LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 17: The Yu family
When we arrived at the Yu residence, we found the housekeeper waiting for me.
“Young master Bai, old lady Yu is requesting your presence at the main hall”
“I see. Grandma Li, Li Yao, Li Bo please follow me” If this is a new scheme, I rather have the trio with me just in case they need protection
“Let me show you the way,” said the housekeeper
“I know the way” I answered back then started walking toward the main hall. It was not too late, the Yu family should be drinking tea if they were together.
When I arrived, I saw both grandparents, all my uncles, and their families. After greeting them - reluctantly - old lady Yu said
“My dear grandchild you are pretty late! We waited for you at dinner”
“I don’t recall being invited so I made other plans” I answered back
“It was a last minute decision. We decided at lunchtime after I came out of seclusion” said Patriarch Yu. Hehe, I am not a naive and stupid kid anymore
“Welcome back grandfather. My assigned driver came to get me after school, I wonder why no one had told him about the gathering. I would have changed my plans and come back early”
“That was my oversight, there were so many things to take care of today that I forgot to let you know,” said my second aunt. Oh! My dear aunt lost her power quickly it seems. She and my she-wolf cousin's faces were ugly but my eldest uncle - dear aunt's husband - seemed fine. Then again, he never cared about power struggles. For him, cultivation was more important than petty family fights. He resembled his father, the patriarch, in that way.
“Well, we can forgive this mistake as long as you don’t make the same one in the future,” warned old lady Yu.
So no need for me, the affected one, to forgive her? Sure, I should even thank her for helping me avoid this toxic family for a few more hours.
Mmm, by the way, no one invited me to sit or to have tea yet. The previous me would have sat without an invitation. I can still do it… but I don’t want to
“I had a long and tiring day and it is still not finished so I bid you all goodnight,” I said trying to escape
“Xiao Shin, stay a bit longer. Don’t you want to talk to us a bit more?” said old lady Yu. Mmmm, it seems she has an agenda. Let’s bite!
“Sure, is there something specific you want to talk about grandmother?”
“Well, I heard you made a few changes and complained these last few days. I don’t want you to suffer. If grandmother can help you in any way let me know” Oh, she was just scared that I would complain to my parents when they come back. One month is a pretty short time and I am known to have a long memory
Let’s pull as much aggro as I can this month. I sat down at the patriarch's table like I owned the place, served myself a cup of tea - that I did not drink - then started
“What to complain about? Let’s see, it starts with my previous nanny not doing her job and aunt Liu not letting me fire her. I had to complain publicly for her to be gone. Ah by the way, where is nanny Wei? Was she fired or assigned somewhere else? I asked while looking at my first aunt” Aunt Liu was startled as she did not expect me to ask her a question at this time but it was someone else who answered
“She was sent back to the Liu family to work there,” said my second aunt.
“What!” exclaimed old lady Yu while looking at my first aunt angrily. I did not want to lose track of all my complaints so I quickly continued
“It does not matter as long as she is far away from me. Let me continue...”
“Then, my first aunt rejected the servants I hired to replace nanny Wei. I found them right away but it seems that this household needs more time to replace former servants” I said while looking at old lady Yu
“Not rejecting. Not rejecting. Hiring refugees is a good deed. Are they the ones at the door? They seem to be good servants. I naturally approve of them. I will ask the housekeeper to add them to the servant list. Don't worry Xiao Shin, they will be paid well” Old lady Yu answered quickly
“No. I am the one who hired them so I will be the one paying their salaries. I am their master not you, no need to add them to your servant list. However, I thank you for approving them”
“How can it be done? you are talking like you are not part of the family” said the patriarch this time
Hehehe, I was waiting for that! I started to enumerate using my fingers
“Part of the family? I get no monthly allowance or resources from you while everyone else in the Yu family does, including my cousins. When my servants asked for food and wood today, the answer was that my father already paid for my expenses so I can only get cooked meals from the main kitchen. Cooking by ourselves, using the kitchen's courtyard, is not possible... By the way, I don’t like the main kitchen’s food. It would be best if you changed the cook.
Since I started living here, no one bought me new clothes, toys, or school supplies. Just because my parents got everything ready for me does not mean that you, my father's family, cannot show your affection to me once in a while” I learned from them that affection equals money so now I am turning the table on them
“I never had my birthdays celebrated in this family while all my cousins get at least a dinner celebration with whoever is available. Grandmother says every time that I should wait until my parents come back to celebrate but this is not a good reason for a kid my age...
Lastly, not because I finished complaining but have had enough of talking, today is my 10th birthday. Instead of well wishes I got scammed, lied to, and even forgotten.
You could have added the term'Yu Shin's birthday celebration' to today's dinner gathering you planned to have anyway.
You could have wished me a happy birthday instead of asking why I was not at a gathering you did not invite me to.
Any of you could have asked the kitchen to deliver me longevity noodles1Traditionally, longevity noodles are eaten by the birthday boy or girl this morning instead of letting me go hungry to school”
There was a total silence broken by sniffs from behind me. I did not turn to check who it was. Most likely, it was one of the trio.
“So now that I finished sharing my complaints, can I go to the courtyard assigned to me? My new nanny promised to make me longevity noodles before sleeping” again, with no one answering, I took it as a yes so I stood up and then left.
I did not feel happy or free from my resentments after my speech. I knew that nothing would change. From now on, I will not accept anything from them.
I have to add to my growing to-do list, finding a new driver and buying a carriage. I will also have to look for a residence to rent or buy earlier than planned. I don’t think I could stand staying here for the whole month
