With the summer vacation over, Zhan Weiyang faced the toughest year of high school, the senior year. The school had strict requirements for the students in their final year; regardless of whether they were boarding or not, all students were required to attend evening self-study sessions, and Zhan Weiyang was no exception.
Chen Youyou, despite his good grades, did not appear relaxed. He woke up early every day and returned home late. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent all his other time reviewing his lessons.
He was also quite troubled. He had a specific university and major in mind, but the thought of living on campus and spending extended periods with other peers caused him considerable distress.
He thought that Zhan Weiyang should agree with him about this kind of sorrow.
But to Chen Youyou’s surprise, Zhan Weiyang did not feel the same sorrow as him, and Zhan Weiyang had his own firm idea on this matter: he wanted to stay in the dorm.
“Ah?” Chen Youyou asked him, “Why?”
Zhan Weiyang buried his head while doing the questions and took the time to answer, “Because I can.”
Chen Youyou didn’t understand, “H-how can you?”
Zhan Weiyang looked up at him and said, “I think I can do it, so I can do it.”
Chen Youyou didn’t say anything. He felt that Zhan Weiyang had changed in some ways, but he couldn’t tell exactly where he had changed because Zhan Weiyang was still not that smart and behaved like a child. If Chen Youyou hadn’t been with Zhan Weiyang for a long time, he wouldn’t even be able to feel the subtle changes.
Zhan Weiyang was like the fortune tree he planted in the flower pot. While the trunk and leaves were growing slowly, they also tried hard to take root in the soil.
His growth might not be obvious to the eyes, but his roots had been deeply buried in the soil and were difficult to shake in places one couldn’t see.
Since Pei Jingrong left that day, he never contacted Pei Qing again. Zhan Yingfei called Pei Qing twice.
Zhan Yingfei had heard about Pei Qing and Zhan Weiyang, but her attitude was much gentler. Although she probably still did not agree in her heart, she did not express her opposition clearly in her words.
She wanted to reconcile Pei Qing and her son. She said to Pei Qing, “You know your father is stubborn. Sometimes you need to coax him.”
Pei Qing said to Zhan Yingfei, “Auntie, you are too kind. My father is not stubborn but arrogant. This matter is not a question of coaxing or not, but he is never willing to put himself in my shoes and think about me.”
Zhan Yingfei was silent for a while and said, “Pei Qing, Auntie doesn’t want to say who is right or wrong, but since we’re all of a certain age and have experienced more in life, you will definitely find that the path you’ve chosen is a wrong one in the future.”
“Auntie, there is no right or wrong path in life,” Pei Qing said, “and regret is meaningless. Just like, would you consider your previous marriage a mistake? If so, was Xueqing’s birth a mistake?”
Zhan Yingfei did not speak.
Pei Qing said, “Isn’t life something you walk out step by step? There’s no need to regret or look back.”
After a while, Zhan Yingfei sighed and said, “I just think you’re too mature. In fact, you’ll be too tired if you live like this.”
Pei Qing said to her, “Sometimes it’s very tiring. I only feel relaxed when I’m with Yangyang.”
After that, Zhan Yingfei didn’t say anything else.
Pei Qing knew that Pei Jingrong was arrogantly waiting for him to compromise and go back to apologise, but he knew that Pei Jingrong would never get it. He had never considered never seeing Pei Jingrong again; Pei Jingrong was still his father after all. However, the meeting did not mean compromising. If he did not compromise, Pei Jingrong would certainly not compromise either.
He wondered if Pei Jingrong would regret it when he got old one day and recalled the current situation of the father and son.
During the winter break of his senior year, Zhan Weiyang did not have a long vacation. Even after the school had a holiday, Zhan Weiyang spent every day at home reading and reviewing his studies.
Pei Qing was even busier before the New Year, working overtime until late at night, and didn’t have a holiday until the day before New Year’s Eve.
The New Year atmosphere this year was a bit awkward.
Pei Jingrong and his wife didn’t come. Zhan Weiyang’s second uncle and his family came before the New Year, took Grandma over to celebrate, and invited Zhan Pengcheng and his family to go as well.
Zhan Weiyang didn’t want to go because Pei Qing hadn’t had a holiday at that time, and he also wanted to review at home.
Since Grandma left, Auntie Luo also went home for the New Year. Zhan Pengcheng was worried about Zhan Weiyang being alone at home, so he wanted to stay too and only asked Zhan Weiguang to go to his second uncle’s place to celebrate the New Year.
Zhan Weiguang said, “I don’t want to go either.”
Zhan Pengcheng heard him say that and said, “Then stay. Let’s celebrate the New Year together as a family.”
Zhan Weiyang looked at Zhan Pengcheng and said nothing.
Zhan Pengcheng said, “Why are you looking at me?”
Zhan Weiyang said, “Qing ge is also coming to celebrate the New Year.”
Zhan Pengcheng said, “Come, let him come. I didn’t ask him not to come, why are you so mean to me?”
Zhan Weiyang said quickly, “I’m not mean.”
Zhan Weiguang was lying on the sofa playing with his phone, but now he looked up at Zhan Weiyang and said, “How can you say you are not mean? Your tone was so mean just now.”
Zhan Weiyang said, “I’m not. I’m just reminding Dad.”
Zhan Pengcheng said, “Okay, Dad understand. Please invite Qing Ge to celebrate the New Year together.”
On New Year’s Eve, Zhan Pengcheng was ready to prepare a dinner for his two sons. Although he was not completely unable to cook, he had not been in the kitchen for more than ten years and had been busy since morning.
This state continued until Pei Qing came over.
Pei Qing washed his hands and came to help Zhan Pengcheng, and the work in the kitchen suddenly became organised.
Zhan Pengcheng took time to rest by the door and secretly smoked a cigarette. He looked at Pei Qing’s back and said, “I wish you were my son.” His two sons were still sleeping upstairs.
After saying this, Zhan Pengcheng suddenly felt that it was inappropriate as if he was hinting at something and not holding back at all. Although he did not object to Pei Qing and Zhan Weiyang’s relationship, he still hoped that Zhan Weiyang could find a well-behaved and lovely girlfriend instead of a tall and handsome boyfriend.
So he added, “I’m talking about being my own son.”
Pei Qing smiled when he heard this and said nothing. He didn’t even stop what he was doing.
When it was time to eat the New Year’s Eve dinner, Zhan Pengcheng and Pei Qing really prepared a table of dishes.
Zhan Weiguang saw it and said, “Wow, there are too many dishes. Can we finish them?”
Zhan Pengcheng opened the wine cabinet to find wine and said, “If you can’t finish them, you will eat leftovers every day.”
Zhan Weiguang pointed at Zhan Weiyang with chopsticks, “It’s all for you; you must finish them all.”
As a result, Zhan Weiyang said happily, “Okay, I will finish them all.” He knew that Pei Qing and Zhan Pengcheng made dinner, and many of them were his favourite dishes. He was looking forward to it since the afternoon.
Seeing Zhan Pengcheng put a bottle of wine on the dining table, Zhan Weiguang said, “Dad, don’t drink.”
Zhan Pengcheng took out a very small wine glass and showed it to him: “Just one drink.” He then added, “You all can have a little too.”
The temperature outside was very low, and they didn’t know when the snowflakes started to fall. It didn’t snow often in this southern city, and no one knew it was snowing outside.
The room was very warm, different from the lively atmosphere last year. Although there were fewer people and it was a little colder this year, the atmosphere was very gentle.
Zhan Pengcheng rarely drinks now. He rarely had a small cup, so he cherished it especially and sipped it in small sips, reluctant to finish it.
Zhan Weiyang did not stop eating all night and was very satisfied with the meal.
After dinner, Zhan Pengcheng was a little too lazy to move. He pushed the bowl forward, looked at the messy table, and said, “Let’s clean it up tomorrow.”
Zhan Weiguang stretched, stood up and said, “I’ll watch the gala first.” There was a female star he liked very much in this year’s Spring Festival Gala.
At this time, Pei Qing said to Zhan Pengcheng, “I’ll wash the dishes. Uncle, you can watch the gala with Weiguang.”
Zhan Pengcheng suddenly felt embarrassed. He said, “How can I let you do that? Let me do it.”
Pei Qing had already stood up to clean the table and said, “It’s okay.”
Zhan Pengcheng glanced at Zhan Weiyang and suddenly thought he had given Pei Qing his precious son. What’s there to be embarrassed about asking him to wash the dishes? So he said, “Thank you for your hard work.” Then he stood up and went to the living room.
Zhan Weiyang was still sitting on the chair, smiling and looking up at Pei Qing. Pei Qing asked him, “What are you so happy about?” Zhan Weiyang had drunk some wine tonight and seemed a little excited. He reached out, stacked the empty bowls together, and said, “I’ll help you.”
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