Watching the Setting Sun Along the Same Path - Chapter 16

“You’re making me unhappy.” Lu Ketong glanced at his watch while eating. That damned Lu Ruopei had found him a real, proper one-on-one tutor, and class started at eight. He didn’t want to go, and Wen Ning wasn’t helping him either.

Lu Ruopei gave him a faint look and said, “You’ve been causing me pain for years.”

It was really just a retort to his earlier remark, but Lu Ketong had always viewed Lu Ruopei through heavily tinted glasses. He immediately threw down his chopsticks and snapped back, “If it’s so painful, why did you have me? I’m in pain too. On cloudy or rainy days, I feel the pain of the umbilical cord being cut; on sunny days, I feel the heat of the incubator.”

Wen Ning served him some soup and said, “Look at you, acting all tough. Seems like no weather suits you.”

He glared at Lu Ruopei. “Seeing him makes me uncomfortable. The sins of the father are visited upon the son—I’m afraid I’ll suffer retribution later.”

“Lulu!” Wen Ning gently patted his head, then whispered, “You’re getting more and more off track. Hurry up and eat; the tutor will be here soon. All this arguing gives me a headache every day. Can’t you let me have some peace?”

Lu Ketong went upstairs to get ready. Lu Ruopei sighed and loosened the fist he had clenched under the table. Wen Ning brought him a cup of herbal tea and said, “Why do you have to provoke the little ancestor? Just watch—he’ll be so angry he probably won’t sleep before midnight.”

“I won’t sleep before two a.m. What’s midnight to him?” Lu Ruopei finished his tea and went upstairs too.

All top-tier tutors seemed to have a similar air about them. Lu Ketong found himself missing the online tutor he’d had before—after spending thousands on him, he’d grown attached. “Teacher, I write slowly. Could you please speak a bit slower?” He opened his notebook, smiled at the tutor, and noticed a mole on the tutor’s chin.

The two-hour class ended at ten. After seeing the tutor out, he still had homework to finish. Wen Ning massaged his shoulders and asked how the lesson went.

“Pretty good. And he has a mole on his chin, like Chairman Mao. I like it.”

By the time he finished his homework, he was exhausted. Lu Ketong collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes, but once they were shut, his mind grew alert again. A brain that had just studied really worked well. He texted Fei Yuan: “I had tutoring today. So tired.”

Fei Yuan replied quickly: “Get some good rest.”

He hurriedly added: “This counts as improving myself, right? Can I earn points?”

“Still thinking about that.” Fei Yuan was resting in the courtyard. Fei Dean had gone out drinking and hadn’t returned yet; he’d go pick him up in another fifteen minutes. Remembering Lu Ketong’s silly expression, he replied: “Two points.”

“Only two points? That’s not valuing education enough.” Lu Ketong had just grumbled when his phone rang. He answered: “Qiuqiu, can’t sleep and want to chat?”

Qiu Luomin was furious too: “Did you fucking sell your account?! I logged in and the level is almost catching up to mine, and you even got married! How much did you sell it for? You owe me a meal!”

Lu Ketong was so startled he tugged at the corner of his blanket. “I didn’t! I’ve been studying the whole time. Maybe it got hacked? I had such good gear—I’m really going to cry.”

“Cry my ass…” Qiu Luomin hung up.

After the initial shock, his mind, now sharpened by the tutor, felt smarter than before. Lu Ketong stared at the light until he felt a bit dizzy, then groggily got up and turned on his computer. Logging in, he was truly horrified.

The system notification read: User [Have Fewer Children, Build More Roads] has entered into matrimony with user [Overgrown Fields and Flying Weeds]. [Autumn Fairytale] has unfriended [Have Fewer Children, Build More Roads].

“Overgrown Fields and Flying Weeds”—sounded like a total hottie.

Fei Dean returned reeking of alcohol. Fei Yuan clicked his tongue and said, “Your workplace is really something, everyone’s a bigger drinker than the last.” Just then, his phone rang. Fei Dean was about to hum along, but Fei Yuan walked into the house and said, “Go to bed quickly, and keep it down.”

He answered the phone and could hear the other person panting heavily on the line.

“Yuan Xi Duo Fei Peng, is that you? It’s me, your in-game partner, ‘Have Fewer Kids, Build More Roads.'”

Fei Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s me. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“How can I sleep, my dear wife? Ah-ha!” Lu Ketong got excited again, spouting a bunch of sweet nothings. Even after hanging up, he was still buzzing with energy. First, he sent a friend request to Qiu Luomin, then he topped up his game account.

New hairstyle? Buy it for the husband.

New accessory? Buy it for the husband.

New cloak? Buy two—matching couple outfits.

After messing around until past one in the morning, he finally crawled back into bed, feeling like he’d achieved success in both love and studies. Just as he was grinning to himself, the door suddenly opened. Lu Ketong quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, afraid Wen Ning would nag him.

The bedside lamp clicked on, and the blanket was tucked in around him. Sensing something off, he opened his eyes to find Lu Ruopei standing there.

“What time is it? Why aren’t you asleep?”

“You woke me up.”

“You sleep like a log—even thunder wouldn’t wake you.”

“Why do you look down on pigs?”

Lu Ruopei sighed, realizing it was impossible to have a proper conversation. He placed his hand on Lu Ketong’s stomach, pressing gently through the blanket, and said softly, “You just say whatever comes to mind, even talking about the pain of cutting the umbilical cord. You sure know a lot.”

Lu Ketong squirmed, trying to avoid the touch. Lu Ruopei patted his stomach and said, “Back then, there were no incubators. How did you manage to grow up so lively and energetic?” He sounded almost nostalgic. “You were so tiny—I was really afraid we wouldn’t be able to keep you.”

“You kept me, but you still make me unhappy.” Lu Ketong stopped moving and lay there obediently.

Lu Ruopei sighed helplessly. “And now it’s my fault again. Isn’t that why I came to apologize? So, how are the classes? Are you keeping up? If not, we can find something else.”

“They’re fine.” Lu Ketong looked at Lu Ruopei, suddenly behaving again. “Aren’t you done with work yet? It’s so late.”

Lu Ruopei teased him, “If you’re showing concern, there must be an ulterior motive. Did you run out of pocket money?”

How infuriating! It was just genuine concern—though, admittedly, he had run out of pocket money… Lu Ketong pouted helplessly. After splurging on his “wife” in the game, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

“I’ll behave. I need money.”

The father-son relationship only remained peaceful for one night and one day. By the next evening, Lu Ketong was on the verge of tearing the roof off again. Wen Ning slumped on the sofa, massaging her temples with her eyes closed, utterly exasperated.

Lu Ruopei remained calm as ever, flipping through a magazine. “I haven’t had any social engagements lately, so I’ll be home every day to supervise you.”

“You’re the mayor and you have no social engagements? You’re about to be ousted!” Lu Ketong had thought he only had to attend classes one day a week, but it turned out Lu Ruopei had arranged five tutors for him—one for every weekday evening.

Exhausted from his tantrum, he sat on the stairs, hugging the railing, and declared, “I am beyond anger. This family is devouring me. Language, math, and English cannot imprison my soul; physics, chemistry, and biology cannot crush my will. In fifteen years, I’ll be a happy little illiterate again.”

Five days, six subjects—and there was originally one more on Saturday. Lu Ruopei was genuinely worn out. “Do whatever you want on the weekends. If this goes on any longer, I won’t last fifteen years—I’ll die of anger.”

Counting down the seconds, Lu Ketong finally made it through the week and welcomed the weekend. He headed out early in the morning with his DSLR camera slung over his shoulder. The entrance to the sports center was empty—everyone else hadn’t arrived yet.

It was almost nine o’clock when everyone finally gathered, including Wang Haoyan and Jian Xin. The class sports committee member, wearing a new jersey, pulled Lu Ketong over for a photo. Fei Yuan watched from the side and said, “You can’t just make the kid work for free. Buy him an ice pop later.”

As the weather grew hotter, everyone was drenched in sweat by noon, so they retreated to the bleachers to cool off and rest. The sports committee member bought a bag of ice pops, which were gone in five seconds.

Lu Ketong broke his ice pop in half, compared the two pieces, and handed the larger one to Fei Yuan. Turning his head, he saw Wang Haoyan doing the same, but after breaking his, he gave both halves to Jian Xin.

…He’s even better than me.

After resting, they played a bit more, continuing until the afternoon before finally dispersing. Before they left, the class monitor said, “Lulu, let’s take a group photo.” The boys in this class were all show-offs, so upon hearing this, they immediately started wiping sweat and fixing their hair. “Get into position, everyone. Wang Haoyan, you two are too far to the side. And why is that guy sticking his butt out?” Lu Ketong placed the DSLR on a platform, adjusted it, and checked it once more before shouting, “No one stands behind Fei Yuan! I’m going to stand there.”

He pressed the shutter and immediately ran over. Fei Yuan sat cross-legged in the middle, and after standing behind him, Lu Ketong changed his mind, wrapping his arms around Fei Yuan’s shoulders and leaning on his back.

With a click, the moment was captured—a frame filled with vibrant, spirited smiles. This, perhaps, is what youth is all about.

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