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Parasitic Child: Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Husky
Lao Wang is 57 years old this year, with unremarkable looks. He used to be called “the trash collector,” but over the years, that’s softened to “Lao Wang the scrap collector.” Perhaps due to spending years in garbage heaps, his skin is dark and grimy, and he always carries a particular smell. Lao Wang doesn’t notice it himself, but from people’s reactions, he knows it must be bad.
People often frown and walk around him, and even the customers who sell him scrap never want to stay a minute longer. Lao Wang doesn’t mind any of this.
After all, he spends his days surrounded by garbage; why would he go out of his way to smell fresh? Lao Wang is quite satisfied with his life. He earns about four to five thousand a month from collecting and selling scrap. After paying rent, he’s left with over three thousand yuan. That’s more than what many college graduates make. At the start of each month, he goes to the bank on the other side of the street to deposit exactly 3,000 yuan. Some months, when business is good, he can even deposit close to 4,000.
It’s a habit he’s developed over the years—he used to save for his son’s school fees, but now he’s paying off his son’s mortgage. When he thinks about his son, Lao Wang feels nothing but pride.
His wife passed away early, leaving him to raise his son single-handedly. He watched his son go from crawling on the ground to bouncing around as a young elementary schooler, then on to middle school, a prestigious university, and finally a family and career. His son is the kind of person who earns the thumbs-up from all the neighbors.
Nowadays, his son works at a well-known corporate group. Lao Wang once went to the group’s building to collect trash. The security guard held his nose and told him to wait outside. He knew he didn’t belong in such a high-end place, so he just stood outside, watching the bright and polished white-collar workers coming and going. Thinking of his son, now one of those clean-cut, well-dressed professionals, moving in and out of such places, Lao Wang couldn’t help but smile.
“Ring ring~~” His phone rang—a hand-me-down phone from Professor Wu, given to him on one of his collection trips. This area, besides a prestigious high school, also has a university branch campus. Most of the nearby residential area is home to faculty from the university and high school, who often have stacks of old notebooks and periodicals to discard. Professor Wu was a regular customer. One year, while Lao Wang was collecting old newspapers, Professor Wu tossed an old phone into his worn sack.
Lao Wang had asked why he no longer needed it.
Professor Wu replied dismissively, “Electronics get upgraded so quickly these days. My son bought me a new phone, so I don’t need this one anymore.”
Since Professor Wu didn’t want it, Lao Wang took it. He found the old phone quite nice—large text, easy to read. After all, isn’t a phone just for making calls? He didn’t care for all the fancy features young people’s phones have. To him, a phone was just something to handle business calls and stay in touch with his son.
He answered the call, and his son’s voice immediately lashed out at him, “You went to the Youth Activity Center again, didn’t you?” His young grandson Liang Liang was about to enter second grade. During summer vacation, he attended a weekly class at the Youth Activity Center.
“Yeah, I thought Liang Liang might get hungry during class…”
“I’ve told you so many times, don’t go, don’t go! Why don’t you ever listen, Dad?” His son’s voice was sharp and loud. “Every time you show up, you bring him some random snacks from who-knows-where. He’s had stomachaches a few times because of it. What are you even thinking?!”
“But I didn’t bring any snacks this time. I was just thinking of taking Liang Liang to KFC after class…”
“No need! How many times do I have to say it? Yi Na is picking him up. Liang Liang’s classes are expensive, and he doesn’t need you there, Dad. You know how shabby you look; at least let Liang Liang save some face in front of his classmates.”
“But I…”
The call ended abruptly. Lao Wang stared blankly at his phone, swallowing the rest of his sentence.
But I… just wanted to see Liang Liang.
Liang Liang, his adorable grandson, looked just like his son did at that age when he smiled. His face was round, he was as mischievous as a little monkey, but his words were warmer than the sun. Lao Wang still remembered his son, small and innocent, leaning close and whispering in his ear, “Dad, one day I’ll buy you a big house.”
Dad, I’ll buy you a big house, big and clean. You won’t have to collect garbage and live a hard life anymore.
Liang Liang would say the same way, “Grandpa, you shouldn’t collect trash—it’s too tiring.”
But Grandpa had to help pay Liang Liang’s mortgage.
His son had settled down and found a house in the city. It wasn’t very big, but it faced south, was bright, and had a nice layout. At first sight, his son and daughter-in-law Yi Na had fallen in love with it. With a single glance from his son, Lao Wang immediately pulled out all his savings to pay the down payment. Housing prices in the city were steep, and his son’s salary was barely enough to support the family, so of course, Lao Wang had to help with the mortgage.
Yi Na was a meticulous daughter-in-law who had decorated the home beautifully. The first time Lao Wang visited, he could feel how out of place he was. The community guard had nearly chased him off. After finally getting inside, he left a dusty footprint with his first step. Under his daughter-in-law’s piercing gaze, he quickly took off his shoes. But without his shoes, his socks were glaringly noticeable. The dull, gray socks, with holes messily patched up, looked jarring and unsightly on the bright, spotless floor. He instinctively tried to pull his feet back, wanting to hide them under his pant legs, but the muddy stains on his pants only stood out more. These pants he’d found at the recycling center years ago were worn so thin they looked nearly gray. Shifting his gaze, he saw his coat, another item he’d salvaged years ago, its cuffs and elbows covered in lint. Though he had taken a bath that morning, standing in this pristine new home made him feel like a dirty, tattered old mouse.
Just then, his son’s colleagues came to celebrate the housewarming. One person walked in, surprised, and asked, “Why’s the trash collector still here?” A pretty female colleague covered her nose and exclaimed, “It stinks! Get him out of here, quick!” His son and Yi Na smiled awkwardly, saying nothing, but their eyes urged him to leave.
This was no place for someone like Lao Wang, who collected trash.
Humiliated, he left quietly, without explanation, leaving the bright new home behind.
He left.
Living alone was actually more comfortable. Lao Wang dealt with trash every day; a spotless house would feel strange to him. He thought positively—life had treated him kindly. He had always been healthy, never seriously ill. Living alone was just fine. He was content. Liang Liang never looked down on his work, either. What was wrong with collecting garbage? It was how Lao Wang had raised Liang Liang’s father. Every time Liang Liang came to his warehouse to play, it was the highlight of Lao Wang’s day.
But once, after Liang Liang returned home, he came down with a fever that lasted three days, nearly turning into pneumonia. His daughter-in-law, Yi Na, said it was because Lao Wang’s place was too dirty. Children were so delicate these days, and Lao Wang’s recycling center took in all sorts of dirty waste, which could easily be carrying something harmful.
After that, Liang Liang was no longer allowed to visit him.
But he wanted to see his grandson.
He wanted to see Liang Liang’s round, rosy face and hear him say, “Grandpa, you work so hard. Let’s play together!”
Liang Liang’s birthday was coming up soon, and Lao Wang needed to prepare his grandson’s gift.
A few days ago, he had called his son’s house, and it was Liang Liang who picked up. “Grandpa, I miss you so much!” The sound of his young voice made Lao Wang’s heart bloom with happiness. “Liang Liang, what would you like most for your birthday? Grandpa will buy it for you.”
“A Husky! I want a Husky!” Liang Liang cried.
“What’s a Husky? Grandpa will get it for you! Don’t cry, Liang Liang.”
Between sniffles, Liang Liang explained, “It’s a Siberian Husky. My classmates said we couldn’t afford a show-quality Husky. I got into a fight with them, and now everyone calls me a liar. But my dad still won’t let me have one. Waaaah, Grandpa, I want a Husky! The show-quality kind!”
“What’s a show-quality Husky?”
“It’s a Husky that can be in shows! I want that kind!”
After the call ended, Lao Wang kept mumbling to himself, trying to figure out what exactly a “show-quality Husky” was. Later, he asked around and found out it was a high-grade breed of Siberian Husky that could compete in shows.
He went to a pet shop. The clerk frowned and approached him, saying, “Move along; we don’t handle waste here.”
“Husky, do you have one here?”
The clerk gave him a once-over. “The pets here are for sale, not for touching.”
“I know. Show me a Husky—how much?”
The clerk looked a little amused, saying, “Sir, we only sell purebred dogs here, ones with certificates.”
“And how much for a show-quality one?”
“Sir, maybe start with the non-show-quality purebred puppies. The ones with better features are 3,500 yuan, and the average ones are 2,800 yuan.”
Lao Wang was taken aback. “Why is it so expensive?”
The clerk sneered, “See that one over there? That’s a show-quality Husky with dual pedigree certification. It starts at 10,000 yuan. I’m already quoting you the low end.”
“That’s way too expensive for a dog.”
“We’re talking about purebreds,” the clerk said. “This dog eats better than you or I do. It’s a breed of nobility, a lot goes into its care.”
“Why do dogs need such good food? Wasteful,” Lao Wang muttered. In his hometown, dogs were happy eating any leftover scraps and were raised just fine.
“Even if I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. Sir, a show-quality Husky has a high pedigree, okay? You should go find a stray dog if you’re looking to save money. Don’t block our business.”
The cost of a show-quality Husky was beyond Lao Wang’s imagination. The down payment on his son’s house had used up all his savings, and now, almost all of his monthly income went toward the mortgage, leaving him with just a few hundred yuan for living expenses. Where could he find thousands of yuan to buy a dog?
Returning to his small storage space, he dug up all his loose change, barely adding up to about 2,000 yuan.
Throughout the day, he went to several other pet shops, encountering similar attitudes from clerks. Some didn’t even bother quoting prices before shooing him out. There were a few Huskies with less pure breeding priced between a few hundred to 1,000 yuan, but every show-quality Husky went for around 10,000 yuan, with one shop willing to offer 8,000.
Eight thousand yuan. After much deliberation, Lao Wang decided to sell everything he had saved to scrape together enough money for the dog.
When Lao Wang returned to his recycling site, he found a few people standing at the entrance.
“There you are, Lao Wang!” It was Director Li from the neighborhood committee. “I told you there’d be inspections this week. Why are you still piling things outside?”
“I had something to do today.” Lao Wang froze. “What happened to the pipes and items I left outside?”
“They’ve been cleared out,” Director Li said. “The enforcement team removed all the garbage you had piled up on the street.”
Lao Wang panicked. “But those were things I was going to sell!”
Director Li raised his voice, “I’ve been telling you for months about the inspections, notices were posted, and loudspeakers announced it. If you didn’t listen, who’s to blame? The city wants to improve cleanliness and safety, and they’ve been publicizing this for months. Why didn’t you take it seriously?”
“But those were…”
“Just trash, piled up here on public streets. Not only does it block traffic, but it also smells. Residents have been complaining for ages. Do you know how many complaints I’ve received? How many times have I tried to persuade you? You can count if you like.”
Lao Wang fell silent, heart aching over the cleared-out trash. Director Li was right, but for years, he’d always piled his things there. He knew he was in the wrong, but previous city clean-up campaigns had never affected him, so he brushed off Director Li’s warnings, assuming it would all blow over like before.
Who would’ve thought the enforcement team would act so swiftly this time?
That evening, Lao Wang sighed heavily.
He wanted a show-quality Husky—that was the gift his grandson wanted most.
Every month, without fail, he set aside 3,000 yuan to help pay his son’s mortgage. Business had been getting tougher; after rent and living expenses, he could barely scrape together enough for the mortgage. From the afternoon until now, he’d gone around, shamelessly borrowing money, only managing to get a few thousand yuan. But it was nowhere near enough for a show-quality Husky. He sighed heavily again.
His son and daughter-in-law, Yi Na, had long forbidden him from privately visiting Liang Liang. Giving him a birthday gift was his only chance to see him. How he wished he could see Liang Liang’s smile!
Lao Wang tapped his head, thinking about the Husky. Why were dogs so expensive? In the countryside, dogs were often given away for free. People had so many puppies that they’d drown entire litters, yet here in the city, dogs were divided by ranks and grades.
Feeling frustrated, Lao Wang got up to pour himself a small drink.
Then he heard a faint rustling sound from behind the cabinet. A rat? He walked over cautiously. But the creature behind the cabinet didn’t quiet down—instead, it started rummaging even more boldly.
Troublemaker. Lao Wang took off his shoe and stepped around to check. In the dim corner behind the cabinet, an animal was chewing on his old newspaper. No rat was ever this big.
What was this? Lao Wang rubbed his eyes. He switched on the light.
A dog was happily gnawing on the newspaper. Hearing the sound, it raised its head. It had beautiful blue eyes, ears perked up, gray and white fur, with a white blaze resembling a flame on its forehead. It was strikingly handsome, more like a beautiful wolf than a dog.
Lao Wang swallowed hard.
It looked just like the Huskies he’d seen in the pet shop earlier. But none of the pet shop Huskies, not even the show-quality one, compared to the elegance and liveliness of this one.
With such perfect features, even Lao Wang, who didn’t know much about dogs, felt captivated.
“Husky?” he murmured softly.
The Husky glanced at Lao Wang, then lowered its head and continued munching on the newspaper.
TN:
This son is despicable! Man, I’m so angry right now. This is the kind of person I hate the most! And that daughter-in-law isn’t any better. Bunch of ungrateful leeches nkt! Why aren’t they complaining about the money they’re using being made from trash? The real trash is these people.
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