Chapter 5: Wait for Now

In the wind and rain, I took a taxi back to the old apartment complex where I had lived for two years. After getting out of the car, I instinctively looked around to see whether Mi Cai’s Audi Q7 was parked downstairs.

Luckily, her car wasn’t there. Even luckier, I still had the key to the apartment, which I hadn’t returned to Mi Cai. Optimistically, I thought to myself: Since Dad was only staying for one night, everything would be fine if she didn’t come back tonight.

I ran back to the apartment as quickly as I could, put my luggage back in its place within the shortest time possible, and even made the bed again. Then, I stood at the bus stop under an umbrella, waiting for Dad’s arrival.

About fifteen minutes later, a bus departing from the long-distance bus station slowly pulled in. I stretched my neck to look and indeed saw Dad stepping off the bus with his briefcase in hand.

I waved to him and shouted, “Dad, over here!”

Dad approached me somewhat surprised and asked, “Didn’t you have dinner with your colleagues?”

“Eating is a small matter. Your coming here is a big deal. I know the difference between important and trivial things.” I said, taking the briefcase from Dad’s hand.

Dad remained silent and walked with me into the residential complex.

I complained, “Dad, you’re on an official business trip with public funds. Next time you come here, why don’t you just take a taxi? It’s not like it won’t be reimbursed!”

“Public funds are still money. We should save wherever we can.” Dad replied seriously.

“We have trillions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves stored in America. We definitely won’t miss your taxi fare!”

Dad didn’t respond. Obviously, he didn’t want to engage in a debate about values with me. He had always been like this—never willing to explain anything once he had made up his mind about something, as if he lived in his own independent world. And in this independent world, he had been a deputy section chief for 15 years.

…

Back in the apartment, Dad took out a stainless steel lunch box from another bag besides his briefcase and said to me, “These are the wild crucian carp I caught last week. Your mom cooked them for you. You can heat them up when you want to eat, although it’s fine even without heating.”

“Let’s have them tonight then.”

Dad looked at me in confusion and asked, “Didn’t you already have dinner with your colleagues?”

“Well, you came, so I came back after having half of it.” I quickly changed the subject, “Oh, by the way Dad, did you bring the sweet rice wine my mom made this time?”

Dad nodded and took out a bottle that used to contain orange juice. Inside was exactly the sweet rice wine I liked.

Each of us poured a cup of sweet rice wine and ate the cooked crucian carp and peanuts while waiting for the rice porridge in the rice cooker, chatting casually.

I was somewhat distracted, fearing that Mi Cai might suddenly return. It wouldn’t matter much if she got scared, but if she exposed me in front of Dad, I might as well die.

…

Just after finishing one cup of sweet rice wine, footsteps were heard outside the door, followed by the sound of keys being inserted into the lock. I panicked a little, glancing at Dad and then at the nearby door.

The door opened, and indeed it was Mi Cai who walked in. The scene in front of her stunned her in place. Dad, however, showed no great reaction, treating her only as a roommate of mine or perhaps as my girlfriend.

Before Mi Cai could speak, I grabbed her arm and asked with concern, “Have you been drinking? Let me help you in… Don’t thank me. We’re roommates, and it’s only natural for me to do this.”

While speaking politely, I used a gesture that Dad couldn’t see to cover Mi Cai’s mouth with my hand and pushed her into her room in a few steps.

“Scumbag… let me go!” Mi Cai struggled, speaking indistinctly.

“Don’t make any noise!” I whispered.

Mi Cai struggled again and took out her mobile phone from her pocket. A fool could tell she was going to call the police to deal with me. My actions were indeed enough to be charged with illegal entry.

I grabbed her phone and pushed her onto the bed, straddling her to prevent further struggle, regardless of how much of a thug I looked like in this posture.

I whispered tensely, “Stop making noise, or I’m dead if my dad hears this!”

Mi Cai completely ignored me, her expression terrified, instinctively raising her hand to tightly grab my hair.

The pain nearly drove me crazy, my face contorted, but I dared not utter a sound, “Please be gentle. You’re going to pull all my hair out!”

“Scumbag…” Mi Cai’s mouth was covered by my hand, her voice muffled.

I angrily said, “Yeah, I’m a scumbag…!”

Then I whispered again, “But not in my dad’s eyes! He has high blood pressure. If he finds out I’m broke and don’t even have a place to live, he’ll have a heart attack… Sister, please feel sorry for me and just put up with me for tonight. He’s here on a business trip and will leave tomorrow morning… I promise I won’t bother you again!”

Mi Cai finally stopped struggling, let go of my hair, but her beautiful eyes still glared at me with hatred and disgust.

Carefully, I removed my hand covering Mi Cai’s mouth. This time, she didn’t scream again.

I exhaled in relief. After a while, I realized I was still straddling her. Just as I was preparing to get up apologetically, Mi Cai twisted her body and pushed me hard. With a thud, I fell straight off the bed.

“Zhaoyang, what are you doing in there?” Dad asked, hearing the noise.

Enduring the pain, I replied, “I bumped into the cabinet…”

Dad didn’t ask further. Mi Cai finally looked at me with a vengeful, half-smiling, half-angry expression.

“I’m warning you not to say anything stupid! My dad really has high blood pressure and can’t take any shocks. Stay in your room and don’t come out!”

Mi Cai neither agreed nor refused.

I made another begging gesture. She still didn’t speak, so I could only comfort myself by assuming her silence meant consent. I gave her a pleading look before closing the door and walking outside.

…

Coming to the living room, Dad had already gone to the kitchen and served three bowls of rice porridge. He said to me, “Zhaoyang, take a bowl of porridge to that girl. She needs to eat something after drinking, and shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach.”

“Just let her rest.”

Before my words had even faded, Mi Cai came out of her room carrying her handbag…

Given my previous misdeeds, it wouldn’t have been excessive for Mi Cai to kill me on the spot. This was the perfect moment for her to expose me in front of Dad, exacting her revenge.

Just as I was getting nervously weak in the knees, Mi Cai instead walked straight toward the door without glancing sideways, seemingly planning to leave the apartment to me for the night.

Just when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Dad, who usually was dull and uncommunicative, said to Mi Cai, who hadn’t yet stepped outside, “Young lady, I’ve prepared a bowl of porridge for you. Have it while it’s still hot.”

I was eager for Mi Cai to leave and kept giving her meaningful glances. To my surprise, Mi Cai looked at me and then nodded at Dad, saying, “Thank you, Uncle.”

…

The two people who had just been in a life-and-death struggle somehow ended up sitting at the same table, eating porridge together. I remained silent like a guilty suspect, yet constantly on guard against Mi Cai saying anything she shouldn’t.

I kept glancing at Mi Cai from the corner of my eye, unable to figure out what she was up to. However, she didn’t seem to have any intention of reporting me to Dad, merely sipping her porridge quietly.

Dad, always dull and uncommunicative, was much more focused on his meal than others usually were, so he finished his bowl first. He stood up, picked up his handbag, and said to me, “There’s someone else living here. I’ll go to a hotel.”

I looked at Mi Cai and said to Dad, “Dad, don’t leave. You can sleep with me.”

“I’ve been snoring a lot lately. You have to work tomorrow. I can’t let you lose sleep.” Dad shook his head, then took out a sweater from the bag and handed it to me, “This is knitted by your mom.”

I took it and looked at it somewhat puzzled, asking, “Why did she knit two sweaters?”

“When you have a girlfriend in the future, you can give one to her. The sweaters knitted at home are warm!”

I felt a bit helpless. I knew that Dad and Mom were once again using this subtle way to remind me to find a girlfriend as soon as possible.

I looked at Mi Cai, who was still drinking her rice porridge, and teased, “It’s getting cold. Maybe I’ll give you a sweater later!”

Mi Cai glared at me but ultimately didn’t lash out in front of Dad. I, however, felt secretly delighted.

…

When leaving, Dad took out 3000 yuan from his wallet and handed it to me, saying, “Take it.”

I smiled indifferently and said, “Why are you giving me money? I don’t need it!”

Dad pushed the money into my hand, “You’re my son. I know your nature well. I’ve told you so many times: plan your expenses… Take some time to pay the electricity and water bills.” He glanced at the utility bill reminder lying on the floor from a few days ago.

Suddenly, my nose felt a bit sore. I really wasn’t a considerate son for my parents. I pushed the money back into Dad’s hand, “I really don’t need it. Mom isn’t in good health. You should keep it to buy some health products for her. I’ll get my salary next week.”

Dad didn’t say much. He placed the money on the table, looked at Mi Cai again, and then walked out alone.

…

I followed Dad and sent him downstairs. The usually silent man said to me, “That girl just now is quite nice. She looks good!”

I held Dad and pointed to the Q7 parked nearby, “Dad, quickly forget your fantasy. She’s not my type… See that car? That’s hers.”

Dad looked at the red Q7 along with my gaze, his face puzzled. I think he was also surprised why Mi Cai, driving such a car, would live in such an old place.

Eventually, Dad, as usual, chose silence. He was helpless about my current miserable situation. In fact, whether we wanted to admit it or not, we had already entered a time when money was needed to prove love. So I asked him to forget his fantasy, and I myself was even less willing to fantasize!

That night, Dad finally left in the rain with an umbrella, leaving me with the final words, “Work hard.”

Looking at his aging back in the rain, I read his expectations in those words. He expected me to work hard, to marry a good girl, and to give him a grandchild… But Dad, I’m living in my own helplessness and struggle, weighed down by reality’s heaviness and pull. All those good things to be realized, please wait a little longer!… Okay?