Chapter 82: Tenderness You Can't Afford!

"Ask your father! He's such a good-for-nothing wimp. He can't get anything right and just manages to rile me up all day long!"

In response to Mo Zixun's query, Wang Lianhong impatiently waved her hand and angrily slipped on her slippers.

"Dad?" Mo Zixun had no choice but to shift her questioning gaze to Mo Lingfeng.

"Ahem, here's the thing, Xun'er. You know that in a few days, it'll be your grandfather's seventieth birthday. Your mother thought of taking this opportunity and wanted me to prepare some gifts to win your grandfather's favor and make him happy. That way, we might get a chance to move back to the villa. But I'm swamped with work every single day. I'm toiling away on the construction site, dead tired. How could I possibly have the time to think about this? And when she heard that I hadn't come up with anything, she just blew her top..." Mo Lingfeng explained with an awkward smile.

"Is that just not having an idea? You didn't even give it a second thought! And you still have the nerve to mention the construction site. Do you really want to be stuck with those smelly migrant workers for the rest of your life? You might not feel ashamed, but I sure do!" Wang Lianhong was seething with anger.

Mo Zixun finally grasped why her mother was in such a foul mood. She tried to calm things down and said helplessly, "Mom, don't be angry. Don't blame Dad. Since Dad doesn't have time to think about it, let's all sit down together and brainstorm. Coincidentally, I'm off work tomorrow for the weekend. How about we go shopping as a family and pick out a suitable birthday gift for Grandpa?"

Since getting married, Mo Zixun hadn't minded living in this humble abode with Ye Feng. But ever since her parents, Wang Lianhong and Mo Lingfeng, moved in, she'd started to feel a bit guilty.

Firstly, her parents were even less able to endure hardships than she was, and they'd been driven out of the villa because of her. This made her feel terribly remorseful.

Secondly, since Wang Lianhong had moved in, she'd been constantly picking on Ye Feng, and Mo Zixun couldn't stand watching it happen. If there was a way to get her parents to move back, that would be a relief.

"Humph!" Hearing Mo Zixun's suggestion, Wang Lianhong's expression softened a little.

She coldly took a seat on the sofa and declared, "Fine, then it's settled. We'll head out tomorrow morning. We must choose carefully and pick something really valuable, something that'll catch your grandfather's eye. That way, we can show our sincerity."

In truth, Wang Lianhong knew better than anyone that she'd been in charge of the family finances ever since she married Mo Lingfeng. She was a bona fide miser.

But this time, in order to make their way back into the Mo family, she was willing to dig deep into her pockets. Fortunately, compared to Mo Zixun, she was in a slightly better position. When they were driven out of the family home, Mo Jiugong hadn't cut off her savings, so she still had some money she could use.

"Where's that idiot? Hasn't he cooked dinner yet? How dare he let us come back with our stomachs growling?"

Wang Lianhong thought about their current unfortunate situation and her temper flared up again. She barked angrily at the kitchen.

"Mom, Ye Feng's already cooking. Don't rush him..." Mo Zixun felt a headache coming on. It was just as she'd feared. Her mother would jump at any chance to berate Ye Feng. Ye Feng was really like a punching bag around here.

"Just like your father, a useless lump! All he can do is this one little thing, and he's still dragging his feet. Why didn't he start cooking earlier? What a waste!" Wang Lianhong spat out the insults.

Mo Zixun let out a sigh and decided to go to the kitchen to lend Ye Feng a hand. Just then, the kitchen door opened, and Ye Feng emerged carrying a plate of freshly fried broccoli, a big, simple smile on his face as he announced, "Dinner's served!"

This plate of broccoli was cooked to perfection, looking both appetizing and colorful, as if the colors were about to drip off the plate. Wang Lianhong and Mo Lingfeng walked over, picked up their chopsticks without a second thought, and dug in.

They were really hungry, especially Mo Lingfeng. Despite being a supervisor on the construction site, the work was grueling. In no time at all, he polished off the entire large plate of broccoli along with the rice. By the time Ye Feng brought out the next dish, the broccoli was gone, and so was the rice.

And the second dish didn't stand a chance against the couple's voracious eating either and was quickly devoured. Left with no other option, Ye Feng had to make do with half a cold steamed bun, dipping it into the remaining sauce from the dishes.

Mo Zixun felt a pang of heartache when she saw this.

But she couldn't really say anything to her parents. All she could do was feel even more sympathy for Ye Feng, who was living such a humble and pitiful life under her parents' selfishness.

After dinner, Wang Lianhong and Mo Lingfeng watched TV for a while before getting ready for bed.

They used to have the habit of taking strolls in the villa area, but in this neighborhood, that was out of the question.

They looked down on this place so much that there was no way they'd go out for a walk.

They also didn't want to go out and see the ordinary neighbors around here. Deep down, they thought those people were beneath them and didn't match their social status.

Wang Lianhong picked up a stick and shooed Ye Feng onto the balcony. She knew that her daughter hadn't had any physical contact with Ye Feng yet, and she wasn't about to let Ye Feng get anywhere near her daughter. That guy, who she thought was like a toad lusting after a swan, should never even dream of getting close to her daughter.

"Mom, this is... so inappropriate!" Mo Zixun blushed with embarrassment and glared at Wang Lianhong in exasperation. There was no mother-in-law who would treat her son-in-law like this. Even she couldn't stand to watch it.

"Go inside and go to bed. If you can't sleep, you can play with your phone, but don't you dare come out! As long as I'm here, that fool isn't setting foot in your room!" Wang Lianhong pointed at Mo Zixun's room and ordered imperiously.

Mo Zixun pouted, gave Ye Feng a quick look, and then reluctantly went into her room.

And Ye Feng had already anticipated this. He hadn't expected to be able to share a bed with Mo Zixun anyway, so he meekly walked over to the balcony.

"Good-for-nothing!" Wang Lianhong dragged a bench over and sat in front of Mo Zixun's room door, like a fierce guardian deity.

It was late at night, and the house gradually fell silent.

Mo Zixun tossed and turned in her bed.

On one hand, her mother's behavior had been way over the top, which made her feel really uncomfortable. On the other hand, that handsome man's image popped back into her mind again.

Whenever it was late at night and quiet, it became harder to rein in one's thoughts, and she was no exception.

Some things, the more you tried to suppress them, the more they'd burst out like a volcano, triggering all sorts of wild imaginings.

Mo Zixun stared at her quiet phone and the familiar list of WeChat contacts. Suddenly, she regretted not having asked for that handsome man's phone number or WeChat ID on the several occasions she'd had the chance.

Was it because of her shyness or had she just forgotten?

Her heart started beating faster. She made up her mind that if she ever got another opportunity to meet that dashing man, she'd definitely ask for his WeChat or some other way to contact him.

Next door, Ye Feng was lying on the balcony. Alone in the still of the night, he was also idly playing with his phone.

He'd downloaded WeChat and registered an account too.

Since Wang Lianhong and Mo Lingfeng had moved in, he'd hardly had any chance to have a private conversation with Mo Zixun. And every night, he was threatened by Wang Lianhong with that stick. Thinking about it now, it all seemed rather absurd.

Looking at the empty list of WeChat contacts, not even having added Mo Zixun yet, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Just as he was about to put his phone down, suddenly, it vibrated. A new friend request popped up from someone named "Tenderness You Can't Afford".

Ye Feng hesitated for a moment. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to accept the request.

However, when he casually clicked on the other person's WeChat Moments and took a quick look, he was instantly taken aback!