Father Hua was sitting at the neighbor Old Bian’s house, drinking tea. The young masters of the neighborhood had already started discussing whether to take on a forty-year-old carpentry apprentice, when Old Xiao from a few doors down walked in, glanced at Father Hua, and asked,
“Is your family moving?”
“Huh?” Father Hua put down his teacup, not understanding what he meant.
“Well, it’s true that when you make some money, you’d want to move down the mountain to live in an apartment. But this move of yours seems rather sudden.” Old Xiao said, making a sour face as he sat down across from Father Hua.
“I’m not moving. Everyone is living here; it would be boring if I moved out alone.” Although Father Hua had only lived there for a few months, he got along very well with the people on this street.
Old Bian’s wife made exceptionally good blood sausages, and they had brought over a pot when they first moved in.
Old Zhou was a top-tier bricklayer. When Father Hua first moved in and was renovating, they had barely met, and yet Old Zhou rolled up his sleeves and started helping out.
Old Xiao was terrible at playing mahjong; Father Hua had lost 40 yuan to him the first time they played, but he really was a good person…
There’s a saying, “Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors,” and Father Hua wanted to spend a few more years with these people.
Besides, his daughter-in-law didn’t mind the long commute to work and was willing to live here. Now that they had a car, there was even less need to move.
Why did Old Xiao suddenly think he was moving?
“Then what is your daughter doing at the door, moving that huge cardboard box around? Isn’t she organizing stuff to move?” Old Xiao raised an eyebrow.
“Huh? What big cardboard box?” Father Hua raised an eyebrow.
“A box over a meter in length, width, and height, several of them, piled up at your doorstep. Hua Jie is messing with them right now.” Old Xiao continued to raise his eyebrow.
“???” Father Hua gulped down the bitter tea in his cup, “I’ll go have a look.”
The other old guys looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes, all standing up and following him out to see what the fuss was about.
Let’s see what that super money-making girl is up to.
…
In the alley, Hua Jie was struggling to drag the boxes, unpacking them, using all her might to move the contents back to her room, hoping to hide them and gradually show them to her parents later.
But just as she had unpacked one box and carried its contents to her room in five trips, she saw her father coming out of Auntie Bian’s house.
As she was bending over to unpack the second box, she locked eyes with her father, whose expression was a mix of surprise, confusion, and bewilderment.
Uh-oh…
Caught red-handed!
…
“Wow, this coat is really long. Old Hua, if it weren’t for your height, you couldn’t wear it at all.”
“Right? If I wore it, from the back it would look like I had no legs, haha.”
Old Bian held up a long coat, sizing it up against Father Hua’s frame, then did the same with Old Zhou, both of them laughing and speaking enviously to Father Hua.
“Hey, these sunglasses are really nice. Wow, with these on, even if the ground is reflecting snow and ice, it won’t bother you.” Old Xiao tried them on, then quickly stuffed them back into the box, clicking his tongue:
“Really good stuff here, not cheap, huh?”
“Wow, these little leather shoes, they really have style. I wanted to buy a pair of patent leather ones before the New Year, but didn’t splurge. Tsk, tsk, your daughter really treats you well, buying you two pairs in one go.”
“This leather bag, wow this feel, both thick and soft, real leather, right?”
The uncles stood around the packages that Hua Jie was unpacking, taking a look at the items inside.
Since they usually got along well, they didn’t hesitate to take things out and hold them up to Father Hua, sighing with envy.
“…” Father Hua watched as item after item, pair after pair, piece by piece was revealed, his head spinning.
So many items, and all bought for him.
And it wasn’t over yet…
There were still four boxes unopened.
What on earth had his daughter bought?
All for him?
This… even though she earned her own money, she didn’t talk about buying any little skirts for herself, but spent it all on him?
This too… truly worthy of being Daddy’s warm little jacket, thick enough to cause a sweat with every layer.
Way too warm!
“Hey? What’s all this? Setting up a stall?” An uncle from the front alley wandered over, seeing a crowd around a bunch of cardboard boxes, couldn’t help but come over out of curiosity.
It’s the middle of the day, why aren’t they at home eating lunch, what’s all the commotion about here?
“Didn’t Old Hua’s daughter get invited by Tsinghua University to Beijing for nearly ten days a few days ago?”
“She made money selling paintings again. Look at these several boxes, all the gifts she bought for Old Hua and his wife.”
“Look at these coats, leather shoes, and leather bags…”
Old Bian started showing off, as if Hua Jie was his daughter, and the things were bought for him.
Although he envied Old Hua so much that he could spit blood, when facing people with more distant relationships, he put on a different face, as if he were Hua Jie’s family.
Before Hua’s father could speak, he had already taken the lead in showing off.
“…” Hua Jie stood by, surrounded by uncles, sometimes praised by one, sometimes praised by two, feeling extremely embarrassed with a flushed face.
Straight male compliments are the most deadly.
“Oh…” A uncle from across the street lowered his head to look at the things in the box. Each one was exquisitely packaged, obviously valuable at a glance.
The glossy fur collar of that coat, the feel was so good?
The leather shoes were shiny, and they felt soft to the touch, definitely comfortable to wear, and stylish.
And this leather bag, they don’t even have this style in Jinsong Market. Wearing such an outfit, wouldn’t it make them look like those rich small bosses on TV?
Tsk, when Old Hua just moved in, he had to do everything himself, from plastering the walls to digging drainage for the stove. He couldn’t even afford to hire someone to renovate, and he barely paid off his debts. He didn’t have a penny left in his pocket.
Wearing old clothes all day, all the money was spent on the family’s expenses. Whenever he asked Old Hua to play mahjong, he always found various excuses not to participate, in the end, it was just because he had no money in his pocket.
It’s only been a few months, huh?
How did we suddenly become so prosperous?
“It’s quite good. My son came back for the New Year a few days ago and bought me a cellphone.”
“Yes, development in big cities is much faster than ours. We can’t even buy this style of phone in Jinsong City.”
“But it’s expensive. I feel reluctant to use it.”
The uncle from across the street took out a new phone from his pocket and walked up to the old man, smiling, “Take a look.”
With an air of not wanting to be outdone by Hua’s father, he proudly lifted his chin while holding the phone.
What kind of things would this little girl buy? Spending money on clothes, pants, and shoes is all wasted.
Look how much money his son would spend, this phone is much better, its value is much more tangible than clothes and pants.
“Hua Jie, didn’t you buy a phone for your dad?” Old Xiao, who had been standing aside watching the excitement with his arms folded, suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, I bought one…” Hua Jie scratched her head, crouched down, separated a few other boxes, and after a while, found three small boxes. One Nokia and two Dibit (DBTEL).
“The Nokia is for dad, and the Dibit are for me and mom.”
“Wow, you bought three phones in one go?” Old Bian threw the phone back to the uncle across the street and excitedly took the three phones that Hua Jie was holding, his tone becoming more enthusiastic.
“Old Hua, your daughter is something else. All the kids on our street put together can’t compare.” Old Zhou shook his head and sighed.
Hua’s father, who used to not smile much, had smiled a lot these days without realizing it.
At this moment, he didn’t even know himself, standing here, always with a smile on his face, the mouth ulcer that had burst into bleeding because of smiling couldn’t stop him from smiling.
He was happy, unable to contain his laughter.
He reached out and touched his daughter’s head, “In the future, if you spend money like this again, tell mom and dad in advance, okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” Hua Jie nodded busily, the world’s most obedient.
“Why spend money like this? It’s Chinese New Year after all. Other people’s kids are selling paintings for one or two hundred thousand. This bit of spending is nothing.” Old Bian laughed heartily, bent over, and tested the weight of the huge cardboard box in front of him. They could all handle some physical labor; though the box was heavy, it wasn’t unmanageable. With a strong lift, he hugged it and headed toward Hua Jie’s courtyard, saying as he walked:
“Old Zhou, you guys lend a hand, let’s help move it into the yard.”
“Thank you, uncles,” Hua Jie said, busy with gratitude.
Hua’s father didn’t say a word; men don’t need so many thanks among them. Neighbors help each other out when needed, that’s enough.
He approached another box and reached out to lift it but surprisingly couldn’t lift it at all. It was so heavy… What on earth did his daughter buy? Bricks and old mud from Beijing?
“I’ll help you,” Hua Jie rolled up her sleeves to step in.
“Step aside, let Old Xiao help,” said Hua’s father.
“…Oh.” Hua Jie then stepped aside, letting her sleeves fall back down, covering her thin, stick-like arms.
The neighbor, pretending to offer help, saw no one paid him any attention, pursed his lips, and walked away.
What’s so great about having money? Humph, after all, it’s just having a daughter, like water spilled out—destined for someone else’s family.
Just as he muttered this to himself, he suddenly stumbled, nearly tripping over a stone at the corner.
…
“After you tidy up, since your wife isn’t home, come over to my place for dinner,” Old Bian said, setting down the box, addressing Hua’s father and Hua Jie.
After everything was moved inside, the uncles patted their hands clean and turned back to Old Bian’s next door for tea.
“Can you manage cleaning up alone?” Hua’s father asked.
“I’ll sort it out. There are also some items I bought for Teacher Shen, might as well unpack everything,” Hua Jie replied.
“…Hmm.” Hua’s father looked over the items, initially wanting to ask what she bought, who it was for, and how much everything cost.
But as the words reached his lips, he thought about the hassle of organizing his questions and asking so many.
It would take Hua Jie a long time to explain, and the naturally reticent Hua’s father immediately felt discouraged.
Just then, a thought struck him: His daughter had grown up, was sensible, and made her own decisions and plans. He shouldn’t interfere in everything.
With that, he convinced himself and simply picked up the clothes, pants, and shoes Hua Jie had bought for him.
Forget about going next door for tea, forget about chatting and sharing woes, set it all aside for now.
Unwrapping my own gifted phone and trying on my new shoes and coat is what’s most important!
When there was a crowd around earlier, he was too shy to show how much he liked these items, but now that it was just him and his daughter at home, he no longer hid his feelings. He let loose, fully immersing himself in the joy of opening his gifts.
“You do your thing, just find the gifts for me and put them on this chair,” Hua’s father waved his hand dismissively, with the imperious air of a king.
He gestured for his daughter to keep working, not to stop.
He, on the other hand, embraced the new clothes and went back to his room to try them on.
“…” Hua Jie watched as the bedroom door closed in front of her, scratching her head.
Was her dad becoming more childlike?
Why did it seem like his personality was increasingly becoming uncontrollable?
So it turns out that even dads, when pampered, can become like little children…
…
Hua Jie also found the gloves, scarf, cashmere thermal underwear that her dad could wear straight away for the New Year, and a reasonably priced watch among other things.