0071 Inferior Winter (1)

With the Spring Festival approaching, there's a lot of New Year's goods to buy. The biggest rule in the He family regarding chores is that men go first.

So early in the morning, He Yundong took Wan Qifuze to the morning market, leaving He Lingling and Zhao Mei at home to enjoy their leisure.

Zhao Mei sat on the sofa, battling wits with the ball of yarn in her hands, while He Lingling lay sprawled on the sofa, resting her head on her mother's lap and playing on her phone.

While scrolling through the morning financial news, He Lingling asked Zhao Mei what she was doing.

“I’ll knit a scarf for Yixu,” Zhao Mei replied.

He Lingling paused as she swiped her finger across the screen.

When he was still called "Chen Yixu," she had only known him for two years. In her distant memory, she had only taken him home once, and that was so long ago.

Later, after learning his identity, she went to City B with him and stayed by his side for many years. Of course, she never told her parents about these memories that she had once been ashamed of.

Logically speaking, Zhao Mei and He Yundong only knew that she lived in B City, but not why. How could they possibly remember a friend she had taken home to stay for a few days more than a year ago?

Even though Wanqi Fuze's appearance hasn't changed much over the years, his demeanor should have doubled. Zhao Mei and He Yundong would never call him by his name upon seeing him, let alone use such an intimate term.

He Lingling felt she needed to find out the answer she hadn't gotten during dinner last night.

This is too strange.

She climbed off Zhao Mei, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and looked directly at Zhao Mei.

Zhao Mei knew her daughter's temperament best; she was impulsive and acted on a whim. She was focused on knitting, not even glancing at her.

"Mom!" He Lingling called out.

"What?" Zhao Mei still didn't look at her.

He Lingling snatched the half-finished product from Zhao Mei's hand and threw it behind her.

Zhao Mei finally turned her gaze to her daughter: "Don't be jealous. I knitted one for you last year, but I've never seen you wear it." she complained.

"Who asked you that!" He Lingling snapped. "How did you become so familiar with him?"

Zhao Mei gave her a strange look: "You brought her into the house and you're asking me?"

After saying that, he went to get the yarn behind Lingling.

"That's been so many years! How... do you still remember him?"

Zhao Mei straightened the tangled ball of yarn her daughter had messed up: "It's been many years..."

"When Yi Xu first came here, you were still in junior high school, right?" Zhao Mei looked at the wall not far away with a smile, as if she was lost in some kind of memory.

He Lingling interrupted her impatiently: "It's high school!" She got goosebumps from her mother's affectionate "Yi Xu" calls. "Mom, he changed his name a long time ago. He's not called Chen Yi Xu anymore."

The name Chen Yixu always gave her a strange feeling.

To her, it was like a lie, a false facade.

It was like the only pure land in her heart for him.

She had to admit that, in the many nights that followed, she mistook him for Chen Yixu countless times.

He woke up in the middle of the night to find Wanqi Fuze lying next to him.

Zhao Mei noticed the sudden look of sadness on her daughter's face. She naturally knew what had happened between her daughter and Yi Xu over the years.

It's definitely not a simple contradiction. Although she naturally wouldn't side with outsiders other than her daughter, she knows exactly what kind of child Yixu is.

Lingling, on the other hand, is sometimes thoughtful and sometimes carefree.

Zhao Mei knew that her daughter couldn't see clearly.

She pulled her into her arms, and Lingling then lay down on her mother's lap.

It's warm and soft there, just like when I was a child.

She heard Zhao Mei sigh softly: "A name is just a label; he's never changed..."

He Lingling was stunned. She heard her mother continue.

"It was in the third year of junior high school, the first time you brought him home to our house. You were both still young then."

"I remember, of course I remember."

Of course I remember, this is the boy my daughter has liked for a long time.

When He Yundong first met the boy, he was just as startled as Zhao Mei.

They both assumed that He Lingling was in a relationship too early.

At that time, He Lingling was in her third year of junior high school. Shen Yan, who was much older than her and had been playing with her since childhood, was admitted to a university in J city, so He Lingling was disappointed for a long time.

So when Shen Yan said he wanted to take He Lingling to J City for a couple of days, the couple quickly agreed.

But who knew that He Lingling was alone when she went there, but when she came back from J City, she had become alone.

Two people and a dog.

He Lingling yelled "I'm so tired" and rushed into her room.

He Yundong looked at his dirty daughter, who was holding a dirty dog, and told his wife to quickly take the two children to take a bath.

It wasn't until I was about to close the door that I noticed there was something "dirty" outside.

A very handsome boy stood not far from the door, with injuries on his face and his school uniform in tatters.

He stared silently at his daughter's retreating figure, his eyes filled with sadness and desolation.

He Yundong frowned as he looked at the unfamiliar boy. He was always serious, and even Lingling was afraid of him when he got fierce.

But the boy didn't show any fear when he saw his gaze; he just seemed to realize that his actions were too presumptuous and quietly avoided it.

He Yundong had his doubts, but he didn't think much of it.

The next morning, Zhao Mei was startled when she went out.

At the entrance, a boy was curled up in a corner next to the He family's gate, not moving at all.

Zhao Mei's breath caught in her throat for a moment, and her face turned pale instantly.

It's not her fault.

At that time, he had untreated injuries, and his school uniform still had bloodstains from the external wounds.

At first glance, anyone would mistake it for a murder scene.

Zhao Mei called for He Yundong to come over quickly, and the shout woke up Chen Yixu.

Zhao Mei then realized that the boy was just asleep.

Zhao Mei felt relieved, but He Yundong frowned.

He grabbed Chen Yixu by the collar and pulled him up from the ground, shouting, "Who are you?"