Deng Weixia thought about Cheng Su’s words all the way home, and upon reaching the entrance of his rented apartment, he took out a cigarette and squatted by the stairs to finish it before taking out his keys to enter.
Once inside, Deng Weixia immediately felt the difference between his home and Cheng Su’s Household.
It wasn’t about the quality of the house, but the atmosphere and feeling.
At Cheng Su’s Household, it’s clean and tidy, and being there feels comfortable and cozy, whereas his own home isn’t very messy, but not that tidy either, yet coming in felt lifeless and suffocating.
His mom sat on the chair, her face dark and somber, with some indistinct emotion in it. She instinctively looked behind him when she saw him; realizing there was no one else, her brows furrowed, and her facial features scrunched together.
"Home?" the aunt asked him.
"Hmm?" Deng Weixia took off his shoes.
The aunt’s expression was unpleasant; she made a gesture to Gou Sheng, giving his hand a push.
Gou Sheng then loudly said, "Dad, where’s Mom? She had a fight with Grandma and then left."
Deng Weixia looked at his aunt.
The aunt said with a dark face, "She went out early afternoon and hasn’t come back yet. As a woman with home and family, how can she have no sense of propriety and shame this late..."
"Mom, Wenjing is at Cheng Su’s Household," Deng Weixia said.
Weixia, you must stand firm.
His cousin’s words echoed in his mind.
Looking at the angry and old face in front of him, Deng Weixia felt a sadness in his heart and said, "Mom, by saying this, are you trying to push us to the verge?"
He closed his eyes briefly, opened them again, and said, "Mom, if you don’t acknowledge us, that’s okay; we’ll just leave. You can live in the house, and I’ll move somewhere else with Wenjing. Every month, I’ll give you living expenses, so I won’t be bothering you. Is that acceptable?"
His aunt was startled, pointing a shaking finger at him, "What did you say? Say that again?"

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