Chapter 55: A Mother |
In front of Du Xiuzhi, Zhu Guangfa had always acted like a simpleton, but that was just how he appeared before the person he loved. He wasn't a fool.
He wasn't as naive as an underage child, nor did he possess the clear-eyed foolishness of a recent college graduate.
He had entered society in his teens; he didn't believe in unconditional love in this world.
Every surprise and gain must come with a price.
That was why he had said those words, full of worry.
Hearing this, Du Xiuzhi shot him a look and said, "Nonsense. Stop speaking ill of Mr.
Shen here. You have no idea how capable Mr.
Shen is. He's just purely kind-hearted and took pity on us."
Zhu Guangfa scratched his head.
Du Xiuzhi sighed and explained again, "What do you think Mr.
Shen could possibly want from you?"
Zhu Guangfa's gaze shifted to Du Xiuzhi.
Du Xiuzhi instantly understood his thoughts.
If she were still alive, her face would probably have turned red with anger.
"What nonsense are you thinking? With Mr. Shen's abilities, if he really had any ill intentions toward me, he could have just abducted me directly. He wouldn't have let me come back to see you at all."
"Xiuzhi, don't be angry.
I've watched too much TV; I'm mainly influenced by TV shows." Zhu Guangfa hurriedly apologized.
Du Xiuzhi glanced at him, then said, "Buy something later. When Mr.
Shen gets off work, we'll go together to thank him properly."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Guangfa immediately broke into a brilliant smile.
How could he not know? His wife was doing this to put his mind at ease.
Zhu Tingting had just arrived at school and taken out her books when the teacher walked in from outside.
The originally noisy class fell silent in an instant.
"Zhu Tingting."
The teacher called out from the doorway.
Hearing this, the students' gazes all snapped toward Zhu Tingting.
Zhu Tingting's cheeks instantly flushed red, and she became flustered.
"Your dad is looking for you.
He's waiting at the gate." Zhu Tingting hurriedly stood up upon hearing this.
"Bring your school bag, too. Your dad has requested a leave of absence for you."
Hearing that, Zhu Tingting hastily packed the books and stationery she had just taken out back into her school bag.
Because her classmates were all staring at her, her cheeks burned fiercely. Feeling prickly all over, she scrambled out of the classroom, staggered, and almost fell, which once again caused a burst of laughter from her classmates.
From a distance, she could still hear her classmates discussing.
Is her dad really in an Underworld Gang?
Her dad wasn't brought over by the police for a final meeting, was he?
Could her dad really wield a knife and slash his way from South City to North City?
…
Zhu Tingting felt both wronged and angry.
She carried her school bag and hurried to the school gate. Sure enough, she saw her dad straddling the Electric Bike, waiting outside.
Other students were still entering the campus. She stormed over to him.
Suppressing her anger, she said in a very unpleasant tone, "What are you doing here?"
"Heh heh, I asked the teacher for a day off for you. We're going home today to have a nice family get-together."
"I don't want to take a day off! Don't come looking for me at my school."
Zhu Tingting sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't notice a Pale Blue Breath being inhaled into her stomach.
"You shouldn't speak to your dad like that," a gentle voice said from the side.
Hearing this, Zhu Tingting could no longer suppress her anger.
With tears streaming down her face, she said, "I'll speak however I want, it's none of your…"
Then she froze, staring blankly at the woman who was gazing at her gently.
"It's okay.
But, why are you crying all of a sudden?" Zhu Guangfa was at a loss for how to comfort his daughter.
"Mo… Mom?" Zhu Tingting stammered.
"What's wrong, don't you recognize your mom anymore?"
Du Xiuzhi's voice also trembled as she spoke, fighting back tears.
"Mom…" The school bag in Zhu Tingting's hand fell to the ground as she threw herself into Du Xiuzhi's embrace.
Zhu Guangfa quickly got off the Electric Bike, picked up his daughter's school bag, and half-hugged her, saying, "Let's talk at home, let's talk at home…"
People were coming and going at the school gate, and since others couldn't see Du Xiuzhi, Zhu Tingting's behavior would make people think she had mental problems.
But with Zhu Guangfa hugging her, others would just think she was crying in her father's arms.
"Right, let's talk when we get home." Du Xiuzhi gently patted her daughter's back.
Sorrow and tenderness filled her heart, causing her tears to fall unconsciously, then vanish quickly like water droplets under the scorching sun.
Zhu Tingting clutched her school bag and stood on the footboard.
Her dad held her in his arms, his legs blocking the sides, while her mom sat on the back seat. The family headed home.
This reminded Zhu Tingting of when she was very young, when her mom and dad would often take her out to play like this.
She would be in the front, chattering away, while her mom wrapped her arms around her dad's waist, rested her chin on his shoulder, and talked with her.
Zhu Tingting felt a bit dazed. It was as if time had flowed backward, and all of this was just a dream.
She frequently turned back to see her mom always meeting her gaze with a warm smile.
"Mom~"
Zhu Tingting called out softly, her hand holding the school bag subconsciously lifting to cover her chest—a sign of deep insecurity.
"Baobei, what is it?"
Du Xiuzhi rested her chin on Zhu Guangfa's shoulder.
"Dad smells bad, he's all stinky with sweat," Zhu Tingting said.
"That's not it. Your dad says this is the smell of a real man," Du Xiuzhi said.
Zhu Guangfa burst into laughter at her words, and the corners of Zhu Tingting's mouth also turned up slightly in a faint smile.
"Mom… I… I…"
Neither Zhu Guangfa nor Du Xiuzhi spoke, both waiting quietly.
Zhu Tingting finally mustered up the courage to say, "Mom, I miss you so much."
"Mom misses you, too."
Du Xiuzhi reached past Zhu Guangfa to caress her daughter's cheek.
The motorcycle's speed was very slow. There were few people on the road.
A gentle breeze brushed by, and the afternoon sun shone down on the three of them…
They all wished they could go on like this forever.
But all roads have an end, and they finally arrived downstairs at their building.
Zhu Tingting couldn't wait to get off the motorcycle and reached out to hold her mom's hand.
Then she let out a long sigh of relief.
"What's wrong?"
Du Xiuzhi reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I was afraid I was dreaming.
But, Mom, why are you… why…"
When her mom passed away, she was already five. Even though she was still in kindergarten, she already knew what Death was.
She saw her mom being wheeled out of the hospital room.
She saw her mom lying on the Funeral Bed, her cheeks pale and completely bloodless.
She saw her mom being pushed in for Cremation.
They said Mom was dead, that she didn't have a mom anymore.
She just cried and cried…
From then on, she never saw her mom again.
But now, her mom had reappeared right before her eyes.
Her mom bent down and gently tapped the tip of her nose.
"That's a secret," Mom said with a light laugh.
She grew even more curious.
Just then, her dad parked the vehicle and walked over, saying, "Let's go home.