Chapter 136 Sunday, Wednesday
Liu Yinfeng has always been conflicted about her son's marriage.
On the one hand, she respects her child's current wishes and tries not to put too much pressure on him. However, it is inevitable that people will be influenced by their own thoughts and the thoughts of others, so she can't help but say a few words from time to time.
So when Wang Xiujuan told her in the morning that there was a really good person, she mentioned it to her son when he came home in the evening, but it was just a casual remark, and she didn't have much hope for it.
Luo Hong's thoughts had been changing in the past two days. Although he hesitated for a while before refusing, Liu Yinfeng still noticed a difference in those few seconds.
She exchanged a glance with her husband, and after their two children had left for the bathhouse, she said, "What does he mean by this?"
Luo Xinmin: "I think there's a chance. Ask again in a while."
He was already quite old when he got married and had children, and his health was also inconvenient. Especially as he approached sixty, he felt increasingly powerless to do many things. From the bottom of his heart, he hoped to help his children as much as he could while he was still able to move around. He had always been anxious about his son's marriage.
The couple shared similar views on many things. Liu Yinfeng rubbed her hands together happily and muttered, "Should we still move to this house?"
Luo Xinmin: "Even if he agrees, it won't be that quick. If you say you won't change, he'll know exactly why, and he'll kick you the bucket tomorrow."
"What's with all this talk about stumbling?" Liu Yinfeng teased her husband, "Your son isn't a donkey."
Luo Xinmin clicked his tongue and shook his head: "I think he's even more stubborn than a donkey."
Liu Yinfeng had no way to refute this, and suddenly felt very hungry, saying, "Let's have donkey meat sandwiches tomorrow morning."
The couple talked and watched TV until the children came back before going to bed.
Luo Yan washed her hair at night, and her head swayed back and forth like a dog's tail.
Luo Hong said disdainfully, "No, you splashed water all over my face."
Luo Yan: "If you say that again, I'll spit on you."
"Oh dear," Luo Hong pinched his sister's cheek, "you're so rude now, you've picked up bad habits from others."
Luo Yan slapped her brother's hand away: "I'm closest to you, so if I'm going to learn anything, it'll be from you."
This girl has always been good at sweet-talking people.
Luo Hong: "Saying nice things won't get you a red envelope. Hurry up and dry your hair so you can go to sleep."
September in Beijing has a slight autumn feel to it, and the wind blowing at night is quite chilly.
Luo Yan sat in the yard, rubbing her hair with a towel, and memorizing vocabulary words by the light from the living room.
Luo Hong leaned over to take a look: "These past two days, all I've been reading is this gibberish stuff."
Luo Yan: "The teacher said that foreign languages are very important, so we have an extra English class every week this semester."
Listening to that tone, Luo Hongdu had the illusion that he was sitting in the classroom himself, and took two steps back: "You recite it, you continue reciting it."
He would give up whenever the topic of studying came up, so Luo Yan's childhood belief that one of her and her brother must have been picked up from a trash can by their parents was not without reason.
She snorted and turned the page, then looked toward the courtyard gate when she heard soft footsteps.
Li Jianjun and his wife returned hand in hand, and seeing someone in the yard, they asked in surprise, "You're still awake?"
Coincidentally, Luo Hong said, "Sister-in-law, do you mind if I say a few words through Jianjun?"
Zheng Sanmei: "You all speak, I'll go in first and check on Hongyu."
No one knows what the secret was, but Luo Hong pushed Li Jianjun into the alley, and the two whispered to each other for a long time.
Luo Yan spent half a day memorizing vocabulary words, but her brother still hadn't returned. Thinking they had gone out to play somewhere, she secretly peeked in.
Luo Hong caught him red-handed: "Kid, get out of here."
As if they were there specifically to eavesdrop, Luo Yan said, "I'm going to sleep now. Remember to lock the door."
Luo Hong waved his hand, and after his little sister's head was out of sight, he continued, "It's really a hassle to get a long-term temporary residence permit."
Li Jianjun arranged for his wife to come this time as a temporary worker, using his money and connections, and they still owe him debts.
He always thinks of family reunion, no matter how difficult it is. He can hear about any policy changes immediately.
They were talking about the new policy, and Li Jianjun scratched his head twice, saying, "It's so worrying."
Luo Hong patted him on the shoulder: "How about I buy you a drink?"
Li Jianjun: "I'm on the early shift tomorrow."
"Then let's stop this nonsense," Luo Hong said. "Let's all go home."
He turned around the screen wall and saw that his sister's room light was still on. He stood in the yard and knocked on her window: "Go to sleep quickly."
Luo Yan was easily frightened and muttered a few curses at her brother before turning off the light and lying down.
She always held grudges, and the moment she opened her eyes the next day, she remembered the incident. During breakfast, she punched him twice as revenge.
Luo Hong was completely baffled, and rolled up his non-existent sleeves: "Are you trying to cause trouble so early in the morning?"
Luo Yan looked up at her brother with her chin raised, ate the bun in her hand in a few bites, and said, "I'm going to school."
"Huh?" Liu Yinfeng looked at her son: "Aren't you going with your sister?"
Luo Hong had something to do in the morning: "It turns out that a coworker at the car factory was hit by a car, so I'm going to check on him."
"You were hit by a car?" Luo Xinmin asked with great concern, "Are your hands and feet alright?"
Luo Hong: "I heard it's not good; I reckon the person will walk with a slight limp."
You're so young, and you're saying this.
Luo Xinmin sighed: "Let's see if they have any difficulties and lend them a hand."
Luo Hong nodded to indicate that he understood, put down his chopsticks, and went out.
Since he was visiting someone in the hospital, he couldn't go empty-handed. He figured the hospital was right next to his childhood friend's fruit shop, so he might as well "patronize" the business on the way.
He went into the store, grabbed the items, and was about to leave when a kind-hearted older woman stopped him: "Hey young man, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you paying for your purchase?"
It was a busy time for the store. Actually, Zhou Weifang had made eye contact with his childhood friend when he came in, and he quickly tried to smooth things over: "That's my brother. I'm sorry to have troubled you, thank you."
Oh, a family can't act like bandits.
The old woman let go of Luo Hong's hand and watched him walk away before saying, "Even close brothers have to keep clear accounts. You can't spoil this kind of thing. He'll empty the shop for you in the future."
She meant well, so Zhou Weifang replied by rounding down the price significantly and flattering her: "Our society is in dire need of righteous people like you right now."
The older woman exclaimed excitedly, "Oh dear, I just love standing up for what's right when I see injustice!"
Zhou Weifang praised Luo Hong a few more times, knowing that Luo Hong would probably come again after he finished this round of work, so he picked out a few big and red apples and put them away.
He guessed correctly. After leaving the hospital, Luo Hong turned into the fruit shop and pretended to reach into his pocket: "How much was that again?"
Zhou Weifang asked for an exorbitant price: "Thirty-five."
Luo Hong: "Even if I sold it by weight, it wouldn't be worth thirty-five yuan."
He was quite accurate in estimating weights; he knew exactly what he was taking when he took things, and he would open the drawer where he kept money and put a dollar in.
He gave it to her without hesitation, and Zhou Weifang didn't argue with him. He simply said, "Please take this apple to Yanyan."
They used to pretend to say, "You guys share it," but now they don't even bother pretending anymore.
Luo Hong: "Do you think I'm here to be your bluebird?"
Zhou Weifang looked at him with newfound respect: "You actually know what 'Bluebird' means."
He clapped his hands again and said, "Perfect, your name has the character '鸿' in it."
Luo Hong: "That's the 'hong' in 'honghu' (a type of swan)."
He should have been named Luo Honghu. His parents didn't choose this name hoping their son would have lofty ambitions; they simply felt that the name evoked the feeling of soaring freely through the sky, which perfectly matched Luo Xinmin's greatest expectation for his children—that they could run and jump.
However, during the postpartum period, the couple felt that calling their child by both names didn't sound quite right, so they simply kept only the first character and decided that if their second child was a boy, they would name him Luo Hu, and if it was a girl, they would name her Luo Yan.
Zhou Weifang knew the origin of the Luo siblings' names, of course, and said, "Is it wrong for you to be associated with Yan Yan?"
His expression, as if he were about to betray her the moment she turned around, made Luo Hong extremely regretful: "He's a traitor who forgets his principles for the sake of beauty."
Zhou Weifang brushed the dust off the counter: "I just didn't see it."
At this point, Luo Hongcai remembered that he had something important to say.
He said, "Jianjun told me yesterday that if his wife can find a job in the city and the boss is willing to guarantee it, she can get a long-term temporary residence permit."
Zhou Weifang looked around: "You mean this?"
Luo Hong: "I was thinking that since you're going to hire people anyway, but the word 'guarantee' sounds pretty serious, so I brought it up with you."
Zhou Weifang trusted his childhood friend's character, but he didn't know much about his wife, so he asked, "What do you think of his wife?"
Luo Hong: "He has a good personality and is quick and efficient, but his Mandarin is not very good."
He didn't know much either, and patted the dust off his pants that he didn't know when he got there: "To be honest, I just couldn't bear to see Hongyu like this. After the New Year, her mother has to go back to her hometown. When will this family of three ever be able to get by?"
Zhou Weifang has always been a righteous person, and he would definitely help his childhood friends with their problems, but there are always some rules and regulations to follow when doing business.
He said, "Let me think about it some more. It would be difficult to get things done if I invited someone I know."
Luo Hong was also concerned for him, which is why he didn't mention it directly to Li Jianjun last night.
After finishing his business, he patted his behind and was about to leave. Feeling uncomfortable with a bag of apples, he insisted on taking two pears with him, casually stuffing one into his breast pocket and the other into his chest pocket.
Zhou Weifang advised him, "You'll be arrested as a pervert later."
Luo Hong looked down and noticed something was off, but he still stubbornly insisted, "This isn't normal, you're just being malicious."
He said that, then turned around, took it off, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Zhou Weifang rubbed his forehead: "No, I'll put it in a bag for you. You really have to carry it around like this?"
Luo Hong waved his hand: "Don't learn this kind of fussy habit from her, be a man."
Zhou Weifang: "Don't worry, I will definitely tell her that."
Being an older brother is different from being in a relationship, Luo Hong said: "Tell me, tell me, you two are a pair of tattletales."
Listen to these words, they're a pair.
Zhou Weifang smiled broadly: "Just two aren't enough to fill a tooth gap. Come on, take them all."
Luo Hong couldn't stand his childhood friend's attitude, so he rubbed his goosebumps and left.
Because of this delay, it was almost noon when he got to the shop, and his sister got out of school before he could do much work.
Luo Yan spotted the apples on the table and said, "Did you go to the fruit shop this morning?"
Luo Hong: "Why can't it be him?"
Luo Yan knew perfectly well where her brother was going in the morning: "His shop is at most a hundred meters from the First Hospital, it would be strange if you didn't go."
Luo Hong said she was a roundworm spirit and made a request: "When you get your food, check if there's any dried tofu."
Luo Yan took the lunchbox from the shelf and walked out, queuing up in front of the small restaurant.
This is the busiest time for students, especially since this year's freshman enrollment is two or three hundred more than previous years. Since the start of the semester, Luo Yan has felt that everywhere is packed with people, and after queuing for a while, she began to miss the days when meals were simply served to her.
Or perhaps, she actually misses Zhou Weifang a little.
Fortunately, the next day was Sunday, and Luo Yan didn't have to go to school, so she still got up very early.
Liu Yinfeng knew her daughter was going out, and seeing her dawdling over breakfast, she asked, "You're not in a hurry to leave, why are you up so early?"
Dad and brother had already gone to work. Luo Yan gently blew on her porridge and said, "I suddenly feel a little embarrassed to go."
It seems like she only just realized now that she's dating Zhou Weifang, and she feels that everything would be different if they met in person.
Liu Yinfeng, having been through similar experiences, echoed her daughter's words: "Then don't go, stay home and do your homework."
"Huh?" Luo Yan made an excuse: "But we've already agreed on it, so I definitely have to keep my word."
Is that really the reason? Liu Yinfeng teased, "Yes, our Xiaoyan'er always keeps her word."
Luo Yan became even more embarrassed and started to wriggle and act coquettishly.
Liu Yinfeng laughed as she cleared the dishes, saying, "If you don't finish eating, I'll make you wash the dishes."
Luo Yan tilted her head back to finish her drink, wiped her mouth, smoothed her hair, looked at herself in the mirror, and said goodbye to her mother.
Liu Yinfeng only instructed, "Drive carefully on the road, and don't come back too late."
Luo Yan said "Okay" loudly and rode her bike slowly all the way.
She became a little nervous when she saw the fruit shop sign, took a deep breath, and slowly stopped.
Zhou Weifang had been looking outside since the store opened at seven o'clock, so he saw her immediately. Distracted, he even made a mistake in the bill, saying, "Fifteen cents."
The customer reminded him, "Why are these three pounds of pears only 15 cents?"
Zhou Weifang came to his senses: "Sorry, sorry, I misspoke. It's 75 cents. You can give me 70 cents."
After the customer paid and left, Luo Yan entered the shop.
She inexplicably started to pretend, picking and choosing among the fruit.
Zhou Weifang moved closer to her: "I saved some for you. Would you like to eat the peach or the pear first?"
Luo Yan twirled her hair with her fingers: "Eat them all."
Zhou Weifang went to wash fruit for her, and when he came back, he saw her flipping through the books on the counter, coughing uncomfortably.
Luo Yan glanced at him and said, "I didn't realize you were so passionate about Tang and Song poetry."
Zhou Weifang shook his head slightly: "I only love you."
In broad daylight, how dare he say anything?
Luo Yan stood on tiptoe and covered his mouth: "In broad daylight, aren't you afraid of being overheard?"
Zhou Weifang's voice was muffled: "It's just you and me here."
As he spoke, his lips brushed against Luo Yan's palm. She stared wide-eyed, hid her hands behind her back, and mumbled incoherently, "And there are mosquitoes too."
Even if there were tigers, Zhou Weifang would still touch his own lips first.
This action further reminded Luo Yan of what she had just done, and she felt as if her whole body was burning up.
She took the initiative and said, "Put your hands down and stand properly."
Zhou Weifang, having gained an advantage, quickly became complacent and stood obediently, even offering her a way out: "Eat the pear first, it won't be fresh if left for too long."
This was a good topic to start, and Luo Yan continued the conversation effortlessly. However, something seemed to be bursting forth from her chest, making her look at the sky and the ground but not at the person in front of her.
Zhou Weifang kept looking at her.
His features were actually rather strong, but at this moment they were as gentle as melting snow on an iceberg, and he wouldn't look away for a moment.
Luo Yan couldn't resist: "You're not allowed to watch anymore either."
"This..." Zhou Weifang lowered his voice: "Yanyan, I haven't seen you for three days."
Here we go again with this trick. Luo Yan: "You think you're calculating age by the traditional Chinese system? How did you come up with three days?"
Zhou Weifang argued vehemently: "People feel like they've missed each other for three autumns if they don't see each other for a day, so what I'm doing isn't much."
He added, "I just want to..."
"What are you thinking about?" Luo Yan saw a guest arrive and hurriedly slapped his hand to interrupt him.
Zhou Weifang had to swallow back his few rambling words, thinking to himself: It's time to hire someone back to look after the shop.
-----------------------
Author's note: No, I went to bed too late last night, I need to go to bed earlier today.
Tomorrow, I will try my best to update 15,000 words again!! Let's go!
good evening!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com