Chapter 168 Red Bean and the Boy (1)
Taotao's journey home was somewhat tortuous.
The main reason is that we have two young children and a lot of luggage.
Tao Tao was in charge of leading Xiao Feibai, carrying a bag on her back and another bag in her hand; Song Zhi had Xiao Momo hanging on his chest, a big bag on his back, and two big bags on a shoulder pole...
The couple only breathed a sigh of relief after they took their children on the train and put their luggage away.
Tao Tao suddenly remembered something and asked Song Zhi, "Should we go to Nandu? It's been so long and he hasn't met Feifei and Momo yet. Besides, you're going abroad soon and you'll be gone for two years..."
Song Zhi was silent.
After a moment, he slowly shook his head, "No need."
Having said that, while reversing at the transfer station, Song Zhi settled Taotao and her son in a state-owned restaurant for dinner. He hurried to the post office and made a phone call to Nandu.
When he came back, he said nothing and his face looked frighteningly gloomy.
Taotao sighed.
She discussed it with Song Zhi, "I thought about it, why don't we change the route and go to our hometown Song City! Think about it, we haven't been back for the New Year for two years, and you're going abroad next month, and it will be another two years... Now it's summer vacation, Xingxing and Song Sui should be at home, when we get there, we'll call Third Sister and ask her to come back... In this way, at least we can have a reunion."
Song Zhi had no objection.
So the couple simply found a guesthouse to stay in. Song Zhi went to refund the train ticket back to Kyoto and bought new train tickets to Matsu City. Taotao took the children to take a nap in the guesthouse. After Song Zhi came back, the family of four strolled around the train station together and bought a lot of gifts for their family.
After a night's rest, the family set out on their journey home.
After another day and night of travel, Taotao and her family finally arrived in Song City, her and Song Zhi's home.
I took out the key and opened the door to the courtyard, which was full of lush greenery.
It can be seen that this yard is well taken care of by the family.
The grape vines in the middle of the courtyard have already wrapped around the trellis, with lush green leaves and hanging fruits in between. Bunches of green grapes as big as thumbs are heavy and still covered with frost.
Momo pointed at the green grapes, drooling with greed, "Guoguo! Guoguo! Eat Guoguo!"
Xiao Feibai corrected him, "It's grapes!"
——Taotao also planted grape vines in the Lingxi greenhouse, but the soil there was not fertile, and the grapes grown there were small and sour. In late summer, Tao Tao would pick very sour grapes, cut them in half with a knife, and then marinate them with white sugar.
The kids love it.
Taotao smiled and said, "The grapes are not ripe yet, they are sour! Mom will go buy some sugar later and pick a few bunches for you to pickle with sugar, okay?"
The two little guys nodded their heads vigorously, "Okay, okay!", "Buy some candy, buy some candy!"
In the corner of the yard stood a newly built wooden rocking horse.
Momo ran over immediately, "Horse! Wuzhui!" He is already one year and four months old. He has not been picky about food since he started eating complementary food. He is tall, walks steadily, and speaks fluently.
Moreover, Feifei and Momo are somewhat different.
Although Feifei is the older brother, he is more like Taotao in appearance, temperament and personality. Smart, clever, and a little bit temperamental. Momo is more like Song Zhi, he can talk but doesn't like to talk. Although he is small, he has big ideas in his mind.
Sometimes Taotao can't do anything about him.
But Momo listens to his brother very much.
In front of his brother, Momo is just a child without personality and principles.
Seeing Momo running to play on the rocking horse, Taotao felt a little worried and followed over to take a look.
——The wooden rocking horse looks brand new, and all its parts are polished very smoothly, leaving absolutely no place that could hurt the child.
Taotao smiled and helped Momo sit on the rocking horse, then started rocking it again and again.
She and Song Zhi continued to look around the yard.
Needless to say, the front yard was well groomed. The flowers planted in the corner were in full bloom, the tables and chairs under the grape vines were wiped clean, and against the wall were half-worn brooms and dustpans, filled with dead leaves and the like.
The vegetable garden in the backyard is even more beautiful. Peppers, celery, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, eggplants, green beans and loofahs are planted along the fence, and the plump and solid fruits make people happy at the sight!
Let's take a walk around the living room and kitchen...
The living room was kept clean and the bonsai under the window and on the bookshelf were also well taken care of. There were even a few snacks tied with brown paper and fine linen string on the coffee table?
Taotao opened the boxes curiously and took a look: a bag of roasted melon seeds, a bag of White Rabbit milk candies, and a bag of candied apricots wrapped in cellophane that looked particularly high-end!
She smiled, tore off the cellophane, picked up a piece of apricot and put it in her mouth.
Still fresh.
I guess her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law often put some food here...it's like she has always been here.
Taotao held the sweet and sour apricot in her mouth, but tears were streaming down her face.
——Is this the feeling of being loved by your family?
Seeing Song Zhi go to the kitchen, she quickly wiped away her tears and followed him.
Their kitchen seemed a little deserted because they hadn't cooked in a long time. There was no firewood, rice, oil or salt, but there were still a hundred coal briquettes in the corner of the kitchen.
The couple went upstairs again to see——
Taotao and Song Zhi's rooms were also tidy and clean. However, because no one had lived there for a long time, there was no bedding on the bed. When I opened the closet, I found that all the bedding was neatly stored in the closet!
There were two small beds in the small room next door, and a lot of children's clothes were neatly arranged in the closet, some of which were too small for Green Bean and Potato, and some were newly bought...
Taotao touched the small clothes and found that they were all very soft.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the bitterness that was about to well up in her eyes, and told Song Zhi, "While the sun is strong now, let's take the quilt and blanket down to dry them in the sun. This will get rid of the smell of the mothballs and make it more comfortable to sleep at night."
Song Zhi agreed.
So the couple went downstairs holding the quilt.
Just as I finished drying all the quilts, Feifei called out to her mother, "Mom, look!"
Taotao looked over and saw that there was a ball basket installed on the wall in the corner of the yard. Under the ball basket was a bamboo basket with more than a dozen brightly colored balls, each of which was the size of an adult's palm. Judging from the color, it's also brand new.
Feifei picked up a ball and tried to throw it towards the basket.
No.
The little guy picked up another ball and threw it...
It took seven or eight throws before it finally went in.
Xiao Feifei clapped his hands happily, picked up the ball that had rolled on the floor, and then took his brother's hand and ran to the living room to find his parents.
Feifei, "Mom! Is this our home too?"
Momo, "Where will Momo and brother sleep?"
Tao Tao was packing her luggage in the living room with Song Zhi and said with a smile: "Yes! This is also our home..."
Feifei looked at this beautiful room, "Mom! It's so beautiful here! I like it here!"
Mo Mo was very puzzled, "Here? Mo Mo and his brother's home?" No matter how strong his language skills were, he was just a one-year-old child.
But Taotao certainly knew what her son was wondering - why is this Momo and his brother's home? Momo has never been here.
Taotao's eyes were a little wet. "This is my parents' first home. It's not far from my grandparents' home and my uncle and aunt's home. When we're not at home, this place is still so beautiful and clean because my grandma and aunt often come to help us clean up..."
Mo Mo had a new doubt, "Aunt?"
——He knows grandma and grandpa, mom often says. But what is an aunt?
Taotao explained to her sons, "Mom has two older brothers. You call my older brother uncle. You should call my eldest uncle's wife aunt...Aunt is a very nice person and loves you very much!"
Feifei and Momo nodded repeatedly.
Song Zhi was in a bad mood and looked unhappy along the way.
Only after entering the yard did he put on a smile again, "Come, let's hurry up and pack up. When we're done, we'll take you to your grandparents' house!"
Feifei is a little older and still has a good impression of her cousins from her grandmother's family. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, okay! Let's play with Brother Potato..."
Song Zhi went to the kitchen to light the coal stove. He boiled several pots of hot water, and the family of four washed their hair, took a bath, did clothes, and packed their luggage. Then the family of four staggered to the Women's Federation office where Tang Liren worked.
It is about three o'clock in the afternoon.
Taotao's family washed their hair and took a bath at home, and did all kinds of cleaning... They didn't even have time for lunch. While Song Zhi was boiling hot water for his wife and children to take a bath, he also boiled a few eggs, so lunch was just two boiled eggs per person.
Now we are at the entrance of the Women's Federation——
The Women's Federation office is on the street. The weather in July is extremely hot. In the alley across the street, there are several vendors pushing carts. Some sell spicy hot pot, cold potato noodles, mung bean syrup and ice jelly, as well as cream popsicles.
Taotao took the children there and first bought some hot food from a vendor selling spicy hot pot, including tofu skin, sweet potato noodles, dough rolls, and some blanched vegetables... She was especially asked not to add chili sauce.
Taotao and the two children ate first.
The tofu skin cooked soft in the bone soup is delicious without dipping it in chili sauce, and it is so soft and rotten that even Mo Mo can eat it.
After the mother and her two children had eaten their fill, Taotao handed the enamel cup she had brought to Song Zhi. The vendors also provided enamel bowls, but they would not wash them carefully after the previous customer had finished eating. They would just rinse them casually before giving them to the next customer. Taotao thought it was not clean, so she brought out an enamel cup.
Song Zhi can eat spicy food.
At that moment, he sat there eating spicy soup, while Taotao and her two sons moved on to desserts, and the last person bought a cream popsicle.
After Song Zhi had his fill of spicy hot pot, Tao Tao simply bought a dozen cream popsicles, asked the vendor to tie them up with a rope, and walked into the Women's Federation Office with them, saying that she had something to ask Director Tang Liren.
After a while, Tang Liren ran down from upstairs in a hurry.
I haven't seen her for a whole year. Tang Liren has lost some weight, has her hair cut short, and looks very energetic.
She suddenly saw Taotao and was stunned at first, as if she couldn't believe it, and took a few steps back... Then she looked at Song Zhi, and then at her two grandsons...
Tang Liren cried and laughed while scolding Taotao, "You heartless guy! Why did you come back without saying anything? Didn't you say you were going back to Kyoto?"
As she spoke, she opened her arms and hugged Taotao, sobbing twice, "I was thinking of saving up a few days of vacation to go to Kyoto to see you guys..."
Then she let go of Taotao, looked at Song Zhi, and opened her arms.
Song Zhi was flattered and dared not move.
Tang Liren gave him a hug, patted his back, and said, "I know you're a good kid! You're the best and the most obedient... You sneaked here without saying a word, it must have been Bai Taozi who did it! But... Good! Great! Seeing how energetic you are, Mom knows that you're doing well, and Mom is very happy!"
Song Zhi's eyes instantly turned red.
Finally, Tang Liren looked at the pair of handsome boys.
The oldest one is Feifei, who is five years old this year. She has soft and slightly yellow curly hair and is as pretty as a girl. She tilted her head and looked at Tang Liren with a smile in her eyes. Her temperament is very similar to Taotao, and she looks mischievous.
The younger one is Momo, who is one and a half years old. He is very strong and has a face exactly like his brother. He didn't smile, but looked at Tang Liren seriously. His eyes were calm, but his body language was full of curiosity about Tang Liren... It was obvious at first glance that she was Song Zhi's child, and their temperament was exactly the same!
Tang Liren half-knelt down and opened her arms towards her two grandchildren.
Feifei dragged Momo over there——
"grandmother!"
"……grandmother!"
Tang Liren hugged her two grandchildren tightly, choking with tears and saying, "Grandma's dear grandchildren! Oh... Grandma misses you so much! Oh, I dream about you every day!"
Then he asked the children, "Do you miss grandma?"
Feifei nodded and said loudly: "I want to!"
Momo just kept looking at his grandmother without saying anything.
Tang Liren rubbed Feifei's head, then looked at Momo again.
——When she went to the Northwest to take care of her daughter when she gave birth to Momo two years ago, the child was only a tiny little kid. Now, after more than a year, the child can already run, jump and talk?
Tang Liren, with tears in her eyes, asked Momo, "What about you? Do you still recognize your grandma?"
Mo Mo hesitated for a moment, and said in a baby voice: "Grandma, smile..." As he spoke, he pointed to his dimples with both hands.
Then he stretched out his little hand and wiped towards Tang Liren's eyes, saying in a baby voice: "Grandma is crying..."
——The grandma in the photo is smiling, but now she is crying. It doesn’t look like that!
Xiao Feifei acted as an interpreter for his brother, "Grandma, my brother said you look different from the photo, please smile!"
Tang Liren sniffed and tried to smile.
Mo Mo pouted and kissed Tang Liren, "Grandma, grandma, smile..."
The sweet and sticky milk vibrato melted Tang Liren's heart, and she was reluctant to let go of the two children.
When they heard that Director Tang’s daughter and her family had returned, everyone from the Women’s Federation came out to watch the fun.
Everyone was fascinated by the two cute little girls.
Taotao quickly distributed the cream popsicles she bought to everyone.
Tang Liren sat on the sofa in the living room on the first floor, holding her two grandchildren in her arms, and asked Taotao, "When did you come back?"
"This morning! It was already past eleven when I got home!" Taotao replied.
Tang Liren's face turned serious, "Why don't you just go home?"
Tao Tao said with a smile: "We have traveled for several days and nights, and it is so hot today... We are like beggars! Should we go back there to irritate you? So we went back to take a shower and change clothes before coming here."
Tang Liren glared at him, "Do I think you stink? When you were born, you were the one who took care of you, didn't I?"
Taotao refused to give in, "...Mom!"
Tang Liren, "Okay, okay!" She lowered her head and asked her two grandchildren, "My dear grandchildren, what do you want to eat tonight? Let's go to a restaurant outside and have a good meal... ok?"
Tao Tao, "Mom! Don't go out to eat. We've been on this road... We've reversed three or four times and haven't had a home-cooked meal. Let's eat at home. Song Zhi and I will go buy some groceries now."
Tang Liren quickly noticed the clues and asked, "How many times did the car fall over?"
——The last time she took care of Taotao during her confinement, she only fell over twice when she came back. Why did Taotao say that they reversed the car three or four times?
Taotao smiled and said, "I fell four times! I originally planned to go back to Kyoto, but then I thought... I should go back to my hometown first!"
Tang Liren stared at her sharply, "What happened?"
"Nothing!" Taotao glanced at Song Zhi, meaning: Look how powerful my mother is, she is even more meticulous than the detectives in the movies.
Song Zhi just wanted to tell the truth.
Tao Tao quickly got ahead of him and said to Tang Liren: "... Well, it depends on how delicious the dinner is!"
Tang Liren quickly understood: this is a workplace after all, so if there is anything, she should go home and talk about it.
She was relieved, thinking that her daughter had indeed become much more mature and stable, no longer like before, unable to keep secrets and unable to tolerate grievances...
But the next second, she heard Taotao say with a smile: "...I'll go buy some stinky tofu later! Feifei hasn't tried it yet!"
When Feifei heard this, she clapped her hands happily, "Oh oh oh! Feifei can finally eat stinky tofu!"
Tang Liren:? ? ?
——No, my precious grandson has finally come back, how can I feed him stinky tofu?
Feifei looked up and said to Tang Liren very seriously, "Grandma, my mother said that stinky tofu is delicious! It has a characteristic, that is, it smells stinky, looks black, and is topped with chili oil... but it is actually very sweet, fragrant and sweet!"
Tang Liren was stunned.
Tao Tao, "Okay, let's go buy some stinky tofu!"
As soon as these words came out, Feifei cheered and broke free from Tang Liren's arms, "Okay! Mom, mom... let's go buy some stinky tofu!"
Mo Mo imitated, "Chew, yummy!"
Tang Liren cursed: "Bai Taozi! You are harming my beloved grandson!"
Bai Taotao stuck out her tongue.
Tang Liren simply asked for leave from work and went out with her daughter and her family. "It's fine to eat at home! At home... Hey, let's go to the market to buy some food first!"
The mother and daughter walked out hand in hand affectionately.
Song Zhi placed his youngest son on his shoulders, held Feifei's hand, and followed behind.
Tang Liren sighed, "It's good to go home and eat! It's good to liven up the atmosphere at home while you're here! Oh... It's been a long time since I had a good meal at home!"
Taotao sensed something wrong in her mother's tone and asked, "Mom, is this about Hongdou?"
Tang Liren sighed deeply, "Your sister-in-law was so angry with her... She was hospitalized once last year and again this year!"
Tao Tao's heart tightened, "What disease is it?"
"Breast tumor!"
Taotao screamed in shock, her eyes widened, anxious and angry, "Mom, why... didn't you tell me!"
Tang Liren quickly explained, "Don't be too nervous! It was your sister-in-law who didn't let me tell you. Not only did she not tell you, she also didn't tell Nansheng and Lizi. What your sister-in-law meant was that her tumor was benign. She was hospitalized last year to get a confirmed diagnosis... The doctor said it was benign and she should start with conservative treatment. She was hospitalized this year for a follow-up visit, and the doctor said the situation was okay, so she should continue with conservative treatment!"
Song Zhi interrupted, "If you are sick, you must treat it early. I know a few experts. The original owner of our house in the Kyoto Retirement Home also had a tumor. She listened carefully to the doctor's advice and was treated for several years. Now she has been cured..."
"Okay!" Tang Liren replied quickly, "... Don't worry, now that I've told you, I won't hide it from you anymore."
Then he sighed and said dejectedly, "It's impossible to hide it anyway!"
Taotao and Song Zhi looked at each other.
As she spoke, Tang Liren wiped away her tears. "You said that our family... When we were in Ruyi Village, although our family was poor, we loved each other, how wonderful! But now... in terms of the quality of life, it is simply a leap forward! We can eat well and dress beautifully, so why is there no peace in our family!"
Taotao didn't say anything and just listened to her mother quietly.
Tang Liren said, "... Last time you gave her an idea, saying that she should take the college entrance examination together with that second-rate guy. We told her about it when we came back, and she agreed. Then she taught that second-rate guy every day. Last year, Xingzi and Song Sui both passed the exam. In fact, Hongdou could have passed too, but maybe the second-rate guy's level was not good enough, so she didn't participate."
"When it came to this year, we said, let's sign up this year and give it a try. It doesn't matter if we don't pass, we can try again next year! Then the two of them took the exam, Hongdou passed, but the second-rate guy didn't... Then the second-rate guy said that he didn't want to study anymore and wanted to go traveling. Hongdou said..."
At this point, Tang Liren was so angry that she sobbed. It took her a long time to catch her breath. She choked and said, "Hongdou said that she would not go to college, and she wanted to go with the second-rate guy."
Taotao frowned.
Tang Liren continued, "We took turns to persuade her! At the beginning, she was willing to listen to our advice. But when we persuaded her, she left... I don't know if it was because of the advice from the other side, but she changed completely! She insisted on going with that idiot!"
"Huangdou was furious, so she went and beat up that scoundrel. After that, she refused to go home! Your eldest brother went to the scoundrel's house and brought her back. Now she is locked up at home! Even so, the scoundrel came to our house every day to wait, and whenever he had the chance, he wanted to take Hongdou away with him..."
Taotao frowned even more.
She took a deep breath and said, "Mom, let's take advantage of today to get rid of that scoundrel... Oh, you've also infected me! What's his name?"
Song Zhi interrupted again, "Fan Heng."
Tang Liren sobbed a few times and nodded, "Yes, his name is Fan Heng."
"Okay, then let's take advantage of our family being back today and cook a meal at home. Let Fan Heng come home with us, and we can sit down and have a good, calm talk." Tao Tao said.
Tang Liren said angrily: "What is there to talk about with such a person!"
"mom!"
Taotao said: "Hongdou is in adolescence now, and her thoughts... none of us can guess. Hongdou is a member of our family, and we can never give up on her. Now that her opinions differ from ours, we should sit down and have a good talk frankly, seeking common ground while reserving differences! Mom, you can't deny her the right to speak!"
Tang Liren was extremely annoyed.
Her instinct was to say: This child is beyond saving.
But she was also hoping, what if Hongdou was willing to listen to Taotao?
Finally, Tang Liren gritted her teeth and agreed, "Okay! I'll listen to you! But ha... let me be frank - I will never allow her to be with that second-rate guy..."
"Fan Heng!" Taotao corrected.
Tang Liren choked and had to reluctantly reiterate, "...I will never allow Hongdou to take Fan Heng away!"
Taotao smiled and patted her mother's shoulder. "Mom, calm down. If my uncle were here, he would definitely scold you...My dad was so poor back then, why did you insist on marrying him?"
Tang Liren was stunned.
Taotao and her mother went shopping in the vegetable market for a while and bought a lot of vegetables.
Of course, she bought main dishes like chicken, duck, fish and nets, but Taotao was more craving for vegetables, so she bought almost all the vegetables available on the market!
On the way back, Song Zhi carried Mo Mo on his shoulders and his hands were full of things; Taotao also had a lot of things in her hands. Tang Liren held Feifei's hand, looking very satisfied. They all walked back to the family quarters of the Municipal Party Committee compound together.
When everyone was about to approach the downstairs of their house, a tall and thin boy squatting not far away seemed to be startled, suddenly stood up and ran away in a panic...
Tang Liren fiercely said "Pooh" towards the man behind her.
Taotao looked carefully, and then carefully recalled the quick glimpse she had just had with the boy. She realized that the boy was indeed very handsome.
No wonder Hongdou fell.
Everyone went upstairs and Tang Liren knocked on the door, using a secret code.
Knock once, knock three times, knock once, knock three more times...
Taotao burst out laughing.
The door was opened from the inside.
A beautiful girl stood at the door and asked curiously, "Mom? Why are you back so early..."
Then stay still.
She stared at Taotao with her eyes wide open for a long while.
Taotao smiled and went forward to hug her, "My silly Xingxing! Oh, why are you so silly! Your fourth sister is so beautiful, didn't you recognize her?"
Bai Xingxing was hugged by her sister, but she still couldn't react.
Taotao let go and tilted her head to look at Xingxing curiously, then stretched out her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, "Xingzi? Silly Xingxing?!"
Bai Xingxing looked at her sister infatuatedly, and suddenly hugged her, choking with sobs, "Sister! Fourth sister!"
"It's me! I'm back!" Taotao smiled and gently stroked her silly sister's back.
Xing Xing cried, "Am I dreaming? Wuuwu... My fourth sister is back? Mom! Mom... My fourth sister is back!"
Tang Liren's eyes were red, and she sobbed, "They're back! They're back! This bunch of heartless people arrived in the morning, and then they didn't come over. They went to their own yard first, took a shower and changed clothes before coming to my unit!"
At this time, a timid voice sounded, "Fourth Aunt?"
Xing Xing loosened her hand, wiped away her tears, and made way for her, "Fourth sister, come in quickly..." Then she saw the taller Xiao Feibai and the little Momo she met for the first time, and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Wow, our little Feifei is so cute! Oh, this is little Momo, right? I'm your fifth aunt!"
Taotao walked into the house sideways and saw a young girl standing in the room, looking at her with surprise in her eyes?
She smiled and greeted the young girl, "Hongdou?"
It has to be said that the Bai family has very strong beauty genes, and the female family members are all very beautiful.
——Bai Lili is gentle, shy and very friendly.
——Taotao is beautiful, smart and clever.
——Xingxing is sweet and charming, and her every frown and smile reveals her innocence and naivety.
——Hongdou is a beautiful lady with bright eyes like water and snow-white skin. When she smiles, two shallow dimples appear on her lips, which is so cute.
Taotao gave Hongdou a big hug without hesitation!
Hongdou's body stiffened.
Soon, she hugged Taotao gently.
Tao Tao called Song Zhi over and said with a smile: "...Can you still remember how you looked when you first saw Hong Dou?"
Hongdou timidly greeted Song Zhi, "Hello, Fourth Uncle."
Song Zhi looked at the red beans with a smile, without saying anything, and compared with his hands - the red beans were only this high before, but now they are this high.
"Hongdou! You have really changed a lot!" Taotao said with a smile.
Hongdou lowered her head deeply.
Tao Tao sighed, but didn't show it on her face, she just asked Hong Dou, "Where are your brothers?"
Hongdou said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "They are in the big flat (the house assigned to Bai Dongsheng) and only come back for dinner."
Taotao smiled and said, "I bought a lot of vegetables today. Come on, let's make something delicious together?"
Hongdou didn't dare to look up and just said "OK", but her eyes glanced at Feifei and Momo, her eyes filled with uncontrollable joy.
Taotao smiled.
So Hongdou still has feelings for her family.
"Fei Fei, Mo Mo, come and say hello to Sister Hong Dou." Tao Tao ordered.
Two pink balls ran over -
"Wow, Sister Hongdou is so beautiful!"
"Red beans, piaopiao!"
Hongdou smiled, first picked up Xiao Momo, turned him around a few times, and then put him down; then she picked up Xiao Feifei... However, Xiao Feifei's weight was a little too heavy for her, so she turned around once and stopped.
The three siblings gathered together to talk -
"All three of our names have colors in them!"
"Yes! Sister Hongdou is red! I am white and my brother is black!"
"Red! White! Black..."
Taotao whispered quickly to Song Zhi.
Song Zhi nodded.
Taotao yelled, "Mom, Xingxing! Let's cook. When Dad and Big Brother and Big Sister get off work, we can have a good meal!"
Tang Liren and Xingxing carried the large and small bags of vegetables that were temporarily placed in the corridor into the house.
Tao Tao then instructed Song Zhi, "Go back and get all the things we brought. When everyone is together in the evening, we can share some among everyone."
Tang Liren's eyes widened. "What are you bringing back home? You two are carrying two small children! What if something goes wrong on the way?"
Tao Tao, "After all, I went out and saw the scenery that I can't see normally!"
Hongdou glanced at Taotao quickly and lowered her eyelids again.
Song Zhi asked Tang Liren, "Mom, is there anything you want me to buy on the way?"
Tang Liren, "No, no! In fact, you don't have to go at all... save some time, you've been tired for many days!"
Song Zhi smiled and said, "Not tired."
So he went out.
Tao Tao asked loudly: "Mom, how do you cook the eggplant you bought?"
Tang Liren, "How else can it be cooked? Braised with sauce! Our Song Zhi likes braised eggplant with sauce the most!"
When passing by Hongdou, Tang Liren glared at her and whispered, "...Go back to the house!"
Hongdou pursed her lips and turned her head to the side.
"Mom, don't be like this," Xing Xing said to Tang Liren, then turned to Hong Dou and said, "Take your brother out to play!"
Hongdou nodded, hugged Feifei and Momo and went to the balcony to play.
Taotao watched the interaction between her mother and Hongdou and thought, it was just as her mother said, they used to be such a close family, how did it come to this today?
Taotao followed her mother and Xingxing into the kitchen. Looking around, she found an apron and prepared to put it on.
Tang Liren and Xingxing are both good at cooking. They felt sorry for Taotao who had just returned and didn't want her to get tired, so they snatched the apron she was holding and kicked her out.
"Go outside and have a rest!" said Tang Liren.
Xing Xing lowered her voice and added, "Keep an eye on Hong Dou, don't let her go out!"
Taotao said okay with a smile and walked out of the kitchen.
There's no one in the living room.
The sound of Hongdou, Feifei and Momo talking could be heard from the balcony.
Taotao followed the sound and saw the siblings sitting on small stools on the balcony, talking and smiling.
However, every time Hongdou talked to her brothers, she would look down at the balcony.
Taotao also stretched her head and looked outside.
——There were several sycamore trees growing downstairs, and under the tree canopy stood a handsome young man. He was the one who had been squatting there before and ran away when he saw Tang Liren.
The young man kept looking up at Hongdou on the balcony, but suddenly he found... there was suddenly a young and beautiful woman next to Hongdou?
The young man was so frightened that he turned around and immediately hid behind the paulownia tree.
Hongdou was also startled by this, and turned around to see——
Seeing it was Taotao, she blinked and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, "Fourth Aunt..."
Taotao saw the fear and relief in Hongdou's eyes, and couldn't help but smile and asked Hongdou, "Is that your friend?"
Hongdou’s face turned pale.
She lowered her head, hesitated for a long time, said "hmm", and nodded slightly.
"Is he a very important friend to you?" Taotao asked again.
Hongdou raised her head and looked at Taotao, without saying a word for a long time.
——In the past two years, things between her and Fan Heng had become so strained that she didn’t believe that her family hadn’t told Fourth Aunt.
But this was asked by Fourth Aunt herself, so...
Anko nodded again.
Tao Tao smiled and said, "Since he is a very important friend of yours, why don't you go downstairs now and invite him up... I've cooked delicious food at home tonight, shall we have a meal together?"
Hongdou was stunned.
She looked at Taotao carefully, as if trying to figure out whether Fourth Aunt was joking with her.
She saw the smile on Taotao's face, the same as before.
"Is it really possible?" Hongdou said with a trembling voice.
Tao Tao smiled and said, "It's just a meal. I can make the decision as your Fourth Auntie... Then go downstairs now and invite him up, okay?"
"Now? I, I go downstairs?" Hongdou widened her eyes in surprise.
—— Her grandparents, parents and family members all opposed her relationship with Fan Heng and would rather lock her up at home. Now, Fourth Aunt asked her to go downstairs? Aren’t you afraid that she will run away?
Taotao smiled and nodded, "Yes! I can go and call him up. But he is too timid... I'm afraid that after I go downstairs, he will run faster than anyone else."
Anko smiled.
But the smile was bitter.
After hesitating for a while, she stood up and bowed to Taotao, "Fourth Aunt, thank you for your trust. Then I will... go downstairs and call him up. Don't worry, I, I won't run away!"
"Go quickly!" Taotao said with a smile.
Hongdou took a deep breath, turned around and walked to the living room, then looked towards the kitchen guiltily...
She couldn't help but lighten her steps, ran towards the door quietly, quickly unlocked the door, slipped out, locked the door again, and flew downstairs.
Tang Liren heard the door lock outside and ran out to check, asking, "Taotao, is Song Zhi back? So soon?"
Tao Tao answered truthfully: "Song Zhi hasn't come back yet! I asked Hong Dou to go downstairs and call Fan Heng up, and we will have dinner together later."
Tang Liren was stunned.
Xing Xing also came out of the kitchen and said anxiously, "Oh no! Dad was so angry at that kid that he almost fainted! Big brother and big sister-in-law can't accept him either..."
Having said that, Xingxing wanted to rush downstairs and stop Hongdou.
Taotao hugged Xingxing at the right time.
"Mom, Xingxing! Even if the family is in such a mess, they will still be together!" Taotao tried her best to calm herself down, hoping to guide her mother and sister to not be so excited.
"So, are you calm?
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