WBSGVS Chapter 131 V1

During the National Day holiday, tickets were the hardest to get. Qingli only managed to buy one last time because she bought it nearly ten days in advance, but it was for an inconvenient time slot and was very expensive.

This time, however, buying a ticket back to school was not so easy.

So, she ended up staying at home for another two days.

During these two days, her father, Xia Yong, did not seem to view her with the critical eye that Qingli had expected. Instead, he tried to brainwash her.

“Qingli, could you wash the dishes?”

Such a small task wasn’t much of a problem for Qingli after a meal. She agreed readily, cleaned the table, and took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them.

Xia Yong pretended to get some water from the fridge and walked over, smiling with satisfaction at her well-practiced movements. “When you graduate and start working here, and when your younger siblings are born, you can help your mom with the household chores. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Qingli didn’t understand why some men thought girls should do all the housework. She replied calmly, “What about you?”

“I’ll be working!” Xia Yong answered naturally.

Qingli scoffed. “A job where you get home by 6 p.m.? And then you’ll sit and watch me do everything?”

Xia Yong glared at her, but Qingli continued washing dishes as if she didn’t notice.

Frustrated, Xia Yong’s stomach hurt. He left the kitchen with a dark face, but asking him to do housework was impossible—he was already tired from a full day of work.

Seeing her husband’s frustration, her mother, Yang Qing, laughed and said, “Don’t be mad at Qingli; she’s just a little child.”

Xia Yong grumbled. “She’s not a child! She’s just a bookworm who doesn’t listen to us! I never should have let her study so much!”

At this, Yang Qing nodded in agreement. She added, “You’re right. Look at the neighbor’s daughter—she stopped studying after middle school and went to work. She sends all her salary home, and now she’s 18, back home to get married. Just had her second baby! Qingli is a year older than her! Oh, how I envy that.”

When it came to criticizing their daughter, Xia Yong had a lot to say. Pointing to the neighbor’s daughter, he said, “Exactly. My brother’s daughter is also obedient. She married into a good family—though her husband is older, he’s rich. He even bought a house for her brother. If this baby is a boy, he’ll probably help his brother buy a house too. But I doubt Qingli would help.”

Yang Qing sighed, “Why are other girls so obedient? And then there’s Qingli, who wants to get rid of her second baby…”

Qingli overheard this as she came out of the kitchen. She said coldly, “You’re right. It’s impossible. I’m going to be a lawyer, and that requires experience. I might even need to do post-graduate studies. As for helping buy a house for my brother, unless I win the lottery, maybe I could give you a little for a down payment. But as for taking care of you in old age, I will, but it depends on how I’m doing.”

Xia Yong’s face turned pale. He asked sternly, “What do you mean? Do you want to keep studying? What about your mom and me? And isn’t it your responsibility to take care of us in our old age? And you say it depends on how well you do?”

Yang Qing was also worried. She never expected Qingli to want to keep studying. Given their situation, how could she afford that?

But since her husband spoke first, she kept quiet.

Qingli was surprised. “Aren’t you both fine? You’re only in your fifties, still talking about having a second child, and now you’re worried about the future? Even if I do post-grad studies, it’s only four or five years, much easier than raising a child!”

Yang Qing choked up, momentarily speechless.

Xia Yong was still upset. “This is your younger sibling! What do you mean, it’s easier than raising a child? And we’ve raised you all this time, just for you to turn around and say these things? What’s so good about post-grad studies?”

Seeing her husband’s tone growing more unpleasant, Yang Qing softened her voice to calm him down. “Your dad’s right. Everything’s fine, but continuing your studies isn’t necessary. You’re already in a top university. You can find a job after graduation. Plus, we won’t be able to afford your studies when the second baby is born.”

Qingli smiled sweetly, her voice gentle yet cold. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for my studies if I decide to pursue them.”

Yang Qing was silent, and Xia Yong frowned, still dissatisfied. “Even if that’s the case, you’re still—”

Before he could finish, Yang Qing tugged on his sleeve, signaling him to stop. He bit back his words.

Qingli noticed and, not bothering to respond, said indifferently, “I’m going back to my room.”

Soon, the door closed behind her, and Xia Yong, upset, exclaimed, “Why didn’t you let me speak?”

Although Qingli said she wouldn’t ask them for money, what about the time? If she spent that time working, she could earn tens of thousands. If they didn’t have the second baby, fine, but now that they were having one, the financial pressure at home would increase. How could she waste time like this?

Yang Qing muttered angrily, “Didn’t you see she was upset?”

“I saw,” Xia Yong replied, confused. “But why is she upset? We let her study so much, and now that we have a second baby, she wants to keep studying? What’s going on?”

Yang Qing was speechless. “Do you want to offend our daughter? What if she doesn’t help us in the future?”

Xia Yong immediately shouted, “She dares?!”

Yang Qing said irritably, “There are so many people who don’t even support their parents. Isn’t that quite normal?”

Xia Yong didn’t respond, but he still didn’t believe their daughter would ignore them.

Qingli, of course, wouldn’t ignore them. They had raised the original person for twenty years, and the effort they had put in was real. But, just like how much food you eat depends on how big your stomach is, asking her to sacrifice her future and marriage just for that ungrateful little brother was impossible.

She had said what she needed to say. How things played out next was up to them. After all, their lives were their own, and whether they spent their later years in comfort or hardship was their choice.

After waiting for two days, Qingli finally bought a ticket. On October 4th, she quietly left, just like how she had quietly returned before.

This time, they forgot to give the original person the living expenses for October, but Qingli didn’t ask for them.

She had arranged with the parents of her classmates to continue tutoring for the remaining days of her October break. The payment would be as usual.

With that money, she could support herself.