Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Outside the airport.
After waiting for a while, Lin Fan saw two figures walking out from the airport. He immediately went forward. “Dad, Mom.”
The old couple saw their son and were beaming.
“Kid, you could have just told us your address,” said Papa Lin with a smile.
“How could I do that? If people find out that I do that, they would scold me to death.” Lin Fan smiled back. However, his hands did not stop moving. He took their luggage and started walking towards the car.
“I haven’t been to Shanghai in so many years. When I came here back then, it was to do volunteer work with your Mom,” said Papa Lin with a sigh.
“Dad, later on, I’ll bring you and Mom to take a look around. Shanghai has changed a lot in these recent years. It’s even better than Zhongzhou now,” said Lin Fan as he placed the luggage in the back of the car.
Papa Lin looked at the car. “Son, this car looks very expensive.”
“It’s alright. That guy, Ming Yang, gave it to me,” said Lin Fan with a smile. Then, he saw his old man taking out his phone and taking a picture. Lin Fan laughed, “What are you doing, Dad?”
Mama Lin glared at the old man. “What else could he be doing? Your Dad is definitely going to send this to his chat groups. He wants to show off again.”
Lin Fan didn’t say much about that. “Mom, as long as Dad is happy, it’s fine.”
Papa Lin refuted, “What’s wrong with me taking a photo of my son’s car. I raised him up and now he’s become capable. Can’t I show off a little?”
“Alright, alright, show off if you want. Lil’ Fan, you should tell your Dad off. He keeps showing off to people. Then, people come to him to borrow money. Without saying anything else, he just lends money to them. He even says that if he doesn’t lend them money, people will think that you’re looking down on people just because you’ve become rich now.”
“We don’t even have that much money to lend and we don’t even know when they’ll return the money,” Mama Lin complained.
“Argh, why are you saying all this in front of our son? Other people have come asking us for help and they’re really having difficulties. How can we not help?” said Papa Lin.
Lin Fan smiled, “Mom, just go with what Dad says. Money is just superficial. Don’t let it cause you worry.”
He understood his dad. His dad could never save money and he never became rich in his life but when his friends wanted to borrow money, he would rarely refuse. Moreover, when he went to other people asking for money, he would look very ashamed and if those people complained just a little, he would return without taking any money at all.
Just because of this, Lin Fan had seen many arguments at home when he had been young.
“You and your Dad are the same. Why don’t you tell him to go and look for his friends to borrow money now? If he can borrow twenty thousand, I’ll be convinced.”
Papa Lin said, “Who says I won’t be able to borrow that? Are you looking down on me? Those friends won’t withhold anything from me.”
Lin Fan saw that his parents had started arguing again and laughed helplessly.
“Alright, alright. Dad, Mom, let me bring you to my shop to take a look.” Lin Fan didn’t want his parents to really start arguing, so he hurried them into the car.
In the car.
Papa Lin was looking at his chat groups on his phone.
“Sigh, Elder Lin, Lil’ Fan is really incredible. I asked my daughter. She said that this is a Hummer and it costs several million dollars.”
Papa Lin: “It’s so expensive! Sigh, no wonder it feels so comfortable sitting here. Next time, I’ll call all of you along.”
“Elder Lin, my child is always idling about every day now. Could you ask Lil’ Fan is there are any suitable paths for him?”
Papa Lin: “Alright, no problem. I’ll ask later on. But if this turns out well, you have to treat me to wine.”
“Isn’t it just asking one question?”
“Hey, where has Elder Lin gone for the New Year?”
“He’s in Shanghai to spend the New Year at his son’s place.”
“Elder Lin is really living a good life.”
…
Lin Fan saw his Dad using his phone the whole time through the mirror. He asked curiously, “Dad, who are you talking to?”
“To some of your Uncles and Aunties.”
Mama Lin said, “It’s just some yatter. Nothing proper.”
Papa Lin said, “Son, let me ask you something. Could you help your Uncle Wang’s son find a job?”
When Mama Lin heard this, she was in disagreement. “What’s the point? Wang Lao Zhong’s son always idles around and he even stole things from his workplace last time. He got caught and fired because of that. Now you’re asking our son to introduce him to a job? Aren’t you afraid of our son being affected?”
Papa Lin wasn’t an idiot. When he heard his wife say this, he felt that it was indeed not a good idea after all.
“You’re right. This kid is a little dishonest.”
Lin Fan heard all this and felt a little helpless. “Dad, I can introduce him to a job but he should be a little more reliable. If he’s so notorious for his misdeeds, even though I’ll be able to get him a job, he’d just bring trouble to others.”
Papa Lin replied, “Right, right. Your Dad didn’t think this through. I’ll quickly reject him and say that there’s no job available.”
Lin Fan laughed and didn’t say much about that. “Oh right, is Uncle Li’s family spending the new year in Zhongzhou?”
Mama Lin replied, “Mmhmm. Your Uncle Li is spending his new year in Zhongzhou this year. On the second day of the New Year, we’ll be returning to Zhonghou and visiting your Uncle Li. In the past, when things happened to you, your Dad was frightened out of his wits. If it wasn’t for your Uncle Lin’s comforting, who knows how frightened your Dad would have been?”
Papa Lin said, “You’re saying it as if you weren’t frightened.”
Mama Lin said, “In my view, the only reliable friend that you’ve ever made in your whole life is him. And you still always showing off in front of him. It’s good enough that he hasn’t broken off connections with you.”
“What do you know? That’s me and Elder Li’s way of communicating. Moreover, why would Elder Li break off connections with me just over this small matter?”
Lin Fan was too lazy to say anything to his Dad.
He hadn’t changed his whole life. He was like this when he had been young and he was the same even when he was old.
“With your personality, you’d be lucky if you’re not cheated. Luckily, our son isn’t like you. Otherwise, things would be horrible.”
Papa Lin was upset. “What you’re saying is wrong. When we were young, you agreed to be with me and you even said that you like this personality of mine.”
“That’s because you were thick-skinned back then. On a snowy day, you stood outside my house at midnight with a flower that only God knows where you got from. You scared my Dad and Mom into thinking that you were a thief and they beat you half to death. You forgot about it.”
Pfft!
Lin Fan burst out laughing, “Dad, you were like that when you were young?”
Papa Lin’s face turned red. “Don’t listen to your Mom. Can’t you say better things in front of our son?”
Lin Fan listened to his parents’ bickering and didn’t say much else. However, thinking about that story, he found it very hilarious.
Of course, he knew what kind of personality his dad had.
His dad was weird. Even after he grew old, it was the same.
But still, it was pretty good. How hard it must have been for him to maintain himself.
At Cloud Street.
“Dad, Mom, we’ve reached. Let’s get off the car,” said Lin Fan as he stopped the car in front of the shop.
In the shop, Wu You Lan saw the car. Then, she became a little nervous. Her manner was a little rushed.
Then, she took out a mirror and took a close look. Everything was fine. There was nothing wrong.
Papa Lin and Mama Lin emerged from the car.
Wu You Lan immediately went forward. “Uncle, Auntie, nice to meet you.”
Mama Lin’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw Wu You Lan as if she had discovered The New World.
“Young lady, you are…?”
Wu You Lan smiled, “Auntie, I’m Brother Lin’s staff. I’m Wu You Lan but you can call me You Lan.”
Seeing Brother Lin’s parents for the first time, she felt very nervous.
She was afraid that Brother Lin’s parents wouldn’t like her.