Chapter Forty-Six: The Malicious Neighbor

“Dad, with the traffic tonight, I suggest you buy me a helicopter!” Ning Shuyi swallowed her food and spoke to her father. “Even if you buy a car, I’d still be stuck in traffic for ages!”

Her father picked up a pair of chopsticks and gave her a light knock on the head. “You little rascal! Here I am, worrying about you, and you’re joking around with me! At least if you’re stuck in traffic in your own car, you can sit comfortably. That’s still better than standing packed like sardines for hours. Your job is already harder than most.”

“It’s really not that bad!” Ning Shuyi waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, those big singing stars only come for concerts, not to live here. It’s not something that happens every year, nothing to fuss over.”

“My money is my own to spend as I please!” her father retorted, stubborn as a child.

Ning Shuyi sighed. “Dad, Mom, let me ask you something seriously. I heard from my sister that her husband’s been encouraged by some friend to start a business. If he’s truly set on starting his own company, would you two be willing to invest in him?”

Her father snorted and pursed his lips. “His idea of entrepreneurship is like a scholar leading a rebellion—doomed to fail for ten years! Ambitions sky-high, skills clumsy as ever. He’s full of theories, but when it comes to action, he’s lost. With his personality, he’s better off sticking to a steady job and regular pay. Why are you suddenly bringing this up when we were just talking about buying you a car?”

While her father missed the point, her mother understood perfectly. After a moment’s thought, she sighed and said to her husband, “Shuyi’s right. Maybe we shouldn’t plan on buying her a car right now.”

“Huh?” Her father was bewildered, glancing from his wife to his younger daughter. “What are you two up to now? Some new telepathy? Sending signals with your minds? Wasn’t Shuyi just asking about investing in Nieg Guang’s startup? When did this turn into a reason not to buy a car?”

“Oh, you!” Her mother laughed at his confusion. “Is your brain somehow connected to the stove? It works great in the kitchen but not elsewhere? We have two daughters. It’s not that we have to treat them exactly the same in every way, but if you buy a car for Shuyi and not for Shuyue, doesn’t that seem unfair?”

“And don’t start with ‘we’ll just buy one for each!’ Nie Guang’s company provides a shuttle bus, and Shuyue’s office is close to home. If not for that, they would have thought about buying a car years ago. But now, with Nie Guang obsessed with starting a business, I’m sure he’s thinking about sponsorships day and night. If you bring up buying a car right now, what do you think will happen? Will he happily pick up the new car with Shuyue, or will he try to negotiate—skip the car, and you give him the money to start his company instead?”

Her father paused. Now he finally understood why Ning Shuyi had mentioned her brother-in-law’s startup. Thinking it over, he realized she was right.

“It’s best to put the car purchase on hold for now,” he sighed. “That guy is always up in the clouds, never steady! If I buy a car for Shuyue, at least my daughter gets some convenience. But to give him money for a business... with his usual behavior, I’m not keen! Shuyi, let me tell you, I won’t pressure you to find a partner, and we don’t have many demands, just one: when you do choose someone, keep your eyes wide open! Don’t be as easily swayed as your sister!”

“Alright! If you don’t want to, then don’t! Didn’t you just say it yourself? It’s your money, you can spend it as you like! Let the child eat in peace; you’re talking so much, ruining her mood!” Ning’s mother soothed him, “Weren’t you playing chess online just now? Go, go play your game!”

Muttering under his breath, her father reluctantly left for his chess game.

Her mother sighed and waved at Ning Shuyi to hurry up and eat. Ning Shuyi dropped the previous topic as well. She knew her brother-in-law had never been the ideal son-in-law in her parents’ eyes. When her sister first brought him home, her parents, though polite, had spoken with her privately. But her sister had been hopelessly in love, swept away toward marriage with Nieg Guang at full speed, never once hitting the brakes.

Now, it was clear her parents still found many faults with their older son-in-law. Still, their daughter was married, and the couple seemed to lead a peaceful enough life.

Marriage is like drinking water—only the person knows if it’s warm or cold. Since her sister never came home to complain, her parents and she herself could hardly meddle based on their own opinions.

“Oh, by the way,” her mother said, breaking the silence that had settled awkwardly over the room, “did you give your new colleague that side dish your dad made?”

“I did,” Ning Shuyi replied vaguely, nodding. “But they’ll probably return the container only after they’ve finished it.”

“There’s no rush! I’m not asking because I want the lunchbox back,” her mother said happily, as if she’d secured an extra layer of protection for her daughter with that box of pickles. “See? I told you—so long as you treat people sincerely, there’s no one you can’t get along with! Unless someone’s truly bad at heart, everyone knows how to reciprocate kindness. Some people are just a bit more reserved than others.”

Though Ning Shuyi didn’t quite agree with her mother’s philosophy, she nodded and spooned up some soup. She’d just brought it to her lips, not yet even blown on it, when a heavy thud exploded above, shaking the ceiling. Startled, her hand jerked and half the soup spilled from her spoon.

Her mother jumped as well, pressing a hand to her chest and frowning fiercely at the ceiling, as if she could transmit her annoyance straight through to the upstairs neighbors.

“What’s going on?” Seeing her mother’s expression, Ning Shuyi guessed this wasn’t the first incident. “Are the tenants upstairs noisy during the day too?”

“No,” her mother shook her head and sighed. “It’s not that they’re loud all day, it’s just that sometimes, out of nowhere, there’s an enormous bang. To be fair, it can get noisy during the day, but what can you say? It’s daytime, and we can put up with a constant racket. But these sudden crashes—those are what really make my heart race!”