Additional Inheritance - Chap 1

Chapter 1

Spring returned to the capital as April’s emerald flowers fluttered in the wind and the azure sky appeared as if it had been rinsed free of clouds. Such pleasant weather was a rare occurrence.

The morning temperature was a little cool as the chilling wind whipped through the car window, causing the drunken person leaning in the back seat to sneeze.

“We’re here.” The driver pressed the taximeter, which printed out a receipt with a ticking sound.

Wen Xiaohui pried open his achy eyes, struggling to get up from the back seat. “Huh? We’ve arrived?”

“Yes, we’ve arrived.” The driver glanced at him in his rearview mirror. He was a little impatient after working the night shift and wasn’t in the mood to deal with a drunk.

The rearview mirror reflected Wen Xiaohui’s beautiful pale cheeks. Despite his eyelids being swollen and his hair dishevelled, one could still appreciate the delicate features on his face. His chin was sharp and he was blessed with porcelain skin1, making him look effeminate.

Wen Xiaohui inhaled deeply and said, “How much is it?”

“46.”

The hand that was taking out the money paused and he spoke louder. “How much?”

“See for yourself.”

Wen Xiaohui yawned and cleared his throat. His voice sounded much clearer and he exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? I’ve walked home from Sanlitun2 more times than you’ve driven, and it’s at most 35 yuan without traffic! Where did you3 detour to?”

The driver looked a bit guilty. “There was a car crash by Chaoyang4 district hospital. I had to detour a little…”

“Oh? Just a little detour? If you’d taken a more roundabout route, I would have thought that you were taking me to watch the sunrise at Fragrant Hills5. Did you think that you could take advantage of me while I was drunk? I’m going to file a complaint! This young master doesn’t get drunk that easily, and even if I were drunk, my heaven’s eye6 could still see through you.” Wen Xiaohui took out 35 yuan and flung it towards the driver. “That’s your lot.”

The driver replied gruffly, “What? I haven’t made any money on this trip.”

“So, you can’t leave empty-handed? I have a full stomach from drinking last night, would you like me to unload it for you in the car?” Wen Xiaohui started retching.

The driver cursed, “Alright, alright. Get out! It’s my bad luck!”

Wen Xiaohui rolled his eyes and pushed open the door to exit the car. Before the driver wound up his window, he shouted, “Fucking sissy!7”

Wen Xiaohui turned around suddenly after hearing what he’d said. “Fuck you! Who are you cursing?” He lifted up his leg to kick the car door.

The driver slammed down on the accelerator and sped off.

Wen Xiaohui’s foot missed. He waved his middle finger in the direction of the car and then sneezed. He muttered, “What a fool… I can’t have caught a cold.” Not daring to delay, he hurried home before his mother woke to avoid getting into bigger trouble.

When he got to the entrance of his building, he saw a woman in a black trench coat in the distance. She was tall, slim and appeared elegant, with a pair of stilettos which exposed her pale and slender calves. Her rich-black, long hair was draped over her shoulders and she wore a pair of sunglasses despite it being early in the morning. She had a snow-white complexion upon which sat a pair of beautiful rosy-red lips. He secretly ranked her attractiveness as an eight out of ten, but immediately realised that something was wrong. Why did this woman look so familiar?

“Xiaohui.” The woman took off her sunglasses after she approached him. As expected, she was beautiful, with elegantly shaped eyebrows, a straight nose and a sharp jaw. However, her eyes were swollen like walnuts; an obvious sign that she’d been crying excessively.

Wen Xiaohui’s heart skipped a beat and momentarily, a lot of complicated emotions like frustration, disgust and surprise surged forth. He didn’t expect that Sun Ying would take the initiative to come find him. “You should call me by my full name. It’s not like I know you very well, Auntie8?”

“Xiaohui, I don’t have time to argue with you.” Sun Ying lowered her head as if to adjust her emotions.

“What are you here for? Spit it out. Believe it or not, my mum would rush down with a broom to beat you up if I shout.”

Sun Ying raised her head, her red eyes made her appear pitiful. “Yaya’s gone.”

Wen Xiaohui was shocked and he stopped breathing momentarily. Yaya? That was his sister’s name. What did it mean that she’s gone?

“Xiaohui, Yaya is gone. Your sister committed suicide.”

“You…” Wen Xiaohui wanted to say that she was bluffing, but the words got stuck in his throat. In a flash, he felt that the world had spun upside down. He was dizzy and almost struggled to stay upright.

He looked all around him.

It was a perfectly ordinary and peaceful morning – the old man walking his dog, the housewife grocery shopping, the beautiful girl on her early-morning run, and children making their way to school. The surroundings in this old-fashioned neighbourhood where he’d lived for over a decade were the same as yesterday. Like many previous mornings, he was sneaking back home in the early hours of the morning after a wild night. The only difference was that there was now a woman waiting for him that he didn’t want to see and she’d bought him some news that he couldn’t accept. What happened and why the sudden change?

His sister died? How could that happen? She was the cruellest and most cold-hearted woman. How could she have committed suicide?

Sun Ying sniffled and took out a white envelope from the reptile-leather Birkin handbag. “This is Yaya’s suicide note9, she said it must be handed to you.”

Wen Xiaohui’s whole body was trembling, and he incoherently replied, “Crazy. You’re crazy! That woman has had nothing to do with our family for years, I don’t care if she’s dead or not.” He remembered how materialistic she was, so why would she suddenly commit suicide? Why did Sun Ying come to tell him that she was dead? He didn’t want to know.

“Listen Xiaohui, you’re the only one that she trusts. There’s something she wanted you to do for her, and that’s my reason for coming to find you.”

“Her dying wish? I don’t want anything except my inheritance. Piss off! Scram!” Wen Xiaohui felt his heart under strain and he needed to find somewhere to hide and calm his turbulent emotions. He ran towards the corridor of his building.

Sun Ying shouted, “She left you an inheritance!”

Wen Xiaohui did not falter.

“And also a child!”

Wen Xiaohui stopped, his legs felt weak as if he were walking on cotton. A child… He’d heard that Yaya had had a child. That child should be fairly old now, but he’d never seen the child and he didn’t even know whether it was a boy or a girl. Over the years, they pretended that Yaya didn’t exist and never mentioned her at all. Since the death of his father, he thought he’d never have anything to do with her again. However, he didn’t expect that he’d hear about her four or five years later and it would be the news of her death.

Sun Ying came over and sobbed, “Xiaohui, Yaya said very clearly in her suicide note that a portion of her remaining assets will be left to you and Auntie. She hoped that you would look after her child, your nephew.”

The expression on Wen Xiaohui’s face changed and he looked at her fiercely with his blood-red eyes. “Piss off.”

Sun Ying stuffed the letter into his arms and took two steps back. Her stilettos clicked on the ground, making a heart-shattering noise. She covered her mouth and with tears welling in her eyes, she turned and ran away.

Wen Xiaohui froze and he stared vacantly at the letter drifting to the ground, remaining stationary as if his legs were stuck.

After a long time, he felt that his face was slightly cool and it was wet when he touched his face. All his strength left his body; he sat down on the ground and picked the letter up while trembling.

“Xiaohui, what’s the matter with you?” The neighbouring Aunt Wang was carrying a shopping bag.

Wen Xiaohui lowered his head and murmured, “Nothing. Don’t tell my mum that I drank too much.”

“Oh, child! You’ll regret wrecking your body when you’re older,” muttered Aunt Wang, as she walked past him.

Wen Xiaohui’s shoulders trembled; his vision began to blur and he nearly had to clamber up from the ground. Grabbing the letter, he urgently made his way upstairs and rushed home as quick as the wind. He had long forgotten to open the door quietly, and after closing the door, he ran to his room and bundled himself up in his quilt.

Yaya’s gone. Suicide… Suicide… Suicide…

Wen Xiaohui bit his lip, not daring to make a sound. His tears had already soaked his sheets.

“Xiaohui?” Feng Yuehua opened the door. “You bastard, you went out to mess around again, didn’t you?”

Wen Xiaohui’s brain was buzzing; he only had one thought in his mind, he couldn’t tell his mother.

“Why are you covering yourself with a quilt? Are you disfigured? You didn’t take off your shoes and you covered the floor in dirty footprints. Get up and lick it clean for me!” Feng Yuehua approached and was about to lift up the quilt.

“Mum.” Wen Xiaohui cried loudly, “Leave me alone. Let me have some peace and quiet for a while.”

Feng Yuehua was momentarily stunned, frowned and released her hand. “What’s the matter with you? Are you crying?”

Wen Xiaohui didn’t want to say anything. He only wanted to hide and he burrowed deeper into the quilt.

Feng Yuehua hesitated for a moment, but finally left, closing the door behind her.

The sound of muffled crying emerged from the quilt.

Wen Xiaohui wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but it was noon by the time he woke up. His home was very quiet, as his mother had gone to work and hadn’t returned yet.

He sat up, his mind was blank, and he was sluggish for a while before he fully woke up. He sniffed; he had no more tears to shed. He got out of his quilt, found the letter he’d crumpled and opened the envelope with trembling hands.

The letter was only a page long, it was a very short suicide note.

Xiaohui, jiejie is sorry for leaving. I don’t know if I’m qualified to be your sister, but you will always be my most beloved brother.

Wen Xiaohui’s eyes became moist again after reading the two lines. He wiped his tears and continued to read.

Don’t delve into the reasons why I’ve chosen to leave and don’t ask anyone. You must promise me, I only want to keep you and Auntie safe. I already knew my fate from the day that I got together with that man. Please don’t feel sorry for me, it’s what I deserve.

My only concern is my son. He has just turned 15 years old and he’s an amazing child. I only trust you to look after him. Please help me take care of him, protect him, give him lots of love and affection. I’ve left you and Auntie a house and three million yuan10. I know that I can’t repay Uncle and Auntie for taking care of me over the years, but please take it as compensation for helping me look after Luo Yi.

Xiaohui, all these years, I’ve been living in pain and guilt. In these final moments, I want you to know that when Uncle was critically ill, I was also lying in hospital. I never went to see him because I was paralysed, and I also didn’t want him to see me looking so dishevelled in his final moments. I know you hate me because of this, but I don’t expect your forgiveness. I just want you to know how grateful and sorry I am to your family.

I’m begging you to please honour my last request to take care of my son. He’s the only person in this world who is lonelier than me.

Luo Yaya’s last words.

Footnotes:

皮肤吹弹可破, Skin that is smooth like jade and poreless – like he’s using an Instagram filter

One of the most famous entertainment areas in Beijing

WXH comes across sassy with his sarcastic use of the formal version of ‘you’ throughout this conversation.

A district in east/north-eastern Beijing

Also known as Xiang Mountain, which is a public park in Beijing

Heaven’s eye is a concept originating in Taoism and mentioned in Chinese literature. It generally symbolises the eye of an immortal with omnipotent powers such as the ability to see the truth (reminds me a little of the English phrase: having eyes on the back of your head). Readers may remember the similarly-named character from TGCF/Heaven Official’s Blessing who could perceive Xie Lian’s essence of evil.

二椅子, Beijing slang for someone that’s intersex or a sissy.

In Chinese culture, it’s customary to call an older female Auntie even if they’re not directly related to you.

I’ve used the term suicide note, but there are cultural differences. It’s more like an informal will setting out the deceased wishes in contrast to a typical Western suicide note, which sets out the reasons why the person has committed suicide.

Equivalent to $475,000 or £350,000 at the time of translation