"Mom, things will be alright, they will get better."
"Mom knows that so many people are working hard for this, and our country will eventually become better one day." Song Xiaowen is never one to wallow in sadness; even when she is feeling down, she can quickly cheer up.
She stood up: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Mom will keep this secret for you. Don't worry, I'm the only one in the family who guessed it. They don't know anything."
"Well, thank you, Mom." Chen Ke hadn't expected Song Xiaowen to have a secret interest in espionage.
“Why are we talking about this?” Song Xiaowen said, then looked at Chen Ke with satisfaction in her eyes. “Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect you to look so good in a suit. You don’t know that Aunt Liu next door was so impressed that she wanted you to be her grandson-in-law.”
"I heard everything, and I should thank Mom for helping me refuse."
"I was afraid you'd blame me for making decisions on my own, but at your age you should be thinking about marriage. Is there a girl you like? Or is it that your organization doesn't allow you to date?" Song Xiaowen lowered her voice for the last sentence, keeping it very secret.
Chen Ke went along with it, saying, "Yes, yes, we won't allow it."
"Ah, I was right! But we're not in a hurry, after all, we're not that old."
Chen Ke was somewhat surprised by Song Xiaowen's words. Aren't parents usually urging their children to get married when they reach a certain age?
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not some old fogey urging you to get married. It's better if you don't get married; I'm not even ready to be a grandmother yet..."
"Yes, yes, you're forever eighteen; you're not suited to be a grandmother."
The two chatted as they packed their things into boxes, and then Chen Ke called Li Gang upstairs, and they carried the things down one by one.
Finally, it was said that they were moving, but because Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen were already living a relatively frugal life in the alley, they were able to take everything they packed with them in a small car. The heaviest box was the tableware that Chen Ke had packed.
"Sir, everything is packed."
"Mom, let's go home first. We can have the driver pick up Dad and Chen Zhuo later."
"Alright, alright, I'll cook you a nice meal when we get back. You don't know, I learned several signature dishes from Aunt Liu here. Your dad and the others all thought they were good, but you haven't tried them yet."
The house was located on a street outside the British concession. Although it was not inside the concession, the security and environment here were incomparable to the alleyway area. Although Shanghai at this time seemed prosperous and stable, there were still occasional military disturbances. However, no matter how big the disturbance was, no one dared to cause trouble in the concessions of the various countries or in the vicinity of the concessions.
It is extremely tragic and ironic that one has to rely on other countries for protection in one's own country, but that is the harsh reality.
Looking at the tall plane trees on both sides, the leaves of autumn are turning golden. When the autumn wind blows, they fall and cover the street. The exquisite little houses with red tiles and white walls are located behind the plane trees.
With a creak, Song Xiaowen eagerly pushed open the carved iron gate. The garden, which had been neglected for a long time, was overgrown with weeds, which pained Song Xiaowen.
“These were the chrysanthemums your father gave me, and they were in full bloom right now, but they’ve withered and died.”
Chen Ke didn't know how to comfort him, saying that he would send another one, but the meaning would be different.
"Fortunately, your dad is still alive, so he can deliver again," Song Xiaowen said with some relief.
Chen Ke: ""
Chen Ke patiently stayed with Song Xiaowen all afternoon. Since Chen Ke had already hired someone to clean the place before they moved in, all they had to do was organize the things that had been moved in.
After finishing tidying up, Song Xiaowen saw that it was still early, so she dragged Chen Ke to buy groceries.
Looking at her tall, handsome, and refined eldest son beside her, Song Xiaowen's eyes were filled with joy. "It's so wonderful. I never imagined that my son and I would be able to go grocery shopping together one day. Hmm, when Chen Zhuo is on vacation, the three of us will go grocery shopping together. With my handsome son standing on either side of me, won't everyone be so envious?"
Chen Ke smiled and said, "I will definitely fulfill your wish if I have the chance."
The two bought a lot of groceries. If Chen Ke hadn't stopped them, saying that there were only four people in the family and they couldn't possibly finish all the food, Song Xiaowen would have wanted to buy more, as if she wanted to cook every dish she had learned.
······
As Chen Zhuo left the school gate, Li Gang stopped him. "Young Master, the teachers are already waiting at home. This way, please."
Chen Zhuo recognized the man as Li Gang, Chen Ke's driver. He frowned slightly. "Which family?"
"Of course, it's your old home, young master."
"Chen Zhuo, what, what's going on?" Before Chen Zhuo could speak, his classmate behind him called out to him.
The few people who cared about him that day came forward, looking at Li Gang with some suspicion, wondering if this tall and strong man was here to cause trouble for Chen Zhuo.
"Who is he? Chen Zhuo, is he here to cause you trouble?"
After what happened that day, although Chen Zhuo and the others hadn't reached the point of being close confidants, they had become true friends. So he explained, "No, he is..."
Chen Zhuo opened his mouth several times but couldn't say the words "my brother".
Seeing this, Li Gang very perceptively said, "Hello, I am the young master's driver. I'm here to pick him up from school."
"Driver?" The group exclaimed in surprise in unison, then their gazes turned to the car parked at the street corner.
"Chen Zhuo, has your family recovered?"
"It's more than that. Even if Chen Zhuo's family didn't have a car before, it must be better now than before."
"Is that what they call turning misfortune into a blessing in disguise?"
"That's great, Chen Zhuo! We're really happy for you. Now you can focus on your studies without worry." Before Chen Zhuo could say anything, the group excitedly started chattering away.
Chen Zhuo was completely at a loss for words in this situation. After saying thank you a few times, he quickly got into the car with Li Gang, almost as if he was fleeing in panic.
Chen Zhuo was lost in his own thoughts the whole way. To be honest, if it weren't for Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen, Chen Zhuo would rather live in that alley than go back to that house.
It wasn't because Chen Ke bought it, but because he lived in this house...
I have very painful memories.
"Young Master, we've arrived," Li Gang said, parking the car and reminding the distracted Chen Zhuo.
Chen Zhuo snapped out of his daze and said, "You don't need to call me young master. You're just Chen Ke's driver, not our driver."
Li Gang nodded respectfully, "Yes, young master."
Chen Zhuo slammed the door and left.
"Hehehe, I told you, this is the most valuable thing, but you didn't believe me. I said it when you bought it." Chen Zhuo heard Song Xiaowen's cheerful voice before he even entered the door.
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