Chapter 11 — The Day My Father Remarried

That house holds a share that belongs to you.

If it truly goes up for auction, then your portion of the asset will also be lost.

He looked at me, his gaze immensely heavy.

I want you to come work at the company so you can have a stable job.

Once you find your footing, I will help you redeem the house from the bank.

My voice choked.

Why are you helping me?

That is my father's debt...

His voice suddenly dropped, carrying a trace of trembling that was hard to detect.

Because before she passed away, your mother entrusted you to me.

I froze.

You still remember. During those final days, while I was at the hospital, your mother took my hand and said to me:

‘Defender of the Nation... Wan Wan is still young. Your older brother... I cannot rest easy. Please help me take care of Wan Wan. Do not let her suffer any injustices.’

At these words, his eyes turned red. I looked at him, my own eye corners burning hot. My lips trembled several times, unable to utter a single word. During my mother’s final days, I only knew that my father was inside the hospital room while I stood outside the door. I never knew she had met with my eldest uncle in private, entrusting me to him like that.

That is why, after your father remarried, I always remained silent. He wanted to marry Liu Meiling, and I did not stop him. He cut off your living expenses, and I made up the difference. He kept it from you when he mortgaged the house, and I kept it from you too. But that house can never be lost. It is the only thing your mother left behind for you.

My tears finally broke free, falling onto my graduation gown.

Uncle...

Do not cry.

He gently patted the back of my head, exactly as he used to do when I was a little child.

Your mother said not to let you suffer, so I will not let you suffer. Starting next Monday, go to work with peace of mind and try your best. Before the end of the year, I will find a way to redeem the house first. But you must never let your father find out about this. Given his personality, if he knew I was secretly helping, he would rather let the bank foreclose on it than accept this favor.

I nodded repeatedly, tears still streaming endlessly. Only then did I understand why, three years ago when he lent me money, my uncle had added:

Do not let your father know.

I also understood why my father always warned me not to become too close to my uncle. He was afraid I would learn everything. Afraid I would no longer be able to look him in the eye. Even more afraid that I would look down upon him. But truly, I no longer blamed my father. A middle-aged man who had lost his wife and failed in business, willing to cut off his own daughter's living expenses just to provide a home for his new wife—his lingering guilt and meager remaining pride had imprisoned him, turning him into a father who dared not face his own daughter.

Defender of the Nation stood up, brushing the dust from his trousers, instantly returning to his usual brisk demeanor.

Alright, stop crying. Let us go. I will treat you to a wonderful meal to celebrate your graduation.

I stood up as well, wiping my tears firmly, and straightened my graduation cap on my head. Across the campus, graduates everywhere were taking pictures with their families. Golden sunlight blanketed the earth. I looked at my uncle's slightly stooped back, suddenly feeling that the summer of that year was dazzlingly bright. I had never imagined that my very first job after graduation would be handed directly to me by a relative who was desperately trying to save my home. Nor had I expected that the greatest debt of gratitude in my life would not stem from the parenting of my father, but from a promise that this older brother had shouldered on behalf of my mother for so many years.

At exactly eight o'clock on Monday morning, I arrived at Defender of the Nation's auto parts workshop. Inside the plant, machinery was already thundering into operation, and the air was thick with the scent of machine oil.