Chapter 827 Aunt Liu's Family Affairs Aunt Liu took two days off, carrying homemade snacks and new clothes for her grandchildren, and happily walked towards her son Liu Dong's house.
Thinking about seeing her eldest son's family, especially her two precious grandchildren, her steps became lighter.
But as soon as I turned into the alley where my son lived, I saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure squatting outside the gate.
The man was wearing work clothes, had his hair shaved short, and was smoking with his head down.
Aunt Liu stopped abruptly, her smile freezing instantly and turning somber.
The person squatting down heard footsteps, looked up, and saw her youngest son, Liu, who had been missing for several years and whose mere thought of him caused her heartache.
Liu's eyes were initially timid, then she forced a fawning smile, stood up, and stammered, "Mother..."
This cry of "Mother" did not bring Aunt Liu any joy; instead, it was like lighting a fuse.
She rushed forward, each word dripping with anger: "You still know how to come back? You still recognize your mother? Huh? You still have the nerve to come here to your brother!"
She looked Liu up and down, noticing his dusty work clothes and his sun-tanned face. A surge of anger mixed with bitterness welled up inside her: "Don't you have any guts? If you have guts, why did you run away and abandon your family? What are you doing here now?"
Liu was scolded by his mother, his head drooping lower and lower, the cigarette butt in his hand falling to the ground, which he crushed out with his foot.
His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and suddenly, with a "thump," he knelt straight down on the hard ground in front of Aunt Liu.
This kneeling silenced Aunt Liu, leaving her speechless.
“Mother… I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. I was a terrible person before, a scoundrel, causing you so much worry and bringing shame to our family…”
He wiped his face with his hand and continued, "For the past year, I've been working on construction sites in the south of the city, carrying bricks and mixing cement. I do whatever is tiring. I just got paid, and instead of spending it recklessly, I thought I'd come and see my older brother first."
As he spoke, he pulled a small bag wrapped tightly in a handkerchief from his pocket, clumsily opened it, revealing a neatly folded stack of banknotes inside. He held it out to Aunt Liu with both hands, saying, "This...this is my wages. I've set aside money for meals, and the rest is all here. Please take it..."
Aunt Liu looked at her youngest son kneeling before her, weeping bitterly, and felt a mix of emotions.
"Do you really know you were wrong and won't do it again?"
“I promise, I swear, I will definitely not do it again.”
Aunt Liu sighed, "Get up."
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Liu Dong and Ma Hongxia, a married couple, returned carrying vegetable baskets.
Upon entering and seeing this scene, both of them were taken aback.
Ma Hongxia reacted quickly, putting down her basket and taking two steps forward to support Aunt Liu, who was trembling with anger. She gently advised, "Mother, don't be anxious. Xiao... he has indeed been different lately."
As she spoke, she gave Liu Dong, who was standing next to her, a wink.
Liu Dong understood and walked over as well. Looking at his younger brother kneeling on the ground, his tone was complex yet carried a hint of elder brother's composure: "Mom, Hongxia is right. These past few months, Xiao'er has been sending Nian'er's living expenses over on time every month after he gets his wages. He's become much more reliable. Last time he came, he even helped fix the leaky faucet in the yard. He really knows he's on the right path."
As Aunt Liu listened to her eldest son and daughter-in-law's words, she looked down at Liu Yi, who was kneeling on the ground with his shoulders trembling slightly, and her tense expression finally eased a little.
She didn't say anything more, but turned around and silently opened the bag she had brought, taking out a lunchbox from it.
Lifting the lid, you can see neatly arranged walnut shortbread and animal-shaped cookies that she specially baked today, and their aroma immediately wafts out.
Liu Nian, who had been hiding behind her mother and looking timidly at her father kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but peek out when she smelled the fragrance.
Dog Egg paid no heed to the undercurrents among the adults and pounced over with a cheer.
Dog Egg excitedly grabbed a piece, stuffed it into his mouth, and ate it with a crunchy sound, his face full of satisfaction.
Liu Nian glanced at her grandmother, then quickly looked at her father who was still kneeling. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out her little hand and carefully took a piece of walnut pastry, taking small bites of it.
Although Liu Nian is not his biological daughter, he changed her diapers when she was little and genuinely loved her for a period of time.
After that, he was blinded by hatred.
Aunt Liu didn't say anything more and turned to go to the kitchen to cook. Liu Dong followed her, saying, "Mom, you can cook now."
She even winked at Liu, asking him to come and help. Although Liu couldn't cook, he could help out.
She immediately took the work from Aunt Liu's hands, saying, "Come here, come here, Mom, sit down and rest."
Looking at her youngest son's anxious yet clumsy manner, Aunt Liu felt a strange emptiness in her heart, as her hands suddenly felt empty.
She didn't insist anymore, letting Liu take the bundle of vegetables away. She silently walked to the stone bench in the yard and sat down, but her gaze involuntarily followed her two sons into the kitchen.
A series of clanging and banging sounds immediately came from the kitchen, mixed with Liu's somewhat flustered movements.
"Brother, how do I wash these vegetables? Can I just rinse them?"
"Oh no, salt! Where did you put the salt?"
"What do you think of this size? Is it big enough?"
While deftly slicing the meat into shreds, Liu Dong instructed, "Rub it gently, you've rubbed the vegetable leaves to shreds... The salt is in that jar on the left... The 'B' is too big, make it smaller, yes, like this."
Aunt Liu sat outside, listening to the sounds inside, and her tightly clenched lips relaxed slightly.
She could picture her youngest son wandering around the cramped kitchen, clumsy and awkward in everything he did.
In the past, she would have rushed in and scolded him long ago.
But today, she just listened quietly.
Ma Hongxia smiled and handed Aunt Liu a glass of water, then sat down next to her and whispered, "Mom, just let the two brothers keep busy. Little Liu really wants to show off, so please give him a chance."
Just then, Liu Nian finished her walnut pastry, snuggled up to Aunt Liu's leg, tilted her little face up, looked at her grandmother with her bright black eyes, and whispered:
"Grandma, Dad... Dad came for the last time and bought me a doll."
She patted Liu Nian's head without saying anything.
In the kitchen, under her brother's guidance, Liu finally managed to cook the rice and wash and chop the vegetables.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned his head, and saw his mother talking to Niannian.
Thinking back on the terrible things he had done in the past, he felt extremely ashamed and vowed to spend the rest of his life making amends.
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