Teacher Mu gave Old Fang a meaningful look, and he immediately said, “Mu Yang, come with me to the study.”
Only Teacher Mu and Fei Ni remained in the living room.
Fei Ni guessed that Mu Yang’s parents’ opposition to him working at the pictorial was partly because of her.
Her dislike of Ling Yi had been visible on her face, and now she had to explain further. She didn’t want Mu Yang to give up a decent job for her sake—a job he was fully capable of doing. She couldn’t bear the responsibility of him sacrificing his future for her likes and dislikes.
When it came to one’s future, personal preferences carried no weight.
“I think he’s very suited for work at the pictorial, certainly more appropriate than working at the restaurant. He’s fully capable of the job. The Ling family has always wanted to repay his kindness—if he accepts, that debt can be settled. A small favor breeds gratitude, but a great one can breed resentment. When the debt is too heavy and can’t be repaid, people fear their benefactor might reveal the past, and that breeds antagonism. If the debt is cleared, their relationship might become more natural. Him taking the pictorial job would benefit both sides.”
Fei Ni didn’t think Ling Yi would resent Mu Yang—it was more likely she would resent Fei Ni herself. Of course, if Mu Yang took the pictorial job, Ling Yi might develop the illusion of being superior to her again.
Teacher Mu hadn’t expected Fei Ni to think things through so thoroughly—she hadn’t considered this aspect. She understood from experience how a great kindness could become like a great enmity. Though she had seen Fei Ni’s dislike for Ling Yi, Fei Ni’s rationality had allowed her to set aside personal feelings.
From the moment Mu Yang returned home, everything felt off.
Old Fang called Mu Yang to his study but didn’t immediately mention Ling Yi. Instead, he asked his son, “Do you know what the best decision I’ve made in my life was?”
Old Fang waited for his son to ask him to reveal the answer, thinking the question was quite intriguing.
But Mu Yang didn’t play along, showing no interest in his question.
Old Fang had to answer his question: “The best decision I made in my life was marrying your mother. Without her, I might not have lived to see you. Relationships that can’t weather hardships are superficial. Little Fei cared for you in your difficult times—she’s the one who can stay with you for life. When choosing a partner, choose someone who can support you in times of hardship.”
“I think what you’re saying makes some sense. Spouses should support each other, but if you’re choosing a partner just for their ability to help you through suffering, that’s rather dreary. When you chose my mother, it wasn’t just because she could share hardships with you, was it?”
“Of course not.” Old Fang temporarily overlooked his unfilial son’s misinterpretation and asked, “Then what do you think is most important when choosing a partner?”
“First, I have to like them, don’t I? If I don’t like someone but choose to be with them just because they have a good conscience and sense of responsibility, just because they’d help me in hardship—isn’t that too selfish? Besides, life can’t be all about hardship.”
Old Fang felt his unfilial son’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable but immediately became cautious again, hinting subtly: “But people should be grateful. You’re already married—having a sense of responsibility is most important.”
“Fei Ni doesn’t need me to be responsible for her—you’re underestimating her. I’m the one who can’t leave her, not the other way around. You don’t think Fei Ni desperately pursued marriage with me and I reluctantly accepted, do you?” Mu Yang smiled, “What gave you that misunderstanding?”
Only then did Old Fang remember why he’d called his unfilial son in? He affected understanding: “I was just saying that you gave your university spot to Ling Yi out of pure sympathy, with no other thoughts. But others might have different speculations… You’d better refuse the job the Ling family introduced.”
Mu Yang pressed: “Why should I refuse? I think it’s a good job.”
“Fei Ni might have some misunderstandings about you and Ling Yi. You and Ling Yi should minimize contact—there’s no need to let outsiders affect family stability. Reducing or even cutting off contact with Ling Yi won’t affect your life.” But having a jealous wife getting upset over such small matters daily would greatly affect life. This was a profound lesson Old Fang had learned from experience, but to maintain his fatherly dignity, he didn’t cite specific examples.
“Fei Ni has absolute trust in me.”
“Today Fei Ni seemed upset when she saw Ling Yi.” Old Fang was convinced his son was boasting because he had once said the same things, but in fact, his wife certainly hadn’t trusted him much.
“That wasn’t because of jealousy. You’re imagining Fei Ni’s mindset too narrowly.” Mu Yang asked Old Fang, “Do you think college entrance exams might resume next year?”
“It’s still being discussed in meetings. They’ll increase the weight of academic performance in admissions, but as for resuming entrance exams, I can’t say. Why, are you interested in taking them?” He remembered his unfilial son had no interest in the university.
“You probably don’t understand Fei Ni. She could translate Russian instruction manuals in elementary school, and she memorized simple English dictionaries early on. If entrance exams resume, whether in arts or sciences, she could get into any university she wants, but now she can only do things she’s not good at.” Forget about Ling Yi—even his prospects were becoming increasingly clear, while she temporarily couldn’t see other possibilities. It would be strange if she were in good spirits. He just hadn’t expected her mood to be so poor it showed on her face—it must have been quite bad indeed.
“Of course, I believe my daughter-in-law is exceptional, but what you’re saying seems a bit exaggerated. I have some understanding of your middle school education.” Old Fang was already amazed that his daughter-in-law understood textual criticism, but he thought his unfilial son’s words were somewhat inflated—not that he didn’t trust Fei Ni, but during those years, everything had been considered more important than academic study, including at school. In such an environment, he found it hard to believe Fei Ni could have learned much, and even if she could, there wouldn’t have been resources available.
Mu Yang smiled: “Most of Fei Ni’s education came from textbooks found at the recycling station.” He truly regretted that Fei Ni couldn’t attend university, but if she had gone to university a year earlier, she wouldn’t have married him; if two years earlier, she wouldn’t have cared for him in the hospital.
He had known early on that Fei Ni frequently visited the hospital because she wanted to attend university—she desperately wanted to go to university.
As for him giving his university spot to Ling Yi, he felt Fei Ni’s focus was primarily on the university rather than Ling Yi.
Though Fei Ni occasionally felt some unnecessary jealousy, for her, the university was far more important than Ling Yi.
Probably even between him and the university, Fei Ni would choose a university.