Chapter 53: Double Standards

"Mom, are you really my biological mother?"
Sitting in his room, Zhao Jie clung tightly to the bank card in his hand, his eyes full of reluctance.
This card held the 100,000 yuan RMB prize for winning the recent tournament, and across from him, his mother’s hand was also firmly pressed on the card.
"Xiao Jie, if you can’t trust anyone, you should at least trust your own mother, right?"
Mrs. Zhao looked at her son with a cheerful smile and spoke gently, but her fingers gripping the card only tightened further.
"I know this is the money you and Agumon earned through your own hard work. I’m not really taking your money, I’m just keeping it safe for you. Isn’t that so, dear?"
Hearing his mother’s words, Zhao Jie felt a wave of helplessness.
That sounded exactly like how she used to trick him out of his New Year’s money when he was little. She’d said the same thing back then. But once the money was in her hands, he never saw it again.
"Ahem, Xiao Jie, your mother’s just thinking of what’s best for you. It’s not good for a kid to have so much money. We’ve prepared a bank card for you, too, and there’s quite a bit of money in it—for you and Agumon to use as pocket money."
His father cleared his throat, pulled a bank card from his pocket, and handed it over.
"How much is in this card?"
"A lot, don’t worry. You won’t be disappointed," his father assured him, patting his chest.
"How much is ‘a lot’?"
"'A lot' is a lot. You’ll see for yourself when you link it to your phone."
Reality gave Zhao Jie little room to refuse. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender the card with one hundred thousand yuan, and take the one his father insisted held "a lot."
Moments later, staring at the one thousand yuan balance on his phone, Zhao Jie let out a howl of despair.
From a hundred thousand to one thousand—his fortune had shrunk a hundredfold.
I knew it! You can’t believe a word from either of them!
"Do you think we were too cruel?"
In another room, Zhao Jie’s father scratched his head at the sound of his son’s wailing and looked at his wife.
"Cruel? It’s bad for a child to have so much money. Remember our neighbor’s second aunt’s cousin’s kid? He once spent ten thousand on a game…"
You make a good point. I have no rebuttal.
…
After venting his grief for a while, Zhao Jie finally gave up brooding.
He’d been thinking about using the money to splurge on his King of Glory account, but now there was no hope.
"Hey, Agumon, why do you have a phone hanging around your neck?"
As Zhao Jie recovered from his heartbreak over the lost fortune, he noticed that at some point, Agumon had a phone dangling from its neck.
"Zhao Mom and Zhao Dad gave it to me!"
Agumon scratched its head, holding up the phone and looking innocently at Zhao Jie.
"Oh, and Zhao Mom said I can use it to order food delivery. Zhao Jie, help me order this!"
Agumon brought the phone over. It had had the phone for an hour already, but so far hadn’t managed to order anything.
"What?"
Zhao Jie took the phone. Thankfully, it wasn’t more expensive than his own.
But soon his mood soured again, as he noticed the food delivery account on Agumon’s phone showed a balance of three thousand yuan.
Zhao Jie: ????
A flurry of question marks filled his mind. Why did he only get one thousand, while Agumon got three thousand?
Who’s really your child here?
"Order, order!"
Agumon clapped its hands, urging Zhao Jie.
"Okay, just like this, and this… There, it’s done. Someone will deliver it soon."
A few taps later, Zhao Jie placed the order for Agumon.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became—why did he only get one thousand yuan, while Agumon got three thousand? After wrestling with it for a few minutes, he decided to confront his parents.
"I’m going out for a bit. Agumon, stay here and behave."
"Okay!"
Knock.
Knock.
"Who is it?"
Zhao Dad’s voice sounded from inside.
"It’s me."
"Oh, Xiao Jie. What is it?"
His father’s voice continued, but he made no move to open the door.
"I need to talk to you. Open up."
"Just say what you need to, your mom and I are a bit… indisposed."
Zhao Jie took a deep breath. He’d barely started his long march—he couldn’t give up now, not if he wanted to secure his financial future.
"Why did you give Agumon three thousand yuan, but only give me one thousand? I demand equal treatment. I want three thousand too."
He’d said his piece, but the room fell silent.
A minute passed. Two minutes.
Five minutes went by, and Zhao Jie stood at the door like a statue.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, can’t you at least say something?"
"There’s nobody in here," his father’s voice finally came again.
Black lines formed on Zhao Jie’s forehead. If no one’s inside, who’s talking, a ghost?
Sigh.
He let out a long breath. February was a chilly month.
But not as cold as my heart.
This life is getting unbearable.
Inside the room,
Zhao Dad and Zhao Mom faced each other openly—truthfully, they hadn’t lied to their child; they really weren’t in a position to see him just now.
After their amorous battle, both wore looks of satisfaction.
"Maybe a thousand was a bit stingy," Zhao Dad murmured as he stroked his wife’s hair.
"Stingy? It’s plenty! He’s lucky I gave him that much after he dared hang up on me," Zhao Mom replied, shooting him a glare.
She still felt a pang thinking about the time Zhao Jie had hung up on her.
If he disappointed her, he’d have to learn his lesson.
Ah!
Now Zhao Dad understood—it was all because she was still holding a grudge about that call.
He thought a thousand was a bit tight, but of course, he’d take his wife’s side at a time like this.
What’s the saying?
Children are just an accident.
Note: There was a timeline issue—it should be February, so he can take the big exam in June. Already fixed, doesn’t affect reading.
PS: Agumon and Zhao Jie’s new adventure is about to begin—the gates to the Digital World are opening for all the chosen children. So, throw your recommendation votes this way!