TGPA Chapter 9: Being a Son

The mornings at home were so comfortable. Chen Hao opened his eyes, the first thing he felt being the warmth emanating from the kang bed as his hand touched the heated kang leather. Early in the morning, his mother had already heated the kang bed for him. Although there was a faint smell of smoke in the room, to Chen Hao, everything seemed beautiful.

He wanted to linger in bed, but the thought of having to livestream and fulfill his promise from the train urged him to get up. He quickly got dressed, neatly folded the bedding and put it away in the kang cabinet, then got up and left the room. In the courtyard, he saw his father wearing the leather cap he had brought back for him, sweeping the floor. Chen Hao smiled inwardly. The gifts he brought back didn't cost much, but they represented his heartfelt intentions far beyond their value.

"Dad, let me do it," Chen Hao said.

Chen Yuanping glanced at his son and handed him the big broom, shrugged, adjusted the coat draped over his body to make it more secure, and didn't say anything else. He stepped into the house, pulling his wife along, and gestured for her to look at their son sweeping the floor through the window. The couple exchanged smiles, filled with contentment.

As parents, what do they most desire to see? It's not for their children to achieve great success, but for them to grow up safely and responsibly. Seeing their children grow up and take responsibility makes parents happy.

Chen Yu had already gone to work in the city in the morning, and the eldest sister would come over for lunch later. The eldest sister's husband had gone to work in the city early. After Chen Hao had lunch with his parents, he announced that he would go to the city to buy a monitor. Qiao Xinmei hurried to get some money from the cabinet for him, but Chen Hao smiled and refused. He took out his phone and opened a text message. There was 5,000 yuan deposited into his bank account yesterday morning, sent by Liu Dong, who had already returned to their hometown. Over a year ago, when Liu Dong was seriously ill and hospitalized, Chen Hao had taken out 5,000 yuan from his bank account to pay the hospital deposit. Liu Dong had been insisting on repaying the money since he was discharged from the hospital. Chen Hao never asked for it back. The fact that Liu Dong mentioned this matter before leaving showed that he was a trustworthy person with some sense of gratitude. Chen Hao also valued the sense of camaraderie. Now, after returning home for just a few days, Liu Dong sent the money. Otherwise, Chen Hao would have to break his own absurd oath—to take out some money from the bank card his parents had been sending money to for so long to buy a monitor. Or he would have to buy a second-hand monitor, with barely enough money in his pocket.

He didn't mention returning the bank card to his parents. Such matters of mutual insistence didn't need to be brought to the table. To truly filial parents, earning money for the family is the same. Pulling out the card now would only increase their worry and create distance between them. There was no need for that.

After several years of drifting in the north, apart from maintaining his inner strength, Chen Hao had already been tempered by society time and time again. He didn't dare to say he was tempered into steel, but he was at least a rusty piece of iron, hard enough.

Chen Yuanping and Qiao Xinmei didn't pay much attention to the text message, thinking it was just the balance of the bank card. They assumed it was the money their child had saved without spending.

The minivan continued to navigate between the villages, connecting this side of the villages to Meicheng along a route. Almost everyone on the bus was familiar to Chen Hao. There were many greetings from aunts and uncles once they boarded. Chen Hao didn't encounter anyone he knew, or perhaps there were people who recognized him, but he didn't recognize them. He felt a few pairs of eyes on him on the bus, sensing something was off. Perhaps they recognized him, recognized the Chen Hao of the past, and looked down on him for returning.

In just over three years, not quite four years, there hadn't been much change in Meicheng. At most, some new buildings had been constructed in certain places in the urban area. The overall layout of the main streets of the city hadn't changed, and the city itself didn't seem much bigger. Chen Hao also knew that Meicheng was now developing a new urban area, where there was change every year. The area that used to be all vegetable fields and farmland on the outskirts had now become the central area of ​​this county-level small city, bustling with activity.

The Electronics Building was still the same Electronics Building, with the same layout as a few years ago. There hadn't been much change. The first floor was for small home appliances, the second floor for large home appliances, the third floor for computer shops, and the fourth floor for household items. With confidence, Chen Hao directly bought a branded monitor. A few days ago, he wouldn't have easily made a decision at a price of over a thousand yuan. He, who was willing to be expelled from the guild for a little "shangli", deeply understood the sweat behind the banknotes and knew where to spend large amounts of money and where to be thrifty.

As an aside, he also bought a set of keyboard and mouse, not expensive, just a few dozen yuan for the lowest-end products. As for things like cameras and headphones, he didn't plan to buy them. The ones at home were sufficient. Everything else could wait until next month.

After coming out of the Electronics Building, Chen Hao called his eldest brother-in-law, Ma Defu, and learned that he was also preparing to come out for lunch. So, he made an appointment at a nearby snack bar. Chen Hao arrived first and put two hundred yuan on the table for the boss.

Chapter 10: Being a Son

Three dishes and a bottle of half a pound of low-grade baijiu. Ma Defu, who had been working hard all morning, took a big sip first, then hungrily started eating the dishes, starting with a bowl of rice. Their physical strength was what enabled them to work from morning to night every day. Although they only did plumbing and electrical work in the bare houses all day, the environment still made their bodies feel tired. People like them generally drove around the outskirts or rural areas, knowing how to avoid traffic police. Occasionally, they would drink and drive illegally.

"Brother-in-law, tell me the truth, how much debt does our family still have?"

"None, it's all been paid off. However, the land acquisition funds have all been used up. There's only this yard and a few new houses left. Dad wants to run for village chief, so we might need to borrow some more money recently. We have land at home, so there's no problem borrowing money. And there's me and your eldest sister. It's fine." Ma Defu thought his brother-in-law was worried about the family's financial situation, so he said what needed to be said and took on what needed to be taken care of.

"It's okay, I have some money on my side. Brother-in-law, you take it. Our family has owed you and my eldest sister for these years. I won't keep track of how much it is. If it's enough, you can bear it. If there's more, you can take it on behalf of our family. It's good that dad wants to run for village chief, but in today's society, without money, there's no way forward. Every vote from the villagers can now directly exchange for cash, right?" Chen Hao took out the bank card his parents had been sending him money with. He had just checked it and printed out the statement at the window. It was just over forty thousand, almost fifty thousand. Considering that he had left home, he had received a thousand every month, without fail, for almost four years. 

Let's not talk about being moved. Chen Hao knew very well that with his condition when he left home, a thousand yuan a month was definitely a huge burden for the family. Maybe things would be better with the land acquisition funds in the future, but in the past three years, Chen Hao really didn't know how his parents had managed to hold on.

"Xiaohao, this won't do, this won't do, your sister..."

Chen Hao didn't let Ma Defu continue: "Brother-in-law, take it. Listen to me. Boss, bring the bill." With that, he finished the drink in his cup in one gulp, got up and left the snack bar. He was afraid that if he said a few more words, he wouldn't be able to control his emotions and would cry.

Since childhood, he had prided himself on being tough and strong, and tears really had nothing to do with Chen Hao. But at this moment, recalling the past, looking at his brother-in-law's aging face, thinking of his sister, thinking of this family, all kinds of emotions surged up, and at that moment, his psychological defense line was on the verge of collapsing.

Ma Defu, holding the bank card and the over one hundred yuan he got back from the boss, stood blankly for a long time, then picked up his phone and called his wife.

...

Back home, after responding to his mother that he had lunch with his brother-in-law outside, Chen Hao began assembling the computer in his room. He adjusted the position of the old computer desk in the house, with his back to the door. After sitting down, he faced the door, and the position where the camera was facing was the wall behind.

"What are you doing, son? Let me help you." Qiao Xinmei came in with a fruit tray and a bottle of Seven Up. Seeing her son busy in the room, her first reaction was not to inquire about what her son was doing, but to help him with something.

"Mom, I'm now a webcaster. I'll be working from home in the future, so you don't have to worry about me."

"Hey, hey, mom isn't worried. It's good to be at home. It's good to be at home. Mom knows about this line of work. It's safe from the wind and rain. It's good. You can rest assured. Mom won't disturb you. Just lock the door later..."

With a mother like this, the word "happiness" was like an object held in one's arms, ready to be taken out anytime, anywhere. After more than an hour of tinkering, everything was in place. Looking at the time, it was half past one.

A feeling that had never been felt before surged up. This job, this profession, now had a deeper meaning for Chen Hao. He just wanted to sit in front of the computer now, sing for everyone to listen to, and feel the feeling of that day. Whenever he went on the mic, gifts would float up, and the chat would be filled with praises...


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