Zhao Xiaolian and Zhang Qiming didn"t return home that night. Zhang Hang hugged Big Black, who rarely slept in his bed, all night long. This winter night was especially cold, and only Big Black"s fur could bring a small bit of warmth to Zhang Hang.
The next day, Zhang Hang took Big Black along to see his grandmother. When Zhao Xiaolian married Zhang Qiming, her registered residence was in the rural countryside. Her many brothers and sisters also lived in the countryside, but were farther away. Though they had been married for many years, Zhao Xiaolian and Zhang Qiming had only taken Zhang Hang back to his mother"s old home a few times, so he was not familiar with his mother"s side of the family.
Zhang Qiming was born with a registered permanent residence1, and his parents were retired employees of old state-owned businesses and administrations. His parents still got retirement pensions, so they didn"t need Zhang Qiming to support them. All of this meant that his life had always been good. As their only son, he wanted to live with his parents after buying the two-story villa. However, Zhao Xiaolian was unwilling to live with an elderly man, plus her relationship with her mother-in-law was terrible. After all, Zhang Qiming"s parents were in good health and had their own income, so their life was easy. If they all did live together, Zhang Qiming"s mother would just stare at Zhao Xiaolian with dislike all day long. This would simply make Zhao Xiaolian angrier.
Although they didn"t end up living together, Zhao Qiming had brought Zhang Hang to visit his parents every weekend for the past few years. Zhang Qiming was much too busy to visit them this last year, so Zhang Hang would buy gifts and visit them himself. His relationship with his grandparents was very good. Now that he was raising Big Black, he would bring the dog along on his visits. His grandparents were fond of such an obedient dog.
Today, Zhang Hang was feeling as though he had lost his heart and soul. He went to ask his grandparents for advice. When he knocked on the door, he saw his father sitting in the living room. When Zhang Qiming saw Zhang Hang, he turned away from him. Zhang Hang"s grandmother also lost her warm smile, and when seeing Lu Chengye she showed an expression of disgust. She gave Big Black a kick and said, "Oh, don"t bring the dog in. What a crazy mutt, it even bit Qiming! We should sell it for its meat!"
Zhang Hang"s expectant heart quickly became cold. He was young, not stupid. He could clearly tell that at present, the gazes his grandparents and father used to look at him were very different compared to those of the past. Grandpa"s was cold and detached, grandma"s was disgusted, and his father refused to even look at him.
It was as if he was a stranger.
Zhang Hang rubbed his sour nose2 and obediently told Lu Chengye, "Big Black, wait for me in the hallway. Don"t scare anyone."
Lu Chengye shook his ears, feeling uneasy. This family was so full of malice that he was reluctant to even get close. Would Zhang Hang be able to maintain a smile when he came out? Or would he be even more broken-hearted? Unlike Zhang Hang, who was still a child, Lu Chengye would always think about the deeper meaning of things. The changes in Zhang Qiming"s behavior let Lu Chengye guess the real reason behind the couple"s impending divorce.
Before Zhao Xiaolian had become so arrogant, Zhang Qiming was patient and always acted gently towards Zhang Hang. No matter how angry he was, he would not show it in front of his son. However, yesterday, Zhang Qiming fought with Zhang Hang relentlessly because he didn"t want to see him. This sudden change only had one explanation: Zhang Hang was not Zhang Qiming"s biological son.
Lu Chengye understood why the family had such an att.i.tude towards Zhang Hang, but couldn"t yet relax. Why should Zhang Hang face so many setbacks and be forced into such helplessness?
No matter how worried he was, Lu Chengye was just a dog. Now he was alone in the hallway, he could only press his ear to the wall and try his best to listen to the movements beyond the door. Fortunately, a dog"s hearing was much better than that of a human, and the house was much quieter than the optician"s. He could easily hear what was said.
At first, Zhang Hang was silent and simply looked at his grandparents and father who were treating him like a stranger. He couldn"t bring himself to try to persuade his father under such indifferent gazes. All he could do was stand there as the three stared at him accusingly.
After Zhang Qiming hit his son yesterday in a rage, he"d felt very sad. Zhang Hang grew up very well cared for and was a good child. If Zhang Qiming had been himself, even if he had to grit his teeth and bear it, he would have continued living with Zhao Xiaolian and provided a complete family for his son. Yesterday, however, when he heard Zhao Xiaolian talking on the phone, it was as if his entire world was turned on its head. His entire life spent caring for this woman and child seemed like a joke.
Zhao Xiaolian, who never liked him in the first place, only married him to gain a registered urban permanent residence3. Her parents had the skills to turn a country-born girl into a city dweller. In fact, she had a childhood sweetheart she had grown up with, who she had a relationship with long before getting married. After she hooked up with Zhang Qiming, his parents did not approve of his relationship with such a country-girl. In order to seal the deal and marry him, Zhao Xiaolian got Zhang Qiming drunk and they had s.e.x. The next day, she cried and said that Zhang Qiming had raped her, so the Zhang family had no choice but to accept her into their household.
Later, Zhang Qiming found that once when Zhao Xiaolian was in a bad mood, her and an ex-boyfriend had gone to a nightclub and he"d gotten physical with her. However, because of his alleged drunken a.s.sault of Zhao Xiaolian, he still owed her. Not to mention, she had given him a great son. Zhang Qiming could only secretly alert the man"s wife, which resulted in Zhao Xiaolian being temporarily separated from her ex.
Zhang Qiming, who had been wearing a green hat for the sake of his son for years, continued to endure. Even when, a few days ago, he discovered Zhao Xiaolian was still in contact with that man, he endured. Yesterday, however, he had heard Zhao Xiaolian calling her ex to tell him that Zhang Hang was definitely his child. She was certain because the two of them had the same birthmark. Zhang Qiming was so furious that he wanted to kill both the woman and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d!
But when he saw his son being so obedient, the feelings that had developed for many years made him see reason. Seeing Zhang Hang standing in the middle of the living room like a criminal and his parents" hateful gazes, he felt helpless. Zhang Qiming"s heart softened and he took the initiative to say to Zhang Hang, "Go home, I have decided to divorce Zhao Xiaolian."
"Dad…" Zhang Hang looked at his father imploringly. He didn"t know how to save his parents" broken marriage.
"Dad, who"s your dad!" Zhang Qiming didn"t say a word, but his mother couldn"t help cutting in. "Hurry up and leave the Zhang family with your mother, b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Back then, I didn"t agree with Qiming"s decision to marry her. She had no job and was living in the country. Watery mud cannot be used to plaster walls4, a b.i.t.c.h is a b.i.t.c.h. She doesn"t even try to get a job, and wants to act like a rich lady and indulge herself. She"s cheated with multiple men! Divorce quickly, and leave her before the end of the year!"
"Mom…" Zhang Qiming started to stop his mother from talking, then hesitated. The child was old enough to know the truth of his own birth. He didn"t know how to tell his son, so it was better for his mother to say it.
However, the truth was too harsh for Zhang Hang to accept. He was only 16, and hearing his grandmother say it so harshly made him feel as if all of the blood had left his body. He looked at Zhang Qiming and said desperately, "Dad, it can"t be true. How could I not be your son? There must be a mistake!"
"Okay," Zhang Qiming"s father said, as he did not want a scene at home. "If you want to know, just get it checked. You can"t just believe that woman"s words. I can see that Hang looks a little like Qiming, so let"s do a paternity test."
"Grandpa…" Zhang Hang looked at his grandfather gratefully, finally finding a lifeline. He firmly believed that he was Zhang Qiming"s son. How could he not be? He loved his dad so much.
"What"s the point? This b.a.s.t.a.r.d isn"t like Qiming at all. He"s just like Zhao Xiaolian." Grandmother was not as kind as she used to be. Her words were quite suffocating.
"Let"s go." Zhang Qiming stood up. He also hoped that Zhang Hang was his biological son. If he was, then Zhang Qiming would be willing to spend his whole life repairing the damage that these two days had caused.
"Mm." Zhang Hang glanced at Zhang Qiming anxiously. His hands kept clenching and unclenching, and his palms were sweaty. He didn"t know how he felt at the current moment. He was originally certain that he was Zhang Qiming"s son, but now, he wasn"t sure if there were any similarities between them.
One man and one child walked out the door to see Big Black looking up at them, seemingly seeing into their hearts. Lu Chengye walked to Zhang Hang and rubbed his head against the boy"s thigh.
Zhang Hang pet the smooth black fur and his heart felt a little stronger. The sensation of having been abandoned by the world disappeared, and his blood once again began to flow. His body felt a bit warm.
However, Zhang Qiming eyed Big Black and said, "You can"t bring this kind of dog to the hospital. Can it go home by itself? Does it know the way?"
"Woof!" Lu Chengye barked at Zhang Qiming. Even if he is not your son, you"ve raised him for many years. Do you have no feelings for him at all? Moreover, a paternity test can"t be done in secret. Why did you have to break it to him so cruelly? Even if you are confirmed to be father and son, this will leave an incurable scar5 in Zhang Hang"s heart. He is still a child, don"t be so harsh!
"Go home!" Zhang Qiming still had some affection for Zhang Hang, but Lu Chengye bit him, causing him to have to get several rabies shots. He had no good feelings left for the dog at all.
Zhang Hang patted Lu Chengye on the head. "Good dog, go home Big Black."
Go home! Lu Chengye was angry. Since you are going to the hospital, you shouldn"t just do the paternity test. Get your son"s eyes tested! He had to feel the wall to get to the bathroom last night. He could hardly see even with the light on!
But all he could say was "woof woof." Zhang Qiming drove away with Zhang Hang. Lu Chengye didn"t go home, but followed them angrily. He was worried about the child.
Zhang Hang glanced at Big Black chasing them in the side mirror. His vision once again became blurry. The mirror"s colors distorted and everything became foggy. Thankfully, it was over quickly. He looked at his father who had a bad expression, bit his lips, and decided not to say anything.
He would wait until the paternity test was done.
T/N: *screaming in the distance* G.o.dammit ZH, GET YOUR d.a.m.n EYES TESTED
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1. if I understand correctly, this makes him a full Chinese citizen↩
2. basically means he"s feeling sad↩
3. it"s like an immigrant marrying a citizen to gain citizenship↩
4. Chinese proverb, means that some people are worthless or beyond helping↩
5. not literally, it means it will deeply affect him and he may never get over it↩