novelraw 160. Misplaced life
160. Misplaced life
"Cry, cry, cry. If you really feel that life can't go on anymore, we will divorce."
Zhang Guoqing came back from work all day and saw the woman sitting on the sofa wiping tears for some unknown reason. He felt helpless and disappointed.
There was some indifference in the words, which made the woman who was crying silently feel even more sad. She lowered her head, shrugged her shoulders, raised her fair and thin arms, wiped the tears from her face, stood up slightly awkwardly, and just like a Like a little daughter-in-law who has been wronged.
"You're back on National Day, and I'll cook for you right away."
Lin Fang raised her head and glanced at her husband. Zhang Guoqing didn't show anything. She jumped into the kitchen as if she was frightened. Other than that, she didn't say a word.
Zhang Guoqing was also used to Lin Fang's behavior of avoiding him like a snake and a scorpion. He sighed for the umpteenth time in his heart, whether it was a mistake to marry Lin Fang in the first place, and whether his persistence over the years was just a joke.
While he was staying in the entrance hall, the door of the Zhang family was opened again, and a tall, thin boy with cold eyebrows walked in, holding a basketball in his hand.
"Just play ball. You are still a student now, and the most important thing is to study." Zhang Guoqing said sternly to the young man who came in.
"Dad, I understand. It means you can take it easy during the summer vacation, and I haven't missed any tutoring on weekdays. I will definitely be able to get into a university that satisfies you."
Yan Chu, now called Zhang Chu, said to the man in front of him with a straight face and some affection and awkwardness in his eyes.
In fact, Zhang Guoqing already regretted the words he just blurted out. He used to love the child in front of him very much, but something happened afterwards that made him unable to treat this child without any grudges or reservations. Giving, but this does not mean that he has no feelings for this child.
He knew that his son didn't like him always talking about his studies, and he also knew that the child had always hated his arrogance and felt that he was the tyrant of the family and always bullied his wife and mother.
Zhang Guoqing is clumsy and does not know how to explain. The misunderstanding between father and son is getting deeper and deeper. Now that his son is in adolescence, father and son live under the same roof and do not communicate a word for a day.
He couldn't even remember the last time his son called him daddy. It seemed that recently, his son had been calling him "hey" all the time, which somewhat chilled Zhang Guoqing.
But now that his son has become close to him again for some unknown reason, Zhang Guoqing can no longer face him with a straight face, and there is a smile on his face.
"Is the living expenses still enough? You will be in your senior year of high school soon, and it will cost a lot to buy materials and stuff. If you are short of money, tell your dad."
His son gave in and took the initiative to let him go. Zhang Guoqing could no longer hold his nerve. Although his words were still inseparable from study, at least he was not as serious as he was at the beginning.
"Xiao Chu, you are back."
Lin Fang in the kitchen heard the sound of the door opening and closing, and walked out with plastic gloves on her hands.
Neither her husband nor her son had lunch at home today. She made lunch for herself, but the dishes were still in the sink and had not been washed. She had to wash the dishes before making dinner.
Lin Fang has never liked this kind of job of cleaning and cooking, but her husband is helpless and has no ability. He just earns a fixed salary. After paying off the mortgage and car loan, plus the expenses for his son's education, the money left every month is just enough. Daily expenses and a small amount of savings are used to prepare for unexpected needs. Lin Fang wants to hire a nanny or part-time worker, which can only be a luxury.
She also has a bachelor's degree and studied design from one of the top art schools in the country. She had good grades when she was in school. However, she has not worked since she graduated from school. At first, it was because of marriage and childbirth issues. Later, when the child was freed from her hands, Lin Fang found that she was out of touch with society. The innovation of design software and the rapid changes in trends could no longer adapt to her own profession and the intensity of work in design work.
As for jobs such as front desk and teller, Lin Fang couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She felt that such a job was not worthy of her academic qualifications.
In this way, she became a full-time housewife, responsible for dinner, laundry and cleaning at home.
Lin Fang's eyes were still a little red at this time. When she saw her son, she couldn't help but wipe her tears with her gloved hands.
It was another scene like this. Zhang Guoqing couldn't tell if he was disappointed or what. He thought, I'm afraid in the next second, his son would blame him again for his mother. Sometimes Zhang Guoqing also thought about how to live like this. What else is there to do?
"Mom, is the water heater on? I just finished playing basketball and I'm sweating. I'm going to take a shower first."
Yan Chu did not coax the silently weeping mother as he had done in the past, nor did he indiscriminately accuse Zhang Guoqing, the father.
He didn't do everything for him. Because he felt sorry for Lin Fang's mother, he contracted her for the housework that she hadn't finished yet. Yan Chu just lowered his head and changed the shoes on his feet, seemingly not seeing Lin Fang at this time. Fang's appearance.
"Ah, open, open."
Not only was Zhang Guoqing different, but so was Lin Fang. She subconsciously answered her son's question.
Yan Chu carried the basketball back to his room, and soon went to the bathroom carrying a change of clothes.
For some reason, Zhang Guoqing felt like laughing. He glanced at his bewildered wife sarcastically, picked up his briefcase, and returned to the room.
Lin Fang squeezed the dishcloth in her hand, and her thin figure became more and more pitiful. Unfortunately, there was no man in this house who would pity her.
It wasn't until she heard the buzzing sound of the bathroom water heater starting that Lin Fang returned to the kitchen and continued the housework she had just finished.
****
"Zhang Chu, I haven't seen you playing basketball recently. Is your dad scolding you again?"
Yan Chu was riding a bicycle with several breakfasts hanging on the handlebars. Before he got home, he was stopped by Cheng Sheng, a good friend of this body.
"No, why would my dad scold me? He used to think study was important and was worried that I would miss my homework because of playing ball."
Yan Chu supported the bicycle with one foot and stepped on the pedal with the other. The tall and thin boy was dressed neatly, wearing a white jersey, loose sweatpants, and a hairband on his forehead. He was neat and yet still young. Trendy and handsome.
"Hey, I didn't expect that one day you would say good things about your dad. When we chatted with us before, didn't we always say that your dad was a tyrant who only knew how to bully your mom and you without any ability?"
Cheng Sheng's eyes looked like he had seen a new world, and he seemed surprised to hear Yan Chu say good things about his father.
"I misunderstood before. In fact, my father has a hard time. You know, my mother doesn't have a job, and our family only relies on my father to make money. In fact, sometimes I think about it, and my father didn't do anything to apologize to my mother. But she always cries at home. Sometimes when my dad comes back from work for several nights, he will inevitably feel angry when he sees such a scene. "
"I'm sorry you finally understand, your mother, I really can't say anything." In the past, what Cheng Sheng heard from his good friend was all about defending his crybaby mother. To be honest, Cheng Sheng has grown so big, and this is the first time he has seen a man like Yan Chu who is so close to his mother.
Anyway, Cheng Sheng really looked down on his friend's biological mother, who always looked sad. One time when he went to his friend's house, she started crying to him without doing anything, accusing her husband and life in her words. of injustice.
Cheng Sheng was helpless. As an elder, how could the other party have the nerve to say this to him? From then on, Cheng Sheng rarely went to his friends' houses. Every gathering was held outside or at his own home.
If it weren't for the fact that Yan Chu had nothing wrong with him, Cheng Sheng wouldn't want to be friends with him, because he was afraid that Yan Chu would also inherit some damn IQ and EQ.
Now that his good brother has come out of his mother's demonic barrier, Cheng Sheng feels quite happy.
"How about it, do you want to play ball together in the afternoon? The group of sports students from No. 2 Middle School made a challenge to us, and Zhao Xinhan agreed to be a cheerleader."
Cheng Sheng knew that his friend was interested in the school beauty of No. 2 Middle School. Although he felt that his friend had always had problems with women, but because he had never been able to date anyone during this period, Cheng Sheng could only take My friend’s goddess was used as bait.
"Okay, I'll go to your house to find you after dinner."
Today is an important plot point. Even if Cheng Sheng didn't meet him, Yan Chu would find him by himself, so without hesitation, Yan Chu agreed to the other party's invitation.
"Praise for sex over friends."
Cheng Sheng punched Yan Chu's chest hard. As expected, only when he heard Zhao Xinhan's name did he be willing to come out of the house.
Yan Chu didn't explain, the two agreed on a time to meet and separated.
Today is Sunday. It is rare for Zhang Guoqing not to work overtime. He slept in and didn't get up until 8:30. When he was thinking about whether he should buy some breakfast and come back, Yan Chu opened the door and came in, carrying a few copies in his hand. breakfast.
"Dad, your favorite glutinous rice balls are wrapped with ghee strips, pickled mustard and ham sausage, and covered with seafood sauce. There is also your favorite Liji soy milk, which happens to be still hot."
Yan Chu brought the breakfast he bought for Zhang Guoqing to him, and then picked up his own breakfast and ate it.
"What the hell are you not prepared for?"
Zhang Guoqing looked at his son and picked up two breakfasts, one for him and one for his son, which meant that the other party had not prepared Lin Fang's breakfast.
"Mom goes to bed very late on Sundays, and usually has lunch when she wakes up."
Zhang Guoqing is busy with work, and often does not come back for dinner. On weekdays when he is in school, Yuan Yi also prepares breakfast and lunch outside. Lin Fang often only has dinner. .
There is no need for her on Sundays. If Zhang Guoqing and Yan Chu have a rest, they will go to the breakfast stall outside to solve the problem. Lin Fang will sleep until three o'clock in the morning and then prepare today's lunch and dinner.
However, according to the memory of the original person, after he was fifteen years old, he was often the one who did the washing and cooking at home. Because he felt sorry for his mother, the original person consciously took on a lot of housework, which the honest man in front of him didn't know.
Zhang Guoqing didn't say much after hearing his son's words, but he was still very happy that his son could remember his preferences. Even if Yan Chu proposed to play ball with his classmates in the afternoon, he didn't say anything against it and gave Yan Chu fifty Yuan, let him buy some cold drinks when he is tired from playing ball.
For the first time, the father and son, who had been no longer close since Yan Chu was twelve years old, went to the vegetable market to buy some food after having breakfast together.
When Lin Fang got up, lunch had been prepared. The father and son were chatting and laughing in the kitchen, cleaning the sink. The atmosphere was particularly harmonious, as if Lin Fang was excluded.
"You woke up just in time. After washing your face and brushing your teeth, come over for dinner."
Zhang Guoqing looked up at his wife, the smile on his face faded slightly, and he said to Lin Fang with some distance.
Lin Fang felt a little aggrieved and her eyes were red again. She turned her head and looked at her son.
Yan Chu didn't say anything, just lowered his head and waved his chopsticks.
I don't know from which day this son, who always defended himself, seemed to become more and more strange and indifferent to her. Lin Fang didn't know if it was his own illusion.
Enduring her sadness, Lin Fang walked to the bathroom to wash up, and then the family of three sat down to eat in silence. Zhang Guoqing and Yan Chu occasionally exchanged a few words while studying.
"Is your math tutoring okay recently?"
Zhang Guoqing asked, his son is very good in other subjects, but he has never been able to pass the math exam. Now the cram school he is looking for for his son is opened by a well-known special teacher.
After the other party retired, he started a class to earn some extra money. Two hours of tutoring per day for twenty days cost 3,000 yuan. This was not one-on-one tutoring. There were more than 30 students in the tutoring class. Zhang Guoqing didn't know that this was the case. Is tutoring useful for my son?
"It's very good. I can listen to what the teacher teaches. When I take the test in the summer vacation, I think I should be able to do well in the exam."
Yan Chu took a bite of food and said to his father.
"That's good. You scored 93% in the last final math exam. The teacher said that as long as you can improve your math, there is still hope for a key university."
In the past, his son was always impatient when talking about studies, but now he is willing to listen, and Zhang Guoqing can't help but talk more.
"National Day, don't always talk to your children about study. The child's happiness is the most important. Don't kill the child's nature with your rules and regulations. Didn't the news say it? Students from Yanjing University and Shuimu University There are also many people who set up street stalls after graduation, and grades and school don’t mean everything.”
Lin Fang looked at her son tenderly and spoke softly.
"I used to be ignorant, but now I think it's really important to study well. No matter what happens in the future, at least I have one more bargaining chip and a higher starting point than others. Dad, don't worry, I will study hard and I will definitely take the exam." Go to a key university.”
Yan Chu's answer made Zhang Guoqing very happy. He didn't understand why Lin Fang always made trouble when he was teaching his son, even though he was her son.
He didn't know how to express his happiness now, so he just kept smiling and gave Yan Chu several spoonfuls of the tomato scrambled eggs he made, letting him take two more bites.
It was obvious that his son hated mathematics the most. In the past, his son was very touched when Lin Fang helped him speak, but this time it didn't work.
Lin Fang pursed her lips and looked at the crystal clear rice grains in the bowl, but suddenly lost her appetite.
She put down the bowl heavily, returned to the room without looking back, and closed the door.
"Dad, you and mom should divorce."
After Lin Fang returned to the room, Yan Chu suddenly spoke and said to Zhang Guoqing.
"Why are you kid saying this all of a sudden?" Zhang Guoqing's hand holding the bowl tightened and he looked up at his son, wondering why he was talking about divorce.
"You two are not happy together at all. When I was a child, my mother always said that she couldn't divorce because of me. Now that I am an adult, I will take the college entrance examination next year, so if you can't survive, just divorce."
Yan Chu didn't understand how the man in front of him could endure these years of marriage. I'm afraid that in addition to his obsession and unwillingness to Lin Fang, his love for the original person was also part of the reason.
In his last life, his original self was betrayed by everyone, and in the end, only the man in front of him, whom he had always despised and hated, was still willing to take him in and take care of him.
Even in the end, he was willing to pay the price of his soul just so that his original body could change.
Yan Chu couldn't guarantee that if he were this man, in his position, he would make such a decision that could be called a holy father.
But one thing is for sure, although Zhang Guoqing has cared about Yan Chu's life experience for a long time, he is sincere about his son.
"It's not your child's responsibility to take care of this kind of thing. What you have to do now is study hard and get into a good university."
Zhang Guoqing lowered his head and poked the rice grains in the bowl with his chopsticks, his expression a little flustered.
"If, dad means if, your mother and I divorce, who will you marry?"
A few minutes later, Zhang Guoqing suddenly spoke again in the originally quiet dining room.
"Of course it's with dad, but no matter who you are with, you are my parents." Yan Chu said to the somewhat uneasy man. Upon hearing his son's reply, Zhang Guoqing's frown suddenly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth He also put on a smile.
He felt that with his son's answer, he didn't seem to be such a failure in his life.
But he still has to think carefully about divorce.
****
"Zhang Chu, you kid has been in hiding these days. If Cheng Sheng hadn't used Zhao Xinhan to seduce you, you wouldn't have even planned to come out to play with us."
Yan Chu and Cheng Sheng appeared on the court and were quickly surrounded by several other teenagers, especially Yan Chu. One by one, those people jumped up and hooked their arms around his neck and shoulders. The weight of these people made Yan Chu It was difficult for Chu to move his body.
Their voices were not lowered, and not far away on the other side, the girl wearing a vest and short skirt heard those words clearly.
"Xinhan, the school girl of No. 1 Middle School likes you so much, why don't you give any reaction?"
"Our school beauty is very charming and has never been able to get out of the school. She can only be asked out after hearing your name."
A group of girls were chatting and joking, and many girls looked enviously at the beautiful girl standing in the center like a moon over the stars. If they also had such skin, I am afraid they would be the ones the schoolgirl is attracted to now. This world is really not the best. fair.
Zhao Xinhan listened to her friends' words, but smiled without saying a word.
Although Zhang Chu looks good, his family background is average. Such a boy is not the type she likes. However, a girl's vanity makes her enjoy his pursuit. For this reason, she has never given Zhang Chu a favor during this period. Exact answer.
It's a pity that the other person's appearance is really one of the best. As long as the other person's family background can be better, she is willing to try dating him.
Zhao Xinhan glanced at the relatively young boy, lowered her face, and her cheeks were slightly pink. To the outside world, this was the best symbol of Lang's affection and his concubine's intention.