[Your daughter-in-law only said what needed to be said. She’s young and you’re their father, so you should be more understanding.]

[Business is hard these days. Daniel works day and night to keep his factory running. Do you think it’s easy for him?]

[If you, his father, don’t help him, then who will?]

Soon after, my cousin joined in. [Damien, I have to say, what you did wasn’t right. It’s just a small misunderstanding. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.]

[At a time like this, when your son is struggling, it’s only natural for a father to help with both money and effort. Why would you quit now?]

[You’re just breaking his heart.]

Then my other sister sent a long voice message. I clicked on it and her usual lecturing tone filled the room. [Hey, listen to me, stop being so stubborn. There’s no real grudge between family, right?]

[You’re retired now and don’t have much to do, so it’s only right to help your son and he’s even paying you. That’s already generous.]

[If you leave like this, what will people say about the Sanders Family?]

[They’ll think we can’t even get along. People will laugh at us.]

As I read all those messages, seeing that each one blamed me without knowing the full story, my fingers went cold.

Then a distant cousin, the kind who rarely spoke to us but loved to gossip, sent a sarcastic message. [Oh wow, Daniel’s dad really has it good.]

[His son owns a factory and he gets to work there as a cook, earning easy money. Not like my useless son.]

[But really, you’re making such a big deal out of something so small. Maybe you just can’t get used to city life and want to go back home to act like a boring old man again?]

Another niece, who wasn’t very close to our family, chimed in too. [Uncle, Daniel is paying you just to keep you busy and give you a bit of income. Isn’t that better than doing nothing at home? Why can’t you just appreciate that?]

[The money is handled by your daughter-in-law. She’s just being careful for the sake of the factory. You did take the twenty cents, didn’t you? What’s wrong with them mentioning it?]

[It’s not like you’re losing anything.]

[That’s right,] added another relative. [Damien, we have no right to criticize you here, but try to be honest with yourself. When you’re old, won’t you still depend on Daniel and his wife?]

[If you upset them now, how will you live later? Just apologize and get back to work. We’re family, Damien, why make such a big deal out of it?]

The messages kept coming, one after another. They all blamed me, called me petty, unreasonable and ungrateful for my children’s so-called kindness.

None of them knew what it felt like to wake up at five every morning, to cook for nearly a hundred people alone, day after day.

Then my older nephew, who had had conflicts with me before, added with mockery, [Honestly, Danies is too kind. He should’ve hired a real chef instead of asking his dad. Look how that turned out. It’s easier to invite an expert than to send a useless person away.]

[Sure, twenty cents isn’t much, but it shows his character. Today it’s twenty cents, tomorrow who knows how much? Maybe the rumor about him pocketing grocery money is true.]

[That’s right,] that distant cousin added again. [Look how fast he’s trying to leave. Maybe his kids are right. If he has nothing to hide, why is he running away?]

Finally, Daniel sent another message.

[Dad, see? Everyone agrees. Stop being so stubborn, okay? Just come back to work tomorrow. I’ll talk to Wanda and give you a 30-dollar raise.]

I stared at the screen for a while, then opened the group settings and quietly left the chat.

At last, the world felt quiet again.

But an hour later, someone knocked on my door.

I sat still, not moving an inch. Then I heard Daniel’s voice outside the door. “Dad, please open the door. Let’s talk.”

I didn’t answer.

He knocked a few more times, then finally used his key to open the door himself. When he came in, his face was full of apology, completely different from how he looked earlier at the office.

“Dad, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Wanda and her mom were too blunt. They didn’t think about your feelings.”

“They know they crossed the line, so they asked me to apologize for them.”

I looked up at him. “Really?”

“Really,” he nodded quickly. “Wanda works in finance, so she’s strict about money. That’s why she cares so much about twenty cents. Please don’t take it personally.”

I didn’t reply. I just lowered my head and kept folding my clothes.

Daniel sighed, his voice sounding tired. “Dad, running this factory isn’t easy. Every morning, I wake up worrying about rent, bills, salaries, materials…”

“The pressure’s been killing me.”

“As a financial manager, Wanda’s job is to control costs. It’s just her responsibility.”

He rubbed his temples, looking drained. “The market’s rough right now. Profit margins are tiny and one mistake could wipe us out.”

“I can’t sleep at night because of the stress. I’m even losing my hair.”

Looking at him, my heart began to soften. After all, he was my son, the boy I had raised with my own hands.

When he had a fever as a child, I stayed up all night by his bedside. When he went off to college, I saved every penny I could to pay for his tuition.

Now he was struggling to build his own business. How could I, as his father, really just walk away and leave him on his own?

“Dad,” he said again when I stayed quiet, “please don’t go. I’ll talk to Wanda and make sure she watches how she speaks next time.”

“I’ll also raise your salary by seventy dollars.”

I put down my clothes and let out a long sigh. “You don’t need to raise my pay. I’m not staying for the money.”

Daniel smiled with relief. “Thanks, Dad. I knew you cared so much about me.”

He stood up, still smiling. “Get some rest. You’ll need to wake up early tomorrow to buy groceries.”

I nodded.

He turned around and quietly closed the door behind him.

Later that night, I lay in bed but couldn’t sleep.

When I got up to use the bathroom and passed by my son’s bedroom, I heard muffled laughter inside.

“See? I told you,” Daniel said proudly. “I know my dad too well. Just a few soft words and a bit of pity talk, he always gives in.”

Wanda chuckled softly. “My husband is the best. You’re right. Your dad is too easy to handle. That didn’t take much effort at all.”

“Of course. If he really leaves, we would have to hire at least two chefs and three helpers. Do you know how expensive that is? A chef costs at least seven or eight hundred a month and three helpers together would be over one thousand and fifty hundred.”

“My dad happily accepts two hundred and fifty bucks and he buys groceries, cooks and cleans. He’s basically free labor. We would be stupid to let him go.”

Wanda agreed. “And his cooking is great. Everyone at the factory says his food’s amazing. Where else can we find such a cheap and skilled cook?”

“That’s why we should keep him happy and make sure he stays. Once business gets better, we can deal with the rest later.”

So, their apology and concern were all an act. They weren’t really sorry.

They just didn’t want to lose their free labor.

Back in my room, I unlocked my phone and bought a ticket for the earliest train home. The payment went through and the departure time showed as 6:30 a.m. tomorrow.

At 4:30, it was still dark outside.

I picked up my travel bag and quietly opened the door. The hallway was silent since everyone else was still asleep.

When I got on the train, I sat by the window and watched the fields rush past. For the first time in a long while, my heart felt completely calm.

Three hours later, the train arrived at the station.

I turned on my phone and found dozens of missed calls and messages pop up. Some were from Daniel, some from Wanda and a few from relatives.

I ignored them all and dialed a friend instead. “Luke, I’m back. I’ll stop by this afternoon to finish the travel group paperwork, if it’s still possible to rejoin.”

My friend laughed on the other end. “I told you before, your kids have their own lives. Stop worrying so much. Come on back, everyone’s been waiting for you.”

When I stepped out of the station, the sunlight felt warm. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight in my chest finally lift.

Back in my hometown, the neighbors looked surprised to see me. “Damien, you’re back already? Weren’t you planning to stay with your son for a while?”

I smiled. “Home is still the most comfortable place to be.”

That afternoon, I went straight to the travel agency and signed up again. The staff said there was one last spot left for next week’s trip.

That night, I cooked two small dishes and opened a bottle of wine. At that moment, Daniel called.

I didn’t want to answer, but he kept calling again and again. The ringtone wouldn’t stop ringing, so I finally picked up.

“Dad, where are you?” he shouted, his voice full of anger and frustration.

I calmly replied, “I went home.”

He didn’t expect that. He went silent for a second, then suddenly raised his voice. “Home? Who told you to go home?”

“You promised yesterday you would stay! You’re not keeping your own words!”

In the background, I could hear Wanda’s sharp voice and Martha’s endless complaining. “How could your dad just leave without saying anything?”

“Yeah! Now I have to order takeout for everyone!”

“Do you know how much that costs? The factory’s losing money because of him!”

Their words were cold and full of accusations, their focus solely on the unexpected increase in expenses.

I almost laughed in disbelief. Even at this moment, that was all they cared about.

Daniel took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but his tone still came out commanding. “Dad, I don’t care where you are right now. By tomorrow afternoon at the latest, you have to come back. The factory can’t run without your cooking.”

“I’m not coming back,” I said firmly. “Your mother-in-law can do the job. She seems to have more free time than I do.”

That sentence made him snap. His voice suddenly turned sharp and cruel. “You’re not coming back? Fine! Don’t come back then!”

“If you dare not come back, then I’ll just pretend that I have no father. We’re no longer family! When you’re old and dying, don’t expect anyone to take care of you or even show up at your funeral!”