Chapter 46 Chapter 46 She was jealous, she was really jealous.

"Then when should I go there?" Jiang Dong asked.

Xia Li frowned and thought about it. It was definitely not possible today. Who knows when the neighbors will be back to buy materials? This was something her aunt had agreed with them before, and she couldn't tell them that she didn't want it now.

"Then come here at 9:30 tomorrow morning. Do you remember the door? Knock and I'll open it for you."

Jiang Dong nodded and replied, "Okay."

Jiang Zai hugged his father's neck, unhappy that his mother and father were talking alone and ignoring him. He hugged Jiang Dong's neck and asked, "Dad, why are you here so late? Mom and Grandma told me that if I behaved, Dad would come soon, but Dad is so slow!"

Jiang Zai had an aggrieved look on his face, with his lips pursed, and looked at Jiang Dong with an accusing look.

Xia Li suddenly felt a little strange, because the tone in which Jiang Zai called Jiang Dong his mother sounded particularly natural and smooth to her.

The comparison made her realize that Jiang Zai had indeed rarely called her "Mom" before. Of course, he was also very affectionate, but sometimes his "Mom" voice seemed soft. Xia Li had previously interpreted this soft call as a child's coquettishness, a sign of tenderness and affection. But now, hearing this "righteous" "Mom," she suddenly wondered if the child had been shy with her.

What should I do? Raising a child is so hard.

Look at those calls of "Dad", how natural and intimate they sound.

Jiang Dong patted the little Jiangzai's butt and said, "Daddy is here to see Jiangzai. I know you've already gone to kindergarten. Is kindergarten fun?"

"It's fun, fun." Jiang Zai enthusiastically told Jiang Dong about the fun things he had in kindergarten, where he met many children and had delicious meals.

Xia Li was still fussing about it. She walked up to him, pinched Jiang Zai's chubby little face, and spoke to Jiang Dong: "Look, has your son's face gained weight because of me? I've done a good job, right? He looked so thin when I first went back." After saying that, Xia Li felt like she had said something out of turn. Why did this sentence sound like an accusation against Jiang Dong's mother?

She quickly waved her hands and explained, "Uh, that's not what I meant. I wanted to say that you can rest assured. I wouldn't dare treat him badly."

Jiang Dong: "Well, I know. After all, you are the child's biological mother. You shouldn't be hypocritical for the sake of your blood. I can trust you."

Uh...Suddenly, this sentence sounded a little familiar, and Charlie smiled awkwardly.

I'd read a quote in a magazine before: children are the glue between parents. Xia Li felt the same way. She didn't need this child to serve as a glue between her and Jiang Dong. She just hoped that he could occasionally break the silence when she and Jiang Dong were awkward, so as not to make her feel awkward.

Jiang Zai finished sharing his experiences in kindergarten and his father listened attentively. He was so encouraged that he leaned over to Jiang Dong's ear to whisper something to him.

However, children of this age always have some lack of self-awareness. Although Jiang Zai was whispering, his voice was not small, and Xia Li could hear it clearly without any effort.

What is he saying?

Jiang Zai said: "Dad, I am the best. I found Mom first. I found Mom earlier than Dad."

As soon as these words came out, Xia Li looked at Jiang Dong instantly, and Jiang Dong also looked over at her. Their eyes met, and Xia Li looked at Jiang Dong's eyes and blinked. She suddenly wanted to say something, but before she opened her mouth, Jiang Dong looked away.

The look he gave Jiang Zai seemed even more loving. The man's broad palm gently stroked the back of the child's head in his arms. He put his forehead against his son's forehead and touched them lightly twice, as if it was the warmest expression of a father's love for his son.

"Jiang Zai is the best. He is Daddy's proudest child. He is even better than Daddy."

When Jiangzai heard his father praising him for being so great, his mouth widened and he buried his little head in his father's shoulder and neck, rubbing against him hard, trying to get close to him and acting coquettishly.

Xia Li: She had never seen Jiangzai like this before, and had never been treated like this by Jiangzai before.

Jealous, she was really jealous.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

After a while, Charlie felt that she didn't need to be jealous anymore. Why should she be jealous? She could let her father enjoy this passionate love alone. She didn't dare to enjoy it.

Xia Li couldn't stop laughing, and while laughing she looked at Jiang Dong, as if something strange had happened to him.

Both father and son were attracted by Charlie's laughter and looked at her almost at the same time, with the same puzzled expression on their faces.

Charlie looked at the two of them and couldn't help laughing. She was even afraid that she would laugh too loudly, so she covered her mouth with her hands.

No, no, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard.

Then she slowly calmed down and pointed at Jiang Dong himself.

Jiang Dong was puzzled: "What's wrong, Xia Li?"

Xia Li smiled evilly, then glanced at Jiang Zai before replying to Jiang Dong: "Nothing, it's just that your son, who's more capable than you, got your clothes dirty."

Jiang Dong was wearing a white shirt today, and the area around his shoulder blades was a mess, covered in pink candy stains.

It was all done by that kid Jiangzai, and he’s still holding a lollipop in his hand.

Jiang Dong raised his arm, glanced behind him, then turned around and said, "It's okay, it's not a big deal." Seeing Jiang Zai also trying to look up his clothes, as if he knew he had made a mistake and was very concerned, Jiang Dong smiled and comforted him, "Jiang Zai, it's okay, Daddy will go back and wash it."

Jiang Zai clapped his hands happily, "Yeah, let's go back and wash it. Use the washing machine." He also pointed to the way he came, meaning to tell his father to go back from here.

Jiang Dong immediately understood what he meant. He patted his son's back a few times and said, "Dad still has work to do. I can't go back with Jiang Zai. I'll go see Jiang Zai after I finish work."

Jiang Zai heard that his father didn't mean to go with him, he pursed his lips, and his face showed an expression that was about to cry, "Then I will go with Dad too." He didn't want to be separated from his father. It had been a long time since he last saw him, and his father was away for a long time when he was working.

"Mom is also working and will be back in the evening." Jiang Zai said in a crying voice.

Seeing her own child so sad, even though it was not because of her, Charlie didn't want to see it.

She understood the child's feelings, but what Jiang Zai wanted was impossible to achieve. It was impossible for Jiang Dong to live in the house, and it was impossible for Jiang Zai to live with his father.

Moreover, she couldn't explain either side to her aunt.

"Dad will come to see you often, Jiangzai. Mom will also take you to see Dad in the future. Don't be sad, okay?" Xia Li walked up to Jiangzai and comforted him.

Jiangzai is a little child with limited cognition. He cannot ask questions like "Why can't Dad and Mom be together anymore?" He only knows that his dad has to leave for a long time when he goes to work, and he doesn't want to be away from his dad.

Jiang Zai grabbed his father's clothes tightly and lay on Jiang Dong's shoulders, looking like he didn't want his father to leave.

In the end, Jiang Dong made up his mind and left.

Jiangzai cried so hard that his eyes were full of tears and turned red.

What should I do now? If my aunt sees me when I get home, she will probably eat me.

Her reason before she went out was to take Jiangzai out to foster a relationship, and she ended up bringing back a child with red eyes?

The key point is, when the aunt asked again, "Jiang Zai, what did your mother take you to do today?" Jiang Zai blurted out that his mother took him to see his father.

Xia Li felt that she was going to die unjustly. She didn't intend to take him to see his biological father, but mainly wanted to take him to make his biological father show up.

It was impossible for Jiang Dong to see someone off all the way home. Jiang Zai watched his father leave and insisted on running after him, but Xia Li finally held him back.

She squatted on the ground, hugged the struggling child with both hands, and kept saying comforting words, but Jiangzai didn't listen.

There was no other way, she could only say: "Don't cry, didn't your dad say he would come to see you soon? If he knew Jiang Zai was so disobedient, I'm not sure if he would still come."

After hearing this, Jiang Zai seemed to have understood and stopped making a fuss.

Seeing that he was no longer moving, Charlie let him go.

Who knew that the child would turn around, say nothing, stare at Charlie with a pout, and after looking at her for a few seconds, turn around and run away.

Xia Li was startled, thinking he was going to chase Jiang Dong, who had already disappeared, and hurriedly shouted, "Don't run!"

Who knew that Jiang Zai didn't run in the direction Jiang Dong left, but went into the alley.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately brought it up again.

Baby, why did you leave her and run back home? Please don't tell your aunt about it!

To be honest, Xia Li's running was not slow, but Jiang Zai was a child who grew up in the countryside and could run and jump. When he ran, Xia Li could not keep up with him at all. She could only watch his figure running farther and farther, and then he ran back home in a flash.

Charlie chased after her with all her might, and didn't dare to stop even after she caught up with her.

Panting for breath, Charlie ran into the house. She stopped in the living room, holding her waist and gasping for breath. If she hadn't run so fast, would she be so tired?

She looked around the house, trying to find where Jiangzai was. When she heard some noise in the kitchen, she hurried over and found that only her aunt was in the kitchen.

My aunt was sitting on a small stool in the kitchen, picking vegetables. When she saw Charlie come in, she called out, "You guys are back? I just heard some noise. Where did you go to play?"

Charlie answered irrelevantly: "Aunt, are you alone here?"

"Of course I'm the only one here, who else could it be?" Xia Pingzhi asked back.

Charlie laughed out loud, "Hahaha, I thought it was the aunt next door coming to visit. Aunt, I have something to do, I'll come over to help you later."

After saying that, Charlie slipped out and headed straight for her aunt's bedroom.

The door of her aunt's bedroom was now closed. Charlie walked forward and gently turned the key. When she pushed the door open, she saw that Jiang Zai was not inside.

Charlie was surprised. How could it be possible? She had watched him come home. But when she was about to close the door, she paused. She couldn't see the bed yet. It happened to be a blind spot and she couldn't see it.

So she walked in, and sure enough, she saw Jiangzai lying on the ground, playing with a toy in his hand. Jiangzai didn't seem to notice Charlie coming over at all, and his eyes stayed on the toy, not glancing anywhere else.

Xia Li squatted down and talked to him. The little guy Jiang Zai looked at her with wet eyes, but didn't say anything.

She saw that Jiang Zai still had the small bag he brought with him when he first came. It was the small bag that Jiang Dong had used before.

Jiangzai is so reluctant to leave his father!

Charlie touched the child's head and was about to say something when she heard her aunt calling for someone.

"Oh, okay, aunt, get out right away."

She sighed and touched Jiangzai again, "Then Mom will go out first. You can play by yourself for a while, or watch TV." Then she went out.

It was Grandma Zhong's son who came to deliver materials for repairing the roof, and Xia Li went out to receive them.

"Brother Zhong, thank you so much! You even sent it here specially. I can just go get it." Xia Li was full of gratitude. "Come in, have some tea, and rest for a while."

Grandma Zhong's son was a decade older than Xia Li, now in his thirties, and a worker at a food factory in the city. Because they both worked, Xia Li had only met him once, but they had rarely spoken. The reason the two families were able to communicate was because Aunt Zhong and Grandma Zhong often chatted and drank tea together.

The man waved his hand and said, "No, no, I'm not going in. I'll just come and deliver this, and when mine is done I'll come over here to help yours, so you guys have to wait a little longer."

Xia Li: "Thank you, Brother Zhong. You don't have to come over specially when the time comes. It's too much trouble for you. I've already found someone to help."

"You have someone to help, right? Hahaha, that's fine. Then my mom won't rush me over."

This was the first time Xia Li had spoken seriously to Grandma Zhong's son, and she was surprised by how easygoing he was. Xia Li then asked him how much money he had, but he refused to tell her, insisting he didn't have much and insisted on leaving. Xia Pingzhi and Xia Li quickly stopped him and forced him to give them some money.

"Take it, Brother Zhong. You are the one who supports your family. We can't let you spend money." Xia Li advised.

Charlie never had the idea of ​​taking advantage of others. The money she spent now was earned by herself, so she felt at ease and could sleep soundly at night.

My aunt often says, "Take advantage of small gains and suffer great losses." She says some people appear shrewd, constantly taking advantage of others without giving anything in return, yet still gloat over their own shortcomings. Little do they know that no one is stupid; they simply don't bother to argue, even though they know better. When neighbors, friends, and even family members grow distant, it's only then that those who constantly take advantage of others end up with nothing.

Xia Pingzhi did not ask Xia Li who she had asked for help in front of her at that time. She only asked after she left.

Charlie was very proud. "Aunt, he's a very reliable person. Don't worry. I'll ask him to repair our roof when the time comes to prevent it from leaking again next time."

Xia Pingzhi nodded. "Your colleague? You're really causing him too much trouble."

"It's okay, it's okay, it's not a problem, not a problem at all." Charlie answered evasively.

What's the trouble? Maybe people just like to be troublesome.

On the third day, at nine o'clock in the morning, Xia Li urged her aunt to take Jiang Zai out. The excuse was that Jiang Zai said yesterday that he wanted to eat that Western fast food and cried because of thinking about it. She also asked Xia Pingzhi to look at Jiang Zai's swollen eyes.

Xia Pingzhi cried out "ouch" and felt so distressed. She asked Xia Li to pay for it and said she would take the children to eat.

Our children are usually so well-behaved and don’t insist on what to eat or play. Why not use the money we save to eat something good?

She changed her clothes and went out with the reluctant ginger cub by her hand. The ginger cub was even cuter, and before leaving, he gave Xia Li an accusing look.

Xia Li didn't feel relieved until the two of them went out. In fact, it didn't matter whether Jiang Zai went out today or not, but without the child as an excuse, she had to think of other ways to get her aunt out.

After much thought, Jiang Zai was the best choice. Using him as an excuse would definitely make my aunt soft-hearted.

After waiting at home for a while, Charlie heard someone knocking on the door.

I looked at the time on my watch. It was 9:25, which was still early.

It’s okay, I’m not late.