Chapter Ninety-Six: A Gift

Jiang Zheng took a car into the city.

That morning, instead of staying home to read, he had come to the city early, intending to give his parents a surprise.

He went into the city’s largest shopping mall.

He was no stranger to places like this. When he used to work part-time, he came here often. But this was the first time he had ever spent money in a mall.

Before coming, Jiang Zheng had already decided what he wanted to buy, so as soon as he arrived, he headed straight for his target.

The two gifts cost him nearly ten thousand yuan in total. When he was buying them, he never once cared about the price.

The feeling of shopping without looking at the price tag, simply waving a hand and paying, was truly marvelous.

After experiencing it once, Jiang Zheng almost never wanted to go back.

He had not bought his parents anything too expensive, partly because he was afraid of going too far at once and scaring them.

A little under ten thousand yuan, he could say he had earned through part-time work. But if the price were too high, even a part-time job would never have brought in that much.

After buying gifts for his parents, Jiang Zheng also decided to buy himself one.

He bought the latest model of phone, spending more than ten thousand yuan.

His old phone still worked, but he had been using it for two years already. His parents had bought it for him when he entered university.

Back then, that phone had cost nearly two thousand yuan. At the time, it had been a pretty good model, but now, looking at it, it was clearly far behind.

These days, new phones came out every year, and not just one model. There were so many choices it made your eyes swim.

Jiang Zheng had long been coveting a new phone, but he had no money, and it was not easy to ask his parents for one. Since his old phone still worked, he had simply made do.

Now that he had money of his own, he naturally wanted to satisfy that long-held desire at once.

Originally, Jiang Zheng had also wanted to replace his computer, but after thinking about it, he temporarily gave up on the idea.

He felt he still needed some restraint. Human desire was boundless; if he tried to satisfy every craving without limit, then no amount of money would ever be enough.

A computer could be bought, but not necessarily now. He could wait a while.

After leaving the mall, Jiang Zheng carried his things home by car.

Because the city was still a long way from the county town, and because it was not especially easy to find a ride, Jiang Zheng did not get home until a little after one in the afternoon.

He even came close to buying a car on the spot, but after thinking it over, he still restrained himself.

That evening, when his parents came home, Jiang Zheng took out the gifts he had prepared.

"Mom, Dad, these are for you," Jiang Zheng said with a smile.

"What is it?" Jiang Zheng's mother asked, puzzled.

"Open them and you'll know," Jiang Zheng said.

At his words, Jiang Zheng's mother opened the gift bag in her hands. A red jewelry box appeared before her eyes, and she recognized at once that it was a gold box.

Beside her, Jiang Zheng's father also opened his box. His box looked rather high-end, and inside lay a wristwatch.

Seeing their respective gifts, both elders' expressions changed slightly.

Jiang Zheng's mother frowned deeply. "Where did you get so much money to buy these?"

Jiang Zheng's father said nothing, but he looked at Jiang Zheng together with his wife.

At that moment, Jiang Zheng felt quite a bit of pressure.

Then Jiang Zheng gave the explanation he had long since prepared. "I saved this money little by little from my part-time jobs."

"It wasn't easy for you to save this much. Take it back and return them. Keep the money for yourself," his mother said.

Then his father spoke as well. "Your mother is right. You're at the age when you need money. You still have to graduate, find a job, and get married someday, and all of that costs money. Your mother and I are still young enough to earn our own living. We don't need you to buy us anything."

"Mom, Dad, this is just my filial heart. Mom, the necklace around your neck has been the one you've worn ever since I can remember. You've never changed it. Dad, your watch has been sent for repairs so many times already."

Jiang Zheng's words left the couple silent for a moment.

"Mom, Dad, these things aren't that expensive. Just accept them. You've taken care of me for more than twenty years; it's time I do something for you," Jiang Zheng said.

"All right, then we'll accept them," said Jiang Zheng's father.

Jiang Zheng's mother seemed about to speak, but seeing her husband's expression, she said nothing more.

A smile appeared on Jiang Zheng's face, and he finally let out a breath of relief. At last, he had managed to give them the gifts.

"All right, since we've accepted them, go do your own things. We'll call you when it's time to eat," Jiang Zheng's father said.

Jiang Zheng agreed, which suited him perfectly. He still had to keep writing.

With three months nearly gone, his novel still had not been finished.

Jiang Zheng did not want to end it badly, nor did he want to cut too much of the plot, so he could only keep working hard to write.

Bringing a book to an end at around two million words should still be acceptable.

Jiang Zheng knew this would surely provoke some criticism. Many people would not understand why this book, which clearly could have gone on for another two or three million words, had to end so suddenly.

As long as Jiang Zheng kept writing, he could keep earning money. If he were lazy, he could write a single book for ten or twenty years and live off it for a very long time.

He had already anticipated all such doubts, but he did not intend to explain himself, nor did he want to.

In the kitchen, Jiang Zheng's mother asked, "Why did you stop me from speaking just now?"

"Speak about what? Our child has such a heart. I was happy to see it. If we kept refusing, we'd hurt him. Besides... the necklace around your neck really hasn't been changed in a long time," Jiang Zheng's father said.

At this, Jiang Zheng's mother pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Jiang Zheng's father gently embraced her and said softly, "You've suffered so much over the years. It's my fault for being useless and making you endure so much hardship with me."

Hearing this, Jiang Zheng's mother's heart softened as well.

"Don't say that. Going with you back then was my own choice. Even though life wasn't wealthy, I didn't suffer too much, and I was very happy," she said.

The two of them held each other in silence, both thinking back on old memories.

Jiang Zheng looked at his cup and had wanted to drink some water, but found it empty. He picked up the cup and went to the door to get some more, but just as he opened it, he saw that scene in the kitchen.

Startled, Jiang Zheng hurriedly closed the door again.

He would have to wait a bit before drinking. If he went out now, he suspected he would be in for a combined beating from both man and woman.

...

"Yueyue, please help me one more time, just this once," Zhang Nian said, shaking Jiang Xianyue's arm.

"No. You already appeared in one of your videos before," Jiang Xianyue said, shaking her head.

"Just help me once more, please, I'm begging you," Zhang Nian pleaded.

Looking at Zhang Nian's constant entreaties, Jiang Xianyue's heart softened. After all, she was her best friend, a companion of many years.

"All right then, I'll help you one more time," Jiang Xianyue said.

"Yay! I love you to death, Yueyue," Zhang Nian cried, hugging Jiang Xianyue and making a move as if to kiss her.

Jiang Xianyue raised her hand to block Zhang Nian's mouth. "Stop fooling around."