Meanwhile, Zhao's father became increasingly uneasy. He called Director Feng and finally learned about Wang Fang's affair from him. His head throbbed with pain. What kind of family was this? Adultery was hereditary, like a toad chasing a big green frog. Ugly as she was, what was she doing? The thought of Qi Zhijun, that shameless man, daring to look at Zhao Aiguo at the door made him want to vomit. Why should he let him see his grandson, whom he had raised with so much care and effort?
When he got off work, he said to Zhao's mother in a bad mood, "Where's Aiguo? Where did he go? You're an old woman who does nothing all day long, and you can't even take care of the children!"
Zhao's mother came out of the house, glaring at Zhao's father, "You old man, did you put explosives in the cafeteria food today instead of salt?! You're like a mad dog, baring your teeth at everyone you see!"
Just as Mr. Zhao was about to go inside, feeling irritated, Mrs. Zhao pushed him out, grabbed a broom, and swept the snow off her clothes. She then took the hat Mr. Zhao handed her and asked, "What's wrong? Who upset you?"
Zhao's father snorted, took off his coat, and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Zhao's mother ignored him and went to the other side to change a silver-gray cotton-padded jacket. There were four or five other cotton-padded coats next to her.
Seeing her like that, Zhao's father was furious and yelled, "Making, making, making clothes all day long..." Zhao's mother put down her needle and was about to scold back when she heard Zhao's father shout angrily, "If you don't keep an eye on your grandson, the Qi family will take him away!"
Zhao's mother was stunned for a moment, then threw down her cotton-padded coat and cursed, "You bastard, which shameless person is trying to steal my grandson?" She looked like she was about to fight someone to the death.
Only then did Zhao's father feel a little better and said, "Today I took Aiguo to Xiao Feng's place and we met Qi Zhijun."
Zhao's mother looked at Zhao's father suspiciously, and Zhao's father said seriously, "The way he looked at Aiguo, he almost couldn't take his eyes off Aiguo!"
"Damn it, why should he look after the child we raised? He doesn't even deserve to look!" Zhao's mother was like a mad tigress.
Mr. Zhao cleared his throat. "I let him see me by accident. I was afraid he would try to snatch the child. My son is so patriotic, I don't feel safe letting him walk on the street!"
Zhao's mother sneered, "He can't possibly get it. There's no such person as Qi Aiguo in this world. Check the records, and it's all Zhao Aiguo! You should stop worrying about those unnecessary things. Where did your shrewdness go?"
Mr. Zhao thought to himself, "That's right! So what have I been worrying about all day?" Then Mrs. Zhao realized, "Why didn't you bring home any food today?"
Father Zhao slapped his forehead, realizing he'd forgotten to bring lunch because he was so preoccupied with Qi Zhijun snatching the child. He grinned sheepishly and said, "Hey, it's cold today, let's go get some hot pot!"
Zhao's mother glared at him but didn't say a word, continuing to make the cotton-padded jacket. Zhao's father leaned closer and examined it carefully for a while, then said, "Tsk tsk tsk, look at these stitches, this level of skill, no one but you could do it so well! Who is this for?"
As Zhao's mother sewed, she said, "Shuqing is going back to her parents' home in a few days, so I made this for my in-laws!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao's father slapped his forehead, "Oh dear! I forgot to tell Da Hu that I found a temporary job for my sister-in-law in the canteen at our factory!" Zhao's mother raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Is that so? Then go to the light bulb factory and pick up your brother-in-law, let's go eat hot pot together!"
Mr. Zhao nodded and said, "Okay! I'll go right now!" He then put on his coat and hat and headed out. He hadn't gone far when they heard Zhao Aiguo's voice before he appeared. The voice was like thunder, "Grandma, Grandma, Grandma..." he cried out at the top of his lungs. Mrs. Zhao exclaimed and quickly picked up the water warming in the teacup. "My little darling, please speak softly, or you'll lose your voice. Drink some water!"
Zhao Aiguo came in and gulped down his drink. His mother then used a broom to sweep the snow for him, saying as she did so, "My little darling, you've been out in the snow all afternoon!"
Zhao Aiguo said nonchalantly, "Grandma, quickly find me a few pairs of stinky, worn-out shoes! The ones we don't want!"
Zhao's mother frowned. "What do you need this for?"
Zhao Aiguo said enthusiastically, "When we go to the main street later, my brother Ming said he'd bring a few extra pairs from home."
Zhao's mother's head was buzzing. She poked her head and said, "Don't cause me any trouble! Your grandfather is treating us to hot pot tonight. If you're going to do 'that,' you're not coming!"
Zhao Aiguo's eyes lit up at the mention of hot pot, completely forgetting about being paraded through the streets. He nodded frantically, saying, "I'll eat hot pot! What's with the 'broken shoe' thing? How did you get pregnant?"
Zhao's mother glared at Zhao Aiguo with a gloomy expression. "Don't worry about those things. Stay away from that Hu Daming."
Zhao Aiguo realized his grandmother was truly angry, so he felt he had made a mistake and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Grandma, I won't go anymore. I just heard what they said..."
"Don't listen to them, and stay away from those hooligans' business." Zhao's mother went back to work.
Zhao Aiguo blinked his big eyes and said, "Grandma, I know what a hooligan is. My dad told me!" Zhao's mother looked up and asked, "What is a hooligan?"
Zhao Aiguo chuckled. "My dad said that in ancient times, people without land were called 'vagrants,' and people without jobs were called 'hooligans.' That female hooligan was someone without land or a job, right? How pitiful. Where are her family? Why don't they care about her?"
Zhao's mother sighed and said, "Aiguo, we can just say these things among ourselves..." Zhao Aiguo cleverly replied, "I understand. We can't say a single word about what we say at home outside!"
Zhao's mother nodded and said, "That's why! Since you have no land and no job, you should go out less so that people don't arrest you as a hooligan!"
Zhao Aiguo frowned and said, "Oh, but I'm still in school..." Zhao's mother glared at him and said, "It's because you're in school that we haven't caught you. If you stop going to school and start running around like a hooligan, you'll be finished."
Zhao Aiguo nodded quickly, "What good-for-nothing!" Zhao Dahu said as he came in. The couple had already finished shoveling snow at the door.
Looking at Zhao Aiguo carrying a lunchbox, Zhao's mother asked, "What did you bring back?"
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