When Xia Wan saw her injuries, she knew that her previous provocations had worked. In a good mood, she went out and bought two servings of wontons, steamed buns, and braised pork, which formed a stark contrast to the two miserable people next to her.
"Old Xia, time to eat! The hospital cafeteria has braised pork today." Xia Wan said, taking a deep breath, getting closer to her lunchbox, and smelling the bowl of braised pork: "It smells so good!"
The two people on the other side looked grim, busy with their own things, as if they hadn't heard the boasting below. In any case, they didn't dare to say a word.
Whether Wu Zhaodi was hurt by the beating or frightened by Xia Jianguo's proposal of divorce, the afternoon passed peacefully.
The next morning, the doctor gave me a discharge form.
Xia Tao set up a frame on the bicycle and let Xia Jianguo sit on it, so that his legs wouldn't be strained and there was no need to worry about his legs not being able to take it.
Wu Zhaodi was discharged from the hospital after them, and Xia Wan saw all of this and thought that something strange was bound to happen later!
Sure enough, this woman had the audacity to ask for a ride back on their bicycle.
Xia Wan didn't even glance at him. Xia Tao, perhaps still mindful of their mother-son bond, patiently spoke to her for a few moments, but ultimately refused to let her ride the bicycle.
"Taozi, I'm your mother. Do you expect me to walk back by myself?" Wu Zhaodi pleaded with a pained expression, but her hand gripped Xia Tao's bicycle tightly, preventing him from leaving.
Xia Tao frowned and stared at her for a long time before finally pointing at Wu Baoping and saying, "Then I'll take you back and let him walk back by himself?"
“How can that be? Your cousin can’t walk that far!” Wu Zhaodi said anxiously, wanting her son to take them both back with him.
Xia Tao's face grew increasingly grim; he knew this would happen: "Don't I always walk all the way from the village to work? Why can't he walk? Does he have all that fat and no legs?"
He was absolutely furious with his mother. She spoiled her nephew rotten, while her own son had no place in her heart at all.
“How can Baoping be the same as you? He’s been pampered since he was a child and has never suffered like this!” Wu Zhaodi said righteously, perfectly embodying the image of a good aunt, but she didn’t care about her son’s feelings at all.
Xia Tao's face stiffened, and he forced a smile, saying sarcastically, "Yes, I'm not like him. What's this broken bicycle? It's making things difficult for my cousin, so you should take a car back!"
After saying that, he pried Wu Zhaodi's hands off, got on his bicycle, and rode away with his father.
Xia Wan watched from the side the whole time without saying a word.
Her adopted brother still had some affection for their mother, after all, they had grown up together and were different from her.
Therefore, as long as things between the two are not too outrageous, it's better for Xia Wan to let her brother handle it himself if she doesn't want to get involved.
Xia Wan rode her empty bicycle behind them, ignoring Wu Zhaodi's gaze.
She will need to pick up packages on her bicycle when she arrives at the commune. There are quite a few packages, and she doesn't know if the bicycle can hold them all.
They rode directly to the post office in Heping Commune. When Xia Wan retrieved the package, Xia Jianguo and his son were quite startled.
"So many? Little sister, put them there and I'll get them for you!" Xia Tao said, about to lean the bicycle against the wall to help his sister, but then he remembered that his father was still sitting on the bicycle, so he stopped what he was doing.
Xia Wan carried a large package in each hand and held it up to the bicycle. "No need, brother. You take good care of Dad. I can carry these things myself. There's another one inside that I'll go get. Wait for me a bit."
The father and son, who were stunned, couldn't help but sigh in their hearts as Xia Wan left. Life in the city was really good, and Xia Wan had really suffered in the countryside!
Xia Wan struggled to tie all her luggage to the bicycle, which was completely blocked in front and behind, making it difficult for her to even get on the bike herself.
"Xiao Wan, put that big package on my bicycle, just put it in the front! I can fit another big package in the front."
Xia Tao saw that his sister's bicycle was already full, and the already petite girl was blocked by the luggage when she sat on the bicycle, so he wanted to help share the burden.
"No need, no need, let's go, brother. It's too much trouble for me to take it off now that I've just tied it up." Xia Wan said, already riding her bicycle away. There was no way she could support the weight of the bicycle because her legs were too short.
The group chatted and laughed along the way, and Xia Jianguo also told Xia Tao about his desire to get a divorce.
Actually, Xia Wan wasn't his biggest worry. After all, from his interactions with the girl over this period, he could tell that his daughter was very independent and had no feelings for her mother, Wu Zhaodi, and wouldn't let this matter affect her mood at all.
But the son is different. Although his mother has broken his heart over the past few years, the feelings he has grown up with cannot be faked. Just like Xia Tao didn't leave immediately, he only turned around and left after being hurt by what Wu Zhaodi said. He still had some consideration for his mother.
After learning that his parents were getting a divorce, Xia Tao felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. He didn't react for a moment, and the bicycle he was riding wobbled. He almost fell into a ditch with his father, but luckily he reacted quickly and his long legs caught him.
"Taozi, your father and mother are not asking anything of you after the divorce. You should continue to be filial to your mother as you see fit. Your father will not interfere."
Xia Jianguo patted his son's shoulder and continued, "But your mother and I really can't go on like this anymore. You know that all these years, she's been devoted to her own family and hasn't put any thought into our family at all."
"I understand, Dad." Xia Tao's voice was a little muffled, but he didn't, and didn't want to, stop his father from getting a divorce.
He knew what kind of life his father had been living all these years, and his mother had indeed gone too far. He didn't have the face to stop his father from getting a divorce.
"Sigh..." Xia Jianguo sighed and didn't say anything more. Some things can't be understood just by talking. Let his son think about it himself.
What actually made him decide to make up his mind was Wu Zhaodi's attitude towards her daughter, but she didn't tell her son directly, because she was afraid of creating a rift between the siblings.
Last night he had a dream in which his daughter, who was little, happily chased after him and called him "Daddy." He didn't know why he had such a dream.
Even though his daughter didn't grow up by his side, he didn't know what she looked like when she was little, but he knew that the little girl was Xiao Wan.
The dream felt so real; he could even clearly see what his daughter looked like when she was little.
The images were fragmented and couldn't be pieced together, but he still felt they were important and familiar.
His daughter had only been back for a few days, but there was no awkwardness between them, as if she had grown up by his side since she was little and had never left him.
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