Chapter Sixteen: Dad Got Laid Off

  After several rounds of cars and trains, I finally set foot on the land of my hometown. With a nose full of the unique air smell of my hometown, I returned home like an arrow!

  "Old man, old lady, I'm back!" I took out the key to my home and opened the door, bursting in and shouting loudly. But what surprised me was that my parents didn't show any excited expressions to welcome me back. Instead, they were both sitting on the sofa, looking worried and upset.

  "My son is back, stop putting on a dead face! My son is back!" It took a while for my mom to react. She adjusted her clothes and stood up from the sofa, walking towards me while saying to my dad who was sitting on the sofa smoking non-stop.

  "My son is back, I'll go buy some dishes, and tonight the two of us will have a drink!" The old man rubbed his somewhat aged cheek, stood up and forced a smile.

  I know this old man, he can't hide things in his heart. Although he wants to appear natural in front of me, I still see that there's something on his mind. However, he's a stubborn person. I won't ask him directly what happened, I'll wait until he goes downstairs and then I'll ask my mom!

  "Mom, what's wrong with Dad? Something happened at home?" I asked her after Dad went downstairs to buy vegetables with some money from the drawer. In my heart, Dad has always been carefree and nothing can ever get him down, no difficulty can make him frown for several days. Even when we couldn't afford food in the past, he was still smiling without a single worry!

  "Your dad, he's been laid off. A 40-year-old man, and suddenly... " My mom said to me in a soft voice, holding my hand. In the mid-1990s, there was a large-scale layoff of workers across the country. And I never thought that with Dad's excellent job skills, he would be the one to get laid off.

  "Has Dad's factory gone bankrupt?" I picked up the teapot on the tea table and poured myself a cup of water, took two sips and asked Mom. In my impression, although Dad's factory can't compare to those central state-owned enterprises, it's still a provincial-level state-owned enterprise. How could it go bankrupt just like that?

  "The unit's efficiency is not bad, isn't there a document from the top requiring each unit to reduce staff and increase efficiency through reform? Your dad is someone you know well, always focusing on work, with interpersonal relationships that are a mess. At this critical moment, those people who usually have connections with the cadres can take advantage of it, right? It's just your dad, an honest man like him, who will be laid off. He's been worried about this for days! Yesterday, he said that at over 40 years old, he suddenly lost his job and doesn't know where to find a new one!" My mom stood up and checked the door again, making sure it was locked before sitting back on the sofa and telling me this. In my mom's heart, being laid off is not something to be proud of. And those neighbors around us have been waiting for days to mock our family. It's true, who let dad be so skilled and always stand out in the workshop? Now, those people finally have a chance to take revenge."

  "It's just a layoff, no big deal. With Dad's level of skill, he'll find a new job in no time." I comforted Mom. But deep down, I knew the truth - with layoffs and restructuring happening everywhere nationwide, who would still be hiring? I was just trying to make Mom feel better. As her son, this was all I could do besides catching ghosts.

  "Hey? Mom! Who's the director of Dad's company now?" I saw that mom's face looked a bit better, so I thought about changing the subject. To avoid her being stuck on this layoff thing, every fish has its own path, every shrimp has its own way. Heaven will always provide people with food to eat, and won't just watch them starve to death. On this point, I now deeply believe.

  "Do you still remember Guo Si Hong? The one who used to live next door to us. Now her husband has turned over a new leaf and become the factory director. A few days ago, I saw her, and she was dressed to the nines. When she saw me, she even got out of her husband's Santana car to exchange pleasantries with me. As if I didn't know, this woman was showing off in front of me.

  I didn't expect that I had miscalculated, originally wanting to change the subject, but instead it made my mother even more displeased. Watching my mother scolding Guo Si Hong with great indignation, I scratched my head with some embarrassment."

  "By the way, didn't you cheat me back then? Just the other day, I mentioned it and said that you were clever and cunning since childhood. That one shout of yours almost caused her husband and wife to divorce." Mother brought up past events, and only then did a hint of a smile appear on her face. It seems that the image of Guo's woman being surrounded and stared at with her bare butt is still vivid in her memory.

  My mom just casually said that, but I've got a plan in my mind. The thing about my dad being laid off is probably because someone has been holding a grudge against him since the past and now they're taking revenge. I didn't expect this guy named Guo to have such a strong desire for revenge. However, when it comes to seeking revenge, I'm even stronger than her. Trying to use their power to bully my dad? No way!

  "Alright, old mom, the wheel of fortune will turn around, next year it'll be my turn. This factory isn't hers privately, who knows, maybe after some time, her husband will be kicked out? By that time, we don't know who will be laughing at whom!" I took out a bottle of pearl cream from my bag and handed it to old mom, saying to her.

  Money is always scarce when needed, damn it. Before getting on the bus, I thought the 200 yuan Master gave me was enough. But after arriving home, I found out that the bus fare alone cost over 100 yuan. The remaining tens of yuan can only be used to buy a bottle of pearl cream for my mom. As for my dad, he's a big man, and I'm sure he won't care about these details, yeah, definitely!

  Not long after, Dad brought back a fish, a pork chop and some vegetables from the small market downstairs. Then he threw them into the kitchen and said to Mom with a bossy tone: "Cook several dishes, I'll have a couple of drinks with my son tonight!"

  At 16, I had already become a man in my father's eyes. In his heart, it wouldn't be long before the pillar of this family would shift from him to me. So, Dad has loosened up on managing my smoking and drinking habits. Of course, I'm not home much, so he can't control me even if he wants to. I've just been studying with Master all these years. As for vices like smoking and drinking, I really haven't picked up any bad habits. At most, I'll have a couple of drinks with Master and get a bit tipsy from his second-hand smoke.

  Although I was feeling frustrated about being laid off, my return still brought a long-awaited smile to Dad's face. The world is big, but the son is the biggest. As for other trivial matters, who cares?

  Corn roasted pork ribs, vinegar fish, vinegar stewed small bok choy, loofah and egg soup, plus a plate of raw rice. This is my family's dinner. Looking at the dishes on the table that my parents don't usually indulge in, I feel a surge of happiness and emotion. The love of parents for their children will not decrease with distance and time. This feeling is also the purest, most selfless, and most inclusive emotion in the world. No matter where you are, no matter how many mistakes you've made. Your parents will gently pat your head and say to you: "It's okay, it's okay, we'll help you solve it at home!" Even when you're old and grey, in their eyes, you're still a child.

  "It's been half a year since we last saw each other, from the Spring Festival to now. Your mom keeps mentioning you, saying she doesn't know if you're doing well outside. If you're eating enough, wearing warm clothes... and also, if that cow-nosed guy has been beating you up." Dad said this much, his eyes turned red. He raised his head, finishing the white wine in his cup. Unlike mom, who would say whatever was on her mind, my dad tends to keep things buried in his heart, silently enduring and digesting them away! Since I was a kid, no matter how tough things got at home, I've never seen Dad shed tears. Today, he must have been really pent-up inside... that's why he showed his true feelings in front of his son."

  "Come, let's have a drink with Dad!" I pretended not to see the tears in Dad's eyes and smiled as I raised my cup to him. Then I downed the full two liang of white wine in one gulp! The liquor was pungent, but as it went down my throat, what rose up was the flavor of Huang Quan Zui that Cui Fu Jun had brought that night.

  "Look at you, such a young kid, how can you drink so much? Don't follow your dad's example, drink slowly, just take a sip or two! " My mom took away my wine cup and added a few pieces of pork ribs to my bowl while scolding my dad.

  "Not bad, it's our family tradition! He's 16 now, not young anymore. In the past, a 16-year-old kid had to support his family and be a father figure. You can't always treat him like a child, in a few years, he should get married and have kids too. Get married early, have kids early. Your mom and I are still young, we'll help you raise the kids. By then, my heart will be at ease." Dad said with a smile, looking at me and Mom.

  "I'm only 16, what's there to be anxious about!" I muttered with a mouthful of ribs.

  "No matter which dynasty or generation, giving birth to and raising children is the most important thing for ordinary people. How can you not be anxious? You silly boy! Think about it, family planning only allows one child! Right? Everyone wants a son, right? So the number of daughters will definitely decrease. A decrease in the number of daughters means what? It means that finding a wife will be difficult in the future! In any case, whoever takes action first will gain the upper hand, and whoever acts later will suffer! If you don't hurry up, I think this matter is doomed!" After drinking two cups of white wine, my dad's words were clearly excessive. What surprised me was that what he said actually made sense."

  A family of three, just like that, happily finished dinner! After dinner, I sat very obediently on the sofa with my parents watching TV. It's another summer vacation, and the TV station is re-broadcasting the 83 version of "The Legend of the Condor Hero"! Looking at the clever and playful Rong'er inside, and that still annoying Jing Gege. A smile appeared at the corner of my mouth. And the jade pendant on my chest also emitted a warm glow. I knew this was Linglong saying hello to me.

  Recalling the bits and pieces of childhood, the feeling in my heart is wonderful!