Chapter 56: Silly Son
Shou Jiaxun’s dad drove an approximately three hundred thousand yuan Japanese off-road vehicle to pick them up from the airport. This type of car had no business attributes, but it wasn’t cheap among family cars. So it was evident that his family’s life was currently quite good, and they didn’t have to toil especially hard for a living; it must be quite comfortable.
After getting in the car, the fifty-something little old man kicked off his flip-flops, tossed them into the passenger seat, and drove barefoot.
Because driving in slippers would result in a fine if stopped by traffic police for a spot check. Driving barefoot, while uncivilized, was not against the rules.
Shou Jiaxun sat in the back row, leaning forward with a chuckle. “Dad, you’ve changed so much now.”
Liang Bo sat next to him and praised almost simultaneously, “Uncle, this is a nice car.”
His dad raised his eyebrows and smiled awkwardly, first brushing off Liang Bo: “Oh, haha, it’s alright, just making do with it.”
Then he earnestly explained to his son, “The weather in Yangcheng is hot, and there’s a lot of rain. People here don’t have as many rules about dressing up as they do in Beijing. I have one pair of shoes for inside and outside the house now. When they wear out, I change to another pair; it’s convenient. Even when I go out to discuss business, I wear this.”
He casually reminded the two young people in the back: “You have to wear seatbelts in the back row here too, otherwise the traffic police will pull us over if they see it.”
Shou Jiaxun and Liang Bo hurriedly pulled their seatbelts and buckled up.
“Dad, what kind of business are you doing now?” Shou Jiaxun’s expression was concerned, seemingly feeling quite sorry for his dad’s decline in living standards.
His dad patiently explained to him, “There are many electronics factories over here. I act as an agent for two small chip brands from abroad, helping them import goods and whatnot. I don’t make a ton of money, but it’s okay for maintaining our life, it’s enough. What about you, what are you doing now?”
“I opened an advertising company.” Shou Jiaxun grinned modestly. “I don’t make a ton of money, but life is okay.”
Father Shou clicked his tongue and smiled. “That’s very good. So much debt… and you actually managed to pay it off. Sigh!” Saying this, he sighed. “Have you bought a house in Beijing?”
“No, I live at a friend’s house.”
“Oh my, then why didn’t you buy a house first? I was the one who owed money, not you. Sigh…”
The father-son chat actually had nothing to do with Liang Bo, but the little old man thought Shou Jiaxun lived at this “boyfriend’s” house, so he naturally scrutinized Assistant Liang in the rearview mirror for two seconds.
Liang Bo was looking sideways at Shou Jiaxun, while Shou Jiaxun was grinning foolishly at the back of his dad’s head, thinking this dad was pretty good and still cared about him.
If it weren’t for being swayed by “Reincarnate at Will” back then, he definitely wouldn’t have abandoned his eldest son and run away.
So he couldn’t help but act somewhat coquettish in a very subtle way: “If I didn’t pay back the money, how would you know to look for me?”
His dad laughed bitterly. “I still can’t believe it to this day, it feels like a dream… that you’re actually still willing to acknowledge me.”
“I was already an adult when you left!” Shou Jiaxun consoled his “new” biological dad with a beaming smile. “You fulfilled your obligation to raise me; you don’t owe me anything.”
His dad raised his eyebrows and teased, “Now it’s become me owing you, but I probably won’t be able to pay it back all at once. Do you accept installments?”
“Haha, no need.” Shou Jiaxun waved his hand. “It’s fine, I have an obligation to support you in your old age too.”
Father Shou was probably moved by his son. He lifted a hand from the steering wheel to wipe his eyes, then pressed his lips together and sank into his own thoughts, no longer making small talk.
Liang Bo was suddenly a bit curious. Unable to help himself, he stared at Shou Jiaxun with an expression of hesitating to speak, “applying” for the right to ask a question.
Shou Jiaxun was stared at for over ten seconds before he reacted, turning his head to ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
Liang Bo chuckled awkwardly and stammered, “I seem to… have never heard you mention your Omega father?”
Shou Jiaxun raised an eyebrow, slightly organizing the memories in his mind. “After he gave birth to me, he went abroad to further his studies on a whim. Later, he probably met someone more like-minded over there… and remarried.”
“That’s not it. Sigh!” Father Shou, who hadn’t spoken for a while, suddenly sighed and interjected. “He didn’t remarry. He went abroad for medical treatment back then, couldn’t be cured, and passed away over there.
You were too young then, and we didn’t want to make you sad, so we always said he was studying abroad.
It wasn’t until I met Peng Pei and wanted to remarry him that I told you the truth. But you thought I was lying to you, crying and fussing constantly. I had no choice but to keep lying to you, saying your dad had settled abroad and wouldn’t come back.
As a result, you always took that lie for the truth.
…Also, because he converted to Catholicism abroad before he passed, he ultimately chose to be buried there. I’ll give you the address later, you can go see him when you have the chance.”
Liang Bo stared at Shou Jiaxun, dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected his casual remark to draw out such a massive string of hidden facts. This time he truly didn’t dare to speak again.
Shou Jiaxun rubbed his forehead. He hadn’t expected it either!
—To tell the truth, he wasn’t very sad, because for him, “memories” he hadn’t personally experienced possessed a sense of distance. It was like reading a book; there was a sense of immersion, but not much.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the car was inevitably heavy. Shou Jiaxun sighed and acted “sad” for two minutes, then decided to bring up a lighter topic and chat anew. “Hey Dad, how old is Peng Peng?”
Peng Peng was the little brother born to his Omega stepfather, with an almost twenty-year age gap between him and Shou Jiaxun.
“Five years old, currently in the transition class from kindergarten to primary school. He’ll start primary school next year,” his father said. “We had a parent-teacher meeting today. The teacher said he doesn’t know how to attend class and plays all the time. He learned ten letters in a week but only remembered three—ABC—and didn’t know the rest.
He needs to memorize subtraction within five, but he refuses and keeps counting on his fingers… He’s really worrying me to death. If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have had him.”
A fifty-year-old little old man raising a five-year-old son; his bewildered and dramatic mental state was no different from a thirty-year-old young parent.
Any mature stability and settling from the years turned to light smoke in front of a child—a little blow from the lips and it vanished completely.
Shou Jiaxun was so amused he shook his head, incredibly cheerful. He truly brought one hundred percent sincerity to reunite with his family. Not only was he beaming with joy, but he also patted Liang Bo’s knee, reminding the other to express joy together.
Then he earnestly comforted his old dad: “The transition classes just earn money off your ‘anxiety.’ You’ve done business your whole life, and you can’t see through this? Oh my, don’t be nervous. Uncle Peng is so meticulous, he’ll definitely raise the kid well.”
His dad nodded as he listened, a smile gradually appearing on his face. When the car parked in the underground garage, the two father and son got out, draped their arms over each other’s shoulders, and talked and laughed without any ill feelings.
Father Shou’s new home in Yangcheng was located in a new real estate development within an old district. The surrounding streets were lined with shops, transportation was convenient, and both living and working there were very handy.
Although the apartment wasn’t large, the property amenities were complete, and the service was quite good. The residential area was shaded with green plants, and the hallways were clean and bright.
Liang Bo dragged the luggage and followed the Shou father and son into the elevator, striking up a conversation with Father Shou like a silly kid. “Uncle, how are the housing prices over here?”
“Housing prices in Yangcheng are a bit lower than in Beijing. This unit was over two million when we bought it, now it’s risen to over five million.”
After the little old man spoke, his face suddenly tightened, and he instinctively turned his head to observe Shou Jiaxun’s expression.
When he left Beijing back then, he wasn’t penniless, yet he hadn’t left a single cent for Shou Jiaxun to rely on.
Shou Jiaxun, on the other hand, only knew to grin foolishly. “You made a profit, haha! Dad, your investment eye is really good.”
Liang Bo was playing dumb, but Shou Jiaxun seemed to be truly dumb.
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