564 Father and Son
The hospital result was in Han Fei’s pocket. He entered the kitchen and stood beside his wife. Clean water issued out of the pipe. It washed away the stain and bubbles. The plates were wiped clean. They shone like mirrors.
“Do you already know?”
Han Fei looked at his wife’s hands. She was younger than Fu Yi, but her hands were rougher than his.
“Know what?” His wife placed the bowls and plates back into the cupboard. Then she cleaned the toilet. After everything was done, Han Fei was still standing there. Han Fei hadn’t experienced anything like this before. The words were at his mouth, but he couldn’t utter them. This period should be the happiest in his wife’s life. If he revealed the truth, the bubble would burst.
Han Fei sensed that his wife knew about Fu Yi’s history with the other women, and he was not Fu Yi. In this world, no one knew Fu Yi better than his wife. She tolerated him repeatedly until she had to pick up the knife. The woman valued her family a lot. She would not make this decision unless pressed. Han Fei could imagine her despair. His wife left after cleaning up the kitchen. It was like she was purposely avoiding Han Fei so that she didn’t need to hear the truth.
‘She really knows.’ Han Fei didn’t expect that the first person to see through his masterful acting was a normal housewife. Han Fei and his wife entered the bedroom at 10 pm. His wife took the bed. Han Fei opened the cupboard to grab his mattress. He noticed the mattress and blanket had been changed to a softer and warmer set. Han Fei arranged everything. He lay in bed and looked at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep.
At 6 am, his wife got out of bed carefully. She started to prepare for a new day for this household. Han Fei opened his eyes after his wife left. Han Fei didn’t do anything extra. He waited for the alarm to ring and crawled out of bed. He entered the bathroom. Then he sat at the table to wait for breakfast.
The second-floor door opened. Fu Sheng walked down carrying his school bag.
“Fu Sheng, I’ve prepared extra for you.” The wife walked out of the kitchen and handed the boxed meal to Fu Sheng. Fu Sheng accepted it and exited the door.
“High school students are under great pressure too. Sometimes, they have it harder than working people.” Han Fei had been through that life, so he could empathize.
“You better hurry up, or you’re going to be late.” Fu Sheng was the first to leave. After Han Fei left, his wife would walk Fu Tian to kindergarten. Han Fei finished his breakfast, grabbed his briefcase, and left like usual.
“Wait.” His wife suddenly called after him. She wiped her hands as she walked towards Han Fei. She fixed his collar. Seeing how serious she was, Han Fei didn’t say anything.
“Okay, be careful.”
“I will.” Han Fei touched the health report in his pocket. He sighed in relief when he realized it was still there. Han Fei came to the bus stop. He looked at the passing buses. There were fewer people around him until he was the only one left. He had no job, so where would he go?
“Fu Tian’s kindergarten is on the west side. My wife might pass by here and see me.” Han Fei left the bus stop and headed east. He wandered around and eventually settled at an abandoned park. The man with nowhere to go sat on the garden bench. No one visited this place. The trees were lush. Birds flew past, and an occasional squirrel scurried past the branches. The morning sun shone on the grass. A few lazy stray cats stretched. They were not afraid of humans. This place was their home. “I might as well stay here until the time to get off work.”
Han Fei didn’t know what to do. He had a life’s debt, so he had to pay it. He needed to withdraw 720000 RMB from his family savings. He was tired. He leaned against the back of the bench and looked up into the blue sky. He had not had the chance to do something like this in real life or the cryptic world. He rarely got the freedom to sit down at a secluded city corner.
After a while, Han Fei felt something brush against his arm. He looked down, and a stray had jumped onto the bench. It knelt beside Han Fei. Its tail wagged about like it had a life of its own.
“Have I occupied your space?” Han Fei reached out to pet the cat when all the cats suddenly sensed something. They scattered from Han Fei and rushed to the other side of the bush. The confused Han Fei stood up. He turned around, and a high school student walked over with an open can of cat food. As their eyes met, both were colored in shock. They said in unison.
“Why aren’t you at work?” “Why aren’t you at school?”
Han Fei in his suit and Fu Sheng in his uniform looked at each other. The father and son stood face to face inside the small garden. The branches rustled. The cats looked greedily at the can of cat food. They meowed as if asking, ‘what are you two doing?’
“Actually, I intend to go to school, but I would hesitate whenever I reach the gate.” Fu Sheng put down the can. The strays crowded him. “Why aren’t you at work?”
“I was fired.” Han Fei walked past the bush to stand beside Fu Sheng. They sat on the bench together. They didn’t speak and study the stray cats together.
“Sometimes, I envy them. They don’t need to worry about anything. They are free.” Fu Sheng scratched one of the cats’ chins. The cat liked Fu Sheng.
“Who would want to be a stray if they have a home?” Han Fei was an orphan. He had a deep desire for home. It was why he would do anything to protect Happiness Neighborhood and his family.
Some of the cats ran away after they had their fill. Some laid there listlessly like a lifeless furball. Fu Sheng skipped school, and Han Fei skipped work. They sat in the quiet garden. Even though they didn’t say anything, they became closer. This should be the longest time they had spent with each other.
At noon, Fu Sheng took out his lunchbox. He opened the lid and was about to dig in when he noticed Han Fei looking at him. “You want some?”
“Yes.”
“?” Fu Sheng held the chopsticks and then shook his head. “Hmm, no, I can’t give you.”
“You silly kid, then why did you ask me?”
“I thought you’d say no.”
Han Fei was strangely amused.
“How can you be full with so little food? Stay here. I’ll be back.” Han Fei patted his pocket and ran out of the garden. Soon he came back carrying a large bag. He placed the heavy bag on the bench. He seemed to be in a better mood. Fu Sheng looked into the bag. It was filled with beers.
“Ever since I met you, I hadn’t touched alcohol. I was afraid that I might be affected by alcohol and make a mistake. As you know, I’d die with a single mistake.” Han Fei opened a can of beer. “I lost many things but also gained many things. I don’t know whether to thank you or hate you.”
The empty can arched through the air, and it landed squarely inside the trash can.
“What are you talking about?” Fu Sheng was baffled.
“Generally, I think I should thank you. It’s the reason why I can be here.” Han Fei opened another can. He glanced at Fu Sheng, “Do you want one?”
“No, thank you.” Fu Sheng shook his head. After lunch, Fu Sheng went to clean the box. He then sat on the bench to focus on his studies. Han Fei rarely had the chance to unwind. He sat beside Fu Sheng, the center of this world. He allowed himself to put his guard down. The sun slowly went down. Fu Sheng put his homework away and glanced beside him.
Han Fei’s suit was wrinkled. He finished all the beers. He leaned on the bench as if asleep.
“Have you always been this tired?” Fu Sheng had never seen his father like this. His father was selfish, imposing, and brutish. Since he was competent, he was strict with his sons. If they failed to live up to his expectation, he would scold and beat them. But from a moment onwards, Fu Sheng felt his father changed.
Perhaps it was that night after Fu Sheng saw his father stand up for him inside the alley; perhaps it was when he overheard his father tell his mother on the phone that he had beaten up the headmaster; or perhaps it was when his father chose to believe him and help the old headmaster.
Recent events crossed Fu Sheng’s mind. He took a long time to process them. The sun was setting. Fu Sheng finished packing his schoolbag, and he shook the sleeping Han Fei.
“Dad, it’s time to go home.”
