I was shocked. The cotton spinning factory went bankrupt. If the entire factory had to pay off its debts, my parents would not even have a place to live.
"What would Dad say?" I turned to look at Zong Bao.
Zong Bao scratched his head, "Just remember what I said. Maybe my dad won't say it. It was my mom who suggested it, and my dad doesn't quite agree!"
I didn't ask any more questions, went back to the dormitory, packed some things, and followed Zong Bao back to his home in the cotton spinning factory.
Before returning to Tongzilou, Zongbao said that his father had cooked a lot of food, saying that he would celebrate New Year's Day one day early and eat first.
I saw my mother again in two years. She hadn't changed much. Her dark and fat face still had lumps of flesh bulging out. When she saw me, she snorted and turned back to her room.
Dad put the food on the table and invited Zong Bao and I to eat. Zong Bao looked at the closed door and asked, "My mother hasn't come out yet!"
Just as he was talking, the door opened, and my mother came out with a small bag. She gave me a cold look and said to my father: "I went out to play cards. Please tell her clearly!"
He slammed the door tightly and went out.
I turned my head and looked at the door. I didn't come back to my senses for a long time, and my heart hurt a little. This is my mother. Every time she sees me, she acts like an enemy. She is not even willing to say a word to me.
"Ling, don't worry about your mother. That's just her character. Let's eat!" My father became very affectionate towards me and even put a large piece of braised pork with chopsticks into my bowl.
I was a little flattered.
After dinner, I took the initiative to wash the dishes and chopsticks. My dad sat on the sofa and drank tea. Zong Bao was also leaning on the sofa with his head down and playing with his mobile phone. From time to time, he raised his eyelids and glanced at me secretly.
After cleaning up, I took the initiative to move a chair and sat across from my dad, and asked, "Dad, why did you ask me to come back?"
"Ah?" My dad looked up at me in a panic, looking a little embarrassed.
I looked at him silently, waiting for him to speak.
My dad lowered his head and took a sip of tea, coughed twice, then looked at me and slowly said, "Ling, did Zong Bao tell you about the bankruptcy of the cotton spinning mill?"
"Yeah, I said it." I nodded.
"That's it." My dad cleared his throat unnaturally and looked at me and said, "Now the factory area has paid off its debts. This house belongs to the public and has to be handed back. There is also the Tongzi Building over there.
Gotta hand it over.”
I nodded and said, "Well, I will pack up everything tomorrow and send it back to Liuqiao tomorrow."
"Yeah!" My dad nodded, "That's one thing, but also, Ling, our whole family has no place to live. A few days ago, your mother fell in love with a house in the south of the city. Although it doesn't have this
It’s a big place, but when you buy it, it’s your own property. You don’t have to worry about being kicked out in the future. There is also a small store. Your mother and I are both unemployed, and we can’t starve to death. The store can be used as a good place.
Small business, open a small supermarket or something!"
I lowered my head and said nothing, waiting for my dad to continue. After all, he couldn't let me follow them to live in a new house.
Seeing that I didn't answer, my dad stopped, picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea. The atmosphere was a little solemn for a while, and you could hear needles dropping in the room.
I raised my head and looked at my dad. His hands shook slightly with guilt. He swallowed and spoke again after a while: "That house costs more than 200,000 yuan. I know that I left it for you when you left."
Forty thousand yuan. Your mother and I did the math. After excluding the tuition and living expenses for this year and a half, you have at least thirty thousand yuan left. Do you think you can come up with it for us? You can’t just turn a blind eye.
Do you think your mother, me, Zong Bao, and I will live on the streets as soon as this house is handed over?"
I was stunned and stared at my dad without saying a word. No wonder the first time he asked me to come here for dinner after so many years, it turned out that he was staring at the 30,000 yuan that my fourth uncle and grandma left for me.
"Dad, I already told you that the tuition fees left by my fourth uncle and grandma were for Hu Ling. I can apply for a student loan and I won't have to pay Hu Ling's tuition fees!" Zong Bao interjected.
"What do you know? You don't have to repay your student loan?" My dad glared at Zong Bao, "When the time comes, you will be busy repaying the loan as soon as you start working, and you will suffer so much!"
"Dad! I'm not afraid of hardship. Hu Ling gave you all the money, what about the tuition?" Zong Bao also stared back.
My dad slapped Zong Bao, "You can't interrupt me before I speak!" He turned to me and asked, "Ling, do you think this will work? Give dad the money first?"
I lowered my head and still said nothing. That was the tuition money left by my grandma. Now that I have used it, what will happen to my tuition?
Back then, my fourth uncle and grandma tried their best to save Zongbao because she wanted my parents to treat me better and continue to support me in college after she left. But now, I am only a sophomore in high school. Not only have they not given me a year in the past two years,
They wanted me to share the tuition fees and also wanted me to use the money my mother had left for me.
"Ling, you have to be sensible. Look at the current situation at home. You don't even have a place to live. Even if you have that 30,000 yuan, you can't go to college. At most, you will have to drop out of high school. I'm with you.
Didn't your mother even go to high school? She's still living a good life now!" My father's voice became a little sharp when he saw that I didn't speak.
"Can it be the same? In today's society, how will Hu Ling live in the future if he hasn't even finished high school?" Zong Bao interjected.
"If a girl finds someone to marry as soon as possible, she won't have to worry about anything. If she's good-looking, she might even find a rich man!" my dad said.
"Dad! Why don't you think more about Hu Ling? In this age, you should have found someone to marry earlier. I don't agree!" Zong Bao jumped up from the sofa and glared at my dad.
"Get out of here! What does it have to do with me talking to Hu Ling? You have to work-study even when you go to college!" My dad also yelled at Zong Bao.
"If Hu Ling can't continue studying because he gave us all the money to buy a house, I won't study anymore and will go south to work now!" Zong Bao also yelled at my dad.
"You are presumptuous! You are a boy, what can you do if you don't study? Go to the construction site to pick up cement? Can you afford it? Then you will throw yourself into the cement pit! You only have one and a half years left in college.
I don’t have much money anymore, how can I compare with Hu Ling?”
My dad yelled at Zong Bao and slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground. The teacup was shattered into pieces and broken porcelain pieces flew everywhere. A small piece of disk rushed toward the back of my hand with a whoosh. I didn't have time to dodge.
A small cut was made, and bright red blood poured out.
I took out a piece of paper towel from the paper tube on the coffee table, pressed it on the wound, looked at my dad and said, "I agree to give you the money, but I have to keep five thousand yuan to finish this semester."
"Hu Ling, are you crazy?" Zong Bao looked at me and exclaimed.
"It's none of your business. Hu Ling is much more sensible than you!" My dad glared at Zong Bao and stretched out his hand to touch the back of my hand. "Did you hurt your hand? Is it serious? I'll take a look and see if I can go to the hospital for treatment.
medicine?"
"It's okay, it's just a small hole!" I gently retracted my hand and avoided my dad's touch. My dad was stunned for a moment, with a little embarrassment on his face.
I looked up at my dad and said, "If you can agree, I will give you the remaining money." This chapter has been completed!