Chapter 42 Love is an Equivalent Exchange Relationship
After a long journey, the gift bag looks as if it has aged by decades, with layers of wrinkles squeezed out.
But it doesn’t matter, as long as the intention is there.
Meng Weishen opened the gift bag and pulled out the gift wrapped in pear paper. He hesitated for a moment, not tearing the fragile outer layer of pear paper directly. Instead, he felt around the edge of the paper and slowly spread it out.
There was a crisp sound, and a slippery Harrington jacket fell into his arms.
The jacket feels like pure cotton, has a khaki exterior, a classic pony logo printed on the chest, and a dark blue check pattern sewn into the lining.
Meng Weishen's heart was beating fast. He carefully pulled on the cuffs of his jacket, zipped it up, and studied himself in the mirror. But something felt off. He buttoned and unbuttoned his collar. He'd just dyed his hair gray-blue and gotten a ton of ear piercings, and this jacket was too formal. Whether it was buttoned up or the lining was open, it looked out of place on him.
But it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s wearable.
The gift bag was not thrown away either, as it was used to store his old coat.
Meng Weishen walked out of the bathroom, carrying the gift bag. He felt like he was on his first day at work, full of anticipation and trepidation for the unknown.
His father, Xu Qingdong, was waiting for him at the entrance of the livehouse. He first handed him a bottle of craft beer, which spilt from the glass onto the back of his hand. Cold and hot both evoke the same tactile sensation: a stinging pain.
"Not bad, this suit suits you very well, and you look very handsome." Xu Qingdong praised repeatedly, "Your mother only said that you are now about 1.8 meters tall, and she was reluctant to tell me more. I was afraid of buying the wrong size, so the clerk finally suggested that I buy the model's size. You wear the same size as the model. Who do you think you inherited these genes from? Is it your father or me?"
Not really. He couldn't compare to Xu Qingdong. As far as he knew, Xu Qingdong had incredibly good relationships with the opposite sex when he was young, and even after he got married, several men still came to him to propose. Meanwhile, Meng Weishen had received a few premature confessions during his student days, but none of them led to successful relationships. Personal charm is actually a holistic quality, not solely dependent on appearance.
Meng Weishen smiled and said, "I can't compare to you."
He always has the ability to make the atmosphere extremely awkward. Fortunately, Xu Qingdong came to the rescue in time:
"Let's go in and watch the show. When I saw you dressed like that at the dinner party, I guessed you must like rock music, right? Let's have a good time tonight."
Rock music...
Meng Weishen hadn't expected his rebellious behavior to cause such a misunderstanding. But they were already standing at the door of the livehouse, and his father had come to see him on this rare occasion. He couldn't bring himself to refuse, so he preferred to accept this inexplicable identity as a rock star.
He followed Xu Qingdong into the venue after swiping his ticket. There were no reserved seats, so Xu Qingdong pushed through the throng and led him to the front of the stage, squeezing in a corner seat in the front row.
The lights went out, and a man with a buzz cut scurried to the front of the stage. His red tie was particularly striking. At first glance, one might have mistaken him for the lobby manager, here to adjust the equipment. The crowd erupted in cheers. Meng Weishen suddenly realized that the lobby manager was actually the band's lead singer.
Meng Weishen was in a good mood until the show started. He had assumed that all rock musicians were melancholic, long-haired men who looked like his neighbor's Springer Spaniel, but this lobby manager actually piqued his interest in watching the show.
However, every second after the lead singer opened the microphone, Meng Weishen was in hell, suffering from both mental and eardrum torture.
Can this be called rock?
The shouting like a slow hit song, the stepping like junior high school military training, the connecting words like a pyramid scheme outlet... this is the annual meeting program performed by the lobby manager himself!
The atmosphere was heated to its highest point, and everyone, including Xu Qingdong, was marching in unison to the lobby manager's roar. If the performance style wasn't so similar to the slow-paced short videos his grandmother loved to watch, Meng Weishen would have almost suspected that his artistic attainments were not high enough to appreciate the highbrow art.
Meng Weishen finally made it to the end of the performance, but bad luck continued to plague him. Under the stimulation of alcohol and noise, the ear hole began to become inflamed again, and it felt swollen, painful, and hot to the touch.
Xu Qingdong cordially invited him for a late-night snack, and they found a nearby barbecue restaurant based on reviews. By the time the waiter recommended the free yogurt promotion for a third time, Meng Weishen had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the grilled chicken gizzards they served weren't fully cooked, the blood splattered across the white plate creating a murder scene; the grilled prawns had died during the Qing Dynasty, and smelled of decay.
"How was today's performance?" Xu Qingdong insisted on asking him about his impressions.
Meng Weishen abandoned the grilled prawns and focused on the salad tomatoes on the table. Too much sugar had been put into the dish, making it overly sweet and barely edible. He said, reluctantly, "It's okay. I've never seen anything like this before. It's quite novel."
"I used to really like rock music, too. Cui Jian, Dou Wei, Zhang Chu, and the like. I even came to Beijing specifically to see a live performance, and I spent my first month's salary on it. Who do you think you inherited this hobby from?"
"Oh, I haven't heard you say that before."
Xu Qingdong scanned his face and said in a tone he couldn't understand:
"Weiwei, why don't you change your last name back?"
The tomato slice slipped from the chopsticks and fell onto the table. Meng Weishen said, "No, changing the name is too troublesome."
Xu Qingdong laughed out loud: "I was just kidding."
"You're joking too much. Have you asked my mom and me for our opinions?"
"It's normal for a child to take their father's surname. Your current surname is weird." Xu Qingdong was thick-skinned and didn't get discouraged by the rejection. "Oh, right, did your mother tell you? I'm getting a job transfer and will be stationed in Beijing for a few years. We can meet anytime in the future."
Meng Weishen wrapped the contaminated tomato slices in a tissue and threw them into the trash. He asked bluntly, "What about your current wife? Will she return to China with you to settle down?"
The atmosphere fell into awkwardness again. Xu Qingdong also took a tissue and blew his nose several times before answering, "Yes. Don't worry, Aunt Yu is a very nice person. You can come over anytime you want."
Meng Weishen said, "No. If I go, you'll definitely have a fight."
"It's okay. You have your brother at home, and I'm sure you two will get along great." Xu Qingdong added, "Oh, and your brother will be applying to university next year. After all, he's Chinese, so he needs to be exposed to more Chinese culture. I plan to have him return to China to study."
What does this have to do with him? He had never even seen a photo of the "brother" the other party was talking about. Meng Weishen said perfunctorily: "That's good."
"Well, what do you think of Tsinghua?"
"What?"
“Tsinghua University.”
Meng Weishen didn't understand the connection between the other party's previous and subsequent sentences. "Does Tsinghua still need my evaluation? It's not a question of how, only whether I can get in."
"You got your bachelor's and master's degrees at Tsinghua, right? You're truly outstanding. You're just a natural at studying." Xu Qingdong laughed. "Your brother isn't so good. He plays video games all day. Although foreign nationals are exempt from the written exam, they still have to interview. I'm really worried he won't make it."
What on earth does this have to do with him? Meng Weishen resisted the urge to ask questions, and only listened to Xu Qingdong's evasive words:
"Oh, yes. I've already inquired about the teacher in charge of the interview. If you have any channels like the alumni association to contact the teacher, that would be fine. I'll handle the follow-up. When your brother gets admitted, I'll take you two on a trip to Europe."
So that's how it is.
The doubts in Meng Weishen's mind were finally resolved.
The stinging sensation in his ear had spread to the back of his neck. He remembered that he had forgotten to cut the tag on his jacket, and the hard piece of paper kept poking at the back of his neck.
——
If you ask why Xu Qingdong married Meng Lirong, you can blame that damn blind date. His parents were attracted to this girl, believing her to be virtuous, gentle, and with a stable job.
The two had never lived in the same world before, but because of a registration certificate that bound them as husband and wife, they had to live under the same roof day and night.
Unfortunately, this girl is not as docile as she appears. When Xu Qingdong cheated on her husband, she rushed to the Xu family's door, followed by her brothers and sisters who came to cheer her on, and holding a three or four-year-old child in her arms.
The division of labor among them was clear. The younger sister was responsible for smashing everything in the house, the younger brother was responsible for beating Xu Qingdong black and blue, the child was responsible for using him as a tool to argue, and she was responsible for holding the child and yelling at the door, letting the entire building know that Xu Qingdong was a stinking, adulterous bastard who owed her a debt.
Yes, Meng Weishen was the child who was used as a prop, with a 100% participation rate and 0% damage output. Ever since Xu Qingdong and Meng Lirong divorced after this incident, all relatives of the Xu family have cut off contact with them.
Meng Lirong told him that all the Xu people were bad guys and it was us who ignored them. We could live well even without them.
When Meng Weishen was in elementary school, he discovered that not only did people with the surname Xu ignore him, but people with any surname also ignored him.
Meng Weishen hated recalling his childhood. Back then, he was too skinny, had no interest in the group games popular among boys his age, and was extremely unpopular.
On Saturday, grandpa forbade the cat to read magazines in the study and forced him to go outside to make friends.
Meng Weishen naturally failed to make any friends. He sat on the slide in the community, dazed, waiting for lunch time so he could go home.
That day was just like today, just an ordinary day. A strange man walked towards him: "Hello."
Meng Weishen asked, "Who are you?"
The man opened his arms to him: "I am Dad."
The young Xu Qingdong was very handsome and likable. Meng Weishen had no doubt about his identity, or rather, he didn't care about his identity. He just needed a playmate so that he could report to his grandfather.
He took Xu Qingdong's hand, and Xu Qingdong took him to the car. After nearly two hours of bumpy ride, they arrived at their destination: Ocean World.
Meng Weishen vomited when he got off the car, but it didn't matter. The cartoon shark sculpture at the door quickly drew his attention.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Ocean World that Xu Qingdong took him to had completed the construction of the country's first underwater tunnel, which was nearly 100 meters long.
In a world of dark blue ripples, Xu Qingdong pressed his fingertips against the glass wall of the tunnel: "Look, a great white shark."
An oval-shaped creature with sharp fins swam leisurely over their heads. Meng Weishen looked up: "This is not a great white shark, it's a nurse shark."
"How do you know?"
"I saw it in a magazine."
Xu Qingdong laughed and ruffled his hair: "You love reading so much, Weiwei, you will be a great person in the future."
After they finished watching the killer whale show, it was closing time. Xu Qingdong drove him home, but not to his grandparents' house, but to Meng Lirong's house—Meng Weishen wasn't sure what to call it. After his parents divorced, Meng Lirong secured ownership of the house, and Xu Qingdong moved out.
That year, Meng Lirong was teaching the graduating class of senior year and lived in the school dormitory every day. The house was empty, and the windows were dark.
Xu Qingdong took his hand and asked, "Are you happy today?"
Because of motion sickness, Meng Weishen's stomach was churning and he wanted to vomit. But he still nodded vigorously: "Happy."
"Your mother will be angry if she knows I took you out to play. This is a secret between us, don't tell anyone else."
"Okay, I won't tell anyone."
"Oh, Dad wants to ask you a favor." Xu Qingdong seemed distressed. "Dad left something important at home, but forgot to bring the key. Do you have the key to the house?"
Meng Lirong had the impression that she had changed the door lock after Xu Qingdong moved out. But this small doubt did not dampen Meng Weishen's enthusiasm. He nodded vigorously and took her upstairs to open the door.
Xu Qingdong walked calmly into the bedroom where he once slept with his ex-wife, opened the bedside table, and took out three passbooks and a stack of cash.
Before leaving, Xu Qingdong left him a box of conch-shaped chocolates. Meng Weishen asked, "Dad, when will you come to play with me next time?"
Xu Qingdong smiled and said, "I'll come to you soon."
Young Meng Weishen didn't realize that "soon" meant twenty years from now. He was only looking forward to his father coming to find him, and naturally didn't expect the situation to develop to such a serious level.
When Meng Lirong returned home, she found that her belongings were missing. She thought that a thief had broken into her house, so she immediately chose to call the police.
After investigation, officers at the police station found no signs of forced entry or rummaging inside the house. They also found that half of the cash and passbook had been taken, with the remaining half left behind. Overall, it didn't appear to be a burglar's presence, and Meng Lirong suggested the perpetrator was someone she knew.
Apart from Meng Lirong, the only one who had the key to the room was Meng Weishen, so he was the only suspect.
Meng Lirong, along with two police officers, rushed into Meng Weishen's elementary school to look for him. Fortunately, she was concerned about her reputation and didn't do it in front of the students. Instead, she dragged Meng Weishen into the teacher's office and slapped him several times in the face.
Meng Lirong scolded, "Well, you even dare to steal things! Meng Weishen, you're going to be a big deal in the future!"
Amidst the burning pain, Meng Weishen gritted his teeth and explained, "I didn't steal anything."
"You still don't admit it, so where did the money in the bedroom go? If you didn't steal it, how could it have disappeared?"
It was Xu Qingdong who took it away.
But my father said that their meeting was a secret and could not be told to my mother.
To keep his promise, Meng Weishen remained silent for the entire day. No matter how Meng Lirong pressed him, he refused to reveal a single word.
The police then conducted another round of investigation in the community. Fortunately, a downstairs neighbor saw Xu Qingdong and Meng Weishen returning home together that day. The police were able to gradually unravel the truth:
When the couple divorced and divided their property, Xu Qingdong was forced to leave the house empty-handed, a decision he had always resented. On the eve of his departure, Xu Qingdong, still resentful, resorted to a desperate measure, exploiting his children's trust to open the door for him and steal half of the family's cash savings. Furthermore, Xu Qingdong had already boarded a transatlantic flight, making it impossible for Meng Lirong to collect the debt.
Meng Weishen had clearly been cleared of all charges, but Meng Lirong was even angrier at him, even hating him. For six months, she had abandoned him at his grandparents' house, refusing to take him home or contact him.
Stealing is a behavioral error that can be corrected; siding with his father in a divorced relationship is a mistake of thought, hopeless. For the next decade or so, Meng Weishen would strive to prove to Meng Lirong that he was on the right side, that his thinking was correct, and that he would never have any private contact with Xu Qingdong.
——
Meng Weishen probably understood that any relationship between people is an exchange of equal value. Providing benefits to each other is "love", while framing and harming each other is "hate".
He said, "That's why you came to me. Why don't you just say it directly? Don't waste my time watching that stupid concert. Don't you have other plans tonight? I still have some unfinished code to write."
Xu Qingdong thought he was angry and explained hurriedly, "It was just a casual mention. My main purpose was of course to get together with you. If it's convenient for you, I'll help you ask. If it's not convenient for you, forget it."
Since it's an equal exchange, whether it's convenient or not depends on how much the other party is willing to pay. A jacket worth two or three thousand yuan certainly doesn't qualify.
Meng Weishen's mood was like a stagnant pool of water. He said calmly, "Dad, I want to buy a house in Haidian. Please pay the down payment for me. It will be about 3 million."
Xu Qingdong was visibly stunned. "House? Now isn't a good time to buy a house. Prices are falling everywhere."
"I want a high-end car for commuting, and I'll pay extra for a gasoline license. It'll cost me a little over 1 million yuan."
"A BYD worth around 100,000 yuan is enough. Luxury cars aren't necessarily any better."
"I also want to join an Antarctic expedition to see the emperor penguins. The registration fee is 300,000 yuan. You're not going to give me 300,000 yuan, are you?"
"I told you, when your brother gets into college, I'll take you on a trip to Europe."
It's so boring. I want him to do something, but I'm not willing to pay the price. He's not a kid anymore, he won't be fooled by cheap stuff.
Meng Weishen said, "I have nothing more to discuss with you. Let's leave it at that for today. Don't waste my time in the future, unless you plan to pay me."
He took off the jacket that was hurting the back of his neck, threw it on the table along with the gift bag, and returned it to the man. Then he left.
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