Chapter 143: Chapter 89: Is There No Justice
Chen Yuan was in a good headspace and didn’t feel nervous at all. He passed Subject Two with ease.
He habitually glanced at his phone. There were messages from Uncle Zhang and Jiang Wanyi.
Jiang Wanyi’s message was a video of her and Mili.
"Daddy’s taking his driving test. Say ’Go, Daddy, go!’"
"Aah, aah, aah..."
"Tell Daddy to do his best, so he can take me and Mommy out to play later."
"Yah, yah, yah..."
"Ask Daddy what he wants for dinner. Mommy will make it for him."
"Aah, aah, aah..."
After watching the video, Chen Yuan was in a daze for a long time. For the first time, he found himself yearning for marriage and a family. ’But I’m only 18 years old.’
’I don’t even feel like taking this test anymore. I just want to hurry back.’
’We’re becoming more and more like a real family of three.’
Chen Yuan: "Passed Subject Two smoothly."
Jiang Wanyi: "Mili’s daddy is the best!"
After replying to Jiang Wanyi, he checked the message from Uncle Zhang.
Uncle Zhang: "Xiaoyuan, is she nervous?"
Uncle Zhang: "If it’s convenient, send me a few videos of her taking the test."
Those two simple sentences perfectly conveyed a father’s deep concern.
After getting out of the car, he found Zhou Jianye, who was watching from the sidelines.
"Instructor, which car is Song Jianye in?"
"B312. She should be fine."
Chen Yuan looked over. She was in the middle of reverse parking, and it seemed to be going smoothly.
He took out his phone, recorded a few videos, and sent them to Uncle Zhang.
After sending the messages, Chen Yuan turned his attention back to the car. After a few tense moments, she also passed the Subject Two test without any real danger.
"Chen Yuan!"
After getting out of the car, Song Jianye was like a happy little bird. She held down the brim of her hat with one hand and trotted back, the sun at her back.
She was more dazzling than the autumn sun.
Chen Yuan had seen this kind of happiness on Mili’s face before, where every emotion was expressed purely by instinct.
"I passed! Now we can practice for Subject Three together! But right now, our mission is to go have fun."
For Song Jianye, passing Subject Two wasn’t what was important; practicing for Subject Three together was.
"Let’s go."
After the test, they said goodbye to Zhou Jianye and left, getting into the Maybach parked outside.
"You passed Subject Two on the first try, so Subject Three shouldn’t be a problem. In a little over a month, you two should be able to get your licenses."
"Okay, okay. Uncle Zhang, we’re not going back to the hotel. Chen Yuan is taking me out to have fun. You should ask him where we’re going."
"We’ll go back to the hotel first. We need to get some things; we can’t go play empty-handed."
"Okay."
"I’ll have the hotel staff prepare some snacks for you to take with you."
"Okay."
They drove back to University City. Chen Yuan took Song Jianye to the underground shopping center and stopped in front of a toy stall.
"What are we going to buy?"
"A small bucket and some shovels."
"Are we going to go dig in the sand?"
Song Jianye seemed to have a particular soft spot for digging in the sand.
"Not sand, but it’s a similar activity. We’re still digging for something."
"I’ll follow your lead. I’m happy to dig for anything."
They spent twenty yuan on a small plastic bucket and two small metal shovels. And with that, their "tools of the crime" were ready.
After buying their things, they ate at the food court in the shopping center and then returned to the hotel.
Uncle Zhang had prepared two bags of snacks. He looked at Chen Yuan.
"Where are you heading this afternoon? I can drive you."
"We’re just going to Xianglin Garden, where we went before. You don’t need to drive us."
They hadn’t needed Uncle Zhang to drive them to the driving test that morning, either.
But because it was a test, he had been concerned and had gone with them anyway.
Since they were just going out to have fun in the afternoon, there was no need for Uncle Zhang to drive them.
"In that case, I won’t follow you. Call me if you need anything."
"Wait, don’t go yet."
Song Jianye looked at Uncle Zhang. "Uncle Zhang, is that little net we bought at Xianglin Garden last time still here? I want to go catch fish."
"It is. I’ll go get it for you."
Uncle Zhang went behind the bar, opened a cabinet, and found the small net they had used to catch loaches last time.
"Here you go."
Song Jianye took it and swished it a few times. "Uncle Zhang, we’re leaving now. Bye!"
"Be careful when you’re catching fish. Don’t fall in."
"It’s okay, I know how to swim."
Carrying their "tools of the crime" and the snacks, the two took a taxi to Xianglin Garden.
As usual, Song Jianye bought two grilled gluten skewers, and they walked inside together.
"There’s no sand here. We can only dig in the dirt."
"Back in my hometown, there’s a well-known wild vegetable called *popo ding*—its scientific name is dandelion. The weather is about to turn cold, and if we don’t come dig some up now, they’ll all be gone."
"Is it tasty?"
"I think it’s pretty good, but it has a slightly bitter taste, so it’s up to personal preference. But the important thing today isn’t just digging them up, it’s about the experience."
"Okay."
Once inside the park, they headed toward a small grove of trees ahead.
Song Jianye tugged on Chen Yuan’s sleeve.
"That driver is whipping the little donkey. It’s so pitiful."
"The little donkey probably isn’t that pitiful."
"Why not?"
"Because that’s a mule?"
"A mule?"
"The offspring of a horse and a donkey. They’re called mules."
"But it doesn’t matter what its parents were, it’s still pitiful to be whipped like that. I think the country has a law for this, the Animal Protection Act."
"Don’t get sidetracked. The Labor Protection Act can’t even protect us human beasts of burden, so what makes you think the Animal Protection Act is going to protect actual animals?"
"Then what’s the use of having those laws if they don’t do anything?"
"You can’t say they’re completely useless. They’re like the little bow on a pair of panties—they serve a decorative purpose."
Song Jianye suddenly stopped in her tracks. She put on a mock-serious face and stared at Chen Yuan.
"How do you know *my* panties have a little bow on them?"
"With that look on your face, you make it sound like I was peeking. Besides, don’t a lot of women’s panties have them?"