Chapter 159
"Now we look forward to the stroke of midnight."
"Ten seconds left."
"Six, five, four, three, two, one..."
“Boom!”
The square TV screen flickered in the dimly lit living room.
The New Year's bell rang amid cheers and warm applause, one after another, echoing in every corner of the house.
On the dining table not far away, there were several dishes that had hardly been touched, and three plates of dumplings that had hardly been touched, neatly arranged.
The dimly lit room was quiet. Apart from the lively celebration on TV, there was no other sound.
Lin Bingwei and Lu Fangying stayed in each room.
In the deep darkness of the night, at this time when the whole family was happily bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, the two of them listened to the sound of the TV in the living room in the cold night. They did not feel lively, on the contrary, they both felt suffocated.
The once happy family was shattered overnight and became like this.
In the past, this house was so lively during the holidays, with so many happy and joyful family moments. But tonight, this house was filled with a chill that penetrated into people's bones, and this night was so difficult to endure.
Listening to the sound of the TV and the sound of firecrackers that seemed to come from a distant other world, Lin Bingwei and Lu Fangying did not sleep much that night. They just closed their eyes for a short while when they were too sleepy.
That whole night, Lu Fangying had nothing else on her mind.
Apart from recalling the lively atmosphere during the Chinese New Year at home and Lin Haobo's smiling face since he was a child, all I could think about was what Lin Haobo was doing tonight and whether he had eaten dumplings.
Although the New Year’s Eve dinner was basically untouched.
The next morning, Lu Fangying made new dumplings again.
Lin Bingwei still didn't sit down to eat.
He simply washed up and prepared to go out without saying goodbye.
Lu Fangying heard the noise and went to the door, and asked him in a weak voice: "Where are you going?"
Lin Bingwei didn't answer or look back, he just closed the door and left.
On days like this, he didn't want to stay in this house for even a minute longer.
After going out, Lin Bingwei strolled in a world filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
Even though he was surrounded by such an atmosphere, these lively celebrations did not belong to him.
He didn't care how long he was out there.
When we reached the entrance of Tianxian'an Hutong, the sun was already high in the sky.
Looking at the firecracker debris all over the alley, he stood at the entrance of the alley for a while.
Then, after standing there for less than three minutes, I happened to run into a group of children playing and coming out of Yard No. 1.
This group of children of different heights were all wearing new clothes, and some of them had new tiger-head hats on their heads. It was obvious that they were here to pay New Year's greetings.
One of them happened to be one he had seen before, and he found it particularly familiar and liked it very much.
When the children were playing and trying to go to other houses in the alley, Lin Bingwei hurriedly called out to them, "Children, are you guys wishing someone a happy new year?"
The children turned their heads at his voice.
The older one answered him, "Yeah, what for?"
Lin Bingwei raised the cloth bag in his hand and said, "I haven't met anyone who has wished me a happy new year yet. If you come and wish me a happy new year, I will give you something delicious."
The older child asked, "What do you have for dinner?"
Lin Bingwei picked up the bag and looked inside. "What delicious food there is. Candy, chocolate, everything."
Hearing what he said, the older child couldn't help but look into his bag out of curiosity.
The other children followed the older child and came over to look at the candies in Lin Bingwei's bag, and they all exclaimed "Wow" after seeing them.
Another child asked, "We're giving you New Year's greetings, so you can give them to us?"
When they visited their neighbors to wish them a happy new year, they didn't get such good things. All they got were peanuts, melon seeds, fruit candies, which were available in every household and were not worth much.
Lin Bingwei nodded and said, "Of course."
The child then tried to say: "Then I wish you a happy new year and prosperity."
Lin Bingwei smiled, and decisively took out a piece of chocolate and a candy from his bag and handed them to the child, saying to him, "Happy New Year to you too. What's your name?"
The child took the candy chocolate and said happily: "My name is Iron Ball."
When the other children saw that this child really got candy and chocolate, they all rushed to wish Lin Bingwei a happy new year, gave their own names, and asked for two of their favorite foods.
After all the other children had finished their New Year greetings, Lin Bingwei handed the cloth bag to the last boy.
The boy was not as interested in these candies and chocolates as the other children. He took a step back cautiously and shook his head, saying, "I don't want any."
His parents said that he shouldn’t ask for things from strangers.
Lin Bingwei looked at him and smiled kindly, "Grandpa is not a bad person."
But the boy still shook his head at him, his eyes alert.
The older child next to him said, "His family is rich, so they don't need your things."
Then other children chimed in: "Yes, his family is very rich, he can have whatever he wants and afford anything."
Then he pointed back and said, "Look, that big car was bought by his family."
Lin Bingwei's eyes were still on the boy.
Although the boy was wary of him, he looked at the boy eagerly.
He looked at the boy and asked again: "What's your name?"
The boy didn't answer, so the kid next to him answered for him: "His name is Yi Yi."
Hearing this, Lin Bingwei smiled and said kindly, "Then Grandpa wishes Yi Yi a happy new year."
Yi Yi politely replied: "Happy New Year to you too."
Lin Bingwei felt particularly comfortable after hearing this and wanted to raise his hand to touch Yi Yi's head.
But Yi Yi immediately took a step back and didn't let him touch her.
Then he spoke to the other children and said, "Are you guys still going to celebrate the New Year? If not, I'm going home."
The other children hurriedly responded, "Of course we are praying, we haven't finished yet."
After saying this, the children said hello to Lin Bingwei and ran away.
Before Lin Bingwei could react, Yi Yi had already run into the alley with the kids, then turned back into the yard and disappeared.
Lin Bingwei stood there watching Yi Yi running, the smile on his face unconsciously becoming relaxed and warm.
After Yi Yi and the other children disappeared through the gate of the nearby yard, the smile on his face gradually faded, and the corners of his mouth and eyes drooped again.
He stood in the sun and couldn't help thinking.
If the father-son relationship between him and Lin Xiaohan had not become so bad, if Lin Xiaohan did not hate him so much, what would his life be like now.
It seems easy to imagine.
Then he will have a son who is a cadre and makes him proud, a daughter-in-law who does big business, and a lovely grandson.
He will have a life that everyone will envy.
And now, he is almost losing his home.
His own son hated him, and his own grandson, who had grown up so big, didn't even recognize him. When he saw him, he looked wary and backed away to keep a distance from him.
He couldn't even touch his own grandson, let alone hug him.
***
Seeing the sun was at its highest point in the sky.
Wu Xuemei was just about to go out and call Yi Yi to come back for dinner, but as soon as she walked out the second door, she saw Yi Yi coming back by herself.
The grandmother and grandson went to the north room.
As soon as Yi Yi entered the north room, he poured out all the contents of his bag and showed off his achievements of the past half day.
There's nothing valuable, just ordinary snacks.
Children pay New Year's greetings just for the fun and festivity, of course they don't do it for these things.
Tang Haikuan praised him for being so capable.
He added, "Or there could be more. There was an old man at the entrance of the alley handing out candies to everyone. They were all delicious candies, and there was also chocolate. He said that if no one wished him a happy new year, he would give it to whoever wished him a happy new year. I didn't take any, but everyone else took them."
Chu Xia looked at Lin Xiaohan and exchanged glances with him, then asked, "What uncle?"
Yi Yi said: "I don't know this uncle, he is quite old, with white hair."
Wu Xuemei then said, "That's right. You can't just take things from strangers."
Yi Yi hummed and said, "Grandma, I remember everything, but I didn't ask for it."
Wu Xuemei praised him: "Our Yi Yi is awesome!"
***
afternoon.
The sun shines obliquely on the balcony.
The TV in the living room was still playing tirelessly.
There were two more plates of cold dumplings on the table, which was already filled with cold dishes.
Lu Fangying was lying on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the TV, motionless. At first glance, she seemed to be watching TV very seriously, but a closer look revealed that her eyes were empty and wooden.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Lu Fangying's eyes moved slowly, then she stood up and went to open the door.
He thought it was Lin Bingwei who came back, and was about to speak after opening the door. But before he could say anything, he saw Lin Xiaohan standing outside, so he kept the words in his throat.
Just like before, Lin Xiaohan walked into the house without saying hello.
This was originally his home, so he naturally did not have the attitude of being a guest in someone else's home.
Having not been back for many years, Lin Xiaohan casually turned his head to look around after entering the house. He saw the oldness of the house and the dishes and dumplings on the dining table that had not been touched or cleared away.
After reading it, he withdrew his gaze and sat down leisurely on the sofa.
Lu Fangying followed behind him without saying anything and didn't ask him what he came for.
Seeing his state, she had only one feeling in her heart - he came back suddenly probably to see with his own eyes how miserable their lives were now.
Lin Haobo has fallen into this situation. His family has gone from living a good life to what it is now. This is exactly what he wished for, and he is the happiest one.
Lin Xiaohan didn't care whether Lu Fangying spoke or not.
After what happened with Lin Haobo, Lu Fangying's hair is now gray and she has lost her energy and spirit.
After he sat down, he asked, "Isn't Lao Lin at home?"
Lu Fangying answered simply and somewhat mechanically: "He went out and hasn't come back yet."
Lin Xiaohan continued without beating around the bush: "Then when he comes back, please tell him to stay away from my son and not to waste his time and energy on him..."
Then he looked at Lu Fangying and said, "My son has never had a grandfather since he was born, and he will never recognize someone like him as his grandfather. He wants to have a grandson, and he wants my son to recognize him as his grandfather. It would be more realistic to pray that Lin Haobo can behave well in prison and get a sentence reduction."
Lu Fangying was stunned after hearing this.
She didn't know that Lin Bingwei had gone to Tianxian Temple.
Now that I've heard it, I feel even colder in my heart.
Without waiting for Lu Fangying to speak.
Lin Xiaohan stood up from the sofa and said, "Please remind Old Lin as often as you did before, and let him remember that he only has Lin Haobo as his good son."
Every word Lin Xiaohan said was like a slap in her face.
Although she had become numb to the pain over the past year, she could still feel the burning sensation on her face and a knife stabbing her heart.
Lu Fangying remained silent, and Lin Xiaohan didn't wait for her to speak.
After he said this, he left, leaving the room in desolate silence to Lu Fangying.
After the door was closed, Lu Fangying sat down on the sofa again.
When Lin Bingwei came back in the evening, she sat up and asked softly, "Where have you been?"
Lin Bingwei replied casually: "Just taking a walk."
Lu Fangying looked at him for a while and then said, "Lin Xiaohan came here this afternoon."
Lin Bingwei paused subconsciously when he heard this, "What is he doing here?"
Lu Fangying said slowly, "Come and see for yourself how miserable our lives are now. He also asked me to tell you to stay away from his son and not to waste your time and thoughts on him. He said that his son would never recognize you as his grandfather."
Lin Bingwei subconsciously held his breath and clenched his fingers.
After a moment, he said, "Whether you recognize him or not, his surname is Lin. He is a descendant of my Lin family and the grandson of me, Lin Bingwei!"
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