Chapter 133 Borrowing Fire

Foreign festivals are celebrated enthusiastically in big cities.

In a small place like Anshi, every household only celebrates a few traditional festivals throughout the year, and New Year's Day is just mentioned and gone. Only in restaurants and shopping malls can you smell the festive and lively atmosphere.

The home-style restaurant in the old factory area was filled with noise and smoke.

In a corner, Xu Wenyao and a few old friends sat around a table with peanuts, small yellow croakers, and empty wine bottles on the table.

They had been drinking since before the sun set, and had boasted about everything they needed to, including grand speeches about brotherhood. All the middle-aged men at the table looked a little tired. Some were smoking and watching TV, some were picking out clam meat from a plate full of shells with chopsticks, and some were opening new wine, all drinking their own wine.

With a flick of the wrist, Xu Wenyao borrowed a lighter from someone nearby.

He squinted his eyes, turned on the screen of his mobile phone, clicked into the search bar of the browser, and clicked through the historical search records one by one.

[Xu Jiqing from Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School]

National Mathematics League Prize Money

How much money can you get for winning the provincial mathematics league?

【Mathematics League College Entrance Examination Recommendation Policy】

The page that pops up is still the same.

Just as he was about to exit, the browser automatically generated a recommended entry based on his search history over the past few days, and small gray text popped up directly in the character box:

Is it illegal for a son to not share his wealth with his parents?

He drank a lot today, so he saw some double vision. He opened his eyes wide and looked for a few seconds before clicking.

There was a lot of nonsense, not a single word he wanted to hear.

Damn it, that's bullshit.

A new bottle of baijiu was opened and filled up one by one. Old Zhou tapped his glass with his chopsticks, "Accountant Xu, what are you staring at? Drink up!"

Xu Wenyao didn't reply. He clicked back on the search page. The headline was still the official website of No. 1 Middle School, with the photo of Xu Jiqing receiving the award.

No matter how good-looking this guy is, he always looks very handsome no matter how the photographer takes the picture.

"And your son?"

Old Li came over, his breath reeking of alcohol, and said, "We've all heard about it here. It's number one in Jiang Province, and it's been featured in several major newspapers."

"What a sight! How does that saying go... Right, right, like father, like son. You're a cultured person and a college student, so your son should be just as smart as you."

Xu Wenyao clicked his tongue irritably.

After being laid off, he drove a taxi in the town for several years to make a living, and he was always depressed when driving a sports car.

He looks down on the guys around him and thinks he is superior to them. He also always hears that someone who was laid off with him has found a new job or made a lot of money in business. He can't help but blame the world and blame God for being jealous of his talent.

As the days of depression go on, that noble spirit changes.

It's because this group of people still praise him and allow him to feel his superiority which no one cares about.

Before he got into trouble and was sent to jail, Xu Wenyao was generous at the gambling table and was very loyal to this group of so-called brothers. He would lend them thousands of dollars without any hesitation, sometimes without even writing an IOU.

It's better to just let them talk and listen to them.

But today he couldn't laugh.

Xu Wenyao's face was gloomy. "No matter how glorious it is, it will never be his father's turn."

The cell phone number is no longer in service and the rented house is deserted.

This little bastard, if it weren't for the fact that he had to go to school, he would have disappeared without a trace.

"If you ask me, you're just too civilized. To put it bluntly, you're a coward."

Old Zhou tossed a peanut into his mouth and chewed it with a loud crunch. "No matter how awesome your son is, he's still your son. Even if he becomes successful, he still has to be filial to his father. How can you be afraid of him?"

He lowered his voice and said, "I know a scoundrel who specializes in helping people collect debts. How about..."

"He's three years old? He's not going to call the police?"

Xu Wenyao took a deep puff of his cigarette.

"...If you really can't trust others, just go back yourself," Old Zhou glanced at him. "The travel expenses are only a few hundred yuan, and you can earn them by spending a few weeks at the construction site. Compared to losing your wife and children, it's nothing."

"If it doesn't work, I'll lend you a few dozen bucks. Give it a try tonight, and if you're lucky, you might win."

Under the dim light, it was unclear how much pity was real or fake in Lao Zhou's eyes, and he patted him on the shoulder.

"Honestly, you went in there for nothing, and you've had a hard time in the past six months since you got out. We brothers all feel sorry for you."

In the past, he was the one who comforted others, and it was never his turn for others to pity him.

Xu Wenyao was filled with restlessness and had no place to vent it, so he just sat there dejectedly, grabbed the bottle of wine and took a big gulp.

The Erguotou burned his throat, reminding him of the days when he had just been released from prison.

At that time, he finally got in touch with Lin Yuezhen. He behaved like a coward every day and obeyed the woman in everything. But when he arrived at the car wash run by his old neighbor, he had to be humble and act like a grandson.

In the past, he was respected in the factory, and Zhang Hongying and her husband were also polite to them.

Now the situation has changed. After just two days of being polite, they started ordering him around.

She counted on him to do the accounting work, but she didn't trust him. Whenever there was a discrepancy of three or five dollars in the store, the woman would fold her hands and glance at him sideways, as if she was looking at a thief.

Sometimes when the young master doesn't come during the day, he still has to wash the car. The cold water from the water gun soaks his work clothes, and his fingers crack in the winter. When it warms up, he feels suffocated again.

Xu Wenyao couldn't stand this and wanted to leave every day.

Later, he heard that there was money to be made in speculating in precious metals, so he invested all the 20,000 yuan he had saved.

During that time, he stared at his phone every day, watching the numbers jump. At his peak, he made 50,000 yuan. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night. He took out his ID card and borrowed money online, thinking he'd make a little profit and then call it a day. But the market plummeted the next day, and he lost everything.

Special circumstances require special measures.

People who were chasing after online loan sharks came to his door, and debt collection calls came every half hour. What else could he do except to try to get some money from Lin Yuezhen for emergency?

Lin Yuezhen is sincere to him, but she is not stupid.

If he just said whatever he wanted, it would be strange for her to give him the money.

His wife and children blame him.

But isn't it for the good of the family that he wants to make money so much?

When Xu Wenyao thought about this, the guilt that had inexplicably arisen in his heart disappeared. He slammed the wine bottle heavily on the table, scaring the two people opposite him to tremble.

The diners at the next table turned around and cast a look of fear and disgust at him.

Xu Wenyao took out a wrinkled cigarette case, shook out a new one and put it in his mouth.

It took several presses of the lighter to light up, and blue smoke rose, blurring his red eyes.

In the more than one month since he returned to his hometown, his life has become more and more miserable, but Xu Jiqing's life seems to be getting better and better.

One good news after another came in, and it became the pride of the key high school in the big city, and was placed on the recruitment sign on the homepage of the official website.

In the photo, Xu Jiqing is wearing a neat school uniform and looks as high-spirited as when he was wearing a big red flower and receiving commendation at the factory.

"My son is too smart. It will be hard to control him when he grows up."

Old Li is as thin as a monkey. He smiled meaningfully, "But don't forget, you still have a little girl."

"If that doesn't work, go find your wife again. So much time has passed, and most of the resentment has dissipated. Women are soft-hearted, and they'll definitely give you money if you cry."

This hit the point, and Xu Wenyao was silent for a while.

He grabbed the bottle and poured it directly into his mouth. His Adam's apple rolled violently, and the wine dripped down his chin to his collar. "Okay."