Chapter 38: A Humble Father, Soothing His Child Online.
Nine out of ten middle-aged people become fat and bald.
Because she doesn't have enough hair, Zhou Yi has been getting a perm with big, loose waves in recent years, which can both flatter her face shape and make her hair look fuller.
After a large amount of new hair grew out, she immediately got it permed into long, straight black hair. The smooth, shiny black hair was eye-catching and added to Zhou Yi's already beautiful appearance.
Zhou Yi's transformation was remarkable, and her friends and clients at the beauty salon couldn't sit still any longer, calling to inquire about her hair services.
Some do it for themselves, some for their bald husbands at home; no one understands the value of a man's short sexual life better than them.
Who would have thought that the once dashing man would become a completely different person in middle age, balding and overweight, and that the couple would often be mistaken for father and daughter when they went out?
Zhou Yi answered the phone, her heart brimming with pride, and said with a beaming smile, "There's no special recipe, it's just that my kids went up the mountain and dug up some wild Polygonum multiflorum to make soup for me."
Are wild Polygonum multiflorum really that effective? The wealthy women didn't quite believe it.
Anyone with a bit of wealth has eaten or seen good things, but no one has ever heard of a medicine with such immediate hair growth effects.
Therefore, everyone unanimously believed that Zhou Yi was keeping the secret and was unwilling to tell them the recipe.
Zhou Yi cried out that she was wronged, feeling both amused and helpless. So she took out the remaining wild Polygonum multiflorum and stewed it into a soup, inviting her important VIP clients to taste it.
At first, the customers were skeptical and didn't have high expectations for the soup.
The next day, they were groggily woken up by their husbands. The moment they stood in front of the mirror, the ladies collectively turned into groundhog memes, unable to believe their eyes, and touched their newly grown hair with stiff fingertips.
They all gasped in surprise; it was true!
Posting on WeChat Moments: 【Ahhh, my hair has grown long! No more needles to prick me!】
Hair transplantation is a long process with no guarantee of survival. If this problem can be solved through dietary supplements, why go through the ordeal?
A quiet craze for digging up wild Polygonum multiflorum has swept through high-society circles, driving up its price by two to three times.
Sensing a business opportunity, Zhou Yi launched a new hair care business, and the store's business skyrocketed, with turnover doubling.
Xixi knew nothing about these things; the only thing she knew was that she had become a little rich woman.
The day after her hair grew back, Zhou Yi gave 20% of the beauty salon's shares to Xixi, a little girl who, at just over three years old, could earn millions every year without doing anything.
Neither of her sons received this treatment; fortunately, one didn't care, while the other was obsessed with being her niece's lackey.
Xi Xi is clever and quick-witted. She doesn't understand exactly what the shares are for, but by observing the people around her, she guesses that they are valuable and that she is now a richer child than her father.
The little girl remembered a saying she learned from television: "If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you."
The newly rich young woman, now incredibly wealthy, insisted on treating Pei Yiyan and Meng Zhiyao to dinner.
Meng Zhiyao enrolled at Beijing Medical University. Despite her family's opposition, she firmly chose to live on campus. Because of her heart condition, she was unable to participate in military training, so she used the free time to do handicrafts.
Prices in Beijing are high, kindergarten tuition is twice as high as in Baicao County, and daily expenses are incomparable to those in a small county town, so she has to earn more money.
The two universities are 10 kilometers apart. In a small county town, it would only take 10 minutes to drive there. However, in a bustling national central city, it would take at least an hour to drive there. The subway would be better, taking about 40 minutes.
Upon receiving the voice message from Xixi, Meng Zhi smiled faintly, quickly tidied herself up, and headed out.
The weather was sweltering in September, and even though she had taken the subway all the way here, Meng Zhiyao's cheeks were still flushed and her forehead was damp with sweat.
When she was almost at the apartment building, she turned around and went into the supermarket to buy a bag of popsicles. She and Xixi had the same taste and both liked mung bean popsicles with a milky flavor. Pei Yiyan didn't have any particular taste preference, so she just grabbed a few Chocola.
Knowing she would be coming up soon, Meng Zhiyao gently pushed the door open, leaving it ajar.
A blast of cool air hit her face, making Meng Zhi feel so comfortable that her pores opened up. Before she could even speak, the familiar little dumpling had already rushed over.
"Mother!"
Xi Xi squatted down in front of her, holding a pair of slippers: "These slippers are from Daddy. Try them on quickly."
Meng Zhi was stunned for a moment, then looked down and saw a pair of pink Crocs at her feet. The toes of the shoes were inlaid with colorful three-dimensional flowers, and the soles were very thick, making them look somewhat clumsy.
She put them on and took a few steps. Unexpectedly, they were quite comfortable, with a strong feeling of stepping on poop. She looked in Pei Yiyan's direction.
"Thank you. How much are these shoes? I'll transfer the money to you."
The man hanging clothes on the balcony didn't turn around, his tone teasing and lazy: "Xixi paid the bill. That girl is very rich, no need to be polite with her."
Yesterday, the father and daughter went to the market to buy groceries. When they passed a shoe stall, Xixi remembered that her mother didn't have any shoes at their new home, so she dragged Pei Yiyan to pick out shoes at the stall for a long time.
Xi Xi likes sparkly things, and without hesitation, she picked out a pair of old-fashioned crystal slippers for Meng Zhiyao. She even specially chose a pair of auspicious bright red ones, and excitedly told Pei Yiyan that her mother would definitely like them.
Pei Yiyan was speechless for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing into a knot.
Even her grandmother wouldn't wear such tacky crystal shoes.
Finally, Pei Yiyan, unable to bear it any longer, decided to choose the barely acceptable pair of Crocs. If he had gone along with the little girl's aesthetic, his lifelong reputation would have been ruined.
He's only twenty; he can't afford to lose face like that.
Xi Xi made a face at Pei Yiyan, then happily led Meng Zhi inside, saying, "Mommy, all of Xi Xi's money is for you to spend."
He turned his head and instructed like an old man: "Dad, go buy groceries quickly, buy more meat, don't worry about the money, Xixi will reimburse you."
Pei Yiyan's handsome face was drawn long.
The little brat is so arrogant because she has a little money.
The resentful father was sent by Xixi to the nearby farmers' market to buy groceries, while the mother and daughter stayed at home enjoying the air conditioning and eating popsicles.
Pei Yiyan and Xixi hadn't been living in the Chen family's house for long. When Meng Zhiyao came last time, the place was still a bit empty and had a minimalist style.
Today, however, it looks like it has undergone a second renovation, decorated with various green potted plants, just like their home in Baicao County, and even the kitchen utensils are reproduced one-to-one.
The rice bowls are still decorated with green dinosaurs, yellow giraffes, and red crabs.
When Pei Yiyan returned from grocery shopping, he noticed some extra items in the living room as soon as he entered the entrance hall: a few small knitted ornaments.
Looking at Xixi, the little girl was wearing a fluffy bear headband, and Mengzhi was also wearing a bear headband, only in a lighter color.
"Daddy, come quick!" Xixi said, pointing to the remaining hairbands on the coffee table. "Daddy, Mommy made these for you. There's one for each of us three!"
Pei Yiyan has 5.2 vision, and the headband with two Bald Qiang standees blatantly caught her eye.
“”
An ambiguous gaze fell upon Meng Zhiyao.
Meng Zhi blinked and coughed twice: "Xi Xi likes to watch 'Boonie Bears,' so I took some time to make a headband with that theme. I didn't think too much about it at the time. Why don't you wear this one on my head?"
So the mother and daughter are Xiong Da and Xiong Er, and he is Bald Qiang.
Is that correct?
Shouldn't Bald Qiang's headband be given to Bald Qiang?
Pei Yiyan shook his head: "Never mind, you can wear it."
He no longer carries such a heavy burden.
"Dad, bow your head." Xi Xi stood on tiptoe and solemnly placed the headband on Pei Yiyan's head. After examining it carefully for a while, she gave a thumbs up. "Dad, you're more handsome than Bald Qiang!"
Pei Yiyan rolled his eyes: "Nonsense."
With his height of 1.86 meters and thick hair, he could not possibly lose to Bald Qiang. It would be unfair for him to win against Bald Qiang.
Pei Yiyan let the mother and daughter play in the living room while he took several bags of groceries to the kitchen to get busy. He bought two pounds of shrimp, one pound of pork belly, a small black carp with few bones, and several kinds of vegetables.
Blackfish is excellent for stewing soup, shrimp is great for stir-frying, and pork belly is perfect for making braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens.
When he cooks, Xixi follows him around like a little tail, but she doesn't help at all. At most, she helps him peel garlic, and most of the time she acts like a supervisor.
Today, however, she took the initiative to peel the garlic. Pei Yiyan understood that this little girl was deliberately trying to impress her mother and create an image of a hardworking and capable good child.
Ha, no matter how many tricks she has, she can't hide them from her father.
In the kitchen, the mother and daughter worked diligently, one peeling garlic and the other peeling potatoes and carrots.
Chef Pei Yiyan calmly watched as the XL-sized potato shrank into a miniature potato, his eye twitching slightly, before taking the peeler from Meng Zhiyao's hand.
"There's a plate of grapes that Xixi loves in the refrigerator. Take them out and wash them."
Entrusted with an important task, Meng Zhiyao obediently went to busy herself with other things.
When Pei Yiyan finished peeling the potatoes and looked up, he saw a small bowl of garlic, as white as lychee flesh, neatly placed on the stove.
The little ginseng spirit, hands on hips, proudly declared, "That's right, Xixi peeled them all! Surprised? Weren't they super clean?"
Pei Yiyan: "Did you really peel them all?"
"hold head high"
Peeling with both hands is too slow, so the lazy little ginseng sprite machine activated and decisively extended five ginseng whiskers to help.
In no time, he had peeled a full bowl of tender white garlic, exceeding the task his father had assigned him.
Xixi's dark eyes were fixed on her, and she thought, "Why isn't Daddy praising her yet? Praise her quickly!"
Pei Yiyan was silent for a moment: "Wash your hair after dinner."
"???"
Xi Xi ran off, her feet stomping loudly on the floor. She thought her father was being unreasonable and pouted angrily, "I don't want your praise anymore, hmph, you stingy guy."
Pei Yiyan: "Are you sure you want to go out and meet people with your head smelling like garlic these next two days?"
"What?"
Pei Yiyan gave a barely perceptible smile: "When your mother comes, let her smell it and she'll know."
Meng Zhi, who was carrying a plate of grapes, paused for a moment. Her gaze naturally swept over the garlic on the stove and caught sight of the scattered garlic skins on Xi Xi's head. In a flash of insight, she understood something.
The air grew quiet. The family of three looked at each other, but no one uttered a sound.
In a flash, Xixi suddenly froze, her five ginseng tendrils shrank back as if fleeing, and she covered her head with her hands, staring with her round almond eyes.
Maru-la, my hair smells like garlic!
Her beard no longer smells good!
Unable to bear the outcome, the little ginseng spirit pouted, feeling a sense of desolation as if the sky had fallen. Seeing that the flood was about to engulf Jinshan Temple, Meng Zhi quickly fed it a grape.
Xi Xi chewed her lips habitually, "So sweet."
"Eat two more, and Mom will take you to get your hair washed."
Meng Zhiyao had no experience washing hair, and Xixi was still too young for her to try. She decided to let the hairdresser, Tony, earn the money for the shampoo.
The hair salon downstairs is newly opened, and Tony, the hairstylist, was enthusiastically recommending that Xixi sign up for a membership while washing and blow-drying her hair.
From the very beginning, he was confident that he would win. He never expected that Meng Zhiyao was only easy to talk to, but in reality, she was as hard as a rock. No matter how much he talked, she didn't listen.
Tony: It must be his wording that's wrong.
He revised his script, intending to try again, when the little doll-like child suddenly glanced at him and sighed softly.
"Uncle, please don't say that. My parents don't have any money. They are very, very poor."
Tony was caught off guard.
Meng Zhi shook her head:
"Now I'm the one who earns money to support the family." Xixi shook her head, her big, watery eyes filled with the hardship and helplessness that only adults have. "One person earns money and the whole family spends it. Uncle, I don't have money to top up my card. I'm sorry."
What kind of family can raise such a sensible child?
Tony's eyes changed slightly. This child had bright eyes and white teeth, and was delicate and cute. Could he be a child model being exploited by unscrupulous parents?
Thinking about it this way, everything seems to make sense. Tony was indignant. He would rather die than eat human blood buns. He was Tony with a moral bottom line.
After a moment of silence, Tony, who had been talking incessantly, looked at Xixi with a heavy heart and helped her downstairs, personally escorting her to the door.
With fists clenched and placed against his chest, he offered heartfelt encouragement:
"Little sister, life is still beautiful. Don't give up. If you have any difficulties, come to your uncle anytime. Your uncle will do his best to help you." After saying that, he turned to Meng Zhiyao and said, "You are her older sister, right? If you have any difficulties, call your brother. I have connections and strong backing."
Meng Zhi, who had been forcibly given a business card, shook her head: Ye, Ye Liangchen, Long Aotian?
After washing her hair, Pei Yiyan had already set the table for dinner. Seeing Xixi holding a small toy, he frowned slightly: "You went to play the claw machine?"
"No, it was given to me by the uncle who washes hair."
"Did you top up your card?" The hair salon downstairs was a shady business, and he guessed they must have been ripped off.
“Dad, be smart. You’re not like Xixi at all.”
Pei Yiyan's face darkened several shades.
The little girl has gotten into the habit of teasing him now; isn't her father's authority waning a bit too quickly?
At the dinner table, Meng Zhiyao recounted the whole story. Pei Yiyan looked at Xixi, who was holding her head high, feeling that she had done a good deed, and felt his mind racing even more.
"When was Daddy ever really poor? Who bought your favorite rocking horse? Who rented this big house? And who bought your tablet and TV?"
Xi Xi looked up innocently and said, "Dad, didn't you teach me not to flaunt my wealth?"
"I didn't say you should spread rumors that I'm poor."
Xi Xi frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly sat up straight in her child seat.
Pei Yiyan reached out to help her: "What's wrong now? Do you want some water?"
Xi Xi took the opportunity to grab his arm, pry his fingers apart, and pressed her chubby face against his palm.
"Dad, you are the best dad in the world. Xixi loves you the most."
The little girl is like a fragrant and soft little cake; even people who don't like sweets can't help but be attracted by her sweetness and appearance.
Pei Yiyan raised his eyebrows, feigning indifference.
Except for the first month after she took Xixi home, when she often cuddled and acted affectionately towards him, she didn't receive that treatment afterward.
Now that she's used this trump card again, it's clear that the little girl knows to use her charm effectively.
He scoffed, "Thank you for loving me, but this is a one-time exception."
Later, when Pei Yiyan passed by that barbershop, whenever he lingered a little longer, he would see several Tonys glancing at him, then huddling together and whispering, their eyes revealing a hint of disdain.
Pei Yiyan:
His reputation was damaged, and he forgave her too hastily.
In summer, the sun sets late. After dinner and a short rest, the father and daughter would walk Mengzhi to the subway station together, and then slowly walk back, combining a stroll with disappearing from sight in one go.
Xi Xi's belly was round and plump. I don't know where she learned the posture, but she walked while holding her belly. From behind, she looked just like the Sad Frog that is famous on the Internet.
Pei Yiyan, having failed to correct her, let her be. He slyly fell two steps behind her, raised his phone, and snapped photos, saving them to his private album.
When Xixi grows up, we'll collect all her unflattering photos, get them printed, and make them into an album for her eighteenth birthday celebration.
The eighteen-year-old girl would definitely be moved to tears; Pei Yiyan's calculations made him laugh to himself.
Near the park entrance close to her home, Xixi was drawn to a noisy crowd gathered in a circle, and she stood on tiptoe to peer curiously into the distance.
Without a doubt, given her height, all she could see was a bunch of moving butts. She patted Pei Yiyan's thigh, and Pei Yiyan instantly understood and scooped up the baby.
The little girl sat on her father's shoulders, enjoying the view from two meters high, with a panoramic view of all the hustle and bustle.
Hmm? It looks like they're selling kittens.
Xi Xi pointed and said, "Dad, go over there."
Pei Yiyan, carrying his daughter, headed towards their destination, and now even he could see her clearly.
Surrounded by the crowd was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, holding a cat.
There were two cages at her feet. In the larger cage lay three two-month-old kittens, and in the smaller cage lay two slightly larger kittens. The little girl was also holding one of the kittens in her arms.
According to her, most of the kittens in the cage were born to stray cats she had rescued. She said she couldn't keep so many cats at home, so she had no choice but to bring them out to sell. In reality, she was looking for adopters.
Because each kitten only costs twenty yuan, there are several bags of cat food and pretty cat bowls next to the cage, and everyone who buys a cat gets a bag of cat food and a cat bowl.
These kittens are all common local cats, recently weaned and not yet vaccinated. The girl stood there for a long time before she sold two.
The remaining six cats have no home.
Xi Xi listened intently, her little hands unconsciously gripping Pei Yiyan's hair tightly.
Pei Yiyan, whose scalp had been unjustly attacked, slapped away the little girl's mischievous hand.
"Have you seen enough? Let's go."
"I haven't seen enough! I haven't seen enough!"
Xi Xi hugged his neck, tilted her head to look into her father's eyes, and said directly, "Daddy, I want to have a cat."
Pei Yiyan turned away without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Seeing this, Xi Xi became unhappy and started to make a fuss, scratching and clawing at his head and kicking his little feet, vividly portraying the image of a spoiled and arrogant naughty child.
Pei Yiyan nearly lost his grip on the wriggling child, and was so angry he was practically spitting out his nose.
"Xixi, stop right there!"
"Stop fooling around, it's dangerous."
"I want kittens! I want kittens!"
Pei Yiyan, supporting the little girl, gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, get down."
Xi Xi obediently got off her father's lap, and the next second her little bottom was slapped twice by Pei Yiyan's big hand.
The little girl was stunned, her brain seemed to be delayed, and she stared at him with wide eyes.
Pei Yiyan, his chest tight with anger, looked anything but pleasant: "Do you know why your butt got the beating? What were you doing just now?!"
After he roared, Xixi suddenly realized what had happened. Her lips turned down, tears welled up in her eyes, and she stared at him stubbornly yet helplessly.
No, I don't know.
"You've already forgotten about the dancing on my head? All that hair of mine was for nothing."
Pei Yiyan laughed in exasperation: "Do you know how dangerous that was? If I hadn't caught you, you would have fallen down long ago."
"Falling from a two-meter height, do you think that's a joke?" Pei Yiyan became increasingly angry as he spoke, his face darkening as if it were about to drip water. "Losing an arm or a leg is the least of your worries. If you fall harder, your head will be smashed open, and you won't even be alive. Will you dare to act recklessly again?"
Pei Yiyan rattled off a whole bunch of lectures, but Xixi only had one thought in her mind.
Dad hit Xixi.
Dad spanked Xixi's little bottom.
it hurts.
Her buttocks felt numb, her nose felt sore, and she felt a little like crying.
Pei Yiyan knew his daughter well, and he could tell from her aggrieved look that she was about to cry. However, to his surprise, Xixi did not cry. She swallowed back the sobs that were about to come out.
Don't cry, Xixi, don't cry.
Xixi has more important things to do.
She sniffed hard through her nose, silently rubbed her reddened eyes, raised her hand to tug at Pei Yiyan's sleeve and squeezed into the crowd, stubbornly muttering:
"I want a kitten, Xixi wants a kitten."
Pei Yiyan pressed his temples hard. "Never mind, I'll talk about it when I get home."
He suppressed his agitated emotions, pushed through the crowd to the very back, and said in a cold, deep voice, "Hello, my daughter wants a cat."
He looked to be in his early twenties, but his demeanor was icy cold. Especially now, without a trace of a smile, he exuded a murderous aura, making him seem less like someone who came to buy a cat and more like a cat abuser with ulterior motives.
The little girl hugged the cat and took two steps back, too timid to reply.
Upon seeing this, Xixi immediately stepped forward, pushed her fierce-looking father behind her, and revealed a sincere and friendly smile:
"Hello sister, my dad isn't a bad person. He just doesn't look like a good person, but he's actually a good person. I want the kitten you're holding. Can you sell it to me?"
The girl was stunned by the two key points in his words.
One thing is that they are actually father and daughter, and the other is that someone actually wants her oranges.
After her initial shock, the girl calmly asked, "Why do you want oranges?"
Looking at the little orange kitten huddled in the girl's arms, Xi Xi said honestly, "I want to help the kitten get better. I want to cure it."
The girl's expression changed, and she was extremely surprised: "How did you know that Orange was sick? You and I didn't mention it."
The adults watching were also stunned. Their attention had been focused on the kitten in the cage the whole time, and they hadn't paid much attention to the orange cat in the girl's arms, nor had they seen the kitten's overall appearance.
“I’m a little girl with sharp eyes!” Xi Xi answered fluently, even turning back to wink at Pei Yiyan, “Right, Dad?”
Pei Yiyan was already half-stunned at this point, and instinctively nodded.
"Is your dad a veterinarian?" The girl's eyes lit up.
“He’s not like that.” Xixi pouted and continued, “But he knows a very good veterinarian who can treat kittens for free.”
Upon hearing this, the girl breathed a sigh of relief and was overjoyed.
As if afraid that the father and daughter would change their minds, she took a step forward and quickly put the little orange cat in Xi Xi's arms, revealing its full appearance to everyone.
It was a small orange cat with severely deformed and disabled hind limbs.
"Thank you so much! I'm entrusting Little Orange to you now! It's very well-behaved and won't make a fuss."
The father and daughter brought home a disabled little orange cat. Before leaving, Xixi and the girl exchanged contact information and agreed to visit each other at any time.
Pei Yiyan followed Xixi leisurely behind her, and seeing the little girl's smiling face full of affection, he felt a little uncomfortable.
Guilt, regret, and inner turmoil simmered in my heart; I wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
Unlike her father, Xixi doesn't have those complicated feelings. She will show her father that she is angry through her actions.
It's the kind of anger that's hard to appease.
She refused to communicate with Pei Yiyan, and no matter what he said or did, she had only one reaction.
She tossed her head, nose in the air, and let out a heavy snort, leaving her father with a puffed-up profile—a four-part expression of her extreme disdain, anger, and grievance.
Pei Yiyan, who was trying to please his daughter, was rebuffed and sat back down, looking on expectantly.
He silently took out his phone, and his search history was dominated by "how to make a girl happy", "what to do when a girl is angry", "what should a proper father-daughter relationship be like", and "how much impact does a father's irresponsibility have on his daughter's life".
well.
The boy's father's back view vaguely revealed his weakness and helplessness in the face of a bitter wind and rain, desolate and bleak.
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