Chapter 36: What did I do?!
Chapter 36: What did I do?!
No one in Fang Yuenian's family knew about his drunkenness.
After being chased home by Cheng Bing last night, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. When he woke up the next morning, he vaguely remembered that he had run to the other side of the street and been chased by a dog for a while, and he thought it was a dream.
"Impossible, right?" he thought in horror.
Wang Jing came over and called him, asking if he wanted to go to his mother-in-law's house today. Fang Yuenian thought that he hadn't seen his mother-in-law and aunt for a long time, so he said he would go.
Wang Jing said, "It's hot, so I came home after lunch. Your brother Liangliang hasn't started summer vacation yet, so you don't have anyone to play with."
She always thought that boys, especially cousins, must be very close, have common topics, and be able to play together, but in reality, Fang Yuenian and her cousin never even looked at each other and never became close since childhood.
Fang Yuenian said, "I understand."
In the past, he would spend his weekends doing homework until he was exhausted. Today, he was leisurely brushing his teeth and visiting relatives for a meal. It was really too leisurely. But as he was brushing his teeth, for some reason, Cheng Bing's fierce face suddenly popped into his mind.
"Fang Yuenian, you can't go back on your word."
He was startled.
Depend on.
He remembered everything.
He was extremely guilty and dared not go to the back door to see what was happening at Cheng Bing's house. After tidying up, he quickly ran away.
Since my father-in-law passed away a few years ago, my mother-in-law's family has consisted of only my mother-in-law, my aunt, and my cousin Liangliang. My uncle works away from home and only comes back once or twice a year. When my nephew comes, my aunt quickly invites him into the house to sit down, treats him like a little hero, gives him snacks, and turns on the TV for him to watch.
Fang Yuenian was not used to it and said, "Aunt, please stop doing this. I can't eat it."
My aunt said, "Oh! How can that be? You've worked so hard. Now that the exams are over, you should have some fun. Is there anything you want to do during the summer vacation? Do you want to go to your uncle's construction site with your brother Liangliang?"
My mother-in-law happened to bring over several cans of Want Want milk. Upon hearing this, she said, "Yes, that's great. Let's go to the construction site and have some fun."
Fang Yuenian dared not agree, as he hadn't forgotten about making the cabinets, so he vaguely said, "I won't go to the construction site; I've already told my classmate I have something to do."
"You still have things to do even though it's summer vacation? What, are you going to attend some tutoring classes?" Auntie asked.
"No, not at all," Fang Yuenian said. "I just wanted to do some crafts. Many of my classmates have gone to learn hobbies, so I just wanted to play around with it."
There's no tradition of cultivating special skills or hobbies among the children in the village, so many of them go out to play simple things after the big exams, like playing ball. When my mother-in-law heard this, she thought it was even better and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's a long time, let them play and see how it goes."
The lunch that day was too lavish. Fang Yuenian kept saying that he was full, but he kept getting food piled on his plate. He felt like he hadn't eaten so much in a year, and the food was practically up to his throat.
After saying goodbye to his mother-in-law and aunt, on his way home, he felt so full that his stomach was upset and he didn't want to ride his bike, so he just pushed it home.
Just as she left her mother-in-law's village and got onto the main road, a voice came from behind her: "Fang Yuenian!"
The voice was so familiar that Fang Yuenian turned around and was immediately dumbfounded. "Ah...ah, what are you doing here? Did you walk here instead of riding a bike?"
"I bought something," Cheng Bing gestured to the plastic bag in her hand, "Where are you from?"
“My in-laws,” Fang Yuenian said, “my aunt invited me to dinner today.”
"Oh," Cheng Bing nodded, "Then why are you pushing the cart? Is it broken again?"
"No, no, I'm too full, I just want to take a walk."
Fang Yuenian's heart began to pound.
He remembered clinging tightly to Cheng Bing's waist last night, and even taking the opportunity to wipe his tears haphazardly on his clothes, but why did he cry? He couldn't remember, but he wiped them anyway.
Drinking a little alcohol, chasing chickens and dogs, and even prying through windows is one thing, but why are you crying?
The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt, and he couldn't even lift his head.
But Cheng Bing seemed perfectly normal, and said casually, "Let's go, let's walk back together."
"Okay!" Fang Yuenian quickly agreed, "Put the things in my bike basket, come on."
Cheng Bing gave him a strange look.
Fang Yuenian seemed startled, "W-what's wrong? Aren't you tired of carrying that?"
Why is your face so red? Have you been drinking again?
"Huh? Ah?! Oh my god, there isn't any!"
Cheng Bing narrowed her eyes slightly. "Really not?"
Fang Yuenian felt unwell and anxiously tried to prove herself: "Really, I didn't. I just ate too much. Um, I feel so uncomfortable."
Cheng Bing nodded and changed the subject: "My dad asked when we're planning to go to the furniture factory. Do you have anything else planned lately?"
Fang Yue Nian was surprised to find that she hadn't told her family about this yet. Going to the furniture factory was different from going to the carpenter's shop. The furniture factory was far away and it wasn't convenient to ride a bicycle there. She would have to rely on Lin Guo Hui to take her there.
"Uh, wait a minute, I need to talk to my mom. But if we go, will we come back every day?"
“You can come back whenever you want. I can have my dad take us every day.”
Fang Yuenian hesitated for a moment: "Won't this be too much trouble?"
Cheng Bing said, "It's no trouble at all. My dad has been leaving early and coming home late these days."
After saying that, he inexplicably remembered what happened in front of his parents' door that morning, and he was stunned for a moment.
Fang Yuenian, oblivious to the situation, immediately smiled and said, "That's good! I also want to go soon. I heard that it's close to the shipyard, and I really want to go there for a visit."
Cheng Bing remained silent for a while, then nodded: "Okay."
Fang Yuenian now projects her own reaction onto Cheng Bing's every move. When she sees him remain silent for a long time before finally saying a single word, she feels that something is still wrong and that this matter is not over.
He was torn internally.
What should I do? Should I bring it up myself?
I had a brain fart last night, let's forget about it, okay?
It was so embarrassing. He had done many embarrassing things in front of Cheng Bing, but he didn't know why this time he wanted to bang his head against the wall.
Avoiding the problem wouldn't solve anything. After hesitating for a while, he finally stammered, "...I didn't mean to do it yesterday, last night."
Cheng Bing replied, "I know."
"Actually, I only... had one drink," Fang Yuenian said, feeling ashamed. "I've never drunk it before, and I never thought I would... do that."
“Like that,” Cheng Bing glanced at him, “what do you mean by ‘like that’?”
“It was really bad,” Fang Yuenian said discouragedly. “I hit the dog, I almost woke up your family, and I even grabbed you and cried… I really did all sorts of bad things.”
Cheng Bing was surprised that he had escalated his behavior to the level of outrageous misconduct.
He ran over and said a few words, and chased the dog a bit on the way. Compared to all the things he did before, that's nothing, right? Does his crying last night count? Or is crying while hugging someone considered misbehaving? Doesn't he always like to rub against each other and put his arm around someone's shoulder?
Or perhaps he remembered what he had said and realized how absurd it was?
For the first time, Cheng Bing couldn't understand Fang Yuenian's thoughts.
He thought for a moment and said softly, "It's okay, no one else knows anyway."
Fang Yuenian was not comforted; instead, she felt that the words were particularly cold and made her feel even more depressed. She muttered to herself, "Anyway, I will never drink again, and I will never act recklessly when I'm drunk."
Going on a drunken rampage is the most infuriating thing.
His childhood memories are chaotic, mostly tangled in hysterical verbal battles, slamming doors, smashing things, and violence, many of which were related to drinking.
Fang Wu usually didn't drink at home. He preferred to drink at mahjong parlors, at the homes of his mahjong partners, or at other friends' houses, then return home reeking of alcohol, staggering and feeling quite pleased with himself. Wang Jing would argue with him every time, and then Fang's mother would come in. She naturally wouldn't side with her daughter-in-law, but she wouldn't take her son's side either; instead, she would stand as a third party and berate both of them. Then, the three of them would start arguing, then fighting, an endless argument accompanied by the terrifying sound of shattering dishes… Drinking and going crazy is very bad.
Thinking of this, a look of panic gradually appeared on his face.
Cheng Bing had been watching him, and when she suddenly saw him like this, she was stunned for a moment, and then she understood everything.
He silently gritted his teeth, seemingly choosing his words very carefully.
“I don’t think you’re acting crazy when you’re drunk, you’re just happy,” he said slowly, then paused. “I know what it means to act recklessly when you’re drunk.”
Fang Yuenian met his gaze, looking just like a child who had made a mistake and was asking for forgiveness, and mumbled softly, "Huh?"
Cheng Bing took a deep breath and looked at him seriously: "Fang Yuenian, you are not the same as your father."
Suddenly, Fang Yuenian felt completely flustered, his body stiffening. "Is...is that so?"
Cheng Bing nodded and said, "But you have to keep your word."
"Of course!" Fang Yuenian's eyes widened. "I remember everything, don't worry."
Cheng Bing turned her face away, pursed her lips slightly, and said in a low voice, "Okay, I need to get home quickly, you can give me a ride."
“Okay,” Fang Yuenian said, getting on her bike. “Get on.”
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