"Then it's decided, that's a happy decision." Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile, stuffing all the things into Gao Hongfei's arms.
Gao Hongfei accepted it with a smile, thought for a moment, then took out a black card from his pocket and handed it to Xing Zhaozhao: "Mom, you can use this card from now on. I will transfer all the money to this card. The password is your birthday."
"Oh." Xing Zhaozhao accepted it with a look of delight. From now on, she would have a bank card too.
She thought of something, took out her phone, and handed it over: "How do you set up mobile payment? Set one up for me too."
"That's easy." Gao Hongfei quickly activated the service for her and also saved his phone number. "Mom, this is my phone number. Remember to call me if you need anything."
"Okay." Xing Zhaozhao nodded and casually agreed.
Gao Hongfei glanced smugly at Gao Mingcheng. He'd never have to fight the old man for the phone again; maybe one day the old man would even have to beg him for it. How satisfying!
Gao Mingcheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with him. At his age, still arguing about this? How childish!
He glanced quickly at the phone in Xing Zhaozhao's hand. He'd find a chance later to secretly delete that bastard son's phone number.
Xing Zhaozhao, oblivious to the subtle tension between the father and son, contentedly fiddled with her phone. Finally, she was no longer a country bumpkin who had nothing and knew nothing.
"If Mom passes away in the future, the remaining money in the card will be your secret stash," Xing Zhaozhao said to Gao Hongfei with great interest.
Gao Hongfei was initially quite happy, but upon hearing this, his expression immediately changed.
Gao Mingcheng, standing nearby, also darkened his face.
Gao Hongfei nervously grabbed Xing Zhaozhao's arm and said, "Mom, what are you saying? Why aren't you here? Don't say such unlucky things."
Xing Zhaozhao laughed without taking it seriously, "What's so unlucky about that? I only said I was gone, not that I would die. I was able to come here because of that door. If that door suddenly disappeared one day and I couldn't come here anymore, then I would be gone, but I'll definitely still be alive and well over there."
As Xing Zhaozhao spoke, she patted Gao Hongfei's hand reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, your mother is still alive, and she won't die so easily in the future. I still want to watch you brothers and sisters grow up."
Gao Hongfei shook his head, unconsciously tightening his grip on Xing Zhaozhao's arm. To him, it was all the same; he hoped she could stay. If possible, if she could stay here forever, that would be even better…
Gao Hongfei turned his head to look at the abandoned cellar, his eyes flashing.
Gao Mingcheng noticed that Gao Hongfei's expression was off, and following his gaze, he turned to look at the abandoned cellar, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Oh no!" Xing Zhaozhao looked up at the sun, which was already high in the sky, and suddenly exclaimed.
Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei quickly came to their senses, looked over, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's getting late, I have to go back. If Xiao Hongling wakes up and doesn't see me, she'll start making a fuss again." Xing Zhaozhao said as she hurriedly got up and packed her things.
Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei stood up as well.
Having only seen her once, Gao Mingcheng was reluctant to see her leave so soon, saying, "Isn't there any need to rush? Doesn't Fu Lan live at home? If Xiao Hongling wakes up, she can definitely help look after her. Besides, there's Dafei and Xiao Yuma there too. Didn't you ask them to help look after your sister when you went out before?"
For once, Gao Hongfei stood on the same side as his father: "That's right, I can take care of my sister. When she was little, Mom, you weren't around, and Grandma didn't care either, so I would always try to help take care of her whenever I had the chance..." If that old woman had suddenly ordered him to go out and collect firewood back then, his sister might not have had this accident. Thinking of the past, a shadow of gloom flashed involuntarily in Gao Hongfei's eyes.
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head: "No, the little girl is all grown up now, and she's getting smarter and smarter." As she spoke, Xing Zhaozhao told them about the little girl's reaction when she first got home yesterday.
The father and son were both eager to hug the little girl, but then they remembered the long river of time that separated them, and their faces showed disappointment. They couldn't hug her; they could only look at the little girl's picture and wait until they got back to quench their thirst.
Both father and son had difficulty walking, and Xing Zhaozhao was worried about them. Before leaving, she specifically told them, "Be careful when you go down the mountain."
Gao Mingcheng nodded: "Don't worry, we can still walk this mountain path."
Gao Hongfei nodded in agreement: "That's right, Mom, you can go back without worry."
Xing Zhaozhao still remembered how the father and son had argued so fiercely before. She looked at Gao Mingcheng and said, "Give in to your son. As a father, you shouldn't always argue with your son until you're red in the face."
Gao Mingcheng choked for a moment, then awkwardly touched his nose before nodding in agreement, "Mm."
It was rare to see the old man looking so defeated, so Gao Hongfei laughed gleefully and said, "Mom is right. What kind of father argues with his son? It's too much, I can't bear to watch."
Xing Zhaozhao turned and glared at Gao Hongfei, saying irritably, "You too, knowing your dad's health isn't good, you still make trouble for him. If there's a next time, I'll beat you up with your dad."
Gao Hongfei's smile froze instantly. He hung his head and honestly said, "I know, Mom, I won't do it again."
"Hmm." After giving each man a fair beating and seeing that they had both behaved themselves, Xing Zhaozhao finally felt relieved, waved to them, and turned to go back.
Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei stood in front of the abandoned cellar, watching Xing Zhaozhao go back, and were reluctant to leave for a long time.
"Dad..." Gao Hongfei suddenly called out.
"Hmm?" Gao Mingcheng replied.
"What if one day this door really disappears and Mom can never come again?" Gao Hongfei asked.
Gao Mingcheng's hand gripping his cane tightened involuntarily, his face twitched, but he showed no emotion: "If they can't come, they can't come. What else can we do?"
Gao Hongfei turned his head sharply, somewhat excited, and asked, "Are you willing to part with it?"
"Whether I'm willing to leave or not is not something I can decide," Gao Mingcheng said, then turned and walked down the mountain without staying any longer.
Gao Hongfei immediately followed and asked, "Have you really never thought about letting Mom stay here?"
Gao Mingcheng abruptly stopped, turned and looked coldly at Gao Hongfei, asking, "You let your mother stay here, and then what? What about your younger siblings over there? What about you?"
Gao Hongfei's eyes flickered: "Perhaps we can think of a way..."
Before Gao Hongfei could finish speaking, Gao Mingcheng interrupted him without hesitation: "No matter what you want to do, stop right now. You are not allowed to think about anything, do anything, or even try to take advantage of this place. It will remain the same as it was before. If you dare to have any improper thoughts, don't think that just because you are my son, even if your mother tries to persuade me, I will not hold back."
Gao Hongfei immediately dared not say anything more.
Gao Mingcheng turned around and continued walking down the mountain, saying, "I know you're reluctant to part with your mother, afraid she'll disappear again. But you need to understand, Hongfei, your mother is already gone in this world. She's like something we stole from another world. If you're going to be a thief, you have to be aware of what you're doing. If you touch what you shouldn't, you might just cause God to take back her blessing sooner. So, stop thinking about those things, Hongfei. What you should do is cherish what you have now."
Gao Hongfei followed closely behind Gao Mingcheng, pondered for a moment, temporarily dismissed his ulterior motives, and responded softly, "Mm."
“But, Dad…” he suddenly called out.
"What?" Gao Mingcheng asked.
“I also think we should cherish the present, but right now you’re always competing with me for my mom’s attention, aren’t you? Why don’t you listen to my mom and give in to me more? When my mom comes over, let me spend more time with her, and I won’t think about all that nonsense,” Gao Hongfei said.
Gao Mingcheng's face darkened instantly: "Get out."
"Then don't blame me for being idle and thinking about all sorts of nonsense," Gao Hongfei threatened.
Gao Mingcheng: "..."
When Gao Mingcheng got back, he called his eldest grandson and asked him to give his father more chores to do so that he wouldn't be thinking about his wife all the time.
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