Grandma Lily, at the ripe age of 70, had fallen head over heels into an online romance. She was sending mushy messages on SnapChat and even spent $1,000 on her young “boyfriend” to boost his online business performance. No one could talk her out of it. Aunt Sarah pointed her finger at Grandma and scolded, “At your age, have you no shame? You’re embarrassing us all!” But I stood firmly by Grandma’s side. After all, I was the one behind her online romance. Grandpa had left behind an inheritance of $100,000. On his deathbed, he explicitly stated that after Grandma passed away, all the money should go to his grandsons. Aunt Sarah puffed up like a peacock, proud as can be, since she had two sons. Aunt Jessica chimed in, not to be outdone, “I have a son too.” As the granddaughter, I naturally wouldn’t see a penny of it. Mom was furious. For years, our family had been the ones taking care of Grandpa and Grandma. Even when Grandpa fell ill, it was my parents who footed the medical bills. Grandpa believed that since I was a girl, I’d eventually marry and leave the family, so there was no need to leave me any inheritance. Uncle Robert and Uncle Michael’s families only visited Grandpa and Grandma once a year during New Year’s, yet Grandpa welcomed them with open arms. He’d say that Aunt Sarah and Aunt Jessica were the family’s greatest contributors for giving birth to sons. Every time he said this, Mom’s head would droop so low it almost touched the ground. She felt guilty for not giving Dad a son. That’s why she bent over backward to care for Grandpa and Grandma. During family gatherings, Mom was always the one running around, taking care of everything. But no matter what, I was still Grandpa’s granddaughter. His decision truly angered Mom. Dad, being the soft-spoken person he was, didn’t say much. Grandma had lived her entire life under Grandpa’s thumb, treating his words as gospel. I was raised by Grandma. She always doted on me, taking me to school, buying me clothes and treats. But under Grandpa’s influence, she still agreed to follow his wishes. When my parents ran out of money paying for Grandpa’s medical bills, Mom asked Grandma to borrow money for my college tuition. Grandma, who usually spoiled me, hesitated and refused: “Your grandpa said the inheritance is for his grandsons.” “Girls will eventually marry into other families anyway.” “Your grandpa is the head of the family. I have to listen to him.” Even though Grandma usually treated me well, there was no room for negotiation on this matter. Aunt Sarah approached Grandma, sucking up to her: “Mom, look at Ryan. He’s about to get married and really needs the money. We have two sons, so we should get more of the inheritance, right?” Aunt Jessica wasn’t about to back down either. “Dad said it’s for the boys, but he didn’t say your two sons should get more.” “When it comes to giving out New Year’s money, Dad always gives my son Jason $100, while your two sons only get $100 combined.” Grandma got angry and slammed her bowl on the table with a loud “bang”: “Your father said to divide it after I’m dead. I’m not dead yet, and you’re already planning to split the inheritance?” They apologized, saying “How could we think that?” But in their hearts, they knew exactly what they were doing. How much money could an old lady from a small town spend? Whatever was left would be theirs, right? Back in our room, Mom looked dejected: “I told your dad we should set aside money for your college, but he wouldn’t listen. He insisted your grandpa would remember how good we’ve been to them.” At this point, Mom was getting angry. She scoffed: “Don’t come to me if any of you Johnsons need anything in the future.” “Bella is my precious daughter. From now on, all the money I earn is for Bella.” Dad knew he was in the wrong and didn’t dare say a word.
After Grandpa passed away, I noticed Grandma had changed. Especially these past few days, she’d been acting mysteriously. She used to go for a walk after dinner without fail. But lately, she’d rush back to her room right after eating and stay cooped up for hours. It was as if she had some treasure to guard in her room. She seemed unusually excited, her eyes sparkling like a young girl in love. I quietly snuck to her window and peeked inside. Grandma was grinning at her phone. It was a phone I bought her last year and taught her how to use SnapChat on. Could it be that she was hooked on TikTok? As I was thinking this, Grandma called out to me, asking for help with her phone: “Bella, can you take a look at Grandma’s phone? It’s not working.” “It’s frozen.” I took the phone and examined it. There were too many junk apps, and those malicious ads wouldn’t close. I tinkered with it for a while and discovered it was full of bloatware. “Grandma, I’ll fix it and bring it back to you in a bit.” Grandma seemed a bit uneasy and urged me to fix it quickly. I readily agreed. The phone didn’t have any major issues. After deleting the junk apps and downloading some antivirus software, it would be fine. The phone’s storage was limited, so I cleared out a lot for her. She was following many marketing accounts on Instagram, and I was about to unfollow them when I suddenly saw some explicit messages Grandma had sent, making me blush. “You’re my little sweetheart. Chatting with you every day is the happiest thing in my life.” “I love you too. You’re the most heart-fluttering treasure in my life.” “I want to meet you in person!” … There were also long voice messages after that. In my mind, Grandma had always been frugal and proper, always following Grandpa’s words. I couldn’t imagine such mushy words coming out of Grandma’s mouth. This kind of account was clearly designed to scam elderly people. They’d send messages like “Sister, I miss you so much” every day. But Grandma thought she had found her soulmate and was chatting enthusiastically. A thought suddenly popped into my head. I could pretend to be Grandma’s online romance. Grandma would get the emotional connection she craved, and I’d get money. It was a win-win situation. “Mom, I’ve got my tuition covered,” I said to myself.
I created a new SnapChat account with the nickname “Ray.” The friend request was accepted immediately. Grandma didn’t understand: “Ray, why are you messaging me from a different account?” I replied: “I created this new account just for you. You’re the only contact on it.” Grandma responded with a shy emoji, like an 18-year-old girl. Over the next few days, we chatted passionately. Grandma was slow with typing, and Uncle Robert accidentally saw her messages. These past few days, the competition between Uncle Robert and Uncle Michael had reached a fever pitch. Uncle Michael’s family had been secretly trying to curry favor, and Uncle Robert was afraid Grandma would give all the inheritance to the second son’s family. So he’d been visiting more frequently lately. He sat by Grandma’s bed, cracking sunflower seeds and making a mess on the floor. At one point, he accidentally glimpsed Grandma’s SnapChat. The chat window was still open on the message: “I love you too, you’re my sweetheart.” He jumped up, his face flushing with anger. He snatched the phone and scrolled through the chat history, feeling like his world view had been shattered: “Mom, how could you do something to betray Dad?” “At your age, aren’t you ashamed?” Hearing Uncle Robert’s roar, the others finally learned that Grandma had started an online romance. Dad stood in the corner, quietly defending Grandma: “It’s good for Mom to have someone to talk to and keep her company.” Recently, Mom had a change of heart. She went on strike, refusing to cook or take care of the family. Instead, she spent her days gardening, buying clothes, and pampering herself. She wasn’t as attentive to Grandma as before. Grandma had no one to talk to every day and could only talk to herself. I completely understood Mom. Although Grandma raised me, there was no reason for Mom to fulfill the obligation of caring for her on behalf of Dad and me. Uncle Robert wouldn’t let it go. He insisted on knowing who the old man on the other end was. Grandma was both embarrassed and angry, pointing at Uncle Robert but unable to speak for a while. It wasn’t clear if she felt ashamed that her son knew about her private matters or if she was angry that Uncle Robert didn’t understand her. “What law am I breaking? Your father is gone, and I can’t even find someone to talk to?” Aunt Sarah and Aunt Jessica chuckled softly, as if they were watching Grandma make a fool of herself. Grandma suggested that the children take turns staying at home to keep her company, and she would stop the online romance. But no one agreed. Uncle Robert said he was busy with work, and Uncle Michael said he had to take care of his kids. Aunt Sarah tried to smooth things over, saying that since Grandma was only having an online romance and hadn’t done anything illegal, they should just let the old lady be. Seeing someone offering a way out, Uncle Robert stopped talking, his face still sour. Everyone tacitly agreed to this arrangement.
I watched coldly as they put on their act. I wasn’t going to stop at just an online romance. I needed to make money too. With my college tuition on my mind, I felt the time was right to start asking Grandma for money in Ray’s name. I asked for money without any guilt. My parents had taken care of Grandpa and Grandma in their old age, paid for their medical bills, but Grandpa wouldn’t spare a penny. I hated this behavior, but unfortunately, Grandpa was already dead. I could only try to get back my parents’ hard-earned money from Grandma. I sent Grandma a message on SnapChat: “Darling, Ray can’t chat with you every day anymore. I’m out of money and need to go find work.” Grandma immediately became anxious: “At your age, where can you go to work?” Then she transferred $200. “Take this money and buy some groceries.” I quickly accepted the money. “Thank you, darling. Now I don’t have to work for a month and can spend time with you.” Seeing the sudden $200 in my SnapChat account, I rolled on the bed laughing. Who knew a few caring words could be worth so much to Grandma? I called out to Grandma, who was fanning herself outside: “Grandma, do you want some bubble tea?” It was a hot summer day, and I rode my bike home with two iced bubble teas. Grandma clumsily inserted the straw and took a sip. Her eyes immediately lit up: “This stuff is really good!” She took several more big sips as she spoke. “Bella, this bubble tea is so delicious. Is it expensive?” I rolled my eyes and said: “Very expensive! Over $10 a cup!” Grandma’s eyes widened. She looked at the fancy cup in her hand, seemingly unable to believe it could be so expensive. But after a while, she nodded and pulled out $50 from her pocket: “Expensive things do taste better. Bella, Grandma will give you money. Next time, bring Grandma another cup.” I happily went back to my room. Within two minutes, Ray’s SnapChat received another $20: “Ray, bubble tea is delicious. Go get yourself a cup too.” Over the next few days, I made money hand over fist just by chatting with Grandma. It didn’t take long before I had saved up enough for my tuition. “Darling, at this age, you should be good to yourself. Let the younger generation worry about themselves.” “Why should my treasure sacrifice for a big family?” “At this age, it’s time to enjoy what your children can give back.” I didn’t expect Grandma to accept new ideas so quickly. As soon as I said it, she understood and even thanked me for making her see things clearly.
Uncle Robert and Uncle Michael’s families had been visiting more frequently lately. In the past, they only came back twice a year, claiming they were busy with work and had to take care of their children. Now, Uncle Robert came home once a week, bringing Grandma milk, fruits, and supplements. Uncle Michael sent Aunt Jessica over to care for Grandma, accompanying her shopping and exercising. They were competing to see who could be more filial. In the past, Grandma used to eat and live at our house for free. After Mom stopped taking care of her, the task of cooking for Grandma fell to them. They were shrewd. When they went out to buy vegetables, they would ask Grandma for money. Uncle Robert bought a box of apples online, and when he was about to pay using Grandma’s SnapChat, he exploded: “Mom, you had $2,000 in your account for pocket money last month. How come there’s less than $1,000 now?” Uncle Robert kept a close eye on Grandma’s bank card and the money in her phone. Not a single change escaped his notice. Grandma’s online romance wasn’t a big problem, but an online romance that cost money was a major issue. Uncle Robert fumed, roaring in the house: “You won’t give money to your son, but you’ll go support a toyboy?” “They’re all scammers! Scammers!” Uncle Robert felt he was in the right, so he called everyone in the family for a meeting. Grandma used to revolve her life around her husband and children, but since Grandpa passed away, her behavior had shocked everyone. Uncle Robert’s face was ashen. This time, he was several levels angrier than before: “At your age, not only are you having a romance but also supporting a toyboy. If you’re not embarrassed, we are! And how can you face Dad?” Everyone sighed and shook their heads: “Mom, you used to be such a good person. How did you become like this?” Uncle Michael sat on a small stool, trying to reason with her: “Mom, we all work hard to earn money. It’s one thing if you spend it on yourself, but you can’t just give it away to strangers.”
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