After spending the New Year at his maternal grandmother's house, Tong Zhao and Shan Song paid their respects to Shan Zhen and then set off for Baisha.
The house where Tong Zhao's maternal grandmother lived was cleaned every now and then. Shan Song had instructed that everything be kept as it was, so when Tong Zhao pushed open the door, the house was exactly the same as when he left last time.
It was as if he hadn't been away for years, but only came home after get off work on a particular day.
Some of the traces in the house were left from Tong Zhao's childhood living with her grandmother and mother, while others were left from the ten years Tong Zhao lived alone that no one knew about.
Shan Song had only seen photos before, but now his gaze traced the past inch by inch, trying to glimpse a bit of Tong Zhao's past life from the traces of time.
The old house wasn't large, with a two-bedroom layout. Shan Song mainly explored the living room and Tong Zhao's room. The house was simply furnished: a bed, an old desk, a folding chair with peeling paint, a wardrobe next to a cabinet full of CDs, and a projector that was clearly installed later.
The environment wasn't great, but it was very clean and tidy.
Shan Song noticed several obvious engravings in the corner of the wall, which should be the result of Tong Zhao's change in height.
There are several small toys in the drawer that are obviously faded from being stored for a long time but are still well preserved. Judging from the time, they should be popular items that children liked back then.
Upon entering the living room, the most prominent feature is a family photo. Tong Zhao, who looks to be about 4 or 5 years old, is making a peace sign at the camera, while his mother and grandmother behind him are smiling at him.
The photographer was probably not very skilled, and the quality of the photos is just average, but Shan Song can still glimpse Tong Zhao's wonderful childhood from the three people's bright smiles.
Our Zhaozhao is a child who grew up surrounded by love.
Another set of old photos is embedded in the wall, individual photos of a family. The chubby little boy sitting in the cradle, laughing heartily, has now transformed into the tall and slender young man in front of us.
"Is this Zhao Zhao?" Shan Song gently brushed his thumb across the old photograph in the glass frame and asked softly.
Tong Zhao looked up and said, "It's me. I was a bit heavy when I was little. I weighed ten pounds when I was born."
"Cute." Shan Song smiled and took out her phone to take a picture.
Tong Zhao's face flushed slightly. She turned around again, pretending to be busy, and rummaged through the cabinet for her birth certificate and some other things: "Take these with you later."
Dan Song's attention was drawn to another old photo album inside, which he picked up and began to look at with great interest: "Zhao Zhao really does resemble her mother."
Back in the familiar house, Tong Zhao's memories were stirred up: "I remember my neighbor said that my maternal grandmother used to be very beautiful. Many people in the surrounding villages knew her. They would ride their bicycles for more than 30 miles just to see her. My maternal grandfather was one of them. He rode his bicycle for a year and a half without stopping. My maternal grandmother said that the wheels of his bicycle were smoking. That's what moved my maternal grandmother."
Shan Song sat on an old-fashioned wooden chair, listening gently as Tong Zhao told stories about her family, occasionally interjecting with a comment.
“The genes in Zhao Zhao’s family are really amazing.”
"Thinking about it, I haven't really pursued Zhaozhao much. What should I do?" Shan Song seemed very troubled.
Tong Zhao whispered, "You don't need to chase after them."
"Um?"
"Because I love you too," Tong Zhao said softly.
Shan Song felt a surge of pride at being able to hear Tong Zhao express his feelings so directly and honestly. He placed his palm against Tong Zhao's ear and gently stroked his cheek with his thumb: "Thank you for your affirmation, my wife."
Tong Zhao blinked: "Thank you, my husband, for being so good to me."
After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled.
Tong Zhao turned her head away: "This time, I'm not the one thanking you first."
"Yes, it's me." Shan Song picked up Tong Zhao: "The punishment is to carry my wife up the stairs."
"The neighbors will see it."
"That puts our neighbors at ease; Zhaozhao is doing very well now."
Tong Zhao usually couldn't resist this man's insistence, and was about to go along with his wishes when a sudden idea struck her: "If you're holding me, how am I supposed to deliver gifts to the neighbors?"
I definitely won't let him take it. Shan Song has a strange kind of insistence on this kind of thing. Anyway, it doesn't affect anything. Tong Zhao is willing to grant his small request.
After Tong Zhao finished speaking, she blinked and waited for his reply.
Shan Song paused for a moment, then laughed and put the bag down, saying, "That's true, I guess my wife will have to walk by herself."
"I'm not wronged." Tong Zhao got down from his arms as she wished, a slight smile curving her eyes, looking both sly and adorable.
Shan Song liked seeing Tong Zhao's lively and energetic demeanor, which made him feel proud that he had taken good care of his wife.
After exchanging New Year's greetings with their neighbors, the two strolled around Baisha. The area was bustling with activity during the festival, with most of the people on the streets carrying gifts and visiting each other's homes. Tong Zhao, unusually, took on the role of leading the way, pulling Shan Song through the various alleys to join in the festivities.
Tong Zhao was wearing many layers of clothing, and after walking a few steps, she got so hot that she took off her scarf and exhaled several puffs of white breath.
When he looked up, he suddenly noticed that a young omega across from him was staring at him with no expression. Tong Zhao thought he was daydreaming, but the omega's gaze remained fixed on him. Looking around, he didn't see anyone else traveling with him. Tong Zhao felt a little strange and tugged at Dan Song's sleeve.
Dan Song lowered his head to listen to him speak, and looked in the direction he was looking. He was momentarily blinded by the reflection of the camera lens, and frowned as he wrapped Tong Zhao's scarf around his back to block it.
Shan Song walked up to the person and said, "Excuse me, my partner and I don't like being photographed. Please delete the photos or videos that were just taken."
The man pretended not to understand: "What?"
Dan Song's face turned cold, and he tried to speak in a friendly tone: "May I take a look at the camera?"
"On what grounds?"
Dan Song raised his hand, and the nearby bodyguards received the signal and approached.
"If you take photos without the person's permission and still do not delete them after being warned, we will pursue your legal responsibility according to law."
"Heh, so they've already sent a lawyer's letter. They're not that famous, what's so precious about them..." The young omega reluctantly took out his camera, muttering something under his breath. Shan Song's face instantly darkened.
Tong Zhao didn't hear clearly, but he could clearly feel that the atmosphere around Shan Song had become noticeably tense. He reached out and hooked Shan Song's palm: "Shan Song?"
Dan Song patted Tong Zhao's hand reassuringly: "It's okay, you can go back to the car first."
There were too many people around, and several had already noticed the argument. They outnumbered each other and were facing an omega, making it easy for others to make a fuss. Tong Zhao turned his gaze away from the crowd, looked at Shan Song, shook his head, and gently pulled Shan Song's hand: "Let's go, we're not going back."
Seeing that the other party had already deleted all the photos, Shan Song shook Tong Zhao's hand and said, "Okay, let's go."
Seeing their interaction, the person's expression subtly revealed a hint of disgust.
Tong Zhao saw things clearly this time and was even more certain that the other party had ill intentions. He decided to leave this troublesome place with Shan Song as soon as possible, but they were caught up and blocked in their way after only a few steps.
Tong Zhao frowned, stepped in front of Shan Song, and spoke first: "We shouldn't know each other, right? What's your purpose?"
The man ignored Tong Zhao's question and turned to Shan Song, his tone surprisingly accusatory: "Do you know that Tong Zhao was kept by someone on set before? He was an illegitimate child, a mistress, why are you still with him?"
His voice was loud, and what he said was full of information, which attracted many people to stop and watch.
Shan Song's eyes instantly turned fierce. Tong Zhao was worried that someone nearby might be filming and that it would have a bad influence on Shan Song. She gripped Shan Song's arm tightly, leaned forward, and said in a serious tone, "Please don't believe rumors on the internet. Spreading rumors is illegal."
But this omega clearly wasn't listening and was determined to make a big scene.
People around her were already taking pictures with their phones. Tong Zhao was anxious. Her eyes darted between the crowd and the person opposite her. Suddenly, she felt that the face looked strangely familiar. Recent memories kept flashing through her mind. Finally, she located the face to a staff member wearing a mask and holding a camera at the wrap party.
Tong Zhaofu suddenly realized: "You're a fan of Qin Chong. Did Qin Chong send you here?"
The omega paused in her rant, then said, "Stop throwing mud at others! You stole your brother's boyfriend and you're shameless—"
Tong Zhao interrupted sharply, "I have the entire recording of today and the wrap party. You should know the truth. If you take things out of context and smear my and my lover's image on social media, I will immediately sue you if I find out."
After speaking, his tone softened slightly: "You don't look very old. I'll assume you've been deceived for a moment. But let me give you one last piece of advice: don't let yourself be used as a pawn without realizing it."
Seeing the situation suddenly reverse, the crowd of onlookers all fell in protest. The man, realizing the situation was not right, glared at them and quickly left, disappearing into the crowd in no time.
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