Orange Storm chapter 52
No one can make decisions for him
As Fang Xing finished a comprehensive exam, sounds of opening and closing doors came from the living room. He put down his pen, stood up, and after a moment of thought, grabbed a water glass and opened the door to his bedroom.
Jiang Zhijin had just changed his shoes, casually tossing the car keys onto the shoe cabinet. He looked up and saw Fang Xing standing at the bedroom door.
“Did I disturb you?”
“No,” Fang Xing raised the cup as a gesture. “I’m just getting some water.”
He wasn’t very thirsty, but as soon as he heard the sound of Jiang Zhijin opening the door, he came out immediately. It seemed a bit too deliberate.
Fang Xing went to the kitchen to pour a glass of hot water. When he returned to the living room, he continued, “My mom said she’s coming tomorrow—did she call you?”
“She did. She said she’s on a business trip and will pass through Shaojiang, arriving at 4 p.m.” Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing’s expression, and he seemed quite calm.
“I’ll pick her up at the airport tomorrow. You—”
At four o’clock, Jiang Zhijin wouldn’t make it to pick up Fang Xing after school. Fang Xing instantly understood Jiang Zhijin’s meaning and quickly continued, “I’ll come find you after school. That works.”
“Sure,” Jiang Zhijin smiled. “I’ll call you when it’s time.”
The last time Jiang Zhijin saw Zhou Ling was the year he returned from the army. It was during the year he went back to his hometown to sweep his grandmother’s grave. In his impression, Zhou Ling had always been a capable woman, straightforward and decisive. When he couldn’t afford to go to high school, Zhou Ling didn’t hesitate to cover all his expenses. At that time, Jiang Zhijin didn’t even have a bank card, let alone WeChat or Alipay. Zhou Ling called another neighbor to go to the town to get the money and handed it over to Jiang Zhijin.
The tuition and living expenses for one semester amounted to three thousand yuan. It was a thin stack of red bills, the entirety of Jiang Zhijin’s hope at the time.
Later, Jiang Zhijin learned that Zhou Ling was also in a difficult situation at the time. Working in the construction industry was not something women were generally seen doing. Zhou Ling had just gritted her teeth and paved her way in the industry.
Although it had been a long time since they last met, Jiang Zhijin recognized Zhou Ling as soon as she emerged from the arrival gate.
Zhou Ling wore a black windbreaker, her hair draped over her shoulders, slightly permed, looking neat and tidy. Jiang Zhijin walked over to take her luggage and greeted her with a “Sister Zhou.”
Zhou Ling, on the other hand, seemed a bit unable to recognize Jiang Zhijin, smiling and patting his shoulder as she looked up, sounding quite surprised.
“You’ve grown so tall!”
“I was this tall the last time I saw you, no change.” Jiang Zhijin looked helpless and led Zhou Ling out. “I’m not Fang Xing.”
Bringing up Fang Xing, Zhou Ling’s expression softened, and she asked, “How is he? Has he caused you any trouble?”
“What trouble could he cause me?” Jiang Zhijin placed her luggage in the trunk and opened the car door for her. “He’s doing well, ranks first every time, got third place in the provincial physics competition. Must have inherited it from you.”
Zhou Ling laughed heartily. “Maybe. I was pretty good when I was in school too.”
After saying that, she glanced at Jiang Zhijin and sighed, “I remember you had good grades in high school. I’ve said before that I could have covered your university tuition—”
“It was not about the tuition.” Jiang Zhijin smiled. “I just wanted to join the army.”
Zhou Ling could understand what Jiang Zhijin was thinking about at that time; it was mostly about his strong sense of pride. However, she didn’t continue with the topic. The conversation shifted back to Fang Xing.
“Xiao Xing doesn’t need anyone to worry about his studies and life. He just doesn’t like to talk much. A child with a heavy heart. You know about the situation between him and his dad, right?”
“He mentioned it to me.” Jiang Zhijin hesitated for a moment, but eventually said, “This matter has a significant impact on him.”
Zhou Ling didn’t say anything more, turned her head to look out the car window, and sighed after a while.
Zhou Ling was staying overnight in Shaojiang and had already booked a hotel. After Jiang Zhijin helped her with the luggage, they went to the restaurant.
It was already past five o’clock when they arrived at the restaurant. This happened to be Fang Xing’s school dismissal time. Taking advantage of Zhou Ling going to the restroom, Jiang Zhijin made a phone call to Fang Xing.
Fang Xing picked up quickly on the other end, and Jiang Zhijin could hear some noisy background, probably at the school gate.
“I’ve already picked up your mom. We’re at Li’s Courtyard.”
Fang Xing, who had been in a somewhat unpredictable mood all day, instantly smiled when he heard this. “Should have invited Teacher Tang along.”
“Missed that chance.” Jiang Zhijin chuckled. “Take a taxi over. We’re in private room number 6.”
It took Fang Xing about twenty minutes to get from his school to Li’s Courtyard. Jiang Zhijin asked Zhou Ling to order the dishes first. After looking at the menu for a while, she finally chose steamed spare ribs and eggplant with green beans.
“Fang Xing used to love these two dishes,” Zhou Ling said with a smile. “He wouldn’t tell you he likes them, but if they’re served, he’ll eat a bit more rice that day.”
Jiang Zhijin also laughed along.
Indeed, Fang Xing never told him what he liked to eat, and he had always been unaware. However, he didn’t expect Fang Xing to be like this at home.
The cool guy image remains unshaken.
After Zhou Ling finished speaking, she smiled and said, “But I found out from the housekeeper. I rarely have meals with him and his dad.”
Jiang Zhijin hesitated for a moment, feeling that meddling in other people’s family affairs shouldn’t be something he hastily brought up. However, thinking about the troubles Fang Xing had faced and the occasional display of emotions, he felt a bit uneasy.
It wasn’t his own discomfort; it was the discomfort on behalf of Fang Xing.
“May I ask a question? If it’s impolite, I apologize in advance,” Jiang Zhijin finally spoke. “Are you planning to divorce Fang Chenglin?”
Zhou Ling was momentarily stunned. “Of course, I want a divorce—”
After saying this, she remained silent for quite some time and ended with a bitter smile.
“But just getting a divorce like that, sometimes I feel like, why should I?”
“Why should I work so hard, only to have my life ruined by him? Why should the money I earn be taken by Fang Chenglin to support his extramarital affairs and son? Why should Fang Xing, who hasn’t even taken the college entrance exam, have to endure so much? A few days ago, he even made an appointment with a lawyer, wanting to negotiate a divorce. I patiently talked to him, and in the end, he still wanted to discuss the division of property.”
Zhou Ling sneered, “Dreaming. If it weren’t for the sake of more than a decade of marriage and Fang Xing, I would have reported him for bigamy.”
The tea at Li Family Courtyard was glutinous rice tea, a strong tea with a faint scent of glutinous rice. Zhou Ling took a sip of tea in the swirling hot steam and slowly continued, “Many people around me already know about this. Some urge me to divorce quickly, some advise me to endure for the sake of the child, and some are just waiting to see a joke.”
Zhou Ling smiled, and her whole person seemed a bit weary. “I don’t care, let them be. But Fang Xing is still a child. I sent him to Shaojiang hoping he wouldn’t be affected and could focus on the college entrance exam.”
After listening to Zhou Ling’s words, Jiang Zhijin furrowed his brows, taking some time before speaking.
Although I feel it might be inappropriate for me to say these things—”
Jiang Zhijin continued, “Regardless of where Fang Xing is, you and Fang Chenglin are his parents. Fang Xing can’t avoid being affected. He’s not an ignorant child. The concept of ‘endure for the sake of the child’ doesn’t apply to him. Preparing for the college entrance exam and divorcing are not mutually exclusive.”
Jiang Zhijin remembered the first time Fang Xing confided in him about Zhou Ling, how earnest he was, tinged with a bit of pride.
“Fang Xing has always thought highly of you. That’s why he doesn’t want you to be constrained. If you choose not to divorce for his sake, he will feel upset,” Jiang Zhijin explained.
“He’s an adult with independent thinking and basic judgment—”
Jiang Zhijin was saying this when suddenly he recalled what Fang Xing said in that phone call the other day.
Adults have basic judgment about their own feelings and such…
The sudden deviation in his train of thought made him pause, and after a few seconds, he continued.
“… No one can make decisions for him.”
After these words were spoken, the room fell into silence. Zhou Ling remained silent for a long time, looking at Jiang Zhijin without saying a word.
Outside the private room, Fang Xing, with his backpack on his back, stood at the door for a long time. When there was complete silence inside, he exhaled softly, knocked on the door, and waited.