Day 16 16:00
The two were tired and crooked when the cuckoo sounded the time in the tea house. He Zhiyuan raised his wrist and looked at his watch. At four o'clock, it was time for Boo to leave school.
Song Ran shouted that the pickup was late, grabbed his wrist and ran towards the kindergarten. As soon as he turned into Gaolan Road, Song Ran's expression changed, his footsteps stopped, the forward turned to the defender, and hid behind He Zhiyuan like a thief.
He Zhiyuan turned his head: "What's wrong?"
Song Ran: "Uh, I was tripped over by..."
On the other side of the road, the old lady who had chatted with him just now was leading a little girl towards him. The girl is quite cute, with a mushroom head and a little red dress with polka dots. She raised her head pretty and spoke to her grandmother. Song Ran hurriedly pulled into the three-point line, using He Zhiyuan's height to cover himself - "the busy wife who always loves to travel on business" not only appeared, but also a man, the impact was too great, he was afraid of breaking the old lady's Three Views.
When the grandfather and grandson turned the corner and disappeared from view, Songran breathed a sigh of relief.
He Zhiyuan looked at him and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
There are two rows of cars neatly lined at the entrance of the kindergarten, all of them are parents who come to pick up their children. Among them, a second-hand bicycle, a bamboo woven basket, and a small leather stool suddenly entered, parked crookedly, showing a unique character.
"This car, my car, has a speed of ten kilometers per hour." Song Ran pointed to He Zhiyuan generously, jumped over and patted the small leather stool, "Leather seat, luxurious enjoyment."
Seeing his bright smile, He Zhiyuan was also amused: "Bob has mentioned it on the phone several times, saying that he likes your car, it's slow, swaying, and can see the kittens and dogs on the roadside, It's more comfortable than riding in my car. But there are three people today, and your car can't be carried. Can you feel wronged and take my car? "
Song Ran looked around: "Your car?"
A car parked on the side of the road opened the door, and a middle-aged man in a neat uniform and white gloves came down from the driver's seat, respectfully handed the car keys back to He Zhiyuan, then walked to Songran, politely to himself Introduction: "My surname is Wu, and I'm Mr. He's driver."
"Ah... you, hello!"
Song Ran hurriedly shook hands with him. After shaking hands, the other party did not withdraw his hand, but kept his palms up: "Please give me the car keys, and I will be responsible for driving for you."
chauffeur
Song Ran looked bewildered and cast a puzzled look at He Zhiyuan.
He Zhiyuan explained: "Bicycle key."
Bikes and chauffeurs
Song Ran's eyes widened, hesitantly took out a copper key from his pocket and handed it to the driver. The driver took the key with a calm expression, and he unlocked the lock, held the car, kicked the footrest, and rode away along the shade of the tree.
"… "
Song Ran looked at his shrunken back, and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
"Wake up, don't look, come to my side."
He Zhiyuan leaned beside the car, reached out and knocked on the hood, signaling Songran to look over. Song Ran turned his eyes, noticed the whole picture of the car, and was stunned for a moment - the Infiniti he was thinking of, washed, waxed, painted with the afterglow of the setting sun, and a dazzling light flowed from the edge of the silver-gray shell. .
It's so beautiful, prettier than any car I've seen before at Bishuiwanju.
Song Ran happily touched the car body, and carefully stroked the cold metal surface inch by inch with his soft fingertips, for fear of breaking it: "Why did you think of driving it today?"
"What do you say?"
He Zhiyuan smiled at him.
Song Ran understood all of a sudden, was ashamed, lowered his head and remained silent.
"If you like it, I can always open it in the future - just open it." He Zhiyuan said softly, stretched out his hand to loosen the tie, pulled it out from under the collar, and unscrewed a collar button with one hand, "I like it. ?"
Song Ran whispered, "I like it."
One point praises the car, and the remaining nine points praise people.
His eyes were clear and bright, full of affection. From He Zhiyuan's nose bridge to his chin, from his chin to his Adam's apple, and finally to the little shadow of his collarbone under the open front of his shirt-this man looked like he was wearing a black shirt. He was even more moved than the previous glimpse.
In a large crowd and at the entrance of the kindergarten, Song Ran was embarrassed to ask He Zhiyuan to hold hands. The two of them leaned side by side by the car and waited for the cloth to come out. Their shoulders and arms touched lightly through the fabric, and their skin was a little hot.
"Pulp!"
As soon as Bubu left the kindergarten, his eyes rolled around like a spinning top, locked on the target, and rushed towards He Zhiyuan cheering. A short hair was blown by the wind, and it stood up in a mess on his head, as if it had just been struck by lightning.
He jumped, turned into an octopus, and hugged He Zhiyuan's waist firmly: "Puba, I miss you so much!"
He Zhiyuan was about to hold him up when Bubu suddenly released his little hand, slipped off him with a squeak, took a half step back, pointed to his shirt and said, "Puba, the clothes are wrinkled... I'm sorry."
A small piece of the hem was pulled out from the waist of the trousers, which should have been rubbed hard just now.
The child blinked his eyes twice, took a step closer to Songran timidly, and tugged at his sleeve, looking a little flustered - he was always obedient in front of his father, how dare he jump on the waist whenever he meets him? . In the past two weeks, Song Ran has been accustomed to pampering her, and her "presumptuous" behavior has become more and more popular.
Dad must be upset.
However, He Zhiyuan was not angry, he bent down and picked up Boob, kissed him on the cheek, and comforted him: "It's okay, Boo thinks so much about Dad, Dad feels very happy."
"Really?"
Boob showed an unbelievably happy look.
He Zhiyuan nodded: "Really."
Bubu immediately turned cloudy and sunny, and wrapped his arms around He Zhiyuan's neck: "What about Dad? Does Dad miss me?"
"Of course I do. Dad thinks of you every day, worried about whether our little boob has enough to eat, whether we are afraid to sleep at night, and whether we are getting along well with my brother." He Zhiyuan poked his face lightly, "Baby tell Dad, How were your days?"
"I'm having a great time!" Bubu's brows danced, his smart little eyes wandered, and he sweetly added the second half of the sentence, "Dad will be even happier when he comes back!"
Song Ran almost laughed when he heard it - this child is really sweet from sugar cane, and everything in his mouth is sweet.
The family got into the car, Boob sat in the exclusive child seat, and took the initiative to fasten the seat belt, while Song Ran sat in the co-pilot cautiously, with her toes raised, for fear that her sneakers might stain the car that was just cleaned.
Until now, he was still a little dreamy, and he couldn't believe that he was really sitting in the Infiniti of his dreams. He knew that this car was not expensive, and it was probably incomparable with the other two cars of He Zhiyuan, so he was locked in the cold palace all the time. What it symbolizes is solemn and precious, and it is what Songran has always looked forward to.
Seeing that he was nervous, He Zhiyuan opened the door and got out of the car, went around to his side, fastened his seatbelt for him in a gentlemanly manner, and said with relief, "Let go of my car, it's fine."
self, home...
Song Ran was a little embarrassed.
Of course, he wouldn't feel that he was dating He Zhiyuan, and the car was divided into half of him, but the three words "my own" really sounded nice. He meditated a few times and felt a lot more at ease, so he flattened his feet, stretched comfortably, and felt the inertia of the vehicle starting to push him gently on the seat back.
It only takes five minutes to drive from the kindergarten to my home. After five minutes, the scenery on the roadside is not only unfamiliar, but more and more unfamiliar, and finally even a viaduct is opened. Song Ran asked what was going on, and He Zhiyuan tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips: "You said you liked crabs before, but I promised to take you there, remember?"
Song Ran had long forgotten about this, and only managed to find a vague impression.
He thought he would go home for dinner tonight, but he went to the vegetable market yesterday, bought a basket full of meat and vegetables, and wrapped thirty small white jade wontons in advance, and he was waiting in line in the refrigerator. What about the pot.
When Bubu heard that there were crabs to eat, he shouted cheerfully: "Crabs! Crabs! Crabs! Crabs!"
Listening to this heroic energy, he can swallow eight in one breath.
Song Ran thought that maybe he hadn't eaten crabs for many years, and was so greedy that he didn't express any objection. He said thank you, and quietly leaned back into the seat, watching He Zhiyuan drive attentively. His eyes were not naked, and he seemed to rest on He Zhiyuan's right hand unintentionally - this man was also very beautiful: slender but not thin, with well-defined knuckles, flat nails without thorns, and four clear metacarpal bony protrusions on the back of the hand. From the start, there are several clusters of blue veins under the skin.
When held by this hand, no matter how strong or hot it was, it was too strong to give people a way to survive.
Song Ran's heart was itchy, and she couldn't help but quietly licked her lips.
"Don't look, I'll panic."
He Zhiyuan looked ahead and said lightly.
Song Ran was startled, she quickly looked away like an electric shock, lowered her head, and stared at her trouser legs awkwardly. He Zhiyuan laughed silently, and when he was waiting for a red light at a certain intersection, he let go of the steering wheel, held Song Ran's hand, intertwined his fingers, and put them together softly.
The back seat of the car was full of gifts brought back by He Zhiyuan, and Bo Bu tugged and bitten all the way, and he fiddled all the way. There is also a GoPro Karma drone.
After unpacking a bunch of small cartons, Bobu was in high spirits, stretched his arms, and wanted to unpack the largest one. He Zhiyuan found his intention through the rearview mirror and stopped him in time: "Don't open it, it's a gift for your brother Songran."
"Huh!" Bubu was refreshed, "what is it?"
Song Ran didn't expect that he also had a gift, so he became curious: "What is it?"
"Some painting materials, such as paper, pens, paints, etc." He Zhiyuan said, "I am not familiar with your field, so I asked the company's designers to help you choose. There are about 20 brands, and you try one by one. Come here, which ones are comfortable to use, and I will buy them for you in the future."
Song Ran was stunned: "Thank you."
If He Zhiyuan gave any other valuable gift, he would refuse it rudely and feel uneasy. In contrast, painting materials are probably the most suitable choice. But things like paper, pens, and paints don't cost a lot of money to buy cheap ones. Once you start to pursue the grades, it is also a considerable amount of money.
The watercolor paper he uses now has many problems. First of all, the water absorption is not enough, and secondly, the surface strength is not enough, which affects the layering and smudge effect, and it is not suitable for repeated modification. He wanted to change to pure cotton painting paper several times, but he gave up after calculating the price - he didn't earn much, and if the cost increased a little bit, he might not be able to make ends meet.
So it has been until now.
Song Ran really likes picture book illustrations and wants to draw better works, but the price of paper and paint is like a hurdle, and it is always there - he can't afford high-priced consumables, and this gap is opened by money , skills alone can't make up for it.
The painting materials that Mr. He purchased for him must be expensive. If Mr. He pays the bills for these things in the future, will it be regarded as supporting him to some extent
Thinking of this, Songran's self-esteem began to play strangely, and his chest was stuffy and astringent: "I like this gift very much, and I will treasure it well, but I still plan to buy the materials in the future. Mr. He, I can't spend it on you. money."
He Zhiyuan understood what he was thinking, he pressed the back of his hand with strength, and patted the back of his hand a few times in a soothing way: "Don't worry too much about this. It's not an account between the family members, so I'll tell Bubu a few more stories in the future, We're even."
"No... No." Song Ran shook his head, "Mr. He, I really have no position to spend your money."
He Zhiyuan smiled when he heard the words: "I don't mind asking you to marry me after dinner."
"Don't, don't, don't be impulsive!"
Song Ran jumped up in shock and was dragged back to the seat by the seat belt, causing a dull pain in his ribs.
He Zhiyuan pulled back his hands, put his hands on the steering wheel, and said calmly, "Song Ran, you shouldn't be too clear about this. We are not a detached cohabitation relationship, nor a clear-cut cooperative relationship, we are interdependent. partner, and family."
"This... I know." Song Ran paused, "But if the relationship is close, the money should be accounted for separately. As the old saying goes, brothers and sisters are clear."
"If you must do the math, okay, I'll do the math for you." He Zhiyuan didn't give in, "I promise to pay you 14,000 for 15 days, or 28,000 per month. This price only includes care Boob, it doesn't include taking care of me. If you include me, the salary will be doubled, fifty-six thousand. I can agree to economic separation on the condition that I will pay you fifty-six at the beginning of every month. "
"Mr. He, why do you have to do this?" Song Ran was anxious, "I have no other intentions, I just think that every penny I spend should be earned by myself."
He Zhiyuan shrugged: "The fifty-six thousand is what you earned."
"But we're a family!" Song Ran subconsciously glanced at Boo Bu in the back seat with a corner of his light, and when he saw that he was concentrating on making toys, he lowered his voice, "I take care of you, you accompany me, don't you pay for each other? , why should it be converted into money?"
He was nervous, afraid of arguing with Mr. He again.
At first, their family values were contradictory, and they took a difficult detour before they converged. Now that they met each other, they only involved a little bit of economic exchanges, and they found that their views on money were different. What should I do in the future
He Zhiyuan didn't show much signs of anger, and still drove smoothly.
Only at a certain moment, he sighed very lightly.
"Songran, you said it yourself, we are already a family. I'm not good at cooking, and your cooking skills happen to be good. In the future, you will cook a lot of meals for me and Boob. I used to hire several people with high salary. Nanny, everyone has received professional training. To be honest, no one has ever praised Boo so much. You are different from them. You are more attentive. You will observe what Boo likes to eat and consider his physical needs. What to make up. I mentioned a little wonton that you like to make by yourself, and you remember it. You cleaned the house a few days ago, and you also made some beautiful handmade decorations. "
"These things may seem ordinary to you, and you don't have to talk about money at all, but not talking about doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In fact, it's worth much more than you think. If it was a babysitter, it would be a lot of money. Small expenses. Song Ran, why don't you accept the money, or even let me mention it? Because you love us, you give it voluntarily, and I... also want to give you something voluntarily."
"You like to paint and make a living from it. I hope you can work more comfortably, so I give you paper and paint without charging, because I love you too. Songran, you say giving is mutual. Yes, giving It is indeed mutual, you have your way, I have my way, so what is the difference between a bowl of wontons and a stack of drawing paper?"
Song Ran opened his mouth, but couldn't answer.
The sky spread out a large orange red sunset, bright and warm. The evening light shone through the windows, casting a layer of flickering light. For some reason, Song Ran felt that Mr. He looked a little tired. After a long flight of 13 hours, and after landing, he went to the company for an afternoon, so he should be tired.
He Zhiyuan drove the car quietly, and said after a long while, "Baby, I don't want to quarrel with you, especially for that little money - in my opinion, our relationship is far more important than money. If you insist on not accepting it, I will You can make concessions, but I want you to know that I give you a stack of paper and watch you paint with it, and it’s the same feeling as you cook a bowl of wontons and watch me eat it one bite at a time…”
"Mr. He, I'm sorry."
Song Ran finally gave in.
He knew he had made the same mistake again—not just emotionally, but financially.
Emotionally, he yearns for an intimate relationship that blends with water and milk, but he is afraid that he will invest too much, and one day he will be abandoned and will not be able to retreat. In terms of money, he has stumbled and stumbled for seven or eight years. He has experienced the days of tiptoeing on the edge of starvation. Money and dignity are already tightly bound, and he has developed the same problem - no matter how much he pays, he is too embarrassed to count. To make money, every cent that others pay must be counted as money.
Cooking a bowl of wontons, washing two pieces of clothes, helping to take care of the children for a few days... It's just a small matter, how can you ask for money
But it was the other party's turn to send him watercolor paper, but he thought, it's all real stuff, ten Waterfords, hundreds of them, how can he accept them for nothing
No way.
Must not be accepted.
Out of self-protection, he has never been able to get out of this vicious circle. To say something good is selfless, to say something ugly, he only takes his own sincerity, but treats the sincerity of others as a donkey's liver and lungs.
So Mr. He will be unhappy.
"I'm sorry, I understand." Song Ran rubbed his cold wrist and said slowly to Mr. He and himself, "There is no difference between a bowl of wontons and a stack of drawing paper. As long as you use your heart Yes, there is no difference, so…”
He looked up at He Zhiyuan and smiled lightly: "So, I want the best watercolor paper."
Infiniti drove into the parking lot and slowly reversed into the garage. He Zhiyuan put out the fire, pulled out the key, and turned it lightly twice between his fingers.
The car was silent.
He suddenly held the steering wheel, put his hand around Songran's neck, leaned out of the driver's seat, and kissed his lips. The silent kiss lasted for a long time, until the air started to get stuffy and the sleepy Boo Boo in the back seat groaned, and they parted reluctantly.
"I'm very happy." He Zhiyuan looked at him, his eyes showing a lot of doting, "Baby, I will give you the best in everything."