In the morning when Enda woke up, Dante had already gone to work; breakfast was neatly placed on the table by him along with a note.
Enda picked up the paper to read, his mouth scolding 'damn old pervert', but his lips curled into a sweet smile.
Enda felt that his current life was not bad at all. Although a certain someone's excessive demands made his waist ache to death, he was no longer lonely.
Near noon, he received an incoming call; it was his youngest uncle.
"Hello, Uncle."
"Enda, how are you?"
"I'm doing well, Uncle. Did you call me for something?"
He didn't believe his youngest uncle would suddenly call him; it was eighty percent likely that he was forced by his youngest aunt. His youngest uncle was too honest of a person, and was gradually alienated from his siblings by his wife. After his grandmother was angered to death by his youngest aunt, his relationship with his youngest uncle's family was also considered completely fractured.
"Ah... well, it's like this... Danie has finished her graduation exams and wants to go up to Hanoi to prepare for the university entrance exams right away. Could you... let her stay with you for a while?"
Enda frowned, asking coldly:
"Is it your idea or Aunt's?"
"...It's your aunt's. I wanted to rent a room for her, but at the end of the day, I'm still not at ease..."
"Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, but you already know your daughter's character. Are you sure she can live with me?"
His youngest uncle sighed:
"I also know she is no good, but just help me out, let her come up and stay for a month first. Once I finish arranging the farm work, I'll go up and pick her up."
Since his youngest uncle had already said so, Enda didn't have the heart to refuse. Hanging up the phone, he laced his hands behind his neck, looking at the ceiling as he reminisced about the past.
His grandmother gave birth to four children, three boys and one girl. His eldest uncle was the oldest son, followed by his father, then his third aunt, and finally his youngest uncle. Among the four children, only his eldest uncle and his father were the most outstanding, with good temperaments as well. His third aunt had a habit of being petty and greedy, while his youngest uncle was too cowardly.
He still remembered when he was twelve years old, his parents passed away in a plane crash. While his eldest uncle was busy taking care of the funeral arrangements, and his uncle's wife was comforting him and his grandmother, his third aunt and youngest uncle's wife had already spoken up to fight over adopting him. But their true purpose was the house and the fortune his parents left for him.
His grandmother stood up and said, I'm not dead yet; my grandson, I will raise him.
In the end, they made a fuss for a long period of time, making his grandmother so annoyed that she sold the house they had at the time. Gathering her savings along with extra money his eldest uncle gave, she bought him the apartment in this complex.
At that time, Dante hadn't bought a house here yet, there was only another family who had bought one. His youngest aunt dragged her daughter and young son to throw a tantrum in the lobby of the apartment building, crying noisily. This ultimately caused his grandmother to be so infuriated that she had to be hospitalized.
His eldest aunt was so angry that she slapped the woman's face aside, cursing directly:
[This house was given to him by me and his parents, who the fuck are you to dare come and demand it. Get lost! If I see you again, I'll chop off your legs.]
After this bout of illness, his grandmother's health grew weaker by the day. The year he took the high school entrance exams, his youngest uncle sneaked away from his wife to visit his mother. Unexpectedly, his youngest aunt found out and also showed up, causing a scene at the hospital for a while. In the end, it made his grandmother unable to hold on anymore, passing away forever.
He knew it wasn't his uncle's fault, but he still felt conflicted in his heart. His third aunt and youngest aunt still hadn't given up on the ownership rights to this apartment of his even now, but his eldest uncle wasn't just sitting idle either.
Now that she suddenly had the idea of sending her daughter to live with him, it truly made one think deeply about her motives.
In the evening...
"Hey, I have to go back to my place in a few days; my cousin wants to come up and stay with me."
"Huh? If she wants to stay, let her stay, what's the matter?"
He shook his head:
"I don't want to let her know about our relationship. That brat is exactly like her mother, she's no good sort."
Dante frowned, asking softly:
"Can you tell me about your past?"
"It's nothing to hide, it goes like this..."
Enda slowly recounted his story. His voice was as nonchalant and calm as if he were telling someone else's story, but Dante couldn't help feeling upset in his heart; he reached out to hug Enda, rubbing his head.
A twelve-year-old child losing his father and mother, witnessing the ugly faces of those so-called relatives, and then losing his grandmother too, being constantly coveted by bad people for his inheritance all day long... how had he managed to survive?
"Just refuse outright and be done with it. You have no reason to harbor her."
"Actually, I have a purpose. My youngest uncle isn't bad, he's just too soft-hearted. Hey, can you help me find a somewhat reputable camera installation place? I want to install some hidden cams."
"Yeah, I'll ask my friend to do it tomorrow. When is she coming up?"
"Next Monday."
Dante reminded Enda to be a little careful; after all, the person entering the house harbored ill intentions.
"Only give her the digital passcode, so it can be changed later. You are forbidden from giving her fingerprint access."
"I know, I know. Oh right, you still haven't registered your fingerprint on my door yet."
"I was even planning to knock down the wall and connect the two apartments together. Suddenly, a cousin pops out of nowhere."
"Hehe, we can just do it later."
"But not being able to hold you to sleep for the next month makes me unhappy."
Dante pouted his lips like a child, rubbing his head against Enda's chest. He burst out laughing, saying they could just have a secret affair.
Dante pulled the blanket over both of their heads, pressing down on Enda to playfully tease him. Not long after, the giggling turned into intimate moans.
The night was still very long.
...
"Enda."
Enda glanced at his cousin, coldly giving a sound of acknowledgement. Danie had just turned eighteen this year; she should have been an innocent and naive girl, but her eyes were too cunning, not matching her age in the slightest.
Since she was little, she had a habit of petty theft, often taking his things, and even played tricks to frame him everywhere. Back then, when she was just a few years old brat, she followed her mother to his house to make a scene, and even boldly declared that this was her house, and that their grandmother was biased to give it to him.
Granted that it was because her mother told her so, but after so many years, her nature remained the same.
It truly made it impossible for people to like her.