The next morning, I continued to ask for half-day sick leave from my boss.
The day was gloomy, the air was hot and muggy, the air pressure was extremely low, it was as if a heavy object was pressing on my chest and it was suffocating. The haze enveloped the entire mountain city, getting thicker and thicker.
I went to work in the afternoon. When I was making coffee in the tea room, I met Li Shuming. He was there with his head down, making a cup of green tea seriously. His whole posture was very relaxed. I saw him first and asked politely how was Mr. Li. I thought he would just nod his chin and smile, but he actually said to me seriously, "Xiao Zhao, hello."
I never knew what topic to talk about with a male leader. I couldn't even think of a greeting. I turned around and walked out quickly. When I walked to the door of the tea room, I heard him ask, "Are you sick?"
I turned around and smiled at him in thanks and nodded. His long eyes were bright and I was really curious about why men of this age are always so energetic.
"I heard this when I asked Director Zhang for some information this morning. If you are really too tired, take an extra day off to rest." Oh! He was not giving special care to his female subordinate. This was a very appropriate way of handling things, which made people feel relieved.
I nodded and thanked him.
When I got off work, the sky was overcast and my colleagues left one after another. I was still lying on the table in a daze, thinking I might as well wait until the rain was over before leaving. Suddenly the phone rang, "Qiuqiu, where is it?" My father's voice sounded extremely anxious.
"At work."
"Hurry, go to Longhu Garden."
"What?" I had a bad feeling.
"Go and persuade your mother." The father's voice was sad.
My heart skipped a beat. I guessed about 80% of the answer, but how could the culprit, him, not go
"I'm in the district and county and can't get back for a while. Address: 1212, Building 9, Longhu Garden," my father pleaded with me.
It was indeed her address. I had been there once and I could remember the house number by heart. I hung up the phone, grabbed an umbrella and hurried out. It was raining heavily outside. The rain washed the streets. The visibility was less than two meters. Lightning and thunder appeared from time to time in the dark sky. It was destined to be a dark day.
I held an umbrella and went to the roadside to hail a taxi, but there was none. I stood there for about 20 minutes, soaking wet. The rain was too heavy, but I was extremely anxious. Suddenly, a black car drove over. I subconsciously stepped back to avoid getting my clothes dirty. The car slowly stopped, the window rolled down a crack, and someone waved at me, "Xiao Zhao, get in the car."
I didn't have time to see the man's face clearly before I got into the car. The man in the car was Li Shuming. Then I realized that the car was from the bank. "Do you have something important to do and you have to leave now? It's hard to get a taxi." He turned around and asked with concern.
But I was lucky to meet him. Water was still dripping from the umbrella. I looked at him, nodded, and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry."
Li Shuming smiled sensibly, "It's all wet. I'm not familiar with this place, you show me the way and I'll take you home."
My father called again to ask about the situation. I couldn't afford to be polite to him. "It's really troublesome for you to go to Longhu Garden."
The rain was too heavy, the wipers kept waving, but visibility was still poor. I hurriedly called my mother, but no one answered, so I kept calling. Li Shuming drove slowly, and he saw my anxious look in the rearview mirror, but he hesitated to speak. Not long after, we arrived at Longhu Garden. When we went to the basement to park, the car braked suddenly at a bend. I saw a woman in a royal blue knee-length silk skirt holding something and scratching a red car. Two or three people stopped to watch in the distance. I suddenly remembered the scene in the TV series where paint was poured on the enemy's car. But that back figure was so familiar!
In a flash, I understood everything.
"Mom!" I opened the car door and rushed out.
It was a brand new red Honda Accord with many deep scratches on it, as if accusing me of something. My mother was very excited. When she saw me, she looked surprised and then laughed out loud, "Haha, Qiuqiu, you're just in time. This bitch actually hid in the house and didn't dare to open the door!"
I walked forward and grabbed my mother's arm. She looked at me with a dazed look in her eyes and screamed hysterically, "Cao Lingxi, you bitch, you stole a man, and now you're a coward!"
I understood. My mother came to Cao Lingxi to settle the score, but was turned away. I hugged my mother and begged him, "Mom, don't be like this, let's go back."
My mother twisted her body to break free from me, went around to the other side of the car, and slid hard against the car body. People gathered around, standing two meters away, forming a circle around my mother and me. They were afraid of my mother, but they were curious to watch this farce.
I ran after her and heard a "thump" as the small stone in my mother's hand fell to the ground. Then, she covered her face and sobbed in frustration. The crowd was talking louder and louder. Some people pointed at my mother and sighed. My mother lost control of her emotions and leaned against the car door crying. I didn't know how to comfort her. I stood there at a loss, with a buzzing sound in my ears. For a moment, it was as if my soul had left my body.
My mother squatted down, crying heartbreakingly. I had never seen my mother so upset and so sad, and it felt like I was falling into the abyss.
It was Li Shuming who saved us at this time.
He pushed through the crowd, strode in, and handed me a thin beige coat. "Take Auntie to the car."
Only then did I come to my senses and saw that Li Shuming looked calm, with something in his eyes, as if he was saying, quickly tell your mother to get up and take him away.
I took the coat from him and put it on my mother. Li Shuming pushed through the crowd and protected my mother with his body. We each supported my mother and walked out of the crowd with strange looks. The car stopped at the side and he quickly opened the back door. "Auntie, please get in."
The mother looked at him distraughtly and got into the car.
Li Shuming drove my mother and me home. When we first got in the car, my mother said nothing. After a while, she looked at me as if she had just woken up from a dream, "Qinqin, I was too embarrassed just now, wasn't I?"
I then realized that my mother's makeup was smudged, her face was streaked with mascara, and the color of her mascara had smudged onto her lower eyelids, making her face look haggard. A feeling of heartache spread throughout my body, and I hugged her and shook my head, "No, no."
Shuming walked us straight downstairs, and had no intention of following us upstairs. He kept a polite distance to avoid being suspected of prying into other people's privacy. Before leaving, my mother said to him gratefully, "Thank you, thank you, as an elder, I really lost my temper."
"Auntie, have a good rest." Li Shuming said in a soft voice. He waved at us and closed the car door.
I chased him and knocked on his car window. I almost forgot to thank him after all this trouble. "Thank you."
He rolled down the car window and smiled at me. His straight nose looked very nice. "Take a day off tomorrow and stay at home with your aunt." His eyes seemed to say, take good care of your mother.
I nodded.
When I got home and opened the door, it was pitch black. My father had not yet returned home. He must have gone out for a walk and had not expected that there would be a fire in the backyard. I turned on the light. My mother walked into the bathroom without saying a word, took a shower, came out, saw me in a daze on the sofa, patted my shoulder and said, "I saw you were soaked just now, go take a shower too." She seemed to have calmed down and looked extremely tired.
After all, she still cares about me. I turned and went in, and my mother's voice came from the living room, "I just felt that something was wrong... By the way, didn't you find that there was something wrong with him?" She was still trying to get to the bottom of the whole incident.
"No, no, I didn't know." I said hastily, "I forgot. I'm sorry, Mom."
"Well, it's hard to change one's nature. What kind of gods have I offended in this life?" The mother seemed to be talking to herself outside the door.
"Mom, no matter what happens, I'm on your side." I turned down the water and comforted her.
My mother sighed heavily and said nothing more. After a while, she heard my cell phone ringing, and then it suddenly became quiet again. I guess my mother hung up.
After taking a shower, my tiredness was half gone. I opened the door and went out. My mother came up to me, hugged me tightly, and stroked my hair. "Quilt, quilt." Her voice was extremely sad.
"Mom, I will always be with you."
My mother pulled me to sit on the sofa and talked about some childhood memories. After a while, her eyes suddenly lit up and she changed the subject and asked, "Who was that man just now?"
"A colleague from the head office. Oh, no, the boss."
“He’s a talented person.”
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
My mother took my hand and stroked it gently, with deep sorrow emanating from the depths of her soul. "Qinqin, now, I can only count on you."
I looked at her. The brown hair she had dyed a while ago had faded and lost its luster. There were new thin hairs growing on her temples, with a few silver hairs mixed in. She had taken off her makeup, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible under the light as her facial muscles moved. My mother is no longer young. I took out my phone and saw that my father had called me many times.
"Qiuqi, what's his name?"
"who?"
"The leader of your head office."
"Li Shuming."
“I have a feeling that he is someone I can rely on.”
The phone rang again, and I subconsciously grabbed the receiver first, "Qinqin, have you persuaded your mother to come home?"
"You still care about this?"
"I'm worried. Daughter, if the incident gets out of hand, it will be bad for everyone and your mother will lose face."
I was just about to answer him, "You still know how to save face?" The receiver was snatched away by my mother, "Zhao Xinyue, you even let someone tip you off. If you have the guts, run away with that vixen. Don't come back!"
After my mother hung up the phone, her chest rose and fell violently. I patted her shoulder and said, "Mom, I will take a day off tomorrow to accompany you. When Dad comes back, we will have a good talk with him."
The mother said nothing. After a long silence, she uttered a sigh.
It was fate that Li Shuming accidentally came in during this turmoil and did a good thing.
He showed up at the right time, saving us from danger, but it was too timely. The ugly things in our family were seen by a strange man, and he was a leader. Whenever I think about this, I feel very uncomfortable that my privacy was seen by such a stranger who was not too far away.
But I know that my mother looks at him differently. (To be continued)