Chapter 87 – Phone Call of Affection

After much deliberation, the Legion Commander finally dialed his mother’s number. Fortunately, this didn’t require any verification codes or security questions. Soon, the familiar tune of “The Vast Horizon Is My Love” rang from the other end.

“What’s this? Couldn’t scam me via text so now you’re trying voice? Did my phone bill rack up thousands and you’re gonna transfer me to the police station…”

“Have you been watching nothing but crime shows these past two years?!” The headache-plagued Commander couldn’t wait for his dear mother to finish before interrupting. He feared any more of this would give him a stroke.

The previously chatty old woman suddenly fell silent.

Having delivered his opening line, Fang Zheng also ran out of words, his palm sweating as he clutched the phone.

An odd, static-filled silence spread across both ends of the line, like a terrifying black hole threatening to suck them in.

Finally, the elder spoke first: “I also watch ‘The Voice of China,’ ‘Empresses in the Palace,’ ‘Dance Wars,’ ‘Approaching Science,’ and stuff…”

Fang Zheng silently turned his head away, tears streaming down his face, his heart filled with…

“No need to feel ashamed. Kids like you, almost thirty but still immature, spending all day playing on computers with a ridiculously narrow knowledge base—they’re everywhere. Be a good boy and relax.”

This inexplicably familiar feeling of having his thoughts monitored…

No wonder he’d always felt such a strong connection and closeness with Birdy. That guy must be his long-lost biological brother!! Or maybe they got switched at birth in the hospital TAT

“Get to the point. Long-distance calls are expensive. A few more minutes and you won’t be able to afford a poached egg with your instant noodles tomorrow.” The old woman, having just returned from her morning exercise and halfway up the stairs, paused at the landing. Her voice was calm, though her free hand couldn’t stay still, subconsciously picking at the small ads on the wall—locksmiths, drain cleaners, fake diploma providers—none were spared.

With Mother putting it like that, the Commander had no choice but to skip the roundabout talk and get straight to the point: “Mom, remember that card you gave me?”

“It’s ‘old lady’!” the voice on the other end corrected.

The Commander wanted to cry. What kind of mentality was this? TAT

“Alright, respected old lady, do you remember…”

“Used up already? It lasted longer than I expected.” The old woman’s tone suddenly shifted, “But your mom doesn’t handle money anymore. If you want more, not a penny to spare.”

“You don’t handle money anymore?” This change was completely unexpected. “You actually handed over financial control?”

“Last year, Mr. Fang used his private savings to buy some stocks and made a killing. So starting this year, household finances are his responsibility.”

Wait! That was way too much information to process =_=

“Dad had secret savings?! And you actually tolerated that?!”

“I thought I couldn’t tolerate it either,” the old woman sighed, “but then he voluntarily took over the housework. After some thought, I decided to let it go.”

Fang Zheng felt indignant on his mother’s behalf: “And you were swayed by just a little housework?!”

“A little?” The old woman’s voice rose slightly, “Are you cursing me or something?”

Fang Zheng gulped, a bad feeling creeping up: “Uh, what do you mean…”

“He signed a contract promising to handle all household chores for the rest of his life.”

Dad, you’ve suffered TAT

“Just tell me how much you’re short.”

“You said you didn’t have a penny to spare.”

“That’s public funds.”

“So you still have private…”

“Stop right there. Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”

The old woman’s habit of quoting TV dramas hadn’t changed either =_=

Switching the phone to his other hand, the Commander felt a rare sense of triumph: “I’m not asking for money. I haven’t touched a single cent from that card!”

The old woman thought for a moment, skepticism creeping into her voice: “Really?”

“How dare I lie to you?” The Commander straightened his back, righteous and unyielding. “I called specifically to tell you this.”

“Finally struck it rich and coming back to shower us with money?”

“I’m going to start using that money now!”

“……”

“……”

“You…”

“Fine, I know I’m hopeless.”

As the Commander hung his head in shame, his mother on the other end let out a long sigh of relief, inexplicably comforted. She’d always known her son wasn’t cut out for making big money. If he ever did become wealthy, it’d surely be through shady means. This was much better—her still-penniless unfilial son sounded absolutely adorable even through the phone.

“Go ahead, use it. I always knew this day would come. Why keep holding out until inflation made the money worthless, when a bowl of cold noodles went from six kuai to twelve…”

“I was wrong. I lacked foresight.”

“Good boy.”

The call lasted ages, and Fang Zheng could barely remember what was said afterward. It was the usual routine—his mother lecturing while he listened, covering the same four topics as always: 1) He was an unfilial son; 2) She was a poor, suffering old woman; 3) The old man was in good health and they occasionally bickered for fun, but it was always his fault; 4) Some neighbor’s kid got married again. This time, however, the fourth topic took an unusual turn. It was true that some neighbor’s kid had gotten married, but at only thirty-two, it was already their third marriage. As an observer, the old woman concluded that this one wouldn’t last either.

The Commander keenly picked up on the unusual message.

Sure enough, the old woman continued, “Actually, marriage is just about finding someone to share your life with. When you’re old, you’ll have someone to take care of you if you get sick or run into trouble.”

Mother and son shared a connection. Fang Zheng knew this was her way of softening her stance. Male or female, as long as he wasn’t alone and had a stable, long-term partner, she’d be content.

Fang Zheng tilted his head back slightly, took a deep breath, and felt his eyes inexplicably sting…

“But you’re so fat you might as well just get a cat or dog. Finding a person would be too difficult.”

Are you really my biological mother? TAT

By the time the call ended, the sun was high in the sky. Pale golden light spilled through the window, illuminating the room’s… complete mess.

He really should clean up =_=

That was just how the old woman was. No matter how upset she was, how much she missed her son—if such emotions even existed—she’d never show it. Her words were always laced with razor-sharp sarcasm, slashing at you relentlessly. You couldn’t fight back; you had to let her vent until she was satisfied, and only then would she truly feel better—at least for a while. The essence of her personality could be summed up in six words: bold and unrestrained, carefree and heartless. Fang Zheng felt he’d inherited the latter half.

Just as he was deep in thought, his phone started singing again—the daily poison. Only then did Fang Zheng realize he’d completely forgotten about Birdy. Several calls had come in during his conversation with his mother, but he’d been so absorbed in the old woman’s nagging that he hadn’t let them through. Checking the time now, it was already half an hour past the usual Morning Call.

“I was just on the phone with my mom,” the Commander explained right away, proving himself quite perceptive.

The Deputy Commander sounded pleased: “Oh, you should’ve talked longer then.”

The Commander was a little embarrassed: “We already talked for ages.”

Deputy Commander: “Yeah, you really did.”

The Commander drowned in a sea of black lines.

“Since you’re already awake, hurry up and go for a run.” The Deputy Commander hadn’t forgotten his mission.

Fang Zheng thought he could hear the noisy background of a gym and asked, “You’re already working out? Using the equipment again?”

Birdy, wearing Bluetooth earbuds, released the resistance bands and replied calmly, “No, I’m on the stationary bike.”

Lu Yue watched his childhood friend’s composed expression and slightly bulging biceps, silently shedding a tear of sympathy for the unseen younger sibling on the other end of the line.

After finishing his morning exercise and returning home, Fang Zheng admired his reflection in the mirror. Whether it was real or just his imagination, his face seemed less round, with sharper contours than before.

The Commander was pleased, logging into the game with this subtle little joy.

The Deputy Commander hadn’t arrived yet, but other Legion members were already online.

[Legion] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: You’re up early.

[Legion] Milk is Mom: Still not as early as you~~

[Legion] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: When you’re alone, who wants to stay in a cold bed? Might as well get up early.

[Legion] Milk is Mom: Let’s shake on that TAT

[Legion] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: Cut the nonsense. Have you thought about that thing?

Fang Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly switched channels.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Didn’t we agree to keep it secret?!

[Whisper] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: Ah, my bad, forgot about that.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: This doesn’t bode well for our partnership =_=

[Whisper] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: From the sound of it, you’re in?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Yeah.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: But I can only put in twenty thousand.

[Whisper] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: The hell? Now you’re bargaining?

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: It’s not that I want to bargain—it’s all I have.

[Whisper] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: Fine, twenty thousand it is. Not a huge difference anyway.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: So, should we set a time to meet and discuss the details?

[Whisper] Fifth Brother’s Trading Post: Absolutely. But Diamond and his boss still have some things to sort out. Give it some time, and we’ll come to you. We can check out your place while we’re at it.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Deal.

Working with straightforward people was quick and efficient. Besides, though a three-person partnership sounded grand, it was really just a matter of seventy or eighty thousand yuan. These days, that wasn’t even considered a significant sum—barely enough for small-scale ventures.

With the preliminary plan settled, the matter was set aside. Just as the Commander logged into YY, Fifth Brother, who’d been idling there, shared his new discovery—

“Just browsed the forums. Guess what the pinned post is?”

“Uh…”

“Exactly! The max-level reward package!”

I didn’t even guess!

Fang Zheng was completely baffled and less than thrilled by this revelation: “If everyone at max level gets it, the reward’s worthless.”

“Who said everyone gets it?” Fifth Brother elaborated. “Only the first player to reach max level—across all servers. Only one person will get this reward.”

“Damn, that’s intense competition.” Fang Zheng mused aloud before suddenly pausing. “Wait, you mean no one in the entire Huaxia game has reached max level yet?”

“Of course not. Otherwise, the reward would’ve been claimed already.”

Fang Zheng had sensed the increased difficulty after the update but never imagined it’d be this extreme. It had been a while since the game’s overhaul, yet not a single leveling maniac had maxed out. This made him feel… inexplicably eager to try ~\(≧▽≦)/~