Futile Devices Scans

t was deep winter, and every household radiated the festive atmosphere of preparing for the New Year. In the alleyway, children squatted together playing with sparkling fireworks, drawing circles on the ground with them. Others were setting off firecrackers, the popping sounds echoing nonstop through the alley.

Perhaps the noise disturbed the neighbors, because suddenly the sound of Zhou Lin shouting curses exploded from the house next door. None of the children paid her any attention. A moment later, Zhou Lin stormed out carrying a basin of water and splashed it directly at them without warning. The children shrieked and scattered. One or two were too slow to escape and were drenched by the freezing water, immediately crying as they ran home. Zhou Lin cursed that they deserved it before heading back inside.

Not long afterward, the children’s parents came over to argue with Zhou Lin.

Zhou Lin’s family had moved there a year ago, and their relationship with the neighbors was terrible. Zhou Lin and Zhao Jiansheng both had explosive tempers and argued constantly. Nobody nearby liked them.

The iron gate was pounded loudly again and again, but no one came to open it. Just as the parents were losing patience and starting to shout, the door finally opened. Zhou Lin stood there holding a kitchen knife, wearing a look that clearly said, “If you dare curse at me again, I’ll fight you to the death.” The frightened parents immediately dragged their children away while cursing her as a lunatic.

And she truly was one. When they had first moved in, Zhou Lin and Zhao Jiansheng still clung to their sense of superiority and refused to quarrel with the neighbors. Even while dressed in cheap clothes, they still carried themselves arrogantly, as if they were somehow above everyone else. But in the eyes of the people around them, it did not matter how rich or powerful they had once been. Now they were no different from anyone else.

After living there for several years, Zhou Lin had finally “adapted to local customs” and become a full-fledged shrew herself.

The moment she returned inside, Zhao Jiansheng’s loud curses rang out. “You shrew! Every single day you’re arguing and screaming with those people. Aren’t you tired of it? Instead of wasting time fighting, why don’t you go get a job and help support the household?”

The moment Zhou Lin heard those words, rage exploded inside her. She rushed into Zhao Jiansheng’s room and slammed the kitchen knife into the headboard beside him. Zhao Jiansheng jumped in fright, lifting his head to reveal deeply sunken eyes and a pale, haggard face that looked almost like a drug addict’s. In truth, it was not far off.

Knowing Zhou Lin was only bluffing and would never truly kill him, the fear he initially felt vanished instantly. He straightened his back and shouted confidently, “What are you trying to do? Murder your husband?”

Zhou Lin sneered at him. “You want me to earn money to feed your gambling addiction? Dream on. I’d rather throw my money to beggars than let you touch a single cent.”

Ever since being fired from Zhou Corporation, Zhao Jiansheng had not only lost his job, but no other company was willing to hire him either. Despite his abilities, he no longer had anywhere to use them. From then on, he gradually degenerated and developed a gambling addiction. At one point he even spent several days and nights straight in casinos. In the end, not only did he fail to win money, he accumulated massive debts instead.

Zhou Lin also had no job. She refused to lower herself to do work she considered beneath her status, so she idled around just like Zhao Jiansheng. The only difference was that she had not become addicted to gambling. However, because she lacked money so desperately, she developed a habit of stealing things. Several times she was caught red-handed, yet still stubbornly denied it. Once, after a household finally could not tolerate her anymore, they called the police, and Zhou Lin spent several days locked up at the station.

If not for the monthly support money Zhao Chenlin sent them, the two would probably have starved to death long ago.

Although Zhao Chenlin still had the sum of money Zhou Shichang had given him and did not have to worry about food or clothing for the time being, he understood very clearly that he could not continue living like this forever. So he found himself a job. Even though his monthly salary was only three or four thousand yuan, he had learned how to live frugally. Supporting himself was no longer a problem.

As for Zhou Lin’s debts, Zhao Chenlin had helped her pay them off. Unable to bear watching his parents run around begging others over debts, he eventually went to Zhou Shichang and requested permission to use the money in his account to pay Zhou Lin’s debts. That level of awareness actually surprised Zhou Shichang somewhat.

Unfortunately, if that awareness had come earlier, they would never have fallen to this point. Many people only learn to cherish things after they have lost them.

In the end, Zhou Shichang agreed to his request, leaving very little money in Zhao Chenlin’s account. Zhao Chenlin did not mind. Aside from working, he also opened an online Taobao shop. Whenever he did not understand something, he learned little by little, and unexpectedly, the business gradually took off.

Eventually, Zhao Chenlin quit his job entirely to focus on his online store full-time. In only half a year, the money he earned from the shop each month was already about the same as what he used to make working outside. That convinced him even more that the business had potential. He spent nearly every day immersed in managing the store and returned home less and less often.

It was not as though Zhao Chenlin was unaware of his parents’ situation. He was simply exhausted from dealing with them. Originally, he had hoped his parents could help him manage the online store. Once people became busy, they naturally stopped dwelling on the past. But later he discovered his parents had secretly taken the capital he planned to use for inventory purchases, and not just once or twice. When Zhao Chenlin confronted them, they instead scolded him, saying children were supposed to support their parents in the first place. He was heartless for questioning them over a little money.

Having long understood his parents’ nature, Zhao Chenlin forcibly took back control of the online store afterward. What he never said aloud was that after they took over management, the store’s reputation declined noticeably. Many customers left negative reviews because of terrible customer service attitudes, and business plummeted during that period.

Zhao Chenlin knew even if he said these things, his parents would only curse him again. From then on, he communicated with them even less. Later, he only sent support payments and stopped involving himself in anything else.

He was still under thirty years old, yet his heart already felt ancient. All he wanted now was a peaceful, stable life. The more he understood and the more kinds of people he encountered, the more he realized how detestable he used to be. Countless people longed for a peaceful and happy life but never had the chance. He had once possessed it himself, yet he had always been dissatisfied. In the end, he personally destroyed his own happiness. He had no one else to blame.

Zhao Chenlin once fantasized that if he had simply behaved himself as Young Master Zhao back then and gotten along peacefully with Wang Cheng, perhaps he would now be living more carefree than ever before. He truly had been foolish. Back then, he had been blinded by obsession, only now finally understanding that someone like Wang Cheng would never deliberately trouble others unless they provoked him first.

Unfortunately, there were no “ifs.”

Zhao Chenlin pushed open the door to the old residential building where his parents now lived. At first, he came every month on the first to deliver their support money. Sometimes, if nobody was home, he would leave the money inside. But one time Zhao Jiansheng returned early, found the money, and gambled it all away. When Zhou Lin discovered this, she fought fiercely with him. Since then, Zhao Chenlin always handed the support money directly to his mother.

“Chenlin, you’re here.”

Knowing today was the day her son would visit, Zhou Lin rushed out the moment she heard the door open. Not even fifty years old yet, she already looked aged. The expensive skincare products she once used had long lost their effect, and age spots were spreading across her face.

Looking at his mother like this, Zhao Chenlin could no longer describe what he felt. He took out the monthly support money from his pocket and was just about to hand it over when Zhao Jiansheng suddenly rushed out of the room.

Zhou Lin immediately reacted, snatching the money and clutching it protectively against her chest.

“You damned woman, hand the money over!” Zhao Jiansheng shouted furiously.

“In your dreams.” Zhou Lin knew that relying on his status as their son’s father, Zhao Jiansheng had never once thought about quitting gambling. If the support money ended up in his hands, he would definitely gamble it all away, then shamelessly stretch out his hand to ask their son for more money. Although she herself had also degenerated badly, she still understood they were slowly wearing down their son’s patience. She absolutely would not allow Zhao Jiansheng to get a single cent to gamble with.

Zhao Jiansheng’s expression twisted viciously, as though he might pounce and snatch the money at any second. But he did not dare. Not because Zhao Chenlin was present, but because if he stole the money, Zhou Lin would stop buying food and refuse to cook for him. In the end, he would still have to beg her. After several incidents like that, he could only resentfully fantasize about it.

Zhao Chenlin stayed only a short while before preparing to leave. Zhou Lin tried several times to persuade him to stay longer, but he refused. Just as he reached the door, however, he saw three rough-looking men standing outside. Zhao Chenlin recognized them immediately. They were men from the gambling den Zhao Jiansheng frequented. They had come to collect debts.

By now Zhao Jiansheng owed them fifty thousand yuan, but since he could not pay, he told them his son had money and came home every month around this date, so they should collect from him instead.

“Move aside.” Zhao Chenlin had no desire to deal with these people.

The leader grinned. “Can’t do that. Your father owes us fifty thousand. Since he can’t pay, why don’t you repay it for him?”

“That debt belongs to whoever incurred it. It has nothing to do with me,” Zhao Chenlin replied coldly.

“How can it have nothing to do with you? You’re his son. A son repaying his father’s debts is perfectly natural. Besides, your father told us to come. He said you’d be back today and told us to collect the money from you.”

“Zhao Jiansheng, you bastard! You actually brought them here to trouble our son? I’ll fight you to the death!” The moment Zhou Lin realized this was Zhao Jiansheng’s doing, she understood how these men had known her son would be here today. Furious, she lunged at him and clawed wildly at his face.

At the same time, Zhao Jiansheng shouted angrily, “Enough! I’m his father. What’s wrong with asking him for some money? I raised him all these years. Now it’s his turn to repay me!”

“I spit on that! What kind of father are you? What sort of father ruins his own son? Fifty thousand! Why don’t you just go rob a bank?!”

Zhao Chenlin only felt exhausted. He turned to the three men. “I’ll repay the fifty thousand for my father this one last time. But this is the final time. If he gambles with you people again and loses money, I won’t help him repay another cent. Do whatever you want to him. I won’t interfere. And I won’t come back here again.”

“Chenlin, are you abandoning your mother too?” Zhou Lin cried as she rushed toward him.

The only reason Zhao Chenlin had still been willing to visit every month was because they were his parents. But now even that bit of family affection was being exploited. He no longer had anything left to say. From now on, he would transfer the support payments directly into his mother’s account. He would not return again.

Without Zhao Chenlin mediating between them, life for Zhou Lin and Zhao Jiansheng deteriorated even further. Zhao Jiansheng never quit gambling despite his son’s warning. The casinos, however, learned from Zhao Chenlin’s words that Zhao Jiansheng no longer had money, so they eventually banned him. Unable to suppress his addiction, he started gambling farther away instead, only to suffer even worse luck. Before long, he was drowning in debt again.

The debt collectors soon came knocking. Zhou Lin told them she did not have a single cent and that they should take it up with Zhao Jiansheng. The collectors ransacked the house but found nothing of value. The place was practically bare. In the end, they vented their anger on Zhao Jiansheng instead. During the beating, one of his legs was broken. Before leaving, they threatened that if they ever saw him gambling again, they would beat him every single time.

Zhou Lin hated Zhao Jiansheng so much that she refused to spend money treating his leg. As a result, he became crippled. After that he no longer dared to gamble, but his temper became increasingly violent. The slightest irritation would make him beat Zhou Lin. The neighbors heard them arguing almost daily, and every few days they could even be seen physically fighting.

The next time Zhao Chenlin saw Zhou Lin was a year later. Her face was swollen and bruised. After all, she was a woman and could never overpower Zhao Jiansheng physically. Seven out of ten fights ended with her at a disadvantage. She had aged into the appearance of a sixty-year-old woman. Crying, she complained to her son about Zhao Jiansheng’s abuse.

“Mom, get a divorce.”

The moment those words left her son’s mouth, Zhou Lin froze. She had spent nearly half her life with Zhao Jiansheng. No matter how fiercely they fought, she had never once considered divorce. It was not because any marital affection remained. Rather, the suffering of the past two or three years had eroded her thinking as well. Only after her son suggested it did she realize she absolutely did not have to continue living with someone she now hated to death.

Zhao Jiansheng refused to divorce, but the decision no longer belonged to him. In the end, the divorce still happened. The apartment in the old residential district was left to him, while Zhao Chenlin took Zhou Lin away. He changed the support payment for Zhao Jiansheng from monthly to yearly.

Freed from living with Zhao Jiansheng and no longer needing to endure beatings, Zhou Lin cried on the very first night she moved into her son’s home. Why had her life turned out like this? During all those times Zhao Jiansheng beat her, she had endlessly reflected on herself. The more she thought about it, the more she understood she truly had been wrong.

As Zhou Lin’s temperament slowly changed, she gradually gave up her habit of stealing. She no longer blamed the world for everything. With Zhao Chenlin’s help, she even found herself a relatively easy job. Later, Zhao Chenlin got married and found a sensible wife who knew how to manage a household. Two years later, they had a chubby grandson. Zhou Lin then quit her job and stayed home taking care of the child, living a peaceful life filled with warmth unlike anything she had experienced before.

One wrong decision truly could change an entire life. Having experienced that most deeply herself, Zhou Lin often used her own story as a lesson when educating her grandson in the future.

Previous

Main

Next