Chapter 157

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Xiaohua and his second brother went home together, bringing the MP3 player, and that very evening, their parents discovered he had bought an MP3.

He hadn't actually hidden it away, because this was bought with his own money, and his intention in buying this thing wasn't to indulge in pleasure, but to learn English well.

He felt that no matter what, his parents surely wouldn't object, right? After all, he hadn't spent their money!

However, what Wang Xiaohua didn't expect was.

After his father Wang Zhanggen found out about this matter, he actually became extremely angry.

"What did you spend so much money buying that thing for! You just finished the high school entrance exam not long ago, and you already don't want to study anymore?"

Wang Zhanggen wore a black expression on his old face, and interrogated Wang Xiaohua in a severe voice.

Wang Xiaohua was very stunned, and also very angry.

He didn't understand why his father would have this kind of attitude toward him; he fundamentally hadn't done anything wrong.

So he talked back:

"What I buy is none of your business, I'm not spending your money!"

As a result, just because of this one sentence, Wang Zhanggen actually flew into a rage immediately; he instantly slapped Wang Xiaohua across the face, and went to snatch the MP3 player from Wang Xiaohua's hand, right in front of Wang Xiaohua's face, directly smashing it to pieces!

Wang Xiaohua was instantly dumbfounded.

Wang Erhai was also incomparably astonished, and hurriedly said:

"Dad, little brother bought the MP3 to learn English well, how can you smash things without even asking clearly? This thing cost over two hundred yuan!"

Wang Zhanggen, however, didn't take it to heart, and said coldly:

"I see that he fundamentally doesn't want to study, he's only thinking of playing and enjoyment! Wang Erhai, don't speak up for him, don't think I don't know, it was you who led him astray!"

Wang Erhai's face was full of speechlessness.

Wang Zhanggen also spoke firmly and convincingly:

"Wang Erhai, if I discover you taking your little brother out to fool around again, I'll beat you together with him!"

Looking at his father's ferocious face, Wang Xiaohua's heartfelt grievance had nowhere to be told; his two eyes silently shed tears.

At that moment, he truly hated this father to the extreme.

He wished he could strangle this father to death!

What kinship, what paternal love, what family warmth — he ignored all of it; he only wanted to strangle this stubborn old man!

But he didn't do that; he just stood rooted in place like a wooden stake, and even his tears flowed without emitting the slightest sound.

He only buried this hatred deep in the bottom of his heart.

"Xiaohua, don't blame your father either; he's also doing it for your own good!"

Li Xiulan came over at this time to comfort Wang Xiaohua.

She detected something was off from Wang Xiaohua's expression.

Wang Xiaohua laughed coldly:

"Hehe, every time you say it's for my good, but every time you're stopping me from becoming better; don't know what you're thinking in your hearts — is it stupidity, or is it malice?"

Wang Zhanggen heard these words, and flew into a rage again:

"You actually dare say we're malicious? If it weren't for us giving birth to you and raising you, you'd be nothing!"

Wang Xiaohua didn't say anything more.

He turned around and went back into his own bedroom, and locked himself inside.

All the way until dinnertime, he didn't come out.

Li Xiulan saw it in her eyes and felt pain in her heart, so she went to knock on the door:

"Xiaohua, come out and eat dinner; don't stay cooped up in the room all day; don't be angry anymore; your dad ultimately did this for your own good."

Wang Xiaohua still didn't come out.

Wang Zhanggen said coldly:

"If he doesn't come out then forget it; don't call him; I'd like to see if he can starve to death!"

Li Xiulan glared at Wang Zhanggen; actually, in her heart she also felt Wang Zhanggen's educational method was overly violent, unsuited for a child like Wang Xiaohua who was sensitive inside.

But she and Wang Zhanggen were ultimately husband and wife; she couldn't let Wang Zhanggen, as a father, lose his authority for the sake of the child.

Wang Zhanggen, a man who cared so much about face and dignity — if he lost dignity in front of the child, to him it would be no different from making him wish he were dead.

Now economic conditions were better, the family environment was also better than before; she and Wang Zhanggen rarely quarreled anymore; she didn't want to return to the life of years ago where they quarreled nonstop and everything was a mess over this trivial matter.

"Erhai, you go persuade your little brother."

Li Xiulan at this time ordered Wang Erhai to go persuade him.

Wang Erhai also hated this father Wang Zhanggen in his heart; this father was like a muddled tyrant; to maintain his own authority, regardless of right or wrong, he made all kinds of incomprehensible decisions.

But he felt even more heartache for his little brother Wang Xiaohua; he knew Wang Xiaohua had always been studying hard, striving to become better, yet the greatest resistance came from the family — for Wang Xiaohua, this was the most powerless and desperate thing.

"Little brother, open the door a bit; I have something to say to you."

Wang Erhai came to Wang Xiaohua's bedroom door and gently knocked on the door.

"Second brother, don't say anything; I'm not hungry."

From inside the bedroom came Wang Xiaohua's voice carrying resentment.

"Little brother, I'm not here to persuade you; I really have something to say to you."

Wang Erhai spoke like this.

Wang Xiaohua only then went to open the room door.

After Wang Erhai walked in, he locked the door from the inside, not letting Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan come in.

He said to Wang Xiaohua in a low voice:

"Don't be discouraged, don't we still have over two hundred yuan left? Later we can just quietly go buy a new MP3 and that'll be fine."

Wang Xiaohua was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly:

"If he finds out, he'll definitely smash it again."

Wang Xiaohua no longer addressed Wang Zhanggen as father; from then on he would only use "he" to refer to him.

"Are you stupid? Just don't let him find out."

Wang Erhai said in a low voice.

Wang Xiaohua was stunned for a moment, and also felt it made sense:

"But I originally planned to use the summer vacation to study English. If I study at home, I'm afraid it's impossible he won't discover it."

Wang Erhai then said:

"Then study secretly, lock the door, don't let him in."

Wang Xiaohua still hesitated:

"I need to read aloud to change my habit of mute English. Reading aloud is hard to keep him from knowing..."

Wang Erhai then said:

"Wait until he goes to work to study. He can't possibly stay home guarding all day."

Wang Erhai said again at this time:

"Little brother, you absolutely must not give up on yourself over such a small matter. If you give up on yourself over such a small matter, in the future you can only go out to work, do the lowest-level jobs. You still won't escape his control. You study not for this family, and even less for him, but for yourself. Do you understand?"

Wang Xiaohua looked thoughtful, slowly nodded, feeling Wang Erhai's words were very reasonable.

"Second Brother, you're right. You should work hard too. School starts in the second half of the year and you'll be in Senior Year Three. Why don't we study together? Maybe you can test into university too!"

Wang Erhai laughed instead:

"Going to university, that kind of thing, leave it to you to handle. I don't even want to think about it. I know my own level. I'm only slightly better than Big Brother's grades. My usual total exam score is only three or four hundred points. How could I get into any good university? I've already planned it out. After the Gaokao ends, I'll go out to the city to work."

Wang Erhai also laughed and said:

"If this summer vacation we don't earn enough from digging poria for your dental money, after I go out to work and earn money, I'll immediately let you get your teeth fixed!"

Hearing this, Wang Xiaohua was moved beyond measure.

"Second Brother, you're too good to me. You really understand me too well."

Wang Erhai laughed:

"We're the same age, not those old fossils of parents. Me understanding you, isn't that perfectly normal?"

Then he said:

"You also don't resent our dad too much. It's just different thoughts, different notions, a generation gap. Bottom line, he's ultimately our dad. This is a fact we can never change. Since it can't be changed, we have to learn to accept it."

Wang Xiaohua nodded:

"Mm, Second Brother, I know now!"