0072 Inferior Winter (2)
The morning market was crowded, but it wasn't annoying.
This is one of the few times of the year when people can immerse themselves in comfort, both physically and mentally, and everyone feels the warmth that this festival brings to this moment.
He Yundong carried the fireworks and meat in his hands and walked towards the fish stall: "I'll buy another grass carp, Lingling will be nagging me to eat it boiled."
Wanqi Fuze had a lot of New Year's goods in his hands, and he also snatched all kinds of goods from He Yundong's hands.
The lively fish were scooped out by the owner and cleaned up in no time.
When He Yundong was about to pay, the shop owner told him that the man behind him had already paid.
He Yundong was stunned, then turned to face Wanqi Fuze.
"Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
Wanqi Fuze once thought that He Yundong hated him very much.
He left a very bad impression on him when they first met.
A strange boy who was with his daughter and had injuries on his body, even if he didn't intend to harm Lingling, was certainly not a "good kid".
As a gentle mother, Zhao Mei only treated him as a naughty and injured child, and would carefully bandage him up.
He Yundong, as a husband and father, calmly and even coldly had a private conversation with him.
That was their first conversation.
The conversations between men, or rather, between men and boys at that time, were always brief and sharp exchanges.
He didn't know why he had abandoned his family education of more than ten years, and he avoided talking about it when He Yundong asked him questions, choosing to remain silent.
It was as if she had vented all the anger she hadn't been able to vent on her biological father on He Yundong.
Fortunately, Zhao Mei stopped their confrontation in time.
She told He Yundong not to be so hostile towards a child who was still injured. As she left, He Yundong looked at her with the eyes of a father, and then left in silence.
That was their first meeting.
The second time we met was when Lingling was in her second year of high school.
Seeing that he was all alone, Lingling decided to take him home for the holidays.
Zhao Mei, who had once taken such good care of him, needed her husband's prompting to remember who he was, now that he had grown much taller. But He Yundong recognized him at first glance.
He Yundong cleverly avoided his wife's objections and took her to a restaurant near their home when neither his wife nor daughter were home, so that he could finish the conversation he had left unfinished last time.
The first question was still about who he was.
Wan Qifuze understood his meaning. Lingling had already explained everything that needed to be said. What He Yundong was asking indirectly was actually—
What are your thoughts on Lingling?
He Yundong was stunned by his words.
He didn't expect that the boy sitting across from him would tell him so bluntly.
I like Lingling, but I won't bother her too much before she comes of age.
There was an initial surge of anger, but it gradually subsided.
He was speechless at the boy's demeanor—calm yet humble. He hadn't expected the boy to be so clear-headed and insightful.
She clearly saw through his intention to keep him away from Lingling, so she spoke frankly before he officially opened his mouth.
He Yundong remained silent. He wanted to see a trace of timidity or a joke on the face of the child named "Chen Yixu" in front of him, but he saw neither.
They didn't even try to avoid being caught by their parents for dating too early.
“Lingling wouldn’t like someone like you.” He finally spoke, and finally saw Chen Yixu’s expression change.
The boy's eyes lost their light, and he became filled with panic.
The sentence carries profound meaning.
What kind of person is he? What kind of person does Lingling like?
There is only one question whose answer is clear.
He Yundong still didn't like him.
He went to see He Yundong for the third time without permission.
At that time, Lingling was a senior in high school, preoccupied with exams and studies. Meanwhile, he had returned to B city to study at university, and would fly back to J city every now and then for Lingling.
He secretly went to see He Yundong that night without Lingling's knowledge.
I don't know how many times I've prepared my thoughts, but I still get nervous.
How can he sincerely reveal his thoughts to Lingling's father, explain and get him to accept his complicated background, and get him to accept his desire to take Lingling to City B?
Even his name is fake, so how sincere can his heart be?
He Yundong smoked one cigarette after another in front of him, and amidst the smoke, a taut string tightened in his heart.
"Are you willing to marry her?"
He Yundong finally gave his first response after a whole night.
The boy's heart pounded like a drum, and his eyes bulged.
"I want to marry Lingling. I will only marry Lingling."
He spoke steadily.
He Yundong looked up at him, still with those fatherly eyes.
It carried a sense of threat and scrutiny, but ultimately ended in compromise.
"Don't let her suffer."
...
The car stopped again at the restaurant where the two had first met alone.
Wan Qifuze got out of the car first, and waited for He Yundong to get out before walking with him.
He Yundong did not stop when passing by the restaurant.
Wanqi Fuze was stunned for a moment, watching He Yundong show no sign of stopping and continue straight ahead.
He saw a residential area not far in front of the two people.
That was the most upscale residential area in this not-so-developed small town.
A thought popped into my head.
He finally understood at that moment why He Yundong had knocked on his door early in the morning, wanting him to go out with him.
He finally understood that the father in front of him had thought and done far more than he had thought.
Things she hadn't paid attention to before all came flooding back to her mind—when Lingling was on the phone with her parents, Zhao Mei complained that her husband was about to retire but was still working overtime. Near the end of the year, He Yundong also had to wear his oil-work uniform and only return home in the evening.
Wanqi Fuze felt a dull ache in his heart.
He spoke first before He Yundong took out the key.
This was such a difficult thing; he felt a sharp pain in his stomach that he could hardly bear.
He Yundong saw that his face was pale and covered in sweat, and his expression changed as well.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked in a deep voice.
Like a projection room, images from the past flashed through my mind.
"—You're willing to marry her?"
"I want to marry Lingling. I will only marry Lingling."
Those who break their promises will pay a heavy price.
Even so, he would still not be at ease.
Fortunately, Lingling didn't love him.
He pressed his hand against his abdomen.
"Uncle He, I'm sorry, I can't marry Lingling."
Unlike the morning market, the shops around the residential area were deserted.
In the biting cold wind, the two gazed at each other for a long time.
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