<<Flashback to the Fall of Two Years Ago>>
Dai Zhiqiang looked at his phone screen seriously. Sitting with him at the dining table, Dai Shenqiang and Dai Heng appeared nervous as well, as they played with the glass of warm honey tea in their hand.
"How is it, Brother? Did you make it?" Dai Shenqiang asked him for the nth time that day.
S International High School was a prestigious school that everyone looked up to. Dai Zhiqiang was his older brother he was proud of, and that brother of his was applying for the scholarship program in that school. Knowing how smart his brother was, Dai Shenqiang believed he could get accepted with no problem. However, because of their father, he could not help but feel restless.
Beside him, Dai Heng looked like he could age faster just from the suspense. How wonderful would it be if his eldest son could go to an excellent school like that?
He had always felt bad for his eldest son because he could not provide him with the best education, but Dai Zhiqiang never complained and had always been self-sufficient since he was a child. Even with their financial shortcomings, he boldly declared that he could get a scholarship just to ease Dai Heng's mind and burden. For him, Dai Zhiqiang was his precious and proud son.
"How is it, Zhi?" Dai Heng wished that his eldest son could get accepted, not because he hoped for the scholarship benefit, but because he wanted his son to get the best education for himself.
Unlike the two who were jittery, Dai Zhiqiang was perfectly calm as he refreshed the school's website once more. His eyes revealed no ripple of emotion as the list of accepted students had finally been uploaded.
He opened the tab for scholarship students, and he found his name on top of the list. There was no need to scroll down further. A faint smile crept on his lips.
Dai Shenqiang knew what that subtle reaction meant, and his face immediately lit up. "Brother! Did you get accepted?"
"Yeah."
"Heaven is helping us! Thank goodness! I'm so happy for you, my son!" Dai Heng was so happy tears were forming in the corner of his eyes. He walked over and patted Dai Zhiqiang on his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. I'm very sorry I could do nothing for you…."
"Father." Dai Zhiqiang cut his sentence and gripped the hand on his shoulder firmly. "You have done a lot for me, so please don't say that. I promised you I would give you a leisurely retirement life, didn't I? This is just the beginning of that. If you constantly feel bad about it, I will feel upset."
Dai Heng was so touched that he could not hold back his tears. He was just an ordinary and soft-hearted man. His earnings were low, but he was always content with his life.
He thought there was nothing wrong with their life; that was why he did not suspect that his wife would cheat on him. When he found out the truth, he was devastated and almost gave up on everything, but he could not leave his two sons behind.
His sons had grown up into admirable people in the blink of an eye. There was a limit on what he could do for them because he did not earn much from his job, so he had always felt sad for them and angry at himself for being a useless father.
However, his eldest son's solemn promise reached deep into his heart. He felt like everything that happened was worth it, and he would regret nothing as long as he could see his sons grow up, make a family on their own, and live happily ever after.
"Thank you, Zhi." Dai Heng's voice trembled as he said that.
Dai Shenqiang could not stand the sappy atmosphere and jokingly said, "Father, you cried as if you were the one who got accepted. Brother did not even flinch, but here you are crying a river. The house will get flooded!"
"This is happy tears, one that I did not feel ashamed to show you at all!" Dai Heng smiled while wiping his tears. "Forget about that! Today we will not eat at home. Let's eat something nice outside!"
"Yay! I want to eat steak!" Dai Shenqiang immediately went on board with the suggestion.
Dai Heng puffed out his chest and tapped it proudly. "Just say whatever you want to eat. Father will buy it for you tonight! This is to celebrate Zhi's getting accepted to a famous school."
"Father, you don't have to—"
Dai Zhiqiang's words were interrupted with his brother's nudge on his rib. While Dai Heng was still blissfully talking about a few good restaurants out there, Dai Shenqiang whispered to his slow-witted older brother.
"Stupid! If you refuse now, you will only make Father feel bad. He just wants to do something nice for you, so just go along with it!"
Dai Zhiqiang thought it was a waste of money to eat outside over a simple thing like this. However, when he saw the joyful look on his father's face, he could not bring himself to refuse it.
In the end, the family of three went to an affordable steak restaurant to have dinner at Dai Shenqiang's suggestion. The steak was not that delicious because it was the cheap one, but Dai Zhiqiang would never forget the warmth he felt in his heart at that time.
***
However, on the day of the entrance ceremony, Dai Heng hurt himself by falling on the kitchen, causing the plate in his hand to fall and crash onto the floor.
Dai Shenqiang had already gone to his school, so only Dai Heng and Dai Zhiqiang were at the house.
"Father, are you okay?!" Dai Zhiqiang rushed over to his crouching father and asked worriedly.
Dai Heng's face was pale, but he forced himself to smile. "I'm fine. I just slipped a bit, so you should go now, Zhi. It's your first day at your new school. Don't be late on such an important day."
"No, it's fine. There would be only a ceremony, after all. It's fine if I don't go today." Dai Zhiqiang helped his father sit on the chair and fetched a glass of warm water for him.
Dai Heng received it and took a sip before he said, "Don't be like that. Studying is important, but making friends is also important. If you miss the first day, you will miss the chance to know your classmate. Besides, don't you have a speech to do?"
"Father, how do you know that?"
He chuckled. "Don't blame your brother. Because you never told me anything, I have to ask Shen sometimes about your situation." Then, he said without anger in his voice. "You rascal! How could you not tell your father about something big as this?"
"I just…. think it was not such a big deal. It was just a formal speech to show the school's generosity to the public. Nothing extravagant of the sort."
"You are as stiff as always," Dai Heng chuckled. "Learn to be more flexible, like your brother. You would never know. Perhaps something good will happen if you go to school now. It's okay if you fail but never miss a chance. It's better to fail rather than do nothing than regret it afterward."
"But I can't leave you in the house like this. You don't look very well, Father."
"Don't worry about me. I told you I just slipped, didn't I? You worried too much. Just go already."
Dai Heng reassured his son many times until Dai Zhiqiang finally relented. He promised to go home as soon as possible and looked back many times before going out of the house.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶