Chapter 33: The Landlord's Son
Seeing Zhao Chengcai's depressed look, Zhao Weiming couldn't help but worry, "Dad, you're not going to jump off the building after you've arranged your funeral arrangements, are you?"
Zhao Chengcai cursed: "You bastard, are you cursing me to death?"
Zhao Weiming was relieved to see that he was still in the mood to curse, and suddenly asked: "The place where you live has been sealed off, so what about my aunt?" He was asking about Zhao Meir's mother.
Zhao Chengcai said: "I will find another place for her, it will just be a little smaller and with worse conditions."
Zhao Weiming asked fiercely: "Where is my sister? Does she know what happened to the company?"
Zhao Chengcai waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about others. She is a PhD student who returned from the United States. She will have no worries about food wherever she goes. The one who worries me the most is you."
Zhao Weiming pretended to be cool and said: "What do I have to worry about as a grown man?"
Zhao Chengcai asked, "Besides being good at spending money, do you have any skills that can support yourself?"
"I..." Zhao Weiming was speechless.
Zhao Chengcai sighed and said, "In this world, the person I feel most sorry for is you."
Zhao Weiming was stunned and asked, "Dad, what are you talking about?"
Zhao Chengcai said, "You were actually very smart when you were young. You could remember comic books and pinyin picture books after being told to you once by adults. You were my first child, Zhao Chengcai, and a son. I was so happy at that time. But I also had a wife. Your sister was born . Your aunt knew that I had someone else outside, but she never said anything. After all, she was the first wife. In order not to feel too guilty, I gradually focused my main energy on them. As a result, it was common for me not to see you for ten days or half a month. When you were five or six years old, you still felt very strange when you saw me."
Zhao Weiming said: "I don't even remember it, why are you talking about this?"
Zhao Chengcai said, "In order to make you accept me quickly, every time I saw you, no matter whether you were reading or drawing, I always threw a lot of money at you to play video games and buy delicious and fun things. When you were in the third grade of junior high school, you secretly smoked. Do you remember what I said to you at that time?"
Zhao Weiming said: "You asked me to smoke good cigarettes, saying that good cigarettes are less harmful to the body..."
Zhao Chengcai grabbed his hair and said, "I'm a jerk dad."
Zhao Weiming said: "So you also know about my first time going to a nightclub?"
"Bullshit, what nightclub in the city isn't your dad a VIP? If I had beaten you up or kept your money, you might not be like this now."
Zhao Weiming finally came to his senses after a while and murmured, "I've always felt that there was someone leading me astray since I was a child. It turns out to be you."
Zhang Nianzu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and said, "Uncle Zhao, why are you doing this?" He now felt as if Zhao Chengcai was raising the son of his enemy... This was also a question he had been unable to understand for a long time. Although Zhao Weiming was careless, he was not stupid. In particular, the brilliance that flashed inadvertently sometimes made Zhang Nianzu look at him with new eyes. If he had been educated well since childhood, he would definitely not be like this now.
Zhao Chengcai said, "I still feel guilty about Xiao Ming. I always feel that giving money is the most direct way to make up for it. I've thought about it. As long as nothing unexpected happens, I can support him for the rest of his life even if he lives like this. The son can be a bastard just like the father, so he can't be considered unfilial in this regard."
Zhao Weiming was speechless and said, "Dad, how can a nouveau riche like you live such a poetic life? Tell me, who do you feel guilty towards?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Chengcai said seriously: "In this life, I only feel guilty towards four people, your aunt, your mother, you and your sister."
Zhang Nianzu covered his face and said: "In short, you are unworthy of one household registration book -" In fact, there were two household registration books.
Zhao Chengcai said to Zhao Weiming: "A man can be full of evil in his life, but he must not owe emotional debts. To put it bluntly, he must not marry two wives."
Zhao Weiming said: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Zhang Nianzu looked at the funny father and son chatting endlessly, and suddenly said, "Uncle Zhao, I have a question I have always wanted to ask you. What do you think about the issue of succession?"
Zhao Chengcai said, "The ideal situation is of course for my son and daughter to fight side by side, but later on, Xiao Ming was already on the verge of collapse. His sister has been excellent in both character and learning since she was young. She has been receiving scholarships in the United States for many years and has never even asked me for money. I feel relieved to hand over the company to her, but it is hard for her, a student majoring in business management, to take over such a mess. Fortunately, this problem does not exist now."
Zhang Nianzu said: "Have you never thought about training Xiao Ming?"
Zhao Chengcai said: "I am doing this for his own good."
Zhao Weiming said: "Why didn't I see that?"
Zhao Chengcai said, "You are not cut out for this. If I hand over the company to you, you will be the only one who will suffer. Isn't it better to just take the money without doing any work? After I die, I will naturally leave a will for your sister to take care of you. After all, I love you more."
Zhao Weiming thought about it and it made sense. The local rich man also had his own wisdom. Since his daughter was smart and capable, he let her inherit the family business and work, and he left his son alone if he was idle. In the end, the family property was preserved, and his spiritual pursuits were also continued. It can be said that he took everything into consideration.
Zhao Chengcai waved his hand and said, "It's useless to say anything now. I wanted to give you a good life, but in the end I still have to make you suffer with me. Xiao Ming, I just hope you don't hate me."
Zhao Weiming said: "I am the one who enjoys eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, why should I hate you?"
Zhao Chengcai took out his empty wallet and said, "I still have over 1,000 yuan here. Take it. Dad may not be able to give you money often in the future."
Zhao Weiming's eyes turned red. He didn't take the money, but asked, "What are you going to do in the future?"
Zhao Chengcai took out a car key from the drawer and put it on the table, saying , "I used all my cars as collateral, plus my real estate and luxury cars, to finally pay off the bank debt. I'm lucky, I still have a taxi left." The old man laughed dryly and said, "I, Zhao Chengcai, have been dealing with taxis all my life, and finally became a taxi driver, so I can say that I have a good start and a good end."
Zhao Weiming stretched out his hand and said, "Give me the key."
Zhao Chengcai asked doubtfully: " You..."
Zhao Weiming said seriously: "I will drive a taxi to support you and my mother in the future."
"Can you do it?"
Zhao Weiming chuckled and whispered to Zhao Chengcai, "You are also a frequent visitor to the nightclub. Don't you know that if you say this, the ladies will laugh at you? How can a man say no?"
The father and son smiled at each other, and Zhao Chengcai put the car keys in Zhao Weiming's hands.
Zhang Nianzu said: " Uncle Zhao , let's go together. I'll take you back."
Zhao Chengcai waved his hand and said, "You guys go first. I want to stay for a while before the people from the court arrive."
…
When leaving, Zhao Weiming kept walking in front, trying not to let others see his face. After going downstairs, he got into a taxi. Zhang Nianzu knocked on the window and said, "Go to my place first. I'll help you check the condition of the car."
Zhao Weiming didn't roll down the car window and drove away. The boy seemed to be crying.
After returning to the repair shop, Zhao Weiming parked his car at the door and ran to the corner and sat there with his knees hugged.
"Grandpa, I will no longer be the landlord's stupid son." Zhao Weiming said in a deep voice.
Zhang Nianzu shook his head and opened the hood of the taxi.
Zhao Weiming's voice floated out from the room again: "You still asked me what kind of stimulation I would like to find in the future. Now I have the answer - is there anything more exciting than being a taxi driver?"
Zhang Nianzu asked: "Do you regret it?"
"Why are you regretting this? Can I really let the old man drive a taxi around the streets?"
Zhang Nianzu smiled and said, "You can cry if you want."
"I cried all the way here." Zhao Weiming suddenly said, "Hey Nianzu, why do you put an altar in the corner?"
Zhang Nianzu was stunned for a moment and said, "Didn't you ask me to help you find someone named Liu Yuejin a few days ago?"
Zhao Weiming asked hurriedly: "What's wrong?"
"I found it for you."
Zhao Weiming asked excitedly: "Really? Where is he?"
Zhang Nianzu glanced into the room and said, "That's what you are holding."
