50
Chu Qinghuai held up an umbrella to keep the three children from being exposed to the scorching sun, but he himself was sweating from the sun.
Zhong Wan called out to him from behind, "Hey, do you only have one umbrella?"
Chu Qinghuai turned around and saw the other person standing not far away wearing a hat. The strong sunlight gilded the ground with a layer of golden light, and she was so hot that she could hardly open her eyes.
"Didn't you take it?" He had always assumed the other person had an umbrella.
"No."
Zhong Wan smoothed her hair. "I might have forgotten it at the cemetery. I'll go get it."
Chu Qinghuai gripped the umbrella handle, hesitating whether to follow, but Zhong Wan stopped him: "You guys wait here for me, don't go. It's really hot today, and the rain was practically useless."
After saying that, she covered her face with her hand, lowered her head, and ran away.
Unexpectedly, two people were already standing in front of the cemetery.
Even just staring at their backs, they looked familiar; even if they turned to ashes, Zhong Wan would still recognize them.
What are you doing here?
Her voice deepened, her pupils brightened, and her brows furrowed.
Chen Ting and Li Mingfang turned their heads at the same time, and their shock turned into slight surprise when they saw who it was.
"It really is you, Xiao Wan. I thought I was seeing things."
Chen Ting's voice carried a sickly fragility, and her whole body was as pale as paper, as if she would melt away under the sun.
Zhong Wan couldn't remember how long it had been since she last saw her; it seemed like two or three years. The two had exchanged greetings on WeChat very few times, which was completely unlike what a normal mother and daughter should be like.
As Zhong Wan grew older, her attitude towards her became increasingly cold, even sharp.
"What are you doing here?" she repeated.
"Your uncle and I are going to visit your father; we come every year."
Zhong Wan scoffed lightly, "What's there to see? Are you showing off how happy you are?"
Before Chen Ting could defend herself, the tall, middle-aged man beside her spoke up impatiently: "Xiao Wan, don't talk like that. Your mother misses you very much."
"Then stop just thinking about doing nothing. What about my dad's pension? It's time to give it to me."
Zhong Wan's blunt words caused their faces to change drastically, turning pale and then flushed with shame.
The two pretended not to understand and were too embarrassed to answer, especially Chen Ting, who lowered her eyelids, making her look even thinner and more like a willow branch.
"Xiao Wan, I just saw you with a man and two or three children. Are you married? Why didn't you tell us? You're so young, how could you have so many children?" She changed the subject.
"It's none of your business. I'll have children if I want to."
"Xiao Wan... Mom really wants to care about you..."
Here we go again, in that same tone.
Zhong Wan sighed: "You guys should go."
Every time Chen Ting appeared frail and delicate, she would lose her temper; after all, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful.
She brought her current husband to visit her deceased ex-husband; it's hard to say whether to call her sentimental or kind.
Zhong Wan slowly walked out with her umbrella open, the swaying reflection on the ground stirring up fragmented memories.
...
As she said, Chen Ting lost her husband in her twenties and raised her child alone, which was pitiful. However, she quickly got married to her first love, whom she had never forgotten, less than half a year after becoming a widow, and then ignored her only daughter. This was also a hateful act.
Yes, Zhong Wan's parents married through an arranged marriage. Chen Ting never liked Zhong Wan's father and even loathed him. She had children to shut her parents up, and she had no feelings for Zhong Wan whatsoever.
After Zhong Wan's father died in a work-related accident, there was a huge compensation payment. In principle, Zhong Wan should have a share of it, but Chen Ting was blinded by greed and used the money to buy a house for her first love. She wanted to have her beloved's child, so she underwent IVF several times, but fortunately, she was unsuccessful.
Li Mingfang's dislike for Zhong Wan was not without reason, because he desperately wanted his own child, and Zhong Wan's existence was a thorn in his side.
Now that Zhong Wan is an adult, that hostility has lessened. I can't imagine what kind of life she went through back then.
As the saying goes, having a stepmother is like having a stepfather, and this was also true for Zhong Wan's upbringing; having a stepfather was like having a stepmother.
Chen Ting didn't particularly like Zhong Wan. Instead, she was acutely aware that she was getting old, her pension was almost gone, and she could only rely on Zhong Wan, her only child, for the future. Therefore, she had to maintain a good relationship with her. This behavior was extremely shameful, and Zhong Wan was unlikely to forgive and forget.
Every meeting between the two was like a slow torture for her. Unpleasant memories of the past, those bitter days, the forced growth of adolescence, and the embarrassment of having to ask for money were like violent gusts of wind, threatening to drag her into a whirlpool.
Stepping into the bright sunshine, Zhong Wan suddenly felt a chill all over her body, so she quickened her pace and soon arrived at Chu Qinghuai and the children's side.
"Mom, you're here."
Mu Mu's clear voice reached her ears. Zhong Wan lowered her umbrella, folded it up, and only then did a sense of peace return to her heart. She touched her daughter's face and smiled, "Have you been waiting long?"
Children are prone to getting hot, and at this moment their cheeks were flushed and their hair was covered in sweat. They were too hot to chase and play.
They went to the car and enjoyed the air conditioning for a while before feeling a bit cooler. Cai Cai then made a request: "Mom, I want to eat ice cream." He couldn't forget something he had only eaten once.
"Ice cream? No way."
Zhong Wan couldn't forget the time Chu Qinghuai secretly gave the child ice cream, which caused Xiao He to have diarrhea in the middle of the night. Anyway, she wouldn't be able to see any chilled food this year.
"Mommy, Cai Cai wants to~"
Zhong Wan shook her head again, "Be good, and Mom will give you coconut juice when we get home."
The three children decided to call it a day; if they couldn't have ice cream, coconut juice was good too, as it was a rare treat they didn't usually get to taste.
On the way home, Zhong Wan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was in a bad mood. Although she kept smiling, Chu Qinghuai noticed something was wrong at a glance.
"Missing your dad? It's okay, he'll be watching over you from heaven."
"No," Zhong Wan denied, resting one hand on the car window and supporting her head. "I ran into my mom when I went to get my umbrella."
Chu Qinghuai was taken aback. "She also has relatives buried here?"
"No, she came to see my dad, and that man surnamed Li was there too."
Chu Qinghuai remained silent.
"You find it strange too, don't you? When she was young, you didn't realize how good she was to my dad. Now that she's old, she's starting to play the good guy with that guy surnamed Li. Who is she trying to fool?"
"Perhaps he wants to express something to you."
"Please don't, I'm a child who grew up without parents."
Chu Qinghuai and she shared the same plight; neither of them could raise good parents, and when they talked about their families, they were both heartbroken.
“We’re a match made in heaven,” she said.
-
Meeting her biological mother and stepfather didn't completely affect Zhong Wan's mood. By the time she got home, she had mostly recovered. She ate and drank as usual, played with the children, and those sad memories were quickly sealed away in her heart.
It's hot, and it's only natural to want a cold drink. There were indeed two ice creams in the refrigerator, but they were for my parents, not for the kids. Zhong Wan felt sorry for them, so she kept her promise to drink the Nutritional Express.
The three children held their little water cups, eagerly awaiting their delicious drinks, their eyes wide open as if they were seeing gold when they saw the colorful beverage bottles.
“You’re all little gluttons,” Zhong Wan said with a smile, then unscrewed the bottle cap and told them to hold their cups steady. “Drink slowly, there’s only this much left.”
She stingily gave each child less than a third of the cup's capacity. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was some rare and hard-to-find item, but the children were still satisfied. After getting their mother's permission, they each took their cups and sat on the sofa, drinking their beverages and watching cartoons.
"This life is so pleasant."
Mumu seemed reluctant to drink it, slowly sipping a mouthful and then letting out an "ah" sigh. I really don't know who she learned her tea-drinking posture from. She sat there cross-legged with her back straight, shaking her head. Zhong Wan was charmed by the child's actions.
An episode of the cartoon was almost over, but her cup of nutritional drink was still full. She kept glancing at her younger siblings' drinks, making sure all three of them had the same amount of beverage before she felt at ease.
...
Chu Qinghuai, who was hiding in the kitchen, beckoned Zhong Wan to come and cover for him. He had been feeling hot all morning and wanted to eat the popsicles in the refrigerator, but he couldn't let the kids know, so he could only sneakily eat them.
"I'm watching over you, go ahead and eat."
Zhong Wan stood at the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the children, a clear smile playing on her lips.
With a "rip," the packaging bag was torn open. Chu Qinghuai's movements were very careful. He offered his finger and gently tapped Zhong Wan's back. "Want to try a bite?"
"good."
Seeing the opportunity, Zhong Wan quickly turned around, lowered her head and took a bite of the creamy ice cream in Chu Qinghuai's hand, put it in her mouth, and then quickly turned back, letting the cold cream melt in her mouth.
Chu Qinghuai considerately brushed her hair aside, making sure it wasn't covered in ice cream, and a gentle smile appeared at the corner of his eye. "Want another bite? You're an adult, you won't get diarrhea from eating so much."
"good."
Zhong Wan swallowed the bite in her mouth and continued to repeat the same action: turn around, bite down, and turn around again.
"Okay, I'm not eating anymore. We'll have lunch later."
Chu Qinghuai stuck out his tongue and gently licked the spot where she had just bitten. It was indeed sweet and delicious.
"You block them for me."
"Don't worry, even if they see it, I won't allow them to eat it."
It will only trigger three summer downpours.
...
The two adults secretly ate their ice cream, and the children finished their nutritional drinks. It was almost time to prepare lunch.
Zhong Wan turned off the cartoon, took out paper and watercolors for them to draw, and then she and Chu Qinghuai cooked.
Today is the anniversary of Zhong Wan's father's death, so we want to have a big meal at home, with fish, meat, and shrimp, at least four dishes. We need Zhong Wan's help to cook them.
She was in charge of cooking, and Chu Qinghuai assisted her.
The couple were busy in the kitchen, wearing matching aprons. Chu Qinghuai stood behind Zhong Wan, tying her hair. His fingers accidentally brushed against her smooth neck, and she flinched noticeably. Chu Qinghuai laughed, "Why are you flinching? I'll make it look nicer for you."
"itch."
The two, carrying the child on their backs, were either flirting or playfully fighting, which ended with Zhong Wan pinching Chu Qinghuai.
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