Chapter 11 He broke his promise.
Sure enough, she made the right bet!
Ding Manman gritted her teeth and took out 27 yuan from her pocket. Her heart was bleeding as she handed it over!
She originally didn't plan to repay the money; she just carried it with her in case of emergency. She thought she could ask Cheng Cheng to lend her another sum of money as repayment, and use it to appease her older sister and the others for now.
But plans don't always go as expected, and Ding Manman was heartbroken!
Holding the money tightly, Cheng Cheng tried to tug at it several times but couldn't budge it. Feigning confusion, she called out, "Manman?"
Ding Manman immediately let go of her hand and said apologetically, "I was just spacing out."
Cheng Cheng chuckled and joked, "I thought Manman didn't want to pay me back!"
Ding Manman smiled awkwardly, "How could that be? Cheng Cheng, you're my best friend. I'm so grateful to you for helping me when I was short of money."
"But you know our family's situation. I have to give two-thirds of my salary to the family for household expenses every month, so I don't save much money. Otherwise, I would definitely pay you back all the money I borrowed from you!"
Ding Manman spoke with great conviction, and Cheng Cheng listened with a moved expression, seemingly believing her completely.
"Manman, I knew you weren't the kind of person my older sister said would owe money and not pay it back! I believe you!"
Upon hearing this, Ding Manman quickly said, "Cheng Cheng, I'm going back now. Don't forget to meet me at the lakeside park at nine o'clock on Saturday morning!"
After saying that, Ding Manman left as quickly as if she had grown wheels of fire on her feet.
She walked away as fast as she could, without the slightest hesitation, as if a wolf was chasing her.
Cheng Cheng sneered, curling the corners of her lips. "This is nothing."
Twenty-seven yuan is equivalent to her current monthly salary, plus seven yuan more. It sounds like a lot, but compared to the money Ding Manman borrowed from the original owner of this body over time, it's not even a fraction of the amount!
All things considered, it totaled 468.22 yuan, less than half of the original amount. Sooner or later, Ding Manman would have to pay it back with interest!
Cheng Cheng put the money in her pocket, bent down, rolled up her sleeves, and washed her hands three times with soap.
She acted so well that even she wanted to cry!
She didn't bother to count the clothes in the sack, knowing without a doubt that the number wouldn't match the number of clothes she'd borrowed from the original owner of this body. It wasn't time to start a fight yet.
Besides, Ding Manman would never wear clothes that she had worn before, no matter what.
I picked up the bag, put it in the main room, and went to the bedroom to see what my little Xiaoxiao was doing.
Xiao Lingxiao lay on the desk, expressionless, not even interested in the radio he usually loved to listen to, listening absentmindedly.
"Mother!"
As soon as the little one saw his mother, he immediately raised his head, and his dull eyes lit up instantly!
Cheng Cheng's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and the corners of her lips turned up. "Xiao Xiao, my darling, how about we have tomato and egg noodles tonight?"
Cheng Cheng is intentionally cultivating the little one's autonomy, guiding her to actively express her thoughts and desires.
The little one is still too shy and timid. She's fine in front of familiar people, and gets along normally with Da Ni and Er Ni, being well-behaved. But when they're outside, she likes to snuggle in her arms and doesn't like to talk. She's too timid!
The same goes for her. While relying on her, she is also particularly afraid of her getting angry. Cheng Cheng often feels that the little guy is observing her expression. As long as her expression turns slightly cold, the little guy will definitely be the first to notice.
My little Xiaoxiao is too well-behaved; she's so obedient that she's completely lost herself. In other words, she has a severe lack of security. To gain that security, she lives entirely by reading the adults' expressions.
Having developed such a sensitive and observant personality at such a young age, Cheng Cheng felt sorry for Ling Xiao and wondered how to subtly change his temperament.
"Have you decided? What does Xiaoxiao want to eat tonight?"
Cheng Cheng squatted down and looked up at the little guy from below. Last time she made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the little guy seemed to be annoyed by the sourness when he ate the tomatoes and didn't like them. Anyway, his expression wasn't as happy as when he ate the eggs.
Although she eventually finished all the tomatoes that were put in her bowl, Cheng Cheng could tell that the little one didn't like tomatoes.
So she offered another option, deliberately saying, "Xiaoxiao, do you want tomato and egg noodles or plain noodles? If you're making tomato and egg noodles, Mommy will put in two more tomatoes. Xiaoxiao seems to really like tomatoes, right?"
Little Lingxiao picked at his fingers, looking conflicted. When he heard his mother say that she liked to eat tomatoes and wanted to add two more tomatoes, the little guy shook his head like a rattle drum.
"Mom! No!"
Xiao Lingxiao jumped off the chair and ran into Cheng Cheng's arms.
Cheng Cheng feigned ignorance and continued to guide him: "What doesn't Xiaoxiao want?"
Little Lingxiao pursed his lips, remained silent, and gazed at his mother with his bright, expressive eyes.
Cheng Cheng was very patient, waiting for the little one to speak, and deliberately misinterpreted her meaning, "Little Xiao, do you mean you don't want to eat noodles?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao immediately became anxious, his eyes reddening, "Mom, no tomatoes!"
The little guy was almost in tears, but Cheng Cheng said softly, "Oh! Mommy understands! So Xiaoxiao doesn't like tomatoes~"
Little Lingxiao stared intently as his mother nodded, his little face full of seriousness.
Cheng Cheng almost couldn't help but chuckle, and continued to ask the little guy, "Then how about Mommy cooks some plain noodles for Xiaoxiao tonight? Mommy will also make you a poached egg?"
Okay~
Little Lingxiao spoke softly and sweetly, with two small dimples that sparkled, making one involuntarily want to taste whether it was as sweet as her smile.
"Mom wants a fried egg too!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng happily kissed the little one: "My darling!"
She picked her up and carried her to the kitchen, saying as they walked, "Xiaoxiao did a great job! If you don't like tomatoes, you have to tell Mommy, otherwise Mommy won't know, right?"
Xiao Lingxiao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.
Cheng Cheng continued, "So, next time, Xiaoxiao should tell Mommy what Xiaoxiao likes and dislikes, understand?"
Xiao Lingxiao understood and nodded again.
"Let's pinky swear!"
Little Lingxiao didn't seem to understand what it meant, but he did it anyway, stretching out his little hand and having his little finger hooked by his mother.
"Pinky promise, a hundred years from now, no take-backs! Whoever goes back on their word is a little dog!"
"Woof woof woof!"
Cheng Cheng opened her mouth wide, barked like a dog, and deliberately exaggerated her expression, looking fierce as if she was about to bite the little guy.
Little Lingxiao grinned and giggled, his eyes shining brightly like stars, full of excitement, and the two little dimples on his cheeks sank in gently with his laughter.
The mother and daughter were bickering, and it was only at this moment that little Lingxiao showed the liveliness, cheerfulness, and carefree nature that one should have at this age.
The fragrant Yangchun noodles are served, sprinkled with chopped green onions, and each bowl is topped with a golden poached egg, looking incredibly tempting!
"Is it tasty?"
Cheng Cheng tugged at the bib she had tied on the little one, gently wiping the scallion bits off her cheeks with tender eyes.
Little Lingxiao gave his mother a sweet smile, his dimples appearing and disappearing on his cheeks. He seemed to have something in his mouth, and mumbled, "Delicious~"
Then, she buried her head in the bowl again, slurped down a mouthful of delicious noodle soup, let out a satisfied hum, her cheeks puffed out, and her eyes curved into little crescents.
Nothing could make Cheng Cheng more satisfied than this scene, and she was filled with energy!
Indeed, raising a human baby is the most therapeutic thing!
The summer night sky was exceptionally clear, untouched by the large-scale industrial pollution of later generations. The night sky was filled with stars, and the moon hung overhead, bright and clear.
The soft moonlight spilled into the courtyard and over the eaves. Cheng Cheng wrung out the last piece of clothing and hung it on the line to dry.
I looked up at the starry sky, it was so beautiful!
The sky was filled with countless stars, densely packed together, adorning the night sky with their soft glow, like millions of priceless luminous pearls, dazzling and radiant.
Cheng Cheng looked up at the night sky, her gaze lingering on the countless stars. Suddenly, she spotted a star that seemed different from the others, twinkling and slowly moving toward the sky above her.
With a flicker of her bright eyes, Cheng Cheng stared at the unusual star, wondering if it was Dongfanghong-1.
Cheng Cheng stared at it for a long time until her neck started to ache, before she finally snapped out of it.
Inevitably, I thought of Zhou Yue. What is he doing now?
In the Northwest, on the vast and boundless Gobi Desert, the night sky is purer and brighter, with countless stars twinkling overhead.
Zhou Yue, exhausted, emerged from the testing facility, his dark blue work clothes faded from washing. Dust settled in his hair, and his handsome, upright figure suddenly stopped.
Looking up at the vast and boundless starry sky, with the round and large moon overhead, Zhou Yue stared at the moon in silence.
He broke his promise.
Seven days ago, Zhou Yue had already arrived at the train station with his suitcase, but was suddenly and urgently summoned back by the base.
After the Long March 1 long-range rocket successfully sent the Dongfanghong-1 satellite into space, they did not stop there. Instead, they accelerated the development and improvement of the Long March 2 rocket and entered the testing phase.
The project is progressing smoothly. After the successful completion of the previous project, Zhou Yue applied for a family visit leave from the base and has not left for several years. The base leaders quickly approved his request.
Unexpectedly, the Long March 2 rocket, which had been progressing smoothly, failed during the test due to an unknown error in some data.
Zhou Yue was urgently recalled. Without even putting down his suitcase, he plunged into the test site and led the team to investigate the error.
For the past seven days, Zhou Yue has practically lived in the factory, working tirelessly day and night, sleeping only three or four hours a day at most, leading his team to investigate and analyze the reasons for the failures one by one.
He gazed at the moon and suddenly realized that he hadn't sent his wife a letter or a telegram to tell her that he couldn't come back.
A hint of annoyance flashed across his cool and handsome face. He should have told the guard that he didn't know how the mother and daughter were doing in Hunan.
As a husband and father, he was undoubtedly irresponsible and incompetent. He had no regrets towards the country and the organization, but his only regret was towards his family.
Zhou Yue's memory is extraordinary, but... he raised his hand and pressed his brow, but instead of relaxing, his brow furrowed even more.
Strangely, his image of his new wife was very blurry in his mind; he couldn't even picture her face.
"Engineer Zhou, what are you daydreaming about?"
Luo Yuquan patted him on the shoulder from behind, yawned, and said his eyelids were so sleepy he could barely keep them open.
Seeing that Zhou Yue's brows showed signs of fatigue but his charm remained undiminished, Luo Yuquan was filled with jealousy and hatred. At such a young age, not only did Zhou Yue's intelligence surpass everyone else's, but his appearance was also unparalleled.
Look, look!
Although Zhou Yue had also spent seven days and seven nights working in the factory, apart from looking a bit tired and having a ring of stubble on his chin, he was still as pleasing to the eye as ever.
Unlike him, who's all sloppy and disheveled, he'll definitely get nagged by his wife when he gets back.
"Engineer Luo."
Interrupted from his thoughts, Zhou Yue snapped back to reality, his face regaining its usual reserved and composed expression.
The two walked out of the factory area together. As someone who had been through similar experiences, Luo Yuquan understood Zhou Yue's feelings very well and comforted him, "Engineer Zhou, it's not your fault. First, send a telegram back to let your brother and sister-in-law know you're safe, and then write a letter back to explain things to them properly."
Zhou Yue nodded upon hearing this. He couldn't leave right now, so this was the only thing he could do.
A deep sense of guilt welled up in Zhou Yue's heart, melting away into the night as his figure receded into the distance.
A note from the author:
----------------------
See you tomorrow, babies!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
