Your Distance

85 - I'm Zhu Ao, I've Gotten Used To My Daughter-In-Law

After Ting Shuang moved back into the house, he spent more time with Zhu Ao.

He talked to Bai Changyi about the changes in his relationship with Zhu Ao, mainly using two old sayings. The first saying was: The tiger and his canine son.(1)

That was what he and Zhu Ao used to be like.

The second saying was: The tiger left his mighty hills and ended up trapped on the plains, where even a dog could bully it.(2)

That was them now.

Hearing that, Bai Changyi felt like laughing, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” It was autumn. Outside the window, falling leaves were being blown around. Ting Shuang leisurely poured himself a cup of coffee and put his feet up on the table, “When I was young, he always refused to let me eat what I wanted, like ice cream. He also didn’t let me play games with my classmates. So now, he also can’t go out to eat, drink, or play cards with his friends, just like me when I was a kid. He has to eat healthy and try his best to learn – he’s recently been practising walking, though most of the time he still sits in a wheelchair.”

At a certain point in life, the distribution of power between father and son would suddenly change.

Most fathers and sons would go through that.

At this point, an inevitable war would occur between father and son. After the war, the son would then realise that his father had become an old man, or in other words, returned to being a child.

The war between Ting Shuang and Zhu Ao had taken place in the hospital ward. Ting Shuang had swapped places with Zhu Ao in that battle. Just like how he’d let Zhu Ao see his tears when he was a child, he also saw Zhu Ao’s tears in the ward. Now, he even had to watch as Zhu Ao practiced walking, speaking, and holding chopsticks and his pen.

Everything had been reversed.

“I feel like I’ve become the head of the family.” Ting Shuang concluded with his feet propped up.

Bai Changyi said, “I’ve already envisioned what my life would look like in the future.”

“Really?” Ting Shuang imagined himself being domineering around Bai Changyi, “Dear, when I go back, can I be the head of our family?”

Bai Changyi laughed, “I thought it was always you.”

Ting Shuang was just about to say something when there was a knock on the door behind him.

“Who is it? The door’s locked, wait a minute.” He held his phone as he got up to open the door.

“It’s me.” Zhu Ao’s voice sounded from outside the door.

Ting Shuang originally intended to hang up before opening the door, but on second thought, his dad couldn’t avoid seeing Bai Changyi forever. Now just happened to be a good time for his dad to get familiar with Professor Bai Changyi’s alternative identity.

“You’re not hanging up?” Bai Changyi asked.

Ting Shuang said, “When I was a kid, my dad always made me try my best to get used to his partner. Now that the tables have turned, it’s time for him to try his best to get used to my partner. Besides, my partner is much better than his.”

Bai Changyi laughed, reminding him, “Don’t go overboard.”

“I know.” Ting Shuang opened the door and saw the nurse pushing Zhu Ao around, “Dad, what’s the matter?”

“I’m calling you out for dinner.” Zhu Ao looked at Ting Shuang’s phone screen, “What are you doing?”

“I’m video calling my–” Ting Shuang had always called Bai Changyi ‘my professor’ in front of Zhu Ao as he was afraid that Zhu Ao would feel uncomfortable hearing other names, but now he felt like it was better to openly refer to him as how partners usually would. Because it was natural, and deliberately avoiding those taboos made him appear even more guilty, “Partner.”