VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 983: Father’s Debts, Son’s Duty

Ye Shisan’s stepfather, He Dali, lived up to his name—a skilled bricklayer.

Thirty years ago, bricklaying paid well. He Dali bought a house in the county, settled down, and after meeting Ye Shisan’s birth mother, Li Fang, had a son, He Qiang.

But fate turned sour. Enterprise reforms and layoffs swept through. He Dali tried his hand at business, only to lose all his savings.

Desperate, he sold the house to pay debts and moved south with his family to find work.

Trouble followed. They found stable factory jobs, but He Dali took to gambling, piling up debts. Unable to face loan sharks, he fled, leaving Li Fang and He Qiang behind.

To clear the debts and raise her son, Li Fang worked long factory hours. It took years to pay off the loans, but a machine accident took both her legs, leaving her disabled for life.

The boss, no rich man, gave her about ten thousand yuan and sent them off.

He Dali heard of the payout and returned, begging his way home, only to find the money spent on medical bills.

Penniless and hungry, He Dali saw a chance—Li Fang’s disability could draw pity. So, they became professional beggars.

Every trade has its master. Their acting sharpened, and begging soon earned more than factory work.

But their son, He Qiang, grew into a good-for-nothing. After junior high, he neither worked nor studied, spending his parents’ money on drinking, gambling, and worse.

His skills? Partying and petty trouble. Too timid for murder or arson, but as a broke thirty-something, he harassed girls on the subway for thrills.

This time, he crossed You Long’er.

He’d messed with the wrong person. You Long’er’s call brought a crew of toughs. If Li Fang hadn’t recognized Ye Shisan, He Dali and He Qiang would’ve been beaten badly.

Spared, the three hurried off the subway.

He Dali asked Li Fang, “Was that really Shisan?”

“Twenty years gone, but I’m his mother. I’d know,” Li Fang replied.

He Dali stayed quiet. He Qiang laughed, jumping in. “Ma, Pa, we’re rich!”

Confused, they pressed him. He Qiang said, “Look at Shisan’s clothes—businessman or big shot. And that pretty girl? She’s got power, or why the bodyguards? We need to claim him!”

He Dali’s eyes sparkled. “Right, son! Your ma and I are set! Begging’s okay, but living easy’s better!”

Li Fang shook her head. “I called out in the moment. I’ve no right to face him. We left him twenty years ago.”

He Dali spat. “Don’t blame me, woman! If Shisan hadn’t burned our house, would I have dropped him? I raised him seven years—he owes us!”

He Qiang added, “Ma, Pa’s right. You’re his mom. The law says kids support parents. Can he beat the law? Let’s find him!”

Li Fang hesitated. “But looking like this? It’s not right.”

She meant their beggar clothes.

He Qiang grinned. “Ma, that’s the plan! Looking poor hooks him. If we were rich, who’d deal with that crazy guy? What if he snaps and kills us?”

He Dali cut in. “Qiang, stop. Call him Brother Shisan from now on, got it? We’ll check him out first.”

He Qiang nodded. “Right, Pa’s smart! Shisan’s my brother now!”

Li Fang asked, “But where do we find him?”

He Qiang thumped his chest. “That stop was for the amusement park. Where else would Shisan take a girl?”

He Dali cheered. “That’s my boy! Let’s wait at the park gate and make some cash on the side!”

This family, stripped of shame by begging and bad living, saw Ye Shisan as a gold mine. They’d take it all, by any means.

Amusement park tickets cost plenty—five hundred for adults, nearly four hundred for kids. Ye Shisan, still clumsy with smartphones, bought them at the gate.

Three tickets cost one thousand three hundred seventy-two yuan. Twenty years ago, that would’ve shocked him.

You Long’er stayed quiet until she couldn’t hold back. “Ye Shisan, tell me straight. Was that beggar woman your mom?”

He chuckled. “Thought it was a big deal. Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Hmph! Don’t lie!”

“You know I was in the hospital twenty years. I can’t tell from one look.”

You Long’er’s frown eased. “What if she is your mom?”

Ye Shisan hadn’t thought it through. Beyond his grandfather’s care, “mother” meant little to him.

Twenty years apart, that family were strangers.

“If she is, I’d give her money to live on. My dad owed her, and I’d pay that debt as his son. But she gets no say in my life.”

You Long’er smiled. “Ye Shisan, I’m starting to respect you.”

Though a proud princess, You Long’er was filial. Her father, You Dragon King, had said: avoid unfilial men, but blindly loyal ones are worse.

Ye Shisan was both filial and firm, wise and strong. His words stirred her heart.

Vanilla, on Ye Shisan’s shoulder, teased, “Look at that shameless smirk. Bet you’re imagining Uncle Shisan going wild!”

You Long’er glared. “You little brat, what do you know?”

“Tch! I know everything! Why’s your skirt so short today?”

You Long’er grabbed Ye Shisan’s arm, taunting Vanilla. “Why? To make it easy for my darling to try something!”

Vanilla huffed. “You… you little minx!”

Now, beside Vanilla, the “little fairy,” Ye Shisan had You Long’er, the “little minx.”