"Are you still living alone?" It was Lei's dad who asked.
“Ha, just like you, a workaholic, not suited for marriage.” Miranda laughed easily.
“Yes, I’ve always felt sorry about what happened back then. I shouldn’t have gotten married.” A Lei’s father sighed.
"Let's not talk about the past. I was young and impetuous too, and we hurt each other deeply enough."
If the two could reconcile, then this trip wasn't in vain. Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to ruin such a beautiful scene with a bottle of milk, so she quietly turned away.
“I just feel sorry for Alex. He’s been wandering all these years.” A Lei’s father’s voice was very forlorn.
“I think so too. Fortunately, he’s married, his wife is very nice, capable of loving him, and they have children. You really should meet them…” Miranda became more and more excited as she spoke.
"I can't go back now. There are some things I can't leave without taking them with me," said A Lei's father helplessly.
"What's your plan to bring it back?"
"It's difficult. There's just too much stuff. Without the text, I can only remember a small part of it. I'm getting old, my brain isn't what it used to be," A Lei's father sighed heavily with melancholy.
“The text probably won’t get out. If it gets confiscated at customs, you could go to jail,” Miranda immediately denied.
A car drove by outside, its headlights flashing and illuminating the room. They all fell silent.
Qin Xiaoyu tiptoed upstairs.
"You little glutton, I thought at least I'd get a cup." A'Lei pulled her close, kissing her lips as if searching for evidence of her greed, but quickly realized something was wrong. "What's wrong with you?"
"Your mom and dad are downstairs making up."
"What?"
"It's nothing, don't get agitated." Qin Xiaoyu pressed him down.
"You don't look happy at all. Is there something you're hiding from me?" A Lei noticed Qin Xiaoyu's shifty eyes and guessed that she had something on her mind.
"Wait a minute." Qin Xiaoyu left him and ran into the bathroom, brought back some toilet paper, took out a pen, wrote a few words on the toilet paper, and handed it to A Lei.
The sign reads: This house is likely under surveillance; watch your words.
A Lei immediately understood, wrote a few sentences, and handed them back.
Let's go boating on the lake tomorrow.
Qin Xiaoyu made an OK sign. She tore off a piece of toilet paper, went back to the bathroom, and flushed it down the toilet.
The next morning, they woke up to a delicious aroma as Xiao Jin prepared a sumptuous breakfast.
Miranda was used to it, but Aleba didn't get the same treatment. As a man living alone, he was used to not having enough to eat, and he wasn't used to his life suddenly becoming more regular.
"Apple shortbread, Uncle, this was made especially for you." Xiao Jin brought over a plate with six shortbreads neatly arranged on it.
"You actually gave me special treatment!" Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise. Xiao Jin ignored her, while A Lei's father, fearing someone would steal the food, had already started eating heartily.
“Let’s go boating today,” Are announced briefly. Everyone at the table was taken aback, raising their heads and staring at him, wondering what he was up to.
"Yes, I like rowing."
Miranda knew that Are was not a willful person, and his current behavior was a bit unlike him. As a mother, although she had been separated from her son since childhood, blood ties were a good thing, and she had already sensed something unusual.
She reached out to Are for coffee. Are picked up a chopstick and quickly wrote the word "eavesdropping" on the coffee.
Everyone at the table saw it, but no one spoke. Miranda took her coffee, calmly took a sip, and the words disappeared.
“Okay, let’s go boating. Let’s take Hanhan out for some fun, it’s a holiday anyway.” Miranda agreed.
A Lei's father didn't object. Xiao Jin quickly checked the remaining food and made another list; they were going to have a picnic.
Although it was an unexpected arrangement, everyone was very happy. Everyone was busy preparing things, and even A Lei's father showed a rare smile.
The boat trip was two blocks away, so they drove two cars. Hanhan asked to sit with A Lei's dad. Qin Xiaoyu didn't stop her; although she was just a child, she was definitely not annoying.
A Lei's father is a quiet person, but he made an exception and didn't refuse Hanhan.
They set off quickly and rented a boat at the lake. The boat was packed with six people. A-Lei and Xiao-Yu were at the bow, A-Lei's father and Miranda sat at the bow, and the two children were in the middle.
The morning sun was gentle, not scorching, but warm. They rowed the boat to the center of the lake and put the oars down.
Xiao Jin tried to stand up.
"Sit down, it's dangerous! You're too tall, the boat will be unstable if you stand up!" Qin Xiaoyu warned immediately.
“It’s okay, I’m tall, but I’m thin. Come on, Hanhan, can you switch seats with me?” Xiaojin said stubbornly.
"No change!" Hanhan didn't move.
"Come quick!" Xiao Jin pressed down on Hanhan, trying to lift him up. At this moment, the boat had already started to rock.
"No! It'll capsize!" Qin Xiaoyu panicked and tried to get up to stop it, but this only made the boat rock harder.
Somehow, the boat capsized, and several people fell into the water.
Qin Xiaoyu wasn't a very good swimmer and panicked a bit. Fortunately, A Lei was quick and pulled her out, leading her to swim towards the shore.
The two children are good swimmers and can take care of themselves. They've already swum ahead, still racing.
Although A Lei's father has lived in seclusion for many years, his only form of exercise is swimming, so he has no problem.
Miranda is a good swimmer, but her tight-fitting dress affected her performance, causing her to sink after only a few strokes.
As A Lei swam, he kept looking back and saw that his mother was sinking. He was so frightened that he wanted to turn back.
This is the famous global dilemma: if your mother and wife fall into the water at the same time, who should you save first?
A Lei can't let go of either of them.
"Don't go over there! Go away! Hurry!" Qin Xiaoyu angrily slapped the water's surface.
A Lei's father had already swum to Miranda's side, pulling her along as they slowly caught up. A Lei suddenly realized what was happening and, dragging Qin Xiaoyu, struggled to swim towards the shore.
All six of them made it ashore, panting and collapsing onto the grass. This was the other side where they had gone into the water; there were no boats available, and the car was on the other side. The food basket had fallen into the water and couldn't be retrieved.
The six people were soaked to the bone, looking like ducks in water.
But they achieved their goal. Whether or not they had listening devices on them was no longer of any use.
"Do you want to go back to China?" They needed to hurry, and the sun was slowly drying their clothes.
"I want to. But if I don't take the data with me, I won't leave either."
How many books are there in total?
"Three books, there are some important data that must be taken with you." It was A Lei's father's wish to bring back the results of his years of research to serve his country.
But it would be too difficult to bring him back. He would likely be arrested at the border. He holds MG citizenship, which would be treason. Forget about returning home, he would be imprisoned for several years.
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