In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 24: The Partial Dad (4)

In this era, student dormitories were generally quite basic. The floors were bare cement, and tall cabinets were built on either side of the entrance, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Qi Sheng took a quick look—exactly eight cabinets. On each side of the room, against the walls, were two bunk beds. The design of the beds was also simple and unadorned, though fortunately, they looked relatively new. A long wooden table stood in the center of the room—a standard dormitory for eight people.

Following the bed assignment given by the school, Qi Sheng located his son’s bunk: the lower bed on the right side, against the wall.

Qi Sheng was quite satisfied. It wasn’t by the door, and there was no need to climb up and down. Still, he couldn’t help but give a reminder: “Since you’ve got the lower bunk, your roommates will probably sit on it often. If that bothers you, just wash your bedding more frequently.”

“Dad, I know,” Qi Xiangnan replied, feeling like his dad still treated him like a child. But instead of being annoyed by the advice, he actually felt quite happy inside.

With the bed location confirmed, the three of them got to work cleaning and tidying up. Once the bedding was all laid out, other students began arriving.

After introductions were made, Qi Sheng got a sense of what his son’s roommates were like. But truthfully, he was worrying a bit too much. For one thing, the students admitted to this school were already quite outstanding. And with Qi Xiangnan’s height and strength, he wasn’t someone your average person could easily push around. Though he behaved obediently around his father, he definitely wasn’t the type to be bullied.

Finally, with everything put in order, Qi Sheng glanced at the time—it was already 5:30 in the afternoon. Looking at the luggage he’d brought for himself, he said, “Let’s head back to the school gate, find a small hotel to drop off my bag, then we’ll go get dinner.”

“Dad, how about we check out the cafeteria first? It might be open for dinner by now.”

During lunch, the three of them had eaten at a roadside noodle stall near the school gate. After seeing the prices, Qi Xiangnan was a little shocked by the cost of living in the capital. A bowl of plain noodles cost twice what it did back home! If they went to a restaurant, it’d definitely be even more expensive.

So, ignoring the displeased look on Qi Xiangdong’s face, he insisted on checking out the cafeteria. Qi Sheng had already decided on eating out, but he was also curious about the school’s cafeteria, so he nodded and agreed to take a look first.

This completely infuriated Qi Xiangdong. He had just finished helping out with the chores, thinking that if he behaved well, he might get treated to a nice restaurant meal. Now this brat, Qi Xiangnan—who would be staying behind to enjoy city life—had managed to ruin his one chance!

On the way to the cafeteria, Qi Xiangdong was clearly sulking, his displeasure written all over his face. Unfortunately for him, the other two completely ignored his mood.

Qi Sheng did it on purpose. Qi Xiangnan, of course, did too. One wanted to enjoy the show, while the other simply couldn’t be bothered to care.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, it was already bustling with students lining up for food. Qi Sheng looked up at the posted prices and mentally made some calculations.

“The food here is quite reasonably priced. Don’t be stingy with the money I gave you. You’re too skinny—make sure you eat more meat.”

Qi Xiangnan nodded sweetly with a smile, which made Qi Xiangdong roll his eyes so hard it hurt.

Seeing his eldest son’s reaction, Qi Sheng figured it was time to stop teasing. He turned to Qi Xiangdong and said, “Alright, let’s get the hotel check-in done, then we’ll go to a restaurant for dinner.”

The moment he heard that, Qi Xiangdong’s sulky expression vanished instantly. Now it was Qi Xiangnan’s turn to look unhappy.

Qi Sheng glanced at his younger son’s pout and chuckled. “Come on now, it’s not every day we’re in the city. Let me treat you both to a proper meal!”

Though he said they’d have a big meal, Qi Sheng’s budget was still limited. In the end, they picked a modest yet decent-looking family-style restaurant in the city.

After sitting down, Qi Xiangdong flipped through the menu, inwardly gasping at the prices of each dish. He kept sneaking glances at Qi Sheng’s expression, and seeing no sign of regret, he finally gathered his courage and ordered a roast duck and stir-fried cumin pork.

Compared to Qi Xiangdong’s decisive ordering, Qi Xiangnan scrutinized the menu from beginning to end, his brow furrowing deeper the more he read. Luckily, the waiter wasn’t standing there waiting, or with that expression, he’d definitely have earned a scolding.

Qi Sheng saw his younger son’s reaction and knew he was starting to feel bad about spending money again. So he took the menu, found a few of his son’s favorite meat dishes, and without asking, ordered spicy chicken and braised pork ribs with potatoes.

“Dad, isn’t this a bit much?”

Qi Xiangnan felt that meat dishes were too expensive, while vegetarian ones didn’t seem worth the price—either way, it felt like a waste. Seeing them order so many dishes all at once, he couldn’t help but speak up.

“It’s fine. It’s not every day we get to eat out. Let’s enjoy a proper meal today.”

Although Qi Xiangdong also felt a bit of pain in his wallet, the thought of having a feast at a Beijing restaurant was enough to make up for it. He’d have something to brag about once they returned home. Naturally, he agreed eagerly with Qi Sheng’s words. Seeing his dad in such high spirits, Qi Xiangnan didn’t protest further.

Three grown men and four hearty meat dishes, plus a big bowl of rice—it was enough to stuff them to the brim. Qi Xiangdong rubbed his bulging belly and smacked his lips as he commented, “These big-city restaurants aren’t all that special. Not much better than your cooking, Dad.”

Qi Xiangnan nodded in agreement, which made Qi Sheng chuckle in amusement.

They strolled back slowly, and along the way, Qi Sheng stopped by a general store near the school gate to buy some daily necessities for his younger son. “It’s been a long day. Take these things back to your dorm. Tomorrow around eight, come out and I’ll take you two around the city.”

Before Qi Xiangnan could say anything, Qi Xiangdong shouted in excitement, “Dad, we get to stay another day?!”

Qi Xiangdong now suspected his dad had gone a little crazy from happiness over Qi Xiangnan getting into college. He had never been this generous before. Just earlier, he’d been planning to find an excuse to sneak off and look around. Who would’ve thought their dad would actually want to stay longer? Riding the coattails of his little brother’s success didn’t seem so bad all of a sudden. He even looked at Qi Xiangnan a little more favorably and was already daydreaming about where they could go.

Even Qi Xiangnan was surprised and delighted. Hugging the newly bought items, he nodded cheerfully, his steps noticeably lighter as he headed back to campus.

The next morning, the three of them had a simple breakfast nearby before heading out. The night before, Qi Sheng had bought a map of Beijing and studied it carefully, already planning out the day’s itinerary.

They boarded a bus, and as they passed by various buildings, both brothers stared wide-eyed out the window. Compared to when they first arrived, hauling big bags and feeling exhausted, this time they were traveling light and had the leisure to really appreciate their surroundings.

As the capital of China, Beijing already had the makings of a modern city, even while other places were still in the early stages of development. Because of the many historical buildings, the blend of ancient and modern created a unique charm.

Not only were the two young men dazzled by the sights—even Qi Sheng felt the city was impressive. By the end of the day, the two boys were completely worn out from all the fun, and Qi Sheng found joy in watching his younger son laugh so freely and openly.

“Dad, are you staying in Beijing for a few more days?” Qi Xiangnan asked in surprise. His dad hadn’t mentioned this when they first came.

“Yeah, I’m planning to take your brother around and see what kind of business might be suitable to start. Think about it—remember that guy from the village next to ours, Song Qinghua? He used to be dirt poor, but after a few years working down south, he built a new house and even bought a motorcycle. No matter what, Beijing’s still the capital—there are way more opportunities here than back home.” Qi Sheng shared his thoughts with both sons.

Qi Xiangdong felt both nervous and excited hearing this. Doing business in the capital? If it actually worked out, their family could really take off. But having never experienced much of the world, he couldn’t help but worry. “Dad… can we really pull this off? We’ve never done business before…”

His dad’s cooking skills were decent—he’d even worked as the main chef at a restaurant in the county in recent years—but striking out on their own? That still seemed like a leap.

So Qi Xiangdong tried to suggest, “Why don’t we check with some of the restaurants around here? If the pay’s decent and they cover food and lodging, maybe we could just work for someone instead?”

From the moment he stepped onto his brother’s college campus, Qi Xiangdong had been a little jealous that this guy could stay in such a big city. Now, before he even had time to fully process the idea, his dad was already planning to stick around and start a business. Qi Xiangdong wasn’t confident his dad could succeed—but suddenly, he realized he might have a reason to stay in this big city too!

Qi Xiangnan was also worried. They didn’t know anyone here, and it wasn’t like their small town where everyone knew each other. Staying in Beijing to do business… what if they got taken advantage of?

Qi Sheng didn’t say much more. “Right now I’m just looking around. I’ll tell you both more when I have a concrete plan.”

Qi Xiangdong glanced at his father’s unreadable expression and began thinking hard about how he could convince him to stay.