No matter how scared he was, the road would always come to an end. Filled with hope, nostalgia, and earnestness, he walked to the driver's seat. The door was not locked and opened with a light pull, but... there was no one in the car.
Chen Tinghan's heart skipped a beat, and his mood plummeted again. He thought to himself that this was indeed a dream, or a nightmare at that. It gave people hope, but also broke their hearts. Wasn't it an absolute nightmare?
"What are you doing standing there like an idiot? I thought someone was stealing my car!"
A voice with a hint of reprimand pulled Chen Tinghan out of his deep thoughts.
He looked back and stayed silent for ten seconds before he smiled and shouted happily, "Mom!"
In an instant, he once again smelled the slightly salty and fishy sea breeze from this small island overlooking the sea, and was swept into the fragrance after the rain. He once again saw the sun, which he had previously thought was so fierce and vicious, and now it cast a long-lost warm light.
The emptiness in Chen Tinghan's eyes dissipated, as did the haziness that shrouded the world. Fifteen years of grievances were finally settled, and he finally returned to reality from his dream.
His mother, the young mother without gray hair, healthy and charming, was standing in front of him.
The woman rolled her eyes and said, "What mom? It's almost evening study time, and you're still hiding here slacking off and not even moving your luggage. Don't you want to study anymore?"
Chen Tinghan touched his nose and said with a wry smile, "No, I was just looking for you. Where have you been?"
She glanced at her son in bewilderment, becoming even more annoyed. "Of course I'll go to the Academic Affairs Office and proudly sign my name, Cheng Zhilan, on your letter of guarantee. You're in your second year of high school now, so could you please give me less trouble? Ask your dad to come over next time."
"In our family, you are also the pillar, no matter who comes." Chen Tinghan's sincere praise was met with a look of suspicion from my mother.
She said, "You haven't done anything wrong again, have you?"
He protested, "How can that be? I'm such an honest person."
"Honestly, huh." Cheng Zhilan shook her head, saying everything without saying a word.
Chen Tinghan suddenly asked again: "Is my father still smoking recently?"
"Why, you haven't seen him for a few years, so you're asking this question. Can't you see him sitting on the balcony smoking every day?"
Yeah...it's been five years, and we were never going to see each other again.
The mother and son walked under the big banyan tree. Cheng Zhilan subconsciously wanted to help, but was stopped by Chen Tinghan. She had to carry the big bag of clothes by herself with great effort.
My mother stepped forward and helped hold up the luggage, saying, "He smokes even more fiercely when he's playing cards, one pack after another, and starts coughing immediately after smoking. I wonder if he'll cough his lungs out one day."
"Persuade him to quit."
The old lady sneered and said, "How can I persuade you? If I could quit, I would have done it long ago."
"Just tell him that if he doesn't quit smoking now, I won't provide for his retirement in the future."
I never realized my son was so humorous before, and I couldn't help laughing.
The school dormitory building naturally had no elevator. He carried a large pile of luggage and bedding to the fifth floor, which made the reborn person, who lacked exercise, breathless. Ms. Cheng was harsh in her words, but she couldn't bear to see her son suffer. Chen Tinghan couldn't resist, so she handed over two small and light bags, and the two of them walked up to the fifth floor.
From a bird's eye view, the dormitory area is concave in shape, with the boys' and girls' buildings facing each other and very close to each other. Normally, they are each other's restricted areas. However, today it is bustling with people, and considering the parents who help with the luggage, the access control is naturally relaxed, which also gives adolescent boys and girls an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Just as his mother was about to help her son pack his luggage, she saw a young couple from an unknown class kissing in the corner outside the restroom. Ms. Cheng was speechless and whispered to her son, "Don't be like these two. If you do anything weird again, I can't afford to lose face."
"Again?" Chen Tinghan was a little dumbfounded. He remembered clearly that he was single for three years in high school. It was pure nonsense to say that he had fallen in love too early. It was not related at all. Not even once, so how could it be again?
Then Ms. Cheng started slapping him on the head, cursing as she did so: "Still playing dumb, still playing dumb! Didn't you try to woo a girl in your second semester of high school? You got into a fight with her, won, and apologized, but you still haven't gotten her. You just slipped out of the Academic Affairs Office, and you're here playing dumb, asking for a beating!"
Chen Tinghan was beaten so badly that he ran away with his head in his hands. Now he remembered that it was the most embarrassing thing in his three years of high school. He immediately begged for mercy: "Didn't we agree not to mention this matter? I dare not mention it again, I really don't dare.
That's a female devil. If I really want to find one, I will definitely find you a daughter-in-law who is as gentle and virtuous as you."
"Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law, you little brat really wants to fall in love too early?" She stopped after beating him for a while, and then she realized that she was mentioning his embarrassing things in public, in front of so many classmates, and even beating him. Although she didn't use much force, she still had the attitude of teaching him a lesson. This kind of adolescent boy is afraid of losing face. This is not the first time that the mother and son have quarreled over this.
Both his parents are impulsive, one has a bad temper and the other doesn't think first. Ms. Cheng has actually reflected on this secretly many times, but she still does the same thing the next time and refuses to admit her mistake in front of others.
Chen Tinghan didn’t know this during his adolescence and only understood it many years later.
Ms. Cheng, who was prepared for a quarrel, was secretly surprised when she saw her son still smiling after being beaten.
She asked, "What good thing happened?"
Chen Tinghan didn't see any other classmates at all. He just looked at his family, whom he would never see again, and said casually, "No."
She wanted to ask more, but her phone rang without her knowing what to do. She picked it up and politely responded a few times. After hanging up, she paused before saying, "The long convoy downstairs is starting to withdraw, and our old car is right in the middle, blocking the road. I have to go down and move the car. Can you do it yourself?"
"No problem, Mom, you go back first. Tomorrow I'll ask my homeroom teacher for a short leave and go back to have dinner with you and Dad."
"You're a sophomore now. Pay attention and study hard. You had good grades in junior high. Don't let it fall behind." Cheng Zhilan turned to leave, complaining, "This broken car needs to be replaced. I don't know what's wrong with it. It always won't start. I don't know how long it will take to get it replaced, and I'll have to endure the cold stares."
"Mom." Chen Tinghan suddenly called her.
Cheng Zhilan saw Chen Tinghan's Adam's apple move slightly, open and close, and then fall silent. His smile seemed sad. He lowered his eyelashes and then raised them again, saying cheerfully, "In the future, I will buy you a car, a house, and provide for your retirement, so that you can live with me for the rest of your life."
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