Chapter 79
Cheng Yang went to buy groceries, and Shi Xiaoai and Cheng Lin put all the cups that needed to be cleaned and disinfected in the car and rode home together.
Sure enough, as Cheng Lin said, all three children had already eaten.
Seeing them, Cheng Kai looked surprised: "Sister-in-law, are you coming back for lunch? But all the food is finished!" "
What food did you eat?" Shi Xiaoai asked.
"The leftovers from the morning! My uncle heated up the food for us, and we all finished it!" Ming Xi interjected from the side.
As she spoke, she puffed up her little breasts proudly and showed off: "I ate a big bowl, and my uncle told me to tie my hair into a new braid after I finished eating."
She turned and shook her head to let her mother see her hair. Two braids that tower into the sky like firecrackers.
Shi Xiaoai almost didn't laugh out loud.
She looked at Cheng Kai funny: "Kai Kai, can you do pigtails?"
Cheng Kai brushed his hair embarrassedly: "When I was a child, I always went to the theater troupe with my mother, and I learned it just by watching."
"How can you learn by just watching? Sister-in-law, don't believe him. When he was a child, he was white and fat, and his eyes were very big. People in the troupe regarded him as a girl. As soon as he went there, someone would grab him and do his pigtails. He I've learned everything."
"Brother!" Because his second brother was so disrespectful, Cheng Kai suddenly became anxious.
He rushed forward to cover Cheng Lin's mouth, but Cheng Lin opened it with a smile.
Seeing the two brothers making trouble, Octavia and Mingxi, who were still alienated from them, were also happy and joined to watch the fun. The outside suddenly burst into laughter.
Shi Xiaoai walked into the kitchen with a smile and found that the kitchen had been cleaned again.
Their kitchen is very clean, and Cheng Yang always cleans it when he has nothing to do.
But after all, we are doing catering, so there are always occasional messes. For example, fallen vegetable leaves, oil stains that were not wiped off the stove, or dust scattered everywhere.
But now, the stove, the floor, and even the window screens on the cabinets have all been cleaned and look clean.
It seemed that Cheng Kai had done it because Xiaofeng knew she would make buns in the afternoon and couldn't clean the kitchen now.
And although it was cleaned very clean, there were always things that children didn't notice when doing things. For example, although he wiped the wall behind the stove very hard, there were always places he couldn't reach.
Looking at the brand-new kitchen, Shi Xiaoai was unhappy. On the contrary, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Although several children had already eaten, after buying the braised food, Shi Xiaoai called them all over to have another meal together.
Sure enough, the stomach of a growing child is a bottomless pit. Cheng Yang bought half a salted duck, two pig's trotters, and two sausages and ate them all in one meal, leaving nothing behind.
Looking at the plate with not even a drop of soup left, Cheng Yang's mouth twitched.
After the meal, the two children took the initiative to squeeze into the kitchen and said they wanted to help clear the stall, but Shi Xiaomi kicked them out.
Seeing that they had returned to the hut to rest, Cheng Yang followed them shyly.
Shi Xiaoai ignored him and let him go while he was rushing to work.
After all the work in the house was finished, Shi Xiaoai stopped when he saw that he was still tired of leaving and seemed to want to follow him into the main bedroom.
She pointed to the dining table: "Come, let's talk."
Cheng Yang's expression was distorted, and it was obvious that he was about to form a psychological conflict with the word "talk."
Shi Xiaoai didn't want to scare him.
Since she had decided to get along with this person on the bus before and thought about trying to live a good life with him, she would treat Cheng Yang as a family member.
Since they are a family, Shi Xiaoai looks down on his way of always being cautious when facing him.
But she also understood Cheng Yang's difficulties.
On one side, there is a family whose economy has just improved, but the foundation is still very weak. On the other side is his brother, who came all the way to seek refuge with him when he encountered difficulties. What can Cheng Yang do?
He wanted to protect both sides, but he didn't know how.
She saw that Cheng Yang was standing there without moving. He didn't want to go to the table, and she didn't force him. Instead, he walked to the door and closed the main room door. Then she lowered her voice and said, "You can talk to Xiao Lin tonight." Well, he will go out to sell steamed buns in the afternoon. Don't make the child unhappy."
Cheng Yang nodded: "Yes, I know."
"While we were talking... your dad should have received the telegram, right? ? He hasn't replied yet?"
Shi Xiaoai hesitated for a moment and suddenly changed her question.
"No." Cheng Yang replied.
Shi Xiaoai nodded and finally made up her mind.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Forget it, don't talk. Let's talk about whatever we want. If they want to stay, they can stay! It's not like I can't afford to feed and drink for them. Let's not talk. I don't care about them. You are the only brother. Why do you think so much? Let's not talk about it. Don't scare the children and let them stay!"
Shi Xiaoai had yet to make this determination originally because she feared trouble.
She wasn't worried about being unable to provide food and drink for Cheng Lin and Cheng Kai, but she didn't want to face the consequences of these two children defecting to her.
No matter how careless their father is about the family, he won't want to abandon all three sons, right?
The eldest son, Cheng Yang, no longer agrees with him and will not let go of his second and third sons.
Cheng Yang was going to study soon. What would she do if that person tried something?
But, think about Cheng Lin's nervousness, and then think about the kitchen that Cheng Kai cleaned, plus the father's indifference.
Shi Xiaoai only had one thought on her mind at this time -
Go to hell; what are you afraid of? When soldiers come to cover up the water and earth, what can that person do to them?
We'll talk about it later when things happen. She can't accept these two children hanging around in front of her daily like a frustrated little wife.
Cheng Yang was stunned by his wife's words.
He stared at her in disbelief; his mouth moved, but he did not speak.
Shi Xiaoai glared at him and said fiercely: "If your father causes trouble, you handle it yourself. And before you leave, kill all the signs that can easily explode! It's okay for me to watch over your brother for you. but don't let me have to be on guard to put out fires every day."
Cheng Yang looked at her steadily until Shi Xiaoai's scalp felt a little numb when he looked at her. When she turned around and was about to go back to the house, she was grabbed by this person. He rubbed it into his arms vigorously.
Cheng Yang buried his head in her hair and nodded vigorously: "Yes, I know."
This time, Xiao Ai did not struggle. Instead, she hugged the man and patted his back comfortingly.
She heard the suppressed sobs coming from the top of her head.
Since he wanted to keep the brothers, he had to ask some questions clearly in advance, so this time the couple talked to Cheng Lin together.
Logically speaking, Cheng Kai should be allowed to attend, but the little guy is young after all, and he has been snoring long ago after being tired all morning.
Cheng Lin was sleepy and confused when they called him out of the room. It wasn't until he saw the look in his brother's eyes that he suddenly woke up.
Cheng Yang told him, "Tell me the truth about what happened recently, and don't try to deceive me. If you tell the truth, your sister-in-law and I will consider letting you and Cheng Kai live here for a while. ."
He said nothing because he knew his brother was weird and had to leave a little room.
This sentence made Cheng Lin suddenly excited.
He said, "Brother, just ask. I promise to tell you whatever you ask me."
Cheng Yang's veins jumped. He didn't know what happened there, so how could he ask?
But he thought about it and asked, "How did you know I was here? I didn't contact you after I came back."
Cheng Lin glanced at him resentfully: "You still know you haven't contacted me? Have you completely forgotten that you have a younger brother?
When you were hospitalized, I made many phone calls to the hospital. At first, they said that you had not recovered yet and could not answer the phone. Later, I called, and they said you were discharged from the hospital.
I kept saying, " So worried about you; you never cared about me!"
Cheng Yang pursed his lips, feeling ashamed.
He didn't know that his younger brother had called the military hospital. Too many people were calling then, and no one specifically notified him.
It's not like he didn't miss Cheng Lin after he came back, but Cheng Lin lived in the family home of his father's work unit, and if he wrote a letter, he had to ask his father to collect it.
He was impatient in contacting that person, so he delayed contacting his brother.
Fortunately, Cheng Lin did not take this issue seriously with his brother. He continued, "Your movements have never been a secret. Over the years, someone would report your situation to Dad every once in a while. When you were on the front line, There were still a few report materials, probably because too little information was available.
When you come off the battlefield, your report materials will have several pieces of paper almost every week. After Dad has read them, he will put them on the table, and he will not avoid me; I will look at them openly."
Cheng Yang was almost unable to control his temper!
He suddenly raised his head and subconsciously repeated Cheng Lin's words: "You said he has been looking for someone to secretly investigate me?!"
Cheng Lin didn't expect his brother to be so angry. He was so frightened that he almost couldn't speak and stuttered: "No, I don't know, I just saw it."
Shi Xiaoai grabbed Cheng Yang's arm and motioned for him to calm down.
But at the same time, the anger in her heart was burning.
If Father Cheng had been investigating Cheng Yang, he must have known about the original owner.
He must know that the original owner married Cheng Yang and gave birth to a pair of twins.
As the saying goes, we are close to each other across generations. Even if there is a gap between father and son, how did he see his son not at home and his daughter-in-law being bullied in the countryside without paying attention? In the end, his granddaughter died of illness, and his daughter-in-law was forced to be depressed. And finally?
It's no use being a father if you're so cold-blooded!
Shi Xiaoai didn't let Cheng Yang ask anymore. She asked directly: "Cheng Lin, why did he force you? Did he force you to be so bold that you dared to take your brother and run away from home?" "He didn't let
My brother became a child. Bing! Why did he do it? That was the watch I found for my brother; why did he tear it up?" Cheng Kai appeared at the door without knowing when and started shouting before he even entered.
The little guy looked like he hadn't woken up yet, rubbing his eyes vigorously while talking.
Shi Xiaoai glanced at Mingrui, who was hiding outside the door and listening, and felt that her son had also become a ghost!
"Why don't you let your brother become a soldier? What's going on?" Cheng Yang frowned.
"He wants me to stay at home for a few more years. He said that when Kaikai can go to junior high school, he will provide a dormitory for Kaikai, and then he will find a job for me. Joining the army is not an option, and he will definitely not agree." Cheng Lin lowered his head. , said in a suppressed voice.
The couple learned from Cheng Lin's description that Cheng Lin had only attended school in junior high school. First, it was the middle of the movement, and chaos was everywhere.
We don't learn knowledge in school. We take students to read newspapers or learn about agriculture every day.
Cheng Lin proposed that he did not want to attend school, and their father, Cheng Fanying, agreed. From then on, Cheng Lin cared for the family's daily life.
In the beginning, when Cheng Lin was little, the children of his age in the courtyard were basically in the same situation. They all aged out at home, and no one thought there was any problem.
But now that he is seventeen, everyone in the courtyard has gone.
Either become a soldier or join a factory, they all start working hard for their future.
No matter how hard it is to find a job outside, Cheng Lin is, after all, Cheng Fanying's son and a disciple of the big courtyard. It is simply nonsense to say that he can't find a job.
But seeing him washing, cooking, cleaning, and picking up and transporting his younger brother daily, the neighbors in the yard were surprised.
Someone finally asked Cheng Lin, and he realized belatedly that his former playmates had left him behind!
Cheng Lin went to Cheng Fanying and asked him to help find a job. Cheng Fanying did not refuse but kept asking him to wait, asking him to take care of his family first and not be in a hurry at work, saying that he knew what he was doing.
But after waiting a long time, there was no news.
Seeing that his brother was anxious, Cheng Kai secretly called his mother.
Although his mother, Ms. Huang Yunqiao, was divorced from Cheng Fanying, she still had some true feelings for her stepson.
After all, she was the one she had seen since she was a child, and secondly, during her most difficult and painful time, the person who helped her take care of her was not her former husband but her stepson, who was still a little boy at the time. And for many years, his youngest son still depended on this second brother.
So Huang Yunqiao helped Cheng Lin find a place to enlist in the army through her son, who was from the Ningcheng Military Region. She meant to find a way to get Cheng Lin to the military region so that her eldest son's unit could take care of him to some extent.
But who knew that Cheng Fanying saw this enlistment notice?
He was furious when he saw it!
Not only did he tear up the notice on the spot, but he also called Huang Yunqiao in front of her two children and told her to stop thinking about her two sons! He said that as long as he lives for a day, he will never let his sons go to her!
This move completely broke Cheng Lin's heart.
Cheng Lin looked at Cheng Yang and asked: "Brother, why? Why do you think he is? He doesn't care about me and won't let Aunt Yun help me. What does he think of me? He just thought I was in trouble back then. I was thrown into the countryside like rubbish, and now that I can take care of his children, he keeps me at home and doesn't let me go out. Does he regard me as his son? What am I in his heart?"
Cheng Yang was heartbroken. He took his brother and held him in his arms.
Cheng Lin buried his eyes on his brother's shoulder and cried as much as he felt aggrieved.
The child has been depressed for too long, has too much sadness in his heart, and can't hold back his tears.
Seeing his second brother crying like this, Cheng Kai also started crying.
While crying, he pulled at the hem of Cheng Yang's clothes and begged: "Brother, don't drive me and my second brother away. We are all obedient. Don't let us go back. My father is a bully. He beat his second brother. We don't want to go back." Come on, don't chase us away."
"Did he hit Cheng Lin?!" Cheng Yang suddenly turned his head, his voice angry.
As soon as Cheng Kai looked up, he found that his elder brother's expression was more ferocious than ever, and his eyes were almost red.
The child shrank in fear and, for a moment, did not dare to speak at all.
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