DLRC – Chapter 63 New Gossip

“Antie Jiang.” Yu Wei smiled at Jiang Aihua. Just then, the passenger-side window rolled down, revealing Huo Mingwang’s outstandingly handsome face that was hard to ignore.

Especially when everyone saw that he was still wearing a suit, Jiang Aihua and her few old friends couldn’t sit still anymore. They dropped what they were doing and ran over.

“Yu Wei, you didn’t come home all day yesterday, I was so worried about you!” Jiang Aihua said with a smile, but her eyes were fixed firmly on the car.

Finally, they landed on Huo Mingwang’s strikingly good-looking face. Oh my, whose young man was this? He was ridiculously handsome!

But she had never seen him before—definitely not someone from their street on Changqing Road. Judging by his appearance, he must be from the city center.

After smiling politely at Jiang Aihua, Yu Wei turned to Huo Mingwang. “Thank you again for today, Mr. Huo. I’ll take my son upstairs now.”

“Goodbye, Uncle Huo!” Yu Hui waved at him. But Huo Mingwang wasn’t one for waving. Chen Liang, on the other hand, waved back cheerfully.

“Bye, little guy!”

Huo Mingwang simply kept his eyes fixed on Yu Wei’s face, staring at her for a long moment. Then he rolled the window back up. Two seconds later, the engine started, and the car slowly pulled away, disappearing down the road and out of sight.

Immediately, Yu Wei was surrounded by Jiang Aihua and her gossip-loving friends, bombarded with questions. But Yu Wei hadn’t fully recovered from her illness and didn’t have the energy to deal with them.

So she briefly explained her situation over the past two days, then held Yu Hui’s hand and said goodbye to the three women.

“Aunt Jiang, I’m going to rest now. See you another day.”

“Alright! Go get some rest, and you’ll recover faster!” Jiang Aihua added, “Hui Hui, sweetheart, take good care of your mom. If you need anything, just come downstairs and find Grandma Jiang.”

Yu Hui: “Okay.”

Yu Wei finally returned home with her son. The moment she opened the door, she headed straight for the bedroom and collapsed heavily onto the soft bed.

But she had barely laid down for two seconds when she bounced back up like she’d been electrocuted.

Oh no, she’d just spent all that time lying in a hospital bed—her clothes must be filthy. She couldn’t lie on the bed with her coat on.

Yu Hui closed the front door behind them. His mom had rushed in so quickly she hadn’t even shut it properly. Luckily, he noticed and took care of it.

“Mom, are you going to sleep now?” He knew she hadn’t slept at all last night, so now that they were home, she definitely wanted to get a good nap.

Yu Wei replied while taking off her coat, “Yes, Mama’s going to sleep now. Hui Hui, go read or draw for a bit. Once I’m rested, I’ll get up and make dinner.”

Speaking of dinner, the lunchbox Yu Hui hadn’t finished at noon was still in the canvas bag Yu Wei had brought home.

“Okay.” Yu Hui considerately went to close the bedroom door for her and was about to leave to look for a book when Yu Wei called out to him.

“Wait, Hui Hui, if you hear the neighbors start cooking, wake me up, alright?”

She didn’t want to sleep too long and end up groggy when she woke up.

The neighbors usually started cooking around six or just before. If she could sleep for an hour or two, that would be perfect.

“Okay,” the little guy agreed obediently, then gently closed the bedroom door behind him.

Yu Wei knew her son was a well-behaved boy. She finished undressing, rested her head on the pillow, and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, Huo Mingwang was dropped off at the office building by Chen Liang. Just as the car was about to stop, he spoke up.

“Don’t go to the office. Take me home instead.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. I’ll take these egg cakes back after I drop you off then.”

“Mm.” Huo Mingwang leaned his head back against the seat, clearly exhausted.

His home was in a prime residential area in the city center, less than a kilometer from his office. It was a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor.

He lived alone. The furniture and decor were extremely simple—perfectly matching his cold, domineering image.

After saying goodbye, Chen Liang drove off. Huo Mingwang went upstairs by himself, opened the door, headed straight to the bedroom, grabbed a change of home clothes, and went into the bathroom.

The shower turned on, and hot water poured over him, streaming down his temples, chest, and abs, flowing along his sharply defined muscles before disappearing from sight.

This time, the shower lasted a full twenty minutes—very unlike his usual ten-minute routine.

Just as he was about to turn off the water, a heavy thud echoed in the bathroom—he had punched the wall.

Even the sound of running water couldn’t drown out his ragged breathing.

He stood there with his eyes closed, water cascading over his head, but he couldn’t shake Yu Wei’s radiant, smiling face from his mind.

He thought he was being pathetic. Pathetic for staying outside that woman’s shop all night.

He hated that part of himself that still couldn’t let go. He had wanted to see her hurt, wanted her to be miserable. But in the end, the one hurting the most was still him.

Clenching his jaw, he cursed under his breath, What a loser!

That evening, the little town grew lively again. The low-hanging sky was filled with the scent of food being cooked. In every household, kitchens sizzled with the sounds of frying.

Yu Hui had spent half an hour reading and another half hour copying from a drawing book. The moment he heard the clinking of spatulas and woks, he excitedly put down his pen—time to go wake up Mama!

Knock knock—

Someone knocked at the front door. Yu Hui turned around in confusion, unsure who it could be. A few seconds later, the slightly hoarse voice of their landlady, Grandma Jiang, called out.

“Yu Hui! Sweetie, are you home?”

“I’m here!” Yu Hui ran over and opened the door to see her beaming face. “Grandma Jiang.”

“Hey, sweetheart, is your mom awake?”

Yu Hui shook his head. “My mom’s still sleeping, but I was just about to wake her up.”

“Oh no, no need. Come with me—Grandma Jiang already made dinner. Come downstairs and eat with me!”

Yu Hui looked at her in confusion and took a step back. “I have to wake Mom up. She’s going to make dinner. I won’t eat with you.”

He wanted to eat with Mama.

“Oh no, sweetheart, your mom’s still sick. Let her rest as much as she can. Come downstairs with Grandma and have dinner first. Let your mom get some more sleep.”

Yu Hui knew it was good for Mom to sleep more, but…

“No, she’ll get hungry. I have to wake her up.” He turned to go back into the house, but his arm was suddenly caught by Jiang Aihua.

“Oh, sweetheart! Isn’t your mom still sleeping? Let her sleep a bit longer. Come eat downstairs with me—Grandma made lots of yummy food today. After you eat, you can bring some up for your mom. That way, she won’t have to cook. Isn’t that better?”

Jiang Aihua knew how sensible Yu Wei’s son was, so she added one last line for persuasion:

“Cooking takes a lot of effort. You can just carry the food upstairs for her—it’s so convenient!”

Yu Hui hesitated for just a moment, but in the end, he let her lead him downstairs.

Before leaving, Grandma Jiang thoughtfully closed the door behind them and asked the little guy, “Do you have the house key?”

Yu Hui nodded obediently and touched the red string around his neck. “I have the key.”

Only then did Jiang Aihua feel at ease and led Yu Hui downstairs for dinner.

At home, Jiang Aihua and her husband took turns cooking—each doing it every other day. It was a fair division of labor, and after decades of marriage, the elderly couple had barely argued about it.

Probably also because Jiang Aihua’s husband had a mild and easy-going nature—he wasn’t the type to argue with her even if he wanted to.

Under the warm yellow kitchen light, two adults and one child sat around a small square wooden table, the atmosphere cozy and harmonious. Jiang Aihua kept picking food for Yu Hui.

“Good boy Yu Hui, come on, eat more. Grandma Jiang specially stir-fried shredded pork for dinner tonight. This is good stuff. Does your mom make this for you?”

Yu Hui took small bites of his rice and nodded softly. “My mommy cooks meat for me every day.”

“Oh my, your family eats well, huh? Meat every day?” Jiang Aihua was a little stunned. In this day and age, who could afford to eat meat at every meal?

Even for a family like hers, let alone Yu Wei—a single mom raising a kid on her own—they couldn’t afford meat every day. At most, they’d treat themselves every other day.

But she figured the kid was probably just exaggerating—he’d had a few meaty meals and assumed it was an everyday thing. So she didn’t take his words too seriously.

Yu Hui didn’t understand why Jiang Aihua was asking that, but he still answered honestly: “Huihui likes eating meat. Mommy said she’ll cook what Huihui likes to eat, so she cooks it every day.”

It was something he was quietly proud of—he was mommy’s most beloved little treasure. That’s why he had to be well-behaved and sensible, to live up to her love.

He was not the ungrateful burden that his grandma called a “freeloader.”

Jiang Aihua’s smile grew even wider. Now that Yu Wei wasn’t around, she could finally talk to Yu Hui alone and satisfy the curiosity she’d been bottling up for months.

So, under the puzzled gaze of her husband, Jiang Aihua finally made her move on the little boy focused on eating.

Grinning, she picked out a big piece of pork and placed it in Yu Hui’s bowl. “Good boy, Grandma Jiang has a question—has your mommy found you… a new daddy?”

Yu Hui was chewing on some greens and looked up at her, confused. “Mommy’s not looking for a new daddy.”

Mommy had said that having Huihui was enough. Huihui didn’t need a new dad.

Jiang Aihua nodded as if she suddenly understood. She held her chopsticks, forgetting to eat, and asked again, “Then your mom must be super tired running that pastry shop all by herself, huh?”

“Mommy is tired, so I help her with the chores!” Yu Hui swallowed his rice and looked earnestly into Jiang Aihua’s eyes. “I feed Gugu and Jiji, I sweep the floor, and I wipe the table for mommy too!”

“Oh my, what a good and thoughtful boy!” Jiang Aihua affectionately ruffled his hair. “Now, tell Grandma—what’s the deal with that car that brought you two home this afternoon?”

“Aihua!” her husband couldn’t stand it anymore. He was annoyed that she had spent the whole dinner pestering the child with a barrage of questions instead of eating.

Jiang Aihua shot Xie Dashih a glare. “Mind your own business! Eat your dinner!”

Then, her face softened again as she smiled at Yu Hui. “Good boy, whose car was that? Why did you and your mom come back in a car?”

Ordinary people didn’t have cars—only factory managers or the few successful private business owners did. In a city like Lucheng, there weren’t many wealthy folks, and those with cars could probably be counted on two hands.

So it wasn’t strange that Jiang Aihua was so curious and persistent in asking.

But little Yu Hui, so pure and naive, had no idea why she was asking these strange questions. He glanced at her eager expression, then at the dinner he’d just eaten.

You shouldn’t speak ill of those who feed you…

“Grandma Jiang, the car belongs to Uncle Huo. It’s not my mommy’s.”

“Oh, of course I know it’s not your mom’s,” Jiang Aihua laughed and pinched his little cheek. “If your mom had a car, why would she still be renting from me!”

Yu Hui looked even more puzzled. He had thought she’d mistaken the car for his mommy’s.

“Then… this Uncle Huo you mentioned, who is he?” Jiang Aihua asked. She recalled the man in the passenger seat that afternoon—black suit, refined features, remarkable presence… he was practically carved out of a magazine. Too handsome!

“Uncle Huo is Mommy’s landlord,” Yu Hui answered honestly. He didn’t know more than that.

Landlord? “Wasn’t your mom’s landlord Old Niu?”

As soon as she said that, Jiang Aihua remembered—right! That shop Yu Wei rented had been bought up shortly after it opened by some big boss. So that man must be the new landlord. This was the first time she’d seen him in person!

Well, of course. Only a big boss with a car could afford to buy Old Niu’s building!

“But why would your new landlord give you two a ride home?”

“Uncle Huo also took my mommy to the hospital, then took me to the hospital, and then drove us both home,” Yu Hui explained. Then added, “Uncle Huo is a good uncle.”

What he didn’t say was that Uncle Huo had also taken him to the hospital cafeteria and bought him yummy food—way better than Grandma Jiang’s stir-fry! But he didn’t want to tell her that. She’d definitely ask even more questions.

Grandma Jiang was a very strange grandma. A very curious grandma.

“Oh, I see,” Jiang Aihua thought aloud. Probably when Yu Wei got sick, she asked her new landlord for help. Otherwise, why would such a big boss have the time to help her out?

Still, Yu Wei was really something—able to get such a boss to drive her around. And that man didn’t look a day over twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Could it be… he’s interested in Yu Hui’s mom?

Now this was exciting! Jiang Aihua felt like she’d discovered a fresh piece of juicy gossip. But even though she asked Yu Hui more questions about Huo Mingwang later, the boy’s answers left her unsatisfied.

All he said were little things like:

“Uncle Huo likes eating Mommy’s cake.”

“Uncle Huo’s car is a bit dangerous, I fell once.”

“There’s Uncle Chen next to Uncle Huo, he laughs a lot!”

Though she didn’t get much useful gossip out of him, Yu Hui answered her patiently. All the while, though, he was thinking about his mommy resting upstairs.

So he ate quickly. When he finished, he wiped his mouth, slid down from the chair, and asked:

“Grandma Jiang, my mommy’s probably hungry. Can I bring her some food?”

Grandma Jiang had asked so many questions… he didn’t want to answer any more.

“Sure, take it to her!” Jiang Aihua knew she’d gone overboard. She blushed slightly and called her husband to get a big bowl from the cupboard. She also grabbed a pair of clean chopsticks and picked out food for Yu Wei. “Good boy, what dishes does your mommy like?”

Actually, there wasn’t much food left on the table. Although she said she’d made a lot, two adults and one child could eat plenty. Adding another person meant there’d only be scraps—some greens, some pickled vegetables.

As for the shredded pork… probably only a few strands left.

Yu Hui frowned at the leftovers on the table. “Just pick whatever, Grandma Jiang.”

There wasn’t really anything good left anyway. The shredded pork was okay, but there had been very little to begin with. He barely got a few pieces before it was gone.

But then he remembered! In Mommy’s cloth bag, there was still the half-box of delicious hospital lunch he saved for her at noon!

If he added the greens from Grandma Jiang, Mommy would definitely have enough to eat!

He took the bowl she handed over and tiptoed up the stairs, carefully climbing step by step. Halfway up, he heard thump, thump, thump footsteps ahead.

He looked up and saw Du Yuerong striding down in high heels.

“Oh, hey kiddo. What a coincidence,” Du Yuerong grinned. Ever since that time Yu Hui pulled away from her to go find Yu Wei, she couldn’t resist teasing him whenever she saw him.

Yu Hui was a little scared of this fierce big sister, but still greeted her politely: “Hello, big sister.”

His voice was so quiet, Du Yuerong barely heard it.

She laughed and walked over, stomping her heels loudly, the sharp clicks echoing through the quiet stairwell.

“What’s that you’re holding?” she asked curiously, stepping closer. Yu Hui backed down a step cautiously, which made her laugh even more.

She looked at his guarded little face and found it hilarious.

“Are you scared of me, kiddo?” She bent down, putting her face close to his. “Big sister is so pretty—why are you afraid of me?”

Yu Hui was so startled by her sudden closeness, he nearly fell. Luckily, Du Yuerong grabbed his collar and stopped him from tumbling down.

“Be careful! If you fall down these stairs, your brains will spill out!”

Yu Hui was so scared by her exaggeration that he clutched his bowl of food tighter. The faint savory smell reached Du Yuerong’s nose, and under the dim hallway light, she finally got a clear look at what he was holding.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Big sis has to go to work. Bye, kiddo!”

Du Yuerong trotted downstairs with a spring in her step, while Yu Hui quickly continued his climb, his pace noticeably faster. Before he disappeared upstairs, he even peeked back down.

That big sister was so weird. She kept calling him “kiddo.” Didn’t she know his name was Yu Hui?