The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and the most important thing for our family this year is to install a telephone.
It's not only troublesome to write letters back and forth like this, but it also takes several days.
It would be better to install a phone so that you can just call if you have any problems. It will be much more convenient.
There is a telephone at the Navy Swimming Team training base where Sanwa is studying. There is also a small shop at the gate of the school where Dawa and Erniu can make calls. It costs 50 cents per call, which is not expensive, but not cheap either.
So Chen Lie asked someone to install a phone at home.
The phone was red, with a transparent coil. Chen Lie picked it up and asked Ning Tang, "Let's try to see if this phone works." "Who do you want to call?"
Ning Tang said, "Call Sanwa."
Sanwa had already gotten the phone number of the Navy Swimming Team training base when he left for the first time.
Chen Lie pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it and dialed it. The phone beeped and connected. "Hello, this is the Navy Swimming Team training base. Who are you looking for?"
Shen Lie said, "Hello, comrade! I'm looking for Shen Xiangdong from your swimming team. I'm his father."
Upon hearing that it was the father of the team's golden nugget, the operator immediately said seriously, "I will notify Comrade Shen Xiangdong for you."
Then there was silence on the other end of the line. After a while, when the phone was picked up again, it was Sanwa's voice. His voice was full of fatigue, "Hello, Dad."
"Yeah." Chen Lie responded and asked, "What's wrong? Did you just finish training?"
"Yes," Sanwa said, then asked, "Is this our home number, Xin'an?"
"Well, I just installed it, and I called you first." Chen Lie said, "You're honored, right?"
Sanwa was happy. "It's my honor. But Dad, can you let me hear Mom's voice? I haven't seen her for half a year. I miss her so much."
Chen Lie: "You little bastard who forgets about his father when he sees his mother. Okay, I'll give her the phone number for you right away."
Ning Tang picked up the phone and said mischievously, "Hey, isn't this a young athlete? How can I be so honored to receive your call?"
"Mom..." Sanwa stretched out his voice and laughed at himself. "As for me, I'm also a young sports star. I'm a young sports star, so you're the mother of a young sports star."
Ning Tang smiled with his eyes curved, "Hey, how are things going over there? Are you tired from training? Are you going home for the New Year this year?" He asked three questions in a row.
Sanwa answered one by one, "I'm doing fine here. Training is tiring, just like usual."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Tang heard a young man's voice next to the microphone, "Auntie, just listen to him. We're tired from training, but he's not. He swims one length as long as we swim two."
Ning Tang was amused and said loudly, "You are Sanwa's teammate, right?"
The other end of the line responded again, "Yes, Auntie. The three kids shared all the dried mangoes, pickled mangoes, seaweed, and dried fish you sent us. They were so delicious, especially the dried squid. When we came back from training tonight, we took some dried squid to the kitchen and asked the chef to grill it for us. We tore it into shreds, dipped it in soy sauce, and drank it with Snow Beer. Oh my god, there's only one word to describe it: absolutely delicious."
Ning Tang was even happier. "As long as you like it, I'll send it to you next time. You like dried squid the most, right? Okay, I'll send you two big bags. I guarantee each one will be the size of two palms."
The person on the other end of the phone burst into laughter, clearly overjoyed. She responded repeatedly, "Oh, thank you so much. It's only right to reciprocate. Auntie, what Shanghai specialties do you like? Tell me and I'll send them to you."
Ning Tang said, "Oh, no need. Sanwa told you, his brothers and sisters are all in Shanghai. They often send me things. My house is full of Shanghai specialties, such as Chenghuang Temple pear paste candy, five-spice beans, and Gaoqiao pancakes. I have them all."
The person on the other end of the line sighed, "Ah, Auntie, what do you think? If you're short of anything, tell me and I'll definitely send it to you. Hehe, just send us some more dried squid."
Before Ning Tang could respond, Sanwa was unhappy. "Ji Anguo, is this my mom or your mom? Go away, go play somewhere else and don't disturb me from talking to my mom on the phone." He muttered, "The phone bill is expensive."
Ji Anguo then returned the receiver to Sanwa. "Here, this is for you." He called out again, "Auntie, we'll see you later. Next time you come to Shanghai, remember to look for me. I'll treat you to Lao Zhengxing and we'll have authentic Shanghai cuisine."
Ning Tang was so amused by him that he couldn't stop laughing. He said to Chen Lie beside him, "Sanwa is an interesting teammate."
Sanwa yelled on the other end of the phone, "He's not interesting, Mom, look at me, I'm interesting."
Ning Tang was amused. "Okay? Okay? Okay? Interesting Sanwa, what are you going to tell your mother?"
Sanwa thought for a moment and continued what he hadn't finished saying last time, "I'm going home for the New Year this year, but I'll only be home for a week. I'll be back after the seventh day of the New Year."
"Why?" Shen Lie asked beside him.
Sanwa smiled shyly and said, "After the Chinese New Year, our coach is going to take me to compete abroad."
Foreigners don't celebrate the Spring Festival. Since the competition is approaching, Sanwa still can't go home for the New Year. I guess his coach must have had a lot of trouble with him.
Chen Lie said, "That's great." He then said, "Then this Spring Festival, you and Da Wa and Er Niu will come back together."
"Yeah." Sanwa responded.
As Sanwa grew older, he participated in more and more swimming competitions. Although medals, trophies and prize money were sent home continuously, he rarely mentioned participating in swimming competitions in front of Shen Lie and Ning Tang. After all, to him, this was as important as eating and drinking water.
This time, Sanwa specifically mentioned going abroad to participate in a swimming competition. Chen Lie and Ning Tang looked at each other, thinking that it was probably not some small competition.
They actually guessed it right. If they won a place in this competition, it would be amazing. It would mean that Sanwa would officially have an international ranking and would be able to move from the Navy Swimming Team to the National Swimming Team.
As parents, this was the first time I felt powerless in this matter. Words seemed even more pale. I could only cheer Sanwa up, "Good job, good work, and keep a calm mind."
"Yes." Sanwa replied heavily, "I will."
After hanging up the phone, it was already mid-afternoon. Ning Tang went out with a basket to buy vegetables. The market was about to close for the New Year, so he had to stock up on more vegetables. After buying the vegetables, Ning Tang regretted it very much. If he had known he would have to buy so much, he would have asked Chen Lie to help carry them.
Who would have thought that when she came back, she happened to meet Mrs. Luo. Seeing that she carried a lot, Mrs. Luo helped her carry some.
Ning Tang saw Sister Luo's happy face and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what's the matter? You look so happy."
Mrs. Luo smiled from ear to ear, "Qingqing said she wants to go home for the Spring Festival this year."
Ning Tang: "Very good?"
She hadn't seen Zhao Qing for a long time. Zhao Qing and her husband both worked in Fujian Province and were busy with work. Moreover, they had just given birth to a daughter two years ago, and the child was too young, so they didn't take the child back by train to see Mrs. Luo and Political Commissar Zhao. Now that their daughter has grown up, Zhao Qing and her husband's work has become a little easier. As soon as they have time, they will come to Hailang Island to celebrate the reunion of the year and visit Mrs. Luo and Political Commissar Zhao.
Just when Ning Tang was wondering whether Zhao Qing would return first, or Da Wa and the other three, Zhao Qing came back.
She arrived on the afternoon of the day before New Year's Eve, with her husband and young daughter, carrying a lot of bags.
When she arrived, Mrs. Luo was busy frying sazi and sugar triangles in the kitchen.
Zhao Qing put the food down and went to the kitchen to help Luo's wife. As she worked, she asked, "Mom, why are you frying sazi and sugar triangles? No one in our family likes to eat them. Minsong doesn't like them either, and An'an is still young. How can she chew them well?"
Minsong was referring to her husband, and Anan was referring to her daughter who was less than three years old.
Mrs. Luo smiled, "I fried this for the eldest, second daughter, and third child. They love it." She added, "An An is little, so just give her a piece to lick and taste."
Zhao Qing knew that her mother had always loved the three children of the Shen family. She said "Oh" and stopped talking, and went back to work.
She stopped talking. Mrs. Luo was surprised and looked at her expression. "What's wrong?"
No one knows a girl better than her mother. Even though Zhao Qing is married and has children, her impetuous temper still cannot be changed.
Mrs. Luo privately thought that as soon as she came back, she would talk to her about this and that, either about what happened to Minsong, or how cute An An was.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qing didn't say a word. Isn't this her character?
Zhao Qing paused in her kneading of dough when she heard Mrs. Luo's question. A closer look revealed a slight tremor in her fingertips and a tremor in her voice. "We ran into Sun Minghui when we came back."
Mrs. Luo's eyelids twitched suddenly, and she was extremely surprised. "Where did you meet him?"
Zhao Qing pursed her lips. "The train station," she said slowly. "When I ran into him, he was walking into the station. We bumped into each other face to face." After thinking about it, she said, "He probably didn't recognize me."
It was not surprising that Sun Minghui did not recognize Zhao Qing. Zhao Qing had changed a lot in recent years. She had become much plumper and her skin had become whiter. His attention was not on the "passerby", so it was normal that he did not recognize her.
Seeing that Mrs. Luo didn't respond, Zhao Qing continued, "When I ran into him, he was walking side by side with his lover. His lover was holding a little girl's hand. Her belly was bulging, so she must be pregnant."
She seemed to have recalled something horrible, and suddenly looked at Mrs. Luo. "Mom, I remember you told me that after I broke up with Sun Minghui, he got married within two months. And right after we got married, his wife got pregnant, and she even gave birth to a daughter, right?"
Mrs. Luo was stunned for a moment, then responded, "Yes."
When Zhao Qing took the college entrance examination again, she was still afraid that Zhao Qing would not give up and wanted to rekindle her relationship with Sun Minghui, so she asked someone to inquire about Sun Minghui's news. The news she got was that Sun Minghui left in disgrace and married another woman in less than two months. She got pregnant as soon as they got married. Only then did Zhao Qing give up, turned her grief and anger into motivation, and was admitted to university.
Zhao Qing, "So based on the time, Sun Minghui's eldest daughter should be around seven years old now."
Mrs. Luo did some mental calculations and confirmed her statement, "Right?"
Zhao Qing's lips trembled slightly. "Mom, do you know? I saw that little girl holding hands with the couple at the train station. How old is she?" Before Mrs. Luo could answer, she continued, "She looked just over three years old, about the same age as An An."
Zhao Qing closed her eyes, exhaled, then opened them again and said coldly, "They gave birth to a dwarf!"
What she said was not groundless. Zhao Qing went to Fujian Medical University. After graduation, she went to the Endocrinology Department of the City Central Hospital, which is the department that patients with dwarfism usually go to.
It was precisely because of Sun Minghui's knot in her heart that she made this decision.
I entered the department with a lack of belief in it, but I didn't expect that after entering the department, I learned a lot of knowledge from many senior doctors. I learned from them that children with dwarfism develop slower than normal children.
Just like Sun Minghui's daughter, she is seven years old but looks only three years old. When she reaches a certain age, she will stop growing. Only by injecting expensive growth hormone can she promote her growth, but the effect is very limited. At most, it can make people with dwarfism grow a little taller. It is absolutely impossible for them to be like normal people.
Zhao Qing sneered at this thought. Given the Sun family's preference for sons over daughters, would they give Sun Minghui's eldest daughter expensive growth hormones? That was absolutely impossible.
After sneering, she felt a wave of fear again. A gust of cold wind blew across her sweaty back, and her arms were covered with goose bumps. If she had not listened to her parents and Ning Tang's dissuasion, she would have married Sun Minghui and given birth to a dwarf child!
An An smelled the aroma of food and ran into the kitchen with her short legs. She looked at Zhao Qing, tilted her head, and spoke eloquently, "Mom, Grandma, what is your mom cooking? It's something to eat. Can you give An An one?"
When Zhao Qing saw the healthy and lovely An An, she suddenly squatted down, hugged her little body, and whimpered softly.
An An didn't understand what she meant and asked anxiously, "Mom, why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Zhao Qing sniffed, quickly wiped away her tears, and forced a smile. "It's okay, it's just that there's too much smoke in the kitchen and it stung my eyes." She added, "An An, go to the living room. Mom will get you some food soon."
An An nodded and ran to the living room on his short legs, saying as he ran, "Then hurry up, Mom."
Zhao Qing smiled and looked at her back.
She is tall and Minsong is not short either. An An inherited both of his traits. At the age of three, she is already half a head taller than her peers. Her calves are also very long. I believe she will grow up to be a tall and long-legged beauty in the future.
Mrs. Luo looked at the mother and daughter and said nothing like, "See, it's okay. I advised you back then, 'If it weren't for me, you would have married Sun Minghui and given birth to such a disabled child.'" She just said, "Alright, wash your face quickly. You're already a mother, and you're crying in front of your daughter. You're already an adult."
Zhao Qing washed her face with water and said with a smile, "No matter how old I am, I am still your daughter. It's not shameful for me to cry in front of my own mother and my own daughter."
After chatting and joking, she continued to make sazi, thinking while kneading the dough.
Although Minsong is not as eloquent as Sun Minghui and is rather dull, he is a man of action. Although he doesn't say it, he actually loves her and their daughter very much. They have a bright future too. He is also a doctor, one level higher than her, and is an attending physician.
Both husband and wife are doctors, and they have a smart, cute and well-behaved daughter.
Her best days are still ahead.
She couldn't help but recall the woman who stood next to Sun Minghui in her place.
Wearing bulky winter clothes, with yellow skin, chloasma all over the face, and thick finger joints, life must be quite unhappy.
She almost became that kind of person.
Zhao Qing looked at the half of her face reflected in the glass window. She was not as pretty as before, and she had become much plumper. But if her life was not satisfactory, she would not have the chance to gain weight.
After finishing her thoughts, she thought of Sun Minghui's wife's bulging belly and sighed. She wondered if there would be another dwarf inside.
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