11: Chapter Eleven: Your Plans?

It wasn't that Zheng Shunsheng had discovered anything, but rather, his father's gaze triggered a "fear" that was ingrained in Zheng Jing's bones!

It was just that during his childhood, whenever he was being mischievous and about to get a beating from his old man, his father would have that exact expression.

Over time, this look from Zheng Shunsheng gave Zheng Jing a profound physical memory.

Zheng Shunsheng seemed to notice Zheng Jing's subconscious reaction, smiled, and then turned to look at Zhang Damei: "I'm happy today. Go to the kitchen and make a couple of extra good dishes. I'll go out and buy a few bottles of beer. My son has grown up; I'm going to have a proper drink with him."

Zheng Shunsheng's words made Zheng Jing subconsciously puff out his chest! A Chinese son spends his whole life yearning for his father's approval.

"Alright, sounds good!" Zhang Damei nodded happily, then walked toward the kitchen with a light step.

Zheng Xiaoan added from the side: "Dad, since you're going to buy beer, bring me a bottle of Coke while you're at it, and make sure it's iced…"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing quickly glared at his little sister and stopped his father, who was about to head out: "Dad, how can I let you run out to buy alcohol? You just sit at home and wait; I'll go."

Without waiting for Zheng Shunsheng to decline, Zheng Jing turned and left the house, returning shortly after carrying a case of beer. Half of it was iced, half was room temperature, and a large bottle of Coca-Cola was tucked in the middle.

In the kitchen, Zhang Damei was quick and efficient, and the meal was soon on the table. Even though Zheng Shunsheng had asked for a couple of extra dishes today, it was still just four dishes and one soup, and the food was quite plain. Because for the past two years, the Zheng family had been saving wherever they could, trying their best to pay off their debts.

Zheng Jing helped set the bowls and chopsticks, and after his mother finished bustling about, the family sat down around the table.

"Mom, it's a bit hot today, why don't you have a sip too?" Zheng Jing asked his mother after pouring a bowl for his father.

Zhang Damei smiled and shook her head: "In my life, the most I've ever drunk was two glasses of alcohol, and that was on the day you and Xiaowei got married."

Zheng Xiaoan, who was pouring Coke on the side, immediately pouted in dissatisfaction: "Mom, you're biased against boys. So, you drink for my brothers' weddings, but not for mine?"

Zhang Damei was stunned for a moment, then pinched Zheng Xiaoan's cheek: "Yes, yes, yes, Mom misspoke. Let me say it again. In my life, I will only drink four glasses of alcohol. One for your eldest brother's wedding, one for your second brother's wedding; as for the remaining two, one I'll drink when you get into university, and one when you get married…"

Only then did Zheng Xiaoan turn her anger into a smile: "That's more like it, hmph!"

"Hahaha…" The whole family was amused to laughter by her, and the gloom cast by the aunt's disturbance at their home was immediately dispelled quite a bit.

As Zheng Jing accompanied Zheng Shunsheng with a few glasses of beer, the atmosphere relaxed a bit more. Zheng Shunsheng took a sip of his drink, looked at his son, and hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself. After hesitating for a long while, he ultimately swallowed the words in his heart back down.

Zheng Jing smiled and said: "Dad, is there something you want to tell me? Between father and son, just say it directly; don't bottle it up."

Zheng Shunsheng hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly: "Xiaojing, your aunt, actually, she doesn't have a bad heart; her tongue is just too sharp. Don't take it to heart."

As he spoke these words of persuasion to his son, Zheng Shunsheng was filled with unspeakable guilt. If it weren't for his own carelessness while riding his bike back then, the family wouldn't have fallen into so much debt.

As the saying goes, one who owes a favor stands a head shorter. From then on, their family couldn't hold their heads up in front of relatives, which was why they let their sister-in-law speak so recklessly and hurt their children with her words. Ultimately, it was because he was incompetent and had dragged his wife and children into suffering grievances.

Even when his son was being mocked and scolded by his sister-in-law, he could only endure it and urge him to be magnanimous.

"Oh, so that's what it was. I thought you were going to ask about the source of that money."

Zheng Jing saw his father's distress, deliberately picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, and said in a relaxed tone: "Dad, don't worry. I'm not that petty; I really don't mind at all."

Although he said that, people are actually very contradictory creatures. Even though Zheng Jing had spoken nicely to his uncle and father earlier, and even comforted his little sister not to take it to heart, deep down, he wasn't completely indifferent to his aunt's mean-spirited words.

After all, Chen Lichan's words had indeed gone too far, and ultimately, it was hard for anyone to let go of that immediately. It was just that Zheng Jing felt it wasn't worth arguing over.

He remembered his uncle's help and cherished the bonds of kinship, which was why he chose to yield and be tolerant. This wasn't cowardice; it was because he now had the confidence and the vision, and he disdained to engage in a war of words with his aunt.

Once he established himself with the help of the system in the future and allowed his family to live a good life, it would be far more meaningful than arguing over who was right or wrong in the moment.

Seeing that his son really didn't seem to take it to heart, Zheng Shunsheng took a big gulp of his drink with relief, his expression looking very relaxed.

"Your mother and I were originally wondering where you got the money. But then we thought about it—you've been working out there for so many years, so saving twenty thousand yuan isn't that strange. What was there to ask about?"

"Hehe…" Zheng Jing smiled awkwardly.

Ending this topic, Zheng Shunsheng seemed to think of something and asked, pretending to be casual: "That girlfriend you mentioned you were seeing before, her name is Liu Meng, right? How is she doing now?"

Under the table, Zhang Damei kicked him hard and glared at him at the same time, signaling him not to bring up sore subjects!

Zheng Jing pretended not to see his mother's small gesture and replied with a calm expression: "Yes, Dad, but she and I have completely broken up; she can no longer be considered my girlfriend."

Hearing Zheng Jing confirm that he and Liu Meng had broken up, Zheng Xiaoan and Zhang Damei exchanged a glance. One was full of regret, and the other had hidden worry in her eyes. But soon, that touch of worry was quietly concealed by Zhang Damei.

Zheng Shunsheng nodded and, after a moment of silence, spoke slowly: "We won't interfere in the relationships of young people. But your aunt was not wrong about one thing just now—you're not young anymore, and you can't just continue with nothing to show for yourself. Since you can't stay in the Magic City anymore, have you seriously thought about what you plan to do for a living in the future?"

What to do in the future? Zheng Jing smiled. Perhaps before yesterday, he would have been very confused, but now, he was very clear in his heart!

He now had the Unowned Metal Detection System with him; he could go anywhere to hunt for treasure or even pick up scrap metal. In his pocket right now, there was a treasure he had just found.

In short, he couldn't guarantee whether he would become rich and wealthy in the future, but he would definitely never have to work for others or rely on selling his physical labor to make a living again.

But Zheng Jing had always believed that having a system was too bizarre and absurd to confess to anyone, even his parents. So, naturally, he couldn't tell his parents what he planned to do in the future. After all, he couldn't just say he was planning to go pick up trash, could he?

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