Shi Ci put his phone on the table and said, "I'm texting with my girlfriend."
The table suddenly became quiet.
There was only the sound of bubbles bubbling in the pot.
Shi Bingcheng took a deep breath and said, "It's time to eat."
The father and daughter looked at each other, with a hint of unwillingness to give in.
"It's good to have a girlfriend!" Ms. Ding said with a smile, "Okay, okay, eat well. Shi Ci, stop playing with your phone. You are so old. Old man, eat quickly. Shi Hai!! Eat your vegetables quickly!"
…
Ms. Ding glanced at the three of them. Although she was smiling, her aura was unquestionable.
After dinner, Shi Hai helped Ms. Ding clear the table.
Shi Ci and Ms. Ding are in the kitchen.
The dishwasher was working, Ms. Ding was cleaning the range hood, and Shi Ci was cleaning up some unfinished food.
Ms. Ding glanced at Shi Ci from time to time. Shi Ci frowned and looked absent-minded. After Shi Hai finished cleaning up, he looked at them, said nothing, and walked to the living room.
"I didn't tell your dad." After cleaning the range hood, Ms. Ding put some detergent on her palm and started rinsing.
Shi Ci remained silent.
"After all, you are in the same school and have different identities. If there are some rumors..."
Shi Ci said calmly: "She and I are not in a teacher-student relationship, and she is about to graduate from college."
Ms. Ding washed her hands, walked out of the kitchen, and peeked at the father and son in the living room. One of them was playing with his cell phone, while the other was drinking tea and reading a book, while the Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV.
"That being said, sometimes people's words can be scary."
"I thought you always supported me, Ms. Ding."
The light in the kitchen is bright. Ms. Ding had a pretty face when she was young. As she grew older and her mind became more tempered, her appearance became softer and more graceful. Her hair has turned a lot whiter. When she is not speaking, she looks like an elegant and quiet old lady. When she speaks, her words are crisp and full of energy. When she smiles, her voice is loud and soothing, which is very contagious.
After she turned 60, she was usually happy most of the time, not taking small things to heart and taking her time to deal with big things. She felt that she had lived 70% to 80% of her life thoroughly, and the remaining 10% or 20% that was not transparent was her daughter.
However, this worry should be hidden in my heart so that the children can’t see it.
She looked at Shi Ci with a serious expression, "I support you, Shi Ci, then tell me the truth, are you serious?"
As she gets older, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes are traces carved by time, but the beauty of Ms. Ding lies in her clear eyes, which are lively and sharp, without any sign of aging. Looking at people with such eyes seriously puts her under great pressure and she cannot tell any lies.
Shi Ci raised his eyebrows slightly, then relaxed, "I'm serious, I really like her." His tone paused slightly, becoming softer, "I wanted to bring her here tonight..."
"Didn't the child go home?" asked Ms. Ding.
Shi Ci looked at Ms. Ding and lowered his voice, "There was a reason why I didn't let you ask in the teahouse before. Her parents are gone."
Ms. Ding let out a soft cry.
Shi Ci whispered, "I am serious about her, and I believe she is too."
Ms. Ding was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "… Little Tang Zuo is also a pitiful child."
"Wait, you should have some sense of propriety, right?" she asked suddenly.
Shi Ci didn't expect such a question, and she was stunned.
Ms. Ding came closer and whispered, "You're not going too far, are you? Although little Tang Zuo is an adult, he's still much younger than you..."
Shi Ci coughed, "Ms. Ding!"
Ms. Ding stepped back, looking shocked. "You wouldn't..."
"I haven't..." Shi Ci said halfway, then reacted, "This has nothing to do with you!"
Ms. Ding breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good. Otherwise... I would feel so bad!"
Why do you feel bad about it
Shi Ci ignored her, took the insulated lunch box, and walked out of the kitchen, "I won't stay at home today."
Ms. Ding's expression changed slightly: "... Hey, wait..."
Shi Ci walked straight to the living room and said to Shi Bingcheng, "Dad, I won't stay at home this year. I'm going back to my place."
"Wait a minute," Shi Bingcheng turned down the TV volume, and Shi Hai's eyes slowly rose from the phone screen.
Shi Ci stopped and glanced at his watch. It was half past eight, still early, but Tang Zuo had already spent three hours alone.
"I'm going back to be with my girlfriend." Shi Ci seemed to know what Shi Bingcheng was going to ask, so he said it first.
"Tonight is family time, it's a tradition in our family." Shi Bingcheng's speaking habits are exactly the opposite of Ms. Ding's. Apart from giving lectures, he doesn't talk much. When he speaks, he speaks at a moderate speed, neither fast nor slow. In addition, he has a handsome and elegant face, giving people the impression that he has a good temper and rarely gets angry.
This is indeed the case. In the memories of the Shi siblings growing up, their parents rarely lost their temper, especially their father Shi.
"You can go out tomorrow." Shi Bingcheng said.
He rarely asked the children to do anything, but when he did, it was with a majesty that could not be refuted and must be carried out.
"Dad," Shi Ci smiled, "I'm in my thirties, not a minor."
"Then do you know what you are doing?"
"I've always known."
"Well, old man," Ms. Ding said nearby, "If Shi Ci wants to leave, let her go. The child is grown up and needs to have her own private life."
"Yeah, that's right," Father Shi nodded, "Shi Ci, tell your family about the girl you're dating?"
Shi Hai sensed the tense atmosphere and took a deep breath.
Shi Ci raised the corner of his lips slightly, "Dad, don't you already know everything? Do you still need to ask me?"
Shi Hai paused for a moment and glanced at Shi's father.
Shi Bingcheng's expression suddenly became serious.
…
Tang Zuo curled up on the sofa, opened Shi Ci's notebook, and watched videos on Bilibili.
Fireworks could be set off outside of Naicheng, and she seemed to be able to hear the sound.
Qiuqiu had fallen asleep next to her legs.
The room was very quiet, even deserted.
There is no festive atmosphere at all.
Tang Zuo hugged her knees, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and after replying to several New Year greetings WeChat messages from classmates and personal friends, she had nothing to do.
Why don’t you go to bed early? Shi Ci will be back when you wake up.
As soon as she moved, her phone vibrated.
She opened it and found it was sent by Shi Hai—
"My sister is not going home tonight. My dad requires the whole family to stay at home every New Year's Eve."
Tang Zuo was a little confused. She knew this, so why did Shi Hai suddenly send her such a WeChat message? She jumped out to look at Shi Ci's dialog box. The screen was still on the photo she sent, and then Shi Ci replied, "Jiujiu and Qiuqiu are both so cute."
She thought about it and sent a message, "What are you doing?"
After waiting for a few minutes, Shi Ci did not reply.
Tang Zuo jumped to Shi Hai's dialog box, "Okay, I understand." She sent this sentence first.
Shi Hai immediately replied: "Oh, then it's good for you to know."
I replied immediately, as if I had been waiting for her reply.
Shi Ci hasn't replied yet.
"Professor Shi?"
Shi Ci still didn't reply.
Tang Zhao frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy. She typed quickly, "Shi Hai, did something happen?"
Then she saw the message "Inputting..." flashing continuously on Shi Hai's screen, and her anxiety grew.
"Oh, nothing."
This did not convince her, Shi Hai was obviously hesitant about whether to tell her something, and finally he decided not to.
Tang Zhao took a few deep breaths and stayed calm. After thinking for only a few minutes, she ran to change her clothes, hurriedly put on her shoes, and went out with her cell phone.
On New Year's Eve, the bus stop at the school gate was cold and bleak. There was light snow in the sky, and stars fell on her hair. She didn't have the patience to wait, so she pressed the taxi app, but no driver took the order for a while.
Tang Zhao ran while looking at the screen. She didn't know how long she had been running until she arrived at a more lively place - the entrance of a hotel three or four kilometers away from the school. She waited while panting, and finally got a taxi.
She gave Shi Ci's home address, and the driver asked her to fasten her seat belt and turned on the car's windshield wipers.
It was raining, snowing, and the sky and earth were gray. The driver played the Spring Festival Gala, which seemed to be a skit show, but she didn't have time to listen to what it was about.
Shi Hai wanted to call, but after thinking it over, he decided not to. He chose to send a private message and chose not to tell Tang Zuo the truth.
The quarrel in the living room seemed familiar. When he was six or seven years old, Shi Ci came home that day and told her parents, "I like women. I have a girlfriend."
As far as Shi Hai could remember, his family had never quarreled, neither between his parents nor between them and their children. That was the first time, and this was the second time.
The first time was when Shi Ci came out.
This time it’s…
His father's voice reached his ears, with a rare anger, "You are unworthy of being a teacher. How could you do such a thing? She is still a student and knows nothing!"
"I'm serious with her!"
"What do you mean by serious? How old are you? How old is she? She hasn't entered society yet. She has just become an adult. She still has a bright future. If you take this seriously, you'll ruin her!"
"How did I ruin her? Isn't her future with me a future?"
"I want me to speak frankly? You tempted her, you seduced her, she may not be the same as you, she may have other choices!"
"Choose? Choose a man? How do you know that being with me is not the right choice for her?"
My father was really angry, and so was my sister. The two of them sat face to face, neither of them giving in, and kept arguing one thing after another. There was no way for anyone else to get a word in, let alone try to stop the fight.
Shi Hai looked at his mother worriedly, and Ms. Ding turned back and shook her head at him.
"She can have a normal life!"
"After all, you still think I'm abnormal?"
At this time, the room was quiet, like a reef in the deep sea, silent and suppressing the surging undercurrent, while the skit show on the LCD TV was playing, and there were bursts of lively laughter.
Shi Hai suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
"Okay, stop arguing. It's New Year's Day, let's talk it out nicely," Ms. Ding walked between the father and daughter and turned to Shi Ci and said, "Shi Ci, your father doesn't think you're abnormal. As parents, we just hope that you're safe, healthy and happy. We don't ask for anything else."
Shi Ci's hands hung at her sides, clenched tightly, her body language tense, her eyes slid from Shi Bingcheng's face to Ms. Ding's face, then moved back and smiled bitterly, "Mommy, don't speak for my dad. I know that in my dad's heart, he still can't accept the real me."
"I can accept it," Shi Bingcheng looked at her, "You are my daughter. You have been smart and excellent since you were young. I am proud of you. You like women. I try my best to understand you. I am very comforted that you return to China to teach and stay with us, but Shi Ci..."
Shi Bingcheng frowned, his eyes puzzled and sad, "You can choose any girl, why do you have to choose a student from the same school? I absolutely cannot accept this!"
Shi Ci was silent for a moment, "What if I must be with her? Can I resign?"
As soon as these words came out, Shi Hai couldn't help but shout, "Sister!"
Ms. Ding frowned.
Shi Bingcheng's eyes were heavy. After a while, it seemed that all his anger had disappeared, leaving only tired disappointment. He said, "This is your decision. I can't stop you."
"Just Shi Ci, I'm very disappointed in you."
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window is an endless sea of lights. Snowflakes are floating, occasionally mixed with raindrops, which shatter again and again on the glass with the bright red "Fu" character on it, like people who are obsessed with the happiness of fireworks in this world.
Shi Ci slowly went downstairs, put on his clothes, and walked out.
Her profile was hidden in the light, her lips were slightly pursed, and her thick eyelashes suppressed a hint of moisture in her eyes.
That night many years ago, she revealed her sexual orientation to her parents. Her parents, who were still very young at the time, reacted much more severely than they did tonight. Ms. Ding was so shocked that she held her chest and couldn't speak. Shi Bingcheng almost broke off relations with her.
At that time, she had no regrets at all, and even felt a little proud of daring to love and speak out. When she walked out of the house and called Qiao Sha, Qiao Sha said, "Shi Ci, you don't need to do this."
Shi Ci was stunned at the time. In Qiao Sha's opinion, love is a matter between two people. They are happy and sweet in their own little world. They don't need to explain to others, nor do they need others' consent and blessing.
This is Qiaosha's pride.
Shi Ci thought she was not capable of doing that. Her parents loved her deeply, and she also loved them deeply. She had no way of pretending in front of her parents. There was nothing shameful about her love, and she just wanted her parents' blessing.
This was her first argument with Qiaosha.
In the end, Shi Ci was not a human being on either side. Her love, her romance, her ideals, and the fire burning in her heart only ignited herself, leaving only a little ash in the end.
A drop of icy water from the eaves hit her hair, wetting it, then slid down to her forehead and flowed down.
It was New Year's Eve, a night of rain and snow. Very cold.
My parents are not young anymore. Even though they are still energetic, they look depressed and disappointed when they are hit. Their bodies are shaking. Their hair has turned a lot whiter. When they heard her say she wanted to resign, they both looked at her...
Shi Ci closed her eyes, her throat was dry, and she took out her cell phone. A private message from Tang Zuo was waiting for her on WeChat. A few quiet Chinese characters came into her eyes, but what came to her mind was her soft and crisp voice.
Shi Ci's fingers trembled, but she didn't reply or call in the end. She stood quietly for a while before pushing open the door and closing it.
On both sides of the door are couplets written by Shi Bingcheng, written on red paper sprinkled with gold and in black running script, which looks elegant and graceful.
He writes every year.
Ms. Ding's handwriting is very beautiful. Xiaohai is a liberal arts student and his handwriting is also very beautiful.
She is the only one in the family. She is not very good at handwriting and only likes numbers and letters. Is she the only one who is different
Shi Ci looked dazed, then she remembered that she didn't drive. Well, she didn't drive. She took two steps and heard footsteps approaching from the front.
She looked up.
Tang Zuo was wearing a thick down jacket, his jeans revealing a little bit of his ankles, and his canvas shoes were covered in mud.
Shi Ci's gaze moved blankly from her red, frozen ankles to above her.
The collar of her down jacket covered half of her face, and her eyes were like night stars, as if they could speak, and as if they had been waiting for her for a long, long time.
Endless snowflakes slowly fell on them.
Shi Ci came back to her senses in a daze, her eyes were moist and a smile appeared on her lips.
The author has something to say: I have to go back to my hometown to deal with things tomorrow, so I'll take a leave. Please check Weibo for updates in the future. Thank you for waiting, muah. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angels who cast [bazooka]: 35695028 5; Lin Xiaozong, scrambled eggs with salty tomatoes 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw [Grenade]: Yi Liu 3; Yinbi, Shangsi, Mu Ran 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: Little Shoot vacuum cleaner, Jing 3; Xiangyun Feiyan, my little Feifei, Mo, Li, Hahaha, Mu Linda 2; Sky, 50-1, A pot of wine between flowers, Stranded 171, Ermu Ya, Eryuan, Lai Meiyun is the cutest in the world, Fu Jing's abdominal muscles, Jing goddess's handsome husband, maple leaves, Bao's milk tea shop gives Dengdeng a seat, Zuo Zuo loves meat, Lin Mei, sexy four four online buckle jio, Scorpio tail ring, a small dried fish, Qinghan qwq, bubble teapot, Lu Xiaochen, Didi Didi Didi me Na, Xiaojun, Lai Meiyun's koala mom, Qing, veins on the leaves , so handsome that he can be named randomly, myosotis, Lao Wu, bearl, Meng, red fire, Jin, Gu Ji Ji J, carmen, must go to bed early, wind, Yang Chaoyue's level 4 bag, Xin Coke, Wuhua Salty Spoon White, passers-by are just passing by, cho, veggieg, love to read text, Yunshenjuzhichu, Yagi, Park Hyomin's wife, super soft sheep, Ji Yan, black-mouthed dog, can't eat little rabbits, Chibi Maruko, a certain Misaka's coin, cold light flashing, a mouthful of horse monkey shochu, tuanzi sauce, oha, sense of existence yy 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Jin Krypton Assassinates Qin 50 bottles; Qinghan qwq, a Brave Armor Marten, and Pepper and Salt Orange 30 bottles; ? 29 bottles; Jiuyue 26 bottles; Mo Ran Taoist's Little Fox 21 bottles; ? 20 bottles; Zhenzhen Qi 19 bottles; Mo San Sui. 18 bottles; Don't Compromise. 、I want to raise a bucket of little seals 15 bottles; 37899343 11 bottles; Feilang, ww, z, 35535087, 24229753, poooooooop, october_z., haroro, super invincible thunderbolt big l, krys, lotus root and pork ribs soup, happy and gorgeous, ikspiari, my fat family is so cute, universe peace card card, 17174030, coconut 10 bottles; Xiaojun, a cup of frozen Ningqi 9 bottles; 18022521, 0.2c 8 bottles; 32206208, edithyip, envious of you coming back 6 bottles; gaoh, idiot Qing, Musheng, useless tears, 36483190, Lao Wu, sacredfeather, handsome to random names, ことば 5 bottles; garden party, troye 3 bottles; Carp Fish Fish Fish, Little Xiangwan 2 bottles; Good luck to Lao Mi in the Unified Examination!, Weather, Sunny, Time is Light, Ink Whimper, Come, Three Points, Jessie, 36454327, Zheng Danni is Super Cute 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!