Then, she saw, at the bus stop, this gentle mother slapped Gu Yiming hard twice.
There were many people waiting for the bus at that time. Someone tried to stop them. Gu Yiming's mother shouted that Gu Yiming was a liar. She said that Gu Yiming had made a false police report and had never changed his ways. He was a shameless child.
The crowd's sympathy immediately shifted from Gu Yiming to his mother. Everyone blamed Gu Yiming, but Gu Yiming just lowered his head, looked at his toes, and said nothing.
Young Lin Jiaqiao didn’t understand what was happening, she just felt scared instinctively.
Later she told Lin Dapeng about this, and Lin Dapeng just sighed.
He warned Lin Jiaqiao in a sad tone: "Brother Gu Yiming is not doing well. Zizi, when you play with Guan Guanzi in the future, take him with you, okay?"
Young Lin Jiaqiao remembered it and made a pinky promise with his father as proof.
Later, the three of them got mixed up.
After that day, Lin Jiaqiao never saw Gu Yiming's mother again, but that creepy feeling was engraved in her bones.
On the phone, Gu Yiming's mother's tone was still gentle. She asked:
"Classmate, why don't you speak?"
"Classmate, what do you want to talk to our Gu Yiming about?"
"Classmate, why don't you speak?"
"Classmate, what do you want to talk to our Gu Yiming about?"
…
She seemed like a dead object, set in a certain order, and could only repeat these two sentences.
The three were so frightened that they forgot to hang up the phone.
The phone was suddenly snatched away by someone. The three turned around and saw that it was Ms. Qiao.
Ms. Qiao made a 'hush' gesture to them and said, "Is it clear? Hey, hey, can you hear clearly over there?"
After that, he said to himself: "What a crappy signal, can I get a better phone?"
The caller ID for this call showed a landline number, and Ms. Qiao said that on purpose.
Gu Yiming's mother was choked by Ms. Qiao's words, and her gentle voice immediately trembled: "I'm sorry, Gu Yiming's father passed away early, and there are only two of us at home, we-"
Most people would sigh and sympathize with the orphan and the widowed mother, and Ms. Qiao was no exception. After comforting the poor mother, Ms. Qiao said, "The problem with the phone is the responsibility of the Telecommunications Bureau."
"I heard that Gu Yiming ranked second in the province this time. Your wife must be quite smart."
When Gu Yiming's mother heard that she was scolding herself for being stupid, she felt even more choked.
She maintained a gentle voice and asked carefully, "Madam, are you with our Yiming now? It's already late, and he hasn't come home yet. I'm very worried."
Ms. Qiao said casually, "How come you didn't hear a word clearly?"
"I'm Qin Guan's mother. You know Qin Guan, the top scorer in the city this year."
"Gu Yiming is discussing holiday plans with Qin Guan."
Ms. Qiao lied seriously: "Why don't you take your children out to see the world during the holidays, or learn a special skill or something?"
Gu Yiming's mother was silent for a few seconds, and then whispered, "Yiming has been dull since he was young. He only knows how to study and doesn't like these things."
Ms. Qiao pretended to be disappointed: "Is that so? Okay, I heard that you care about your child's studies, and I thought you had some good projects."
Then she added, "You wouldn't hide it from me on purpose, would you?"
Ms. Qiao sounded so much like a parent who wanted her son to be successful that Gu Yiming's mother was completely relieved.
She explained something hesitantly, but Ms. Qiao was too lazy to listen and hung up the phone ungracefully.
Qin Guan's mother asked dissatisfiedly: "Qin Guan's mother?"
Ms. Qiao returned the phone to Lin Jiaqiao, "Why, do you have any objections?"
Gu Yiming sincerely apologized to them, "I'm sorry, I used the landline at home to call Zhizhi before, and my mother must have known Zhizhi's cell phone number at that time."
Lin Jiaqiao imagined Gu Yiming's mother flipping through her cell phone numbers with a paranoid look on her face, and he shuddered unconsciously.
She said to Gu Yiming, "Brother, why don't you stay at my house instead?"
Gu Yiming checked the time. "No need. Don't worry. Her temper has improved a lot recently. I will just get scolded. It's really okay."
After saying that, he left.
Qin Guan's mother asked in confusion: "Why did this child run away? I wanted to send him home."
Ms. Qiao said, "Forget it. His mother is a psychopath. Who knows how she abuses him behind his back."
Although Ms. Qiao has a straightforward temper, she is not mean and rarely dislikes someone like this. Lin Jiaqiao asked, "Mom, don't you like Gu Yiming's mom?"
Qin Guan's mother joked: "Our Ms. Qiao is strong and powerful, and she hates this kind of delicate woman the most."
Ms. Qiao was dissatisfied: "How can you slander someone's innocence for no reason? I have tolerated you, a squeamish woman, for more than 20 years. How can I tolerate a strange woman?"
Qin Guan was curious: "But you are really hostile to this old lady Gu."
Ms. Qiao was disdainful. “It’s unpleasant to hear an adult putting all the blame on a child, using the child’s shortcomings to justify his own innocence.”
She shook her head: "How can there be such parents?"
Lin Jiaqiao secretly gave Ms. Qiao a thumbs up. She was indeed a woman who could subdue the captain of the criminal investigation team. Her intuition was unmatched.
She quickly flattered her mother, and Ms. Qiao was so flattered that her eyes curved. She ordered Lin Jiaqiao and Qin Guan: "Bring our old Lin out, and let's go home."
As soon as Gu Yiming got off the bus, he saw his mother waiting on the roadside.
His hair stood on end and his nerves began to ache reflexively.
A familiar neighbor passed by and praised Gu Yiming's mother as a good mother for waiting for her son to come home so late.
Gu Yiming's mother smiled and said a few polite words, and Gu Yiming felt even more pain.
Lin Dapeng was on sick leave at home recently and took the opportunity to take his wife and children back to his hometown.
Lin Jiaqiao pondered for a long time and finally came up with a solution to Gu Yiming's troubles:
They could take Gu Yiming back to his hometown and avoid conflicts with his mother.
The more Lin Jiaqiao thought about it, the more she felt that this method was feasible, so she went to ask her father for his opinion.
She took a glass of water, moved closer to her father, and smiled particularly attentively.
Lin Dapeng immediately became alert, glanced at Ms. Qiao who was busy in the kitchen, and asked, "Are you in trouble again?"
Lin Jiaqiao forced the cup into her father's hand and said, "Baba, let's discuss something."
Lin Dapeng said in a stern manner: "I have no money. I gave all my pocket money to you and Qin Guan as bonuses for your studies."
"Also, if you have offended Ms. Qiao, I suggest you apologize immediately."
"You made your own mistake, don't implicate me."
Lin Jiaqiao quickly expressed his loyalty: "How could that be possible, Dad? I'm not that kind of person."
"I just want to ask you if we can take Mingming back to our hometown to play."
Lin Dapeng was surprised. "Why do you want to take him back home?"
Lin Jiaqiao said: "Because Gu Yiming is too pitiful."
"His mother, I feel suffocated just thinking about it. If the policy this year had not prohibited it, I think his mother would have made him take the college entrance examination for the fourth time."
"Also, do you know the schedule his mother set for him? He has to get up at 5:30 in the morning, wash up and have breakfast by 6:00, and then study until 8:30 in the evening. He can only take a half-hour lunch break in between, and he has to eat lunch and dinner while memorizing words."
"Oh my god, this is summer vacation. To be honest, even during the college entrance examination, I couldn't do it."
Lin Dapeng laughed and scolded: "You are right. Otherwise, you would have passed the score line because he ranked second in the province."
Lin Jiaqiao was dissatisfied: "Then I will also be admitted to the university I want to go to. What's the use of Gu Yiming's high scores? He can only go to the university his mother likes."
"He has never made any decision on his own since he was a child."
Lin Jiaqiao continued, "Do you remember that you took us to KFC without telling Ms. Qiao? Later, you told me that it was his first time eating out."
"Because his mother thinks that the food outside is not clean and unhygienic. His mother has always boiled the vegetables he eats since he was a child. She even rinses the meat with water and only uses salt as seasoning."
"His mother thinks soy sauce is made from human hair and other condiments also pose safety risks and can damage the brain."
"She can only accept that Gu Yiming ranked first."
"I'm literally choking just thinking about it."
"I feel suffocated too." Ms. Qiao stood at the kitchen door at some point. "Isn't this considered abuse? How can there be such unreasonable parents?"
Lin Jiaqiao said: "So, let's take him to his grandfather's house to play. Although we can't hide from his mother forever, it's okay to hide for a while, so that he won't be so upset."
She held her parents' hands and swung them around. "Mingming is so pitiful. From childhood to adulthood, he has only studied and studied. I don't think he has ever played in the square, let alone the amusement park."
Lin Dapeng and Ms. Qiao looked at each other and saw the pity in each other's eyes.
Lin Dapeng said: "We don't need a place for him in the car, but—"
Ms. Qiao interjected, "How are you going to get him out?"
"You know it too, his mother is crazy. How did you get her to agree?"
Seeing that they agreed, Lin Jiaqiao told them his plan.
Ms. Qiao praised: "Great, Lin Zhi, you are really smart."
Lin Dapeng's face was full of indescribable expression: "You should use this crooked mind to study, what about Qin Guan and Gu Yiming?"
Lin Jiaqiao didn't blush at all: "Alas, I was just letting them go."
Qin Guan just walked in at this time and asked curiously: "Why are you giving in to us? We are not going to fight with you."
Lin Jiaqiao quickly waved to Qin Guan: "You came just in time. I have something to ask of you."
Lin Jiaqiao's plan is this:
Gu Yiming and Qin Guan's first choice was Haicheng University Medical School. She panicked and said that the medical school was holding a summer camp, with only five places available for new students, and there would be a chance to interact with industry leaders.
No parent who wants their child to succeed would miss this opportunity.
Qin Guan pushed his glasses uncomfortably and said, "Zizi, do we really have to do this?"