C11 The Biggest Obstacle Was Actually His Father

Upon entering her home, Fong Chao noticed that Mrs. Aiqin's door latch was one of those pull-type wooden bolts, which are notoriously easy to jimmy open with a knife from the outside.

"Mrs. Aiqin, I'm concerned about the security of this latch. If you're skeptical, I can demonstrate for you," Fong Chao offered.

"How would you demonstrate?" Mrs. Aiqin inquired.

"Just hand me a watermelon knife, then go inside and latch the door. I'll show you if I can open it from the outside," Fong Chao explained.

"Fong Chao, I apologize, but my son isn't well, and I really don't have the time for this," Mrs. Aiqin replied.

Fong Chao was taken aback by her response. It was clear she wasn't taking his warning to heart. Moreover, she seemed to view him as nothing more than an immature child, despite the fact that he was already over 1.7 meters tall.

"Well then, Mrs. Aiqin, please be extra vigilant at night. Before you go to sleep, setting up mouse traps near the door could be surprisingly effective. And, it might be wise to keep your kitchen knife close to your bed. If there's an emergency, having a knife in hand could deter an intruder," Fong Chao advised.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Fong Chao," Mrs. Aiqin said. Without any hesitation, she cradled her child in her arms right in front of Fong Chao and began to breastfeed, lifting her shirt to do so.

Fong Chao was astounded by the sight. A five or six-year-old child still nursing? And Mrs. Aiqin didn't seem to mind exposing herself in front of him at all.

The moment was unexpectedly beautiful. Mrs. Aiqin, in her mid-twenties, was in the prime of her womanhood. Despite her unfortunate circumstances and the burden of providing for her family alone, she showed no signs of weariness and still radiated a certain allure.

Overwhelmed, Fong Chao hurriedly left. As he put distance between himself and the house, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret for not having lingered a moment longer. After all, in her eyes, he was just a child yet to come of age.

The idea was rather unsavory.

Yet, the love of beauty is universal. What harm was there in wanting to enjoy a bit more of the splendid view?

"Ding!"

A notification sound echoed in his mind once more.

Fong Chao had actually been awarded another Karma Point.

Fong Chao pondered, The disaster is likely to occur within the next two or three nights, right? Maybe I should put in the effort and stand guard for Soong Aiqin at night.

He wasn't sure how many Karma Points he could earn by rescuing Soong Aiqin from the clutches of the villains.

But then Fong Chao reconsidered. He was currently nothing more than a frail scholar, virtually devoid of any combat ability. Could he really take on a ruthless criminal?

He was quite anxious.

Upon returning home, Fong Chao began preparing dinner.

This was yet another chore his parents had assigned to him.

He made some porridge, steamed buns to go with it, and stir-fried green beans, thus completing the meal.

His parents and two sisters arrived home, exhausted, after 6 PM.

They had brought back the corn stalks, which were now stacked in the yard.

Post-dinner, the family gathered around the mountainous pile of corn to shuck it.

The husks needed to be removed before the corn could be spread out in the field to dry. Once dried, the kernels had to be threshed. The workload was indeed substantial.

At that time, there was a lack of machinery to alleviate the farmers' workload.

Things like threshing machines were nonexistent.

"Chao, I heard you're writing a novel?" his father asked, a cheap cigarette dangling from his lips as he squinted at Fong Chao.

Even his father had caught wind of the rumor.

The news had traveled incredibly fast.

"Yes, Dad," Fong Chao replied, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"Humph! Foolishness! What novel? You should be concentrating on your studies! Look at your grades. You ranked 23rd in your class on the last exam! With those marks, you won't even make it into No.1 High School, let alone a university! I'm warning you, no more novel writing! Hand over the manuscript you've finished. I'll keep it safe for you. Once you're in college, how you pursue your hobbies is none of my concern!" his father declared authoritatively.

Fong Chao felt a pang of anxiety in his chest.

It was clear that his father didn't have faith in his ability to carve out a successful career in novel writing.

"Dad, I'm your only son, right? You and Mom raised me; don't you want me to stay close and take care of you in your old age? You hope I'll go to college, but think about it—if I do go to college, I'll definitely end up living in the city. If you're not willing to move there with me, you can't expect me to be by your side every day to look after you. Consider this: pushing me towards college might be more of a disadvantage for you! Why can't you see that?" Fong Chao's eyes flickered as he resolved to convince his father to drop the idea of forcing him to pursue higher education.

His father was taken aback by Fong Chao's skewed logic.

He probably hadn't anticipated his son thinking so far ahead.

"You don't need to worry about our retirement! What I want from you is to bring honor to our family," his father said, furrowing his brows.

"Dad, there's more than one way to honor our family. I believe that if I become a great writer, I can also make our ancestors proud and bring you comfort," Fong Chao argued, ready to debate with his father.

"I'm well aware that becoming a great writer would honor our ancestors! But, Chao, you must understand that becoming a writer isn't easy! With your current eighth-grade skills, you're not ready to write a good novel. If you truly love literature, I won't stop you. You can maintain this hobby while focusing on your studies. Perhaps in a few years, you might find success in writing! That's acceptable, isn't it? Now, hand over your novel," his father said, reaching out to take Fong Chao's manuscript.

"No! Dad, I absolutely will not back down this time! Please let me choose my own path!" Fong Chao firmly shook his head, nervously standing up to his father's authoritarian rule.

"Insolent child! Are you asking for a spanking? You're just a 14-year-old kid; you don't know anything yet. I'll say it one more time, give me your novel!" his father exclaimed, rising to his feet.

This was the precursor to an outburst.

A twinge of bitterness involuntarily rose in Fong Chao's heart.

He hadn't anticipated that his father would so forcefully thwart his plan to alter his destiny through novel writing.