Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Yue Ming 18
"Do you even believe that yourself?" her aunt-in-law retorted. "You go teach at every one of President Liu’s beauty and hairdressing training sessions, and you’re gone for ten days to half a month at a time..."
"And you have to go out for on-site makeup jobs. Tell me, when do you ever have a moment to rest?"
Liuu Yuming picked at her rice. "If I take time off, I don’t make any money. Isn’t Jun busy too?"
"Speaking of Jun, that makes me even angrier." Her aunt-in-law tapped the table. "It’s one thing for him to be busy, but now he’s dragged his dad into it too. Weddings these days are so different, they need all sorts of elaborate setups."
"Your uncle follows Jun around, busy with all that stuff day in and day out. He comes home so late every night."
"And he’s not even getting married..."
Liuu Yuming put down her chopsticks. "Our business is just getting started. If you make Jun get married now, he’ll end up neglecting both his career and his marriage."
Her aunt-in-law considered this. "You have a point. I’m just venting to you; I’d never say this in front of Jun or his dad. Actually, come to think of it, you’re doing pretty well for yourself. You may not have a man, but the money you earn is all yours, and you don’t have to worry about anyone else."
"It’s just... raising a child all by yourself must be a bit lonely."
"I’m not lonely," Liuu Yuming shrugged. "I’m serious. I meet all sorts of different people every time I go out for work, so I’m really not lonely at all. Plus, with you here holding down the fort, I can focus on doing what I love without a care in the world."
"As for men... getting your heart broken once is enough. Who knows if the next person you meet will be a decent man or a monster?"
Her aunt-in-law sighed. "If your mother could see you now, she’d be so happy. It’s a pity... she wasn’t blessed enough to see it."
Liuu Yuming glanced at Tan You, who was in a corner of the living room. ’My real mom *is* watching me,’ she thought. But she didn’t say it out loud, worried she’d frighten her aunt-in-law.
"I don’t see much of Jun these days either. To think we used to go out on jobs together all the time."
Liuu Yuming smiled, suddenly reminiscing about the days when she and Liuu Jun used to do on-site makeup gigs together.
"He’s off planning other people’s weddings," her aunt-in-law said with a pout. "There are so many frills these days."
"That’s because everyone’s standard of living has improved," Liuu Yuming said, taking a sip of tea. "If people didn’t have money back in the day, do you think they’d want to do all this? They saved every penny they could."
Her aunt-in-law mulled it over. "That’s true. It’s good that he’s busy. The busier he is, the more money he can save up to get married."
Her aunt-in-law brought up marriage every other sentence, but Liuu Yuming just pretended not to hear. It was better for her to be the one listening to it than for Liuu Jun or Liuu Changzhen to. At least this way, it wouldn’t affect Liuu Jun’s mood.
As for Liuu Jun, he was completely focused on making money and had zero interest in getting married. In their line of work, you often witnessed the blissful happiness between newlyweds, but you also saw the ugly underbelly.
For instance, it wasn’t rare for huge fights to break out at weddings over the bride price and dowry. So, after witnessing all that, it was an open question whether Liuu Jun even wanted to get married anymore. But there was no need to bring that up with his mother.
Back in their own little apartment, Liuu Min was curled up on the big bed, reading a book. Liuu Yuming kicked off her shoes and dove onto the bed, burying her face in Liuu Min’s tummy and taking a deep, exaggerated sniff.
Liuu Min lowered her eyes. "Mom, I’m not a cat. Why don’t I get you a real one? I saw a cute calico cat nearby."
Liuu Yuming was unconcerned. "If you want to get one, get one. But I’m warning you now, it’s not allowed in the store. I can’t have it snagging the clothes."
Liuu Min’s face lit up. "Don’t worry, Mom! I also want to get a dog..."
Liuu Yuming remained nonchalant. "That’s fine, too. A dog would be good for guarding the house. As long as you don’t bring home any snakes, centipedes, or scorpions, you can get whatever you want."
’Coming home to a fluffy creature to hug and pet?’ Liuu Yuming felt she wouldn’t trade this life for anything.
Liuu Min smiled, but the moment she did, Liuu Yuming saw that her two front teeth were missing. She couldn’t help but laugh along. "Losing your baby teeth already? I didn’t even notice."
Liuu Min said, "You’re always busy, Mom. It’s not a big deal. Grandma Guihong told me about it, and so did Grandma."
Liuu Yuming rolled over and sat up, taking the book from Liuu Min’s hands. "Where are you? Want me to read you a story?"
Liuu Min replied, "Only little kids need stories. I’m reading *One Hundred Thousand Whys*. Do you want to listen, Mom? I can read a bit to you."
Liuu Yuming took the chance to lie back down on the pillow. "Sure. Read me a little."
But less than two minutes later, Liuu Yuming was fast asleep. Hearing her mother’s deep, steady breathing, Liuu Min switched off the bedside lamp and snuggled up close. The two of them, one big and one small, slept soundly side-by-side.
Tan You watched the scene, a feeling of tranquil bliss washing over her. Liuu Yuming’s life was now completely different from before. She had become independent and self-reliant, a diligent and dedicated worker, while Liuu Min was growing up healthy and strong. The client’s wish was now about a third of the way fulfilled.
This meant she still had to stay here for a long time, but that didn’t matter. After all, a few decades here was merely the blink of an eye in the real world. Besides, she was quite looking forward to seeing what kind of person Liuu Yuming would ultimately become.
With everyone so focused on their careers, time seemed to hit the fast-forward button. Before they knew it, Liuu Min was graduating from high school. At fourteen, she was already tall and graceful, a captivating presence that made it impossible to look away.
Liuu Yuming handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Congratulations on graduating from high school. I’m so proud of you."
Liuu Min smiled. "Mom, why are you getting more sentimental the older you get? If I’m not mistaken, you’re only thirty-three."
Liuu Yuming’s tender moment evaporated instantly. "Oh, Little Min, the older you get, the more you take after your grandmother. How could a sentimental person like me give birth to a daughter who’s so... pragmatic?"
Liuu Min replied, "It’s better to be rational."
"Yes, ’rational,’" Liuu Yuming huffed. "Ever since you started middle school, I haven’t been able to understand a single one of your books. You skipped two grades in elementary school, then another one in middle school and high school each. I feel completely out of my depth around you."
"I barely scraped through middle school, and only because my mom forced me to. I’m just not cut out for academics." She sighed. "It all feels like a lifetime ago now."
"I just think you weren’t interested in those subjects. Aren’t you incredibly dedicated when you’re studying makeup techniques?" Liuu Min let her mother link arms with her. "You even made a point to learn English just so you could understand foreign makeup and styling tutorials."
Liuu Yuming scratched her cheek. "Maybe... But you’re only fourteen, and you’re about to head off to college. When you’re gone, I’ll be all alone here at home..."
"Mommy’s going to miss you so much..."
Liuu Min had long known her mother was a drama queen. She smiled, her eyes cast downward. "You were out from dawn till dusk every day when you were going to training sessions or doing on-site jobs."
Liuu Yuming pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "Sigh. Daughters get less fun the older they grow. Anyway, let’s get serious. What are your plans for summer break? Still interning at Auntie Liu’s company?"
"Yep, that’s the plan," Liuu Min said, her voice uncharacteristically animated. "I heard they have a new researcher at Auntie Liu’s who’s supposed to be brilliant."
