bride price
In this southern coastal city, the winter cold is a damp cold with sea breeze. The weather in deep winter is very unbearable.
Shao Linyin went shopping in the mall and bought two down jackets and warm clothes for Tong Xiaolai, as well as two pairs of fleece-lined sneakers, spending nearly three thousand yuan.
After autumn, Shao Liyin forced Tong Xiaolai to go to bed.
In early winter, it was okay to huddle together for warmth, but now it was the dead of winter, and the two of them were shivering just under the thin blanket, so they bought two thick quilts.
Seeing Tong Xiaolai sitting at his desk every night and blowing on his hand holding a pen from time to time, and his feet feeling like two ice cubes after going to bed and not being warm for a long time, I bought a heater and placed it next to his desk.
Before the winter was over, he had lost his monthly salary.
I don’t know exactly when it started, but he came home later and later at night, sometimes at two o’clock, and occasionally at four in the morning.
When he crawled into bed, wrapped in a chill that couldn't even be washed off by a shower, he was careful to stick to the edge of the bed so as not to touch the sleeping person.
Every time, a pair of hands would grab his waist and pull him inward, saying, "You're going to fall." Then the hands would fall to cover his cold knees.
He looked at the person with closed eyes and trembling eyelashes, smiled, moved a handful of hair, and asked softly: "Did I wake you?"
"Where have you been?" the other party always asks.
"There's an urgent repair, someone's trapped in the elevator." This is his answer every time.
Then it fell into silence.
"Go to sleep." The two of them always say this at the same time.
At the end of December, Tong Xiaolai brought back 10,000 yuan and handed it to Shao Liyin: "Scholarship, don't go out to work as a delivery boy anymore."
Shao Liyin: "...Which eye of yours saw me delivering food?"
Tong Xiaolai: "Two."
Shao Linyin said calmly: "You are mistaken."
Tong Xiaolai's gaze fell on his cracked hand.
Shao Liyin stuffed the money back into his hand and calmly put his hand into his pocket: "It's like this every year, it will be fine in the spring.
"You should save your money yourself. You will have many places to spend it in the future. For example, you can marry a wife, buy a house, and pay the betrothal gifts. I really can't take care of these things. You have to rely on yourself."
Tong Xiaolai: "...Brother Li, I am fifteen years old..."
"What's wrong with fifteen? I'll be thirty in the blink of an eye. So I have to start saving money now!"
"Then..." Tong Xiaolai suddenly fell into deep thought, really considering this matter, "Brother Li, how much is the bride price in your place? How big should the house be?"
Seeing that he was seriously thinking, Shao Liyin wanted to scare him, so he put his hands behind his back and slowly paced around the room:
"As for the house, a girl with better conditions would at least want a single-family villa or a small building with three floors.
There should be a large garden behind the building, with fields of roses and tulips, and a grove of magnolias. There should also be a small playground next to the garden, so that your wife can sit in the magnolia grove, drink tea and appreciate the flowers, while the children can relax and play nearby.
There should also be an artificial lake next to the amusement park. It would be best if there were a few fish in the lake so that people can fish to pass the time when they have nothing to do..."
Shao Linyin's voice became smaller and smaller, and he stopped pacing at some point. He stood in front of the small window, looking at the dark night outside with a silent expression.
It seems like I am really fantasizing about such a villa and such a happy scene.
"Brother Li?"
Shao Linyin came back to his senses and looked at Tong Xiaolai.
Tong Xiaolai didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt as if he saw sparkling water in Shao Linyin’s eyes.
But the splash quickly disappeared, leaving only Shao Linyin's smiling eyes. "A villa like this must cost at least tens of millions, right? I told you to start saving money now, do you still think it's too early?"
Tong Xiaolai lowered his head in thought: "What about the betrothal gift?"
"Dowry..." Shao Linyin scratched his head. How would he know this?
"Love it."
"What?"
"No lies, no betrayal."
"...It's a bit abstract, could you be more specific..."
"No, experience it yourself!"
After knocking him on the head, Shao Linyin went to the bathroom to take a shower, but the shower took a bit too long.
Tong Xiaolai lay on the bed, looking towards the bathroom and listening to the sound of water splashing inside.
He could feel that Brother Li was sad, but he didn't know why Brother Li was sad.
Only when there was no trace of heat in the bathroom did Shao Linyin come out with red and swollen eyes and a cold body.
Tong Xiaolai hugged him tightly, warming him with her body. Shao Linyin turned his back to him and let him do what he wanted, only whispering, "It's getting late, go to bed."
"Brother Li..."
"Um?"
"You have me, no matter what happens, you have me."
Shao Liyin chuckled softly and patted the hand that was around his waist: "Okay, I know you are the best, go to sleep."
The next day was New Year's Day. He rarely stayed in bed. Tong Xiaolai didn't call him, but he got up quietly, read the English morning paper for an hour on the public balcony outside, and then came in to make breakfast.
When the hot porridge was served, Shao Linyin was still lying in bed.
Tong Xiaolai smiled. It was rare for Brother Li to stay in bed. He moved closer to the bed, lifted the quilt a little and stood up: "Brother Li, get up and eat..."
As soon as he lifted the quilt, he found something wrong. The face under the quilt was abnormally flushed. He touched it and it was hot.
The thermometer showed 39.8, and the patient was delirious due to fever.
Tong Xiaolai quickly found some clothes to put on him: "Brother Li, you have a fever, we have to go to the hospital."
The dazed man had been letting him manipulate him, stretching his arms and legs to put on his clothes. When he heard the word "hospital", he immediately opened his eyes, which were bloodshot from burning.
He was no longer confused, and he quickly took off the clothes that Tong Xiaolai had put on with great difficulty, and lay down again with the quilt rolled up.
"No. I'm fine. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. You go to school."
Shao Linyin used all his strength to resist going to the hospital. After Tong Xiaolai had diarrhea twice, he didn't dare to bother him anymore. He could only tuck him in, then went to the pharmacy to buy some antipyretic drugs and fever patches. He passed by a small supermarket downstairs and went in to get a bottle of white wine.
He poured a cup of hot water and went over to help Shao Liyin sit up: "Brother Li, come, take the medicine before going to sleep."
Shao Linyin frowned and turned his head away, unwilling to open his mouth.
"Either take medicine or go to the hospital for an injection."
Shao Linyin then reluctantly opened his mouth, but he wanted to spit out the medicine as soon as it entered his mouth.
"If you vomit, we'll go to the hospital immediately."
Shao Linyin gave him a resentful look, pursed her lips in a somewhat aggrieved manner, and swallowed the medicine reluctantly.
Tong Xiaolai put him back on the bed, put the fever-reducing patch on him, then got a basin of water, added white wine to it, wet a towel and started from the soles of his feet, wiping upwards little by little until he finally reached his fingertips, and then his hand was gently pinched by those fingertips.
"Mom, don't go."
His hand paused and he raised his eyes. If an adult has a fever of this level and does not get an injection, the effect of the fever-reducing medicine will be very slow.
Shao Linyin was sleeping soundly, his forehead was covered with sweat, his hair was stuck to his forehead in a decadent manner, his eyes were closed, but his eyelids and eyelashes were trembling constantly.
He felt very uncomfortable and did not sleep well.
Tong Xiaolai took the towel from the hand that was being held with his other hand and put it back into the basin, then gently held the hand that was holding him.
Leaning forward slightly, he said softly, "I won't leave."
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