Chapter 16: The Ancients Were Not Lying to Me.

Yao Wenjing’s one-month summer job ended, and after receiving his pay, he insisted on treating Lin Zhi to a meal.

“Aren’t you saving money?” Lin Zhi sat beside Yao Wenjing’s single bed, generously saying, “I’ll treat you.”

Yao Wenjing’s room was very small. It only had a single bed and a fabric wardrobe, leaving little space. There was a stack of books behind the bed and a folded small desk on top of it.

It was crowded, but quite clean.

“Just one more meal, and then I’ll save,” Yao Wenjing chuckled.

Yao Wenjing’s father had been called out early in the morning by his card-playing friends, so Lin Zhi came to Yao Wenjing’s house to wait for him.

“Alright,” Yao Wenjing finally plugged in the rice cooker. “Xiao Zhi, let’s go.”

“You’re going out to eat but still remember to make food for your dad,” Lin Zhi said, rolling his eyes. “You’re really…”

“So he won’t complain,” Yao Wenjing sighed. “I need to do my homework later and don’t want to be disturbed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud “bang-bang-bang” on the door. Yao Wenjing and Lin Zhi exchanged a glance before reluctantly walking toward the door to open it.

The knocking continued in the gap between their steps, without any consideration that it took time to walk to the door.

“Why are you back?” Yao Wenjing subconsciously asked.

“The card table was flipped by a bunch of grandkids.” Yao Kangping entered with an unhappy expression. Upon seeing Lin Zhi, his expression didn’t change much, but he roughly asked, “Who’s this?”

“My friend.” Yao Wenjing didn’t introduce Lin Zhi by name.

“You actually have friends?” Yao Kangping said sarcastically.

Lin Zhi suppressed the curse words rising in his mind and forced a smile, greeting him, “Hello, Uncle.”

Yao Kangping sized Lin Zhi up without manners, sneered meaningfully a couple of times, and then turned to walk to the old sofa.

Yao Wenjing widened his eyes, about to speak, but Lin Zhi grabbed his arm and shook his head. “Let’s go.”

“Where are you two going?” Yao Kangping shouted.

Yao Wenjing naively answered honestly, “Going out to eat.”

“Oh, getting paid makes you all high and mighty now?” Yao Kangping said with a sideways glance. “Taking your friend out for a big meal while leaving your father at home to cook for himself.”

“I’ve already prepared it for you,” Yao Wenjing said weakly. “Just heat it up when you want to eat.”

Yao Kangping, not succeeding with his first attempt, tried another approach, “Good-hearted reminder,” he said. “Stop hanging around with shady people. Be careful, or you might get scammed.”

Lin Zhi furrowed his brows, and Yao Wenjing, unable to take it anymore, snapped, “Don’t worry, my friend is great. You’re the one who’s already mixed up with shady people.”

“You brat, how are you talking to your dad?” Yao Kangping slammed his palm on the armrest of the sofa. “I’m warning you to watch that little salary of yours, don’t let it all go to food, drinks, and fun when you get it.”

“With this little salary, no one would even look at it,” Yao Wenjing retorted angrily. “And even if I used it for food, drinks, and fun, it’s still better than being scammed by you into gambling and losing it.”

“I told you, I borrowed it from you, and I’ll repay you when I win,” Yao Kangping said, panting heavily. “Do you understand what investment means? If you don’t lend me the money, you better figure out how to pay for your next semester’s tuition!”

“Pay for it myself…” Yao Wenjing hadn’t finished speaking when Lin Zhi pinched the flesh on his arm.

“Uncle,” Lin Zhi said with a fake smile, “You not giving Xiao Jing the tuition for next semester won’t do. That’s your responsibility.”

“Wow, being educated makes you so impressive,” Yao Kangping sneered. “I’m not someone who’s never read a book either. We don’t have that experimental twelve-year compulsory education here. Yao Wenjing’s mother disappeared somewhere, she never cared for him. I single-handedly supported him through middle school and two years of high school, and that was already me doing all I could.”

Was he really working hard at the card table? Lin Zhi thought.

“Yes, yes, nine years of compulsory education,” Lin Zhi nodded and then said, “But Xiao Jing isn’t yet 18 when school starts. As long as he wants to continue his studies, you, as his father, have the responsibility to support him. Otherwise…”

Lin Zhi shrugged, “I can only advise him to win his case for continuing his studies through legal means.”

Yao Kangping was speechless, and could only throw a tantrum, “You don’t need to meddle in my relationship with my son. He just got paid, I don’t have money on me, can’t he just pay the tuition for now?”

The school is a public institution, the tuition isn’t much, but…

“Of course not,” Lin Zhi immediately replied, “Xiao Jing’s salary is meant for when you don’t give him living expenses. If he uses it for tuition, do you expect him to live on air and wind?”

“Oh, right,” Lin Zhi pretended to think of something casually. “If you don’t pay his tuition, we could conveniently add the case of your domestic violence when we sue you.”

“When did I ever abuse him?” Yao Kangping retorted, “I just discipline him when he’s disobedient. As a father, don’t I have the right to discipline my own son?”

Lin Zhi gritted his teeth. He knew the saying “a fair judge can’t settle family affairs”—domestic violence would only be treated as a family dispute without substantial evidence, and after mediation, the matter would be considered settled.

“It’s alright, Xiao Zhi,” Yao Wenjing pretended to comfort Lin Zhi but was actually “threatening” Yao Kangping. “However he treats me now, I’ll treat him the same way later. After all, he only has one son now, and it’s unlikely anyone would want to have a son or daughter with him in the future.”

This was a “self-defense technique” Yao Wenjing had come up with in the last two years, and it worked every time. Whenever Yao Kangping acted overly harsh or said something inappropriate, Yao Wenjing would subtly hint that he needed to leave himself an escape route.

Sure enough, once Yao Wenjing spoke, Yao Kangping’s tone became much weaker: “Hah, supporting parents is an obligation you can’t shirk.”

“Mm,” Yao Wenjing smiled. “But how I support them is my business, and it depends on your attitude.”

“Impressive,” Lin Zhi gave Yao Wenjing a thumbs-up, laughing. “I thought you were just a punching bag at home, but turns out you can talk back. Your dad’s probably about to blow a gasket.”

The two of them took turns “battling” with Yao Kangping, gaining the upper hand, and finally left triumphantly under his angry gaze. Just before closing the door, Yao Wenjing kindly asked, “Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll bring it back after dinner.”

Yao Kangping’s response was to throw a crumpled piece of paper at the coffee table, which fluttered to the floor halfway.

“Actually, I don’t usually speak like that,” Yao Wenjing returned to his obedient student demeanor, then raised his voice slightly. “But who told him to say such unpleasant things to you? He’s my dad, and I can tolerate the things he says to me, but I won’t tolerate him saying anything bad about you.”

Lin Zhi placed his hand on Yao Wenjing’s shoulder and smiled, “Thank you.”

“Who said I would get upset with you…” Yao Wenjing murmured quietly.

“Mm.” Lin Zhi raised his hand and ruffled Yao Wenjing’s hair. Since Yao Wenjing’s height just reached his ears, it was very convenient.

He had told Lu Liu that Yao Wenjing was worth treating well, not because in the past, Yao Wenjing helped him when they had lost touch for a long time, but because Yao Wenjing treated him with sincerity.

“Let’s go have barbecue…” Yao Wenjing said, then paused. “Huh, isn’t that Lu Liu coming over?”

There’s a saying, isn’t there? What you think is what happens.

^[1]“The ancients were not lying to me” refers to the idea that the wisdom or teachings passed down through history or from previous generations are true and accurate. It’s a playful or … Continue readingThe ancients were not lying to me.