Chapter 13
Xie Jiayi’s parents originally worked in a state-owned enterprise, but after it went bankrupt, they made a living by doing odd jobs. Xie Jiayi had intended to bring his parents to enjoy life in City A, but they were simple, honest folk who had never seen much of the world, and having lived in a small town all their lives, they felt somewhat timid in a big city. Moreover, they were reluctant to leave their neighbors, so Xie Jiayi bought land and built a comfortable small villa in the town for them, hiring a housekeeper to take care of them. This time, he returned home without prior notice. When his mother saw him at the doorstep, she was so overjoyed she burst into tears, quickly pulling the housekeeper to the market to buy groceries. His father was a man of few words, and the house only became lively during meals.
“You could have called before coming back. Your room is now occupied by someone else; I haven’t tidied it up. Look…” His mother took a bite of rice, complaining that her son didn’t inform them of his return, and now someone else was living in his room, which was awkward to ask them to leave.
“I just decided to come and see you and dad on a whim. I’m only staying one night; any room will do. Is Xu Ya living here?” Xu Ya was the son of Xie Jiayi’s aunt; they were of similar age and quite close before Xu Ya went abroad.
“You know he doesn’t get along well with his father. Your dad and I live in this big house, and it’s wasteful to leave it empty, so we let him move in!” As his mother spoke, a slightly plump young man walked into the dining room, his hair neatly combed, with a round face, wearing a gray shirt, looking quite robust. He was twirling a keyring on his finger, making a “clink clink” sound. At the sight of Xie Jiayi, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. This was Xu Ya.
“Ah, on my way back, I wondered why the sun wasn’t setting. Turns out Jiayi has returned!”
