Raising Wolves To Cause Trouble

Chapter 1

Summer break, and I came home to find my home was disappearing.

The girl my mom sponsored had moved in under the guise of attending college, taking my room and refusing to leave.

She even used her manipulative “green tea” tactics on my dad.

Finally, she had the nerve to ask my mom, “Could I be your daughter?”

My mom snapped, “Get out! Are you trying to push your luck?”

“My room? Mom, you let someone else stay there?”

Back home from college for the summer, I spotted another girl’s belongings in my room the moment I walked in.

I went straight to my mom for answers.

“Well, you weren’t here, and Cindy needed a place to stay, so we let her have it,” my mom said, wringing her hands, looking a bit guilty.

Cindy, the girl my mom had been sponsoring from a poor rural area.

She was starting college in the city this year.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Cindy said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I shouldn’t have taken your room. I’ll move out in a few days.”

Oh, please!

Wasn’t this the standard “green tea” act straight out of a novel?

I wasn’t buying it.

With a wave of my hand, I declared, “Great, move now. Go back to your college dorm.”

Cindy’s eyes welled up with tears, which immediately streamed down her face.

“Can’t I stay until classes start? I’ve been without a mom since I was little, and I love the warmth Auntie gives me here. I really can’t bear to leave.”

My mom panicked, tugging at my sleeve and giving me a series of frantic looks.

“Cindy can stay in the guest room,” my mom quickly offered, playing peacemaker.

As my mother spoke, I sat in the living room, feet up, watching TV, as my mother helped her pack and move her stuff to the guest room.

Cindy kept saying, “Oh, no, no, Auntie, you don’t have to,” but made no move to help.

After everything was moved, my mom sat down beside me.

“Honey, I was wrong. I’m sorry. When Cindy came over, she loved your room. She said it was beautiful and that she had never seen anything like it at home, so she really wanted to stay there. I was soft-hearted and didn’t know how to say no.”

My mom looked like a student who had made a mistake while confessing to her mistakes.

I couldn’t hold back my laughter and chuckled.

“Don’t do it again, Judy! Your daughter is very territorial!”

I wrapped my arm around my mom’s arm in a playful manner.

“Oh, it’s okay, don’t be mad at Auntie. Blame me. Auntie works so hard already. It’s all my fault!”

Cindy suddenly emerged from the guest room. Her eyes were red with tears and welled up as she saw me and my mom being so close and intimate.

I twitched my lips, speechless.

I knew my mom was a softy at heart.

She felt that Cindy was pitiful because she came from a poor family and was living away from home.

She couldn’t sense the tension between us.

So I decided to shut up.

In the end, Cindy hadn’t done anything too terrible, and if I kept going, I would seem spoiled and unreasonable.

My mom had been sponsoring her for six years.

Three years ago, she had called my mom crying, begging her to save her grandma.

Without hesitation, my mom had taken a three-hour plane ride and a long drive through mountain roads to visit her in the village.

I had gone with her that time.

The house was bare.

There was only one dim yellow light, which was the only source of light.

The walls were covered in moss and showed signs of water damage, and the plaster was peeling off.

In the dim corner was the only narrow bed in the room, where a frail old woman was lying, breathing heavily.

Cindy was only in middle school then, small and thin, wearing patched-up clothes. When she saw my mom, it was as if she had seen a savior.

I was a year older than her, and I felt sorry for her when I saw her crying.

But on the way to the hospital, I felt she was sizing up my clothes. I even saw a hint of jealousy.

My mom sent her grandma to the hospital; she had diabetes.

Cindy cried to my mom.

“Auntie, please help me! Please don’t abandon me!”

My mom hugged her and immediately promised to give her 3000 a month for her grandma’s medical bills and their living expenses.

Cindy’s small face was covered in tears as she looked up and said pitifully, “Can you give me a little more?”

“Grandma is sick and needs to eat something nutritious.”

When my mom heard Cindy say that, she agreed to send 5000 a month.

Although I was unhappy, I didn’t say anything in front of Cindy.

On the way home with my mom, I said that I thought Cindy was a little greedy.

My mom was silent for a moment before advising me.

“She doesn’t live in good conditions and her grandma is like that. She probably needs to spend more so it is okay. Don’t take it to heart.”

“How come 3000 isn’t enough? She wants 5000. Didn’t you say you would only give me 3000 for college expenses?”

“She lost her parents and is with her grandma, so it’s normal for her to care more about her grandma. Maybe she’s just anxious,” my mom comforted me.

Although I was unhappy at the time, I didn’t say anything more.

My dad came home for dinner.

“Dad!”

I pounced on him and took the bags in his hands.

“My sweet daughter is back?”

My dad affectionately rubbed my head, but he looked a little awkward.

“Dad didn’t know you were coming back… I only bought one cake.”

My heart sank.

I clearly had called him.

In the mirror, I saw Cindy clenching her clothes, the corners of her mouth turning up in a triumphant smile.

“Thank you, Uncle. It’s okay. I can share with my sister.”

Cindy obediently stepped forward and took the cake.

After Cindy finished cutting the cake, I picked up my fork and was about to eat it, but Cindy took out two plates.

“Uncle and Auntie have worked hard all day. As children, we can’t be so ignorant. I’ll cut two pieces for Uncle and Auntie, and they should eat first.”

“……”

Did she really think I was a sick cat if I didn’t show my power?

I was insinuating that I was ruthless for kicking her out and hinting that I was unfilial, thinking she was being clever with her veiled accusations.

Did she really think life was some stupid romance novel where she could sow discord with a few words?

I turned to Cindy with a smile and said, “Good sister, my mom is allergic to cream. You wouldn’t want to send her to the hospital, would you? My dad’s belly is sticking out, and the doctor has forbidden him from eating anything sweet or oily. You wouldn’t want him to have high blood pressure and diabetes while he’s still young, would you?”

Playing the “green tea” act? Who couldn’t?

My dad couldn’t hold back his face when I said his belly was big, and he coughed lightly to show his displeasure.

I ignored him.

Cindy stared blankly at my smiling face, not knowing how to react, and could only smile awkwardly.

Before long, tears were welling up in her eyes.

“Uncle, Auntie, I really didn’t mean that. I just wanted to express my gratitude to you. Please believe me!”

She said, sobbing, and bowed her head in tears.

My mom felt sorry for her and was about to speak when I beat her to it.

“It’s okay, they won’t blame you. I’m just quick to speak my mind. Please don’t mind.”

I smiled as I comforted her.

Cindy was so angry that she was grinding her teeth, but she could only bite her lip and nod.

“Cindy, have some shrimp.”

My mom had cooked my favorite Arctic sweet shrimp, and she peeled one for me and Cindy, and my dad got a share too.

Cindy nodded gratefully.

“Thank you, Uncle and Auntie. I was born in a poor mountain village, where even survival was a problem. Without your help, I would never have had the chance to go to college.”

“I am so grateful to you.”

Her eyes were filled with tears.

“Uncle and Auntie, I’ve truly felt the warmth of a home these past few days. I really wish I could be your biological daughter. How wonderful that would be!”

“That way, you could treat me like you do with my sister, Chloe.”

“Auntie, next time college starts, give me the same living expenses as my sister, and I’ll come back to stay with her every holiday!”

She raised her drink and straightened her chest.

It was as if she had fallen into a beautiful fantasy.

The dining table fell into dead silence.

My mom and dad looked at each other, a little at a loss.

I twitched my lips.

My dad unexpectedly chimed in at this moment.

“I think what Cindy said is right. Just treat her like our biological daughter and let her stay home.”

I looked at my dad coldly.

“Don’t let her be your daughter. Let her be your mistress. You two can go create a home on your own.”

My mom glared at him.

My dad didn’t dare to say anything.

“Cindy, we agreed that Auntie would sponsor you until you went to college. After that, you can support yourself by working part-time. Of course, you can still talk to Auntie if you have any problems. Auntie will cover all of your grandma’s medical expenses.”

My mom earnestly explained to Cindy.

“Auntie, if you treat me like your own daughter, I should get the same treatment as my sister. Otherwise, that would be unfair! But don’t worry, I will definitely repay you in the future!”

Cindy seemed unable to understand and looked at my mom with expectant eyes.

My mom looked embarrassed and smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Shamelessness is invincible.

I had seen it.

I coughed lightly.

“My mom and dad’s biological daughter is sitting here. I’m studying at a top school and getting scholarships every year, so I don’t think I’m making them lose face, right? Why would I be reduced to recognizing someone else’s daughter?”

Cindy’s face flushed, and she wanted to say something.

I didn’t give her a chance to speak.

“But don’t worry, sister. As long as you’re willing to work hard in college, you can earn tuition by working part-time. If you study hard, there will be plenty of scholarships. I can help you apply for a scholarship. It should be enough.”

Cindy bit her teeth and squeezed out a sentence.

“But the scholarship… doesn’t that mean I have to work hard to pay it back?”

My mom turned her face away.

I laughed angrily.

“Then what else? Do you expect a free lunch to fall into your mouth?”

My patience ran out, and I started to speak more harshly.

Cindy’s face turned red, whether from anger or shame, and she stared at me.

My dad smoothed things over by telling us to eat quickly and even picked up some food for Cindy.

I shrugged and picked up a piece of fatty pork, ignoring Cindy, who was silently shedding tears.

My mom looked serious and ate her food absentmindedly.

I knew she had probably realized that the little girl she had been sponsoring had grown a little crooked.

“Cindy looks much better. When I first met you, you were skinny and now your skin is glowing,” my dad joked to ease the tension.