He Jin looked at the stack of change in his father's hand and felt even more bitter. He grabbed his father's hand and shoved it back into his father's hand. "Don't take it. I'll pay for the taxi."
He Jin opened the back door and let his father get in first. He put his suitcase in the back of the car and got in, sitting next to his father.
"Have you eaten?" He Jin asked.
"Not yet. I was waiting for you to come so we could eat together."
"Why were you waiting for me? It's not like I'm going to starve. " He Jin looked at the time. By the time he got home, it would be 8: 30 pm. It was fine for him since he was busy at school and only ate very late. However, his parents were retired and usually had dinner at around 5 pm. His parents had starved until eight to wait for him. He Jin felt a wave of pain wash over him.
He opened the bag of food Qin Yang had bought him, wanting to fill his father's stomach with the box of sushi from the convenience store. However, the sushi was cold as soon as he touched it. His father had a weak stomach and would probably feel even worse if he ate it.
Neither father nor son were good at chatting, so they sat in the back seat in silence. When they reached the entrance of the neighborhood, He Jin's father reached for his pocket again, but He Jin blocked him with a hand and raised his wrist to let the driver swipe his account.
He Jin's father smiled at him under the dim streetlights. He Jin felt a little embarrassed. "What are you smiling at?"
His father said, "I'm smiling at you for fighting with me to pay. Mom and Dad are the ones who gave you the money. What's there to fight over?"
He Jin choked for a moment. He thought to himself, "This is attitude. Don't you understand attitude?
He followed behind his father and whispered, "I'll earn it. I'll give it to you to spend in the future."
His father paused for a moment before he continued walking. "I won't spend money. Just give it to your mom."
He Jin was speechless.
When the father and son entered the house, a familiar smell greeted them. It was not the smell of food, but the smell of old furniture, kitchen oil, laundry detergent, mothballs … It was a mixture of all kinds of smells that only belonged to their house. It was not unpleasant, but it instantly made He Jin recall the memories of living here for nearly 20 years.
His mother's face lit up when she saw He Jin. She directed his father to put He Jin's suitcase and heat up the dishes on the table. "Hurry up and wash your hands and take off your jacket. I don't know how many people's germs you've gotten on the road. If you're cold, go change into a new one. I left it on the bed in your room … Wash your hands and change your clothes before we eat!"
In the whole house, there was only the voice of the woman, talking quickly. In fact, at the first sight of her, He Jin was also very happy, but she kept talking, and He Jin was a little annoyed.
"Oh, by the way, did you guys take the bus back? The bus is driving pretty fast today. I'm looking at the time … Luckily, there's a bus from the train station that goes directly to our house. Our house is located in a good location. It's been decades and it's still very convenient to go there … He Jin, are there many people on the bus?"
"It's alright." He Jin gave a perfunctory reply, changed his clothes, and sat down.
There was fish and meat on the table. His father was in a good mood, so he poured a small glass of white wine to drink. When He Jin saw this, he said, "Dad, let me drink with you."
His mother immediately screamed, "What kind of wine is a child drinking? This is white wine, 52%! Don't learn from the good, learn from the bad. Eat! "
The father and son were speechless.
He Jin wanted to retort. I'm not a child anymore. What's wrong with me drinking with my dad?
But he knew that once he said these two sentences, his mother would explode. This woman never listened to retorts. As long as it was a rule that she set her mind on, it had to be followed. If you did not comply, she would drag it into a matter of life and death.
Dad He gestured with his chopsticks, indicating to He Jin to eat his food and not to accompany him. Mom He did not realize that the atmosphere was not right. She glanced at He Jin and said, "Look at you. I haven't seen you for half a year, and you've lost weight again. Are the food in the school cafeteria edible? This is the trotters from the black pork that Mom bought. Eat more at home to nourish yourself … Oh yes, there's also this shrimp. It's 120 yuan per catty. Just this plate alone costs 50 yuan. In order to buy this table of food for you, your dad and I have not eaten meat for a week! "
He Jin paused. He suddenly found it hard to swallow his food …
Dad He could not help but grumble, "Don't talk so much. Don't give the child psychological pressure."
Mom He rolled her eyes at him. "What pressure did I give the child? I'm letting him know how good it is at home. Who else outside would treat him so wholeheartedly like his parents? "
Dad He did not speak anymore. He Jin hurriedly ate a bowl of rice and put down his chopsticks. His mother frowned. "You're not eating anymore?"
He Jin: "I'm full."
Mom He: "Then eat more!"
He Jin said calmly, "Mom, don't buy so much food in the future. Also, don't eat bad food just because you bought good food for me. Our family does not lack money for food, right?"
Mom He kept his bowl and chopsticks with a fierce face. "I still need to buy a house for you and get married. When you have children in the future, I still need to pay for my grandchildren's schooling. You don't know how expensive it is to go to school now. Do you still remember Aunt Meijuan? Her granddaughter is five years old this year. She's going to attend an early foreign language training class. The tuition fee is this amount! " Mom He gestured eight. It was estimated to be eight thousand yuan. "Nowadays, children's education is like robbing money. We're already old, so we should save as much as we can. Isn't it all for you …"
He Jin: "I can earn this money myself. Don't worry about it."
His mother snorted and laughed. "Earn it yourself? Where are you going to earn it? Haven't you seen the news on TV about the unemployment problem of university students? Even those who graduate from Huaxia University drive taxis. Let me tell you … I've asked around. The public institution your dad found for you has all kinds of benefits. It adds up to ten thousand yuan. It's considered very good. You can only save a hundred thousand yuan a year at most. Do you know the housing prices in Q City now? A better location costs twenty thousand yuan per square meter. If you work for a year without eating or drinking, you'll only be able to buy a toilet. By the time you earn enough to buy a house, your dad's and my ashes will be cold! "
He Jin: "I can find a job in A City. The salary there is higher than here …"
Mom He: "It's harder to survive in a big city! Do you think a high salary can solve the problem? The salary is high, and the expenses are high. You have to rent a house in another city. I heard that the housing prices in A City within the Third Ring Road are already eighty thousand yuan per square meter! If you want to work in the center of A City, it's only an hour or two by subway every day. If you want to find a company in the suburbs, you might as well go back to Q City! Don't think I don't know. I read the news! You, you've been in school for too long. Naive! "
He Jin frowned. "Then I won't get married for the time being. We'll talk about it when I have money."
Mom He was shocked. She suddenly raised her voice. "How can you do that! You must get married! Buy a house! Didn't I already say that if you don't have money, I'll help you save it. You just take care of yourself. Finish your studies and come back. If you work, you can stay at home. Everything will be stable … "
The topic fell into an endless loop. No matter how calm He Jin was, he could no longer communicate with his mother.
It was already eleven o 'clock when he returned to his room after taking a shower. He Jin was paralyzed on the bed, as if he had lost half his life.
Because of their different views, the hour-long lecture just now made He Jin endure intense mental torture. He didn't want that, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to refute his mother. After all, he hadn't graduated yet. He couldn't guarantee what kind of future he would have. His grades in school couldn't mean everything. Once he entered society, he had to start all over again …
How he wished that he had a large sum of money now. He could pile it all in front of his mother and say confidently, "Mom, we don't lack money. You and Dad can live a better life. Don't feel wronged. Don't think too much about me. I can take care of my own life."
… But was this a problem of money? It wasn't!
He Jin didn't think that his family was poor. He had an impression of his parents' salary before they retired. Although they weren't very rich, they were at least moderately well-off. However, the quality of their life made He Jin feel like they were struggling to make ends meet … Especially when his mother said at the dinner table, "We didn't eat meat for a week because of you." Was there a need to be so exaggerated?
Therefore, the problem wasn't money, but their views. Even if he gave his mother ten million yuan, she probably wouldn't bear to spend a single cent on him. With her current ability, she could only manage this family, her son, and maybe even her grandchildren. Once she had ten million yuan, she could manage her great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren … and there would be no end of them. (= _ =)
"He Jin! Did you buy this bag of snacks? " His mother's voice came through the door. "How many times have I told you not to eat this kind of junk food? And this … sushi? This kind of plastic box has been reported on the news. It's poisonous! Did you eat too little at night because you ate too many snacks? And it's not cheap, right? I worry about you every day, but why can't you let me worry about you? Don't let me see you buy these things again! "
He Jin: "…"
He Jin picked up the pillow beside him, turned over, and pressed his head against it. His entire face was buried in the blankets, and he couldn't breathe … Don't say anymore. It's so annoying, really annoying. If only I could faint …
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind — "Become stronger, don't admit defeat."
He Jin froze. This was what Shang Huo had said to him after he had surrendered to him in the PK arena. He didn't know why he remembered it now, but he gradually loosened his grip on the pillow. His heart seemed to have been inspired by those words and gained some courage.
That's right, this was a hurdle that he had to overcome. Otherwise, his life would be over!
He Jin's mother: "Did you hear that?"
He Jin shouted back in a fit of pique, "I heard it!"
If he said that it was bought by a classmate, he would probably be nagged even more. He Jin rationally chose to take the blame. There was no point in arguing with his mother now. He had to think about it slowly.
At night, when He Jin heard that his parents were asleep, he sent a message to Shang Huo. Seeing that there was no reply, he tiptoed out of bed to take out the game helmet from his bag. He lay back on the bed, put it on, and slid down the blindfold.
At midnight, He Jin logged into the game. As expected, Shang Huo was online.
Shang Huo: "Why are you online so late? Are you home? "
A Jin: "Yeah, I came up to take a look."
Shang Huo: "Haha, are you looking at me or your son?"
A Jin: "…"
Shang Huo: "We're on the floating island. Follow us."
He Jin immediately flew to Shang Huo's side. Seeing that it was just him and Rice Ball, the demon baby saw He Jin and excitedly chirped. It flapped its little wings and flew to He Jin, rubbing and kissing him. He Jin smiled and hugged him. "It feels like it's grown a size."
Shang Huo: "Yeah, I don't know if it will continue to grow. I was just instructing it to fight monsters and found that this little guy is quite intelligent. It remembers everything I teach it."
A Jin couldn't help but kiss Rice Ball on the cheek. The demon baby chirped, its face red. It was a little dumbfounded from the kiss.
Shang Huo was also stunned. After a while, he said, "You've never taken the initiative to kiss me."
He Jin: "…"
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