In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 127: The Hypocritical Stepfather (6)

On the afternoon of Lunar New Year’s Eve, around 2 p.m., Qi Sheng and his family of four arrived at Taoyang Village. His mother, Li Lilan, doted on her son and had naturally saved food for them. However, while they ate, she kept making veiled jabs at Mi Fei.
“This is just getting more and more outrageous. Why didn’t you come back after the New Year? Don’t you see what time it is now? Didn’t you get off work a few days ago? You’d rather stay in the city all day than come home to see us!”
Although she seemed to be complaining about her son returning late, the old woman didn’t mention names and simply shot sharp glances at Mi Fei from time to time.
Mi Fei had long grown used to her mother-in-law’s attitude. In the first couple of years, she had struggled to deal with it, but now she could manage her emotions and eat in peace. After all, if she didn’t eat now, she’d be hungry again by evening.
Qi Sheng noticed his wife eating heartily and didn’t respond immediately to his mother’s words. Instead, he picked up a few dishes for their two kids and gave Mi Fei a chicken drumstick. Ignoring the glare from his mother, he smiled and said, “Mom, I’ve been busy with work.”
Li Lilan, thinking her son had been bewitched by Mi Fei, glared at her again and said discontentedly, “You’re always making excuses. What kind of work could keep you that busy? Don’t think I don’t know exactly when your unit went on break!”
Qi Sheng smacked his forehead in mock realization and said, “Oh, that explains why you’re so angry. Look at me, I’ve been so busy I forgot to tell you—I quit my job at my old workplace. I’m on my own now.”
“What did you say?!” Li Lilan’s voice suddenly shot up. She looked at Qi Sheng in disbelief, her eyes wide as she demanded, “Say that again!”
At this point, it wasn’t just Li Lilan who stared at him in shock. Even his father, Old Qi, and his elder brother, Qi Laoda, looked at him in stunned silence. Seeing their reactions, Qi Sheng couldn’t help but think that if his sister-in-law were here, she’d probably have the same expression.
Qi Sheng said casually, “Mom, calm down. It’s just quitting a job—”
“Just?!” Li Lilan shouted. “Qi Sheng, you little brat! You really dare to say that! You—you—you… If you don’t give me a good reason for quitting right now, then go back to the city tonight!”
Qi Sheng rubbed his nose and gave Li Lilan a look like you just don’t get it: “Mom, let me finish. Of course I have a reason.”
He took another bite of food and chewed slowly, seemingly unbothered, which only made the others even more anxious.
This time, before Li Lilan could speak again, Old Qi stepped in: “Stop eating, you brat, and explain yourself right now!”
Qi Sheng swallowed and grumbled, “I just drove for several hours—can’t I at least eat first?”
But seeing the three of them about to explode, he decided to stop teasing and said, with some dissatisfaction, “I had no choice. Blame my bad luck—our unit announced that from now on, they’d no longer allocate housing. I was so angry that I just quit on the spot.”
Li Lilan shrieked, “No more housing?! How can they do that? Why should you not get a place?!”
Qi Sheng replied, “Exactly! I thought it was ridiculous too, so I decided not to keep supporting them. I just walked away!”
The three were still reeling from the loss of a possible housing allocation, but Qi Sheng’s final sentence brought them back to the real issue—he had quit his job.
Li Lilan asked, “So were you the only one who quit, or did others from your unit quit too?”
Qi Sheng shrugged. “Seems like it was just me, but that’s not the point. If there’s no housing, what’s the point of staying?”
Li Lilan was so furious at his indifferent tone that she couldn’t catch her breath. She clutched her chest, speechless, while the other two finally spoke up.
Old Qi: “Even if they’re not giving out houses anymore, that applies to everyone—not just you. No one else quit. What the hell were you thinking?!”
Qi Laoda agreed: “Exactly. Even without the housing benefit, your unit still has perks that make people outside envious. Qi Sheng, that was a really dumb move. Why didn’t you at least talk it over with us before quitting?”
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Qi Sheng casually waved off their concerns and added another helping of food to his bowl. “What’s there to discuss? I quit for better opportunities. You guys just don’t get it—nowadays, tons of people are going into business for themselves. Just wait and see—one day, I’m going to make it big, and when that day comes, it’ll blow your minds.”
Blow your mind, my ass!
That was the unanimous thought running through the three of them. But at this point, they were too angry to speak and could only stare helplessly at Qi Sheng’s slightly smug expression.
Mi Fei had been quietly eating with her head down, but after Qi Sheng finished speaking, she couldn’t help glancing up at him.
Li Lilan was so furious at her flighty son that her whole body ached. Watching him, still in the mood to eat despite all this, she snapped and marched over to snatch his bowl and chopsticks.
“Eat, eat, eat—that’s all you know, you brainless idiot. How did I give birth to such a damn fool of a son?!”
Qi Sheng frowned. “Mom, what are you saying? I drove for hours to come home and see you, and this is how you treat me? I’m your own son. What’s more important—your son or a job?”
Li Lilan rolled her eyes at him. “If I’d known you quit your job on your own, I wouldn’t have let you step one foot into this house today. You think you’ve grown wings now? This is a huge decision, and you just made it by yourself?!”
Qi Sheng grabbed his utensils back and continued eating. Seeing that his mother looked like she was about to blow a gasket, he tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m in the clothing business now, and it’s going great. You’ll see—before long, I’ll be able to buy a big house in Su City and let you live the city life too!”
But instead of being comforted, Li Lilan looked utterly exhausted. She didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes anymore. She plopped down into a chair and scolded him, “Oh, sure you will. I’ll be thanking the heavens if you don’t come begging us for money instead!”
And just as she said that, Qi Sheng proved her right. “Actually, since you brought it up, there is something I wanted to talk to you about—”
“What are you up to now?!”
Li Lilan jumped to her feet, pointing at him with a trembling hand. “You—you want to say what?!”
Seeing her on edge, Qi Sheng hesitated, then shifted his gaze to the table full of food. “It’s nothing big. I’ll tell you after I finish eating.”
But no one at the table was willing to wait. Not Li Lilan, not Old Qi, and not Qi Laoda. Everyone in the Qi family, including Qi Sheng himself, was notoriously stingy and money-conscious. So this time, before Li Lilan could even move, Old Qi walked over and directly snatched his son’s bowl and chopsticks.
“Say it first. Then I’ll decide whether you can eat.”
Qi Sheng sighed. “Dad, come on, it’s not that serious.”
Old Qi glared at him. “Say it. Or none of you are eating—not you, not your wife, not your kids!”
Upon hearing that, little Qi Wenle couldn’t stay quiet. He looked up at Old Qi with big, soft eyes and said in a sweet voice, “Grandpa.”
That melted Old Qi in an instant. He forced a smile and said gently, “Lele, be a good boy and eat. Grandpa wasn’t talking to you.”
Once the little guy went back to eating, Old Qi turned back to Qi Sheng with another sharp glare, urging him to hurry up and talk.
Qi Sheng said, “You really want me to say it?”
“What are you trying to pull?” Qi Laoda had lost all patience. Looking at his dragging little brother, he was on the edge of snapping.
Finally giving in, Qi Sheng looked regretfully at the untouched food and then raised his head, putting on the smug expression of a businessman boasting about success. “Business is really good right now. I figure I can open a second store in under six months! Dad, Mom, when I was down south last time, I realized just opening stores isn’t enough. I need to set up a factory too. Once I have my own factory, I’ll get goods cheaper. But…”
“But what? Don’t tell me you’re going to say you’re just a bit short on money?” Qi Laoda shot back, eyes wide.
Qi Sheng turned to him in surprise. “Wow, big bro, you’re sharp! Yeah, that’s how business works. Upfront costs can be high, but you can’t just focus on that. You’ve got to—”
“Don’t even think about it!”
“But Mom, I haven’t even finished explaining—”
Li Lilan rolled her eyes. “No need to. If you still want to spend New Year’s under this roof, just shut your mouth.”
The three of them had heard this kind of talk before. Their first thought was—this sounds awfully familiar. Oh right, six months ago, Old Liu came to borrow money and said almost the exact same thing: “Business is booming, I just need to scale up…” And of course, the famous last line—‘just a little short!’
They all scoffed internally. Business is booming, but you’re short on cash? If they really lent him the money, who knows if they’d ever see it again. With strangers, they could at least show up at the door to demand repayment. But this was their own son/brother. If he lost everything, they’d be left high and dry too.
Qi Sheng tried again: “But—”
“No but, and no discussion!” Old Qi cut him off, then handed the bowl and chopsticks to Li Lilan. “Looks like he’s had enough to eat. That’s it.”
Li Lilan didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for her son this time. Just seeing Qi Sheng now made her furious. Without another word, she grabbed the bowl and headed to the kitchen.
Seeing that his parents were ignoring him, Qi Sheng turned his attention to his eldest brother. “Big brother, don’t be as old-fashioned as Mom and Dad. Times have changed—business is the only way forward!”
Qi Laoda, already tired of his troublesome little brother, quickly said, “You’ve had a long trip and must be tired. Just eat and rest. I’m going out for a walk.” And without giving Qi Sheng a chance to stop him, he walked straight out the door.
In just a few short exchanges, half the people in the room had cleared out. The once-crowded main hall was now left with just their family of four. Mi Fei glanced at Qi Sheng with an amused look but didn’t say anything.
Qi Sheng saw his wife just smiling and not getting involved, then looked at his younger son, who was still quietly eating. He said, “Lele, be a good boy and go get a pair of chopsticks for Daddy.”
Lele looked at him, then set down his chopsticks and ran out of the main hall. Moments later, Qi Sheng heard his son’s voice from the kitchen.
“Grandma, are there any chopsticks left?”
Li Lilan truly adored her youngest grandson, but not today. Right now, she was so furious at Qi Sheng her stomach hurt. So she snapped, “No!”
Lele immediately pouted. “But Daddy hasn’t eaten enough. Grandma, I just saw you bring the chopsticks in.”
Li Lilan tried to coax him, “Lele, be a good boy. Just ignore your dad. He’s already full—just looking for trouble.”
But Lele was worried about his dad and didn’t care what Grandma said. Since she wouldn’t give him chopsticks, he decided to find them himself.
In the blink of an eye, the boy came happily running back with a pair of chopsticks in hand, proudly handing them to his dad. Li Lilan was fuming, but she was too exhausted to go argue again.
While the younger son was off fetching chopsticks, the older one hadn’t been idle either. He looked worriedly at Qi Sheng and asked, “Dad, are you short on money? Once I get my New Year’s money from Grandma, I’ll give it to you for your business.”
Qi Sheng lit up with joy. “Feifei, see? My son’s the only one who truly cares about me!”
Mi Fei shot him a playful glare. Being an accountant, she knew exactly how much profit he’d been making lately. She was concerned when he mentioned setting up a factory, but thinking back on how hard he’d worked in the clothing business, she sighed to herself—well, they were still young. He could afford to take a few more risks.
With the three elders gone, things felt more relaxed, like they were back in their own home. Despite not having chopsticks earlier, Qi Sheng was still eating happily. Just after his older son had fed him a bite, the younger one returned triumphantly with chopsticks in hand.
Feeling pleased with himself, Qi Sheng rewarded both kids with a slice of sausage each.
After lunch, tired from the long drive, Qi Sheng called for his wife and kids to join him in the room prepared for them. He flopped down for a nap.
Lele had already napped in the car, so he wasn’t tired. Lying in bed, he couldn’t fall asleep and soon bounced back up, ready to go out and play.
Qi Sheng didn’t stop him and gave him a pat on the backside. “Go charm your grandparents so they’ll cook you something tasty tonight.”
Thrilled at being let out to play, Lele was full of energy. Before leaving, he even tried to pull his older brother along.
Seeing his older son looking tired and listless, Qi Sheng said, “Your brother’s worn out. He needs to nap now. He’ll play with you tonight.”
After sending the younger one off, Qi Sheng noticed that his older son had already curled up in a corner with his eyes shut. He got up and gently scooped him into his arms.
“Dad?”
“It’s okay, go back to sleep.”
And so, after a satisfying lunch, Qi Sheng dozed off in peace, left arm around his wife, right arm cradling his older son, enjoying a rare moment of leisure and a sweet afternoon nap.