Down the mountain, the father and son remained silent for a moment.
"Oh no, Mom seems to be angry." Gao Hongfei said with a worried expression, looking at Gao Mingcheng reproachfully, "It's all your fault, Dad. No matter what, I'm still your son. What's wrong with giving in to me? Look what happened now, you made Mom angry."
Gao Mingcheng gave Gao Hongfei a cold look. If he weren't his biological son, he would definitely twist his head off and use it as a stool.
Gao Hongfei felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly glanced at Gao Mingcheng's icy face and shuddered. He dared not say anything more in front of him, lest he really anger the old man and make him beat him up, and his mother wouldn't recognize him when she came.
He shifted slightly to the side, whispering in a voice only he could hear, "I didn't say anything wrong. You're a father, so what's wrong with giving in to your son?"
Gao Mingcheng's ears were sharp; he heard everything. His temples twitched, and his hand holding the cane unconsciously tightened. He took a deep breath and silently repeated to himself: "My own flesh and blood, my own flesh and blood..."
Gao Hongfei seemed to sense the resentment emanating from Gao Mingcheng, and wisely chose to keep quiet, not even daring to cricket.
Finally, hurried footsteps came from the mountain road ahead.
The father and son's eyes lit up instantly, and they both looked over.
A familiar figure soon appeared among the shadowy trees.
"Mom!" Gao Hongfei called out excitedly, running over first and embracing the petite figure.
Gao Mingcheng was a step too late and failed to rescue the person, making his already unpleasant expression even worse.
Xing Zhaozhao stormed down the mountain, already planning to give the father and son a good scolding when she saw them. "They're so old, yet they act like little kids, arguing incessantly. What kind of behavior is that?"
Suddenly, Gao Hongfei hugged her tightly. Hearing his choked voice right next to her ear and feeling his tears dripping onto her neck, Xing Zhaozhao's heart softened, and she couldn't utter a single word of scolding. She patted Gao Mingcheng's broad back reassuringly, her throat tightening, and said, "You're not a child anymore, why are you crying?"
Gao Hongfei released Xing Zhaozhao, wiped away his tears, looked at her, and smiled, "I'm just happy. Besides, in front of Mom, I'll always be a child."
As he spoke, Gao Hongfei pulled Xing Zhaozhao over to the roadside and showed her the things he had bought for them: "Mom, these are all things I bought for you. These are for you, these are for your sister, and these are for Xiaoyumo. The rest are for me." He didn't leave out a single one.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at the several piles of shopping bags of various sizes in front of her, and her lips twitched involuntarily: "Why did you buy so many?"
"Is it a lot?" Gao Hongfei didn't think so. It didn't show his feelings for his family at all. It was just that the car was really full. Otherwise, he could have brought more. It's all Dad's fault for not letting him bring the container. Gao Hongfei couldn't help but give Gao Mingcheng a resentful look.
Gao Mingcheng: "..."
Gao Mingcheng was both amused and annoyed: "Even if your mother is very strong, do you think she can lift such a big shipping container?"
"..." Gao Hongfei immediately fell silent.
"Container?" Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at Gao Mingcheng in surprise.
Gao Mingcheng nodded: "He had prepared a container of goods for you and wanted to ship it over, but I stopped him."
Xing Zhaozhao looked blank; she had never seen a shipping container before and had no concept of it.
"It's the warehouse where we store our grain, about twice the size of that," Gao Mingcheng explained to her.
Xing Zhaozhao then realized what was happening and punched Gao Hongfei: "Why did you buy so much stuff? Even if I could carry it, the cellar at home wouldn't be able to hold all of it. It's a waste and takes up space. You're not allowed to buy any more in the future."
Since Xing Zhaozhao had spoken, Gao Hongfei had no choice but to agree: "Understood."
Xing Zhaozhao packed her things and hung them all on her person, ready to go back: "Let's go."
She glanced at Gao Hongfei's injured leg, and those painful memories resurfaced from the depths of her mind. Her heart ached, and she asked, "Can you climb mountains?"
Gao Hongfei looked at the tears glistening in Xing Zhaozhao's eyes and comforted her with a smile: "It's okay, Mom. It's just a small hill. I can climb it. Don't be fooled by the fact that I'm using crutches now. It's not as serious as it used to be. I've already had several rounds of treatment. Although I can't be completely cured, it doesn't really affect my walking much."
Xing Zhaozhao was still worried: "If you can't walk anymore, tell Mom, and Mom will carry you up."
"Okay," Gao Hongfei replied with a smile.
Gao Mingcheng slowly walked past Gao Hongfei, leaning on his cane: "Since you've decided to show off your skills, don't be afraid of hardship, don't be afraid of fatigue, and don't drag your mother down. Good luck, I believe in you."
Gao Hongfei: "..." The old man has been talking a lot of nonsense lately. Can't he just shut up?
Gao Mingcheng let out a cold laugh. "You brat, we're even."
When they reached the halfway point, Xing Zhaozhao carried the things into the abandoned cellar and first delivered them to the cellar on the other side of the door.
Although Gao Hongfei was already panting heavily, he still stubbornly followed. He saw with his own eyes that Xing Zhaozhao seemed to open an invisible door, easily passing through the wall and disappearing. He couldn't help but reach out and touch it in surprise, confirming that it was a solid wall. He couldn't help but sigh regretfully. If only he could have followed her.
Gao Mingcheng followed him over, saw through his little scheme at a glance, and bluntly told him, "Impossible, don't even think about it."
Gao Hongfei glanced at the old man who had been arguing with him lately. Although he wasn't entirely innocent, he could only have one mother.
"I don't believe you've never thought about this, Dad," Gao Hongfei said defiantly.
"I don't have time to think about those things. I just cherish the present." Gao Mingcheng said, raising his hand to gently touch the wall in front of him. This was not the first time he had stood here. He didn't know why, nor did he want to find out. He only knew that since God had given him another chance, he just needed to hold on to what he could.
Xing Zhaozhao just pushed the door open when Gao Mingcheng's hand unexpectedly touched her face. Startled, she looked at the two large men standing in front of her and sensed that something was off. She asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, I've been waiting for you." Gao Mingcheng said, taking Xing Zhaozhao's hand and pulling her outside. "Zhaozhao, I'm tired and hungry."
"Go sit on the pile of stones up ahead for a while. I brought some dumpling soup; it should still be warm," Xing Zhaozhao said with concern.
Gao Hongfei belatedly realized what was happening and was furious. The old man was too cunning; he had actually managed to get ahead of him in acting cute and submissive to his mother.
He quickly chased after her, saying, "Mom, I'm tired too, and I'm really hungry..."
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