The Daily Life of a Depressed Salted Fish Chapter 96

Jiang Wu’s hobbies had remained the same for ten years.

He loved sleeping, enjoyed soaking in baths, and hated exercise.

Yin Wuzhi couldn’t say he didn’t understand Jiang Wu at all; he simply hadn’t paid much attention to him before. As for why he suddenly became so attentive recently…

Who knew what spirit had possessed him?

Jiang Wu had a mobile phone but never carried it because he found it too heavy. Instead, he had a smartwatch for phone calls. Even with that, he needed someone to help him take it off when he got home from school.

Shocked by his own ability to “read” Jiang Wu’s expressions, Yin Wuzhi finished Jiang Wu’s homework and left for home with his backpack without delay.

That night, he dreamed he was at a dock piled high with countless Jiang Wus.

He moved one after another, but the pile never diminished.

In the dream, Yin Wuzhi grew anxious. He sped up, working as fast as he could. When he finally finished and wiped the sweat from his brow, a large ship arrived from the sea, carrying yet another mountain of Jiang Wus.

The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, Yin Wuzhi was stopped by three classmates with unfriendly expressions.

Yin Wuzhi wasn’t afraid of a fight. He just didn’t want it to be known that he was fighting over that little lazy person. If word got out that he was competing for Jiang Wu without any financial gain, it would feel a little humiliating.

He tried to resolve the matter amicably: “How about this: whatever he’s paying you, I’ll pay double.”

“Who are you insulting?” C said indignantly. “Do you think we’re that desperate for money?”

Yin Wuzhi didn’t think his offer was unreasonable. “You’d get double the money without having to lift a finger. If Jiang Wu has any complaints, I’ll take full responsibility. Isn’t that a good deal?”

“Not really,” A said. “That would weigh on our conscience.”

B nodded and added, “We’re not helping him for the money.”

Yin Wuzhi frowned. “Then what’s it for?”

“It’s just…” C struggled to explain. “We like him and want to be friends with him.”

A: “He’s very interesting.”

 B: “And cute.”

Yin Wuzhi’s lips twitched. “Fine. See you after school then.”

A chair scraped loudly beside him. Jiang Wu didn’t seem to notice until Yin Wuzhi lifted his face from the desk. Blinking groggily, Jiang Wu saw Yin Wuzhi’s blank expression.

“?”

Interesting. 

Cute. 

Want to be friends.

Yin Wuzhi said, “I won’t go home with you after school today.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Wu’s casual response left Yin Wuzhi frustrated. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing?”

Jiang Wu: “.”

Yin Wuzhi: “…”

Who was he to Jiang Wu, anyway? Certainly not someone worthy of Jiang Wu’s concern.

Yin Wuzhi calmly withdrew his hand.

Who knew how he came to accept this realization without complaint?

What kind of brainwashing was he under?

After school, Jiang Wu went home as usual. His father, who happened to be there, took his backpack and said, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Your mom and I cleared our schedules. Do you want to go out and have some fun?”

Jiang Wu wandered to the sofa and flopped down.

His father crouched in front of him, coaxing, “Good boy, want to go to an amusement park?”

“Long lines.”

“I’ll arrange for someone to hold our place. You won’t have to wait.”

Jiang Wu asked listlessly, “Do you really want to go?”

From the kitchen, Chang Jinwen peeked out and gave Jiang Wu’s dad a series of exaggerated winks.

“Yes,” his dad said awkwardly. “I really want to ride the roller coaster.”

“.”

After another round of frantic gestures from his wife, Jiang Wu’s dad relented. “Actually, I don’t like intense rides either. Let’s ride the carousel instead.”

Jiang Wu thought seriously for a moment.

“Good boy, let’s go. Daddy wants to play.”

The parents in this world were always so good to him, doting on him without hesitation. Seeing the hopeful look in his father’s eyes, Jiang Wu finally said, “Fine.”

His dad extended a hand. “High five.”

Jiang Wu: “…”

“Just a quick one. It’s a deal then.”

Jiang Wu sluggishly raised his hand and watched as his father’s larger one smacked it with a “Yay.”

“…” Aren’t you a bit too old for that?

Jiang Wu’s dad glanced at his wife, who gave him an encouraging nod. Then he turned to Jiang Wu and said, “Ah Wu, how about we invite the Yin family over for dinner tonight? Your Aunt Xiu and I will cook.”

“Okay.”

“Why didn’t Ah Zhi come home with you today?”

Jiang Wu didn’t know. He suspected Yin Wuzhi might have snuck off to an arcade again.

Thinking of how the once-responsible Yin Wuzhi had turned into this, Jiang Wu felt a faint sadness. When Uncle Yin arrived with fine liquor, Jiang Wu was still lying listlessly on the sofa, unmoved.

Father Jiang asked, “Why are you alone?”

“It’s because of that boy, Yin Wuzhi,” answered Father Yin. “Got into a fight with someone, ended up with his face all scratched up. His mother’s tending to his wounds right now.”

Before he even finished speaking, the figure sprawled lazily on the couch suddenly propped himself up, turned over slowly, and asked, “A fight?”

Father Yin paused, momentarily caught off guard by the movement. He couldn’t quite tell if Jiang Wu had reacted to the mention of Yin Wuzhi specifically or if the word fight had startled him.

“Yeah,” he said. “He won’t say what happened, but don’t worry—it’s just some scratches, nothing serious.”

Jiang Wu: “.”

Who’s worried about an ex-boyfriend?

Having pieced together the situation, Jiang Wu thought for a moment before lying back down.

The Jiang family’s couch was large, and Jiang Wu laid there quietly, serene as a doll waiting to be admired. Watching him, Father Yin clicked his tongue as he and Father Jiang placed some bottles in the liquor cabinet. “Ah Wu truly cares about our Ah Zhi. Did you see how quickly he sat up?”

Father Jiang was less enthused. “Don’t forget, Ah Zhi once pushed Ah Wu down.”

“That was ages ago.” Father Yin waved the comment away. “And it wasn’t intentional! Ah Zhi said he just gave him a light poke. Who knew Ah Wu would fall?”

“You’re the one who failed to raise your son properly, and you’re still talking?”

The two fathers bickered on, but Jiang Wu remained perfectly still.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion at the door. Jiang Wu instinctively shifted his gaze—it was Steward Qi, returning from errands.

“Qi Hanmiao,” Jiang Wu called.

His father frowned. “Call him Uncle Qi. Don’t be rude.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Qi Hanmiao replied with a chuckle as he approached. “Young Master, what can I do for you?”

“Take me upstairs.”

“But we’re about to have dinner. Why go upstairs now?”

“Take me.”

Before Qi Hanmiao could respond, Father Jiang had already stepped in. “I’ll carry you up. Come on.”

Qi Hanmiao looked slightly disappointed. He treated Jiang Wu as if he were his own son. But it seemed Father Jiang didn’t like him being too close to Jiang Wu, always stepping in when Jiang Wu acted spoiled.

As he carried Jiang Wu upstairs, Father Jiang grumbled, “Stop troubling others. They have their own work to do. If you need something, ask me—I’m perfectly capable of carrying you.”

Once in his room, Jiang Wu was laid on the bed as his father tucked him in. “Get some rest.”

“Alright.”

His father was about to leave when Jiang Wu spoke in his usual slow tone, “When you’re old, I’ll carry you too.”

By the time Yin Wuzhi arrived, dinner wasn’t fully ready yet, but Father Jiang was already tipsy. “My son said when I’m old, he’ll carry me.”

Chang Jinwen rolled her eyes. “You’ve been repeating that since you came down. Enough already.”

Father Yin, looking envious, said, “You’re lucky to have such a good son.”

Yin Wuzhi chimed in, “When you’re old, I’ll carry you too.”

“Isn’t that your duty?” Father Yin scoffed. “Now go help your aunt bring out the dishes.”

Some lives were just different. Yin Wuzhi frowned, touching the scratches on his face, and asked as he helped, “Where’s Jiang Wu?”

“Oh, Jiang Wu found out about your fight earlier and was worried about you,” Father Yin said proudly, mimicking Jiang Wu. “He sat up so fast, just like this.”

Yin Wuzhi’s brow lifted, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. “Really?”

“Of course!” Father Yin said, his face red with pride. “My son is blessed to have someone who cares about him.”

Father Jiang burst into laughter.

Upstairs, Jiang Wu rolled over in bed, shifting from lying flat to lying on his stomach.

He hadn’t expected those classmates to actually confront Yin Wuzhi.

Who knew how badly they’d beaten him?

But why did Yin Wuzhi fight them? Couldn’t he have just run?

Closing his eyes, Jiang Wu let his thoughts drift aimlessly, until he heard movement at the door.

“Jiang Wu, are you asleep?”

Jiang Wu rolled back onto his back but didn’t respond.

The door opened quietly, and Yin Wuzhi tiptoed to his bedside, crouching down. He lightly poked Jiang Wu’s cheek and said, “Wake up. It’s time to eat.”

Jiang Wu cracked one eye open.

The scratches on Yin Wuzhi’s face weren’t as bad as his father had described—just a few scrapes. Jiang Wu glanced briefly at him before closing his eyes again.

His father hadn’t been lying—Jiang Wu was concerned about him.

Even if it was just a glance, Jiang Wu wouldn’t bother looking at someone he didn’t care about.

…Why, though, did he have this newfound knack for reading people’s expressions?

Yin Wuzhi, caught between disbelief and satisfaction, urged, “Come on, get up. Let’s eat.”

“It’s not ready.”

“It’s almost done.”

Jiang Wu didn’t move. He never ate meals that were “almost done.” Either the food had to be brought to him directly or ready to eat the moment he arrived. Though his time wasn’t valuable, he refused to give up precious minutes of sleep just to wait for dinner.

At the table, Father Jiang announced the amusement park plans for the next day and asked if Yin Wuzhi wanted to join. With nothing else planned, Yin Wuzhi agreed.

After dinner, Chang Jinwen suggested, “Ah Zhi, why don’t you stay over? You can wake Ah Wu up tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Wu didn’t seem to care, and Yin Wuzhi quickly agreed, “Alright.”

Once the Yin family left, Yin Wuzhi flopped onto Jiang Wu’s soft bed. It smelled faintly of Jiang Wu. He bounced on it a little before hearing Chang Jinwen call out from outside, “Ah Wu, the bath is ready. Your dad will help you today.”

Yin Wuzhi rolled off the bed and glared at Jiang Wu. “How old are you? Still need help bathing?”

Jiang Wu leisurely grabbed clothes from the wardrobe and walked out.

Yin Wuzhi snatched the clothes from his hands, frowning. “Your dad’s drunk. How’s he supposed to help you?”

“No problem,” came Father Jiang’s drunken slur from the hallway. “I can… help my son… I’m not drunk…”

Chang Jinwen and the steward were trying to steady him. “Yes, yes, we know you’re not drunk, but can you stand up first?”

Jiang Wu walked into the bathroom without hesitation. Yin Wuzhi, watching him go, acted before thinking: “How about I help instead?”

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