Inside the basketball court, Zhang Guoqing checked the time, left the court, said goodbye to a few friends, took Zhou Jiao and his son home, took a shower, changed his clothes, and left the compound.
In order to supervise Zhou Xiaocun, he personally sent someone to keep an eye on Lin Liying. At this time, he was seen riding his bicycle, limping around in the alleys of the nearby slums.
Around five or six in the afternoon, every household starts cooking. The mixed smell of soy sauce and stew floats in the air, filling the nose.
Accompanied by the delicious smell and the voices of children calling home for dinner at the door, Zhang Guoqing rode his bike and stopped next to a public toilet.
"Hehe...Brother Xiaowu, I've been waiting for a while and was just about to go find you. You don't know how interesting things are today."
A dark and thin boy of about twelve or thirteen years old rushed out from the entrance of the alley. When he saw Zhang Guoqing, he grinned and couldn't wait to speak.
Zhang Guoqing stopped him, looked at him with his hands on his abdomen, and said angrily: "Are you too hungry to eat again? Is this how you save money? How are you going to raise your younger brothers and sisters if you continue like this?"
"Brother, don't be angry, I didn't save any money. I just ate here."
Zhang Guoqing didn't say anything else and pushed the cart forward. "I'm starving. I'm going to go eat something with my brother first. We can talk about those trivial matters later."
The dark and thin boy followed him silently. When they arrived at the restaurant, he saw him ordering meat dishes, stared at him intently, and grabbed his arm tightly.
Zhang Guoqing looked at him speechlessly, smiled at the impatient waiter, took out the bill and stuffed it on the counter, "Don't listen to the kid, please hurry the chef."
After that, he whispered to the dark and thin boy, "Don't make trouble, or I'll beat you up."
After paying, he took the boy to sit in the corner and patted his head. "If you can't finish the food, give it to Xiaohui and the others. I have money, don't worry about me going hungry."
"Tomorrow I'll tell Sister Jiaojiao that you were so silly smiling at lesbians."
Zhang Guoqing laughed happily. This silly boy!
This dark and thin boy is actually fifteen years old. His surname is Lei and his given name is Tianming. He has a seven-year-old brother, Lei Tianliang, and a three-year-old sister, Lei Xiaohui.
This child was a pitiful person. No one knew his origins. He was a nameless beggar of five or six years old. One day, he couldn't stand the cold anymore and ran to the firewood pile near the Lei family's house to keep warm. He was found and adopted by the Lei couple who had just returned from a trip.
The Lei family was a good couple. Even when their own son was born, they treated him with the same care as their own son. A few years ago, the husband of the Lei family passed away in an accident, leaving behind his pregnant wife and young child.
Aunt Lei was so shocked that she suffered a hemorrhage when she gave birth to her daughter. She narrowly escaped death, but she was too weak to do heavy work.
Fortunately, the unit assigned her an easy job, which allowed her to survive by relying on food rations and a meager salary to live with her family in a room in a slum.
In order to reduce the burden on his family, twelve-year-old Lei Tianming resolutely gave up his studies, picked up garbage everywhere, helped his neighbors with small chores, and took care of his younger brothers and sisters at home.
Unexpected events happen. He thought that if he could just hold on until he turned sixteen and then start working as an apprentice, it would give his mother some relief and their lives would get better. But who knew that a natural disaster would befall his family?
Two years ago in the winter, relying on the food supply, the family of four was so hungry that they had to drink a bowl of porridge every day. Xiaohui, who was still a baby, suffered from edema due to malnutrition and was dying.
Lei Tianming begged many people for help, but he had no other choice but to sell things on the black market.
What to sell? His blood.
A skinny, pale child held up a sign with two neatly written words on it: "Selling Blood."
At that time, no one would pay attention to a child. Everyone secretly completed the transaction and left in a hurry.
After Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao finished their transaction, they heard someone muttering that a child was selling blood to save his sister. When they turned around to look for the figure, they saw Lei Tianming fainted on the ground in the snow, still holding a sign saying he was selling blood.
Zhang Guoqing shed tears when he saw it.
The couple hurriedly took Lei Tianming to the hospital. After receiving first aid, as soon as he woke up, he asked the nurse if he could leave the medicine for his sister to inject.
Later, Zhang Guoqing and his wife took him back to the slum. After inquiring, they learned about the character of this family, especially Lei Tianming's personality, and they couldn't let him go.
They were truly willing to help such a family and such a child. They proposed that Lei Tianming continue to go to school, but unfortunately, their wish was not fulfilled.
This family, especially Aunt Lei, is very strong-willed. Of course, Zhou Jiao thought Aunt Lei might have some concerns, worried about what the couple might be up to with their child. In this respect, she is a great mother!
She refused to accept anything other than necessities, and once her food rations were restored and she was no longer willing to accept any relief.
In desperation, Zhang Guoqing could only let Lei Tianming run errands, taking the opportunity to give him more food coupons and money, and occasionally taking him somewhere to earn some extra money.
This time, Zhang Guoqing, thinking of following him, immediately decided to let him run errands. The boy was smart and always obeyed the instructions not to go to remote places.
Halfway through the meal, Zhang Guoqing put some food into his bowl and asked, "You'll be sixteen next year. Will you go to the unit your sister-in-law mentioned?"
Lei Tianming whispered back, "I've asked around, and it takes a lot of connections to get in there. I'd rather start as an apprentice in my dad's factory."
Zhang Guoqing glanced at him sideways and said, "I'm afraid of my wife, so go talk to your sister-in-law yourself."
Lei Tianming rolled his eyes at him with disdain, "I told you it's my sister Jiaojiao, but you have to be my sister-in-law. Let's talk about this later. If you ask my sister Jiaojiao not to beg others, I won't be happy."
Zhang Guoqing laughed out loud when he heard this.
This silly boy! It's not easy to get Zhou Jiao to look at him differently. In the past two or three years, the couple has helped many people, but only Lei Tianming made Zhou Jiao even consider his job.
After dinner, Zhang Guoqing packed up the remaining meat, vegetables, and steamed buns in a lunch box. The two of them left the restaurant and found a secluded place.
Lei Tianming described what Lin Liying saw and heard when she came out of the hospital today and met Zhou Xiaocun. He asked his friends to follow Zhou Xiaocun, and he described everything he saw and heard when he followed Lin Liying.
After saying this, the boy laughed foolishly.
"Brother Xiaowu, I think there's something fishy going on here. That male officer stormed out of the yard with a stern face, spitting several times on the road. It's totally out of character."
"About ten minutes later, a woman came out. Her hair was still messy, her eyes were swollen, and she was carrying her luggage. She was also furious. Her expression was so ugly that it was scary."
Lei Tianming said this, then leaned closer to Zhang Guoqing and chuckled, "The most interesting thing is that Lin Liying. After everyone left, she threw a pile of sheets into the yard to wash. Halfway through, she stood up angrily and went into the house, then immediately rode her bike back to the compound."
Zhang Guoqing slapped him on the forehead. "Don't let your imagination run wild, little brat. You must be exhausted riding with her all the way here, right?"
Lei Tianming laughed, "Following from a distance isn't tiring at all. I'm already fifteen, and the old ladies in the compound often talk about this kind of thing. They can tell at a glance who's having an affair with whom."
"By the way, the man in the painting lives in Room 107 of the Chaoyang Guesthouse. He has his own room, and he looks quite wealthy. Dashuan came back and told me that he was very happy when he returned."
Zhang Guoqing nodded after hearing this. "Okay, I get it. Tell Dashuan to stop following him, and you too. It's too dangerous! Let's end this matter here. Your sister-in-law and I are going to school again tomorrow. If you encounter any problems, remember to come find me at school. The dormitory is still the same place."
After saying this, he assured him again, "I've learned everything I need to know. Be obedient and don't follow them. What happens next is up to them; it's none of our business."
Lei Tianming nodded seriously, "I understand. Don't worry."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and rubbed his head. "Go back quickly. I'll take your sister Jiaojiao to see Xiaohui next week."
"You go first."
"Okay. If you encounter any problems, remember to come to me, don't mess around with others."
After saying that, Zhang Guoqing handed him the lunch box bag and quickly rode away on his bicycle. Otherwise, this damn kid would find out that the things in the bag were pushed around again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
