The attempt to persuade her to study failed, and when Liang Mei settled the bill, she felt a pang in her heart—it cost her more than half her savings in a single meal.
She was just about to scrutinize the menu and nitpick, only to realize there were so many dish names she couldn’t even match to what they’d ordered.
She was about to ask, “Is this really my private room’s bill?” when the server squeezed out a pasted-on, unshakeable smile and explained, “It’s the bill for your private room, but it’s already been charged to Yu Xiansheng’s account. No need for you to pay.”
“Who? Which Yu Xiansheng?”
The server nodded and smiled, “Yu Renjie Xiansheng.”
As Liang Mei led the two children downstairs, she saw, between the two grand Roman columns at the hotel entrance, a car even more imposing and luxurious parked there.
At a glance, she could tell it must be Yu Jinyang’s father’s car—except it had been upgraded from the black Benz of years past to a black Maybach.
Yu Renjie stood beside the Roman column, smoking and talking on the phone.
His gaze sharpened as he noticed his son coming out, and he waved his phone at them—a greeting of sorts to Liang Mei.
Liang Mei wrapped her scarf around her neck, glanced at the man not far away, and asked Yu Jinyang, “Did your dad know we were eating here?”
Yu Jinyang snorted and said, “He’s been eating here every day lately for business.”
But Li Yingqiao was staring at Yu Renjie’s tall, striking figure, her eyes inexplicably lighting up.
The same white shirt—on Uncle Yu back in little Huacheng, he was just a silly youth, but standing here by the glowing Roman column, he’s a debonair, elegant gentleman.
She sighed sincerely, “Wow, your dad really is getting more and more handsome. Seems like you really do need to make money, Liang Laoshi, am I right? Money really does nurture people.”
Before Yu Renjie even walked up to them, Li Yingqiao couldn’t wait to greet him, her voice crisp and clear, “Uncle Yu! Long time no see! You’ve gotten so handsome!”
Yu Renjie tucked his phone back in his pocket, took a longer stride, and finally stood in front of them, his gaze unconsciously drawing a line between the tops of her and his son’s heads.
With a slight, nonchalant nod at her, he said, “You little rascal, it’s you, huh? You’ve gotten taller again.”
Good grief, what on earth has Li Shuli been feeding her!
Yu Jinyang had shot up in height these past two years, but when he and Li Yingqiao stood side by side, they still looked about the same height—at most, a centimeter or two apart.
Yu Renjie instructed the driver to take Liang Mei and Li Yingqiao home, planning to walk back with his son.
After Yu Jinyang graduated from Huacheng Primary School, their family moved into the city’s Huijin District.
Fengche was a county town—not exactly every inch of land worth its weight in gold, but the property prices in the villa cluster under the lush green shade were nothing to scoff at.
Not only was the transportation convenient, but it was far from the industrial pollution of the suburban toy factories, and to be able to carve out such a quiet spot in the city, close to the only two middle schools that local parents considered acceptable—Shiyan and Tancheng—well, that alone made it a prime piece of land in the eyes of old-school Fengtan folks.
It was only two hundred meters’ walk from the Guoying Hotel to home.
Tonight, Yu Renjie had been entertaining people from the Wenlv Bureau.
They wanted him to bundle the toy city with a few of Fengtan’s neglected scenic spots into a joint ticket, hoping he would give them a cut.
To be honest, he didn’t mind letting others have a piece of the pie, but clearly, some people wanted to take the whole cake from right under his nose—that, he couldn’t tolerate.
So he drank stubbornly, refusing to yield, and ended up with his blood pressure plummeting.
As soon as he got downstairs, he took off his suit and overcoat and left them in the car.
The driver was competent, too—when told to give someone a ride, he hit the gas and roared off without asking if Yu Renjie was cold or not…
He’d planned to get in the car himself, but then thought of all the reporters watching him lately, and didn’t want some half-baked gossip to upset Tang Xiang.
So he decided to walk home with his son.
And so, wearing nothing but a thin shirt on this chilly spring night, he walked shoulder to shoulder with his beloved son on the way home.
With his son by his side, it wasn’t so cold after all!
“Ah Yang, are you cold?”
“Cold, really cold, freezing,” Yu Jinyang replied, barely hesitating.
“How could that be,” Yu Renjie encouraged him, “Look at your dad, wearing so little, and not cold at all.”
Yu Jinyang looked up at him, “Then can you take your hand out from inside my coat?”
Of course he couldn’t.
Yu Renjie was almost frozen into an ice cube, and only his palm could draw a bit of warmth from his son’s back.
Relying on that residual heat to keep his legs moving, he changed the subject.
“So, Li Yingqiao wants to take the Tancheng exam, huh? You just gave her all your practice papers—what about yourself?”
Sometimes, Yu Jinyang wondered how his dad ever managed to grow his business.
Was it really like his mom said, that fools have their own luck?
He stared absentmindedly at the sporadic streetlights along the way and said, “I’m done with studying, might as well go work in a factory screwing bolts.”
“Screwing bolts, huh? Throwing bolts works too. My son would definitely be the fastest at screwing bolts,” Yu Renjie laughed, “You know how to breakdance, you could pop and screw at the same time, definitely screw bolts more stylishly than anyone else.”
“Only if I do it with Li Yingqiao.”
“No way.”
Yu Renjie immediately slapped him hard on the back, the force nearly sending Yu Jinyang into the roadside greenery.
“Then take your hand out.”
“Let me warm up a bit longer, after all, you’re a young man, full of yang energy,” Yu Renjie, with the Maotai finally kicking in, the alcohol virus conquering his mind, smacked his lips, his gaze drifting far away.
*When your old man was your age, I was even more vigorous. In the dead of winter, I wore shorts and chased chickens and dogs, causing chaos everywhere. All the uncles and aunties in town said I was a ball of endless energy, sure to make it big one day. Not to brag, but back then, the girls who liked me—”
Here we go again.
Yu Jinyang looked helplessly at the sky, recalling that famous line from Tang Xiang Lady—No middle-aged man can resist reminiscing about his youth. If you want to protect your son, knock yourself out with a stick before you hit that age, lest your wife wants to divorce you.
But unexpectedly, Yu Renjie suddenly changed the subject, stopped walking, and looked down at his son—who, though still a bit childish, already had the sharp features of a future heartthrob.
He nudged him with his elbow and, lowering his voice, asked, “Be honest with your old man—has any girl at school written you a love letter?”
Yu Jinyang’s ears turned red, as if a stroke of cinnabar had been painted on white rice paper, the pink blush spreading all the way down to his ankles.
Even Yu Renjie’s palm, pressed to his son’s back, felt the heat.
“N-no.”
They continued walking, their shadows stretching through the long, silent villa district shrubbery.
Now and then, the bark of a dog or the chirp of a bird could be heard, but the rest was just father and son’s private conversation.
Moonlight flowed across their shadows, as if it wanted to stretch this moment into eternity.
“Tsk tsk, Ah Yang, you’re getting sneaky, huh, keeping secrets from your old man.”
“Really, there’s nothing—”
“Your dad’s been there, you think I don’t know? You must have plenty of admirers.”
“Come on, spill something, I drank too much—give me some gossip to sober up.”
“There’s really nothing, I swear.”
“No way. Last time I went to a parent-teacher meeting, the teacher told me a bunch of girls rush to your class during recess just to see you, blocking the hallway. The teacher can’t even get them to leave. She even told me to keep a low profile. How am I supposed to keep a low profile? Is it my fault I’m handsome and have charisma?”
“They’re not coming to see me because they like me.”
“Then what for?”
“Go ask my mom.”
“Teenage rebellion already? Why so impatient?”
“Can you please not ask?”
“Fine, fine, what’s the big deal?”
***
Sure enough, as soon as Yu Renjie got home, he didn’t even bother to change his slippers, but went barefoot straight to ask Tang Xiang.
She had just finished her shower and was doing a hair mask, wrapping her forehead in foil and glancing at him through the mirror.
“You really want to know?”
“Of course! There’s nothing about Ah Yang I don’t handle personally. Why can’t I know?”
The man leaned against the door, full of pride.
“Then brace yourself.”
Yu Renjie was taken aback, but oddly excited.
“Ah Yang’s in love already?”
“No! He’s only twelve! He hasn’t even hit puberty yet! With a wild childhood friend like Li Yingqiao around, he can barely get two words out to any other girl, for fear of attracting another one like her.”
“Then how come he went out to eat with her today? Gave her his practice papers, so nice to her!”
Yu Renjie scoffed.
“That was because Liang Laoshi called me! Besides, we used to be neighbors with Qiaoqiao. If she’s really trying to change and study hard, how could we not help? He didn’t even want to see her—it was me who made him go.”
“Lady Tang, you’re so righteous.”
Yu Renjie quickly flattered her, then, hugging his arms, thought for a moment, “But are you sure he really didn’t want to see her? When he left the hotel, he didn’t look the least bit reluctant. When they left, he and that little rascal Li Yingqiao were out there hugging the Roman column, measuring its circumference, looking silly as ever.”
Tang Xiang ignored his nonsense and instead reminded him, “How would I know? But I advise you not to act too hostile toward Li Yingqiao. Jinyang is so obedient now, clearly not in his rebellious phase yet, but if you overdo it, once that teenage rebellion kicks in, he’ll do anything just to go against you. With your explosive temper, it’d take just one incident to set you off.”
“He’s going to elope with Li Yingqiao?”
Yu Renjie’s temper, fueled by alcohol, flared up. The thought of becoming in-laws with Li Wusheng was a wild fantasy.
His face twisted, “Don’t even say it! I’d rather hang myself with a rope!”
Tang Xiang finished wrapping her hair and turned to look at him.
“Should I keep talking?”
“Go on,” Yu Renjie was already leaning against the wall, collapsed on the bed, eyes closed, sobering up.
After a moment, still a bit tipsy, he added, “But, wife, I didn’t give that little rascal a hard time. I was very polite when I said hi to her at the hotel entrance.”
Tang Xiang pinched her nose and walked over.
“Just how much did you drink?”
“I’m staying up, can’t sleep after drinking.”
Yu Renjie groaned, but quickly rolled off the bed.
He sprawled out on the floor, staring up at the dizzying bedroom crystal lamp.
He couldn’t help but block his forehead with his arm as he answered Tang Xiang’s question, “Not that much, but Shuji really thinks I’m a fool. Combo tickets—imagine coming up with that. Today he mentions combo tickets, tomorrow he’ll try to push Li Wusheng into the Wooden Toy City. If Fulan Toys didn’t have my old man, there wouldn’t even be a today. My dad’s only mistake was not having my grandpa’s surname be Li. Otherwise, even Li Boqing wouldn’t know whose side to take. Forget it, at least I took my grandma’s surname, so I don’t have to get mixed up with that crowd. Ugh, wife, the way they party with their wine and meat, you wouldn’t believe how filthy it is.”
He shuddered all over, drawing out the sound as he declared with conviction, “Disgusting!”
Tang Xiang, still wrapping her hair, sat quietly on the floor, watching him.
“Are you done, Genius Yu?”
“Reporting for duty!”
Yu Renjie even saluted.
“Do you remember that time we had a fight, and you wrote me a letter of guarantee?”
Tang Xiang asked.
“I remember,” he nodded.
“Recite the opening for me.”
Yu Renjie blurted out, “my love—”
“Stop right there,” Tang Xiang cut him off, looking at the man on the floor.
“Once, you were checking our son’s homework and accidentally slipped your letter of guarantee in. Our son turned it in as his homework. The teacher thought he was having an early romance and called him to the office. Right at that moment, a tall, mischievous classmate got on the podium and read your letter out loud, full of emotion. Your son explained to the teacher, but she didn’t believe him. I even had to go to the school myself to explain, and the teacher still thought I was covering for him. Ever since then, a whole group of girls would go to his class during recess to see your son!”
“It’s not that they like your son! Not because they think he’s in an early romance!”
Tang Xiang suddenly raised her voice, smacking his shoulder, and, word by word, said through gritted teeth, “They go to see the monkey! To see the sharp-browed mountain monkey! To see your son!”