In the end, Song Anmin still entered the Song family home. He made very little noise, slipped back to his bed, and the fifth brother locked the door again.
The next morning at five o'clock, Song Anmin woke up and secretly slipped out of Heping Lane again.
Song Jianmin got up at six o'clock in the morning to steam buns. After the whole family was gathered, he told them about Guo Quan.
Song Yingying was so startled that she dropped her chopsticks on the ground.
"Anyway, Fourth Sister and Yingying, be careful when you go out."
Song Yingying was alright; the Qin family always drove her to and from school, and she spent the rest of her time either at school or at the Song or Qin family home, rarely going out on her own.
Xu Guiying frowned and told Song Rongrong not to walk by herself after class.
Suddenly, Xu Guiying narrowed her eyes. "Fifth brother, how do you know about Guo Quan? Guo Quan knows the third brother."
Song Jianmin's mind raced. "Mom, I went outside to throw out the trash early this morning and overheard people talking about it."
Xu Guiying glanced at the fifth brother, but didn't say whether she believed him or not.
Song Xinfu said to Xu Guiying, "Old woman, don't rush to finish your work lately, come back earlier."
"Alright, alright, I understand."
However, it was Song Xinfu who was the first to get into trouble that evening.
The budget for Song Xinfu's factory is finally finished. This evening, a few of his coworkers said they were going out for a few drinks before going home.
Unable to resist the invitation, Song Xinfu went and had a couple of drinks. The whole thing lasted about half an hour before the group dispersed, and Song Xinfu rode his bicycle toward Heping Lane.
Song Xinfu had a decent alcohol tolerance; he only drank two glasses and wasn't drunk. While riding his bike, he hummed a song, a new album from Hong Kong that his boss played in his office every day. It would be hard for Old Song not to learn it.
Suddenly, a tall, thin figure darted out from an alley.
He almost fell onto Song Xinfu's bicycle.
Song Xinfu was startled; the car almost overturned.
Song Xinfu steadied the car and looked back. He saw a figure turning towards him two or three meters away. The figure was pale and thin, and it was a woman.
She said something to Song Xinfu.
"You sing terribly, stop singing, you'll ruin your throat."
Song Xinfu understood a principle well: when things are going well, don't compete with others.
Song Xinfu felt that he had been doing quite well lately. Apart from the matter of his second son, he had not gotten entangled with that woman. He quickly rode off on his bicycle.
After passing through the alley, we reached the main road outside.
Song Xinfu was still shaken, recalling the man's face, which was deathly pale and terrifying.
Song Xinfu was riding his bicycle, lost in thought, when suddenly the front of the bike veered off course and he crashed into the edge of a flower bed.
Song Xinfu fell off the vehicle, groaning several times.
"Grandpa, grandpa, are you alright?"
Old Song grimaced in pain, "Young lady and handsome young man, hurry up and take me to the clinic, I twisted my ankle!"
The people who came were a young couple who took Lao Song to a nearby clinic.
There was a phone in the clinic, so Song Xinfu called the community and then called Xu Guiying over.
Xu Guiying started cursing as soon as she entered the clinic.
"Song Xinfu, you old codger, you've been riding your bike for decades and you still manage to fall? You only fall on the flowerbed. If you fell right in the middle of the road, that would be so embarrassing!"
Song Xinfu rubbed his ears. "Alright, stop talking."
Xu Guiying glanced at Lao Song's foot and asked the doctor, "Is it serious?"
"It's alright, it's just a sprained ankle. I'll put some medicine on it when I get home tonight, and the swelling should go down by tomorrow morning."
Xu Guiying nodded. "Song Xinfu, don't go to the factory tomorrow. Stay home and rest."
Song Xinfu: Let's talk about it tomorrow morning.
"What happened to you? How did you fall?!"
Song Xinfu coughed lightly. There were still outsiders present, so how could he possibly admit that he was the one who was criticized for singing badly and had broken his defenses?
"I'll tell you later."
Xu Guiying gave him the money and then carried Lao Song to the car and helped him sit down.
"Sit down quickly, or you'll grab me later."
An old married couple who have lived together for a lifetime don't care about saving face.
Song Xinfu got into the car with a smile, and only told about what happened in the alley after the car had driven far away.
After listening, Xu Guiying frowned. "That's very strange."
Song Xinfu: "Of course! It just popped out suddenly, and I didn't even have time to react. Damn it, it tried to dig my throat!"
The more Song Xinfu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He remembered what Lao Wu had said that morning, but it was about a girl…
Song Xinfu thought he might be overthinking things.
Back at the Song family home, Song Rongrong and the others were waiting in the courtyard.
"Dad, that's way too much!"
"Dad, is it serious?"
"Uncle, are you alright?"
Song Xinfu thought his daughter and niece were more likable. He rolled his eyes at his fifth brother and said to Song Rongrong and Song Yingying, "It's a small problem, just a twisted ankle. It'll be fine tomorrow."
The next morning, Song Xinfu's ankle was still a little red and swollen. He planned to ask Xu Guiying to ride her bicycle to work in the morning and ask for a day off from Song Xinfu's factory.
During the day, Song Xinfu would stay at home and ponder the matter. In the evening, he would tell his family about Song Rongrong's trip abroad.
Xu Guiying returned at six o'clock in the afternoon. Song Xinfu happened to tell her about it, and Xu Guiying immediately nodded and said okay.
Anyway, this matter had to be discussed sooner or later, so after Song Rongrong returned home, Xu Guiying also informed her.
Song Rongrong nodded and agreed.
So, during dinner that evening, Xu Guiying announced the news.
Song Yingying stood up excitedly, "Fourth Sister, really? You're going to study abroad?"
Song Rongrong smiled, blushing for once, "It's true, it's a school-funded study abroad program."
Song Jianmin didn't think too much about it. "Fourth Sister, you're amazing."
Song Rongrong observed the expression on Lao Wu's face and, confirming that he was genuinely congratulating her, smiled and said, "Of course. He has been studying hard since he was young, all for the sake of a bright future."
It would be great to be able to study abroad.
It is expected that Song Rongrong and her fellow government-funded students will go abroad in July or August.
Song Jianmin felt somewhat emotional.
From last year to this year, a lot has changed in my family. My second brother is gone, my eldest brother's family was kicked out, and my third brother is no longer here.
Song Jianmin sighed silently to himself.
Meanwhile, Song Guomin's family had been living in their new home for a few days.
Luckily, there was still furniture in the new house, otherwise I would have had to pay for it myself!
Every day, Liu Aimei counts the money in her savings account and thinks about the several hundred yuan in debt she still owes; she feels like the sky is falling.
Song Guomin always looks sickly, which is annoying to look at.
Liu Aimei squinted, "It will be fine when Lele starts kindergarten this September."
Lele is now over three years old and will start kindergarten in September. If we find a daycare center to put Yanyan in, Liu Aimei will have an easier time.
The couple now take turns cooking.
One cooks, the other washes the dishes.
Song Guomin recalled his life in the Song family, where he was waited on hand and foot. He and Liu Aimei only needed to go to work every day, and they didn't even need to give him living expenses.
Only now did Song Guomin begin to feel a little guilty.
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