Tan Lin’s nostrils flared with anger. "Support them in their old age? If she lets me hold on to the money, isn’t it the same as me supporting Mom and Dad?"

"That’s Tan You’s money, not yours," Cheng Wenhui said coolly. "Don’t even think about touching it."

"Touching it? Am I not doing this for the good of the family? I just want to save the money. Have I been spending it recklessly?" Tan Lin didn’t understand why Cheng Wenhui wasn’t on his side this time.

"You found out yesterday, and you didn’t say a single word to me. You just went and handled it behind my back!" The more Tan Lin thought about it, the angrier he got. He was clearly furious with what Cheng Wenhui and Tan You had done.

He didn’t bother asking Tan Yue. In his eyes, Tan Yue was just a child. What could she possibly know?

Cheng Wenhui was very calm. "If you hadn’t threatened to stop paying for her tuition and living expenses, would she have had to hide it from you? Why don’t you look at your own actions for a change? If she had told you, would that money have ever ended up in her hands?"

"She’s close with Dad, isn’t that obvious?"

"And you—stop threatening to cut off the kids’ tuition and living expenses all the time. She took you seriously. You know what she’s like; she takes things to heart and believes what you say."

"Well, now her tuition and living expenses for all three years of high school are covered. She doesn’t need you for that anymore."

Tan Lin was furious and started to call home, but even after dialing the number, he hung up. In the end, he could only sit to the side and sulk.

Cheng Wenhui glanced at him. She knew Tan Lin’s personality well. ’He knows the money will never be his. No matter how angry he gets now, it won’t change anything, so he might as well just swallow his anger.’

Tan Lin’s reaction was clearly within Tan You’s expectations. After she and Tan Deming got home, Tan You received a call from Tan Lin. His tone on the other end was surprisingly friendly. "You home?"

"Yeah." Tan You raised an eyebrow slightly. ’I knew it. Dad’s such a weathervane. He’ll suck up to whoever has money. Oh well, he’s my dad. He is what he is. It’s not like I can trade him in, right?’

Seeing that he was at least trying to be sensible, Tan You decided not to leave him hanging. It was good to throw him a bone once in a while. "Before school starts, I’ll take you to buy a new phone. You’ve been using yours for several years; it’s time for an upgrade. We deserve to use new phones too."

Tan Lin’s face immediately lit up. "Really? You’re really buying me a new phone? Your Second Grand-uncle was bragging to me that he had several old phones, and when I asked him for one, he wouldn’t part with it."

Tan You suddenly felt a pang in her heart. Some people were full of pride, valuing their dignity and face above all else. But not Tan Lin. To save a thousand yuan or so on a phone, he would shamelessly ask his uncle for a hand-me-down rather than spend the money himself.

She paused. "Yes, I’ll buy you a new phone. As long as you behave and focus on raising Tan Yue properly."

"You little brat! What way is that to talk? I’m your father!" Tan Lin’s good mood didn’t last three seconds. The moment he heard Tan You tell him to "behave," he was scowling.

Tan You was perfectly calm. "The phone."

"Fine, I’ll definitely behave." Tan Lin’s expression changed in a flash. "You have to take me to pick it out. I want to choose a good-looking one."

Tan You replied, "Okay. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I need to go make dinner."

After hanging up, Tan Lin’s face was still wreathed in smiles. Cheng Wenhui looked at him, then at Tan Yue, and suddenly felt a sense of hope for the future.

Wang Hunv might be illiterate, but she could recognize numbers. When she saw the figure on the contract, she smiled so widely her eyes crinkled into slits. "That’s so much money!"

"I’ve never seen so much money in my whole life."

Tan You flicked the passbook. "Don’t go around talking about this. There’ll be more and more money in the future."

"Of course! You’re already so good at making money, you’ll definitely earn even more later." Wang Hunv chuckled. Though she was a real piece of work, she wasn’t a blabbermouth who would air the family’s business in public.

Tan Deming watched Tan You expertly handle his wife without saying a word. He agreed with what Wang Hunv had said. ’Things can only get better from here. It’s not like Tan You will be worse off in the future, right?’

Fifty thousand yuan in 2006 was a considerable sum, and it would still be a decent amount even a decade later. Everyone in the Tan family kept their lips sealed; no one mentioned it to outsiders.

The only changes in the Tan family were that Tan Deming now had a mobile phone and the house had a new washing machine. Other than that, everything was as usual.

"I offered to buy you the latest model, but you refused and insisted on getting a senior’s phone."

Tan Deming replied, "There’s no point to those fancy phones. Making calls and sending texts is enough. I have my radio to listen to. It’s not easy for you to earn money; we have to spend it wisely."

Tan You chuckled. "Yes, my grandpa is so thrifty."

Tan Deming replied, "Who isn’t frugal at our age? If you can’t earn much, you have to find ways to save. I never even dared to dream of the life we have now."

"Take this phone, for instance. I never thought I’d own one. Every time I go out now, people ask me how I could afford a mobile phone."

Tan You was curious. "What did you say?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I said your dad bought it for me, to build up his reputation. He’s already asking you for a new phone, so what’s wrong with having him do a little something for you in return?" Tan Deming said righteously, having laid out Tan Lin’s role perfectly.

Tan You’s lips curled into a smile. "You’re right. It’s about time he was of some use."

With the Tan family’s fortunes improving, people in the village were bound to get curious. They needed an explanation, and it was time for Tan Lin to step up. After all, he wasn’t getting that new phone for free.

Once she became an adult, she wouldn’t need Tan Lin and Cheng Wenhui to act as a front for her anymore. By then, she would be much freer than she was now.

Knowing that Tan You had money and that she and Tan Deming would be living with Tan You in the future, Wang Hunv was overjoyed. She understood that living with her eldest granddaughter was much better than living with her son and daughter-in-law.

She couldn’t count on her own daughter, and she didn’t get along with her daughter-in-law, so staying with her eldest granddaughter was the best choice. The key was that her granddaughter was generous, never harsh with her, and had a good temper.

One day during a meal, Wang Hunv brought up how good-tempered Tan You was. Tan Deming nearly choked on a mouthful of porridge. After forcing it down, his expression was complex.

"Tan You has a good temper?"

"Yeah, isn’t her temper great? She never argues with people and rarely gets angry." Wang Hunv said it with complete conviction. As far as she was concerned, Tan You was perfect in every way.

Tan Deming glanced at Tan You. "You... Never mind."

While Tan You was washing the dishes, Tan Deming whispered, "Your grandma... is she blind? You, of all people, with that temper of yours, and she says you’re good-tempered? The way I see it, you treat your grandma like you’re humoring a child."

Tan You smiled, not at all surprised that Tan Deming saw her true nature. "I do have a bit of a temper. Only you seem to have noticed, Grandpa. Is that a bad thing?"

Tan Deming whispered back, "It’s a good thing. Having a bit of a temper means you won’t be easily pushed around in the future."