The bicycle stopped somewhere in the alley, and the two arrived at their home.
These are two ordinary houses adjacent to each other, both with three floors, and similar in size and decoration style.
Su Zelin looked at the small houses. Compared with the luxury houses halfway up the mountain where he had lived before, these houses, located deep in the alley, were inconspicuous in terms of their geographical location and specifications. However, he was instantly excited.
Because he hurt Qin Shiqing in his previous life, his relationship with his family was completely broken. His father declared that he would never allow him to set foot in the house, let alone Qin Shiqing's house next door.
“Dang!”
He failed to hold on to the Phoenix horizontal bar and fell to the ground.
"Are you okay?"
Qin Shiqing was very surprised when she saw his look.
"fine!"
Su Zelin forced himself to suppress his excitement and picked up the bicycle, but his hands were still shaking slightly uncontrollably.
"Are you really okay?"
Qin Shiqing was a little worried. She had never seen her childhood sweetheart behave so out of control.
"Stop nagging me. I'm fine!"
Not wanting to let her see his inner thoughts, Su Zelin pushed the cart into his yard.
"Can I come over to give you extra lessons tonight?"
"Hmph, whatever you want!"
Qin Shiqing was slightly stunned when she heard Su Zelin's response.
In the past, when she wanted to give Su Zelin extra lessons on weekends, this guy would always impatiently refuse.
Although Su Zelin responded in the same tone this time, the result was different.
He actually accepted it!
This week Zelin is really abnormal. Maybe it’s because the college entrance examination is approaching and he has realized that he can’t be so carefree anymore…
Use the key to open the door and go upstairs.
The layout of the house is one living room, two bedrooms and one kitchen, with only floor tiles. There is no suspended ceiling, wallpaper, TV background wall or other fancy things. The sofas, tables, chairs and coffee tables are all old-fashioned red-painted wooden furniture.
A Panda color TV, an Aido VCD, a Watson ceiling fan and a kettle have become the main electrical appliances in the living room. Compared with future home decoration, both hardware and software have been streamlined to the extreme.
But that's not important, what's important is the people in the house.
A middle-aged woman wearing a scarf came out of the kitchen holding a spatula. When she saw Su Zelin, she smiled and said, "Son, you're back!"
Zhao Lixia, Su Zelin's mother.
There are not many wrinkles on my mother's face now, and she smiles very kindly.
But this smile seemed like a world away for Su Zelin. His nose felt sore and his eyes instantly moistened. He dropped his backpack and walked over quickly, hugging Zhao Lixia tightly: "Mom!"
Zhao Lixia was stunned. Ever since Su Zelin became sensible, she had never seen her son cry. "What are you doing, little brat?"
"Nothing, I just missed you and I'm so happy to see you!"
Su Zelin wiped his eyes and let go.
"It's only been a week since we last met. What's there to be concerned about?"
Zhao Lixia was very surprised. Based on her understanding of her son, Su Zelin was not the kind of person who would miss home.
"Haha, this week feels so long, like we haven't seen each other for a long time!"
Su Zelin smiled.
"It's weird!"
Zhao Lixia shook her head and didn't ask any further questions. She thought Su Zelin was under pressure before the college entrance examination, so he had an emotional outburst.
"I'll go see what dishes are available!"
Su Zelin rushed into the kitchen.
On the cupboard was a plate of freshly made fried chicken with pineapple, one of his favorite dishes.
He reached out, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
tasty!
This is a home-cooked meal made by my mother. For Su Zelin, five-star hotels and Michelin chefs have to stand aside!
Just when he was about to take the second piece, a spatula hit the back of his hand. It was Zhao Lixia who followed him in and glared at him: "You little bastard, did you wash your hands before stealing food?"
"Not yet, my mom's cooking is so delicious, I can't wait!"
Su Zelin didn't care and picked up the second piece with a smile.
"Don't change the subject, go wash your hands right now!"
"Yes, mother!"
Only then did Su Zelin walk out of the kitchen.
Zhao Lixia's stern face relaxed and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
You little bastard, all you do is flatter!
After washing his hands, Su Zelin walked into his room and was greeted by several celebrity posters on the wall.
Zhou Huimin, Wan Bixia, Zhang Manyu...
There was a pile of basketball magazines on the desk.
"Contemporary Sports: Slam Dunk", "Slam Dunk SLAM", "NBA STUFF"...
I opened the drawer and it was filled with comics.
"Kung Fu Tornado", "Hell Teacher", "Cat's Eyes", "Taiwan Hero", "Rurouni Kenshin"...
In addition to the comics, there is also a gameboy lying quietly.
A real-life version of nostalgia!
Su Zelin opened a book called "Baseball Heroes" and began to read it with great interest.
This is one of his favorite comics, from the Japanese cartoonist Mitsuru Adachi. The theme is baseball, but it actually tells the story of a pair of childhood sweethearts.
After watching for a while, I heard the sound of the security door opening.
Su Zelin threw the comic book back into the drawer, walked out, and saw a middle-aged man changing his leather shoes.
He has a sturdy build, a square face, bright eyes and regular features. It is obvious that he must have been a handsome man when he was young.
"dad!"
Su Zelin also gave him a tight hug.
Su Jianjun's reaction was as confused as Zhao Lixia's.
After a long while, he finally said two words: "Don't play tricks on me. You don't have any pocket money anymore, right?"
Dad, you are worthy of it!
…
Both the Su and Qin families were originally employees of a steel plant. Later, the two elders of the Su family went into business in the 1980s and made a lot of money in the new century. They were not nouveau riche, but at least they had enough food and clothing and lived a happy life. This could be seen from Su Zelin's sets of comic books and the GameBoy, which was very expensive.
The two elders of the Qin family were laid off in the 1990s due to the reform of state-owned enterprises. They had no choice but to do business. Fortunately, misfortune may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Their quality of life has improved a lot compared to when they were receiving a fixed salary at the steel factory.
Several home-cooked dishes were quickly prepared, and Zhao Lixia asked Su Zelin to call Qin Shiqing over as well.
Because of their business, both families have particularly busy times, and at these times the other family will take the initiative to invite the neighbor's children to eat together.
In the dining room, looking at Su Zelin, Su Jianjun, Zhao Lixia and Qin Shiqing who was eating voraciously and never stopping eating, they all looked at each other.
Su Zelin, who is in his third year of high school and is already 1.8 meters tall, is still growing. He usually has a big appetite, but even after coming back from playing basketball, he has never been seen looking like a starving ghost.
"Slow down, don't choke!"
While Zhao Lixia was giving these instructions worriedly, she wondered if her cooking skills had improved beyond her normal level today. However, after tasting a few dishes, she didn't find that the taste was much better than usual.
"Shiqing, did this kid do something bad again last week? He used up all the food money so early!"
Su Jianjun took into account the key points of the problem.
The weekly food allowance he gave his son was definitely generous in the class. School expenses were not expensive, so it was more than enough for three meals a day plus fruits, snacks and drinks. He even had some money left over to buy magazines or comics.
But once Su Zelin got the money, he often let himself go. For example, he would go into the game room on the way to school to play horse racing or something, and squander it in a blink of an eye. That's why he ordered his son to go to and from school with Qin Shiqing, and let the latter keep a close eye on him.
But sometimes Qin Shiqing couldn't keep an eye on her even if she wanted to. Once Su Zelin accelerated her bicycle, she would quickly shake off her tail. It was impossible for a girl to catch up with her with her physical strength. Of course, Su Zelin would not be able to avoid a beating after she went home and complained the next week.
"Uncle, no!"
Qin Shiqing shook her head. Su Zelin was still very well-behaved this week, even a little too well-behaved during his time at school!
"So what happened to this brat?"
Su Jianjun muttered to himself, very confused.
Su Zelin slammed the table and said, "Dad, how can you always doubt me? Can't it be that the food Mom cooked is so delicious that it whetted my appetite?"
He had always been dissatisfied with being assigned to be monitored by Qin Shiqing, and he took this opportunity to make a fuss about it.
"Come on, I don't even know your mother's cooking skills..."
Su Jianjun was halfway through his words when he felt two sharp gazes staring at him. He shuddered, and driven by a strong desire to survive, he changed his tone quickly: "Needless to say, of course even the hotel chef has to admit defeat!"
The two sharp gazes were retracted, and a satisfied smile appeared on Zhao Lixia's lips.
Qin Shiqing covered her mouth and laughed, thinking that Uncle Su and my dad were both suffering from tracheitis!
Su Zelin secretly gave his father a thumbs up.
Only those who can bend and stretch can be called a real man!
Among the four people, Su Zelin ate the fastest and took the longest time. Even when the others were full, he still cleared all the plates like a whirlwind, not wasting anything. Then he burped contentedly and put down his chopsticks: "I'm full!"
Zhao Lixia was very happy. Her children liked the food she cooked, which was one of the happiest things for a mother.
The table was cleared and Qin Shiqing went over to help.
"Shiqing, you don't need to come. The college entrance examination is coming soon. You can review your lessons when you have time!"
Zhao Lixia stopped him.
"It's okay, Auntie. I'll help you wash the dishes first. It won't take much time."
Qin Shiqing was very persistent.
"Shi Qing is so sensible. If the boy in our family is even one tenth as good as you, your aunt and uncle won't have to worry so much. I don't know which lucky guy will marry you in the future. I'm afraid your parents-in-law will laugh out loud in their dreams!"
Zhao Lixia let out a long sigh.
"Auntie is joking!"
Qin Shiqing's pretty face blushed slightly.
Zhao Lixia sincerely hoped that Qin Shiqing could become her daughter-in-law in the future, thus strengthening the relationship between the two families.
But after taking a look at Su Zelin, who was sitting in the living room with his legs crossed and picking his teeth, he shook his head.
Forget it, he doesn't deserve it!
…