CH 34

Dad's Job (Work Environment)

The little parrot looked clueless, as if he didn't understand the concept of not being paid.

"Don't worry," said Kang. "I'll help you find Teacher Liu and ask for your salary. How could we let them oppress young workers like you?"

Teacher Liu didn't hear clearly what Kang had said, only catching the compliment towards the little parrot. The little bird was so happy that he started hopping around the table.

Teacher Liu thought to herself, "Actually, the child isn't that stubborn. Maybe he just lacks proper guidance. I have to think of a way to change him while he's still young and easy to mold."

Teacher Liu returned to the canteen, leaving the activity room to the two of them.

"Let me count for you. How many words can you say now, excluding the previous five and 'boss, don't be afraid'? Are there any others?"

The little parrot seemed to understand, and spoke a sentence he had never said before -

"Daddy, work!"

As the little parrot spoke, he was filled with excitement and hopped around the table.

Whenever the little parrot hopped, it was with both feet, and he flapped his wings, making a chirping sound. He was so happy, he thought that being able to talk made him much better than a bird that couldn't.

Mr. Kang just saw the little bird flapping his wings and chirping again, "Hello, boss..."

"Little teacher, who did you learn that catchphrase from?" The child was a little surprised.

The little parrot's vocabulary wasn't enough, so he chirped again, "Hello, boss."

The little parrot actually wanted to ask the dad’s boss, now that he could speak, if his dad could go back to work.

But the little parrot still couldn't express it clearly.

On the other hand, the dad's new job didn't have any major problems. He was always a practical and hardworking man until the end of the workday.

"Yue Qin, come drink with us," the team leader called out, accompanied by the other two men. He gave a sly wink, "After we finish drinking, let's all relax together."

Yue Qin looked at the time and said, "No, family is waiting for me at home."

"It's simple, just call your wife and say the company is having a gathering. How could she say no?"

"You young people only know to rush home after work. You need ambition. Young people need to make more friends and listen to the experiences of the older generation," the team leader taught.

While talking, the team leader dialed a phone number, "Hello, is this my sister-in-law?"

Yue Qin frowned, immediately realizing that the other party probably had everyone's family member's phone numbers.

"Sis, isn't this Yue Qin's first day at the company? We wanted to invite him to join us for dinner. He said he needed your approval, so I'm calling to ask if that's okay with you?"

"Yes, it's fine, I'll let him know."

The team leader hung up the phone, "Your wife said to have fun."

"Be a man, have your own opinions and ideas. Don't follow women. Women are creatures that the more you spoil them, the more they raise their noses at you, the more you control them, the more obedient they are."

Xia Sheng hung up the phone and went to pick up her son.

On the first day at the company, having dinner with coworkers was a very normal thing.

"Mom?" Kang was dropped off at the kindergarten gate by Teacher Liu and saw that only Mom was there.

Xia Sheng held her son's hand and said, "Daddy has a dinner gathering today, and mom will cook dinner. What do you want to eat?"

Kang thought to himself that this was not good and asked, "Didn't dad leave anything to eat in the refrigerator?"

In the past, when Dad was absent from home during dinner time, Mom handled the kitchen duties alone. However, he would always make sure to prep the ingredients before leaving for work.

"Dad didn't prepare anything today, but mom's cooking is still just as delicious," Xia Sheng replied.

Kang tried to control his gaze and gave a positive response, "Mom is definitely capable."

An hour later, Kang took back his words.

Xia Sheng's cooking, especially her stir-fry dishes, were decent, but still far from being delicious.

Kang rubbed his stomach, he had barely eaten anything. "When will dad be back? Shall we go find him? They must be eating something good at their dinner gathering."

There was a full table of barbecues, a few bottles of beer, and the lights from the city's barbecue stalls were shining brightly.

Next to them, there was a table of university students. And a few boys were chatting about international politics with two cute girls.

After several drinks, the team leader started bragging and teaching the younger folks.

"Women… You can't spoil them. You treat them well, and they think they're somebody special. They start to be demanding and ask for this and that. When I was getting married to my wife, I told her I didn't want to, and she still married me anyway."

Two coworkers chime in, "Exactly. My wife doesn't work, complains about being tired from just cooking and taking care of the kids. I told her if she's tired, she should just divorce me and find a wealthy man. Who the hell isn't tired these days? She never complained again. Simply put, she's just being dramatic."

Meanwhile, the college students at the next table were drinking and talking about the US election. They discussed how the current government should counterattack and what would happen if the candidate's Vice President, a woman, took office if he couldn't finish his term.

As they grew more excited, they stood up as if they were about to start directing the future of the US.

Yue Qin had never seen this before. After graduating from college, he joined a big company and had been doing well. But he had never seen this.

Yue Qin was more determined to move up and missed his wife and child at home. He wondered if they had eaten.

Yue Qin spoke up, "You guys continue drinking. I'm going home to cook for my wife and kid."

He hadn't planned to come here tonight, so he hadn't prepared any food for his family.

The three men, who were still talking about women, were taken aback by his words. Then they burst into laughter and looked at Yue Qin as if he was a huge joke. "You cook at home?"

The tone seemed to imply, you're a man and you actually cook at home?

"For someone who looks so strong, you actually cook at home. Are you still a man?"

Yue Qin felt like he was being enriched with a new species of human, because the words they spoke were just too foolish. He didn't even feel the desire to talk to these people.

At that moment, the young students next to him who were discussing international policies seemed much more vibrant compared to these decaying souls.

Yue Qin got up and walked in another direction.

As soon as he walked a short distance, he heard a sound of stools being overturned, the sound of a commotion.

It turned out that the group leader, and others who were also mouthy, were teasing a girl at the table with university students, and so the two sides started to fight.

Three drunk middle-aged men could not beat the physically fit male university students, and soon they were beaten to the ground.

"Little brats!" The group leader cursed loudly, and the other side was about to hit him with a stool.

The stool only got halfway down, but a hand held it, and a man who was almost six feet tall dominated with one press.

"Brawling will result in detention," warned Yue Qin.

The leader was taken aback, "Yue Qin, hit them back for me."

"Apologize to them," Yue Qin looked at the people on the ground.

"Apologize for what?" The leader retorted, "Yue Qin, are you a man?"

Yue Qin remained calm, "You apologize to them."

Yue Qin turned to the two college students who were stopped by him, "Wait for him to apologize to you."

"What? He spoke that way about you, yet you're still helping him?"

"As a witness, I’d have to go to the police station to give a statement," Yue Qin replied.

The college students swallowed hard, feeling that the other party must be some kind of fugitive, or why would they be afraid to go to the police station?

"Forget it. As long as they yell three times 'I am an idiot', this matter will be over. Or else I'll fight every time I see them."

Yue Qin looked down at the people on the ground, his eyes sharp like a knife. "Hurry up and say it. I don't want to go to the police station to give a statement, nor do I want to call an ambulance for you guys."

Yue Qin's eyes were somewhat cold. This was when the leader realized that the man became quite frightening when he was angry.

"Is he a fugitive? Why would he be afraid to go to the police station to give a statement?" The leader and his two companions returned to their senses, and said with lingering fear.

Yue Qin finally made it back home, where he found a big and little someone waiting for him. His heart immediately flowed back into the gentle streams of human existence.

"Today I almost witnessed a fight, but I managed to stop it. Otherwise, I would have had to go to the police station to give a statement. If I had gone, I would have probably only returned after 9pm."

I find this chapter to be a realistic portrayal of the struggles faced by working-class families. The father is caught between his responsibilities to his family and the pressure from his coworkers to participate in the dinner gathering. And let's not even get started on the questionable advice about relationships and women. But hey, that's the beauty of reading, you get to experience different perspectives and realities!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and your experiences with similar situations. How have you navigated the balance between work and family life? Have you faced any challenges like the ones depicted in this chapter? Do share your thoughts and reactions in the comments, I'd love to hear them!