As he walked upstairs, Shi Yang felt heavy-footed, with each lift and descent of his leg weighed down as if there were two forces pressing on his shoulders, requiring a trendous amount of effort with each move.
When he took out the keys and opened the door, his mother poked her head out from the kitchen, smiled upon seeing him, and asked, "Ho early today?"
Shi Yang forced a smile: "Yeah, Mom, what did you cook? It slls delicious."
Shi Yang’s mother grinned: "Sweet and sour fish, stead prawns, and two vegetable dishes."
Shi Yang’s eyes lit up slightly: "Cooking so many dishes? Is he coming back tonight?"
Shi Yang’s mother scolded him with a stern face: "He’s your dad!"
Shi Yang replied dismissively: "Uh-huh."
Shi Yang’s mother smiled with helplessness: "Your dad is coming ho for dinner tonight."
Shi Yang changed his shoes and sat on the living room sofa, with drooping eyes, pondering how to bring up the matter. After thinking for a long ti, he suddenly felt a little irritable, feeling very conflicted himself—on one hand, he had to seek help from his dad; on the other, he wanted to maintain his dignity.
Shi Yang mocked himself, saying he was like soone who wants to build a monunt while engaging in hypocrisy.
After sitting quietly for a while, he slowly cald down, regained all his senses, and began thinking quietly. For now, he had no alternative but this one path, so he had to cross it no matter what.
Shi Yang had always been an action-taker; at dinner, he looked at his dad silently eating and proactively said, "I’m planning to change projects."
His dad never questioned Shi Yang’s work, and his mom was even less inford. Now that Shi Yang himself brought it up, both his dad and mom imdiately paused with their chopsticks, looking up at him.
Shi Yang explained the new project clearly, including Li Shuren’s success story in the provincial capital. Finally, he looked at his dad and told him about the trouble with mall leasing, asking, "Do you know anyone around here?"
Shi Yang’s dad didn’t respond imdiately but pursed his lips, lightly biting his lower lip with his upper teeth—a habitual action when thinking about problems.
Shi Yang didn’t disturb him, while he peeled prawn shells and removed the veins, placing them in his bowl, then habitually reached for the next one. By the ti he realized, there were already four or five pieces of peeled prawn at piled up in the bowl.
He looked at the shrimp stacked in the bowl and thought silently how great it would be if Zhao ii were here. She loved prawns and decided to go for a seafood buffet tomorrow night, as it would be lively and atmospheric, and Zhao ii loved seafood.
Thinking about it, Shi Yang suddenly started eagerly anticipating noon tomorrow; he couldn’t wait to see Zhao ii.
After thinking for a long ti, Shi Yang’s dad didn’t provide a definitive answer, only agreeing to help inquire.
Shi Yang nodded, knowing that since his dad was involved, he would go all out to help.
After dinner that day, Shi Yang’s dad made several calls using the family’s landline phone, eventually setting up a eting with friends over a al the day after tomorrow, intentionally avoiding the next day.
After eating, Shi Yang returned to his room.
Shi Yang’s mom tidied up the table and simply cleaned the kitchen. When she returned to the living room, Shi Yang’s dad had just finished a phone call.
Shi Yang’s mom smiled as she approached him and quietly asked, "Did I hear you making a call to The Qian?"
Shi Yang’s dad turned to look at her: "Yeah, he’s in charge of the fire departnt and often deals with the mall. I plan to go through him to see if I can connect with the mall’s upper managent."
Shi Yang’s mom quickly asked, "So you’re planning to et for dinner? Will family mbers be allowed to join?"
Shi Yang’s dad laughed, seeing Shi Yang’s mom grin from ear to ear: "You really like Xiaoqiu, huh?"
Shi Yang’s mom didn’t deny it: "Isn’t she graduating from her master’s program soon?"
Shi Yang’s dad nodded: "Yeah, should be graduating around this sumr."
Shi Yang’s mom felt pleased: "That’s great; let’s invite Xiaoqiu then."
Shi Yang’s dad chuckled: "Alright, it’ll be perfect to have both families together."
Shi Yang’s parents chatted in the living room, and Shi Yang didn’t notice from behind his room door. He changed into his pajamas and lay on the bed, texting Zhao ii.
Zhao ii received the ssage while cuddled in the lower bunk, chatting with her parents—it was mainly them talking while she listened.
Zhao Dazhuang, considering the moving issue, felt he should bring it up with Zhao ii sooner or later. Sitting as a family of three on the train, looking at the scenery speeding by outside made his mood sowhat brighter, prompting him to give Zhao ii an early heads-up.
Zhao Dazhuang tried multiple tis to steer the conversation toward the moving topic, but Liu Xiue diverted it with just a few words each ti.
Liu Xiue remained firm in her stance, not wanting Zhao ii to transfer schools mainly because she feared it might hinder her studies; however, if she didn’t transfer, there would be no one to take care of her.
Liu Xiue’s mood was extrely conflicted at the mont. Her mother-in-law was about to undergo surgery and chemotherapy, and Zhao Dazhuang had to stay by her side to fulfill his filial duty. As the daughter-in-law, she would inevitably need to attend to her mother-in-law. The problem was, if they had to do this, what about Zhao ii?
Deep down, Liu Xiue understood that her mother-in-law’s body couldn’t last a whole year. Shi Yang’s dad had hinted at it earlier; the hospital’s attending physician advised that it would be at most six months.
She didn’t want Zhao ii’s future to be sacrificed for just six months. In her view, suddenly transferring schools and changing to a new environnt would inevitably impact Zhao ii’s life and studies. Zhao ii, a born and bred Northerner, uprooting her drastically to move South—even people, let alone plants, would surely struggle with the unfamiliar environnt.
Liu Xiue dared not take this risk, so she could only try to delay, even though she knew it was pointless, yet couldn’t help but act this way.
When Zhao Dazhuang once again tried to direct the conversation toward moving and school transfer, Liu Xiue beca angry. Unable to suppress the inner rage, from the mont when Zhao Dazhuang made up his mind, she felt like a balloon relentlessly inflated with air. At that mont, as the family squeezed into the train’s sleeper compartnt, with the surrounding noisy environnt, exhausted bodies, and tense, suppressed nerves— all the pressure was explosively unleashed.
Liu Xiue directly cut off Zhao Dazhuang’s words, angrily accused, "What about ii? Zhao Dazhuang, I’m asking you, what about ii’s schooling?"
Startled by Liu Xiue’s sudden shout, Zhao ii raised her head and looked at her mother’s flushed, agitated face. Then she glanced at her father’s embarrassed, furrowed brows, and softly asked, "Mom, what’s wrong?"
The young couple originally staying in the upper bunk went to the dining car. A middle-aged man was in the middle bunk earlier; now it’s empty, he must have gone to the bathroom. There’s no outsider in the narrow space.
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