Tan Shanyun never imagined that his attempt to flatter Tan Desheng would end with him getting a dressing-down from Tan You. To make matters worse, her lecture wasn’t some baseless tirade—it was entirely logical and well-reasoned.
Now, hearing Tan Desheng’s words, he could only force a smile. "I was being thoughtless, Second Uncle. I’ll head back now. You should come over for dinner sometime."
All he wanted to know now was how Tan You had changed so drastically. He’d been stunned when he saw her emerge. ’Was Tan You always this beautiful in my memory?’
Now, not only was she beautiful, she was also incredibly prickly. Whoever made her unhappy, she would immediately make them even more miserable, holding nothing back. She didn’t even spare her own granduncle, scolding him whenever she saw fit.
The moment Tan Shanyun left, Tan You came out of her room. "Grandpa, I bought some groceries in the city. Come give me a hand."
Tan Desheng frowned and was about to say something, but Tan Deming had already ambled cheerfully into the kitchen. "Sure thing. Did you go see Tan Tao and Tan Qin?"
"Yeah," Tan You said softly. "You can’t eat spicy food, or else I would’ve brought a portion back for you to try. I made a special trip to the city to get a cordyceps flower and fish maw soup to help you build up your strength."
Tan Deming smiled. "You don’t have to. It’s not easy for you to make money. Your grandma and I are doing just fine at home. Your dad didn’t come back this week, so I went to town to buy the groceries myself."
’Tan You knew her father, Tan Lin, held a grudge against Tan Desheng. Between Tan Lin and Tan Desheng, she would definitely side with her father. Tan Lin might have a difficult personality, but at least he didn’t have any major character flaws. Tan Desheng, on the other hand... well, Tan You just really didn’t like him.’
"He’s busy, too. He has to take care of his family and shuttle Tan Yue around. How could he have time to come home all the time?" Tan You said, defending her father. "I was wondering why Dad looked so amused when I saw him earlier. So it’s because we had company."
Tan You shook her head. "How have you two been at home? No one’s been giving you a hard time, have they?"
Wang Hunv’s lips trembled in a pout; the old woman was clearly feeling wronged. Tan You took one look and understood. "I’ll do the cooking for the rest of the holiday. If he wants to eat, he can eat. If not, he can go to Tan Deji’s house. Does he really think he’s some kind of lord?"
Tan Deming started, "But he is your granduncle, after all..."
"You see him as a brother, but he doesn’t feel the same way." Tan You’s voice rose, completely unafraid of Tan Desheng overhearing. "He treats Tan Deji’s family far better than he treats you. Where a man’s money goes, his heart follows."
"Every time he comes back, he gives you barely a thousand yuan. And Tan Deji’s family? His two sons take turns sucking up to him, getting him into a good mood, and then he naturally throws wads of cash their way."
"You’re living with me now. We’re not going to be jealous of that, alright?"
Amused by the way Tan You was speaking to him as if he were a child, the resentment Tan Deming had been harboring for a week dissipated. "What, do you think I’m a child? I’m not jealous of his money. I just feel like your granduncle... he isn’t close to us."
"It’s less about not being close and more that he looks down on us," Tan You said as she reheated the herbal soup she’d brought back. "He looks down on our family because we don’t have a strong man to be the head of the household. Whatever. I don’t need his respect."
"We haven’t been one big family for a long time. We all have our own separate families now. Who needs his approval?"
"But he enjoys your care while he’s here, then goes out and lets other people slander you. That makes him an ungrateful bastard. His character is despicable. And he’s supposed to be a Party member and a section-level cadre? Is this the best he can do?"
Tan You wasn’t afraid of Tan Desheng hearing her—in fact, she wanted him to. She had to make him understand that in this house, *he* was the outsider. If he wanted to stay here, he needed to be crystal clear on what was and wasn’t acceptable. In other words, he had to learn his place.
’If he wasn’t happy, he could go to Tan Deji’s house. She absolutely wouldn’t ask him to stay. It’s not like she had nothing better to do than find an elder to lord over her. From now on, whoever made her unhappy would be made even unhappier.’
’Besides, for a man as depraved as Tan Desheng—guilty of everything from incest to whoring and gambling—what right did he have to demand her respect? Tan You felt it was a testament to her extraordinary self-control that she could even stand to be under the same roof as him.’
Wang Hunv wasn’t one for eloquent words, but she was genuinely happy to hear Tan You stand up for her. Right up until dinner was on the table, the old woman’s triangular eyes were crinkled in a smile.
Tan Desheng truly lived up to his reputation as a shameless old fox. Even after hearing Tan You’s words, he acted as if nothing had happened, even asking about her studies during dinner.
Tan You replied nonchalantly, "My grades are fine. They’ve always been consistent."
’Consistently number one in my grade.’
Tan Deming elaborated for her, "She bombed her high school entrance exams, so she spent a few months studying hard at home over the summer. Ever since starting high school, she’s been number one in her grade. Her parents told us last time they were back. Her mom was so happy."
Tan Desheng was taken aback. "Is that so? How come you’re living with Tan You? Tan Lin... doesn’t he take care of you?"
Wang Hunv refused to speak to Tan Desheng. She sat at the table and focused only on eating, occasionally sharing a dish she found delicious with Tan You. "You eat more, too. You look like you’ve lost more weight. Why don’t we weigh ourselves tomorrow?"
Tan You kept a straight face. "I’m not going to the pig market. That’s a place for weighing pigs."
Wang Hunv and Tan Deming both burst out laughing. Tan Deming chuckled, "We don’t have to go to the pig market. Your dad brought home a bathroom scale a few days ago. Your mom knew you wanted to lose weight, so she made a special trip to the pharmacy to buy it."
Only then did he answer Tan Desheng’s question. "It’s enough for Tan Lin and his wife to live their own lives. They still have to raise Tan Yue, so their burden isn’t light."
"The old lady and I will just live with Tan You. We farm a small plot of land, and that’s enough for the three of us to live on."
Tan Desheng glanced at the sumptuous spread of dishes on the table. "You make this much money from farming? Do you usually eat this well?"
Tan Deming answered evasively, "Of course not. Tan You has her own money. She’s talented and gets articles published in magazines, so she earns a monthly fee for her writing. Her grandma and I live in the countryside, so we have very few expenses. It’s enough."
He didn’t mention that Tan You earned money from writing novels, only that she submitted articles to magazines on the side. This was true, of course. Ever since Tan You had gone away to school, Tan Deming would go check the mail at the post office every few days and usually didn’t come back empty-handed.
Tan Desheng was skeptical. He could tell Tan Deming wasn’t telling the whole truth, or was at least holding something back. But in all honesty, he was now truly curious about Tan You. It just goes to show—people can be so perverse.
When you fawn all over someone, they completely look down on you. But the moment you stop giving them the time of day, they’re the ones to come sniffing around.
Back when Tan You was quiet and withdrawn, he’d thought his grandniece was dull and completely unlikable. Yet now that she had berated him without the slightest regard for his dignity, Tan Desheng found the experience strangely novel.