Chapter 036: The Head of the Household

“Auntie, Second Aunt?”

“That’s right!”

Chen Ying furrowed her brow, carefully sizing up the two women before her.

Both women were somewhat plump—one a bit taller, the other shorter. The one who had spoken was the shorter of the two.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ying realized that these two did indeed bear a strong resemblance to Zhao Feng’s father.

With this thought, her attitude grew noticeably more polite.

She smiled and said, “So you’re Big Aunt and Second Aunt! Please, come in!”

“Hmph!”

The taller one was Zhao Zhen, Zhao Feng’s eldest aunt. The shorter was Zhao Ting, his second aunt.

Zhao Ting gave a derisive snort and shot Chen Ying a haughty glance. “At least you know your place!”

With that, Zhao Ting shoved Chen Ying aside and, swaying her ample hips, strutted into the courtyard.

Once inside, Zhao Ting called out loudly, “Xiao Feng, I heard you’ve returned! Why haven’t you come to see your Second Aunt yet?”

Zhao Feng and his parents emerged from the house.

As soon as she saw him, Zhao Ting waddled over on her thick legs, putting on an air of excitement, and grabbed Zhao Feng’s hand. “Oh, Xiao Feng, you’re finally back! Your Second Aunt has missed you so much!”

Truth be told, Zhao Feng was far from pleased.

His family had never enjoyed a good relationship with these two aunts.

Back when his father ran the tea processing factory, Second Aunt had tried to get Zhao Jun to arrange a managerial position for her son.

Thinking that family should help one another, Zhao Jun had made her son a workshop supervisor.

Who would have thought that this cousin of his would end up taking kickbacks and skimming wages from the workers?

When Zhao Jun, as factory director, learned of this, he was furious and ultimately fired him.

From that point on, the two families had grown distant.

As for the eldest aunt, there had been no major disputes between the families—until her husband, Liu Fuye, started working as a purchaser at Zhao Jun’s factory. There, he bought cheap, inferior tea leaves and even falsified invoices.

Zhao Jun, a former soldier, was livid when he discovered this.

So, Zhao Feng’s family’s relationship with both aunts’ families was poor.

And those were only a few of the countless unpleasant incidents.

Zhao Feng frowned.

In truth, he felt nothing but annoyance. He didn’t even bother to hide it, letting his displeasure show plainly on his face.

He replied coolly, “Is there something you two want?”

Zhao Ting’s expression soured. “What do you mean, ‘you two’? We’re your aunts! Is this how you greet us?”

By now, Zhao Feng had grown thoroughly impatient.

Seeing their obviously feigned warmth, he couldn’t even be bothered to put up a polite front.

He said indifferently, “Dad, Mom, you two chat with them. I’m heading back inside.”

Zhao Jun, perhaps still mindful of family ties, hesitated, but Chen Lan felt no such compunction.

She nodded, “Son, it’s only nine o’clock. Go catch a bit more sleep.”

“All right, Mom.”

“Mhm.”

With that, Zhao Feng turned and left.

Seeing him leave without a backward glance, Zhao Ting was left momentarily embarrassed.

She gave an awkward laugh. “Third Brother, kids are just willful! He doesn’t even know to sit and talk with his aunts!”

Zhao Jun rubbed his nose. “Come in and have a seat.”

“Oh, yes, of course!”

Carrying a few cartons of cheap milk and dragging her child along, Zhao Ting headed inside.

In the past, Zhao Feng’s family had enjoyed a comfortable life. They ran a tea processing factory, were the first in the village to build a two-story house, and even owned a car.

But then the factory went bankrupt, leaving them deep in debt.

Zhao Feng’s impatience stemmed from the fact that, when his family was struggling most, both aunts had kept their distance, as if afraid they’d be asked for money.

Back in his room, Zhao Feng took out the phone Chen Ying had given him and opened up a game called “Pesticide.” He started to play.

He’d only recently learned how, but found it rather entertaining.

After losing a ranked match, he promptly quit the game.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door.

Zhao Feng stretched. “Who is it?”

Chen Ying’s voice replied from outside, “It’s me!”

“Oh, come in!”

“Alright!”

The door creaked open and Chen Ying entered.

Once inside, she brushed back her hair and said, “If I’d known you were this unhappy, I’d have sent them away right away.”

Zhao Feng rolled his eyes. “Those two are too thick-skinned—you’d never be able to get rid of them.”

Chen Ying nodded in agreement.

Zhao Feng stretched again and asked casually, “So, what did they come for?”

Chen Ying scratched her head. “It seems they want to borrow money.”

“What?”

“I said, it seems they’re here to borrow money.”

Zhao Feng’s handsome face immediately turned cold.

He snorted. “I’d better go take a look.”

Chen Ying hurriedly said, “Is it really appropriate for you to go out there?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? This is my house!”

“Well…”

Without waiting, Zhao Feng left the room.

Thud, thud, thud!

He hurried downstairs to the living room.

There, Zhao Zhen and Zhao Ting’s seven or eight children were running wild, climbing everywhere and even rummaging through the health supplements Zhao Feng had bought.

Seeing this, Zhao Feng was utterly infuriated.

His parents sat on the worn old sofa, Zhao Zhen and Zhao Ting facing them.

At that moment, Zhao Ting was clutching Zhao Jun’s hand and wailing, “Third Brother, your poor leg!”

Zhao Jun forced a stiff smile. “My leg is fine now.”

Zhao Ting dabbed at nonexistent tears. “Oh, I know—you’re just trying to comfort me!”

Chen Lan rolled her eyes. “Old Zhao’s leg really is healed!”

“Hehehe,” Zhao Ting replied, “How could that be? It’s a miracle he didn’t have to be amputated!”

Chen Lan instantly flared up. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you wishing he’d end up a cripple?”

Zhao Ting shook her head quickly. “No, no!”

“Then what do you mean?”

Zhao Ting sobbed, “I’m just worried, that’s all! My third brother is the head of the family, the pillar of the house. Now, missing a breadwinner…”

Before Chen Lan could retort, a voice interrupted.

“My dad doesn’t need to do anything! From now on, I’ll take care of him!”

It was Zhao Feng, descending the stairs.

He stood nearby, tall and strikingly handsome.

“Hehehe,” Zhao Ting laughed awkwardly, “Yes, yes! From now on, Xiao Feng is the man of the house. We’ll leave it to him.”

“Exactly,” Zhao Zhen chimed in hastily, “From now on, Xiao Feng is the head of the family.”

Inwardly, Zhao Feng sneered, outwardly showing only disdain. “No. My father will always be the head of this family!”