Chapter 18 Chicken Soup
Chicken soup: originally refers to traditional cuisine, and later refers to inspirational literature.
That happened when Meng Chu was in the third grade and Meng Jining was in the first grade.
After entering junior high school, Meng Jining joined the school radio station. In the eyes of some parents, broadcasting and organizing programs are "not doing their job properly" and those like Meng Chu, who bury their heads in study all day long, are model children.
However, Meng Changqing didn't think so. He supports all of Meng Jining's hobbies and even records radio programs to play in the car when he visits clients.
Meng Chu felt that this family would be so warm and enviable without him. Everyone loves each other.
And he probably won't be able to fit in in this life.
Just when he was almost desperate for family warmth, God gave him a ray of hope.
One weekend in spring, Meng Changqing called his two children to the living room and said solemnly that he wanted them to meet someone.
A lady.
Her name was Tang Wan. They met through a relative. She was two years older than him, divorced once, and her child was studying in another city and did not usually come back.
They have been together for half a year and feel good about each other. She wants to meet his child, so today they are going to have dinner with Ms. Tang.
It was rare for Meng Chu to see his father wearing new clothes. His straight coat did not have a single wrinkle. In the past few years, he has been supporting two children with his own salary and has hardly bought anything for himself. When Meng Changqing was young, he had thick eyebrows and a high nose bridge, and was a typical Chinese handsome man. After years and the ravages of life, his face shape and figure have changed a little, but with some dressing up, he can still be considered handsome.
And Meng Chu also received a very textured coat.
These few years have been the period of growth for me, and every now and then, my clothes no longer fit me. Because of financial difficulties, I often have to wear clothes that have been discarded by relatives.
This time the texture of the coat feels different, and when he wears it, he seems to look more fashionable.
As for Meng Jining, she had a gloomy face ever since her father mentioned the name "Tang Wan". She didn't even wear the new clothes. She threw them on the sofa, said "I'm not going", and went back to her bedroom, slamming the door.
The light in the living room dimmed. Meng Changqing looked at the door, his face full of wrinkles, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He lowered his head, walked to the sofa, picked up his son's discarded clothes, and folded them carefully.
Meng Chu looked at his father and suddenly felt that his tall body had shortened. The profound powerlessness and loneliness made his heart soften. He walked up to Meng Changqing and said, "Dad, no matter what decision you make, I support you."
Meng Changqing stood up and looked at him in surprise, suddenly realizing that his eldest son had grown so tall. After a long while, he nodded and patted Meng Chu on the shoulder: "Thank you, son."
At that moment, for the first time in his life, Meng Chu felt that he and his father had formed an alliance.
Afterwards, after Meng Changqing's earnest persuasion, Meng Jining finally came out of the room with a dark face. He put on new clothes, got into the car, and didn't say a word the whole way.
When they arrived at the dining place, Meng Chu met Tang Wan. She speaks slowly, always with a smile on her face, and looks knowledgeable and gentle.
She praised the two children for their good looks, but Meng Jining stared at the table without saying a word. Meng Changqing asked him to say hello, but he didn't even open his mouth.
"I'm sorry," Meng Changqing said apologetically, "This child is not usually like this."
Indeed, Meng Chu had never seen Meng Jining so silent. Usually, Meng Jining would greet the other person with a smile and say a lot of sweet words without waiting for the other person to speak.
Throughout the meal, his expression remained cold and hostile. Tang Wan asked him a few questions, but he was just drinking water, and Meng Changqing took over the answers.
In this dinner party, Meng Chu was actually the sociable one. Because Meng Jining was so uncooperative, Tang Wan was almost grateful for Meng Chu's detailed and friendly answers.
The atmosphere of a good meal was ruined to such an extent by Meng Jining. Meng Changqing, who always doted on his son, could not sit still anymore. He asked Meng Jining to get up and go outside to talk with him.
Meng Chu watched the father and son walk out of the restaurant, one was furious, the other was cold and distant, as if they were about to have a quarrel.
Faced with such an embarrassing scene, his first reaction was: Great, his chance has come.
Since Meng Jining is so opposed to her father's remarriage, there will definitely be a conflict between them. His support is invaluable.
His father would definitely thank him, and more importantly, if this marriage went through, Tang Wan would definitely stand on his side.
To Tang Wan, neither Meng Jining nor he was her biological child, so of course she preferred the one who was closer to her.
Meng Chu felt a strong desire.
In this way, this family finally has a mother who loves him more.
He looked at Tang Wan, determined to win her favor.
"Auntie," he said, "don't worry, my brother just can't accept it for the time being. After a while, he will figure it out."
Tang Wan nodded to give him face, but her eyes were still filled with worry as she looked towards the door.
"I..." Meng Chu encouraged himself and said, "I know my father likes you very much. He has put a lot of effort into preparing this meal. I support you."
Hearing this, Tang Wan turned her head and looked at him with a little surprise, then smiled: "Thank you."
This smile made Meng Chu happy for a long time.
That’s great, the beautiful family he dreamed of might actually come true.
What made him even happier was that when Meng Jining came back, his cold expression remained unchanged, and Meng Changqing's face even became darker, and it was obvious that they had not reached an agreement.
The meal ended in a hurry.
On the way home, as soon as he got into the car, Meng Changqing exploded: "Meng Jining, you have become more capable, right? If you don't want to eat, don't eat!"
Meng Chu rarely saw his father so angry, and he shrank back in fear. However, Meng Jining showed no fear and immediately retorted: "I've already said it, I don't want a stepmother! If you dare to marry her, I will never come back to this family again!"
"You dare to threaten your father?"
"I mean what I say!"
"You've grown wings, haven't you? Do you really think I dare not hit you?"
"Hit her if you want! I will never accept her even if you kill me!"
Meng Changqing suddenly turned the steering wheel and stopped on the side of the road. Both father and son were very emotional, and Meng Chu could see that his hands were shaking as he held the steering wheel.
Meng Jining's eyes were red and he was breathing rapidly. "You said," his voice was a little tearful, "in the hospital, you told mom that you would never marry anyone else in your life. It's only been a few years, and you want to go back on your word? Do you love mom or not?"
This sentence was like a curse, leaving Meng Changqing speechless for a moment.
"I know you've forgotten," Meng Jining choked up, "but I haven't forgotten, and I will never forget."
There was a long silence in the car. Finally, Meng Changqing sighed, restarted the car, and drove them home.
After returning home, Meng Jining lowered his head and walked into the bedroom, while Meng Changqing lingered outside the door, smoking one cigarette after another.
Meng Chu looked at Meng Jining, and then at his father. He doesn't know how to make peace, but given the current situation at home, he is the only one who can mediate. He hesitated for a long time, walked into the room he and his brother shared, and whispered, "Dad likes that aunt very much, and you...you should not embarrass him too much. He has had a hard time in the past few years. If he really wants to remarry, let's not hurt his feelings."
Meng Jining raised her head and looked at him for a long time with her beautiful eyes.
"That's easy for you to say," he said. "She didn't replace your mother."
Hearing this, Meng Chu was stunned and lowered his head.
He swallowed the rest of his words and walked out of the room silently.
From a certain perspective, this is a good thing. Meng Jining will not change his attitude, and the new mother can only choose him as an ally.
However, this wish was ultimately not realized.
After the meal, the marriage was not discussed further. Soon, Meng Changqing told them at the dinner table that he and Aunt Tang had broken up.
Whether it was Meng Changqing who decided to give up this marriage because of his son, or Tang Wan who decided not to get involved because of the Meng family's tricky family relationships, things ultimately failed.
Meng Chu felt frustrated about this, but then a little fantasy came to his mind. A new family is impossible, so what about the structure of the old family? Can it be changed?
Through this storm, can his father see his good points? Can you be nicer to him?
This became a reality during the Cold War between father and son. Unfortunately, Meng Jining quickly returned to his original state.
He first apologized to Meng Chu, saying that he was not normal that day and that his words were too harsh.
Then he apologized to his father, saying that he did not consider his father's hard work.
Meng Changqing forgave his son in an instant, and the relationship between father and son returned to normal. They soon sat on the sofa affectionately again, chatting about everything under the sun.
Then, Meng Chu understood another truth.
Whether he supports or opposes it, it is not a vote at the negotiating table. The one with the final decision is Meng Jining.
My father would not alienate himself from Meng Jining or hate him just because he ruined his marriage.
They are father and son, a family.
How can he get such a relationship that is bound by blood and soul, and is wrapped in unconditional love and tolerance?
He thought about it for many years but couldn't come up with an answer.
This never-ending exploration was too painful, and for a while, he tried to convince himself that not everyone needed a family.
He kept reading similar books - "Say No to Your Original Family", "Loving Yourself is the Second Growth", "Reconciling with Yourself", repeating these titles, trying to turn them into a belief.
He almost succeeded. Or so he thought he had succeeded.
It was not until the year he started his doctoral studies that one weekend he saw his roommate of the same age being escorted to the dormitory by his parents. The mother greeted Meng Chu warmly, and when she learned that he was in the same group as her son, she looked at him with gratitude, hoping that they could take care of each other. The father had a serious face, but when he looked at his son, there was a kind of tenderness that made people's hearts melt. After chatting for a while, they went out and whispered that they wanted to treat their son's mentor to a meal, after all, their son would be working under the mentor for many years.
This scene, like a long-awaited sharp arrow, traveled through time and across the north and south, and finally hit him.
So he gave in. He admitted that he wanted, he longed from the bottom of his heart, to have such a family to love him.
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