Chu closed his eyes with all his strength and opened them again, as if to confirm whether this was a dream.
The ears couldn't hear any sound for a moment, only the roaring sound, as if time had stopped.
Until a cold little hand held his wrist, the soft fingertips were slightly damp, this clear touch pulled him back to reality.
The world gradually became clearer, and he heard the girl's soft voice, "Chu Jin, let's go home."
"Well, go home." Chu Jin's voice was dry.
Along the way, Song Qiaoxi was very quiet, he didn't let go of his wrist, he held on tightly, and didn't ask any more questions.
Both of them are smart children, thirteen or four-year-olds are completely sensible.
The farce that happened in Chu's house just now made Song Qiaoxi realize that Chu Jin was really Grandpa Chu's grandson.
She also let her know that Chu Jin's little uncle looks really scary, and the whole person is not very normal...
Is that the person who sold all of Chu Jin's parents' property, and then disappeared from the world
Chu Jin's little uncle, although it looks like Chu Jin's appearance is six or seven points similar, but in terms of speech and demeanor, as well as his temperament and image, he is far from Chu Jin and Grandpa Chu.
She didn't have a deep impression of Dad Chu, and she hadn't met several times when she was a child.
I just remember that the other party is a tall and handsome uncle. He always smiles gently and is polite to everyone. His temperament is really different from that of the uncles in the courtyard of his hometown in Qizhou
For seven years, the two children have not been separated for a day. Every day, she is doing her best to be kind to him.
Because Song Qiaoxi knew that her parents and herself were the only relatives of Chu Jin in this world.
In the face of the sudden appearance of my grandfather and my uncle...
When Chu Jin's family appeared in front of him in such a way, the thirteen-year-old girl was in a very complicated mood and couldn't be happy at all.
It stands to reason that there are many blood-related people in the world who treat Chu as well, and she should be happy.
But Song Qiaoxi couldn't be happy no matter what.
Because these two people have directly or indirectly hurt Chu Chu.
Chu Jin is undoubtedly special to himself.
When he was seven years old, he rescued her. The two held hands and grew up stumbling together. She lost him once and looked for him again. Song Qiaoxi swore that she would never let go of Chu Jin's hand again.
If someone or something in this world would hurt Chu Jin, Song Qiaoxi would stand in front of him without hesitation and protect him.
As a child, Chu Jin suffered too much.
The farce I saw today in the "rich and powerful family" made Song Qiaoxi even more incomprehensible. Simple family affection should have been unconditional love, why did it become like this
Could it be that the life of a "rich and powerful family" is really as complicated and difficult as it does in TV dramas
But she also understands that if Grandpa Chu recognizes Chu Jin, Chu Jin will develop better and attend a better school.
Uncle Zhao said that the Chu family has no successor.
Chu Jin is so smart and excellent, Grandpa Chu will definitely value him very much and train him as his successor...
The little girl clenched his wrist tightly and stood downstairs waiting for the elevator, not willing to let go even if her palms were sweating.
Sighing softly, Song Qiaoxi glanced at Chu Jin quietly, the boy pursed his lips, and seemed to be thinking about something.
She looked at his raised eyebrows and bit her lip.
There is not much that I can do for Chu Jin now.
The right to choose and decide is in Chu Jin's hands.
She just wanted to accompany him, and hoped that he would be safe and happy all his life, frown less, and live in a loving environment all the time.
--
When the two returned home, Qiao Qin was answering the phone and nodded to both of them, "Okay, I see, it's an accident, I'll have a good chat with the children. Well, they're all big children, there should be no problem, thank you I've been bothered..."
After hanging up the phone, Qiao Qin came over and patted Song Qiaoxi's head, "It was Mr. Chu's assistant, Zheming, who called him just now. He told everything about it. Were you scared?"
"No, I'm not scared." Song Qiaoxi shook her head, trying to keep herself calm and didn't say anything about Chu Jin.
And Chu Chengbai did not touch her from beginning to end. At that time, he fell down at Chu Jin's feet. Although it was scary, it was just nonsense. Uncle Mingzhe and the others quickly pulled him away.
"Jinjing," Qiao Qin walked over to pat Chu Jin's shoulder when she saw that her daughter was fine, "The person who came into contact with you is the youngest son of Mr. Chu, called Chu Chengbai. We won't comment on who he is. He is today. I've been drinking and talking nonsense all the time, Zheming will arrange a psychological counselor to make an appointment for you to do psychological counseling, don't be afraid, your Uncle Song and I will accompany you."
"Aunt Qiao, I don't need psychological counseling." Chu Jin said lightly as usual, "It's nothing more than meeting a rotten person who is as disgusting as a fly, how can a person be so squeamish? You need psychological counseling when you see a fly. It's what they're used to from the so-called 'rich and powerful family'."
"Mom, I don't need psychological counseling either." Song Qiaoxi shook her head and said solemnly, "We are not children anymore, and we won't take it seriously if we meet someone who is crazy about drinking."
"..." Qiao Qin was stunned for a moment, how did the two children react like this
She thought for a while, if the two children were unwilling, forcing them to do psychological counseling would be counterproductive, so she would better observe the children's usual state.
Adolescent children are more sensitive, and Qiao Qin is not too long-winded. "Okay, then I will reject it first. You two can watch TV for a while. You can have dinner in half an hour. Dad won't come back for dinner tonight, so there will be entertainment."
All night, Song Qiaoxi was carefully observing Chu Jin's expression.
He looked the same as usual and had a normal appetite.
After dinner, Chu Jin still took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Song Qiaoxi followed to clean up the table.
Mother Song answered the call from the Chu family's assistant again at night, although on the phone, she repeatedly said that she didn't need to bring anything over.
But the Chu family still sent a bunch of snacks and fruits over, saying that it was to shock the children, and Mingzhe personally came to apologize on behalf of Mr. Chu.
Everything seemed peaceful, only Chu Jin's heart was a mess.
While washing the dishes, he was still thinking about the "nonsense" his little uncle said when he thought he was his father.
Uncle, why do you have to apologize to your father? From his words, Chu Jin could hear the uncle's dissatisfaction with his mother.
Could it be that the car accident that Mom and Dad experienced was related to the little uncle
At that time, at noon on the Lantern Festival in 1995, what was the specific reason for my parents to go out
Chu Jin thought about it for a long time, and it was really too long to remember.
But this thing is really weird...
When Chu Jin was a child, he didn't have a deep impression of his little uncle, unlike his mother's relatives, who would gather together on New Year's and holidays.
The relatives on my father's side in memory only occasionally come to Qizhou to see his little uncle alone.
Said to look at him, the little uncle does not communicate with himself too much, and spends more time talking to his father.
It was too young at the time, but there was one thing that he still remembered to this day.
After my parents died in a car accident, my uncle arrived in Qizhou early in the morning.
Chu Jin still remembered that when he cried and wanted to throw himself into his uncle's arms, the man who looked like his father pushed him away coldly.
After that, Chu Jin only saw his little uncle once or twice.
The little uncle rented a house outside, so that Chu Jin no longer lived in the compound, and found a nanny for the six-year-old to take care of his daily life.
After more than half a year, the rent of the rented house has not been renewed, and the salary of the nanny aunt has not been received for several months.
The little uncle seemed to have evaporated from the world, and no one could contact him.
The nanny aunt was kind and took Chu Jin to her own home to take care of him for half a month before contacting his uncle.
At the beginning of my uncle's house, my uncle and my aunt were very polite to Chu Jin, even more attentive than usual.
Not long after, Chu Jin was woken up by a bucket of cold water on a winter night, and his aunt yelled at him as a "losing money", "little liar", "dead child"...
At that time, he learned from the quarrels of his uncle and aunt that all the family property left by his parents had been transferred away by his little uncle, and not a dime was left.
He didn't want to recall the experience at his uncle's house after that.
All the turning points were caused by him wandering to the train station and accidentally saving the little girl like a glutinous dumpling.
The little girl and her parents gave him a new home.
Today, watching my uncle hug his trouser legs...
Chu Jin even thought about it by chance, if the little uncle didn't say his father's name? He can lie to himself, that person he doesn't know, not his father's brother.
He will never come to Beijing again in his life. The farther away he is from the so-called "Chu family", the better.
After sorting it out, Chu Jin only had two clear thoughts in his heart.
One thought, he didn't want to leave the Song family, another thought was to find out the truth about his parents' car accident.
It's almost eleven o'clock in the evening, and Dad Song hasn't come home yet.
Mother Song answered a long phone call in the study room on the first floor. After hanging up, she took Song Qiaoxi and Chu Jin upstairs and let the two children wash up and sleep first.
After taking a shower, Song Qiaoxi found that the hair dryer in her room had been put in the bathroom downstairs yesterday. She walked to the stairs and was about to turn on the light to go downstairs when she heard movement at the door of the living room.
It's Dad who is back.
Song Jianguo put down the bag in his hand, took out a stack of documents and handed it to his daughter-in-law, and asked in a low voice, "It's inconvenient to talk more on the phone, the children are asleep?"
"I told them all to go back to the room to take a shower, they should be going to sleep soon." Qiao Qin nodded, took the document, and pinched his brows, "What's the specific attitude of Mr. Chu? What did you say on the phone that the weekly broke the news, can you? Did you stop it?"
"The magazine has been stopped, and the part about Chu Jin in it has also been stopped, but Chu Chengbai is also shrewd. Some of the material has been posted online, and it will take time to delete it." Song Jianguo frowned and sat down on the dining table chair. , "Mingzhe made an appointment with me for an interview tomorrow. Chu Lao just knew that the eldest son was gone, and he was not in a good mood, but fortunately there was still Chu Jin, and a grandson still has something to think about... "
Qiao Qin also sat at the dining table, looked at the materials in his hand, and threw himself on the table in anger, "It says, Elder Chu designed that car accident in order for his eldest son to return to Beijing to take over
I just wanted to kill my daughter-in-law, but I didn't expect my son to be in the car... No, what kind of mess is this? "
"Keep your voice down, the children are still upstairs." Song Jianguo lowered his voice and patted Qiao Qin's hand comfortingly, "This matter, the Chu family has already called the police and handed it over to the police, and Mr. Chu's attitude is very clear, he accepts all Investigation and evidence collection, the police have officially filed a case. I think that although Mr. Chu is a little stubborn, he doesn't seem like someone who can do such a thing."
"This matter has a great impact on children." Qiao Qin is still very angry. The kindness and resentment of the previous generation, right and wrong, can be hard for Chu Jin. She is a mother, and every time she thinks of Chu Jin's childhood experiences , my heart hurts like a tear.
Qiao Qin went on to say: "The Chu family's own family affairs are not clear. My son broke the news about his father and wanted to ruin his father's reputation. Didn't Lao Chu's younger brother sell both his and Qiu Yu's property? Now, the money-rolling world has evaporated
The co-authorship is not the disappearance of the world, it is to continue to be his rich young master with money!
I don't care about anything else. I have long treated Chu Jin as my own son. Our family is not a wealthy family, but I can guarantee that I will treat Xixi as much as I want. Their so-called 'rich and powerful family', even if they are rich, do you rest assured that Chu will go back? "
"Don't get excited yet, Xiao Qiao, calm down, haven't I treated my best son as my own son for so many years?" Song Jianguo scratched his head and said softly, "I've asked Lao Zhao to help him find a lawyer, and now Mr. Chu There was no mention of letting Jinjing go back, I will talk to him in person tomorrow, but... "
Song Jianguo pondered for a moment, then took Qiao Qin's hand, "Daughter-in-law, that's what I think, I'm already fourteen years old this year, and he's a big boy. This child is precocious, sensitive, and so smart, we are hiding it from him. I can't stop, do I think about these things or tell him the truth, if Mr. Chu wants to have an interview with Jingjing, we won't stop the child as long as he wants."
"I know, it's just..." Qiao Qin sobbed slightly, full of heartache for Chu Jin, and blamed herself for not protecting him, "I still feel that all the people are so thin that there is only one left. The little radish head with bones is so thin that he has only a pair of big eyes on his small face. When I first came to our house, I didn't dare to eat too much. I thought of my family first when I did anything. Almost got smashed by the washboard..."
Qiao Qin couldn't hold back her tears, "We've known Lao Chu and Sister Qiu Yu for so many years, and we were too careless. Why didn't we find out that the child was suffering earlier and bring him back. This child's legs were full of scars at the time. It took three or four years to keep going.”
After all, she is a mother. When Qiao Qin thought that the youngest son of the Chu family was a mentally ill alcoholic, and the old man Chu had not been cleared of suspicion, she did not feel relieved to let Chu Jin return to such a family.
Song Jianguo stood up from his chair, walked over to Qiao Qin, stopped her shoulders and comforted: "Of course I understand you, but the right to choose is still up to the child. No matter how reluctant we are, the child is already an independent individual. I do my best to stay, regardless of the household registration issue or custody, and I will try to solve it for as much money as I ask. But if I am willing to go back to the Chu family, we can't stop it, what do you think?"
"..." Qiao Qin was silent.
"It's almost twelve o'clock. I'm going to see if the child is sleeping. Chu Jin met Chu Chengbai today, and he probably recognized him." Song Jianguo said, looking up at the dark stairwell, "If he didn't sleep, I would Let's talk about it first."
Song Jianguo knew Chu Jin, the child was silent on the surface, but he had an idea in his heart.
Fourteen years old is also a very sensitive age of adolescence, and it is easy to think about problems when encountering problems.
For a child with high IQ and EQ like Chu Jin, the best way to get along is to tell him the truth.
--
Hearing this, Song Qiaoxi took off her slippers and returned to her room lightly.
She turned off the lights in the room and lay at the door listening to the movement outside.
A few minutes later, footsteps and knocks on the door came upstairs.
"Everything, are you asleep?" It was Dad's voice, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing.
Song Qiaoxi threw herself on the bed, buried her face in the quilt, her eyes were sore, her heart was pounding, she tried her best to fall asleep, but she didn't get any sleepiness at all.
She could not wait to rush to the opposite room to hear what Chu Jin was thinking.
Does he want to stay and live with his family, or go back to his grandfather
In Chu Jin's room, a handsome young man with wet hair was sitting at the desk, quietly listening to Uncle Song, who was sitting beside the bed, explain the ins and outs of the matter.
Song Jianguo recounted the whole thing, trying to be as objective as possible without bringing personal emotions into it.
The central point of this matter is actually Chu Jin, not others.
When Chu Jin was a seven-year-old boy, Song Jianguo felt that he could make decisions for him without letting him get hurt.
But this year's Chu Jin is already a fourteen-year-old boy, and he will have his own judgment on the world.
Song Jianguo looked at the tall and long-legged boy and sighed in his heart that Xiao Chujin had really grown up.
He smiled and said in a calm tone: "Chu Jin, uncle didn't treat you as a child today, he is talking about you as an equal person.
What happened, did your grandfather and your little uncle really do things that hurt your parents? We need to wait for the police to report the real situation. uncle... ... "
After a pause, Song Jianguo's heart was sour, and he was a little choked up, "Uncle represents himself and your Aunt Qiao, I'm here to express my opinion for you, no matter what decision you make, we are your family and support you. If you don't want to leave, we will protect you until you reach adulthood. If you have other decisions, when you want to come back, the door of this family will always be open for you... "
Chu Jin listened quietly and looked directly at Uncle Song who was sitting across from him.
He suddenly realized that Uncle Song had gray hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. His eyes were blue, and he was obviously tired.
Uncle Song and myself remembered that the young man who was like a big mountain, always had endless vitality, could easily pick up him and Song Qiaoxi when he was a child, and let the family rely on them at ease. There have been obvious changes.
Chu Jin had to admit that Uncle Song was getting old a little bit.
When taking a bath at night, Chu Jin also thought about it a lot. After listening to Uncle Song, the messy clues in his mind finally became a line.
It is impossible to say that it is not uncomfortable.
But Chu Jin suddenly understood why his father wanted to escape from such a family.
"Uncle Song," Chu Jin clasped his hands together, his voice hoarse, "if I say, I don't want to leave, I want to live with you and Xixi, will you think I'm selfish?"
Song Jianguo's eyes were sore. This child was afraid of causing trouble to others since he was a child. He never asked for anything on his own initiative. At first, he didn't dare to take anything for him.
"How can you be selfish! Your aunt Qiao and I treat you like our own children. If we say selfishness, we are also selfish. If we want to keep you by our side, your aunt Qiao can't live without you..." Song Jianguo said .
After all, he was a man, and he was ashamed to say that Song Jianguo could not do without the two children in the family.
Looking at Song Jianguo's red eyes, Chu Jin took a deep breath, turned around and took out a red passbook from the drawer.
In this passbook, I store all the lucky money I received from childhood to adulthood, as well as a scholarship of RMB 10,000 for the first place in the foreign language school.
In addition to taking 2,000 yuan to buy the "Harry Potter" series for Song Qiaoxi, there is still 14,600 yuan left.
Handing the passbook in his hand to Uncle Song, Chu Jin felt that his behavior was a bit silly, but he really didn't know how to express his emotions.
"Uncle Song, the password for the passbook is Song Qiaoxi's birthday," the young man said in a deep voice. Seeing Uncle Song standing there, he put the passbook on his lap, lowered his head and said with difficulty, "There's not much money in it, Uncle Song, you Take it, but don't worry, uncle, in the future, I will pay you back the money you spend on me, not a penny less..."
"So, Uncle Song, can I not leave?" Chu Jin raised his head and said softly.
Song Jianguo couldn't bear it any longer, a drop of crystal clear tears fell on the red passbook, and he hurriedly wiped his face, avoiding Chu Jin's gaze.
Holding the passbook in his hand, he stood up and walked to Chu Jin's side. Song Jianguo patted the boy's increasingly broad shoulders, "Okay, we will not leave Chu Jin."
The child made his own statement and determined that he wanted to stay in the Song family.
Then he Song Jianguo, no matter what method he uses, he will let Chu Jin grow up safely in a loving environment.
--
Song Qiaoxi was awakened by thirst in the middle of the night. She was distracted by eating at night. She was always worried that she was exhausted and didn't drink enough water. At this moment, her throat was like smoking.
Pushing open the door, she followed the small night light in the corridor to the entrance of the stairs. Only one small light on the stairs was turned on. She walked downstairs lightly and then turned it off again, for fear of waking up her parents.
Standing next to the water dispenser and drinking two glasses of water, I finally felt alive.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and when he looked up, Song Qiaoxi was almost startled when he found someone sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony of the living room.
He quickly calmed down, and from the back, it was Chu Jin.
The young man, dressed in smoky gray pajamas, sat curled up by the window, bathed in the moonlight.
Xu is the rain and the sky is clear, and the moon at night is big and round, shining like a night pearl.
Song Qiaoxi walked to Chu Jin's side with bare feet, leaning on him and sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor.
Chu Jin at this time reminded Song Qiaoxi of the scene when he "reunited after a long absence" for the first time when he was a child.
It was also summer. At night when it was just dark, she was carried off the bicycle seat by her mother and rushed into Grandpa Li's reception room with her two short legs.
Such a small boy, curled up in the corner of the reception room.
At that time, Song Qiaoxi made a decision not to let him leave again.
Still like when he was a child, Song Qiaoxi didn't speak, just sat quietly with him, following Chu Jin's eyes, watching the shadows of trees outside the window.
"Do you know all about it?" Chu Jin asked in an angry voice.
Song Qiaoxi thought about it for a while and didn't hide it from him, "Well... I heard it in the stairwell when Mom and Dad came back."
"I seem to have made a very selfish decision." Chu Jin said in a low voice, still looking out the window.
The first time I saw Chu, I was in a low mood. Now, Chu Jin always reminds Song Qiaoxi of the thin boy who just came to her house.
Even though, Chu Jin was already a boy of 1.8 meters.
Reaching out, Song Qiaoxi patted Chu Jin's forearm lightly, shook her head with a smile, and said softly, "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, how could you be selfish? No matter what you decide, I will support you."
Chu Jin could smell the sweet and sour apricot smell on the girl's body, and felt her soft and warm little hand gently passing over his arm.
With the same action, the same tone, Song Qiaoxi seemed to bring the time back to the communication room seven years ago.
Let Chu Jin recall that night, the soft little glutinous ball, like a soft light, shining into his dim life.
He is selfish, so selfish, that he just wants to stay by her side.
"Don't worry, don't be afraid, I will protect you, and no one will hurt you again." Song Qiaoxi turned her head, looked directly into Chu Jin's dark eyes, and raised her right hand solemnly, "I swear, Song Qiaoxi will always accompany Chu Jin."
"You swear?" Chu Jin looked at her steadily.
"I swear, if I can't do it, I'll..." She wanted to say, but she was struck by thunder, but Chu Jin covered her mouth.
Chu Ji covered Song Qiaoxi's mouth with his hands, his fingers were slightly cold.
The little girl saw that his brows and eyes were slightly stretched, and it seemed that the haze in his eyes gradually dissipated, and Chu Jin's eyes were full of light, "If you can't do it, I will accompany you for the rest of your life, okay?"