Da Tian Ting heard toilet come out of Ning Kan’s mouth, and her senses returned to her. It hurt to accept that her family saw her as their slave.
‘Qing Feng, Ming Sheng and I used up our monthly allowance,’ Ning Kan said from the kitchen. ‘Tell Tian Ting to pay the water bill, and take out the garbage on the way out.’
‘Ning Kan, shut your mouth!’ Da Qing Feng yelled from the living room.
Ning Kan ran to the living room, and crossed her arms.
‘Why did you raise your voice at me?’ Ning Kan asked. ‘Did you take the wrong medicine…’
Ning Kan thought she was seeing things. Impossible, how could Da Tian Ting suddenly turned into a beautiful woman after a few days?
‘Tian Ting, don’t think you can steal Duan Hua from Ming Sheng because you polished yourself up,’ Ning Kan warned.
‘I…’ Da Tian Ting said.
‘Tian Ting, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?’ Ning Kan asked. ‘Duan Hua is marrying Ming Sheng in a few days. You shouldn’t scheme to break up a happy couple. When will you accept Duan Hua hates you? If you came here hoping to see Duan Hua then you wasted a trip. Duan Hua took Ming Sheng to a dinner function tonight.’
Da Qing Feng stood, and slapped Ning Kan’s cheek.
‘Ning Kan!’ Da Qing Feng said. ‘Ming Sheng’s stealing Duan Hua from Tian Ting made me ashamed to call Ming Sheng my daughter. Ning Kan, I didn’t expect you to say hurtful things to Tian Ting like this. You and Ming Sheng only know how to gang up on Tian Ting.’
‘Da Qing Feng, you dare hit me because of an outsider!’ Ning Kan said.
‘How can you call my big brother’s daughter an outsider?’ Da Qing Feng asked.
‘Your big brother died ten years ago, his daughter has nothing to do with our family,’ Ning Kan said.
‘Ning Kan!’ Da Ming Sheng said.
‘Did I say anything wrong?’ Ning Kan asked. ‘What did he give you after he died? He only gave you a burden called Da Tian Ting. We took care of her for ten years so we owe him nothing.’
‘You!’ Da Qing Feng said.
‘Da Ming Sheng, I’ve resented you for ten years,’ Ning Kan said. ‘You only care about Tian Ting. Have you forgotten that Ming Sheng is your daughter? How can you stand here, and let Tian Ting scheme to take Duan Hua away from Ming Sheng? Don’t you care about Ming Sheng’s happiness?’
Da Tian Ting finally understood in the eyes of the people she called family for ten years, she was an outsider.
Feng Kai Ze stood, pulled Da Tian Ting up and hugged her.
‘Tian Ting, you have me,’ Feng Kai Ze said. ‘I’m your family. You can rely on me to protect you.’
Feng Kai Ze’s warm words made Da Tian Ting’s cold heart melt a little.
‘In the future you’re not allowed to come here without me,’ Feng Kai Ze said.
Ning Kan noticed Feng Kai Ze after she heard his voice.
‘Tian Ting, you and he…’ Ning Kan said.
It was the first time Ning Kan saw Da Tian Ting hug a man.
‘He is Tian Ting’s boyfriend, a better man than Duan Hua,’ Da Qing Feng said. ‘Ning Kan, if you live without a conscience, one day you’ll face bad karma. You accused me of not caring about Ming Sheng. Tell me, how I should show that I care about Ming Sheng. Help Ming Sheng steal her cousin’s fiance? Ming Sheng has graduated for three years. What has she done for three years? She slept in her cousin’s fiance’s bed for three years! It’s Tian Ting who worked relentlessly for ten years to help me share the burden of supporting you and Ming Sheng. What did you and Ming Sheng spend Tian Ting’s and my money on? You and Ming Sheng spent it on clothes and makeup to use to steal a shallow man like Duan Hua from Tian Ting!’
‘I…’ Ning Kan said.
‘Ning Kan, take a good at yourself,’ Da Qing Feng said. ‘Tian Ting moved out because of Ming Sheng’s betrayal. How can you stand here and ask Tian Ting to clean the toilet, pay the water bill, buy groceries and take out the garbage? Have you forgotten Ming Sheng is your daughter? Why aren’t you asking your daughter to work to support you?’
‘You…’ Ning Kan said.
‘Ning Kan, do you actually believe Ming Sheng will be happy if she marries Duan Hua?’ Da Qing Feng asked. ‘I’m telling you now, Ming Sheng and Duan Hua will have an unhappy marriage. You and Ming Sheng are going to regret what both of you did to Tian Ting. My big brother’s will has a clause about what happens if Duan Hua and Tian Ting don’t marry each other.’
‘Qing Feng, I didn’t think about his will,’ Ning Kan said. ‘Is it wrong of me to want my daughter to be happy?’
‘Ning Kan, how selfish can you be?’ Da Qing Feng asked.
‘I…’ Ning Kan said.
‘Aunt, you don’t have to worry,’ Da Tian Ting said. ‘I have no intention of stealing Duan Hua from Ming Sheng, because Duan Hua is a lowlife.’
‘You!’ Ning Kan said.
Ning Kan believed Da Ming Sheng would be happy married to a rich man like Shang Duan Hua. She thought Da Tian Ting looked down on Shang Duan Hua because Da Tian Ting was a bitter jilted woman.
‘Uncle, you asked me to come here to pick up something I left behind,’ Da Tian Ting said. ‘Uncle, what did I leave behind?’
Da Qing Feng took out an old locked box from a drawer, and gave it to Da Tian Ting.
‘Tian Ting, your father asked me to give this to you on your wedding day,’ Da Qing Feng said. ‘I’m sorry I broke your father’s promise.’
Da Tian Ting held her father’s box in her hands. She thought her father didn’t leave anything for her.
‘Uncle, where is the key to open my father’s box?’ Da Tian Ting asked.
‘The key is in your mother’s hands,’ Da Ming Sheng said. ‘Your mother prepared this box for your wedding day since you turned sixteen. I didn’t expect your mother and your father to…’
‘Uncle, I don’t need this box,’ Da Tian Ting said. ‘I’m giving it back to uncle.’
‘Tian Ting, your father and mother both prepared this box for you,’ Da Qing Feng said. ‘If you don’t want it, hide it somewhere it’ll be hard for you to find later.’
‘Tian Ting, take the box,’ Feng Kai Ze said. ‘It’s yours. Perhaps it’s something important about the past.’