Chapter 49
Ever since Cheng Man went to college, none of his children or grandchildren have been around, and the old man often sighs.
Tao Zhi couldn't bear to see it, "If you really miss them, then go to S City."
"I don't want to live with them."
"Then let's go to the hotel?"
Cheng Xiangqian shook his head: "It's not a waste of money, but it's still not comfortable to live in."
"Don't you have to stay in a hotel when you go out?"
“That’s because there’s no choice.”
"...Even if the house is finished, it will take some time. Can you wait that long?"
"Is it okay to stay for a few days?" the old man asked uncertainly.
"If you want to live here, you can live here by yourself. I'll go to Cheng Xing's place."
The old man suddenly stopped talking.
Two days later, he couldn't hold back any longer and found Tao Zhi and said, "How about we go there?"
Tao Zhi had expected this. She put her luggage in the trunk and got on the passenger seat first: "Let's go."
Cheng Xiangqian was very happy: "Old lady, you still understand me."
"It will take at least sixteen or seventeen hours. Can you drive that long?" Tao Zhi asked worriedly.
"Don't you still have it?"
“I don’t have a driver’s license.”
Cheng Xiangqian braked suddenly: "Don't lie to me, I saw you go to get the certificate."
"I misremembered the exam time, and then a series of things happened, so I didn't have the heart to take the exam anymore."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I don't usually drive, so how could I remember it?"
It was no use saying anything now. Cheng Xiangqian restarted the car: "Let's go to the train station to see if there are any tickets."
"Why not take the bus?"
"It's inconvenient to eat and use the restroom on the bus. We're already 50 years old, so let's not put ourselves through this."
Tao Zhi decided to listen to the old man. After all, people who can't contribute don't have much say.
After getting off the train, Tao Zhi lined up at the ticket window. Her legs were sore from standing there by the time it was her turn. The ticket seller said, "There won't be another train until three days later."
"Then I need two soft sleeper tickets." Cheng Xiangqian immediately took out his wallet.
"Uncle, there are no soft sleeper tickets left."
"Isn't this the train that just left?" His hand holding the money stopped in mid-air.
The ticket seller smiled slightly and said nothing.
The old man sighed. It had been booked internally. He didn't hesitate any longer. "Then give me two hard sleeper beds."
The conductor checked and said, "There are no more connected ones."
Cheng Xiangqian saw the scalpers from afar and whispered to Tao Zhi, "Do you want to add some money..."
Tao Zhi followed the direction of his finger, took a quick glance, and pressed his hand down: "Less trouble is worse than more, so let it be."
The old man handed the money in and said, "I still want two."
The ticket seller stamped the ticket and handed the money and ticket to Cheng Xiangqian: "Uncle, please take it. This is your ticket."
After returning to the train and sitting down, the old man said, "It's not bad. We are all in the same carriage, just separated by two units."
"What bunk is it?"
"Both are lower berths."
"I'm pretty lucky."
After being stuck on the train for more than ten hours and smelling all kinds of odors along the way, such as stinky feet, poultry droppings, and greasy hair, Tao Zhi no longer mentioned luck.
She hailed a taxi and sped back to the house. Cheng Xing was waiting at home early in the morning, and Tao Zhi rushed to take a shower as soon as she entered. Only after she had washed herself thoroughly did she feel alive again.
The old man said, "If you take a bath in broad daylight, shouldn't you take another bath at night?"
Tao Zhi didn't want to answer him. She chased him to the bathroom like a duck and locked the door. "You won't be allowed out until you're done washing."
Tao Zhi finally had time to ask, "Where are the two little ones?"
Cheng Xing smiled: "They all went to kindergarten."
"Cheng Jin is so young, will the kindergarten accept him?"
"They have a nursery class for children under three years old. When Cheng Jin saw Mingming going to school, she also wanted to go, so I had no choice but to take her to the kindergarten. I originally wanted to try it out outside, but when the teacher told me there was such a class, I sent her there too."
"If you give her enough sense of security, she will be willing to explore the world."
"It's exactly like you said. Children raised by their parents look different and are much braver."
Tao Zhi suddenly thought of a sentence that was taught to her by a young person later in life: "Once the soul is loved, the flesh and blood will grow wildly." Fortunately, their family has always been more fond of children.
After the old man finished his bath, Cheng Xing's meal was ready. The family of three sat down to eat. Cheng Xiangqian was still apprehensive: "Old lady, hurry up and get your driver's license. I don't want to take the train anymore."
Tao Zhi felt the same way. She couldn't imagine what the high-speed rail, praised so highly by future generations, was really like. She wanted to try it herself. She counted on her fingers and found she still had twelve years left.
Seeing this, she had no choice but to nod. These days, taking a bus is really not as good as driving, so she had no choice but to sacrifice herself for others.
The house wasn't big. The floor area was listed as 110,000 square meters, but the interior was only about 90 square meters. Cheng Xiangqian finished looking around after two turns. He asked Cheng Xing, "Which room should we stay in?"
Cheng Xing took them to the master bedroom.
Tao Zhi went in and opened the closet, which was filled with clothes. She asked, "So this is where you sleep?"
Cheng Xing nodded.
"Then there's no need to change. You can continue to sleep here, and your dad and I will sleep in the guest room."
Cheng Xing was about to speak when Tao Zhi interrupted her: "Aren't you afraid that Cheng Jin won't be used to sleeping in this room if you change rooms so rashly?"
Only then did Cheng Xing give up the idea.
Tao Zhi changed the bed. The old man sat on the edge of the bed and gestured with his hand, "This house is really not big."
"You think this is your hometown? I'll just build it for you in just a few hundred square meters."
"Hey, you old woman, don't we have a piece of land?"
"Where's the money now?"
"You spent all the money?" Cheng Xiangqian stared at him.
"No. I know exactly where my money goes. You can figure it out yourself if you do the math."
"You just said you had no money."
"If you want to build a big house, you really don't have that much money."
"If I don't have it, I'll go and earn it."
"Okay, okay, earn, earn, earn. Once you've earned enough, we'll build again."
Cheng Xiangqian asked loudly, "Xingxing, how long will the renovations take?"
"It will probably take more than a month. Dad, can I take you to see it later?"
The old man waved his hand and said, "I won't go today. I'll go tomorrow." Then he lay down on the bed.
Tao Zhi muttered softly, "You're just lazy."
Cheng Xiangqian turned his back and didn't reply to Tao Zhi's words. After a while, the snoring sounded.
Tao Zhi lay on the edge of the bed and squinted his eyes.
It was not until the sun set and the afterglow of the sun shone through the gaps in the curtains and hit their eyelids that Tao Zhi woke up slowly.
There was a gentle knock on the door, "Grandpa, Grandma, it's time for dinner."
It was Cheng Mingcheng's voice, and Tao Zhi immediately turned over and got up.
As soon as she opened the door, two snow-white little balls were standing in a row at the door, staring at the door.
Seeing Tao Zhi open the door, Cheng Jin also called out: "Grandpa, Grandma, it's time for dinner."
Cheng Xing was standing by the dining table, and was overjoyed when he heard this: "Xiao Jin, this is grandma, not grandma."
Cheng Jin looked at his mother doubtfully, his big eyes full of question marks.
This soft and tender little voice melted Tao Zhi's heart. She took one of them by the hand and walked towards the dining table: "It doesn't matter what you call them. Don't teach them before dinner. Talk about it after dinner."
Cheng Jin instantly smiled like a little hamster, showing a few tiny teeth, chirping and making a lot of fun, which made everyone laugh.
Tao Zhi looked and asked, "Where's Cheng Hui?"
Cheng Xing was putting a bib on Cheng Jin and picking up some food for Cheng Mingcheng. When she heard her mother ask this, she was stunned for a moment: "Brother went to the neighboring city to help Cheng Jun manage the brick factory."
Tao Zhi was surprised: "When did it happen?"
"We just bought the house when Cheng Jun came to see me. This has been going on for almost two months."
"Cheng Jun brought it up on his own initiative?" Tao Zhi was very surprised.
Cheng Xing was also puzzled: "Mom, you don't know?"
"How would I know if no one of you told me?"
Cheng Xing remembered: "Cheng Jun wanted to tell you that day, but it seems that his phone was out of battery. Maybe he was busy and forgot about it. Then my brother and I thought Cheng Jun had said it, so we didn't mention it again."
"So, for the past two months, you've been alone with two kids?"
Cheng Xing smiled gently.
Tao Zhi felt that the food in her mouth had lost its flavor. "Let's not talk about Cheng Hui. You were taking care of the baby by yourself and you also had to take care of the renovations. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Mom, it's okay. I can handle it."
Tao Zhi glared at her: "If you were busy enough, you wouldn't be so skinny. I thought you were suffering from the unfamiliar climate."
Cheng Mingcheng lowered his head and ate obediently, but Cheng Jin stood up and said, "Grandma, you can't scold Mom."
Tao Zhi's expression melted in an instant, and she quickly put on a smile. "Grandma didn't curse, maybe her voice was a little loud. I'll change it right away. Thanks for reminding me, Xiao Jin."
Cheng Jin nodded: "The teacher said that if you know your mistakes and correct them, you are still a good child."
Cheng Xiangqian laughed on the side.
Tao Zhi picked up the chopsticks: "Eat, eat, no more talking."
After dinner, the old man went to wash the dishes while Cheng Xing gave the little one a bath. Tao Zhi wanted to help, but the little ones were reluctant.
When it was time to coax Cheng Xing to sleep, Tao Zhi finally understood why Cheng Xing slept in the master bedroom. Cheng Mingcheng and Cheng Jin, one on each side, held Cheng Xing in their arms, sandwiching him in the middle.
Tao Zhi saw this with a mixture of sadness and relief. She felt sad that Cheng Xing had exhausted herself so much, not even bothering to ask for help from her family; but she was relieved to see that she had handled everything well and was becoming more resilient. Simply put, her kindness was beginning to take on a new edge.
Only after both babies fell asleep did Cheng Xing have time to sit down and chat.
The old man asked, "Why did Cheng Jun suddenly call your brother over?"
"He was too busy and couldn't trust others, so he had to ask his eldest brother for help."
"Has your brother never thought about what to do?"
Cheng Xing raised the corner of his mouth. "So that's what you're worried about. Dad, divorce is quite common here. Mingming has found a partner, and the parents of those single children have to go out to work to earn money. Mingming told big brother to go to work quickly and not to pick him up from kindergarten every day. It would be embarrassing for him. Big brother is the one who is reluctant to let him go."
Tao Zhi nodded when she heard this: "He kept calling me 'Auntie, Auntie' all night long, but I didn't hear him mention his dad once. And he really seemed sunny and cheerful."
"How often does Cheng Hui come back?"
Cheng Xing is quite humorous: "My eldest brother comes home every Sunday and takes the two little ones out to play. That day is my day off."
Tao Zhi suddenly remembered: "Has the construction of Cheng Jun's land started?"
Cheng Xing shook his head: "I don't know. There's no phone at home. He can only say a few words when Cheng Jun comes."
"Then do you know where it is?"
"Cheng Jun mentioned it briefly, and I vaguely remember the location."
"Then go to bed early tonight. Take us to see the house and the construction site tomorrow."
"Okay, Mom and Dad, have a good night."
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