This summer vacation passed exceptionally fast, and before anyone realized it, the start of the new term was approaching. Liu Xing had been having a particularly miserable time lately, hounded by Liu Mei every single day to rush through his homework, looking utterly defeated.
He would look up at his older brother with big, starry eyes every day, begging Hu Fan to offer ghost-writing services, only to be ruthlessly turned down. Liu Xing could only stew with indignation, thinking to himself why his brother didn't have any summer homework after graduating from junior high; it was simply unfair, *ahhhhhh!*
Every time, he would let out a silent inward howl, then lower his head again and frantically wrack his brains over his assignments.
Today was Liu Mei's day off. After finishing breakfast, Hu Fan cleverly made an excuse and slipped out. He had no desire to endure their high-decibel attacks at home.
Liu Xing was bound to be cornered by Liu Mei to work on his summer holiday assignments yet again, plunging the household into a toxic mix of maternal benevolence, filial piety, and absolute chaos. He didn't want to get dragged into that mess at all.
After heading downstairs, he casually hailed a taxi and arrived at Shuxiang Yayuan, a prime residential area near Chunfeng High School. He planned to buy an apartment there so he would have a convenient place to stay during breaks and days off.
Of course, he wouldn't come over often during his first two years of high school; after all, school let out in the afternoon and he still had to go home, otherwise his mother wouldn't be at ease.
He would only be able to move in and live there during his senior year when he had evening study sessions at school—it would be immensely convenient. As for boarding at school, that was completely out of the question.
In those days, housing prices in Beijing, especially for school-district properties like this, didn't change by the year; they changed by the second, shooting upward at a blinding pace.
Over the past few years, Hu Fan had used the money he earned from developing software and taking on freelance projects to invest in the stock market. While he wasn't some overpowered time-traveler dominating the stock exchange, he had at least managed to slurp down some soup, and he had enough cash on hand to buy a school-district apartment.
He didn't dawdle. After taking a look at the exterior of the residential compound, he went straight to find a real estate agent.
After touring a few properties in person, he was quite satisfied. The renovations and facilities were excellent, and each floor had only a single apartment with its own elevator lobby, which was wonderfully private. True to its reputation as a fiercely contested school district sought after by parents, it was well worth it. After viewing three units, Hu Fan chose one on the third floor—the height was just right.
Following a round of intense bargaining with the agent, Hu Fan bought the first home of his life for three million yuan. Of course, when it came time to sign the final paperwork, he had to summon his thoroughly unreliable biological father, Hu Yitong.
After all, while buying property didn't legally exclude minors, a guardian still needed to be present for the signing. Hu Fan didn't want to bother his mother, so he had no choice but to call up his good-for-nothing dad.
When Hu Yitong arrived, he didn't ask too many questions. Once he got a brief rundown of the situation, he simply went along to process the paperwork. He accepted the fact that his son, who was about to enter high school, had just bought a house with astonishing speed.
After all, ever since graduating from elementary school, his own son had been using computers to make money. That brain, that intelligence—he could only attribute it to their ancestors having smoked lucky incense. Whenever he stood before his son, the father felt himself inexplicably shrink a few inches.
"So, Son, is there anything else your old man needs to do?" Hu Yitong didn't rush off after signing his name, instead following his son through the completion of every single procedure.
"No," Hu Fan said, tossing the freshly acquired keys in his hand and bouncing them happily a few times.
"Hehehe, it's almost lunchtime, and the two of us haven't seen each other in quite a while. Perfect, let's go get some copper hot pot mutton."
Hu Yitong first lowered his head to put on a show of glancing at his watch, then spoke of going to eat with a slightly guilty conscience.
Hu Fan understood immediately: his old man had been having a pretty rough time lately and probably didn't even have the cash for a meal. Don't ask why he caught on so fast; too many precedents had been set in the past.
Even Liu Mei had no idea just how shameless Hu Yitong could be, actually letting his own son treat him to dinner.
"Fine then, let's go to Nanmen Shuanrou. I haven't had it in a long time either," Hu Fan said, casting a downward glance at his watch, which had just ticked past eleven. He didn't say anything more; as a son, one had to know how to save face for one's own father.
"Hehehehe." Having successfully freeloaded a meal, Hu Yitong was overjoyed. Tucking his eternal portfolio pouch under his armpit, he cheerfully trotted along behind his son toward the exit.
Since it wasn't peak dining time, the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The two of them didn't have to wait in line, and once inside, they sat right down and ordered their dishes.
Freshly sliced mutton was simply fragrant—thinly sliced, tender, and delicious—and that sesame paste was out of this world. Seeing the copper pot come to a boil, father and son dropped all conversation and dove straight into eating with single-minded focus.
"Dad, slow down, watch out for the burns." Hu Fan had eaten a huge breakfast and wasn't very hungry now, so after satisfying his craving, he slowed the pace of his chopsticks.
Sitting across from him, Hu Yitong looked like a starved wolf that hadn't eaten in days, devouring an entire plate of meat in two bites.
"Mmm, hitting the spot!"
The second half of the meal was basically watching a live mukbang, with Hu Fan just sitting there observing how much his dad could pack away.
"I'm full."
Hu Yitong leaned back against his chair, cradling his beer belly, which was now bulging from the food, and squinted in sheer satisfaction.
"You should take it easy. Eating yourself this stuffed all at once is bad for your stomach." Hu Fan looked at his father with a hint of concern, then turned to flag down a waiter in the dining hall, asking someone to bring over some hawthorn digestive drink.
"Sit and rest for a bit, then drink the hawthorn water before we leave."
"My son really is the filial sort."
Hearing Hu Fan's thoughtful words, Hu Yitong felt wonderful inside. He picked up the beverage that had just been delivered and began to sip it slowly.
It had been a while since father and son had seen each other. Although they hadn't spent much time together even when they lived under the same roof, things were still different now.
Starting with topics like the upcoming school term and daily life, the two men sat there chatting for a while, giving Hu Yitong—as a father—a sense of participating in his son's life, making him feel a bit less like a bystander.
Until Liu Mei called to urge them to come home for a meal, bringing their rather nutrient-deficient conversation to an end.
Hu Fan glanced at his watch. The two of them had been eating for over an hour, and it was already approaching one o'clock. No wonder his mother was calling to hurry them along.
After Hu Fan went to the counter to settle the bill, the pair walked outside, and he casually flagged down a taxi by the roadside.
"Dad, get in first. Tell the driver wherever you need to go," Hu Fan said, pushing Hu Yitong into the car while smoothly slipping a hundred-yuan bill into his pocket.
Though he looked down somewhat on his father's lack of a proper profession and his idle ways, feelings were still there. He wouldn't go out of his way to bail his dad out of every situation, but running into each other occasionally, treating him to a meal, and handing over a hundred yuan wasn't excessive.
He had no intention of letting Hu Yitong develop the bad habit of depending on him; he wasn't going to spoil him like that. Besides, wouldn't it be better to give that money to Liu Mei? After all, his mother had bitterly and laboriously raised the two brothers all by herself.
Watching the taxi drive away, Hu Fan flagged down another cab for himself. "Driver, Beijing Impression Residential Area."
"You got it!"
The driver was fast. In about half an hour, Hu Fan was back downstairs at his building.