On his way home from the park, Li Hongru was not at peace. In order to avoid being noticed by Zhang Weifang, he stopped outside the door for a long time before walking in.
"Hey, you're back so soon? Let's eat first." Zhang Weifang and Hu Zi had just put down their bowls and chopsticks when they saw Li Hongru coming back, and she hurried to scoop up some rice.
"Dad, ride the big tiger." Hu Zi rides on his father to play every day. When he sees Li Hongru, his energy becomes high again.
"Huzi, let daddy eat first. Mommy will take you to wash up and we can play later."
"Dad, wait for me, Mom, let's go." Hu Zi anxiously pushed his mother to the bathroom to wash her face.
Since Zhang Weishuang left, Hu Zi also had the right to enter the bathroom. He liked to take a bath in the basin with a bunch of toys in the water. Hu Zi always played while taking a bath.
Li Hongru finished his meal in two or three bites, and then washed the dishes as usual.
However, that night, he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
The next day at work, Li Hongru felt uneasy. Sure enough, after get off work, he saw Liu Shuangshuang at the factory gate again. This time, Liu Shuangshuang brought her daughter Zhu Yuanyuan with her.
Zhu Yuanyuan is 6 years old this year. She is a well-behaved and obedient little girl, and she is as beautiful as her mother.
Last night, Liu Shuangshuang left Zhu Yuanyuan alone in the guesthouse. When she went back, Zhu Yuanyuan was scared and cried, so she was particularly clingy today and insisted on following her.
Li Hongru felt very annoyed when he saw Liu Shuangshuang again. Wang Yang next to him asked him:
"Hongru, is this your relative? He came here once yesterday."
Li Hongru also knew that being alone with a woman was not a good reputation, so he gave a few vague responses and said goodbye to Wang Yang.
Liu Shuangshuang stood there, not caring at all about the looks others gave her. She just wanted to send the child away quickly. She had made an agreement with others to leave before the New Year.
At that time, there were no teahouses or coffee shops in the county town, so Li Hongru had to take Liu Shuangshuang to a state-owned hotel.
Li Hongru was very cautious along the way. He was feeling very guilty and was afraid of meeting acquaintances.
When they arrived at the state-owned restaurant, Liu Shuangshuang ordered two dishes at random and started talking again from yesterday.
She started by playing the emotional card today, recalling the past between the two of them, and then took out a cloth bag containing a stack of money, which was Zhu Yuanyuan's child support.
Seeing that Li Hongru still refused to agree, she took her last resort. She slapped Zhu Yuanyuan in front of everyone in the restaurant. It was the first time Zhu Yuanyuan had been beaten since she was a child. She was so scared that she started crying.
Now, everyone in the restaurant started pointing fingers at them, and some even started to persuade them:
"The child is still young, so talk to him nicely. You, as a man, should also comfort him."
Li Hongru is now in a difficult situation. Under the pressure of public opinion, he can only choose to leave the state-owned hotel, and Liu Shuangshuang also followed him out.
After leaving the restaurant, the two came to a secluded place, and Li Hongru emphasized again:
"Liu Shuangshuang, I'm already married and have children. I can't help you raise your child. You should find someone else. If you come to me again, I'll have no choice but to go to the police station."
"Li Hongru, how can you be so heartless? Considering our previous good relationship, can't you help me?" Liu Shuangshuang's face was full of grievance and impatience.
She didn't expect the matter to be so difficult. She wasn't unwilling to pay, so why couldn't Li Hongru help her? Besides, Yuanyuan was so well-behaved and wouldn't cause her any trouble.
The more Liu Shuangshuang thought about it, the angrier she became. She decided to talk directly to Li Hongru's wife. She didn't believe that the woman didn't love money either.
She had done some research. Li Hongru's annual salary was only 500 yuan, Zhang Weifang was unemployed, and they had a son, and they might have more children in the future. They needed money everywhere.
She is now willing to give them the opportunity to raise Yuanyuan. It is a win-win situation for both parties, and Zhang Weifang has no reason to refuse.
Liu Shuangshuang looked at Li Hongru who refused to give in. She didn't waste any more words and took her daughter away.
Li Hongru was overjoyed. He breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting rid of this trouble.
Li Hongru pedaled his bicycle and rushed home like he was riding a Hot Wheels.
The family is going to eat dumplings today, and Zhang Weifang is waiting for Li Hongru to come back to help.
Li Hongru put down his bicycle, washed his hands and started rolling out the dough. His technique was very good. He could make one dumpling wrapper at a time, with the right thickness and uniform size.
The dumplings are stuffed with pork and cabbage, 30% white meat and 70% red meat, mixed with cabbage and green onions, and dipped in chili oil. You can eat one in a bite, with a rich taste and a fragrant aroma. Even Hu Zi ate seven of them.
"Mom, it's delicious." Hu Zi took a small bowl and ate his meal, eating it all up.
In the evening, after washing up, the two of them had a pleasant night exercise on the warm kang.
Li Hongru put his worries aside and was very excited all night. He could only release his energy through exercise.
The next day, Li Hongru went to work humming a song.
Zhang Weifang had just finished breakfast with Hu Zi when she heard a knock on the door. Normally, neighbors would come in directly when they came to visit, so it was rare to hear a knock on the door.
"Hu Zi, go open the door and see who is outside." Zhang Weifang asked Hu Zi to open the door while cleaning up the dishes.
Hu Zi ran out and opened a door with his little hands. He stuck his head out and saw a beautiful young lady and an unfamiliar aunt standing outside the door.
He looked up at the two people and asked in a baby voice:
"Aunt, who are you looking for?"
"Is this Li Hongru's home?" Liu Shuangshuang was still very gentle when she saw the child.
"Dad is at work and not home."
"Then I'll go find your mother." Liu Shuangshuang said again.
"Mom, someone's looking for you."
Zhang Weifang walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and saw a girl dressed exquisitely.
"Are you looking for me?" Zhang Weifang took a look and found that it was not someone she knew, and thought that he was looking for her to introduce someone.
"Well, can we go in and talk?" Liu Shuangshuang spoke in Mandarin, which Zhang Weifang hadn't heard for a long time. When she heard it again, she felt very familiar.
"Come in." Zhang Weifang also answered in Mandarin.
Liu Shuangshuang raised her eyebrows. She didn't expect Zhang Weifang to speak Mandarin. In that era, Mandarin was not yet popular and Zhang Weifang had never left the county. She said that it must have been taught by Li Hongru.
For a moment, Liu Shuangshuang felt mixed emotions. She had dressed up specially when she came today, hoping to overwhelm her with her aura, but she didn't expect to fail as soon as she opened her mouth.
However, when she saw Zhang Weifang's apron and black cotton pants, the discomfort in her heart was immediately suppressed.
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