"Give it to your mother? Do you only have a mother? Don’t you have a father?" Old Fang’s words nearly made Fang Zhiyi laugh out loud.
He couldn’t be bothered to play along with the act. Stepping forward, he deliberately hesitated before pulling out the last hundred yuan from his pocket and handing it over. "This was meant for Mother—" Before he could finish, Old Fang snatched the money away, cursing under his breath. "All you ever think about is your mother, your mother! Your mother’s dead!" With that, he kicked Second Son, signaling him to leave.
"And mark my words! I’ll be back when you get your paycheck!" Old Fang brandished a kitchen knife as he walked away.
However, the two didn’t make it far before being tackled by several police officers.
One of the officers seized the knife, his expression icy. "Well, well—armed robbery in broad daylight, and you thought you could just run off?"
Old Fang and Second Son were dumbfounded. Since when had this become armed robbery?
The story went back to Senior Li and Junior Li. Since joining Fang Zhiyi’s small workshop, their income had gradually increased. But Fang Zhiyi had warned them to keep it quiet—after all, they were still employed at the factory, and word getting out wouldn’t look good. So they kept their joy to themselves. At the factory, Fang Zhiyi was just an ordinary technician, but in the workshop, he was the boss. When they saw someone threatening to ruin their livelihood, and heard Fu Chunmei mutter, "If you’re just asking for money, why bring a knife? If this gets reported, it’ll count as armed robbery," Junior Li exchanged a glance with his brother before sprinting off to call the police. They were well aware of Fang Zhiyi’s family troubles, especially his absurd parents.
The police took robbery cases seriously and immediately apprehended the Fang father and son.
After sorting out the truth, the officers detained them for a few days—mostly as a warning. Whether they were demanding money from their son or not, waving a knife around and snatching cash was already a serious offense.
When they were finally released from the station, the two were seething with resentment—and they’d lost two kitchen knives in the process.
By the time they got home, Old Fang’s temper flared again.
Someone was hauling things out of their house. Old Fang charged forward, throwing punches and shouting, "Thieves!"
The man who’d been hit immediately dropped what he was carrying and fought back. More people rushed out from the yard, pummeling Old Fang as he yelled, "Your old man’s getting beaten to death! Are you blind?!"
Second Son stood frozen in place, watching his tyrannical father take a beating—and feeling a faint sense of satisfaction. Another reason he didn’t intervene was that he recognized one of the men: his uncle. They didn’t interact much, but he remembered him. According to his mother, this uncle was a good-for-nothing, a chronic freeloader.
Sure enough, Fang’s Mother stepped in to stop them from beating her husband further. Bloodied and disheveled, Old Fang glared at her, now dressed in gaudy clothes. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Fang’s Mother sneered. "Me? What about you? You went to our son for money? If he gives it to you, what do I get?"
Old Fang finally understood—Fang Zhiyi had tattled on him.
"I’ve had enough. Today, I’m divorcing you! Everything I brought as dowry, everything I bought—I’m taking it all! Second Son stays with you. The Eldest and Third Son come with me!" She’d done the math carefully, especially after hearing Fang Zhiyi mention his promotion and raise. Now that she had financial security, she was determined to stand up for her cash cow—especially since that useless old man had tried to steal her money!
"Divorce? Over my dead body!" Old Fang roared.
Fang’s Mother’s brother leaned down, his face inches from Old Fang’s. "You refuse? How about I beat you once a day until you change your mind? Want to test me?"
Old Fang shrank back, but the thought of his eldest son’s city wages made him shake his head. "No way! Go ahead, kill me if you dare!"
The brother-in-law had no real leverage, so he turned to Fang’s Mother instead.
The farce was temporarily put on hold after the village chief intervened, but the tension in the Fang household was unbearable. Second Son tiptoed around, terrified of making a single mistake that might earn him a beating.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi submitted his resignation to the factory.
Lin Jianguo tried to persuade him to stay. "Kid, I’ve seen what your parents are like, but you don’t have to quit. I’ll talk to security—next time, we’ll just keep them out."
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Uncle Lin, there’s another reason I’m leaving. I have a project I want to pursue."
"A project?" Lin Jianguo looked puzzled.
Fang Zhiyi smiled but didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t the right time yet.
Despite Lin Jianguo’s insistence that Fang Zhiyi hadn’t caused any real trouble, he stuck to his decision. That same day, he splurged on a feast in the cafeteria for his coworkers and gave a rousing speech.
"Honestly, I think my brother’s speeches are way better than the factory director’s," Lin Xiaowei said between bites, still showering praise.
Lin Jianguo frowned. "Don’t talk nonsense." His daughter had fully embraced the idea of Fang Zhiyi as her honorary brother, but it also made Lin Jianguo feel a little guilty toward him.
And just like that, Fang Zhiyi walked away from the machinery factory, leaving behind a legend—the man driven to quit by his own parents.
"A tape recorder?" Senior Li frowned, having just arrived after his shift. "What’s that?"
Fang Zhiyi gave a rough explanation and pulled out a sketch. Based on the timeline, similar products would hit the international market within two years—they had to move fast.
"But we don’t have most of the components here," another technician pointed out.
Fang Zhiyi grinned. "Leave that to me."
The next day, he registered a company and bought a train ticket to Guangzhou. At the time, Guangzhou was the country’s biggest hub for import-export trade. If you needed something, you could find it there—it was the city’s golden age.
While he was busy building his business, Fang’s Mother was left in shock. She went looking for her eldest son, only to be told he’d resigned—forced out by his father.
Standing outside the factory gates, she thought about her nice clothes, the monthly allowance, the meals her son had treated her to, and his promise that after his promotion, he’d move her into the city.
Resentment boiled inside her. That useless Fang Zhiyi had thrown away an iron rice job! But since he was nowhere to be found, her anger shifted to Old Fang. If not for him, she’d still be enjoying her son’s filial support—and planning her move to the city!
Third Son also returned empty-handed. Dejected at the thought of no more pool games, no more thrilling movies at the video parlor, no more treating his buddies to feasts, he punched the wall in frustration. It was all that damn father’s fault—and Second Son’s too!
His gaze drifted. His eldest brother had walked him down this path many times, and he’d once joked that there was plenty of scrap metal behind this wall—that if they were ever broke, they could just haul it out and sell it.
Third Son narrowed his eyes.
As soon as Fang Zhiyi stepped off the train and exited the station, someone grabbed him from behind: "Don't move!"
Without even turning his head, he raised his elbow and aimed for the assailant's throat—stopping just short of impact.