Tan Deming sighed. "They’re not really trying to control you. They just want you to back down."

"Impossible. I was too young to understand before, but I get it now. I will never bow my head or back down for anyone in my life." Tan You said, pumping water from the well. "No one is going to suppress me or control my life."

Looking at Tan You’s ramrod-straight back, Tan Deming was silent for a long time. "But it will be very hard for you. Raising you is their responsibility."

"Responsibility or not, it is what it is," Tan You said, looking up at the sky. "Let’s talk about something happy. If my manuscript gets accepted, Grandpa, you have to come with me to sign the contract. I’ll have to get you a bank card, too."

"If the payment is good, I’ll buy you a cell phone..."

Amused by the pie-in-the-sky promise Tan You was painting, Tan Deming suppressed his sighs and tapped her on the head. "Alright, but it has to be better than your dad’s phone. I have high standards, you know."

"Definitely better than his," Tan You played along. "I’ll get you one that can play music..."

The two of them laughed and joked, changing the subject. Neither mentioned Tan Lin again. Looking at the entire Tan family, who wasn’t suffering? Except for little Tan Yue, who was too young to remember things, every member of the Tan family seemed to be drowning in misery.

But no matter how much you suffer, you shouldn’t take your frustrations out on others. Tan You admitted that Tan Lin worked hard away from home, scrimping on food and clothes. But then again, that money was earned by Wang Hunv from her own farming. Did she not have the right to spend it?

Besides, a birthday only comes once a year. Tan You didn’t think it was wrong to enjoy herself within their limited means.

All in all, Tan Lin was seriously overstepping his bounds.

By the time the grandparent and grandchild finished the dishes and returned to the kitchen, Wang Hunv had mostly composed herself. Tan You glanced at Tan Deming. He smiled. "My old gal, should I draw you a bath?"

Wang Hunv immediately broke into a smile. "Oh, yes."

Tan You couldn’t help but smile. It was clear that while Tan Lin could hurt Wang Hunv’s feelings, in her grandma’s heart, her grandpa was the most important. As long as her grandpa smiled at her, her grandma would forget all her unhappiness.

As for Tan Lin, having been so thoroughly humiliated to his face by Tan You, he was naturally in a foul mood. He was a very short-tempered man. At the slightest displeasure, he’d throw pots and smash bowls at home, as if that somehow proved how capable he was.

Cheng Wenhui was angry too, but she didn’t use Tan Lin’s cell phone to call back. Instead, she used the excuse of going out to buy salt, taking Tan Yue with her, to find a public telephone.

Tan You wasn’t at all surprised to receive Cheng Wenhui’s call. By now, the old couple had returned to their room in the east wing, so Tan You could speak freely.

Listening to Tan You explain the whole story, Cheng Wenhui was silent for a moment before saying, "That’s your father. When you talk to him like that, he loses face."

"I don’t care if he loses face or not," Tan You said coldly. "He didn’t even try to get the facts straight and just started laying into me. Grandma certainly has her faults, but her birthday is only once a year. Did he have to be such a killjoy right then?"

"And threatening to stop paying my tuition and living expenses whenever he gets angry? I find that laughable. Raising me is your responsibility. Since when did it become a tool for him to threaten me with?"

Cheng Wenhui sighed. "How have you been at home lately? Have you been studying?"

"Doesn’t Grandpa call you all the time?" Tan You said quietly. "I haven’t been to the book rental store. You didn’t give me any money."

Cheng Wenhui retorted, "Do you need to spend money on anything at home? It’s not like your grandparents don’t have money."

Tan You gave a small laugh. "Which is why Dad got so upset when Grandma spent a little money on her birthday. Like you said, it’s my grandparents’ money, not his."

"He wants to control everything under the sun, and now he wants to control my grandparents’ purse strings too? Grandma is not that easygoing."

Cheng Wenhui also had a headache. "Alright, don’t take your father’s words to heart. He just says things to blow off steam. Do you really think I’d stop paying your tuition and living expenses?"

"I’ve already accepted how poorly you did on your high school entrance exams. I was just hoping you would take it seriously in high school, work harder, and learn from your mistakes. Besides, your first-year tuition has already been paid."

Tan You responded softly, "Mm."

Cheng Wenhui asked, "Your aunt really didn’t come back today? Didn’t your grandma go out to the east road to check a few times?"

Tan You knew Cheng Wenhui and her grandma didn’t get along. "She went several times. Not even a phone call. And then Dad called tonight and said all that... Grandma was crying earlier."

"Serves her right. Someone needs to put her in her place," Cheng Wenhui said. "Your grandma is a very harsh person. She wasn’t good to me, to you, or to your sister. Back when we were still living at home, whenever she stewed meat, only your dad would get a share. Nobody else got any."

"When I gave birth to your sister, she didn’t help me during the postpartum confinement period, nor did she help with the fields..."

At the mention of Wang Hunv, Cheng Wenhui was filled with resentment. It was clear she had suffered a lot at Wang Hunv’s hands in the past.

Tan You hadn’t understood before, but now she understood perfectly. "I know. She’s a benighted old woman, and she really was terrible in the past. But she’ll get old eventually. If you two really can’t get along, she and Grandpa can just come live with me in the future."

"Live with you? How old are you? Can you support a family?" Cheng Wenhui laughed. "It’s a good thing your grandfather is reasonable. Otherwise, life would have been truly unbearable." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tan You’s tone turned serious. "I’m serious."

Cheng Wenhui smiled. "Alright, I believe you. I heard from your grandpa that you’re studying high school material now? Have you mastered the middle school curriculum? You need to build a strong foundation. Don’t get ahead of yourself."

Tan You said, "I finished the middle school stuff a long time ago. I’m on second-year high school math now."

Cheng Wenhui: "Good. You should focus on the sciences later. It’ll be easier to find a job after you graduate."

Tan You didn’t argue with Cheng Wenhui, since she planned to study the sciences anyway. She just murmured in agreement. Watching Cheng Wenhui talk on the phone with Tan You, Tan Yue suddenly leaned in and said, "Sis, are you okay at home? Do you miss me?"

A genuine smile touched Tan You’s lips. "I’m doing great. I do miss you. What did you have for dinner?"

Tan Yue talked with Tan You for two minutes, then Cheng Wenhui said, glancing at the time, "That’s enough. These calls cost money. Let’s hang up for now."

After hanging up, Tan You let out a soft laugh. She didn’t normally like children, but she had practically raised Tan Yue herself, so she couldn’t help but be more patient with her.

She hadn’t expected Cheng Wenhui to say what she did tonight. It seemed her relationship with Tan Lin wasn’t as solid as a rock after all. This meant there was room to maneuver. Her grandpa, Tan Deming, wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of everything anymore.

After all, Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui were her legal guardians. Tan Deming was her grandfather, which made certain things inconvenient. Signing contracts, for example. Even though she hadn’t heard back about her manuscript yet, that didn’t stop Tan You from preparing for a rainy day.