Chapter 8 Chapter 8 On Wednesday morning, Fang Shimian had just gotten off work when...

Early Wednesday morning, Fang Shimian just got off work when he saw a private message from Manager Yang, telling him that he didn't need to go to the night shift and that someone from the night shift had been arranged to take his place.

Fang Shimian felt uncomfortable, but he couldn't quite describe where he felt uncomfortable. It seemed as if there were many things pressing on him, and his senses were numb. He couldn't figure out what was causing him constant pain.

He and Xu Long returned to the community together. Xu Long went upstairs to catch up on his sleep, while Fang Shimian rode his electric scooter to buy some wolfberries, milk and fruits. He carried the "inspiration" he had drawn in the monitoring room during this period, rode through a few alleys, and after a brief identity verification with the security personnel, he entered an old residential area.

Although this community is old, it is different from the mixed community of tens of thousands of people that Fang Shimian rented. There are fewer residents here, more green areas, and strict security. In addition to calling and confirming with the residents, outsiders who come in must also fill out a visitor registration form.

There is a senior activity center downstairs in the community. Several old men are playing chess in the hall. There are also several elderly people sitting in the central garden, some walking their dogs and some walking their birds.

Fang Shimian's electric scooter was parked in the shed outside. Just as he passed through the central garden, he heard someone calling his name.

He looked back and saw a young man with a crew cut and wearing a vest waving at him outside the activity hall and running towards him quickly.

Before Fang Shimian could react, the things in his hands were taken away by the young man.

The young man had a dark face and a well-proportioned body. He looked young. He showed two rows of white teeth to Fang Shimian and smiled shyly, "Mr. Fang Shimian, right? Grandpa Zhao is playing chess and wants you to go up with him later."

Fang Shimian nodded quickly and tried to take something from the young man's hand, but the young man dodged it very flexibly. He looked at Fang Shimian, still smiling, "I'm the new Xiao Zhang, you go and accompany the old gentlemen, just leave these small matters to me."

An old lady walking her dog happened to pass by. She pushed up her reading glasses and looked at Fang Shimian, "Just go when I tell you to. Young people are always in a hurry. It's not nice to be so slow."

The white puppy circled around Fang Shimian and sniffed him, wagging its furry tail happily.

Fang Shimian didn't say anything more, so he just followed Xiao Zhang to the hall of the senior citizen activity room.

Old Master Zhao was holding a thermos cup proudly, sitting on a small stool with his chest puffed out and his head raised, looking at his opponent who was scratching his head. When he saw Fang Shimian coming, he quickly called him to come and see.

"Hey, Xiao Fang is here." The old men who were gathered around also knew Fang Shimian, and happily made room for him in a spectator seat.

"What do you think, Xiao Fang? Do you think Old Zhou still has a chance to turn the tables?" One of the old men, who was wearing a large flowered jacket, asked Fang Shimian in a loud voice.

Grandpa Zhao covered the thermos cup and glared at Fang Shimian with his eyes as sharp as torches. "Watch the game of chess in silence! Watch the game of chess in silence!"

The grandfather in the flowered coat laughed out loud, "Old Zhao, that's not what you said last time."

"A good man doesn't talk about his past achievements. Don't bring up the past." Grandpa Zhao directly reached out and pulled Fang Shimian from the pile of old men to his side, "Don't give them advice."

Fang Shimian nodded. He was young, with red lips and white teeth, and he looked very well behaved when he smiled.

"Xiao Fang is very good at playing chess. Why don't you go back and be my grandson-in-law?" The old man in an old military coat looked at Fang Shimian and smiled kindly.

This sentence caused laughter from the people around him. "Brother Wang, aren't your two sons Xiao Wang and Xiao Fang both boys? Who do you want Xiao Fang to be your son-in-law? Hahahahaha."

Mr. Wang was silent for a while, "Then come and be my grandsons. I will raise two or three."

"Check!" Old Master Zhao decided the outcome with one move. He stood up, raised his chin, and looked at the old men with great pride. He said with full energy, "Xiao Fang is my child. You want to take him? Humph! I'll give you two words. No way."

After that, regardless of other people's objections, he took Fang Shimian's hand and said, "Let's go home!"

Xiao Zhang followed behind with the things in his hand. Fang Shimian looked back. Grandpa Zhao stopped and said to Xiao Zhang, "Give the things to him. This kid is kind-hearted and doesn't like to cause trouble for others."

Fang Shimian took the things and thanked Xiao Zhang, then he turned and left.

An old man and a young boy got into the elevator. The door was wide open and a burst of fragrance came out of the room.

Mr. Zhao and Fang Shimian were sitting outside the house changing their shoes. Grandma Zhao, wearing an apron, heard the noise and trotted over to see what was happening. When she saw Fang Shimian, she hugged him and said, "You came just in time. All of these dishes today happen to be your favorites."

Young ginger duck, boiled beef, sweet pumpkin soup, and a few side dishes. Fang Shimian looked at them one by one and found that they were all his favorite foods when he was taking tutoring classes here. The teacher's family actually didn't like oily and spicy dishes, but because he liked them, these dishes gradually appeared on their family's table.

Fang Shimian could almost imagine that Grandma Zhao knew he was coming today and prepared the meal early, but she just said it was a coincidence.

Fang Shimian thought about how he had not dared to contact his teacher because he did not take the college entrance examination, which made the two old ladies worry about him. He held back his tears and hugged Grandma Zhao again. After a while, he asked, "Grandma, where is Brother Shun?"

Grandma Zhao raised her hand and touched Fang Shimian's eyes, smiling: "They are downstairs, go and call them up to eat."

The two floors were not connected, so Fang Shimian didn't wait for the elevator and went down the stairs directly.

The door downstairs was not closed, and when Fang Shimian went in he saw Zhao Shun sleeping on the big sofa in the living room.

Zhao Shun was taller than Shi Mian, and was white and plump. His round bald head was shining brightly in the sunlight, like a mushroom buried in the sofa.

Zhao Shun's fatness is different from Xu Long's. The fat on Xu Long's body can become a boost in fighting when necessary, and his skin is a very healthy wheat color, which is very different from Zhao Shun's fatness which is obviously caused by lack of exercise and sunlight exposure.

Fang Shimian walked over, put the brown bear hat that fell beside him on Zhao Shun, and gently squeezed his hand.

Zhao Shun woke up dazed and saw Fang Shimian. Before his brain could react, big tears started to flow down his cheeks. Fang Shimian quickly hugged him, and with red eyes he whispered to comfort him, "Brother Shun, don't cry, don't cry."

He cried, and Fang Shimian couldn't hold back his tears either. It was hard for him to hold back his tears upstairs.

As he was coaxing him, the bedroom door was pushed open with a bang. Zhao Shun was frightened and trembled. Fang Shimian hurried to comfort him.

Zhao You walked out, leaned against the partition between the living room and the bedroom, and stared at them expressionlessly.

Seeing Zhao You, Zhao Shun wiped away his tears and slowly let go of Fang Shimian. However, he looked a little pitiful, like a lost puppy, and put down his wagging tail in disappointment.

Fang Shimian didn't expect Zhao You to be at home on Wednesday. The sound of a kill in the game could be heard faintly in the bedroom. He asked in confusion, "Xiao You, don't you have classes today?"

Zhao You didn't say anything, just looked at him, turned around and went back to the bedroom, and the game sound became louder.

Fang Shimian knew that he was irritated again, so he could only turn around and rub Zhao Shun who was hiding behind him and secretly wiping away tears, "Brother Shun, please stop crying. I will play with you and Xiaoyou today and I won't go anywhere."

Seeing that his brother was not there, Zhao Shun took Fang Shimian's hand, kissed him on the face, then let him go and sat obediently on the sofa.

Fang Shimian took out a gray and white teddy bear from the storage box next to the sofa. Zhao Shun saw it and reached out to him to take it and play with it.

The bedroom door was not closed, the killing sound effects inside were very good, the display screen was large and clear enough, and the scene of blood and flesh flying when a headshot occurred as if it was happening face to face.

Fang Shimian closed the bedroom door, sat down next to Zhao You, and watched the game quietly and seriously.

When the settlement screen came, Fang Shimian sighed sincerely: "You aimed at that person through the scope just now, what a pity."

“…”

Zhao You looked helpless, and he couldn't pretend, so he threw away the mouse and asked, "Did you come in to talk to me about this?"

"Oh, no." Fang Shimian just remembered and smiled at him, "Xiaoyou, did you skip class today?"

Zhao You: “…”

"Fang Shimian." Zhao You's face turned pale with anger, and he spoke each word with pause, "Can't you really tell that I'm angry? Do you think it's the right time to ask this now?"

Fang Shimian just thought that the sulky Zhao You was very cute. He smiled and said, "Xiao You, don't lose your temper with your brother."

Zhao You's spellcasting was interrupted again, but the anger in his heart disappeared. He leaned on Fang Shimian as if surrendering, resting his head on Fang Shimian's shoulder, and whispered, "I didn't skip class. My grandma asked for leave for me. I just came back not long ago."

Fang Shimian nodded, "Are we going back to school after dinner?"

"No." Zhao You stood up and stared at Fang Shimian coldly, "I'm angry too, why don't you comfort me?"

Sure enough, he is still a child. Fang Shimian feels that he is an adult who already has a job, and he should be better to Zhao You.

"After dinner, take a break. I'll take you to school." Fang Shimian's eyes were dark and bright, as if he was stating some great proposal. "Then we'll go to the supermarket to buy some snacks, and you can take them to school."

Zhao You's eyes were originally fixed on his face, but when Fang Shimian finished speaking and looked at him, his gaze suddenly wandered and he said "OK" in a low voice.

The two of them opened the door and walked out of the bedroom together. Zhao Shun was barefoot, holding a teddy bear in one hand, standing at the door of his bedroom and looking at Zhao You.

Fang Shimian stretched out his hand towards Zhao Shun. Although Zhao Shun was a little afraid of his younger brother, he still ran over and held Fang Shimian's hand.

Zhao You let go of Fang Shimian, stood at the door of the living room, and snorted impatiently.

Fang Shimian took Zhao Shun to sit on the sofa, found the torn socks on the floor, put his shoes on him, and then took the two brothers upstairs to eat.

"The second child knew you were coming today, and he wanted to go home no matter what. No one could persuade him." Grandma Zhao picked up some food for Fang Shimian, "But your teachers can't make it back today. They are out studying. I guess they won't be able to go home until next week."

Fang Shimian buried his head in his food, and Grandma Zhao felt sad when she saw him. "You should take good care of yourself when you are out there. Look at you, you have lost weight."

Zhao You looked at Fang Shimian who hadn't raised his head, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Brother Mian will take me to school later."

The two old men looked at each other, and Grandpa Zhao looked at Zhao Shun who was eating seriously, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Zhao You didn't look at them, and added coldly, "Take Zhao Shun with you."

The atmosphere at the table finally became relaxed. Fang Shimian raised his head and served the two elderly people with a smile.

After dinner, Fang Shimian and Zhao You washed the dishes together.

There is a dishwasher in the kitchen, but the elderly don’t like these machines as they think they waste water and electricity, so they only used it once.

Mr. Zhao first read the manuscripts that Fang Shimian brought. He picked one out and looked at it carefully. After reading it, he raised his eyes and asked, "Do you want to sell this?"

Fang Shimian nodded.

"It'll be nice to make a little gadget with a little modification. I'll ask someone to take a look at it later when I'm free."

Fang Shimian nodded, a little embarrassed, and said "Thank you, Grandpa".

Mr. Zhao sighed, "Come here more often when you have nothing to do. Treat this place as your home."

Zhao You’s school is not far from the community. Originally, Fang Shimian planned to take him to school on a small electric scooter, but because of Zhao Shun’s joining, Grandpa Zhao still arranged someone to pick him up.

Fang Shimian treated the two brothers equally, giving two servings of all snacks and items, without giving either brother preferential treatment or letting either brother suffer any injustice.

Zhao You carried his things into the school, and was very concerned about his reputation, not even looking back.

Zhao Shun was very well behaved. Although he couldn't speak, he waved goodbye to his brother earnestly. Fang Shimian smiled and touched his head, so Zhao Shun lowered his head and a shallow dimple appeared on his cheeks.

"Isn't this Mr. Fang?" A strange voice sounded from behind, and Fang Shimian turned around to take a look.

Under the sunlight, Huo Jun was holding his suit jacket and smiled lazily at him, "I didn't expect to see you here."

Fang Shimian also smiled politely, "Mr. Huo."

Zhao Shun stood behind Fang Shimian, with curiosity about strangers in his eyes.

Huo Jun looked down at the boy's face pretending to be calm, his eyes moved slightly, and he smiled softly, "Mr. Fang risked his life to save others at the dinner party, which really impressed me."

"I wonder if I could invite Mr. Fang to dinner?"