Chapter 10, Second Day of Junior High School

"Happy New Year, Auntie!"

"Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"

She is Aunt Wang in the community. She is very kind. No matter who she meets, she always greets them with a smile and says hello first. Aunt Wang lives in the building in front of her grandma's house. Aunt Wang's son is three years older than Yinuo. When they were in elementary school, they often went to and from school together. When they got to junior high school, the teacher had to teach in advance. Yinuo borrowed books from Aunt Wang's son, Wang Haoyu. of. Later, Aunt Wang's son went to another place to take the college entrance examination. There was a time when grandma wanted Yinuo to marry Aunt Wang’s son! However, Aunt Wang was so harmonious that her son's life-long event turned out to be quite harsh. During the chat, grandma learned that Aunt Wang originally looked down on Yinuo because she disliked Yinuo's complicated family background and her mother's early death.

Of course, these are all gossips I heard from others later and cannot be true.

As the saying goes, there is no wind without wind, and there is no wind without wind. Rumors are not based on rumors.

After hearing these gossips, grandma gave up her idea of marrying Aunt Wang's family.

At that time, Yinuo also breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Wang's son Wang Haoyu is not a good person. People who didn't know him well looked at him standing there speechless. When he started to smile, he seemed quite kind and harmless. In fact, he had many evil ideas. Yinuo was bullied by him many times when he was a child. Later, Dongsheng from his aunt's house had a fight with Wang Haoyu, so Wang Haoyu did not dare to bully Yinuo.

Brother Dongsheng doesn’t know what’s going on now?

Thinking of Brother Dongsheng, Aunt Wang and Wang Haoyu, Yinuo entered the community without knowing it.

"Yinuo is back!"

Uncle Liu, the doorman.

"Hey! Grandpa Liu, Happy New Year!"

"Have fun together, have fun together."

This is an old community, and Grandpa Liu has been working as a doorman for more than ten years. Grandpa Liu knows the people in the community very well. Last year, the community was renovated and looks neat and bright. The roads in the community have also been widened, and the cluttered trees in the small flower garden behind the building have been cleared away, bulldozed, and built into cement pavement for parking. Nowadays, more and more people have cars. Even in this old community with more than 20 years of history, there are not enough parking spaces.

Grandma lives alone in this community. My uncle's house is not far from here. The community is newer and the uncle's house is larger. During the Chinese New Year, my uncle and aunt still come to grandma to celebrate the new year. Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, and they should have gone back.

After passing through two buildings, we arrived at Grandma Yinuo's building.

The stairs have also been repainted. If it were the middle of the year, the handrails of the stairs would be covered with dust. No one uses the stairs, so no one wipes them. However, the stairs must be clean today, because grandma cleans the stairs every year before the Chinese New Year.

Yinuo climbed up to the second floor. It was still the same old-fashioned door. It was clean and neatly pasted with blessing characters and couplets.

Yinuo raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"It's coming, it's coming. Yinuo must be back."

Grandma's cheerful voice could be heard from outside the door.

When the door opened, grandma's smiling face seemed much younger.

"Grandma, Happy New Year! I wish you a long life!" Yinuo congratulated grandma with a smile on his face.

"Hey! I wish my Yinuo will grow more and more beautiful." Grandma took Yinuo's arm to look at it carefully and touch it. She smiled and the wrinkles on her face became deeper and deeper.

Grandma smiled, pulled Yinuo and turned around and entered the house, saying, "Come in quickly, your father and aunt are both here!"

In the room, the TV was on, replaying the Spring Festival Gala. (I heard that this year’s Spring Festival Gala will feature Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi. I’m so looking forward to it!) The host Zhu Xun was announcing the program. Her voice was mellow and magnetic. Good to hear.

The father with a smile on his face and the aunt who looked impatient for a moment were sitting on the sofa. Xiaoyong was sitting on the chair and playing with his mobile phone without raising his head. The mobile phone was held horizontally, and both hands were clicking on it quickly. . You don't need to guess, he is definitely playing a game.

"Dad, auntie." Yinuo shouted.

"Hey!" Dad Xia responded happily, rubbing his hands. He didn't know what to say, so he just smiled at Yinuo.

The aunt snorted casually, lowered her head and looked at her phone, probably scrolling through Douyin, scrolling through videos one after another.

"Hey! Where is Zihe?"

Grandma looked behind Yinuo.

"Zihe has something to do at the moment and can't leave." Yinuo put down the gift, just covering his face that was red with shame. Yinuo didn't dare to tell the truth for fear of worrying his grandma, and he didn't want to talk about such a disappointing topic at this time.

Grandma's confused look disappeared as soon as she appeared, and she hurriedly walked down the slope.

"Oh! Oh! Something's important."

"Sit down quickly. Grandma will prepare you something to eat. Put a cushion on it first and cook later!" The smile crept up the wrinkled face again.

Grandma hurriedly entered the kitchen, and the family of four sat awkwardly together. The cheerful sound on the TV covered up this embarrassment.

Yinuo also took out his mobile phone and looked through it casually. In WeChat, he was posting about his hometown, delicious food, and beautiful scenery.

Out of the corner of his eye, his aunt touched Xia Shuiqing's arm with her elbow, and winked at him. Xia Shuiqing frowned slightly and moved to the side, earning a blank look from her aunt.

Yinuo thought it would be better to give the living room to their family of three. So Yinuo put away the phone and said, "I'm going to see grandma."

After saying that, he slipped into the kitchen.

"Grandma!" Yinuo shouted.

"Why don't you watch TV outside?" Grandma took a quick glance over while she was busy making dumplings and asked.

"I've watched TV since 30 nights. I came in to help grandma!" Yinuo answered matter-of-factly.

Yinuo didn't know what to do. She just followed her grandma around. Wherever her grandma went, she followed her. Just like when she was a child, she couldn't drive her away.

"I don't need your help. It's rare for you to see your father. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

Grandma glanced towards the living room and saw that her eldest son, Xia Shuiqing, and his wife were whispering something. Both of them were a little impatient. Grandma remained calm and continued to look at the pot on the gas stove, thinking: Shen Rulan just wanted to go back.

"He doesn't need my company." Yinuo didn't look back at the family of three in the living room, he just pouted and complained to his grandma.

"You kid."

Grandma took out a hand and nodded Yinuo's head. Don't shy away from a promise, and give grandma the right advice.

Grandma's hands were still wet with water and were cold. Yinuo felt warm in his heart.

Yinuo smiled stupidly at her grandma. Grandma couldn't help but laugh.

"Here, bring the bowl."

"Ai!"

Yinuo stuck out his tongue, held the bowl, and took the chopsticks. Just eat at the small table in the kitchen. Dumplings filled with chives and eggs are Yinuo’s favorite.

Yinuo finished eating quickly.

I washed the dishes and put them in the cupboard. I took a small stool, sat next to grandma, and helped grandma pick vegetables.

Yinuo didn't like to go out and play since he was a child. He loved to listen to his grandma's nagging and help her with her work. Grandma's voice is like the winter sun, which shines warmly on people.

Every time dad comes back, grandma will push Yinuo over, hoping that the father and daughter can talk. Grandma didn't know that Yinuo hated her father at first.

Yinuo first met Aunt Shen, Shen Rulan, Yinuo's stepmother, on the day her mother passed away.

On that day, Yinuo had to attend two cram schools, one for painting in Yimei School, and one diagonally across from Yimei School for mathematics in Yangfan Building. The two classes were right next to each other. Because it was so close, sometimes Yinuo’s mother wouldn’t ride the bike, and she would always walk there with Yinuo. But more often than not, she would send Yinuo to Yimei. After Yimei's class was over, she would directly let Yinuo walk to the Yangfan Building by herself.

That day, my mother didn't know why she was free, so she came over to Yimei to pick up Yinuo.

When I walked to the door and crossed the road, my mother didn't know what she saw. She let go of Yinuo's hand, quickly crossed the road, and ran towards the other side...

A speeding car flew past and stopped. Yinuo only saw her mother floating to the ground like a butterfly... Yinuo was stunned, looked at her mother, and then looked at the opposite side where her mother was going to pass... Opposite me, my father was being held by Aunt Shen, with a smile still on his face...

Mom must have seen dad across the street...and...Aunt Shen.

Since then, Dad has been afraid to face Yinuo. He left Yinuo to Yinuo's grandma, married Aunt Shen, and left.

Time is a waster, love and hate are wasted away by time, and there is not much left. Just like a painting, as time goes by, dust covers the picture, and the original painting is obscured and blurred. One day, it will disappear between time and dust.

Dad doesn't know when he started feeling guilty and wanted to make up for Yi Nuo.

However, Yinuo has grown up. He has grown up to the point where he can live a good life with strength without anyone.

Later, grandma also knew that she couldn't force it, so every time she would try to persuade her, but she would be indifferent to the result and would never scold her.

Grandma just loves and dotes on Yinuo.

"When are you leaving?" Grandma asked.

Although Yinuo wanted to stay, she was afraid that her grandma would ask more about Zihe, and she was afraid that the matter would not be hidden from grandma and the secret would be exposed. Just think about it! If Yueyue was born, grandma probably wouldn't have time to think about Zihe!

"Leave after dinner." Yinuo replied.

"So anxious?" Grandma raised her head suddenly, as if she thought of something again, and asked with a smile, "Are you worried about Zihe?"

"Yeah!" Yinuo replied with a blushing face.

Grandma smiled thoughtfully.

Grandma didn't know that Yinuo was blushing because she had lied to her. She thought that Yinuo was too shy to admit that she was worried about Zihe! Yinuo knew that grandma had misunderstood, but she couldn't explain clearly. I felt even more guilty and didn't dare to look up.

"Then after you have eaten and seen your uncle and aunt, go back!" Grandma told Yi Nuo.

Yinuo nodded in agreement.

"You came by car? Did you buy a ticket?" Grandma was very detailed.

"No, I am in the second grade of junior high school. The car is not busy."

"Well! Your father and your Aunt Shen will be leaving soon, so you see your father off."

"knew."

Yinuo agreed, but in his heart he thought: If there is anything to give, it will just be like that, like a pantomime, and there will be nothing to say. Besides, Aunt Shen is always unhappy to see herself. And Xiaoyong, the half-brother, had nothing to say.

Look, today, he didn’t even look at me or call me! I don’t know how Aunt Shen educated him.

Yinuo shook his head in his heart.

A real brother is not as close as a brother who is not close to him.