Chapter 148: Father and Son at Odds

"Since when have they been like this?" Katerina beckoned Comrade Xiao Qian over and whispered to her.

"I heard it's about drawing cards, though I don't know which cards exactly," Comrade Xiao Qian replied in an equally hushed tone.

As soon as she spoke, everyone in the room turned their strange gazes toward Yangyang and Zhen Youcai, who were hiding in a corner whispering. For a moment, the very air seemed to freeze.

"I knew it," Katerina’s lips twitched incessantly upon learning the truth. That guy Zhen Youcai must have set his sights on the "luck" radiating from Yangyang. After all, it wasn't just anyone who could pull one SSR card after another so easily. This kid must have been plotting to have Yangyang draw cards for him, which was why he insisted on swearing brotherhood and making Yangyang his big brother.

With Zhen Youcai's motives clarified, the truth behind this farce began to surface. But then a new question arose: if Zhen Youcai was just fooling around, why was Yangyang going along with it?

"It's not about the cards!" Zhen Youcai provided the final explanation for their oath. "It's mainly because we hit it off."

"It's not about the snacks!" Yangyang’s response was surprisingly similar. "It’s mainly because I wanted a younger brother."

With that, the two looked at each other and smiled, possessing a heroic air of mutual appreciation reminiscent of ancient warriors.

"Big brother!"
"Second brother!"
"Big brother!"
"Second brother!"

The two held hands, gazing at each other with deep affection, their voices thick with sentiment.

This was the second time! Chang Yu helplessly covered his face. Could you two please stop making those disgusting, sappy smiles? It’s truly nauseating! And after hearing your explanation, it feels like your brotherly bond isn't even that sincere! Furthermore, if you had to swear brotherhood, why did a little shrimp like Yangyang become the big brother? Zhen Youcai, you’re such a big guy—don’t you feel ashamed calling a little kid your big brother?

Since it had already happened, the kowtowing was done, the vows were sworn, and the rice was already cooked—there was no point in saying anything now. You couldn't force them to kowtow again and cancel the oath, could you? To stand before a statue of Lord Guan, kowtow three times, and say, "Heaven above, Earth below, we were just playing around and want to annul our oath of brotherhood"—Chang Yu was certain that if Lord Guan heard that, he would definitely chop those two rascals down.

"Fine, I’ve picked up Yangyang, let's just go home." Though unhappy, Chang Yu had to swallow his pride and accept this absurdity.

Back home, Chang Yu collapsed onto his sofa, too exhausted to move. The battle today had been far too perilous; every step was like walking on thin ice. One mistake and he would have ended up in the mosquitoes' bellies, drained into a husk by those giant bloodsuckers. Looking at the red and purple welts all over his body, he felt an unbearable itch.

"Yangyang, get me some floral water," Chang Yu called out, intending to soothe the bites. Though he knew something meant for ordinary mosquito bites might not do much for his current injuries, it was better than nothing.

A long moment passed... no response.

Obviously, Yangyang was ignoring him.

Chang Yu struggled up from the sofa—heaven knows how much courage and willpower it takes for someone in the throes of lethargy to stand up. Walking with a heavy, dragging gait into the bedroom, he immediately spotted Yangyang lying on the bed, propped up on his elbows with his legs kicking in the air. He was focused intently on a gold-colored smartphone, so engrossed that he didn't even notice Chang Yu entering the room.

"Hey, where did this phone come from?" Chang Yu snatched the phone from Yangyang’s hands and examined it closely. It was clearly brand new. Looking at the Apple logo and the model on the back, the price—so exorbitant it made him want to stay far away—flashed into his mind.

"Something this expensive... you didn't steal it, did you?" A dark suspicion rose in Chang Yu’s mind, and his anger began to simmer, nearing the brink of explosion. Ever since he was small, the grandfather at the orphanage had told him that no matter how poor or miserable one's life was—even if one couldn't afford a meal and had to beg on the streets—one must never steal from others. Such behavior was not just a moral failing; it was a degradation of the soul. Once you set the precedent of stealing, you open the gates to an endless, bottomless abyss.

"I didn't steal it!" Yangyang’s reaction was far more intense than Chang Yu had expected. "I am a self-respecting Fuling; how could I do something as filthy as stealing?"

"Then tell me, where did this phone come from? Don't tell me you bought it with your own money?" Chang Yu’s expression darkened further; he clearly didn't believe the excuse. He knew Yangyang’s financial situation—there was no way the kid had the money to buy a phone.

"My brother gave it to me!" Yangyang jumped off the bed and snatched the phone back from Chang Yu’s hand.

"Your brother?" Chang Yu was stunned for a long time. *I only raised you,* he thought. *When did you get another brother?* Only after a long while did he realize that the "good brother" Yangyang spoke of must be that chubby little kid, Zhen Youcai.

Looking at Yangyang’s stubborn face and eyes reddened by the injustice of being falsely accused, a flash of guilt rose in Chang Yu’s heart. He had misunderstood him.

"Even if someone gave it to you, you can't accept it. It’s too expensive. We can't keep it. Let's find time tomorrow to return it," he said softly.

According to Chang Yu, Yangyang had to return the expensive phone to Zhen Youcai. Perhaps Zhen Youcai didn't care—a phone costing nearly ten thousand yuan was a drop in the bucket for him—but for Yangyang and Chang Yu, it was too much. Chang Yu didn't want to owe a favor to Zhen Youcai without a clear reason.

"No!" To Chang Yu’s surprise, Yangyang rejected the suggestion. "I want this phone. I like it." His expression was exceptionally stubborn.

"Liking it isn't enough; it belongs to someone else." On this point, Chang Yu did not yield.

"Unless you buy me one exactly like it, I’m not giving it back!" Yangyang clutched the phone to his chest, his voice laced with a hint of tears, just like any child who had their favorite toy snatched away.

"This..." Chang Yu frowned, feeling displeased. Such an expensive item—how could he bear to buy it? "I don't know why you're being so unreasonable. What's so great about that phone that you're so obsessed? Since I left the orphanage, I've been using that second-hand knock-off phone, and haven't I used it for two years? Why do you think my second-hand phone is so bad that you absolutely have to replace it? Yangyang, you're still young; you shouldn't be so vain."

"You have the nerve to bring up that second-hand trash you gave me?" Yangyang shouted, as if trying to vent all his grievances at once. "That broken phone of yours can only make calls and send texts, it lags like crazy, and it can't even run a game! What’s wrong with me wanting a better phone? I’m not asking you to spend your money, so why are you getting so worked up and yelling at me?"

"Wanting a better phone isn't wrong in itself," Chang Yu said after a long silence. "But you have to measure it against the reality of the family's situation. Our family doesn't have that kind of money, so we can't afford a phone like that."

"I know you're poor and have no money, but look at Zhen Youcai. Why does he have money?" Having witnessed a higher level of living, Yangyang’s heart began to feel unbalanced. "Why does Zhen Youcai's house have all the snacks and soda you could want, while we have nothing? Every time I go to his place, he always finds a way to bring out all sorts of delicious things for me to eat. Going to his house is like visiting a fairyland—there are potato chips, chocolates, candies, jellies everywhere... The only thing in our house that could be called a snack is that half a bun left in the fridge!"

"Why is everything he eats and uses better than ours? Why is his home so spacious while ours is so cramped and stifling? Why, why, why? Why is it that our home is worse off than everyone else's in every way?"

Yangyang’s barrage of questions left Chang Yu stunned. Yes, why? Why can others eat well and dress well while his own wallet is always tight?

The answers were simple and plain, but Chang Yu stood there, stammering for a long time, unable to speak. He was ashamed to admit the truth: he, Chang Yu, had no money. He had no money, so he couldn't provide a good life for himself or for Yangyang. He couldn't take Yangyang to eat the best food, nor could he send him to the best private kindergarten in the entire city. When he learned how high the tuition was, he had even considered not sending Yangyang to kindergarten at all, just to save a bit of cash. As of the end of this year, he was just a "loser" earning 5,000 yuan a month.

He didn't want to tell Yangyang, against his own heart, that eating too many snacks causes toothaches, diabetes, and provides no health benefits. He didn't want to lie and say that living in a small house is better for family bonding than a big one. But he also didn't want to clearly tell Yangyang that the things he wanted were too expensive and he couldn't afford them.

So, in the end, he said nothing. He walked out of the bedroom, despondent, as if his very spirit had been drained away.

Chang Yu sat alone on the balcony, smoking and drinking the rest of the wine left over from last time. That lonely silhouette lingered in Yangyang’s mind. Watching Chang Yu’s dejected figure, Yangyang felt terrible, too. He knew he had spoken wrongly and hurt Chang Yu’s heart. He wanted to apologize, but when he thought of how fiercely Chang Yu had tried to take his phone earlier, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

In the end, he was just a child, and he hadn't yet learned how to comfort the adults in his life. This, perhaps, was the problem that every family with children would eventually face.