Xie Feibai went home with his schoolbag on his back, feeling depressed, and immediately realized that something was wrong. His father, Xie Houming, did not have a banquet outside today and came back early.
Seeing his mother winking at him, Xie Feibai restrained himself. After all, he was still very afraid of his father. Although he looked gentle and polite on the surface, Xie Feibai remembered that he would be beaten and kicked by his father if he was not careful.
In the past, my family was poor. If I broke a bowl, I would be beaten. If I broke a thermometer when I had a fever, I would be beaten. If I didn’t do well on the exam, I would be beaten. If I wrote down English words incorrectly, I would be slapped. If I made a mistake, I would not be given food. I remember that my parents were either quarreling or in a cold war. Xie Feibai was afraid of this family for a while.
Later, as Xie Houming's career progressed, he became more and more like a Confucian scholar, but in Xie Feibai's opinion, that was only in front of outsiders. When he was alone with his son, as long as he didn't like him, he would curse him with all kinds of nonsense.
So Xie Feibai thought he was hypocritical, and as he got older, his relationship with Xie Houming became more and more strained. When they were at home, the two of them would inevitably quarrel, and the quarrel would often end with Xie Houming beating him up or slapping him a few times.
So Xie Feibai has finally become smarter and doesn't bother with him easily.
Xie Feibai put down his schoolbag in silence. Xie Houming was sitting on the sofa, and he put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at him with a gloomy face. "What time is it? You just came back now. Are you playing outside again? Fighting? Hanging out with a bunch of hooligans. I tell you, whoever dares to hang out with you will be in trouble! I asked the police to arrest the guy named Zhao you met last time! He is a gangster, what a jerk!"
Xie Feibai seemed to have touched a reverse scale, "Why do you do this!"
"Why? That guy is a building materials guy who collects protection fees! Zhao Liping! He's quite famous, didn't I know? Do you think he's close to you because he thinks highly of you? Do you know what he does in private? If he threatens me with something you've done one day, will I accept his threat?"
Xie Feibai was stunned for a moment, and then stopped talking. After all, he knew that society was dangerous. Being in this family, he had experienced and understood this truth very early. His father said this, so he must have gotten something from Zhao Liping.
"What did Zhao Liping do wrong?"
"Drug abuse, gambling in a group, suspected of rape, possession of firearms and ammunition..." Xie Houming threw the newspaper on the table, "Tell me! Which of these will bring you good consequences if you are involved in it one day?"
"I haven't done anything yet, but you act like you're certain I'm going to do it! Will you be happy only if I really do it one day?"
"I'm telling you the truth first! You're about to take the high school entrance exam, and you're still hanging around outside all day long. Don't you have a sense of urgency?"
Xie Feibai said, "I want to get out of your control! Why, you let me do whatever I want when I'm shaking like this... Let me go to any crappy school! I will definitely go to the No. 1 Middle School in the city when school starts! The principal is your old friend, you have a lot of influence, who wouldn't give you some face?"
"That's all you can do! That's all you can do!" Xie Houming almost jumped up and down, "Don't you want to prove that I'm wrong? Why don't you work harder to improve your grades... Do you know that last time I saw with my own eyes a student your age, who taught himself on the Internet and skillfully repaired our car that broke down halfway! Even the experienced driver was like an apprentice in front of him... The key is the process of his car repair, his insight into details, and his ability to judge the truth from clues... If it were you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to touch the ignition switch at all! You should really look at the gap between yourself and others! Don't be complacent all day! Others use their intelligence in the right way, but I can't see any signs of your intelligence now!"
"Fuck that guy, is he sick? Why does he help Xie Houming repair his car when he has nothing to do? You'll die if you leave him on the road for half a month... If you like repairing cars so much, why don't you open a repair shop?" Xie Feibai was cursing like a raging torrent in his heart.
He finally understood why Xie Houming had become even more displeased with him recently after returning home. It turned out that there was a comparison!
"I won't be a car mechanic in the future. Isn't that what mechanics do? It's better if there is no sign!" Xie Feibai retorted, "Since I'm so useless, why did you give birth to me?"
"What a ghost I had to give birth to a thing like you!" Xie Houming came forward with fire in his eyes and pressed down on Xie Feibai with his clenched fist.
But this time, Xie Fei pushed Xie Houming's hand away with his white hand and pushed him back two or three steps.
"Do you know why I don't want to go back to this home? Because it doesn't feel like home at all!" Xie Feibai stretched out a finger and waved it, "What is home? Warmth and support are home! I am so unlucky to be your father and son! Xie Houming, you are hypocritical and sanctimonious! For the sake of face and status, you want me to meet your standards! But I just can't meet them. I can't become the one who is praised by others, and I can't let your comrades, subordinates, and colleagues say that your child, Xie Houming, is so great and give you face. I have limited ability and I can't do it! …"
Xie Feibai burst into tears.
"What has this family brought me, and what has your status brought me? Yes, we are not poor anymore! But the brothers I have grown up with are plotting against me behind my back! I have no friends, and I dare not make friends, because they might set me up behind my back and use me to threaten you! I live in your suspicion and imagination every day! I fucking hate not to be your son! Xie Houming, I am your son in this life, accept it, we will be father and son in this life, and no one will care about each other in the next life!"
Xie Feibai's crying mother finally couldn't help but scold him.
Xie Houming covered his chest, feeling like he was having a heart attack, and stared, "Yes, I don't care about the next life. It has nothing to do with whether you and I are father and son in the next life!"
"I can't let you ruin yourself in this life! You just have to listen to me!"
Xie Feibai kicked the coffee table violently, breaking it into pieces of glass, then he grabbed his bag and walked out.
Xie Houming was about to hit him again, but was hugged by his wife.
"Let him go! Don't come back until you figure it out!"
Xie Houming turned away behind the slammed door.
As soon as Xie Feibai left, Xie Houming had another big fight with his wife who was worried about her son.
Xie Houming didn't understand why he was so unruly at home when he was so successful outside. He just couldn't make peace with his own little piece of land. He also tried to communicate with Xie Feibai and tried to be a good father, but the two sides always had friction after a while, and Xie Feibai could always easily anger him.
Maybe he was really a little strict, but did this mean Xie Feibai became uncontrollable
He thought again of the time when Cherokee was being repaired... How come other people's children are so amazing
We'll just be father and son in this life... Okay, okay, okay! Even if it's just this life, I'll keep you under control from beginning to end.
Xie Houming sat on the sofa for a while, feeling less pain in his heart, he stood up to get his coat, "I have to go out to discuss something, don't worry about that kid! Give him time to calm down! Look at what nonsense he said today!"
Xie Houming went out, got into Lao Zheng's car, and headed for the dinner in Yueliang Village in the evening.
The car drove out of Huagu Company, went onto Binhai Road, and went along the ring road beside the lake.
The road ahead became narrower, and a Santana that had been behind them suddenly accelerated to overtake, but failed to overtake and crashed into their car with a bang.
Both cars stopped, and the driver, Lao Zheng, got out of the car, cursing, "Brother, what are you doing..."
But then his eyes widened, his experience of traveling all over the country in his early years told him that today was going to be a big deal.
Four sturdy men got out of the Santana, each of them covered his face with a cotton hat, with shining switchblades in their hands. When Lao Zheng came over, he was held by two of them, and Xie Houming was pulled down by the other two and stuffed into the Santana.
Soon...
The Cherokee, carrying Lao Zheng who was tied to the passenger seat, slid down a ramp in neutral and rushed out of the road around the lake. The wheels were raised high, and it tilted to one side, rolling continuously, and fell into the water along the embankment...
It was twelve hours later when a nearby fishing boat reported the problem and the police arrived at the scene.
Under the bright comet that enveloped Shanhai City in 1997, not all memories are bright yellow and warm.
And the shocking...
The devil is coming.