liang Meijuan, unwilling to back down, immediately countered. This kind of bickering between the two sisters-in-law was so common that Chen Hansheng barely paid attention. Instead, he exchanged amused glances with Xiao Hai.
Even the cousins found the quarrel tiresome, until their grandfather knocked his pipe on the table. "Can't you two be quiet on the second day of the New Year? How old are you?"
Liang Meijuan fell silent, but her eldest sister-in-law had to add, "Our Xiao Hai earns 1,500 yuan a month now and will soon buy a phone."
As if on cue, Chen Hansheng's phone rang.
The ringing drew everyone's attention, and Hansheng cursed himself for forgetting to turn it off.
It was Xiao Rongyu calling. She was bored while visiting relatives and wanted to know what Chen Hansheng was doing. After a brief chat, they hung up, leaving the room in awkward silence.
His eldest aunt cleared her throat. "Liang Meijuan, you're spoiling the boy. He's so young, and you've already bought him a phone. It's fostering vanity."
Liang Meijuan, delighted, maintained a calm demeanor. "Old Chen and I still use basic landlines. Hansheng bought that phone himself with his earnings from school."
His eldest aunt, unconvinced, turned to Hansheng for confirmation.
Hansheng, still grinning, avoided answering directly and helped his second aunt's daughter with her homework.
This cousin, a middle schooler, had once sent him a QQ message saying, "Brother, it's your little sister." Chen Hansheng had thought at the time, *Why not just say your name outright instead of being cryptic?*
When checking her homework, he couldn't understand the math, so he focused on the language exercises. One essay caught his attention.
Titled *Adversity Makes People Stronger*, it was a typical topic aimed at instilling perseverance in students. But his cousin's essay took it to the extreme:
"My father had a car accident last year and lost both legs."
Chen Hansheng glanced at his perfectly healthy second uncle.
"My mother cried so much she went blind."
He then looked at his sharp-eyed second aunt.
"Wow, my dear cousin, you really went all out for this essay."
Without saying anything, Chen Hansheng read further and found himself mentioned.
"My cousin, Chen Hansheng, is 26 years old and still unmarried due to poverty. But he remains optimistic…"
Chen Hansheng silently moved the notebook toward her, pointing at his name.
Realizing her blunder, she erased his name and replaced it with "Brother Xiao Hai," then blinked at Chen Hansheng for approval.
He nodded, signaling that the homework was now "checked."
---
After lunch, as the family was leaving, his eldest aunt was still grumbling.
"Liang Meijuan is flaunting her money by buying her son a phone. It's just vanity."
Their grandfather, annoyed, retorted, "Can't you tell whether Hansheng bought the phone himself or not? He doesn't want to embarrass you as an elder, which is why he didn't argue. But if you keep pushing, don't be surprised if he refuses to help Xiao Hai in the future."
The eldest aunt scoffed. "Xiao Hai doesn't need anyone's help."
Their grandfather shook his head. "If your son had even half of Hansheng's cleverness and tact, I wouldn't have any worries about the future."
---
On the way home, Chen Hansheng casually said to Liang Meijuan, "Mom, I'll head back to school in a couple of days."
Surprised, she asked, "Isn't school starting after the Lantern Festival?"
"Yes, but I need to go to Sichuan to pick up Xiao Shen. I already bought the tickets. Once I've helped her settle into the dorm, I'll come back to Gangcheng to head to school with Xiao Rongyu."
"Son, why don't you ever show me this level of consideration? Aren't you tired from all this running around?" Liang Meijuan scrutinized her son. "In 2003, can you at least settle on one girl?"
"Mom, what are you talking about? We're just classmates."
Chen Hansheng pretended not to catch the sarcasm in her voice, but in his mind, he thought, *Settling on one is impossible. The best I can hope for is not to add another.*
---
On the eighth day of the New Year, Chen Hansheng indeed went to Sichuan.
Watching his empty room, Liang Meijuan sighed and said to Chen Zhaojun, "Old Chen, maybe we should have a second child. The cabbage hasn't been tended to, but the pig is running wild."