After the social gathering ended, Zhao Weiguo began pursuing her. They weren't officially dating yet, because he had previously told her to give him a chance.
However, to the outside world, this is definitely a romantic relationship. In this era where dating without the intention of marriage is considered immoral, it's practically a binding commitment between the two of them.
After returning home, Lin Jingyue tried to mentally prepare herself, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't convince herself to refuse. She had previously said she would let things take their course, so why couldn't she agree to date someone she liked?
Besides, her deadbeat husband didn't object.
If I didn't dream about my dead husband when I went to sleep at night, then it means he really agreed.
The next day, before Lin Jingyue even went to the cafeteria to get her food after work, she heard someone waiting for her outside. After thinking for a moment, she roughly guessed who it was, so she got up and headed outside.
Then they saw Zhao Weiguo standing outside in casual clothes, carrying several lunch boxes in his hand, with a simple and honest smile on his face.
Why are you here?
“We agreed on pursuing our goals, so we can’t just do nothing.” He lifted the lunchbox in his hand and said, “I went to the state-run restaurant in advance to pack some food, but I don’t know if it will suit your tastes. You don’t need to work too hard to cook today. I’ll pack food for you for the next two days.”
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble? And it'll probably be very expensive, right?" Lin Jingyue cleverly set a trap for the other party.
The moment her partner showed any sign of being overly concerned with money, she immediately lost points in his mind. Was she crazy or stupid to marry a stingy man? She couldn't afford to spend someone else's money.
"What's the trouble? I don't need to train lately. Besides, I have to show my attitude so you can see my true feelings, right?" He scratched his head, completely oblivious to the trap in his words, speaking only his most genuine thoughts.
"Yes, could I see the child? If we're going to live together in the future, it would be good to get to know each other beforehand. Of course, if it's inconvenient for me, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
He knew the request was presumptuous, but his time in the army was limited to only three days, so he wanted to make progress as quickly as possible.
"It's indeed not very convenient. After all, we haven't known each other for very long. It would be a bit presumptuous of me to step into your home so soon." Lin Jingyue nodded and declined his request.
"However, I can bring the child out tomorrow at noon to have lunch together at a state-run restaurant. As for how you want to build a relationship with her, that's your problem. By the way, she's a girl, and she's seven years old this year."
There's always a glimmer of hope after despair. She won't push things to the brink, but whether she can seize the opportunity is up to her.
"Okay, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Zhao Weiguo smiled brightly, not afraid at all that the other party was trying to trick him.
"I'll take you home, and I'll leave once you get there."
"Can."
On the way, Lin Jingyue inquired about the other person's family affairs. Since there was no middleman between them, she had no choice but to ask him directly if she wanted to know his situation.
"I am the second child in my family, one of three sons, but also the least favored one."
The father favored the eldest child, the mother favored the youngest, and the middle child became virtually invisible. All that mattered was providing food and ensuring the child wouldn't starve.
He joined the army that year, and it's been almost ten years since then. He rarely gets the chance to go home. It's not that he hasn't been back at all, but his parents' attitude has chilled his heart. After being away for several years, they only talk about money. He only gives them money when they ask; otherwise, he won't give them any.
The older brother and younger brother are already married, but neither of them has given him any money for retirement. Why should he give them any?
Marriage is his own business; they have no right to interfere, and even if they wanted to, they couldn't.
In families with three children, only the second child is truly hurt. The others can't understand the heartache; they just think he's being unreasonable—his parents raised him, so why should he resent them?
Lin Jingyue, being an only child, couldn't truly empathize, but she had read similar novels or watched movies and TV shows. A sudden fire broke out in their home; the father took the older child, and the mother took the younger one. Once they reached safety, they discovered that no one had taken the younger child, and no one had even offered a warning. The younger child tragically died in the fire.
“You’ll experience a lot in your life, and eventually you’ll find that your relationship with your parents isn’t actually that important. See how free and carefree you are after you’ve left them?” she tried to comfort her.
Zhao Weiguo turned to look at her, his eyes full of laughter. "I stopped caring a long time ago. If I cared, I would only be more upset. I just want to live my life well. Other things are not a big deal."
"If that's how you see it, that's even better." Lin Jingyue stopped in front of the small courtyard. "I'm home now. Perhaps we can meet again this afternoon?"
He handed over the lunchbox. "I'll pick you up from your factory later. By the way, does your daughter like anything?"
"She said she wanted a dad who would buy her little dresses." A little dress costs a dozen yuan, it all depends on whether the person is willing to spend the money.
"Okay, I'll definitely give her a surprise tomorrow! I'm leaving now, goodbye."
After watching the person leave, Lin Jingyue entered the room and saw Aunt Zhang sitting on a small stool, looking at her meaningfully.
"Aunt Zhang, haven't you started cooking yet?"
"I'll be there in a bit. That young man from earlier seemed pretty nice; he even offered to take you home. How long have you known him?"
"I just met him yesterday, and he seems pretty good to me."
"It would be wonderful to meet the right person in life. Anyway, I'm going to cook now."
Xiaomingyue hadn't gone home yet, so she hadn't seen the uncle who had escorted her mother home. But she knew her mother had met an uncle at a social gathering, and she was a little excited.
"Wow! Did that uncle send all of these?" The little guy's mouth watered as he looked at the glistening braised pork in the lunchbox.
Lin Jingyue tapped the tip of her nose. "Eat quickly, rest for a while after you're full before going to school."
"Yes, Mom! I'll be on vacation in half a month, and I'll definitely get good grades on my final exams!"
The little guy was overjoyed to get first place in the midterm exam. The school even gave him a notebook as a reward, hoping to motivate other children to study.
"Then Mom will be waiting for your good news." Lin Jingyue put a piece of food on her plate, then added, "Uncle is treating us to dinner at the state-run restaurant tomorrow, are you going?"
"Go, Mom! I want to see what Uncle looks like too."
"Then let's go."
Then she suddenly remembered that the lunchbox was not going back yet, so where would he get the lunchbox if he packed it up in the afternoon?
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