Zhao Jun had lost all his money.
Zhao Jun almost lost his mind.
This is his last hope, his hope for a comeback.
He ran out like a madman to find the security department, clamoring for someone to investigate.
"It must have been stolen! It must have been stolen!"
Zhao Jun began to shout indiscriminately, looking at everyone as if they were a thief who had stolen his things.
His eyes were so scorching that they made the neighbors feel uncomfortable.
When the security department heard that money was lost, they were also on high alert: "Captain Zhao, please tell me in detail, what exactly happened? How much money was lost?"
Zhao Jun finally calmed down, took a deep breath and said, "My retirement allowance and the savings I made over the past few years are all gone!"
This amount of money is not small, and the family compound has never seen such a terrible incident.
The security department was about to ask detailed questions when a neighbor interrupted.
"It may not be lost. You can look for it again. Ask the children at home. Maybe you just forgot it somewhere."
"That's right, ask Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi."
"Where's Zhao Dong? Why didn't I see him today?"
…
Zhao Jun froze in his tracks. What did this mean? Did these people mean that Zhao Dong stole his money
impossible!
Zhao Jun subconsciously wanted to refute, but a voice in his heart reminded him.
Maybe
Zhao Dong has become more and more rebellious in recent years. Not only is his academic performance a mess, but he also gets into fights every now and then. He also hangs out with some young men outside the compound who have a bad reputation, and the school has called his parents several times.
Those young people were teenagers who did not go to school but were not old enough to go to the countryside. A group of half-grown children gathered together and became a chronic disease in the city.
Could it be Zhao Dong
Zhao Jun didn't even have the confidence to refute.
When others saw him like this, they knew what was going on.
So it seems that the father really doesn’t know what kind of person his son is
"Captain Zhao, I saw your Zhao Dong eating lamb ribs with others at a mutton restaurant in the east of the city yesterday."
"And me, I also saw this kid smoking a box of Hongtashan the day before yesterday."
"Someone saw your Zhao Dong playing cards with others a few days ago."
…
The people in the compound gathered together like this, and all of them pointed their fingers at Zhao Dong who was not present.
There were also some people who gloated over Zhao Jun's misfortune, thinking that he deserved it as he could not take good care of his own child. Look, now his money has been stolen, and the father has the nerve to go to the security department and say that the child was left in the tube-shaped building.
Zhao Jun's eyes went dark. Zhao Dong had indeed been very quiet these past few days. He was much better than before when he would always ask him for money.
He originally thought that Zhao Dong was considerate of him as a father because he couldn't wait for the admission news. But now it seems that he has already taken the money from the family and is just feeling guilty!
The crowd dispersed, and the security department was relieved. If it was stolen by an outsider, they would have to investigate, but if it was stolen by their own children, it would be a family matter and would not bother them.
Before leaving, a colleague from the security department who was on good terms with Zhao Jun said sympathetically, "Brother Zhao, when the child comes back, you should talk to him/her openly."
Zhao Jun didn't know what was going on. It seemed like he was born without a close relationship with his children.
In the eyes of others, Zhao Dong has problems, and he, as a father, is also to blame.
Zhao Jun waited and waited until the middle of the night, and finally his son came home late.
Zhao Dong walked home under the moonlight, cursing his bad luck in his heart.
He stole his father's money, hoping to turn the tables at the gambling table, but he kept losing. In just a few days, he lost all his money and even owed a hundred dollars.
Zhao Dong pushed open the door, thinking about where else he could hide the money in the house. He didn't believe that his father only had this little money. If he could find a few hundred more, he would definitely be able to turn the tables. Then he could return all the money...
With a "pop" sound, Zhao Dong was startled.
The room suddenly became bright. It turned out that Zhao Jun had been waiting at the door, holding the light switch in his hand.
Zhao Dong was startled at first, then felt a little guilty.
Zhao Jun didn't beat around the bush and held out his hand: "Where's the money?"
He wanted to get the money back first and then settle the account with his son.
He can want to live a good life with plenty of food and drink, but he has to earn it himself, not squander his capital!
Zhao Dong was still trying hard: "What money?"
Zhao Jun was so angry at his son's stubborn attitude that he said, "Where's the money? You're spending my money. Do you have any shame? Where's the money?"
Zhao Dong stopped talking.
Zhao Jun went up and grabbed his son by the collar: "Where's the money?!"
That was his only hope, his chance to turn things around.
Zhao Dong was determined and said, "I've spent all my money."
As if to irritate his father, he grinned and said, "I still owe a hundred."
Zhao Jun was so shocked by the bad news that he almost lost his balance: "What?"
Zhao Dong stared into his father's eyes: "I said I spent it all, eating, watching movies, playing cards, treating guests... Not a penny left."
Zhao Jun stood there in a daze, but Zhao Dong felt a sense of pleasure from revenge amidst his fear.
He looked at his father who looked like a wooden man. After several years of battles and exhaustion, Zhao Jun had already looked a little old. This oldness was not in the gray hair or stooped body. Instead, it was the deep fatigue in his eyes.
Now, the fatigue came back like a tide, washing over this depressed father.
After a long while, Zhao Jun murmured, "Zhao Dong, how did I ever let you down to make you hate me so much?"
He has been learning to be a good father in recent years and has been doing housework more smoothly. Isn't this enough to make his children look good to him
In a trance, Zhao Jun thought of Wang Ying again.
If he was backstabbed by his son after such efforts, he would be disheartened. What about his previous life
Wang Ying devoted her whole heart and soul to the three of them. In the end, at the end of her life, how did she spend the last few days of her life alone
Only then did Zhao Jun realize that he was wrong.
Children are not born as their own; instead, they need to be carefully educated, taken care of in terms of their food and daily life, and treated with patience and care.
But he made one mistake after another, and now he is doomed.
Zhao Dong was also silenced by his father's questioning.
He stood there in a daze, and both father and son were in the same silence.
…
After a few days, the news spread throughout the sugar factory’s staff quarters.
"Have you heard? Captain Zhao, who resigned for the college entrance examination, said he wants to sell his house!"
"What does this mean? Why sell the house?"
"I heard that it was because of the prodigal son in his family who spent all his money. Now Captain Zhao may be too embarrassed to stay here any longer."
"Tsk tsk, that doesn't mean he has to sell the house. If he sells the house, where will he live?"
"He said he was going back to his hometown, where he still had a few rooms."
…
Zhao Jun really couldn't stay there anymore. Zhao Dong was hanging out with other people in the city. If we didn't care about him now, he would definitely be sent to jail in the future.
Zhao Xi also learned a lot of bad habits.
Eating and drinking in the city cost money, so the only option now was to return to the countryside. Zhao Jun looked at the current situation that was completely contrary to the future, and felt as if something had died in his heart.
Zhao Jun quickly completed the transaction of the house, received a few hundred yuan, and returned to his hometown with his children.
Unfortunately, when Zhao Jun found a car to move his furniture back to his hometown, he happened to meet Wang Ying's family who were returning to the city on the road.
When Wang Ying returned to her hometown this time, she did not sell her house, but moved all the furniture in the city back to her hometown. She did not sell the house in the city, but rented it out.
As the time to report approached, Wang Ying and her family returned to the city to make final preparations. The train tickets had already been booked, and the whole family was about to go to Beijing.
When Wang Ying met Zhao Jun, she didn't even look at him, but just chatted and laughed with Xu Shuang.
Taotao was held in her mother's arms, and she still poked her little head out to interrupt.
The family is happy and running towards their bright future.
And for Zhao Jun, this was the last time he saw Wang Ying.
Wang Ying dealt with everything at home and said goodbye to her friends and neighbors in the city.
Fortunately, Jiang Lin and Zhang Na both got into the university with the scores just below the passing line. Jiang Lin was admitted to the provincial university's pharmacy program, while Zhang Na went to a specialist school to study medicine.
It was a medical clinic, and all three of them passed the exam.
As expected, Yang Qing failed to make the list.
Wang Ying took time out to have dinner with Jiang Lin and Zhang Na, and two days later, she embarked on the journey of studying.
This was Wang Ying's first time taking a train since she came here. Before, Xu Shuang went to the provincial capital for rating, but Wang Ying had never gone with him.
Wang Ying no longer yearned for big cities. She had seen the bright lights, the nightlife, the tall buildings in her previous life.
but…
It was not until Wang Ying arrived at the train station that she finally understood how crowded it was to get on a train.
Most of the people who got on the bus were carrying large and small bags, and some were carrying shoulder poles or burdens.
While waiting for the bus, Wang Ying was squeezed all over the place.
She and Xu Shuang had already reached a consensus that the things they brought were those they needed right now, and they did not take everything from home.
So there were only two big bags, one for Wang Ying and one for Xu Shuang.
Chen Dong and Old Lady Xu stared at Taotao. It was quite good that the whole family was gathered together.
When the bell rang to signal the train's arrival, the crowd rushed to the entrance like a tide. Xu Shuang quickly grabbed his wife, children, mother and master and squeezed to the front of the crowd.
Only after getting on the car did Xu Shuang breathe a sigh of relief.
Thanks to the master, they bought sleeper tickets this time, with four berths right next to each other.
After putting the luggage under the bed, Xu Shuang took out the water cup. Fearing that the elderly and children might not be able to adapt to the local climate, Wang Ying brought some more water from her hometown this time.
Old Mrs. Xu sat by the window and exclaimed, "My goodness, why are there so many old people?"
She wouldn't know unless she went out. She always thought that everyone around her was the same as her own family and few people went to the county town in their entire lives.
Wang Ying peeled an orange for her daughter and said, "Now is the time for school. Look at all these big and small bags. Most of them are going to school."
Speaking of this, Wang Ying reminded: "Although we are a large group, we still need to pay attention to safety. Don't be alone anywhere."
Xu Shuang had told her about her experience in the provincial capital before, saying that some people hijacked trains and climbed in and out through the windows when the train was moving slowly. If you lose something, don't expect to find it again.
Xu Shuang also nodded in agreement: "We have brought food and drinks. We will be sitting for a day and a night, so we can't lose our vigilance."
Chen Dong happily snatched Taotao's oranges to eat. He felt happy. It was different now that he had an apprentice. He only had to sit and wait for others to take care of him. He didn't have to worry about anything.
Taotao also blinked her big eyes when she got on the train, and even ate a few bites of oranges, leaning against the window to watch. Her big eyes were full of excitement.
"Mom, why do trains emit black smoke?"
"Mom, why is everyone crowding?"
"Mom, can I go play somewhere else?"
…
Wang Ying was almost overwhelmed by her questions.
Xu Shuang quickly took out some candy to attract her daughter: "Dad will take you for a walk later."
In the past, Xu Shuang always had an overprotective attitude towards her daughter, not allowing her to play with this or watch that. It was Wang Ying who corrected her. In her opinion, it was not a bad thing for her to see more of the world. Even if she got hurt, it was not a big problem. The more you guard a child, the more likely he is to get into trouble.
Xu Shuang coaxed Tao Tao away, and waited until the train started and everyone was seated before Xu Shuang took her daughter around several carriages.
But Taotao was so excited that she came back and held her mother's hand and talked non-stop.
With Taotao, the little troublemaker, the journey doesn't seem boring anymore.
At noon, a food cart came over.
"The set lunch costs 1.5 yuan per portion. It has meat and vegetables."
Taotao was immediately attracted. After sitting in the car for half a while, her stomach was rumbling with hunger.
She looked at her mother eagerly: "Hungry~"
Wang Ying took out the pancakes and meat sauce, pickled vegetables and eggs that Xu Shuang had prepared: "Then let's eat. Mom will go get some hot water and come back to heat up the food."
Taotao pouted: "But I want to eat the food sold by this sister."
Xu Shuang frowned and coaxed her daughter: "That one doesn't taste good. Dad's cooking is delicious."
He knew the quality of the food on the train, which was just edible.
Tao Tao refused and insisted on eating: "I want to eat that meal!"
Wang Ying didn't try to persuade him, she smiled and said, "Okay, then let's vote by raising our hands and choose whoever wants to eat can eat whatever they want. But if you choose the lunch box my sister sells, then you can only eat your own portion."
Taotao said without hesitation: "Okay!"
"Even if it doesn't taste good, you can't ask dad for help. You have to finish it yourself."
Taotao tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Okay!"
She felt that her father must be lying to her because the food sold by the young lady looked very good.
The whole family voted by raising their hands, and only Taotao was interested in eating the boxed lunch, while the adults all ate the food brought by Xu Shuang.
Wang Ying gave Xu Shuang 1.5 yuan: "Buy it for her."
Xu Shuang had no choice but to buy one, and when she handed it to her daughter, she muttered, "This is really not tasty."
Taotao didn't care. She took out her own chopsticks and spoon, and went to the big piece of meat in the lunch box with shining eyes.
Old Mrs. Xu wanted to try it, but she was not happy when she heard the price. One dollar and fifty cents! Why are the things on the train so expensive
But if her granddaughter wants to eat, she won't stop her no matter how distressed she is.
The pancake Xu Shuang prepared this time on the bus was a thousand-layer scallion pancake. After the layers of scallion pancake were slightly heated, the aroma of scallions came out from the folds of the pancake. Half a salted duck egg was sandwiched in the middle, which was salty and fragrant.
There are also some pickled pepper rings and cucumbers, and the noodle soup made with fried noodles is also delicious.
There were also two cans of prepared meat sauce with peanuts and fried small pieces of dried tofu, which was fragrant and spicy.
Wang Ying also bought a few steamed buns from the dining car. The adults ate the hot steamed buns with meat sauce and drank noodle tea.
Taotao took a bite of the braised pork, chewed it for a few bites, and her little face wrinkled like a bitter gourd.
Good, good, good... It tastes so bad.
Tao Tao refused to give up and ate the whole piece of braised pork. She was very frustrated because the braised pork made by her father was delicious. The meat was fat and lean, and the skin was rotten. She could eat several bowls of rice with the red sauce.
The meat on this train is so expensive and yet it tastes so bad!
Taotao was so sad as she watched her father, mother, grandmother and Grandpa Chen eating steamed buns with meat and drinking fragrant noodle tea.
Woo woo woo, she regretted it!
When Xu Shuang saw her daughter wrinkling her nose, she wanted to reach out and take her daughter's unpalatable lunch box, but was kicked by Wang Ying.
Taotao cried as she ate half of the box. It was really bad. But she didn't dare to ask her mother for help. After all, her mother had just said that if she bought it, she could only eat it by herself.
But it's really hard to eat...
Just when Taotao was about to collapse, Xu Shuang finally reached out.
Wang Ying pinched Taotao's nose: "Are you still being willful?"
Taotao hugged her mother's neck embarrassedly: "No, no."
She must listen to her parents!
Xu Shuang took the lunch box and ate it up in no time. Taotao felt that she couldn't eat any more just now, but now she was happily eating the steamed bun.
"Dad, the meat you cook is so delicious! I will never eat meat cooked by others again!"
"Dad, drink some water!"
The little flatterer felt guilty because she gave the disgusting lunch box to her father!
Old Lady Xu also took a bite and said thankfully, "Luckily I ordered this. This is too unpalatable. It's so expensive and yet it tastes so bad."
Wang Ying: "It's unpalatable, but we've been fooled this time. We won't eat it again in the future."
Although Taotao is sensible, it is normal for a three-year-old to be unable to control her emotions sometimes. Wang Ying thinks it is better to guide than to block, so since she thinks the lunch box is delicious, she will buy it for her.
She just didn't believe that with Xu Shuang's cooking skills, her daughter could get used to eating these expensive and unpalatable things.
The doors of the berths had not been closed yet at that time, so Wang Ying and her family were having a great time eating here, and soon the aroma spread to other berths.
I didn't wait too long before someone came.
An old lady with drooping eyebrows didn't even say hello, but pulled her grandson to sniff hard. Her grandson looked about five or six years old, but he was carried on the old lady's shoulders.
"It's right here! Grandma, that fragrance is right here!"
The little boy smelled the fragrance here and immediately shouted at the top of his voice.
His grandmother put her grandson down tremblingly and blocked the aisle in front of Wang Ying's family's sleeper berth.
Wang Ying and her friends hadn't finished their meal yet, and there were leftover meat sauce pancakes, steamed buns, salted duck eggs and pickled vegetables on the table. The old lady took one look at them and her eyes were glued to them.
"Comrade, you don't want the remaining things, do you? Give them to me and I'll throw them away for you."
As he said this, he was about to come up and get it.
Wang Ying's eyes flashed and she separated the old lady's hand.
The little boy couldn't bear it any longer, and he squeezed forward from behind his grandmother and tried to grab it directly.
Xu Shuang separated the child and quickly cleared the table.
"Sorry, we haven't finished eating yet, so we don't need your help."
Wang Ying was not tolerant of her at all. This old lady was so weird that she actually came up and snatched things. It was obvious that she was not a good person either.
Xu Shuang is tall and strong. He doesn't look noticeable when he's sitting, but he's very oppressive when he stands up.
The old lady was about to curse, but when she saw Xu Shuang's height, she didn't dare to do so.
He muttered, "How heartless! He doesn't even give others the food he can't finish. Aren't you afraid of choking to death?"
Wang Ying didn't want to deal with such people. If these two people, one old and one young, lay here again, she would easily get into trouble.
The old lady wanted to leave after she finished her grumbling, but her eldest grandson refused to let her go. He lay on the ground and rolled over.
"I want to eat! I want to eat! I don't want to eat bad food! I want to eat pancakes and salted duck eggs!"
Taotao was stunned. Pingping and she were the same age, but Taotao didn't understand the little brother's behavior.
Just tell me what you want to eat, right
She wanted to eat the box lunch just now, and her mother didn't stop her.
The ground gets really dirty after rolling around like this.
Taotao turned her face away in disgust.
The old lady was so embarrassed by her grandson that no matter how much she tried to persuade him, it was in vain.
Finally, she could only say reluctantly: "Comrade, please sell me some of your food. You've made our child greedy."
She was not satisfied. Why did he bring a big meat bun with him when he got on the bus
Isn't this just looking for trouble
She didn't want to say she would buy it at first, thinking that these people had made her grandson cry for greed, so shouldn't she take the initiative to give it to him
But seeing that the woman in the family was very fussy and the man was not easy to deal with, she could only try to be reasonable and offer to buy some.
Wang Ying refused bluntly: "No, we don't even have enough to eat, so we won't sell it."
The old lady had a sly look in her eyes. She was not willing to share her own food. She couldn't sell it either. If she dared to sell it here, the old lady would say that their food was not clean.
The naughty child was still rolling on the ground and crying, but the old lady could no longer suppress her anger.
"You are a lesbian, you have your own children, how can you be so heartless? What's wrong with my grandson wanting to eat your food? Do you have to be so hard on us?"
When Old Lady Xu heard this, she became furious. She pulled her daughter-in-law back and pushed forward herself.
"You old woman, what's wrong with us? We are just eating our own food, what's your business? You asked for it yourself, and first you wanted it for free, then when you couldn't get it, you said you wanted to buy it. We told you that it's our own food and we won't sell it to you, but you blame us like this. Who do you think you are? Your family runs the train? Why are you giving us orders?"
Old Mrs. Xu was so aggressive that she immediately suppressed the energy of the old lady who was looking for trouble.
The old lady was about to say something when a young woman appeared behind her. She hurried over and pulled the old lady away, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry to bother you."
The old lady was still yelling, "Xiao Rou, don't pull me. They look down on me because I come from the countryside. They brought food but didn't give it to us."
The young wife named Xiaorou lowered her voice and said in great distress: "Mom, it's normal for people not to want to give away their own things. Stop making trouble, quickly bring Zhuangzhuang back, and let's go back..."
"Do you dislike me too? If I had known I shouldn't have followed you out! I know you've been admitted to university and you don't like us anymore..."
Old Lady Xu said with a spit: "What kind of person is this!"
Taotao followed her grandmother's voice in a baby voice: "What kind of people are you!"
Wang Ying was amused by her daughter: "What do you know? You are just imitating nonsense."
There were no more troublemakers during the rest of the journey, but every time she arrived at the hotel, she could hear the sound of children crying from the surrounding bunks, and Wang Ying gradually got used to it.
The train travelled for another day and finally arrived in the capital on the morning of that day.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang had experience this time, so they sandwiched Old Lady Xu, who was holding Taotao, in the middle. Wang Ying walked in front and Xu Shuang walked behind, and the family walked out of the Capital Station with difficulty.
As soon as she got out of the station, Wang Ying heard someone shouting excitedly.
"Sister Ying! Sister Ying! Taotao! I'm here!"
Cheng Yu was wearing a rose-red woolen coat, and standing next to him was Cheng Shufen, who was wearing a green down jacket. Behind him was Lan Yue, who was dressed up in a new outfit.
The three of them standing together look like a family.
Cheng Yu has now cut off her long hair and left her medium-length hair. She jumped up when she saw Wang Ying.
"Sister Ying, long time no see."