Chapter 3 — A Debt of Filial Duty

An Hoa, do not speak with such bitterness.

I replied, I am merely making our relationship clear.

You adopted a child, and I did not object.

You are raising him, and I do not interfere.

Yet you must not shift his burdens onto my shoulders.

My father stared at me for a long time. In his gaze lay disappointment, intertwined with suppressed anger. Finally, he spoke. Very well.

You have grown quite bold and stubborn now.

In a few days, you will come to your senses.

I answered, there is no need to wait a few days.

My mind is already entirely clear.

My mother grew so furious that her chest heaved violently. She reached out with the intent to shove the door open. I pulled the panel back toward me. The gap was left no wider than half my face.

If you do not announce your visits in advance, do not come to my home ever again.

You dare!

I said, you are welcome to try. The hallway fell silent for a brief moment. My father picked up the bag of fruit from the floor, choosing not to hand it to me after all. He turned and walked toward the elevator. My mother dragged little Peng Peng along behind, still hurling abuses.

An ungrateful wretch.

Even a dog raised in a home knows how to wag its tail.

Just before the elevator doors slid shut, Peng Peng suddenly pulled a grotesque face at me. His lips moved without emitting a sound.

All yours.

I shut the door. The apartment was profoundly still. Little Nghien had finished more than half her bowl of noodles. Seeing me step back inside, she asked in a soft voice, Mother, are they going to take our home away from us? I walked over and gently stroked her hair.

They will do no such thing.

She nodded. Yet I saw the hand gripping her chopsticks tighten until her knuckles turned white. In that fleeting instant, the very last shred of hesitation in my heart snapped completely. That evening, I sent a second message to Lawyer Tan.

Please help me draft a formal declaration.

From this day forward, all debts, living expenses, educational costs, and medical bills concerning my parents and that child shall bear no relation to me whatsoever.

Lawyer Tan replied almost immediately.

Are you certain you wish to be this ruthless?

I gazed at the amber light spilling from Little Nghien's bedroom door. I tapped the screen.

It is not a matter of being ruthless.

It is a matter of cutting my losses.

04

Over the following days, my mother called me without fail every single day. I refused to answer. She resorted to sending voice messages. Each message grew longer than the last. On the first day, she wept as she claimed her chest ached. On the second day, she berated me for lacking a conscience. On the third day, she began forwarding those so-called family-oriented articles. Essays about how an elder sister is like a mother. Tracts preaching that blood ties matter more than money. Preaching that no matter how capable a woman becomes, she must never forget her maternal home. I did not open a single one. My father remained silent for two days. Yet the longer he held his tongue, the more certain I grew that the matter was far from over. On the evening of the fourth day, after finishing her bath, Little Nghien emerged holding my phone.

Mother, grandmother has sent another message.

I took the device to inspect it. Upon the screen was a photograph. Peng Peng sat before a brand-new study desk, a neat row of toy cars lined up across its surface. My mother had appended a single sentence.

Your younger brother says he wants a large desk just like the one in your study; bring him out to buy one this weekend.

I replied with two words.

I will not.

She shot back instantly.

Your younger brother is asking you for a favor for the very first time, and this is how you respond?

I offered no further reply. The next second, her call came straight through. I hung up. She dialed again. I disconnected again. By the third time, I added her number to the blacklist. The world finally grew quiet. Yet the tranquility lasted only until the following morning. The company receptionist placed an internal call to inform me that an elderly visitor was asking for me. When I descended to the lobby, my father was sitting upon the sofa. He wore a dark grey jacket, his back held impeccably straight. Beside him rested a thermal flask. Catching sight of me, he rose to his feet.

Your mother brewed some soup and told me to bring it to you.

I glanced down at the thermal flask.

Thank you, but I have no need for it.

The smile on my father's face stiffened.

You refuse even the soup your mother personally simmered?

I have a meeting this noon.

The soup can be left here.

The company does not accept outside food deliveries.

It was an excuse plucked casually from the air. Naturally, my father understood my implication. He fell silent for several seconds.

An Hoa, must you truly force us into such a position?

I said, it was you and mother who came to my workplace. He lowered his voice.

At our advanced age, do we desire anything more than a peaceful family life for everyone?

Peng Peng has only just arrived, and he lacks a sense of security.

You are the adult; if you take a step back, the household will remain stable.

I asked, what step must I take? His gaze drifted away.

First, come home and share a meal with us.

Acknowledge this younger brother in front of the child.

Then prepare a welcome gift for him.

I asked, what sort of welcome gift does he desire? My father did not answer immediately. His fingers stroked the strap of the thermal flask. I was far too familiar with this gesture. Whenever he wished to demand something from me, he always acted thus. True to form, he spoke. It need not be anything excessive.

Do you not still own that apartment near the elite school district that you have been renting out?

Stop leasing it out for the time being.

Peng Peng will need it when he begins school.

I looked at him. The lobby was bustling with foot traffic. A colleague recognized me from afar and offered a polite nod. I returned it with a faint smile. When I turned back, my father was still awaiting my response. I said, the monthly rent for that property is twenty-two thousand yuan.

Do your parents intend to pay the rent?

His expression shifted.

Family members living in your apartment, and you expect them to pay rent?

I replied, it is not for the sake of living there.

It is so he can attend that school and occupy that enrollment quota.