WBSGVS Chapter 138 V2

Yang Qing and Xia Yong’s faces turned black with embarrassment.

Especially Xia Yong. He bellowed, “What are you trying to say? Our family’s finances weren’t great! You were able to manage on your own—did you expect us to send you money?”

Qingli chuckled. “Dad, didn’t you and Mom refuse to give me living expenses for two whole months? If I hadn’t started working, I would’ve starved.”

Silence.

Even her second aunt felt a little awkward now.

She had insisted on making this call, but now she was starting to regret it.

After a brief pause, she shot Xia Yong a glare and scolded, “A’Yong, you and your wife were really out of line. How can you stop supporting your daughter when she’s only a sophomore? What kind of parents do that?”

Yang Qing, whose skin was thinner, had already turned beet red and dared not say a word.

Xia Yong gritted his teeth and muttered, “Well… it was because we had just found out about the second child. Pregnant women get forgetful, and Yang Qing must’ve just… forgotten!”

“Right!” Yang Qing hastily nodded, going along with the excuse.

His second aunt shot them both a glare before sighing and turning back to the phone. “A’Li, your parents were in the wrong. Next time, just tell me. I’ll stand up for you. Do you have enough money?”

“That should be enough for now. I have to get back to work.”

After stirring up an awkward silence, Qingli was satisfied and prepared to hang up.

Her second aunt didn’t dare to say anything more and quickly ended the call before nudging her husband.

Her second uncle immediately raised his glass. “Alright, let’s have a drink first…”

The atmosphere quickly livened up again, and everyone laughed and chatted as if the earlier awkward moment had never happened.

Only Xia Zhihua sat off to the side, pouting with a sour expression.

As his sister, she hadn’t even spoken a proper word to him. Qingli was way too cold-hearted!

If he had just been reborn, he might not have cared, but after everything that had happened—especially after being forced to learn an art—he couldn’t help but worry.

Even though he knew their father was still capable of working, he still had an unsettling fear.

What if, in a few years, their parents became completely incapable of providing for him? Would his life turn out even worse than in his previous life? Then what was the point of being reborn? What rotten luck!

Two years ago, Xia Yong had turned sixty and could no longer handle heavy labor. His back would ache every few days, and his strength had significantly declined. On top of that, medical expenses kept piling up, and his earnings were nowhere near what they used to be.

The construction foreman, afraid of potential accidents, refused to let him work anymore.

With no other options, Xia Yong returned to his previous job as a security guard, earning just over 4,000 yuan a month. Meanwhile, his mother, Yang Qing, was forced to find work as well. But having given birth at an older age, her body had suffered greatly, and she was no longer young. No one would hire her as a cashier anymore, so she ended up taking cleaning jobs, earning a little over 2,000 yuan a month.

Xia Yong’s job was relatively easy, but Yang Qing’s was exhausting. And despite all that, she still had to do all the cooking and housework at home, leaving her completely drained.

When Xia Zhihua came home from school, there was often no hot meal waiting for him. Sometimes, he wouldn’t get to eat until eight or nine at night.

That was bad enough, but what if one of their parents collapsed? Their entire household would fall apart. And considering they were both in their sixties, it was only a matter of time.

But he was still just a kid!

That’s why he had wanted to get along with his sister—at least to have someone to rely on in the future.

Now, thanks to his parents, even their relatives couldn’t persuade her to care.

Xia Zhihua felt a shiver run down his spine. He shot his parents a resentful look.

Didn’t they realize how old they were? They wouldn’t be able to provide for him much longer, and yet they’d managed to completely alienate the one person who could have helped him!

—

Shortly after Xia Zhihua’s tenth birthday, his paternal grandparents, now elderly and frail, fell ill. After some struggle, their two daughters and one son ultimately decided to stop treatment.

Qingli rushed back just in time to see them one last time.

The two elderly people had both fallen ill around the same time, and their conditions were similar. The only thing keeping them hanging on was their concern for their youngest grandson.

The moment they saw Qingli, their eyes lit up with excitement.

The relatives all assumed it was because they favored Qingli and had been longing to see her.

A distant uncle nudged her forward. “Go on, hurry and say goodbye to your grandparents.”

Qingli stepped inside. The room was crowded with people—friends of the elderly couple, grandchildren, in-laws, and extended family.

The atmosphere was heavy. Some people were crying, others were offering words of comfort, and some looked lost and confused.

As soon as Qingli approached, Grandma Xia reached out with trembling hands, her voice hoarse but urgent. “Come here!”

Qingli complied.

Her hand was immediately grasped by her grandmother, who, with tears in her eyes, struggled to say, “Ah Li, your little brother is still young. Your parents are getting older and won’t be able to work much longer. You’re the eldest—you have to take care of him. At the very least, make sure he gets married…”

Xia Zhihua, who had been quietly standing to the side, perked up in anticipation and turned to look at his sister.

Qingli patted her grandmother’s hand reassuringly and smiled. “Don’t worry, Grandma. He’ll get married. And if he can’t, well, you shouldn’t be sad about that either. After all, if a man can’t even manage to get himself a wife, then maybe it’s better for him not to pass on those weak genes and waste society’s resources.”

Grandma Xia: “???”

Everyone else in the room: “???”

Xia Zhihua’s heart sank. His worst fears were confirmed. Even in the face of their dying grandparents, Xia Qingli refused to promise that she would help him.

Then what the hell was the point of being reborn?!

“Ah Li!” His eldest aunt finally couldn’t hold back and scolded her. “You’re his big sister!”

Qingli tilted her head at her and replied seriously, “Exactly. And because I’m the eldest, doesn’t that mean I should come first? I was born first, and I still don’t have a house. But you want me to get him a house and help him find a wife? Shouldn’t you be worrying about me instead? I mean, my parents only ever cared about my little brother. I’m the real pitiful one here~”

With that, she grinned and leaned in toward Grandma Xia, asking with feigned innocence, “Isn’t that right, Grandma?”

Everyone: “…”

In the end, it was Second Aunt who dragged Qingli aside.

Having witnessed the fiasco during Xia Zhihua’s tenth birthday celebration, she felt a bit of sympathy for this niece of hers. But seeing how blunt and confrontational Qingli was, she lowered her voice and said, “Can’t you just play along a little? Even if you don’t mean it, you could at least say something to comfort them.”

Qingli sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Second Aunt, I may not have many strengths, but if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s being honest. Is honesty that hard to accept these days?”

Second Aunt glared at her. But instead of being intimidated, Qingli just chuckled.

This girl was certainly stubborn.

Second Aunt sighed. “Still, your little brother is already here, and your parents are getting old. Are you not going to help them at all?”

“Of course I will!” Qingli declared firmly.

Second Aunt was pleasantly surprised, only for her to continue, “I won’t let him starve to death. That’s the biggest kindness I can give him! So don’t worry. If our parents are ever truly unable to work, he’ll at least have food to eat.”

She shook her head, sighed dramatically, and added in an aggrieved tone, “Even though this is all my parents’ fault, what can I do? I’m their daughter. I guess I’m just too filial~”

Second Aunt: “…”

Was this girl completely out of touch with reality?!