DLRC – Chapter 16 Breakup Compensation

The rest of the day, Yu Wei wandered the streets aimlessly. The continuous walking gradually made her legs ache and weaken, not to mention little Yu Hui tagging along beside her.

The curiosity that had lit up the little guy’s face in the morning had mostly faded, and his pace grew slower and slower. She quickly stopped so they could rest.

The two of them sat on a stone step outside a narrow alley. Yu Wei occasionally spoke a few words when no one was around. Aside from a few argumentative trolls, no one questioned why she wasn’t talking much.

After all… Yu Wei had already explained at the start—this was the 1980s. How could anyone walk down the street talking to a “brick” in a time without smartphones?

The livestream, which felt like it nearly broke her legs, finally ended at dusk. The audience in the stream came and went in waves—some left, new ones joined. The ones who stayed the longest were clearly those with too much free time. Anyone with a real job couldn’t have stuck around for long.

And so, before the viewers could even finish debating whether the streamer’s footage was real, Yu Wei shut it down completely.

“All right, the streamer’s heading home now! Today’s stream was pretty long. Thanks for watching! The next stream time is random, so if you like this, follow me so you won’t miss the next one. Bye-bye!”

【Bye-bye, streamer!】

“Phew—”

It had been a while since the stream ended, but Yu Wei felt like half a century had passed. Her hands trembling, she clicked on “Balance,” her heart thumping wildly.

356!

Even after the platform took its 50%, she was left with 356 yuan from this afternoon’s stream!

What level was this?! These earnings were nearly on par with what she made before time-traveling!

Yu Wei was stunned. She had to admit—humans’ curiosity was an instinct that transcended eras!

Her hand holding the phone was a bit unsteady, and the smile on her face nearly stretched all the way to the back of her head. Though she was clearly just sitting on a stone step resting, sweat dampened her forehead.

So hot.

She kept tapping numbers into the calculator, each digit making her heart flutter.

356—drop one decimal and it’s 35.6 yuan. That’s more than half a month’s wages for an average household. And this was just for one afternoon!

Adding in the few yuan from this morning, she had almost 40 yuan in one day. If this stayed consistent, even halving it to just 20 yuan a day, she’d still be pulling in five or six hundred a month!

Not bad. Not bad at all. Very promising income.

You have to understand—in this day and age, even veteran workers like her father earned just fifty or sixty yuan a month. If she was making 600, that would make her a certified rich woman!

At this rate, with her income compared to current prices, she wouldn’t even need to save up. She could soon move out with confidence!

Overjoyed, Yu Wei picked up Yu Hui again and threw him into the air—but lacking the arm strength, she only lifted him to the top of her head and gave him a playful shake. When the little guy burst out laughing, she finally set him down.

“Let’s go, Mommy’s taking you to eat a feast!”

Yu Wei had always been someone who enjoyed life. As long as she had the means, she would never treat herself poorly. Now that she had some spare cash, she was determined to make up for the nutrition she’d been missing these past few days.

Food at state-run restaurants in the 80s was decent and relatively varied. Yu Wei ordered two dishes—one plate of richly colored and fragrant braised pork, and another of crisp stir-fried celtuce. She also got a bowl of savory egg drop soup and a sweet white steamed bun for little Hui Hui. The meal was more than enough for one adult and one child.

And so, another item was added to Yu Hui’s little notebook: “Eating a feast at a state-run restaurant with Mommy!”

After the meal, Yu Wei posted a status in the “ChuMii Live” app’s community: four photos—one of the state-run restaurant building, one of her dinner spread, and two screenshots of the two boys from the communal building.

The enamel bowls were filled with neatly arranged dishes that looked incredibly appetizing.

Caption: Thanks for the gifts, everyone. Tonight’s dinner is finally settled. Happy.jpg

After putting away her phone, Yu Wei relied on memory and asked a few passersby before finally finding her little courtyard about fifteen minutes later.

As she stepped inside, the clang of stir-frying echoed in her ears, smoke hanging in the air. Some households were cooking chili peppers, making Yu Wei cough and quicken her pace as she ran into the house with her son.

Inside, everyone was already seated at the table eating. No one had waited for her. And even when she entered, not a single person greeted her or asked if she wanted to eat.

The joy on Yu Wei’s face instantly faded by half. She pressed her lips together and walked into the small room in the back.

Ah… whatever. What’s there to fuss about with these people? She was never welcomed in this household anyway. No one waiting for her for dinner was perfectly normal. Besides, she hadn’t come back all day—who knew when she’d return?

Yu Wei could only comfort herself like this, even though what she just witnessed had made her a bit uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Fang Yanyan, who came looking for trouble in the morning, wasn’t blocking the door. Otherwise, she really would’ve had a headache.

“Yu Wei! You just got back and you’re already hiding in your room—what are you doing in there?!”

Yuan Guifang shouted from outside while holding a bowl and chopsticks, but Yu Wei ignored her.

Yu Hui had just come back from eating a big meal at the state-run restaurant, his little belly round and full. Yu Wei held him in her arms as they chatted.

She spoke in a whisper, quiet enough that only the two of them could hear.

“You can’t tell anyone that Mom took you out today, okay? It’s our little secret, alright?”

Yu Hui was a bit unfamiliar with the term “little secret” and didn’t fully understand it, but he did understand the part about “can’t tell anyone.”

So he nodded earnestly, clutching Yu Wei’s sleeve tightly, his little face serious like he was afraid his mom wouldn’t feel reassured.

“Why were you out for so long today? What did you talk about with Director Luo?” Yuan Guifang asked as she stood in the doorway holding her bowl.

Don’t tell me she spent the whole day at Director Luo’s house? But if she really did stay there all day, then there might be hope after all!

That would mean she won him back!

But as soon as Yu Wei opened her mouth, she poured cold water all over her, completely freezing her hopes.

She said coldly, “Director Luo already has someone else. Don’t count on him becoming your son-in-law anymore.”

That shocked not only Yuan Guifang, but also Yu Wei’s father and brother, who both set down their chopsticks in surprise and frowned at her.

“You little brat, what’s going on? Weren’t you going to apologize to him today? How did he get snatched up by another woman?”

Yuan Guifang was so flustered she rushed into the room, not even caring about her food. She tried to pick up Yu Hui, but he climbed into the inner side of the bed himself, sticking close to Yu Wei and staring wide-eyed at his grandma.

“When I got there, he was already seeing someone new. Anyway, you all should stop hoping he’ll be the son-in-law.”

“What?!” Yuan Guifang shouted in fury. Her hopes were dashed just like that, by Yu Wei’s offhand remark.

“What happened?” Yu Wei’s father, Yu Dachao, stood at the doorway with a stern face.

“You little brat, hurry up and explain. Did you show up late and make Director Luo angry?” Yuan Guifang was so mad she was practically gasping for breath. She instinctively wanted to grab her trusty tool—the feather duster!

But this time she was really too upset. She didn’t even have the strength to go fetch it, instead collapsing onto the edge of Yu Wei’s bed with a blank, hollow stare.

Yu Wei stayed silent. Yuan Guifang muttered to herself, “It’s over, it’s really over.”

Jiang Min had been cleaning up the dishes, listening with one ear trained closely to what was going on. She hadn’t expected to overhear such a bombshell—it shocked her to the core.

She abandoned the bowl in her hand, letting it clatter into the basin, and rushed into the room.

“What?! Second Sister-in-law got dumped by Director Luo? And he already has a new girlfriend?!”

If she hadn’t spoken up, it might’ve been better. But her reminder made Yuan Guifang feel like she might as well faint and get it over with. Maybe if she passed out, she wouldn’t have to face this, and maybe Director Luo would magically come back by tomorrow.

The whole family’s hopes had been pinned on Yu Wei. And now look—Director Luo was driven away by her, and already found someone new. Could there still be hope for Yu Wei? Would that man ever accept her again?

“No! This won’t do!” Yuan Guifang suddenly came alive again and grabbed Yu Wei’s arm. “Yu Wei, hurry! Mom will take you to find Director Luo. Go and apologize properly, sincerely! You’re such a pretty girl—there’s no way he’d want to give you up!”

Yu Wei frowned. She hadn’t expected Yuan Guifang to be this hung up on Director Luo. But there was no way she would go looking for Luo Dongshen. Instead, she left the room, searching for a basin to draw water and bathe Yu Hui.

“It’s over. It really is. You all need to stop fantasizing. Luo Dongshen already told me not to go see him again. He has someone new—what would I go for?”

As she fetched water, she added, “To get humiliated?”

Everyone in the family looked more and more troubled. Only her older brother Yu Yi sighed and sat back down to keep eating. Jiang Min, furious, snatched away his bowl and began cleaning up.

“Hey!” Yu Yi frowned. He was still eating—why take his bowl?

But one glance at everyone’s faces, then at the calm Yu Wei boiling water, and he knew: this house was not going to be peaceful tonight.

Even though it was August, it still took seven or eight minutes to bring water to a boil. Yu Wei ignored everyone she had just angered and went out to buy two towels. On her way back, she ran into Yu Bing.

This guy was always busy—gone all day and hard to catch a glimpse of. Now he was back, carrying a bag of fruit: apples, pears, and even a banana.

Yu Wei glanced at it. Her own family worked hard and still couldn’t bring themselves to buy meat, while this jobless guy lived every day like a king.

“Sis!” Yu Bing greeted her when he saw her. Yu Wei simply shot him a glance and continued walking forward with the towel in hand.

The two siblings looked nothing alike. Yu Wei had a bold, attractive beauty, while Yu Bing’s looks weren’t as impressive—certainly not as good-looking as their eldest brother Yu Yijun either.

Though they came from the same parents, he somehow only inherited their flaws. Neither their physical advantages nor their intelligence seemed to pass down to him.

His looks were slightly above average at best: small eyes, a short nose bridge, and such faint eyebrows that they were nearly invisible. The only decent feature was his lips—their shape was alright, but the things that came out of his mouth were far from pleasant.

“I didn’t see you all day—how come you’re only getting back now?” He sized her up and down. Something about his second sister felt off. Her expression, her aura—something had changed, but he couldn’t tell what.

When Yu Wei ignored him, Yu Bing frowned and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Where’ve you been? I’ve been looking for you for ages!”

Yu Wei finally responded as the two of them walked through a narrow alley and soon arrived at the front of their home.

“What did you need me for?”

“You’re seriously asking? It’s so annoying! I was supposed to take Xiao Qiu to the movies today, but you totally messed it up!”

“I messed it up? How did I mess it up for you?” This little brother was something else—speaking to her like that, impatient and completely disrespectful.

“Money, obviously! I didn’t have any, so I needed to ask you. Since you were gone, who was I supposed to get it from!?”

Money—of course. She hadn’t even had enough to buy herself dinner the day before, and he wanted her to give him some?

Too lazy to argue, Yu Bing reached the courtyard gate with her and raised a hand in front of her.

“Sister, the money?”

“What money?” She was broke—where would she get any? If the original host had stashed away some secret funds, she certainly didn’t know about them. “If you need money, go ask Mom and Dad.”

She wasn’t his parent—why should she be responsible for funding his food, drink, and entertainment?

Feigning ignorance, Yu Wei entered the courtyard and headed toward the water-boiling area. The water was already boiling, so she poured it into an enamel basin placed on the ground.

Only Yu Yi was home now—Jiang Min and Yuan Guifang were nowhere to be seen. Yu Dachao was inside rummaging for his tobacco, and when he saw Yu Wei, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Yu Bing couldn’t care less about the family drama. He gave a dismissive snort and said, “Who are you trying to fool? I know you kept the money that old man gave you last time. Cough it up!”

Yu Wei frowned, steam from the boiling water rising into her eyes, making her squint slightly.

Money from the old man? Old man… Luo Dongshen?

“No money. I broke things off with him.”

Yu Bing didn’t know anything about the scenes that played out yesterday and today. He still thought his second sister was dating Director Luo.

He looked shocked and stepped in front of her. “What? You broke up with him? How?”

He blatantly looked her up and down. After a long moment, he said, “You don’t look any uglier than before—why would that old man dump you?”

Yu Bing was a man, too. Even though he didn’t like his second sister’s personality, he couldn’t deny that Yu Wei was good-looking. That was a fact no one could argue with. Even if she was just eye candy, having her at home would still brighten a man’s mood. Plenty of men thought that way. There was no reason Luo Dongshen should dump her so easily.

Yu Wei was speechless. He didn’t even know the truth of what happened, yet already assumed Luo Dongshen had dumped her. Though… that was sort of what actually happened.

From inside the house, little Huihui heard her voice and came running out. When he saw Yu Bing, he shrank back a bit, hiding behind the doorframe, watching Yu Wei wash the towel. In a soft, milky voice, he called out, “Mama.”

Yu Wei turned and smiled at him. “Huihui, come help Mama grab an empty basin. We’re going to take a bath.”

The little guy ran over with a pitter-patter, speeding up as he passed Yu Bing. In a blink, he was next to Yu Wei.

Yu Bing wasn’t about to waste time on the kid. Seeing the sun about to set, he urged, “Alright, I don’t have time to mess around with you. If we don’t make it to the last showing tonight, there won’t be any tickets left.”

Yu Wei put a new bar of soap into the small basin, along with a little towel she’d bought for Yu Hui. Yu Bing kicked the enamel bowl, making a crisp clattering sound.

Seeing Yu Wei’s impatient expression, Yu Bing snorted coldly. “Can’t you stop acting so pathetic all the time? So what if that man doesn’t want you anymore? Just doll yourself up and find another one. You sit around at home all day not even trying to make money. You and that little brat are going to eat this whole family out of house and home!”

He didn’t realize that he was the biggest drain on the family’s finances.

Yu Wei had never liked this little brother much, and now that he said something like that, there was no way she was giving him any money. Not that she had any right now anyway. But even if she did… she still wouldn’t give it to him!

She handed the enamel basin to Yu Hui, then picked up the basin of hot water herself, smirking coldly. “Fine. You know what? You’re absolutely right. I can’t just sit around here leeching off others like a loser. I need to get out and make money!”

Yu Bing’s eyes lit up instantly. “Ha! Finally came to your senses. Alright, hurry up and give me the money—not much, just thirty!”

Thirty? Their parents together didn’t even make a hundred yuan a month, and he wanted to take a third of that in one go?

“No!” she said firmly, turning to leave. Yu Hui tugged at her clothes, casting an uneasy glance at his little uncle.

Yu Bing’s face changed instantly. He stepped in front of her, his tone turning sharper.

“Sister, what the hell are you talking about!? How could you have nothing? That old man gave you money all the time—I don’t believe you broke up and didn’t even get a breakup fee!”

Hah, now we’re talking about breakup fees? Yu Wei sneered inwardly.