"Dad" Lin Jin looked up at his dad who was still picking up rice one grain at a time with his chopsticks, and asked, "Are you still gambling?"
His dad paused, glanced at Lin Jin, and then changed the subject rather obviously "I've been working every day lately."
"So you've stopped gambling?" Lin Jin began to discuss his plan. "I told my younger brother to come back for the holidays. Maybe Mom will come too."
His dad lowered his head, speaking in a still indifferent tone, "If she comes, she comes."
His dad had once harbored some resentment towards his mother. Perhaps he felt that although he had gambled away their entire fortune, his wife had not hesitated to ask for a divorce despite having been married for over a decade. Moreover, it seemed that his mother was doing quite well on her own in Guangdong, which might have sparked some resentment or jealousy within him.
If that wasn't the case, then his dad wouldn't have beaten Lin Jin that time he went to visit his mother during his first year of high school.
Although the beating wasn't really severe...
"What's the point of your mom coming back? Letting your brother come and visit for a few days is enough" said his dad, his mood seeming a bit off. He quickly finished his meal, stood up, and seemed ready to evade Lin Jin.
Lin Jin, of course, would not let his dad off so easily. If his dad didn't agree to let his mother come back, even if she did come, his dad's attitude towards her would definitely be very poor. Lin Jin needed to work towards family harmony...
"Is it bad if Mom comes back?" Lin Jin didn't get up but asked looking at his dad's retreating figure, "Isn't it better than just the two of us?"
His dad's footsteps halted for a moment, as if pondering something. After a while, he finally said, "If your mother wants to come, let her come."
With that, his dad walked directly out of the dining room. After messing around with something in his room, he left the house.
Lin Jin shook his head. It seemed like his dad might be considering reconciling with his mother, but he was too proud to say much about it.
Maybe he could plan with Lin Chen on how to get their parents back together?
Lin Jin cleaned up the empty bowls on the table. While doing the dishes with dish soap, he pondered how to facilitate his parents' reconciliation.
In the days without his mother, he felt as if he had become the "mother."
Whenever Lin Jin was home, almost all the household chores would be done by him, whether it was cooking, doing laundry, or mopping the floors. On top of that, there was no dishwasher or washing machine at home. His dad often worked at construction sites or took on temporary manual labor jobs, and he would always be covered in sweat and dust. Even in the coldest winter, his dad would take a bath every day. As a result, Lin Jin also had to wash his dad's clothes daily...
Although there was a bit of resentment, Lin Jin was rather willing to do it. He didn't have much else to do at home, and after all, his dad had given him life rather than "shooting him against the wall" so to speak. People should have some sense of gratitude, right? Even if his dad's attitude towards him hadn't been very good in the past... Well, it wasn't particularly good now either.
"Lin Chen" Lin Jin returned to his room and sat on his bed after washing the dishes. He called his younger brother Lin Chen, "When are you planning to come here?"
"Two days after Chinese New Yearr?" Lin Chen pondered for a moment on the other end, shrugging somewhat helplessly, "I'm in my senior year of high school now, and the winter break is only about ten days long. Once Chinese New Year is over, I can only come for about five days."
"Alright, five days is fine" Lin Jin nodded, then continued, "Do you want Mom and Dad to get back together?"
Lin Chen expressed doubt about Lin Jin's question: "With him constantly gambling, do you think Mom would reconcile with him? Besides, it seems like Mom is already planning to get remarried, she's been going on blind dates recently."
What the f*ck? You've got to be kidding me.
Lin Jin was dumbfounded. If his mother successfully went through with the blind date, would that mean his task was a complete failure? It certainly wouldn't be a good thing if they got divorced and she remarried.
"No way! Persuade Mom to stop! Tell her Dad has quit gambling and drinking, and that he wants to see her! She can't go on blind dates!" Lin Jin shouted into his phone, standing up nervously. "Tell her to come back with you after the New Year!"
"Huh?" Lin Chen was confused by Lin Jin's sudden outburst. "Has Dad really quit gambling?"
Who knows? Probably just gambling less than before.
"Yes, he has" Lin Jin said with a firm tone.
If he wanted Lin Chen to trick their mother, then Lin Jin definitely had to trick Lin Chen into believing everything he was saying was true. Otherwise, Lin Chen might give the game away.
"Dad is working outside every day now. We didn't have anything at home before, but now we've even bought a washing machine" Lin Jin continued, not hesitating at all as he spewed nonsense.
If his dad had no intention of reconciling with their mother, then what Lin Jin was doing would certainly backfire. However, Lin Jin felt that his dad did seem to be contemplating reconciliation.
Having lived together for eighteen years, Lin Jin had a good read on his dad, just as his dad had a good understanding of him. His dad's recent behavior clearly indicated a desire for reconciliation but an inability to articulate it.
"That could work, I guess? I'll talk to Mom when she comes home tonight?" Although Lin Chen had become less introverted than before, he still approached the matter with a shy and uncertain tone.
"Exactly, you have to convince Mom to come back! Think about it, if Mom ends up marrying someone else after going on these blind dates, wouldn't you have to call a stranger 'Dad' from then on? That would be so uncomfortable, right?" Lin Jin tried his best to sway Lin Chen. "And who knows, the guy might even have his own child. What if Mom ends up liking that person more than you? You could end up not having enough to eat or wear, and you might even get mistreated by your stepdad. That would be terrible."
"Really?" Lin Chen's tone was filled with skepticism and anxiety.
"Why not?" Lin Jin bluntly pointed out Lin Chen's naïveté. "Just look at the news online. There are always stories about stepmothers and stepfathers mistreating their stepchildren. How can you be sure that won't happen to you?"
"When Mom is dating another man, that man will definitely try to please you and all, but once they get married, who knows? He might just start abusing you. Even if he doesn't go that far, he'll definitely favor his own children over you, right?" Lin Jin continued to manipulate Lin Chen, trying to make him paranoid.
"I'll talk to Mom tonight, but I can't guarantee she'll come with me to visit."
"Just make it clear to Mom that you absolutely won't allow her to remarry, okay?" Lin Jin said, pausing for a moment, "At least not until she meets Dad again and they don't have a falling out. If that happens, then there's nothing we can do."
"Alright..."
"Good luck!"
After encouraging his younger brother, Lin Jin hung up the phone. Despite his efforts, he still felt anxious, fearing that Mom had already given up on Dad and was strongly averse to reconciling with him.
Come to think of it, if Mom hadn't lost hope in Dad, she wouldn't have chosen to divorce him and struggle on her own in a strange place.
"Dad" Lin Jin looked up at his dad who was still picking up rice one grain at a time with his chopsticks, and asked, "Are you still gambling?"
His dad paused, glanced at Lin Jin, and then changed the subject rather obviously "I've been working every day lately."
"So you've stopped gambling?" Lin Jin began to discuss his plan. "I told my younger brother to come back for the holidays. Maybe Mom will come too."
His dad lowered his head, speaking in a still indifferent tone, "If she comes, she comes."
His dad had once harbored some resentment towards his mother. Perhaps he felt that although he had gambled away their entire fortune, his wife had not hesitated to ask for a divorce despite having been married for over a decade. Moreover, it seemed that his mother was doing quite well on her own in Guangdong, which might have sparked some resentment or jealousy within him.
If that wasn't the case, then his dad wouldn't have beaten Lin Jin that time he went to visit his mother during his first year of high school.
Although the beating wasn't really severe...
"What's the point of your mom coming back? Letting your brother come and visit for a few days is enough" said his dad, his mood seeming a bit off. He quickly finished his meal, stood up, and seemed ready to evade Lin Jin.
Lin Jin, of course, would not let his dad off so easily. If his dad didn't agree to let his mother come back, even if she did come, his dad's attitude towards her would definitely be very poor. Lin Jin needed to work towards family harmony...
"Is it bad if Mom comes back?" Lin Jin didn't get up but asked looking at his dad's retreating figure, "Isn't it better than just the two of us?"
His dad's footsteps halted for a moment, as if pondering something. After a while, he finally said, "If your mother wants to come, let her come."
With that, his dad walked directly out of the dining room. After messing around with something in his room, he left the house.
Lin Jin shook his head. It seemed like his dad might be considering reconciling with his mother, but he was too proud to say much about it.
Maybe he could plan with Lin Chen on how to get their parents back together?
Lin Jin cleaned up the empty bowls on the table. While doing the dishes with dish soap, he pondered how to facilitate his parents' reconciliation.
In the days without his mother, he felt as if he had become the "mother."
Whenever Lin Jin was home, almost all the household chores would be done by him, whether it was cooking, doing laundry, or mopping the floors. On top of that, there was no dishwasher or washing machine at home. His dad often worked at construction sites or took on temporary manual labor jobs, and he would always be covered in sweat and dust. Even in the coldest winter, his dad would take a bath every day. As a result, Lin Jin also had to wash his dad's clothes daily...
Although there was a bit of resentment, Lin Jin was rather willing to do it. He didn't have much else to do at home, and after all, his dad had given him life rather than "shooting him against the wall" so to speak. People should have some sense of gratitude, right? Even if his dad's attitude towards him hadn't been very good in the past... Well, it wasn't particularly good now either.
"Lin Chen" Lin Jin returned to his room and sat on his bed after washing the dishes. He called his younger brother Lin Chen, "When are you planning to come here?"
"Two days after Chinese New Yearr?" Lin Chen pondered for a moment on the other end, shrugging somewhat helplessly, "I'm in my senior year of high school now, and the winter break is only about ten days long. Once Chinese New Year is over, I can only come for about five days."
"Alright, five days is fine" Lin Jin nodded, then continued, "Do you want Mom and Dad to get back together?"
Lin Chen expressed doubt about Lin Jin's question: "With him constantly gambling, do you think Mom would reconcile with him? Besides, it seems like Mom is already planning to get remarried, she's been going on blind dates recently."
What the f*ck? You've got to be kidding me.
Lin Jin was dumbfounded. If his mother successfully went through with the blind date, would that mean his task was a complete failure? It certainly wouldn't be a good thing if they got divorced and she remarried.
"No way! Persuade Mom to stop! Tell her Dad has quit gambling and drinking, and that he wants to see her! She can't go on blind dates!" Lin Jin shouted into his phone, standing up nervously. "Tell her to come back with you after the New Year!"
"Huh?" Lin Chen was confused by Lin Jin's sudden outburst. "Has Dad really quit gambling?"
Who knows? Probably just gambling less than before.
"Yes, he has" Lin Jin said with a firm tone.
If he wanted Lin Chen to trick their mother, then Lin Jin definitely had to trick Lin Chen into believing everything he was saying was true. Otherwise, Lin Chen might give the game away.
"Dad is working outside every day now. We didn't have anything at home before, but now we've even bought a washing machine" Lin Jin continued, not hesitating at all as he spewed nonsense.
If his dad had no intention of reconciling with their mother, then what Lin Jin was doing would certainly backfire. However, Lin Jin felt that his dad did seem to be contemplating reconciliation.
Having lived together for eighteen years, Lin Jin had a good read on his dad, just as his dad had a good understanding of him. His dad's recent behavior clearly indicated a desire for reconciliation but an inability to articulate it.
"That could work, I guess? I'll talk to Mom when she comes home tonight?" Although Lin Chen had become less introverted than before, he still approached the matter with a shy and uncertain tone.
"Exactly, you have to convince Mom to come back! Think about it, if Mom ends up marrying someone else after going on these blind dates, wouldn't you have to call a stranger 'Dad' from then on? That would be so uncomfortable, right?" Lin Jin tried his best to sway Lin Chen. "And who knows, the guy might even have his own child. What if Mom ends up liking that person more than you? You could end up not having enough to eat or wear, and you might even get mistreated by your stepdad. That would be terrible."
"Really?" Lin Chen's tone was filled with skepticism and anxiety.
"Why not?" Lin Jin bluntly pointed out Lin Chen's naïveté. "Just look at the news online. There are always stories about stepmothers and stepfathers mistreating their stepchildren. How can you be sure that won't happen to you?"
"When Mom is dating another man, that man will definitely try to please you and all, but once they get married, who knows? He might just start abusing you. Even if he doesn't go that far, he'll definitely favor his own children over you, right?" Lin Jin continued to manipulate Lin Chen, trying to make him paranoid.
"I'll talk to Mom tonight, but I can't guarantee she'll come with me to visit."
"Just make it clear to Mom that you absolutely won't allow her to remarry, okay?" Lin Jin said, pausing for a moment, "At least not until she meets Dad again and they don't have a falling out. If that happens, then there's nothing we can do."
"Alright..."
"Good luck!"
After encouraging his younger brother, Lin Jin hung up the phone. Despite his efforts, he still felt anxious, fearing that Mom had already given up on Dad and was strongly averse to reconciling with him.
Come to think of it, if Mom hadn't lost hope in Dad, she wouldn't have chosen to divorce him and struggle on her own in a strange place.
