Home, Family, Relatives

In the dimly lit room, a family of three sat at the dining table. A radio on the wall not far from the table crackled to life, and a distorted female voice came from the nearly broken speaker; it was clearly an opera.

Eating dinner that tastes like poop while sipping expensive wine that costs tens of dollars a bottle... it's a hard feeling to describe.

Not long after Lin Qi finished reminiscing about dinner, Neil picked up a spoon, scooped up a large spoonful, and stuffed it into his mouth. As he ate, he asked, "So, what are you here for? To mock us for living the same way we used to?"

Neil immediately displayed his aggression; this was his territory, his family, and no one could interfere with his dominance and control over this family.

In many culturally diverse countries, people find the social and family relationships of Federal people to be indescribable, much like how Federal people view people from other countries.

Culture is one of the most important components of society.

When he was a child, Lin Qi would feel immense pressure and fear as if facing a landslide or tsunami whenever Neil got angry. Neil in a fit of rage was like a volcano about to erupt.

He was younger, stronger, and more dominant back then, but now it all seems to have changed.

Neil has become less intimidating, which might mean that most children have grown up, but for Lin Qi it's something else entirely.

"You're getting old..." he shrugged, looking at Neil, "So let's not get angry, let's talk calmly and rationally. I'm not here to cause you trouble, nor to laugh at you, I just came back to see you all."

Lin Qi hid Sera's phone call. Neil didn't have a history of domestic violence, but if he revealed it, it would put Sera in a bad position, so he kept it a secret.

"I heard from Sera that you lost your job. Do you have any new plans?" he asked, looking at Neil, Neil kept his head down and silently dealt with the food on his plate.

Lin Qi smiled more. "Come on, you can treat me like an acquaintance, a friend. Isn't that what we always say?"

There's a profound and meaningful saying in the Federal education sector: parents are their children's best friends.

This statement has gained recognition throughout society, and it has played a crucial role in promoting Federal education and family and social relations, if we ignore the crimes that arise from family problems.

Neil quickly finished eating everything in his bowl. He even used his finger to scrape around the edge of the spoon where it was difficult to apply pressure, and then stuffed the remaining food, along with his finger, into his mouth.

Then he picked up what was probably the best drink he had ever had, gulped it down, rinsed his mouth, and swallowed it along with the food scraps.

Lin Qi kept looking at him, and then he looked up at Lin Qi. "Yes, I'm unemployed. Do you want to give me a job? Should I call you Boss like everyone else?"

This might be Neil's last shred of dignity as a father, and he couldn't help but want to mock Lin Qi.

Lin Qi didn't have many expressive faces, but considering his actual age, these things still seemed quite interesting.

As someone skilled at persuading others, dealing with a guy like Neil required almost no brainpower.

He neither refuted nor agreed, but directly changed the subject, "Many people are unemployed recently. Do you remember Catherine? Her father also lost his job."

This topic quickly resonated with Neil, and Sera promptly followed up, "I know, your girlfriend's father also lost his job? That's terrible!"

Lin Qi nodded. "After I found out about this, I discussed it with her and arranged a job for her. I recently set up a Transportation Company, you know, the kind that deals with warehouses and trucks."

For a period of time, warehouse and truck work were the most coveted jobs among the lower classes, because getting into either one meant a stable income, and not a small one at that.

Upon hearing this, Neil couldn't help but complain, "I know that guy, he's too stupid to do anything but dirty work, what kind of job would you give him?"

"The job of the administrator isn't difficult. It's just recording things coming in and out, and keeping an eye on the workers to prevent them from taking things that don't belong to them," Lin Qi replied casually, as if it were a trivial matter.

Sera glanced at Neil, and the couple exchanged a few words in a short time in a way that outsiders couldn't understand. Then she said, "He's definitely not as good as your father. You know he's always been the best, whether at home or at the factory."

Lin Qi smiled, a smile that seemed to be filled with a certain... something like that, a hint of amusement. He looked at Neil and said, "He calls me Boss now."

Neil immediately became annoyed. "I won't call you Boss!"

Lin Qi clapped his hands. "Then it's settled. I'll arrange a job for you, but you won't call me Boss!"

Neil paused for a moment, the two looked at each other, his face suddenly turned a little red, then he suddenly stood up, made an excuse that he was "full", and quickly went back to his room.

After closing the door, Neil walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and found a photo frame with three smiling faces in the picture.

Outside the room, Sera's face was full of smiles. She held Lin Qi's hand, unsure of what to say.

Lin Qi was his child, but she also wanted to thank Lin Qi. Lin Qi patted the back of her hand and said, "No need to thank me, it's what I should do. We're family."

Lin Qi did not leave at night. When it was completely dark, the streets outside had become very unsafe, but surprisingly, he felt very safe staying there.

This may be related to the fact that the people on the street understand that the people living here and their families have little property, so they never consider risking a prison sentence of more than ten years to rob a poor family's home, or facing a furious intruder who could get them into serious trouble. According to research, rich people are more cooperative with intruders when they encounter home invasions, while poor families often fight back desperately.

Around 11 p. m., I was lying on my rather short bed, almost drifting off to sleep, when there was a knock on the bedroom door.

After knocking on the door, Neil poked his head in. He looked at Lin Qi lying on the bed and shook the half-full bottle of wine in his hand. Lin Qi knew that this was his way of trying to ease the tension.

Soon the father and son were sitting in the Living Room, bathed in the night light, watching the television screen filled with static and a not-so-funny program.

There wasn't much deeper communication between the father and son; they simply picked up their glasses, put them down, and downed most of the bottle of wine.

The next morning, Lin Qi slapped his forehead and got up. The bottling standards of the Bayer Federation required each bottle to contain at least 680 milliliters and no more than 760 milliliters. He was still a little unaccustomed to drinking so much alcohol all at once.

He glanced at his watch on the desk; it was almost ten o'clock. He slapped his face to wake himself up. When he came out of the room, Neil was already sitting on the worn-out sofa watching TV.

Compared to Lin Qi's partying and hangover, what Neil drank last night was like water, having no effect on him whatsoever.

The father and son exchanged a glance and then looked away, but Sera could keenly sense that their relationship had eased considerably, which pleased her.

In fact, after two years apart, apart from a slight sense of unfamiliarity, how much conflict could there be?

Lin Qi is doing well again. Neil is just unwilling to admit defeat verbally, but deep down he is also proud. This is the most realistic situation for almost all parents.

On the one hand, they have high expectations for their children, and on the other hand, they are proud of them.

"Are you having lunch at home?" Sera asked. If they were having lunch at home, she would buy some beef. Last night's meal was a bit too simple, so lunch should be more formal.

Lin Qi shook his head. He had gotten up much later than he had expected. "No, Neil and I will go to the company. Also, give me your bank account. I'm an adult now, and I have a right to contribute to the family's expenses."

Yes, according to Federal regulations, Lin Qi is twenty years old, and he has finally come of age. Some people his age may already have children who can run, but that's okay, it's allowed by law.

Sera hesitated for a moment, but Neil said impatiently, "Give it to him, he has something to do."

Lin Qi getting the bank account details, Lynch said goodbye to Sera. He didn't give Sera a check, because in impoverished areas, the presence of checks is not a good thing.

Because cash checks require a deposit, a twenty-dollar check often comes with a deposit of hundreds or thousands of dollars, while transfer checks mean that huge transactions are commonplace, which is very tempting for those who have been pushed to the brink.

Lin Qi would transfer the money directly to Sera's account so that her withdrawals wouldn't attract attention, since homeless people on the street all have bank accounts and depositing and withdrawing money is normal.

A short while later, an inconspicuous car appeared on the side of the road and then drove away inconspicuously; it was Community Service Company vehicle.

Last time Lin Qi drove his own car to Catherine's house and caused her family a lot of trouble, so this time he was a bit smarter.

While sitting in the car, Neil asked, "What kind of job are you planning to give me?"

"I have a piece of land on the outskirts of the city, and I'm planning to start construction soon. I also run a small Construction Company, and we're currently short of a manager," Lin Qi smiled. "Are you satisfied with the manager position?"

=① The word "boss" is actually a tribute to early dubbed films. In the early days, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan directly transliterated "boss" as "boss", and dubbing would also use "boss" instead of "boss". This reflects the Breath of the Times.