After the family of three had lunch, Chen Xingling went upstairs to take a nap.
Gu Qi felt sorry for her because she hadn't slept well these past few nights, so he told her to sleep an extra hour or two, since it didn't matter if she paid her New Year's greetings a little later.
Little Huzi was bombarded by the snoring of Gu Yi and Ma Dali last night, and he didn't sleep well. He went back to his room to sleep, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
Gu Qi stood behind his son and watched the little guy take off his coat and sweater, then cover himself with his own quilt. Only then did he feel at ease to close the door and then quietly go downstairs.
He checked the time. It was about 10:30 in the afternoon.
After closing the gate, he got on his bicycle and slowly rode towards the north gate of the shipyard.
The factory was quiet everywhere, except for the faint voices on the first floor facing the river and in the dormitory area.
Gu Qi parked his bicycle in the stairwell, went upstairs quietly, and knocked on his door.
After a while, Gu Xuan opened the door carefully: "Brother."
Gu Qi nodded and walked in sideways. The first thing he saw was a cold steamed bun, a cup of steaming hot water, and a small piece of shriveled beef jerky on a plate on the dining table.
"Ah Xuan, are you having lunch?"
Gu Xuan replied: "Just about to eat. Brother, have you eaten yet?"
"I'm full." Gu Qi looked around and asked, "Why are you the only one home? Where's mom? Isn't she coming back for lunch?"
Gu Xuan shook his head: "She went out early in the morning. She didn't come back at noon these few days, so I ate alone."
"The cafeteria isn't open yet." Gu Qi said gently, "It's hard to cook for one person. You should go to Sanyuan to eat before school starts."
Gu Xuan lowered his eyes, pinched the cold steamed bun and said nothing.
Gu Qi looked at the deserted home, and then looked at his sister who was always cold and silent.
"You have a bicycle, and it only takes an hour to get to Sanyuan. Your sister-in-law is not a stingy person, and the family doesn't need a pair of chopsticks from you. You are under great pressure from studying now, so you should eat more nutritiously every day. If you don't get enough nutrition and rest, your health will be worrying, and your grades will naturally not be able to keep up. This is what your sister-in-law said herself."
"...Okay." Gu Xuan nodded.
She knew that her elder brother had not lied to her, and there was no need to lie.
She has known her sister-in-law for almost a year, and she knows her sister-in-law very well.
Gu Qi said again: "I'm going out to look for mom."
After saying this, he turned around and walked out——
"Brother." Gu Xuan stood there at a loss, holding the steamed bun, his eyes slightly apprehensive: "Where are you going to find mom?"
Gu Qi saw through it immediately, and said calmly: "I have already guessed where she is. Don't worry. I won't let you worry about things that are not your business."
"I can't control it either." Gu Xuan whispered, "I really can't control it."
Gu Qi nodded: "I know. Your brother and I don't blame you."
Gu Xuan asked anxiously: "Brother, what will you do to Mom?"
"Nothing." Gu Qi stood straight as always, his expression calm, "She is our biological mother, insulting her is disrespectful to her. She can make mistakes, but we should not be unfilial. It is her fault if she is stupid and makes mistakes, and it is our fault if we are unfilial."
Gu Xuan lowered his eyes and didn't ask any more questions.
Gu Qi had already made up his mind. He said softly, "After you've eaten, pack up the clothes that Mom usually wears, including her coats, hats, shoes and socks, and put them in the big suitcase in the corner. Find another bag, put some dry food and beef jerky in it, and go to the kitchen to get a military kettle and fill it with hot water. Ah Xuan, have you remembered everything?"
"Remember." Gu Xuan nodded slightly.
Gu Qi turned around and went downstairs.
…
When Chen Xingling woke up, it was already past two o'clock.
She could faintly hear voices downstairs, and her son's laughter. She quickly dressed, washed, and went downstairs.
I saw Xiaohuzi playing "Eagle Catches Chicken" with Ma Dali on the grass, while Zhao Xiaoxing was beating a big quilt in the sun.
"Sister-in-law!" Zhao Xiaoxing grinned, "The sun is shining brightly here. I'll bring our quilts over to dry in the sun."
Chen Xingling drank some water and nodded, then called Ma Dali to go out together.
"Xiao Xing, you stay and keep Xiao Huzi company. You and A Yi should come over for dinner. There's still a lot of food left in the kitchen."
Zhao Xiaoxing didn't bother to be polite and quickly said yes.
Chen Xingling handed the remaining water to his son, got on his bicycle, took Ma Dali with him, and hurried to Chongwen Middle School.
Ma Dali couldn't help asking, "Did you bring a gift for the teacher?"
"A bag of tea." Chen Xingling replied: "I don't dare to bring too much, I'm afraid Teacher Lin won't accept it."
Ma Dali smiled and explained, "I also knew that the teacher would not randomly collect things, so I brought her some freshly made crispy dumplings from home. The family was going to worship the gods the next day, so they made three or four plates of crispy dumplings in the morning."
"Did you bring it to me?" Chen Xingling asked bluntly.
Ma Dali laughed in silence: "It's on top of the first cabinet in the kitchen. There are mung bean paste and red bean paste."
"Thank you!" Chen Xingling changed the subject and asked, "Is your brother sure he wants to transfer to the liberal arts class?"
Ma Dali replied: "Sure. He has the documents for returning to the city as a migrant youth, as well as his high school admission certificate. Logically, he can go to Chongwen Middle School to register. However, I heard that it is a bit crowded now, so I still need to discuss it with Teacher Lin to ensure that there is a place."
"I heard that the number of students majoring in liberal arts is relatively small." Chen Xingling explained: "When I signed up for my sister-in-law, Teacher Lin said so. If the teacher chooses liberal arts, there should be no problem."
Ma Dali didn't know what he was thinking of, and sighed softly behind his back.
"I haven't been home these past two days, and that widowed sister-in-law surnamed Lin... has started to make trouble again. It's New Year's Day, but she has to make the family restless... This has made me more determined - I must let my husband go to college."
Chen Xingling pedaled his bike and asked curiously, "What happened?"
Ma Dali smiled bitterly, "I heard that on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the widowed sister-in-law asked her daughter to wish her husband and Sanyue a happy new year, and asked her to call her husband 'Dad'. The daughter didn't dare to call him that, and her husband kept shaking his head. The widowed sister-in-law started crying, saying that her husband still despised her and her daughter in his heart and didn't want them to join this big family."
"What happened next?" Chen Xingling asked.
Ma Dali sighed, "What else can we do? It's nothing. She even told her husband that she hoped he wouldn't go to school, otherwise she was worried that she and her daughter would be left alone and unable to make ends meet. Her husband told her that I had personally promised that as long as there was food at home, they and her daughter would definitely have a share, so she could relax. But she still cried and kept saying that her husband would abandon them sooner or later."
"She just has to get involved with your boss." Chen Xingling smiled bitterly: "You can't persuade her, otherwise you will be wrong. In the final analysis, this is actually a dispute between your boss and her. As long as you can persuade your brother, everything else will be solved sooner or later."
Ma Dali whispered: "Yes, I think so too."
Chen Xingling said: "Please make this happen. When I return to school and get admitted to university and move away from Yucheng, things will naturally be different."
Ma Dali couldn't help but worry: "I'm really worried that she will keep pestering me...if Li goes to college and has a better future, she will probably not let go."
"Time is the best way to test people's hearts." Chen Xingling whispered, "We have only been together for a short time, and you haven't had much contact with her, so it's hard to judge what kind of person she is right away. If she can keep her heart and wait for her to graduate and complete her studies, then you won't be able to say anything."
"Yeah." Ma Dali suddenly gained confidence and said, "From what I can see now, her mind is not pure, and she has all kinds of tricks. Such a person will definitely not be able to stand a few years of loneliness."
"I've already told you, just wait and see!" Chen Xingling reminded.
"Yes, yes! You are right!"
"Also, I'm going to learn how to ride a bicycle tomorrow! Do you know how heavy you are? Usually, it's Aqi who carries me! You're a grown man, and you want me, a girl, to carry you - isn't that embarrassing?"
"Haha! Don't be ashamed! You are not an ordinary woman!"
"An extraordinary woman doesn't necessarily have to be graceful!"
"No, you are very graceful."
"This is the last time. This won't happen again!"
"Ha ha!"
…
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