Four people living under the same roof sat together to have dinner for the first time.
Aunt Qiao pointed at the older boy sitting opposite Ye Zhao and said, "My son Zeng Xiang."
Taking the mother's surname, Ye Zhao guessed that this should be a single-parent family with a story.
Ye Zhao took the initiative to introduce himself: "My name is Ye Zhao, and this is my sister Xiaoqin."
Aunt Qiao smiled and said, "From now on, we will all eat at the same table."
Zeng Xiang had his eyelids drooping, thinking about other things in his heart. He raised his head after his mother kicked him, glanced at them with the corner of his eyes, and nodded his chin slightly as a greeting.
Ye Zhao understands the mentality of boys of this age group very well. They just like to act cool. She doesn't blame them for being impolite. Really, she doesn't blame them.
She curled her lips politely and said nothing.
The chicken legs of the Three Cups Chicken on the table were not chopped into small pieces. Aunt Qiao gave one to Xiao Qin and the other to Ye Zhao, "Try Aunt Qiao's specialty, the authentic Three Cups Chicken."
Zeng Xiang, an only child who was used to eating alone at home, suddenly discovered that his mother's heart was crooked.
He glanced over suddenly...
Ye Zhao, who originally felt that it was inappropriate for her two sisters to share the chicken leg, was about to give the chicken leg back to Aunt Qiao, when she suddenly noticed the glare from the person opposite her! She had just said that she didn't blame the other person, but she immediately rolled her eyes back.
Aunt Qiao put her hand on the bowl and said, "Hey, don't give it back to me, eat it quickly."
Xiaoqin was young but she knew how to read people's expressions. She quickly took the chicken leg from her bowl and handed it to Zeng Xiang, "Little brother, you eat it."
Ye Zhao took the opportunity to give the chicken leg that he was going to give to Aunt Qiao to his sister.
Zeng Xiang's face became even uglier. Did he care about this chicken leg? He passed the chicken leg to his mother and said coldly, "I don't want to eat it."
"If you don't want to eat, forget it." After Aunt Qiao scolded her son, she immediately looked at Ye Zhao with a smile, "Xiao Zhao, aren't you going to the summer tutoring class?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'll know after I report to school next Monday."
As for attending cram school, Ye Zhao would definitely not go if she could. First, it would save money, and second, it would save time. Before completing the three tasks, time is her life.
Ye Zhao asked: "How many science classes are there in Yuxin Middle School?"
The air was awkwardly stagnant for a few seconds.
Aunt Qiao kicked her son again, thinking that she had finally found a tenant who suited her needs so well, and she shouldn’t scare him away.
She quickly replied on behalf of her son, "There is only one science class. Three arts classes and one science class. Is that right, Xiangzi?"
Xiangzi responded in his throat: "Yes."
Oh, these days, there are more people studying liberal arts than science.
If there is only one class, it seems that she and Bking are classmates
As expected, Zeng Erqiao smiled and said, "You two will be classmates in the future. You have good grades, Xiangzi has poor grades, and you two complement each other."
The air stagnated again...
After his past was exposed, Xiangzai stopped using his chopsticks to pick up the fish. He had a look of despair on his face and didn't want to pay any attention to anyone.
Ye Zhao said she didn't blame the other party and wasn't angry, but after being stabbed by the other party's eyes, she felt unhappy in her heart. She deliberately made excuses: "Aunt Qiao, if his grades are really... well, I may not be able to teach him. My ability is quite limited..."
The way she smiled had just the right amount of sarcasm.
"It's okay. I told you, you don't have to guarantee the birth of a child." After saying that, Aunt Qiao immediately went to comfort her child who was about to turn evil. "It doesn't matter if your grades are not good. Xiao Zhao can help you make up for it."
Aunt Qiao didn't even give her son a chance to speak. "My son is a good fighter. Even the teachers at Yuxin Middle School are afraid of him. If someone bullies you in school in the future, go find him."
Ye Zhao had seen how good she was at fighting. She curled her lips with a fake smile and said, "Okay."
The chicken leg that ended up in Aunt Qiao's bowl was finally brought into the kitchen by her to be chopped into small pieces.
There was a plate of fried stuffed tofu left over from lunch on the table, with only one piece left. Ye Zhao picked up one piece with his chopsticks, but unexpectedly, the person on the opposite side also picked up one piece with his chopsticks.
Two pairs of chopsticks fighting over a piece of tofu.
Ye Zhao's chopsticks were inside, wrapped by Zeng Xiang's chopsticks. It was obvious that she picked up the food first. She was unwilling to give in, and the other party was not a pushover either, so the situation was deadlocked.
Suddenly, BKing stared at her intently, and Ye Zhao also realized that something seemed to be wrong...
Ah! There is something on her shoulder.
That thing is freezing cold.
She didn't dare to move, and even when she moved her eyes, she couldn't see what was on her shoulder.
Xiaoqin was so scared that she whispered, "Sister! Snake!"
snake?!!!!
Ye Zhaohan's hair stood on end and he felt unwell all over.
"Shh!" Zeng Xiang put down his chopsticks and leaned over calmly. Ye Zhao was so scared that he closed his eyes and dared not to look.
The thing on his shoulder moved, and Ye Zhao couldn't help but scream. His shoulders hunched nervously, and his hands unconsciously grabbed the arm in front of him, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.
It didn't matter that she grabbed him, but Bking froze and his head felt numb. No woman had ever been so close to him before.
"Let go."
Ye Zhao acted as if he didn't hear anything, and his voice was tense, "Did you catch the snake?"
"Let go." He almost froze.
Ye Zhao finally reacted and quickly let go of her hand. At the same time, she felt a lightness on her shoulder and secretly opened her eyes.
Zeng Xiang had a lizard in his hand, with its fangs and claws bared. He gently touched the lizard's head with his fingers, as if comforting it like a kind father.
"Hey, why did Douding get out? Hurry up and lock him up, don't scare him." Aunt Qiao came out with a chopped chicken leg. She looked at Ye Zhao, who was pale, and explained with a smile: "That's Xiangzi's pet, don't be afraid."
The hobby is really... quite unique.
Ye Zhao was alarmed for a false alarm, but she was too embarrassed to pick up the piece of tofu.
Zeng Xiang came back from locking up the lizard and noticed that the stuffed tofu was still on the plate. He pretended to push the plate towards her casually. This was the biggest concession he could make.
Unfortunately, Ye Zhao was talking to his mother and didn't notice that Yong Toufu moved a little closer to her.
Aunt Qiao put half of the chopped chicken leg meat into Ye Zhao's bowl and gave the other half to her son Xiang, "Share one chicken leg between you two."
"Thank you, Aunt Qiao."
"You're welcome." Aunt Qiao looked at the three children contentedly. She didn't know why she was so happy. She put the piece of stuffed tofu left over from lunch into her bowl, took a bite, and spit it out. "Oh, this tofu is rotten."
This tofu is not a good thing either. It went bad and almost caused a fight.
Ye Zhao called the system and asked it, "If the original owner's mother is... no longer alive, how can I complete the mission?"
System: "Of course it's 'If he's alive, I want to see him in person; if he's dead, I want to see his body.'"
If the person she hadn't seen eighteen years ago was really no longer alive, where could she find him in such a vast land of China
If he really died in an accident while fleeing to Hong Kong and hid at sea, his body would have been gone long ago.
The difficulty coefficient of the task is upgraded instantly.
She sighed deeply.
It won’t end up in vain. I’ll just go back to being a vegetable.
Today is Saturday. Ye Zhao got up late. After washing up and coming out of the bathroom, he saw Aunt Qiao and her son having breakfast in the restaurant.
When Aunt Qiao saw her, she immediately stood up and said with a smile, "I'll give you an extra serving of birthday noodles today."
Ye Zhao was stunned for a moment, and Aunt Qiao said, "I was sorting out our contracts before going to bed last night, and I found your ID number... Yesterday was your birthday, right?"
Yes, yesterday was the original owner’s 18th birthday, but her scumbag dad didn’t remember it, and she also forgot about it after getting her ID card.
Come to think of it, I feel so ashamed of the original owner.
"Come here, Aunt Qiao made you a bowl of longevity noodles with two eggs."
A big bowl of longevity noodles, topped with two fried eggs, six or seven slices of barbecued pork, sprinkled with chopped green onions and sesame oil, smelled delicious. Ye Zhao was so moved that he almost cried.
"Aunt Qiao, you are the first person to celebrate my birthday."
No one had ever celebrated the original owner's birthday, and she herself hadn't had a birthday since her parents passed away.
Aunt Qiao couldn't believe it. "No way?"
"real."
"It is said that no one loves a child without a mother. Aunt Qiao will love you from now on." Zeng Erqiao touched Ye Zhao's head, "Hurry up and sit down to eat."
"Where's my sister?"
"Xiaoqin has eaten and is playing next door."
Ye Zhao glanced at Zeng Xiang who was concentrating on eating barbecued pork rice noodles, and sat down in the empty seat next to him.
Zeng Erqiao asked curiously, "Where's your mother?"
"I've never seen her. My mother was an educated youth sent to the countryside here. She disappeared after giving birth to me."
"Is your mother an educated youth?"
"My mother was an educated youth who came here from Beijing in the late 1960s." Ye Zhao took a bite of the noodles and found them delicious. The barbecued pork was cut thinly and was slightly sweet but not greasy. It was the best barbecued pork she had ever eaten.
Aunt Qiao sat down opposite her and continued to eat her rice noodles. "I used to be in the production team and interacted with several educated youths. What's your mother's name? Maybe I know her."
Isn't this such a coincidence? Ye Zhao quickly said, "My mother's name is Jin Jingzhi."
"Jin Jingzhi? Jin Jingzhi?" Zeng Erqiao thought for a moment and shook her head, "I have no impression."
"Aunt Qiao, if I want to find my mother's old information, who else can I go to besides the archives?"
"There are only two production teams in Zengwuwei with educated youth. I'm in the lower production team and I've never heard of your mother's name, so she might be in the upper production team." Zeng Erqiao introduced her to a person named Liang Po and asked Ye Zhao to ask her himself. "She lives in the shed at the back where scraps are collected. She won't open the door in the morning. You can go find her in the afternoon."
Zeng Xiang had to make up for half a day of classes on Saturday. After having breakfast, he put on his backpack and prepared to go out when his mother stopped him.
"I ordered a birthday cake from the bakery in front of your school. You can pick it up on your way home from school at noon."
Zeng Xiang refused: "I won't be back at noon."
"There are no classes this afternoon. If you don't come back, where are you going? Hey, as a brother, you can't do this. Bring the cake back to me first."
"I'm busy!" Zeng Xiang refused bluntly and left.
"Hey!" Zeng Erqiao had no idea what to do with her son. "Don't worry about him. I'll ask the store to send it over."
"Aunt Qiao, you ordered a birthday cake for me?" Ye Zhao really couldn't believe it. He thought he had met the village bully and the landlady, but who knew it was a Bodhisattva.
If she wasn't a pauper and the other party was a landlady, she would have really thought she had encountered a pig-killing trap.
"The village issued several mooncake coupons, and I exchanged them for cake. I wanted to eat cake, and it happened to be your birthday, isn't it a coincidence?" Zeng Erqiao walked to the balcony and shouted downstairs, "Mute! Mute! Drive that family away, and make them move out today."
Looking back, Zeng Erqiao complained to Ye Zhao: "I've never seen such a despicable man. He lives with his wife and children with his mistress. What a jerk. I want to donate the rent I collect from them. It's unlucky!"
Her Bodhisattva landlady had a golden glow on her head.
Aunt Qiao went to play cards, and the mute was chasing people away downstairs. Ye Zhao went to the archives, but was turned away. After asking, he found out that the archives were open every Thursday.
It was nearly half past twelve when she returned from the archives. When she entered the courtyard, she heard the sound of a motorcycle. She stopped and looked back, only to see the motorcycle parked in front of her with a cake box hanging on the hood.
Zeng Xiang didn't get out of the car, but handed her the cake box and said, "Here!"
As expected, saying one thing and thinking another is one of BKing’s characteristics. He is really Aunt Qiao’s good son.
Ye Zhao took the cake and said with a teasing smile: "Aren't you busy?"
Zeng Xiang nodded with a half-smile in his voice, and did not refute. He was about to ride away on his bike when he remembered something and said, "Tell my mom that the boss gave me half a pound more."
Ye Zhao didn't hear clearly, "What?"
Zeng Xiang thought she didn't know what a pound was, so he explained casually, "The boss gave me half a pound more."
Ye Zhao understood, "Oh, half a pound? There is no half a catty in half a pound. Half a catty is 250 grams, and half a pound is about... 226.8 grams."
Who doesn’t know how to show off
Zeng Xiang was fooled by her and looked at her in disbelief.
"Hey, you don't have to be so defensive against me." As an outsider, Ye Zhao didn't want to have an unpleasant relationship with the landlord's son, so she decided to break the situation, "Aunt Qiao likes me mainly because she wants me to tutor you. She loves me and loves my dog..."
"You mean, I'm the roof and you're the crow on the roof?"
Ye Zhao: “!!!”
This logic... perfect score!
(End of this chapter)