Ch31 - New Year (2/2)
“Happy New Year.” Yu Hao said to Zhou Sheng.
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It was daybreak. When Yu Hao woke up, he only remembered fragmented pieces of his dream as usual. He suspected that Zhou Sheng had entered his dream again, but he couldn’t remember much from his dream this time.
Zhou Sheng was half lying next to him while he was on the phone, and an almost imperceptible smile could be seen hanging on the edge of his lips. When he saw Yu Hao wake up, he said casually, “Got it. I’ll be going back to the college today, you too.” Then he hung up.
Yu Hao remembered that on New Year’s Day, Zhou Sheng had called someone like this before too, but he never mentioned who it was. At first he thought it was his mother, but from what he had seen, it obviously wasn’t.
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Yu Hao yawned, but Zhou Sheng seemed to have lots of energy. He sprang up from the bed and began packing up, then said to Yu Hao, “Let’s go, I’ve bought the tickets.”
Escaping this house was like obtaining a new lease on life for Zhou Sheng. Yu Hao had been taught a good lesson by him, so he kept promising that he would never force him to come back home for the New Year ever again. When he put on his jacket as he prepared to go out, he inadvertently stuffed his hand in his pocket and felt a red packet in it. There was 800 yuan inside.
“Why are you so stunned? Let’s go.” Zhou Sheng said.
Yu Hao, “There’s a red packet! Who put it here? They must have misplaced it ba?”
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Zhou Sheng, “……”
Yu Hao wore a bewildered expression on his face. Zhou Sheng was so angry he almost had a heart attack, “I……you……who else would it be but me? Are you going to look for the person who lost it?!”
Yu Hao quickly said, “It’s the New Year, don’t get angry! Thank you boss! May you have a prosperous New Year!” Only then did Zhou Sheng’s face look a little better. They went downstairs and Yu Hao noticed an SUV parked outside of the house. Zhou Sheng opened the door and motioned for him to get in.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come pick us up?” Zhou Sheng promptly sat at the back.
The middle-aged man driving the car cast a glance at Yu Hao through the rearview mirror and answered, “It’s difficult to buy tickets for today, I’ll send you there.”
Yu Hao thought, he seems more courteous to the chauffeur today, but he didn’t expect the chauffeur to turn around and shake his hand, “Zhou Sheng has a bad temper because he has been spoiled by his mother. Yu Hao, do pardon him.”
“How is that any of your business?!” Zhou Sheng exploded, “Yu Hao! Get off the car!”
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Yu Hao saw that the middle-aged man was dressed in a suit and was driving the car himself, and immediately guessed the other person’s identity: Zhou Sheng’s father! The entrepreneur known far and wide — Zhou Laichun!
But Zhou Sheng’s father started up the car and drove away from the neighbourhood.
“Is your skin itching because you haven’t been beaten for too long?”
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“Come at me then?!” Zhou Sheng said, “Wanna try and see if you can beat me in a fight?”
“If your friend wasn’t around, Laozi would’ve already smashed your head in.” Zhou Laichun said lightly, “Do you think you’re invincible just because you learnt boxing for a few years? You weakling!”
Yu Hao, “Don’t, don’t……uncle, don’t fight, it’s the first day of the New Year.”
Zhou Laichun remembered something and took two red packets from the passenger seat before passing it to the back. Yu Hao said in a hurry, “No no, that’s not what I meant……”
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“Just take it!” Zhou Sheng and Zhou Laichun practically said this at the same time, and even their tone was exactly the same. Yu Hao could only accept it, and Zhou Sheng added, “How do you have so much nonsense to spout?”
“Why do you talk to your friend like that?” Zhou Laichun scolded his son again.
Zhou Sheng, “I like to! Can’t I?! Why don’t you ask him if he has any objections?”
Yu Hao, “……”
Yu Hao could sense that Zhou Sheng’s father didn’t have a good temper either, and might have even been more terrifying than his mother when he was younger. Zhou Sheng had mentioned that he often got hit by both his parents when he was a kid — if one side couldn’t win in an argument over the other, they would beat him up instead to vent their frustrations. But since he was now a businessman, he probably had to control his temper. It was the first day of the New Year and he had especially come over to send his son back to his school, and it was even less appropriate to flare up in front of a classmate. If Yu Hao wasn’t around, these two people might have just ended up greeting each other with some punching and kicking.
Along the way, Zhou Laichun asked a few questions about how Zhou Sheng was doing in school. Zhou Sheng put on his earphones and ignored him, so Yu Hao answered on his behalf: his results were very good, and he wasn’t failing anything.
“Aside from you, does he have any other friends?” Zhou Laichun asked.
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“Fu Liqun.” Yu Hao said, “Our college’s basketball team captain……”
“Laozi’s not familiar with him!” Zhou Sheng interjected rudely.
“What about a girlfriend?” Zhou Laichun continued asking.
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Yu Hao thought, as expected, they would all be concerned about this matter. Zhou Sheng said, “None! I can’t afford to!”
“If you need money, just ask me.” Zhou Laichun said, “It would be fine even if she got pregnant. After the parents of both sides meet, both of you can get the certificate, hold a banquet then marry her back home……”
“Shut up ba old man!” Zhou Sheng couldn’t endure it anymore and said, “It’s the New Year, aren’t you being too annoying?”
Zhou Laichun stopped talking. After they got on the expressway, he focused on driving. Yu Hao saw his gaze in the rearview mirror — it was exactly like Zhou Sheng’s. They were practically cast in the same mould.
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Yu Hao lowered his head and sent a message to Chen Yekai, wishing him a happy New Year. Chen Yekai told him that he was looking after his Shimu in the hospital. Zhou Sheng leaned against the window in a slanted position as he glanced at Yu Hao’s phone screen.
Yu Hao sent a message:【I’ll pay you guys a visit after I get back to the college ba?】
Chen Yekai:【It’s the New Year, don’t come over.】
Yu Hao wanted to ask Chen Yekai when he would come back. Chen Yekai took a picture of the ward, the TV was replaying the Spring Festival Gala. Then he added:【Last night was alright, I came over to take care of Shimu.】
“We’re getting off here.” After they returned to the city center, Zhou Sheng said this to his father.
The car stopped at the city center, Zhou Sheng said, “We’re visiting a friend.”
Zhou Laichun alighted from the car. He and Zhou Sheng both smoked a cigarette. Zhou Laichun wanted to pass Yu Hao a cigarette too but Yu Hao quickly waved his hand and Zhou Sheng said, “He doesn’t smoke!” As he spoke, he carried his bag and went to one side.
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Zhou Laichun took out an envelope and passed it to Yu Hao, “Yu Hao, my son isn’t very reliable, so do take care of him a little more. Just eat and drink whenever you should, don’t hold back on those kinds of expenditures.”
Yu Hao felt like he was continually being stuffed with money today; this was already the third wave. Zhou Sheng threw his cigarette butt beside a trash can and glanced at him, so Yu Hao had to accept it, “I’ll charge it to his campus card.”
Zhou Laichun patted Yu Hao’s shoulder solemnly before he said to Zhou Sheng, “If something comes up, you can call me any time.”
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Yu Hao noticed that when Zhou Sheng watched his father drive away, his gaze was extremely complicated — as if it contained remorse mixed with disdain.
“How much did he give you?”
When Yu Hao was stuffing the money into Zhou Sheng’s bag, Zhou Sheng asked this.
Yu Hao let him take a look, and there was the red packet too. After Zhou Sheng weighed it in his hand, he said, “The packet has 8,000 each, the envelope has 20,000. You don’t need to count it.”
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A total of 36,800. It was equivalent to half a year of Yu Hao’s income. Yu Hao said, “I’ll give them all to you.”
Zhou Sheng waved his hand, and his irritation finally began to settle now that he was alone with Yu Hao.
“I’ll take you to buy clothes.”
Yu Hao refused at first. But there were sales everywhere during the first day of the New Year, and he also thought that he needed to buy some new clothes. The last time he was escorted onto the stage by Chen Yekai, it was as if it had imperceptibly changed his life. The clothes he was wearing now were bought when he was in the second year of senior high, and they were really too old and outdated. Although he usually groomed himself pretty well and was never sloppy, the clothes do make the man — this saying was true.
It was as if Zhou Sheng knew what kind of price range he could accept as he brought him to Uniqlo. Yu Hao changed into a new set of clothes and looked much more refreshed afterwards.
“Handsome.” Zhou Sheng said. He finally abandoned his usual sportswear outfit and changed into a pair of casual pants and this year’s Kandinsky’s geometric abstraction co-op style sweater. Then he picked a piece from the same series for Yu Hao, and got him to buy shoes too. After Yu Hao changed into everything, Zhou Sheng just smiled as he looked at him.
“What do I look like?” Yu Hao asked.
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Zhou Sheng, “Like a Korean.”
Yu Hao, “……”
The girl behind the cash register couldn’t help but laugh. Yu Hao insisted on paying for Zhou Sheng, and Zhou Sheng didn’t stop him. He just glanced over once in awhile to see if he was using the red packet’s money to pay, but Yu Hao had paid with his card.
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“The money my Dad gave you belongs to you, just use it.”
“I don’t want to.” Yu Hao said obstinately.
Zhou Sheng’s expression didn’t look too good, but he forced himself to endure it. Yu Hao said, “I just want to buy clothes for you. Even though this is usually done by a girlfriend, but before you get a girlfriend, let me take charge of that ba.”
“What are you saying?” Zhou Sheng didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “You work so hard, and you don’t even earn much.” Yet despite his words, Zhou Sheng’s expression had improved, “Aside from my parents, you’re the first person to buy clothes for me.”
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“You’re also the one who treats me the best aside from my Grandma.”
“Could you not be so corny?!” Zhou Sheng said, “I can’t stand you anymore.”