Lin Feng walked down the street, phone pressed to his ear.
"So you can't call home unless we call you first, is that it?" His mother's voice was sharp. "You think you're a grown-up now? Too important to check in on your own parents?"
"Mom, calm down…"
"Don't tell me to calm down! Do you know how worried I've been?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He sighed. "I promise I'll call more often, okay?"
Silence on the other end.
"...You promise?"
"I promise."
Another pause. Then her tone softened considerably.
"Well... as long as you understand." She cleared her throat. "So, how have you been? Are you eating well? Sleeping enough? You're not staying up too late, are you?"
"I'm fine, Mom. Really."
"And have you heard about what happened?"
Lin Feng nodded even though she couldn't see him. "Yeah, I heard."
Due to lockdown complications, the National Day Golden Week holiday - which also happened to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival this year - was going to be held on campus. Students weren't allowed to travel home.
He let out a quiet sigh.
He had to admit... he felt somewhat relieved by this.
Am I still afraid to face them in person?
"My boy left just a few days ago and already it feels like years!" his mother lamented dramatically. "I was hoping to see you again during the holiday, but now this happens. Is the heavens really after our Lin family?!"
"Mom, it's not like that..."
"First the lockdown, now this! What did we do to deserve such fate?!"
His mom was really hard to deal with.
Even so...
Lin Feng smiled as they continued talking.
"Oh, that reminds me," she said suddenly. "Since you won't be coming home for the holidays, your spending might increase. Should I send you more money?"
"There's no need…"
"Don't worry about it!" she interrupted. "Actually, I got a salary raise the other day. I was hoping we could celebrate together, but..." She sighed wistfully. "What a shame."
"Mom, really, I don't need it."
"What do you mean you don't need it?" Her voice grew suspicious. "Do you think your mother is useless? Is that it? You think I can't provide for my own son anymore?"
"What? No! How do you even come to that conclusion?"
Lin Feng pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's just..." He took a breath and spoke slowly. "I found a job. It's just part-time, but it pays pretty well. I can make enough to live on now. There's no need for you and Dad to exert yourselves for me anymore."
"Hmph!" She scoffed. "If I don't exert myself for you, who do I exert myself for? The neighbor's kids?"
Before he could respond, her tone shifted abruptly.
"Oh, your dad is here."
Lin Feng froze mid-step.
"You two haven't talked in a while. I'll give him the phone."
"Wait, Mom…"
Static crackled through the speaker.
Then a deep, masculine voice came through.
"Son?"
Lin Feng remained silent.
He'd been avoiding this for a while now. The phone continued to wait for his response.
Finally, he sighed.
Well... I'll have to face it at some point.
He reassured himself that this father was the same as his mother. He still hadn't seen the failure Lin Feng had become. There was no reason to be embarrassed.
"Hello, Father," he responded.
"...Father?" The man sounded amused.
"Ahem. I mean - hi, Dad."
A warm laugh came through the phone. "You sound like you've aged a few decades, son."
Lin Feng winced internally.
His father was as perceptive as always.
"So, how's everything going?" his father asked. "School treating you well?"
"Everything's fine, Dad. Really."
They continued talking as Lin Feng walked. His father's voice was calm and steady - a contrast to his mother's dramatics. They discussed classes, dormitory life, and his roommates. Simple things. Normal things.
By the time Lin Feng reached the net cafe, he was ready to say goodbye.
"I have to go now, Dad. But before that - can you convince Mom not to send any money? I really did find a job."
A pause.
"Well..." His father's voice carried little confidence. "You know how she is."
Lin Feng could only sigh.
…
Lin Feng put his phone away after paying at the front counter and made his way to his usual cubicle.
He settled into the chair and pulled out his notes, flipping through the pages. There was still some time before the lesson, so he used it to review his own coursework - grammar rules, vocabulary lists, reading comprehension strategies.
The minutes passed quietly.
When the clock hit the hour, he set his materials aside and turned on the video call.
A few seconds later, the connection established.
Tingting's face appeared on screen, looking slightly tired but attentive.
"Good evening, Teacher," she greeted.
"Good evening," Lin Feng replied with a small nod. "How was school today?"
"It was okay. Lots of homework though."
"That's high school for you." He pulled up his teaching notes. "Alright, let's begin from where we left off."
He shared his screen and brought up the document they had been working through.
"Last time, we covered the basics of conditional sentences. Today, we'll look at the more complex forms." He highlighted a sentence on the screen. "Look at this example: 'If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.' Can you tell me what type of conditional this is?"
Tingting squinted at the screen, thinking. "Third conditional?"
"Correct. And why do we use the third conditional?"
"To talk about... things that didn't happen in the past?"
"Exactly. Unreal past situations and their imaginary results."
The lesson continued from there - more examples, more practice sentences, corrections and explanations woven together. Lin Feng guided her through the material patiently, breaking down difficult concepts and offering alternative explanations when she seemed confused.
About two hours later, they had covered everything he had planned.
"That'll be all for today," he said.
"Oki," she replied.
She was about to end the call when she paused.
"Teacher?"
"Yes?"
"You sound different today."
Lin Feng blinked. "Do I?"
She nodded. "Mm. More... happy, I think."
He considered this for a moment, then smiled slightly.
"Maybe I am."
They exchanged goodbyes and ended the call.
...
Lin Feng stepped out of the net cafe into the cool evening air.
More happy, huh...
He thought back to the phone call earlier.
Maybe it's because I talked to my parents.
He really should talk to them more often.
As he walked, his expression grew more determined.
He needed to work even harder. He couldn't disappoint them in this life.
He remembered their expressions from the future - the quiet resignation in his father's eyes, the forced smile on his mother's face when relatives asked about him at gatherings.
He didn't want that in this life.
He would definitely change it.