The mountains and rivers are gentle today

Chapter 12

After the final exam, a few days of make-up lessons is the Chinese New Year. Lin Xiqing’s class likes to mention the three-day celebration of the New Year—on the other hand, Cheng Yanfan and other ordinary and art class students have no make-up lessons, and they are accompanied by the homework that is better than nothing in the seventh middle school. , have already had a great time.

Lin Xiqing received scholarships from the district and the city without any surprise. On the afternoon before New Year's Eve, Brother Jiang mercifully let them back a few hours early. Half of it was given to the landlord's old lady, and she felt that the scholarship awarded by the superior unit was a high-level one. Directly calling her card saved her from putting thousands of dollars under the pillow every day and worrying about it.

"Hey, it's been almost half an hour. Why hasn't your grandma collected the bill?" Lin Xiqing pondered while holding her mobile phone. She had already packed her luggage and was just waiting for her mother to pick her up in a rental car.

"Maybe on the road, didn't look at the phone." Cheng Yanfan replied.

"Which way? - Wow, today's outfit doesn't look like you." Lin Xiqing looked at Cheng Yanfan, this person is so stinking, even if he stays at home every day during the holidays, he has to put on full makeup and match it with the new clothes of the season .As stylish as it is, it's not out of the ordinary, but it's not necessarily so simple.

But today, Lin Xiqing looked Cheng Yanfan up and down, and felt that he was very kind, just like any bitter high school girl who doesn't like to dress up, with her face facing the sky, and her hair tied in a bunch behind her head in a neat way—it's tied so well Casual, it can't even be called a qualified high ponytail, it's just ordinary, tied up, and wearing a pure white cotton jacket that can be seen everywhere on the street.

"My grandma should be on the way." Cheng Yanfan ignored Lin Xiqing's shocked gaze.

"Oh." Lin Xiqing nodded with a half understanding.

"She just likes to see girls dressed like this." Cheng Yanfan added.

When Grandma Cheng came over, Lin Xiqing hadn't left yet, only to see a short and chubby old lady walking in with a smile on her face, carrying a few bags in her hand.

Cheng Yanfan and Lin Xiqing hurriedly took each bag and told Grandma Cheng to rest quickly.

"What are these? Why are there so many?" Cheng Yanfan asked while taking out the contents of the bag.

"Hey, I don't want to come to inspect these houses today, so I'll stop by your place to celebrate the New Year tomorrow. Anyway, my old lady is at home alone, why don't I come to celebrate the New Year with you, so you don't have to go out." Grandma Cheng hammered own knee, said.

"It's not too far from my trip." Cheng Yanfan said, stuffing all the meatballs, chicken, duck and fish brought by her grandma into the refrigerator.

"Isn't this Xiaolin?" Grandma Cheng patted the back of Lin Xiqing who was standing beside her, "My daughter has grown taller again."

Lin Xiqing laughed at the side, thinking that he was seventeen this year and could still experience such a good thing as growing taller.

"Where are you celebrating the New Year this year?" Grandma Cheng asked Lin Xiqing.

"It's in L City, and I lived with my mother." Lin Xiqing replied.

"That's good, Yanyan, bring that box of meatballs here, I steamed two boxes." Grandma Cheng took Lin Xiqing's hand and asked her to sit down beside her, "This is delicious, and the neighbors love it." Said that I made the same taste as the restaurant, you take it back and eat it with your mother, ah."

"Eh...this..."

Lin Xiqing refused for a while, and then Cheng Yanfan stuffed a box of warm meatballs into her hand.

"Just take it." Cheng Yanfan smiled.

On New Year's Eve, Lin Xiqing finally sat down with her mother to watch a complete gala after many days. The Spring Festival Gala is better than a year of boredom, but people who watch it probably never care about what it performs. After the Spring Festival Gala So the important thing is the sense of ritual behind it, and the peace of mind that "I am not alone".

After the clock struck midnight, Lin Xiqing got into bed and shared the two sides of the bed with her mother—the suite in the East District only has one bedroom and one living room, and when the two of them are at home at the same time, they can only sleep side by side on one bed, but luckily The bed is big enough that no one can fall out.

"Happy New Year, Qingqing." Mother Lin said while lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

"Let's have fun together." Lin Xiqing hadn't come out of the excitement yet, and there was still joy in his tone.

"Tell me," Mother Lin's voice was hoarse, "where is he celebrating the New Year now?"

There may be some truth in the connection between mother and child at some point, Lin Xiqing immediately heard her mother's unfinished words, and heard who this "he" was.

"In prison." The joy in Lin Xiqing's words faded by half.

"Don't say that, he should come out this year... He may be a little sorry for us, but he is your father after all." Mother Lin said, "I..."

"Mom," Lin Xiqing's voice was completely cold, "It is because I have such a father that our life is like this."

Lin Xiqing turned to the side away from her mother.

"I still think... you should give him a chance, he's not young anymore, and he doesn't have a serious job..." Mother Lin's voice was as if

It came from far away.

Lin Xiqing didn't speak, just took out his mobile phone.

The blue light in the dark night made her face extraordinarily bright.

She opened WeChat and sent New Year greetings to Xu Lan and Wu Zhe as usual.

After thinking about it, he sent another message to Cheng Yanfan.

Cheng Yanfan replied quickly.

Lin Xiqing: Haven't slept yet?

Cheng Yanfan: My grandma said that you should have a good breakfast during the Spring Festival, and I will accompany her to prepare until just now.

Lin Xiqing: Why don't you prepare tomorrow morning?

Cheng Yanfan: Get used to it.

Lin Xiqing: Alas, our family does not have such a sense of ritual/crying

Lin Xiqing: By the way, I have a question for you.

Lin Xiqing: Question: If someone is particularly sorry for you, how would you treat him?

Cheng Yanfan: Then I'm sorry to go back?

Lin Xiqing:. . .Well

Lin Xiqing quit the chat box, and rested his finger on the red dot of another chat box, which showed a new message ten or four minutes ago.

"Xiqing, happy new year! I heard that you are on vacation. I wonder if Dad can ask you to meet in the second day of junior high school?"

Lin Xiqing took a breath quietly, and subconsciously relaxed her movements, not even daring to move the quilt, for fear that her mother would turn over and see her screen.

"Okay, time and place?"

"Mom, do you still have feelings for him?"

"I don't have any feelings anymore. I don't have any feelings. I'm afraid of you. If you don't take this responsibility, you will regret it later."

In the afternoon of the second day of junior high school, at exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Xiqing walked into a K's store in the eastern district as scheduled.

"Xiqing, long time no see." The difference between that man and Lin Xiqing's memory is not that big, but he has added a few more wrinkles, his hair has become thicker, and he looks haggard.

Lin Xiqing nodded and sat opposite him without addressing him.

"I know you young people like to eat K's, so I ordered it for you. You can eat as you like." The man pushed the French fries on the tray towards Lin Xiqing a little.

There is only a small bag of French fries on the tray, with a lonely bag of ketchup. Based on Lin Xiqing's experience in eating K Ji, this is probably a bag of small potatoes.

"Can't you afford even some meat?" Lin Xiqing sneered.

"Hey, you are indeed my daughter. She has been studying since she was a child. What is it called? Oh, Bingxue is smart, and she speaks very politely. Don't talk about meat, but 'meaty'."

"So? Are you short of money?" Lin Xiqing is not a person who doesn't talk too much, but she is only afraid that talking too much at the moment will not be able to hold the stage, so she can only use short sentences.

"Oh..." The man sighed pretentiously, "Dad just came out, and he doesn't have a good job. The money is definitely not enough, and he can't give you a good life. Your mother has educated you well for so many years... "

Lin Xiqing listened with his face propped up, not understanding what kind of medicine this man bought in the gourd.

"But Dad knows, you are all earning scholarships, and when you go to university in the future, it must be a very good university, and you will definitely have enough money to spend in the future..."

Lin Xiqing finally understood, it turned out that they were waiting here for her.

It was clear that after being released from prison, she would not be able to do her old job, and she was unwilling to find a serious job, so she thought of her daughter—she was still fishing for big fish, knowing that her mother couldn't afford much money, so she started a long line Developed her idea.

"Okay, let's stop here today. We've met each other, and I've eaten French fries." Lin Xiqing stood up, interrupting Father Lin's chatter, "I'm leaving first. Oh, please pass me my phone one time."