She just brought some personal clothing and also a thick bag of books.
This winter break was all about doing problem sets, nothing but problem sets.
Zhao Mei spent half the day chatting with close neighbors outside before returning home, only to find the kitchen stove cold and the laundry she had reminded them to wash before leaving, still in the basin.
Zhao Mei was furious, "Huang Lina, get your ass out here."
"Didn’t I instruct you before I left to remember to do the laundry? Look at that!"
"And it’s so late already, yet you have no idea about cooking."
Zhao Mei really couldn’t understand how she ended up with such a fool for a daughter; she didn’t expect her to be a great cook, but at the very least, she should remember to cook.
Huang Lina, at home looking at celebrity posters, ignored Zhao Mei’s scolding as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
It’s not like she’s the only one eating; why is everyone fixating on her to cook? Can’t Huang Xin cook? Can’t Zhao Mei herself cook?
All they do is gossip all day, never thinking to cook, yet they call her lazy. Huang Lina couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Zhao Mei complained in the yard for a long time, only to realize no one was paying her any attention, which infuriated her even more.
She stormed right up to Huang Lina’s door, "Huang Lina, come out this instant. You do nothing all day; I have no idea what you’re good for."
"Cook something for me, and if you don’t, just wait—today, I definitely won’t give you anything to eat."
Zhao Mei shouted for a long time, only to find there was no response. She was so angry, but she dared not kick the door, since fixing it costs money.
She could opt not to fix the door, but in the dead of winter, with the wind howling in, that’s not comfortable.
And if she got sick, the money spent on medicine would still come from her pocket. Thinking of her ever-diminishing savings, Zhao Mei was genuinely reluctant to part with her money.
"Really now, it’s already winter break, why hasn’t she come back?" Zhao Mei thought of Huang Man and felt a pang of displeasure.
With the Spring Festival approaching and not many days left, they hadn’t even bought the New Year’s goods, just waiting for Huang Man to come back.
Of course, she couldn’t start by asking her to pay, but would instead invite her to pick out the goods together.
She didn’t believe that once they were there, Huang Man wouldn’t end up paying.
Plus, when Huang Man returned, she could do the housework; the house was filthy now and nobody had cleaned it, they were all waiting for her.
And the kitchen—Zhao Mei, despite her great patience, was finding it hard to bear looking at the greasy stains on the stove.
Huang Man came back amidst Zhao Mei’s expectations, and as soon as she entered the yard, she saw the uneven, pitted mud ground, as well as the reflective surface of the dining table when she passed through the hall.
To see reflections on a table is a sign of how long it had been since it was properly wiped.
The chairs too had grease stains; Huang Man shook her head continuously, "Really now."
In a family of three, with Zhao Mei not working and at home all day, just one hour a day could keep the house clean.
Forget it, she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Huang Man, carrying her luggage, came home and saw a thick layer of dust as soon as she entered her room.
From the dust that was stirred up, she could tell that during this time, Li Na probably hadn’t stayed over at all.
Naturally, with the walls covered in nothing but formulas, it was enough to deter Li Na.
Huang Man went to the sink, drew some water, and began to clean her room.
Zhao Mei, hearing noises from the kitchen, peeked and saw it was Huang Man who had returned. This excited her, "Xiaoman, you’re on break!"
"Yes, I’m on break." From the tone, one could hear Zhao Mei’s excitement.
It seemed that this person really anticipated her return, thinking another pair of working hands had come back.
"Um, have you eaten?" Zhao Mei looked at the ingredients that still needed to be prepared, hoping that Huang Man would offer to do it herself.
"You haven’t cooked? Wait for me to cook." It was the only possibility that Zhao Mei could think of that would preoccupy her mind, that someone hadn’t cooked at all and was just waiting for her to return and cook.
Although she had been away for half a year, the moment she returned, that person’s words were still unrelenting.
"Yeah, I’m waiting for you to cook." Zhao Mei smiled at Huang Man, too.
"I’ve eaten already, you take your time cooking." Huang Man wouldn’t be so eager, "After all, you have been the cook for half a year, so cooking should be no challenge for you."
Huang Man took a basin and went to her room to clean, while Zhao Mei, fuming, watched her leave, really wanting to punch her a few times.
Knowing full well that she couldn’t cook, knowing full well the meals she made weren’t tasty, yet she stubbornly refused to help. She truly didn’t understand how she had given birth to such an indifferent daughter.
"By the way, I’m going out to tutor tomorrow, so don’t bother preparing any meals for me."
"You’re going out to tutor again?" Zhao Mei was shocked to hear this news. If Huang Man were going out to tutor, she wouldn’t have time to go shopping with her for the New Year’s goods.
In that case, would she need to do the shopping and handle the money as well?
Zhao Mei was very unhappy, "We’re about to celebrate the New Year, and we haven’t even shopped for the New Year’s goods..."
Zhao Mei rambled for a while, implying that many things still needed to be bought, and that they needed Huang Man to join the effort.
Just as she expected, "Haven’t shopped for the New Year’s goods? No problem, there’s still Huang Xin, he’s a grown boy."
"He can take on these responsibilities."
"Alright, let’s not talk about this, I still need to clean the house, otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight."
With the basin in hand, Huang Man went inside to clean, ignoring Zhao Mei’s various fits of rage.
Zhao Mei returned to the kitchen, faced with the task of cooking, her irritation was no less intense, so she simply quit.
As her voice fell, two people immediately rushed out from two rooms.
Huang Xin, who had long been starving, came out to find only one vegetable dish and a soup on the dining table, and it was tofu soup.
Huang Xin’s face showed clear dissatisfaction, "What is this, a tofu feast?"
"You’re mistaken; at least a tofu feast has more than ten dishes." Zhao Mei walked over with her own bowl, "Eat it or not, it’s up to you."
"If you’re not going to do chores, this is the kind of meal I make."
"If you dislike it, either shut up and endure, or cook for yourselves."
"I did prepare the ingredients. It’s not like no one can cook."
"If you’re not cooking, then this is the level you’ll get from me." She didn’t believe they would continue not doing chores under these circumstances.
"I heard my sister came back." Huang Xin had no expectations for Huang Lina’s culinary skills, which were only slightly better than Zhao Mei’s and also nothing to rave about.
He was truly looking forward to Huang Man’s cooking; she had been studying before, and now with the winter break, she should be able to cook, right?
Zhao Mei snorted coldly, "I can’t persuade her."
"She said she has to tutor and won’t have time to shop for New Year’s goods." Zhao Mei knew that once this news came out, they would be even more upset.
What? Even though Huang Xin had been frugal these days, only agreeing to necessary expenditures, money was still spent a lot. He had been hoping Huang Man would shop for the New Year’s goods, so they could have a respectable celebration without spending too much money.