Chapter 55 Did you hear that?!
After leaving the mine and returning home,
Seeing that everyone was somewhat silent, Zhong Yang and Pei Xingyu exchanged a glance and silently placed the water glasses in front of them.
Zhong Yang glanced at the clock, then decisively turned and headed towards the kitchen.
Seeing this, Pei Xingyu glanced at the expressionless people in the living room, then quickly turned around and followed.
Zhong Yuansheng sighed heavily, bent down, and reached out to pull open the coffee table cabinet.
Take out the cigarettes prepared for the guests.
With trembling hands, he opened the package and said, "Wanwan, go cook dinner. I want to have a smoke."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan turned her head to look at his reddened eyes and trembling hands, and softly hummed in agreement.
Lin Yan'an watched Zhong Wan's figure disappear into the living room before turning back to look.
Zhong Yuansheng was seen with a cigarette dangling from his lips, his hand trembling as he tried to light the lighter.
The lighter clicked again and again.
But no flame appeared.
Zhong Yuansheng frowned, lowered his eyes, shook the lighter in his hand, and was about to try again when…
Then he heard a "snap" sound in front of him, and a wisp of dark blue flame appeared, igniting the cigarette in his mouth.
Zhong Yuansheng took a deep drag, then held the cigarette in his hand and looked at Lin Yan'an to say thank you: "Thank you."
Lin Yan'an shook his head slightly and remained silent.
She reached out and took the lighter from his hand, glancing at it.
After confirming that it was flat, I casually threw it into the trash can.
He placed the one he was holding next to the cigarettes.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuansheng asked in a hoarse voice, "Want one?"
"No, Zhong Wan doesn't like it."
Zhong Yuansheng was speechless: "Yes, Wanwan doesn't like it..."
His voice was somewhat unsteady: "But smoking is addictive, how can you quit so easily?"
"I'm not addicted to cigarettes,"
Zhong Yuansheng chuckled softly, a hint of amusement flashing in his tired eyes: "It's good not to be addicted to cigarettes."
Then he turned to Lin Yan'an and said, "You were frightened to see all this on your first visit to my home, weren't you?"
Lin Yan'an lowered her eyes and shook her head slightly: "No."
"That's good."
Zhong Yuansheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Now that we've registered our marriage, let's live a good life together from now on."
"You don't need to come back often, it's too much of a hassle."
After he finished speaking, he looked at He Qilan, whose face was pale, and made up his mind.
"Let Wanwan accompany her mother to quit her job this afternoon."
"At such an advanced age..."
He Qilan immediately objected: "I won't resign! Besides, I'm only 54, how old am I!"
"Quit it. Wanwan is married now, and Yangyang will be graduating soon..."
"If you quit, what will you eat? Are you going to live off your meager salary?"
Zhong Yuansheng gave a heavy "hmm": "My salary is enough to support the two of us."
"Once Yangyang graduates, we'll use our savings to pay his down payment, and we won't worry about anything else."
"The land for the homestead has also been prepared. If he buys a house after the marriage, the land for the homestead will be reserved for Wanwan. If he doesn't buy a house, then it will be given to him."
Zhong Yuansheng wiped his face: "It's because I'm incompetent."
"Anyway, as long as there's a place for the two of us to stay, Wanwan will have her own room."
"She'll have somewhere to go when she comes back."
He Qilan, still somewhat unwilling to give up, pressed on, "What about the car? We need to prepare a house and a car for the wedding."
Zhong Yuansheng took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled, and said, "The car I'm driving now is fine. If it's not good enough, let him buy his own."
“If Wanwan can buy a car on her own, why can’t he, a grown man with hands and feet, buy one on his own?”
He Qilan was still reluctant to give up her salary: "This just happened, there will definitely be a major inspection in the next couple of days, the machine definitely won't have any problems for a while..."
"Mom, quit your job."
Lin Yan'an turned to He Qilan and said in a deep voice, "There's no need to risk your life for that little bit of money."
"Now that we're family, I'll take care of you from now on."
His gaze was sincere, and his voice resolute.
He Qilan felt warmed just looking at and hearing these words.
But she didn't want to burden her son-in-law: "I'm glad I know your good intentions."
"Don't worry, Mom will just finish this year at most. Besides, the mine won't want a woman over 55 anyway, so it's fine."
"It's nothing! It's nothing! You always say it's nothing!"
Zhong Wanzao left home as soon as he heard his father tell him to resign.
When she heard her mother stubbornly refusing to quit her job, the anger that had been building up inside her exploded instantly: "Mom! Can't you think about us for once?! If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have known your work environment was so dangerous!"
"Am I not family?! Didn't you say you were just cleaning?! When did you go to the workshop?! Didn't you even tell me?!"
Zhong Wan took a deep breath and continued, "You're going to resign this afternoon! Do you hear me?!"
He Qilan looked up, glanced at Zhong Yuansheng's sorrowful and weary face, then at Zhong Wan, and finally at Zhong Yang.
She glanced at Lin Yan'an and Pei Xingyu, who were watching her, and gave a bitter smile.
Looking into Zhong Wan's eyes, he said helplessly, "The workshop is not good, the work is dirty and dangerous, but the wages are real."
"Zhou the Skinflint... Boss Zhou always holds back wages, but he'll pay a little every few months, and at the latest, he'll definitely pay you by the end of the year or after the New Year..."
"Besides, what kind of job can I find after leaving the mine? Even street sweepers won't hire me..."
"Then I won't work!"
“Where will the money come from if I don’t work? What will I eat and spend?! I still need three years of pension insurance, and I haven’t saved enough for your younger brother’s tuition next year! And your dad’s tooth has been hurting for so long and hasn’t been treated yet. And your grandparents are so old, besides me, who else can I buy them anything?!”
"What doesn't cost money? Tell me, where do I get the money if I don't work? Is your dad's meager salary enough?!"
Her gaze was numb and helpless, her voice was dry, but her face was strangely calm.
"I'll take care of you! I'll give you money!"
Zhong Wan's voice suddenly rose, tears welling up in her eyes: "Mom, please listen to us, okay? Don't go to work, let's stay safe and sound, okay?"
"Oh no! You've lost the job with a guaranteed position that you worked so hard to get?! How are you going to support me?!"
He Qilan glanced at Lin Yan'an out of the corner of her eye, then said again, "You're already married, so you just need to take care of your own little family!"
"I don't need your help. I'm content as long as I don't cause you any trouble!"
"mom!"
Zhong Yang couldn't help but frown and say, "Just listen to my sister and quit."
"I'll look for a job in a few days and save up for tuition myself. If necessary, I can borrow some money first and pay it back myself later!"
"No need, I can still do it."
He Qilan refused without hesitation: "It's fine to find a job to experience, but don't put pressure on yourself. The family doesn't need you to worry about us."
"We don't need to worry about this!"
Zhong Wan continued with a cold laugh: "It'll be too late when we start to worry about it!"
"That workshop is a monster! This time it was Old Zhang and his gang, but what about next time?"
"What about the next time?"
"Do you want us to dig you out of that pile of slag too?!"
"Zhong Wan!"
"Zhong Wan!"
"sister!"
Zhong Yuansheng shouted sternly to stop them, his eyes and voice filled with barely concealed panic.
Lin Yan'an frowned slightly, looking at Zhong Wan with disapproval in her eyes.
Zhong Yang is the same.
Zhong Wan pursed her lips, realizing she had said something she shouldn't have.
She quickly looked at He Qilan, and seeing her pale face, she felt extremely distressed. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
Tears blurred her vision.
Zhong Wan wiped herself haphazardly, turned around and went back to her room, slamming the door shut.
He Qilan also lowered her head, covered her face, and cried silently.
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