Let’s put aside Tang Xiaomei who is in a bad mood at the moment, and let time flow back to the summer of 2011 - we are facing her in her prime.
I waved to Tang Xiaomei and asked her to come over. I was sitting so low that I had to tilt my head slightly to see her youthful face.
"Xiaomei," I said softly, "Uncle Guan congratulates you on getting into the best high school in the province."
She pursed her lips and smiled shyly: "Thank you, Uncle Guan."
Looking at her clear smile, without warning, the heavy instructions given by Zhu Qingwan at her sickbed suddenly came to mind. A strong and indissoluble sorrow instantly overwhelmed my heart, and my throat tightened: "Xiaomei, if your mother Zhu were still alive, she would definitely be proud of you."
My words were like a stone thrown into a still water, instantly making the atmosphere in the room heavy. Tears welled up in Xiaomei's eyes, and she choked up and said, "I will continue to work hard and make sure to comfort Mother Zhu's spirit in heaven."
I realized that I had messed up and ruined the purpose of the party. I quickly adjusted my mood and said casually, "Xiaomei, what gift do you want? Or what wish do you have? Uncle Guan promises to help you realize it, okay?"
Xiaomei shook her head: "I don't need anything. I'm very happy to see you today."
Lin Xun joked, "Xiaomei, your uncle Guan is famous for his stinginess! If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. Don't regret it."
I smiled and raised my eyebrows at Lin Xun: "Hey, Lin Xun, when did I give you the impression of being stingy? How did you become mean? Hey, just because of what you said, I have to be generous for once tomorrow!"
As I said that, I opened my briefcase and took out a thick stack of RMB tickets from it. I handed them to Xiaomei: "Xiaomei, take them! These are two tickets to Lijiang Yiyi Airport. You and your mother should go to Lijiang and have a good time. You must visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Play for a few more days and don't rush back. Here, this is 20,000 yuan. I will book the return tickets for you after you book your return trip."
As soon as the words fell, Xiaomei's eyes lit up instantly, and she was obviously struck by this sudden surprise. She looked at the ticket money in surprise, and immediately cast her eyes to Lin Xun with expectation and inquiry: "Mom, do you have time to go with me?"
Lin Xun did not answer immediately, but waved to Xiaomei. When Xiaomei came to her side as she said, she stretched out her hand and gently held her daughter in her arms, saying softly: "Child, the 'mother' your uncle Guan is talking about is your biological mother. This trip to Yunnan is a good opportunity for you and your daughter to go together and get closer. She has been back for several years, you can't always be so lukewarm to her, right?"
Xiaomei's expression dimmed instantly, she lowered her head and muttered, "My mother only loves you."
Lin Xun hugged her tightly and advised her gently, "Silly child, she is your biological mother who gave birth to you after ten months of pregnancy. The blood is connected and this cannot be severed. She has taken a detour, but if she has changed her ways, you should give her a chance to make up for the affection she owed you all these years, right?"
Liu Yun chimed in earnestly, "Child, I, Yun's aunt, have always been one who helps the right, not the relatives. I was able to promote your mother from kitchen handyman to kitchen manager because of her hard work and honesty. She really seems like a different person. She gets up early and works late every day, just to change your opinion of her with practical actions. Listen to my advice, don't wait until the day you lose your mother like I did, to truly understand what it means to 'a son wants to support his parents but they are no longer there' - that kind of pain is the deepest sorrow in the world." Liu Yun's voice trembled slightly, with an imperceptible sob.
Xiaomei lowered her head and listened quietly without saying a word.
After a moment, she timidly raised her eyes and looked at me, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.
Obviously, my opinion was important to her. I was always good at giving her advice, but I never liked to lecture her with a straight face, so I immediately changed to a relaxed tone: "Xiaomei, to be honest, uncle always envies you - there are so many "mothers" who care about you and love you. But have you ever thought that if it weren't for your biological mother's choice, you might not have met these "mothers" who treat you like their own family now? Let's not talk about the topic of blood relationship, which is so important, and just talk about the word "love" and "gratitude". Just for this friendship, shouldn't I accompany her to Yunnan? Because in my heart, our Xiaomei has always been the kindest and most grateful child."
Xiaomei's eyelashes, which had been drooping, suddenly lifted up, and the confusion in her eyes disappeared instantly. She nodded with sudden enlightenment and said, "Uncle Guan, I understand! I'll go with her."
Seeing her change in attitude, we were all very pleased and smiled. Liu Yun then opened the drawer, took out a thick red envelope, and gently pushed it in front of Xiaomei: "Child, this is a little gift from Auntie Yun. Accept it, and I hope you can make further progress and pass the college entrance examination in the next year and get admitted to your favorite university!"
Xiaomei was about to open her mouth to refuse, but Lin Xun had already quickly taken it for her and stuffed it into her hand: "Take it! 'Poor at home, rich on the road', don't suffer when you go out. If you don't accept it, next time your aunt Yun will blame you for giving her a reputation as 'stingy'!" Lin Xun said, and winked at Liu Yun.
Taking advantage of Xiaomei's change in attitude, Liu Yun specially arranged for Zhang Xiaoni to sit at the table during dinner.
At first, Zhang Xiaoni was worried that Xiaomei still had a grudge, so she seemed particularly reserved. She just smiled cautiously and didn't dare to say much.
When Xiaomei stood up to pour wine for her, she called out softly, "Mom."
This call seemed to break the long-standing estrangement. Zhang Xiaoni was shocked and tears welled up in her eyes instantly. She could no longer suppress the guilt and self-blame that had accumulated in her heart for many years. She hugged Xiaomei tightly in her arms and burst into tears.
Witnessing the scene of the mother and daughter reconciling their past grievances, everyone present was moved and felt deeply relieved in their hearts.
The overflowing warmth and joy made me drink a few more glasses without realizing it.
By the time Xiao Xiang drove to pick me up, my steps were already a little unsteady.
I declined Xiao Xiang's help, and walked alone, staggering towards the Tianyue Hotel, and went upstairs.
I opened the door in the dark, threw my coat on the sofa, and walked unsteadily into the inner bedroom of the suite.
The rustling noise woke Peng Xiaohui up. She turned on the bedside lamp and looked over at me sleepily. Seeing that it was me, she said in a hoarse voice, "It's so late... I thought you weren't coming."
I grinned, fell on the bed, drunk, and almost rolled and crawled into the quilt.
She tucked the quilt in for me, frowned and asked softly, "Did you drink too much? Do you want to ask the waiter to bring up some hangover medicine?"
I waved my hands and said vaguely, "No need... There's mineral water outside. I can get it myself if I'm thirsty." After I finished speaking, I kicked off the quilt impatiently.
She reached out to cover me up and advised softly, "The air conditioner is on high, so stay covered and be careful not to catch a cold. Or... I'll turn off the air conditioner?" As she spoke, she pretended to get up and reach for the central air conditioning controller on the wall.
I grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't adjust it...you'll get hot when you exercise later."
She burst out laughing and poked my forehead with her hand: "You're just daydreaming! I'm having my period, why are you exercising? Just lie down and let mommy coax you to sleep."
As she spoke, she turned sideways, patted my chest gently, and hummed a tuneless lullaby.
I sighed in disappointment and pretended to close my eyes, mumbling, "Ah... it's time for my 'routine holiday'. It's great to be a woman. I can legitimately take 'regular holidays'."
She immediately stopped humming and pursed her lips in pretend anger: "Being greedy will tire you out! I'm taking this holiday to rest and recuperate, and for you... humph, it's clearly to save your life!"
I opened my eyes and glanced at her unhappily: "I just drank a little too much, it's not a beastly attack. Don't worry, I'm not planning to 'fight bloodbath'."
After hearing this, she burst out laughing: "You said it so bloody that it gave me goosebumps."
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