"Stinky kid, you finally know to come back, huh?" Mom, wearing her apron, came out from the house, wiping her hands as she spoke, "How’s everything at the set? Finished filming?"
"Almost done," Wang Hao tossed his bag onto the sofa and took off his coat to help in the kitchen, washing vegetables as he said, "Things are going pretty smoothly over there. I didn’t see how I could be of any more help, so I came back early. They’re planning to shoot on location now, traveling all over the country, must be tough."
"It sure is, earning a bit of money these days isn’t easy." As Mom spoke, she brandished her kitchen knife, chopping frenetically while saying, "You’re not in a rush to leave again this time, are you?"
"Not in a rush," Wang Hao nodded and asked, "Why, is there something up?"
"Not a big deal," Mom expertly heated the oil and threw in the vegetables, adjusting the flame as she spoke, "It’s about that house you’ve got. The property manager personally delivered the keys a couple of days ago. Your dad and I went to take a look— the house is pretty good, and reasonably sized too."
Huh? The house is ready? That was fast! I gotta go check it out when I have the time!
Renovations! I must make sure to do a good job this time!
Mom and Dad have worked hard their entire lives; they deserve to live in a nice house!
"That house is nice, huh? Hehe," Wang Hao placed the cleaned vegetables aside, flicked his hands dry, and said, "Speaking of which, I haven’t actually seen the place myself yet. I really should go check it out tomorrow!"
"Yo, stinky kid, you’re back?" Dad’s voice came as the door opened, and he entered laughing, "You little rascal, been gone so long and you couldn’t even call a few times. How’s everything, going smoothly?"
"Not bad, pretty good," Wang Hao cheerfully walked out of the kitchen and said, "I’m not in a hurry to head out again, how about we drink a bit tonight?"
"Drink a bit, absolutely!" Dad took off his coat and said, "Now that you’ve got your house, what are your plans next? Renovations must be pricey, right?"
"It does need quite a bit of money," Wang Hao nodded and replied, "I’ll go check out the house tomorrow first, then I’ll start looking into the renovation stuff. By the way, Dad, any suggestions about the renovation?"
"What suggestions could I have, do as you like," Dad grabbed some beers from the fridge, then sat down at the table, pouring a glass for each of them, and said, "You youngsters probably have different tastes from us. If it were up to your mom and me, we’d say save where you can. Too much luxury isn’t practical. But you’re making a decent living now, so I’m not going to stop you. Do it however you want."
Hearing Dad say this, Wang Hao paused for a moment, "Dad, aren’t you and Mom moving in?"
"What would your mom and I move in for?" Dad gulped down a beer and said, "Us old folks shouldn’t bother with that hassle. Wait until you get married, don’t live together either. Look at the Li family in our courtyard—always bickering since they live with their son and daughter-in-law. I’d be glad if you could live on your own, why suffer together? You’d probably drive me crazy."
That... can’t be that serious...
Of course, Wang Hao understood Dad’s underlying message—he just didn’t want to trouble himself.
Indeed, it’s common for conflicts to arise after young folks get married if they live with their parents. I wasn’t thinking comprehensively.
"Alright, if not living together, so be it," Wang Hao also downed his beer and said, "Let’s leave that for later, for now, let’s drink!"
Father and son each drained their cups.
"Damn it, speaking of which, I ran into an old classmate a couple of days ago," Dad finished his drink, belched, and said, "That guy was showing off how great his son is doing, even bought a mansion in Golden Stone Town for over eight million. I saw his tail almost wagging to the sky! Oh, right, you know his son, Guo Wenming."
Damn, hearing that name just hits me like a thunderclap!
Guo Wenming, I knew him well back in high school when he was the student council president, always showing off and flirting with the girls. And now he’s buying mansions in Golden Stone Town?
"So it’s him," Mom had just served two dishes and Wang Hao stuffed a peanut into his mouth, chewing as he said, "He’s doing that well now? Not bad."
"He is doing well," Dad snorted upon hearing this, "The important thing isn’t just that he’s doing well. He even had to mention you. Said you weren’t up to it during school and now that you’ve stepped into society, you need to work hard not to be left behind by the times. How can my son be left behind by the times? Thinking about it just makes me angry!"
Damn, this really happened?
Wang Hao was almost speechless—how dare he mock my old man?
"Forget it, forget it," Wang Hao quickly refilled Dad’s cup, saying, "Let others say what they want, it’s none of our business, doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s drink."
"Drink!" Dad gulped down another, then vigorously patted Wang Hao’s shoulder, "You’re the one who makes your old dad proud. I thought to myself that my son’s doing so well, why should I bother arguing with him, right?"
"Right, right, right!" Wang Hao eagerly poured more drinks, "We won’t stoop to their level!"