"Mom, I have a job, I'm not unemployed," Su Qing explained helplessly while working.
No way, although his mom is quite rebellious, her mindset is still somewhat traditional. For instance, when it comes to jobs, in her opinion, you should find a proper, decent one, preferably as a civil servant or teacher, next best is to find a seemingly decent company, and at the very least, working in a factory screwing bolts is still a job.
Someone like him who stays home every day is considered idle, the sort you'd be embarrassed to talk about.
"What kind of work do you have staying at home all day? That online money-making hustle of yours sounds like a scam no matter how you explain it."
[Your forever-rebellious mom expresses her complete disdain for you, and she even doesn't want to cook for you tonight.]
Su Qing: -_-|||
Alright then, clearly, he has no status at home.
"Mom, is there any food? I'm hungry!"
"There's half a chicken leg left by Da Huang, you..."
Su Qing: "Hold on, Mom, I'm your biological son, right? What's up with this? If there's no food, there's no food. You've got me doubting if I'm really your biological son now."
Hearing this, Zhou Hui took the cucumber slices off her face and casually tossed them in the trash, replying with a playful expression:
"You're just now doubting it?"
"I already doubted if you were swapped at the hospital back when you came last in your elementary school exams."
"Otherwise, how could someone as sharp as your mom have a son as dumb as you?"
"Ah, it's just that now I'm getting older and want to hold onto a little hope, otherwise, I'd take you to get a test done."
As soon as she finished, the aside played again:
[Rebellious mom is afraid you aren't her biological child and feels it's embarrassing to have given birth to you]
Su Qing:...
This is out of line, this is the first time he's heard of someone hoping their kid was swapped. Well, that's very like his mom.
Before Su Qing could get back to his senses, his mom tossed a set of keys his way: "In a bit, drive to school and pick up your sister."
Yes, their Su Family is a family of four, and he has a high school-aged sister named Su He. Every time he thinks of his sister, he feels like he wants to hit something; she's so pretentious, and crucially, she's the youngest, so her status in the family is even higher than his.
"Mom, aren't you the one who usually picks her up?" Su Qing said helplessly.
He just got home, hadn't even had the time to settle in, and now he's being tasked with errands; it feels like his mom called him home just to run errands.
"Your mom has something important to do today, can't do without me. Go quickly, don't keep your sister waiting!" Zhou Hui said, pushing her son out the door.
[Rebellious mom is lying to her son; in reality, she's meeting someone at the corner mahjong room, and she'll lose one hundred and thirty bucks today, taking out her anger on you.]
The familiar aside gave him a timely hint once again.
Su Qing:...
"Mom...wait, hold on!" Su Qing hung onto the doorframe and asked, "Are you going to play cards?"
Zhou Hui: Σ(°△°
Hearing this, Zhou Hui was shocked. She didn't expect her son, who isn't particularly clever, to figure out her secret plan.
"Mom, maybe you shouldn't go today; it doesn't seem like your luck is good today. Besides, what's so fun about mahjong? If you've got time, why don't you find Auntie Li and join a square dance?" Su Qing advised.
For no other reason than the aside saying that his mom would lose money today; a hundred or so isn't a lot, but blaming him for it isn't reasonable, is it?
With those words, Zhou Hui glared: "You're the one who's unlucky, watch your mouth!"
"The culture of mahjong is vast and profound; its essence lies in creating order amidst the chaos through the random drawing of tiles."
[The rebellious mom, seen through by her son, is a bit flustered and feels embarrassed. Her anger meter is at seventy-two percent and rising...]
In response, Su Qing widened his eyes. Wow, creating order amidst chaos—Batman would call this an expert move; is this the big picture?
For the first time, he felt that playing mahjong was so sophisticated, as if his mom was going to assume Batman's role and clean up Gotham City.
"No, Mom, didn't our Su Family vow to be fiercely opposed to gambling and drugs?" Su Qing tried to persuade again.
"Sorry, my last name is Zhou, not part of your Su Family."
Su Qing:...
"Mom, do you believe that if you play cards today, you'll definitely lose?"
"Ha, wanna bet I'll smack you!" Zhou Hui raised her hand as if about to discipline her eldest son, terrifying Su Qing into fleeing instantly.
[Rebellious mom once more establishes her authority in front of her son, upholding her dignity, but will attribute the loss later to your jinxing. Be careful.]
The aside caught him off guard again, so it turned out that he was just being extra for no reason all along.
Holding the keys, he went to the parking spot, where a Honda Accord was parked. This car was usually driven by his dad. As for him, there was no plan to buy him a car yet, and what's more, this car was bought less than half a year ago. Usually, his dad wouldn't let him touch it, fearing he might ding it.
He started the engine, gave it some gas; though his moves were not as skilled as a veteran driver, they were decent. He had gotten his driver's license during college, so driving cautiously wasn't a problem.
The road was a bit congested, taking about half an hour before Su Qing drove to the entrance of Experimental High School, where many cars were already parked.
It's high school, so there's hardly any weekend breaks; they have one and a half days off every two weeks, especially since his sister is a senior. There's less than a month until the college entrance exam; it's very tense.
Su Qing cautiously parked the car slightly away from the school gate; he really didn't want to be there. He wasn't worried about others, mainly that he was a bit scared of his high school class teacher.
Yes, he also attended high school here, and his class teacher is now teaching his sister as well. He would avoid this at all costs, let alone willingly put himself in such a bind.
Just then, the car door suddenly opened, and in came a girl wearing a blue-and-white striped short-sleeved school uniform, with a ponytail, her eyebrows and eyes bearing a seventy percent resemblance to Su Qing, who greeted without hesitation:
"Oh, big brother finally remembered his little sister, huh? If not for those outside girls breaking your heart, would you have thought of your poor, bitter little sister?"
In response, Su Qing didn't even look up, sighed, and said powerlessly: "Hey, come on, cut it out, will you?"
Yes, the person who came was his sister, the youngest in the Su Family, Su He.
Putting her bag down, Su He continued: "In this boiling hot weather, my brother must be tired. Come on, have a sip of water."
She said, bringing an iced water bottle to his lips.
"I'm not thirsty."
"Look at that, all it took is a few more words from your sister, and you're like this. Never mind, it's my fault for talking too much," Su He said in a tone mimicking Lin Daiyu, perfectly embodying that delicate, pretentious aura.
Su Qing:...
No choice, he could only take the water and have a sip, but before he could swallow, he heard:
[The pretentious Su He isn't as simple as she seems; she's already plotting what to gain from you]
The slow and magnetic voice narrated, and the next second:
"Big brother, we have a parent-teacher conference next Monday, I want..."
Su Qing: "Tui~"
Su He:...
...