In his past life, by this time, their household had two computers—one for him and one for his father. Now, there was only an old one. His phone wasn’t the latest model either; instead, it was a cheap one costing only a couple of thousand yuan. The furniture was visibly worn out. He had complained about it a few times, but his parents had always acted like they hadn’t heard him.
This can’t be happening, right?!
Shaking his head, Xia Zhihao reassured himself—everything would be fine. At least in this life, his sister seemed to be doing well. Even if she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t completely abandon their parents, right?!
Being reborn was supposed to make things better, not worse!
—
That night, Yang Qing searched online for local piano lessons. The moment she saw the prices, she felt like she was having a heart attack.
It was so expensive!
Even a single trial lesson costs over a hundred yuan! And that was only if they booked a minimum of four lessons. They wouldn’t even allow just one lesson, claiming it wouldn’t be an effective experience.
The regular classes were even pricier. Several lessons per week would add up to thousands of yuan a month! And to learn anything, he couldn’t just stop after one month—he’d need to keep going for months!
Yang Qing’s heart ached at the thought of spending that much money. Unable to make a decision, she shakily dialed her husband, who was working at a construction site, and told him about their son’s request.
On the other end, Xia Yong was silent for a long time. Rubbing his aching waist, he hoarsely asked, “Why is it so expensive?”
“Piano lessons have always been expensive. Even the cheapest piano costs over ten thousand yuan, so learning to play it obviously won’t be cheap…” Yang Qing murmured.
Xia Yong took a deep drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke. The city center’s bright neon lights flickered in the distance, but all he felt was an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Thousands of yuan?!
How many bricks would he have to lay to make that kind of money?
He turned to his coworker and asked, “Hey, do you pay for any extracurricular lessons for your kid?”
His coworker chuckled, “Yeah, art classes—200 yuan per lesson. What choice do we have? All the other kids are learning something. If mine doesn’t, I’m afraid he’ll feel left out.”
“Shit!” Xia Yong cursed under his breath. “Why the hell is raising kids so expensive nowadays? Back when we were raising our daughter, kindergarten was the only big expense!”
“Tell me about it,” his coworker sighed. “Even just buying art supplies costs a fortune every month.”
Yang Qing, still on the phone, chimed in, “Yeah! Haohao even told me that back in kindergarten, they also had extracurricular classes like public speaking, but he thought they were boring and didn’t join.”
Xia Yong’s head pounded harder. He felt the weight on his shoulders growing heavier. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Well, the kid already asked… what choice do we have? Let him take the classes.”
“Alright.” Yang Qing sighed, ready to hang up.
Neither of them had the energy for small talk anymore. After years of struggling through life, they only called each other to discuss their son.
Just as she was about to end the call, Xia Yong suddenly remembered something. “Wait!”
“What is it?”
“I remember Ah Li started working already, right? She’s making money now, isn’t she? Tell her to send some home. She’s in a well-paying field—let’s not be greedy. Just ask for 3,000 yuan a month for now. Once she gets promoted, we can ask for more.”
Yang Qing’s eyes lit up. She had almost forgotten. Their daughter had indeed started working, though she didn’t know exactly how much she earned.
She happily agreed, “You’re right! I almost forgot.”
—
Shortly after, Qing Li received a call from Yang Qing.
She was a little surprised—after their last big argument, they had barely contacted her.
As soon as she picked up, she was met with an overly warm greeting, her mother asking about her health and well-being. Qing Li smirked, already sensing where this was going. She cut straight to the point. “Mom, just tell me what you need.”
Yang Qing hesitated for a moment before saying in a gentle voice, “You’ve started working now, right? How’s your job going?”
“It’s going well,” Qing Li replied evenly.
Yang Qing continued, “Well, you know our family’s situation—”
Qing Li interrupted with a chuckle. “Yeah, I know. You’re doing fine. After all, you can still afford to raise a child. That means you’re not struggling, right?”
Yang Qing’s face flushed with embarrassment. Irritated, she raised her voice. “Why do you always talk like that? I know you’re not happy about having a younger brother, but what’s done is done! It’s not like we can send him back!”
“I didn’t say anything, Mom. I’m just stating the facts,” Qing Li said, her tone lighthearted.
Yang Qing gritted her teeth and took a deep breath before saying, “Look, I just wanted to ask… your brother wants to learn piano. The tuition costs thousands per month. Right now, your father is the only one bringing in money. You’re his sister—now that you’re working, can you at least contribute 2,000 yuan a month to help out?”
She knew asking for 3,000 was too much—most jobs only paid around that amount.
Qing Li laughed. “If I remember correctly, you had about 200,000 yuan in savings before, and Dad makes over 100,000 yuan a year. That should be more than enough to raise a child, shouldn’t it?”
“That money is for your brother’s future house!” Yang Qing shot back.
“Well, I’m saving up to buy my own house too, so I can’t afford to give you any money.” Qing Li played along with her reasoning.
Yang Qing clutched her chest, feeling like her heart was about to give out. Nearly sixty years old, and yet talking to her daughter always gave her palpitations. Was she saving up for a house? A girl saving for a house—what kind of nonsense was that?!
She wanted to scold her daughter, but after saying it too many times before and getting nowhere, she decided to take a softer approach. “I know you want to buy a house, but your parents still need support. I’m not asking for much—how about just 1,000 yuan a month?”
Qing Li chuckled. “First of all, you and Dad are still young and healthy. You’ll be working hard for at least another ten years for your precious son. Second, I don’t have money. I make money, sure, but I also spend a lot more. I’m always broke by the end of the month. I never feel like I have enough. So, Mom, you guys will have to work hard yourselves—after all, he’s the precious child you insisted on having~”
Yang Qing: “!!!”
Her heart ached with frustration. She couldn’t help but raise her voice. “How am I supposed to work harder?! Your father and I are almost sixty!”
“Then don’t waste money on piano lessons.” Qing Li’s voice suddenly turned icy. “If you can’t afford it, don’t act like you can. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Yang Qing’s throat tightened. The complaints she wanted to voice got stuck in her chest, leaving her feeling colder than ever.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152