Self-cultivation with a plate of tomato scrambled eggs

Chapter 40

As the old saying goes, "After Laba is the new year." The day Song Xiaowu returned to Yao's house happened to be the eighth day of the lunar new year, and the old man specially ordered the kitchen to leave him Laba porridge, but Song Xiaowu felt that the atmosphere at home was not right. Reported to the old man what he had seen and heard in Citigroup, brought it for the family of the third uncle and three aunts, then took out the gifts from everyone, let the old man have a look first, coaxed the old man to feel better, and then was urged to finish the porridge and prepare Give things to everyone.

Mrs. Yao is rarely at home, but Yao Jian is not.Song Xiaowu thought for a while, then secretly teased Aunt Lu, who was in charge of Mrs. Yao's daily life, and asked her to deliver the gift box for Mrs. Yao, while he waited outside the door.Aunt Lu treated him politely, she came out of the room and said with a smile: "Madam said, I am interested."

Song Xiaowu couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the words, thanked Aunt Lu again, and went back to his room.

The layout of the room was still the same as when he left, and the newly changed sheets and bedding exuded a faint fresh smell. Song Xiaowu opened the curtains, conveniently put the remaining few gift boxes on the table, and sat down wonderingly.

Why hasn't Aunt Lin come back yet?

I didn't feel it when I went there, but I felt the need to beat the jet lag when I came back.Song Xiaowu washed up early, lay on the bed, and sent a message to Li Tianqi. Before he got a reply, he felt tired. He closed his eyes, but his mind still couldn't relax. He thought about the thing he hadn't passed the professional exam.

Even if he knew that his aptitude could be admitted to the University of Illinois with a few months of hard work, it would be too unfair to a real high-achieving student, but when the result was in front of him, he still had to take a while to accept it slowly .

Now he only told Yuan Ke about this matter.Dad probably would rather stay at home with his old man, and the eldest brother probably knows about it, but Song Xiaowu can't guess what his attitude is.

As for Mr. Daniel and Mr. Baindon, although these two people are not like good teachers and helpful friends in the traditional sense, Daniel is a childish and noisy kid, but in a foreign country, they are more or less close to Song Xiaowu.Looking back at this time, I actually miss it a bit.

During the Chinese New Year in the Yao family, several calligraphers and painters often send Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures and other things. They are all contemporary works, and it is not difficult to get out of the country. When Mr. Dun and the others received it, it was probably around the time of the Lunar New Year, so it was a timely gift.

Alas, big plum... Only Song Xiaowu didn't know how to tell him about it.

Although I was lonely when I was abroad, it was better because of the relaxed atmosphere.However, Song Xiaowu has to admit that the feeling of coming back is always different.I stayed at Yao's house for more than a week, and the old man was considerate. Song Xiaowu even fell asleep with jet lag, and slept until almost noon several times. Xiao Cao, who took over Aunt Lin's work, didn't have much contact with him, so it was naturally not easy to come up and call him. get up.

That day Song Xiaowu was full of sleep, sat up rubbing his eyes, looked at the sky and it seemed that it was not too late, took out his mobile phone, and saw two missed calls on it.

It's the number of the restaurant.Li Tianqi hasn't come back from his hometown yet, Aunt Yang is in charge of the shop.Song Xiaowu hurriedly dialed back, it turned out that it was almost New Year's Eve, Aunt Yang set up a table of dishes and invited Song Xiaowu over for dinner before closing.

"Oh, aunt, how can I always trouble you so much?" Song Xiaowu hurriedly got out of bed, put on his socks while supporting the phone with his shoulders, "Then I'll come here now, what do you think I'm missing? I'll take it along the way?"

Only after going downstairs did he realize that he was the only one at home, Mr. Yao had gone out on business, and Yao Jian hadn't seen anyone for several days—— Mrs. Yao?Song Xiaowu didn't even have the guts to ask.

When Xiao Cao saw him get up, he smiled and asked him what he wanted for lunch.Song Xiaowu shook his head, thought for a while, and asked again: "What did Dad leave for me before?"

The old man looked down on the food of foreigners, and he believed that Song Xiaowu would not be able to eat well outside. Before the New Year, those old subordinates sent all kinds of specialties from all over the world. When they met Song Xiaowu, they told him to stay. he eats.

Song Xiaowu picked out a few items, and Xiao Cao packed them up for him. Knowing that he was driving out by himself, he carried them into the trunk for him.

Although he didn't spend much time with Aunt Yang, Song Xiaowu could probably see that she was a warm-hearted person, and since he and Li Tianqi moved to a new house, Aunt Yang almost took care of everything in the store here, let alone Xiao Fu. As soon as I left, I don't know if the store is hiring again.

When he arrived at the place, Song Xiaowu parked the car and walked to the store with his things.The small restaurant was closed at noon, and only one door was opened. Song Xiaowu first saw the round table full of dishes, and Aunt Yang was probably still busy in the kitchen. When he walked in, he saw a person standing by the bar.

"Sorry, we are closed at noon." Song Xiaowu didn't know if she was a customer, and asked again: "Who are you looking for?"

The man hurriedly turned around when he heard the sound, but did not answer.Song Xiaowu put the bag in his hand on the table, took off his gloves, and asked loudly, "Auntie, can I take the things to the kitchen for you?" sized him up.

Song Xiaowu thought she was a guest invited by Aunt Yang, but at this moment he was taken aback, and couldn't help but look at her a few more times, only to realize that the other party was obviously much younger than Aunt Yang, in his early forties, he didn't look like Aunt Yang's old man. sisters or something.The woman's facial features are actually bright and beautiful, but her skin is yellowish, and her clothes are a little thinner, as if she just came back from outside and has not adapted to the weather here.

Song Xiaowu frowned for no reason, and felt that this face seemed very familiar. Before he could think about it, the woman asked, "You...is your surname Song, and your nickname is Xiaowu?"

Song Xiaowu listened carefully to her tone, then understood something, but still hesitated, not knowing whether to nod or not.

The woman only regarded him as acquiescing, and confessed excitedly and anxiously: "Son, I am mother!"

Song Xiaowu was a little overwhelmed by her sudden emotional expression, bit his lips subconsciously, and then stretched out his hand slightly stiffly, pointing to the chair next to him: "You, you sit first."

Seeing that the woman was only waiting for him to express his opinion, he had no choice but to add: "I see."

"Xiao Song is here?" Aunt Yang came out with dishes at this moment, breaking the deadlock.

Song Xiaowu understood that Aunt Yang had made this happen on purpose, but he still had no idea why this woman who claimed to be his "mother" came here, and how she found here and persuaded Aunt Yang.

His mind was a little confused, and he was unwilling to make up his mind to straighten it out immediately.But he didn't doubt the identity of the visitor: he had a long memory, and he still had a fragmentary impression of this face. Besides the difference caused by gender, his and her facial features could almost be said to be carved out of the same mold.

He recalled the time when old master Yao came to him, he acted extremely swiftly and resolutely, everything was settled without his expressing his opinion at all.This time, the right to choose happened to be in his hands.

Just now, Song Xiaowu could see that she seemed to be living unsatisfactorily in recent years, so he sighed inwardly, took the plate from Aunt Yang, put it on the table, and said, "Auntie, don't be so busy, just sit down and eat." Let's go." Seeing that the two of them were standing still, they took the initiative to pull away the chairs and put the three sets of bowls and chopsticks in order.

Seeing this, Aunt Yang quickly smiled and said, "Yes, yes, let's eat first! I'm tired from the journey, so I'll talk about what I have to say after eating."

Song Xiaowu didn't say anything more, just sat down with his rice bowl in his hands and remained silent: he had never felt hungry during the time he came back, let alone the word "appetite" right now.

I was in a daze for a while, but in fact my mind just turned slower.Song Xiaowu thought to himself, Aunt Yang didn't know about her family's affairs, she probably thought it was an ordinary divorced family, it was natural for a mother to take care of the children, and she couldn't blame her for anything.

Now that I figured it out, Song Xiaowu looked at the woman sitting on his right, thought for a moment, and asked, "Are you back this time for something, or...stay here?"

The woman obviously didn't expect Song Xiaowu to take the initiative to talk to her, and she laughed almost flattered: "I, I don't plan to leave. All these years, I've been working outside from dawn to dusk, and I can't earn much money. When something happens, I'm alone No one is willing to help..." As if realizing that Song Xiaowu would not want to hear her complain, the woman stopped talking at this point.

Aunt Yang also helped and said: "Women, it's not difficult to be outside alone?" She looked at Song Xiaowu again, with a look of hesitation.

Song Xiaowu saw it.After dinner, seeing the tired look on the woman's face, he led her to the attic. The old bed had been dismantled, but the sofa was still there. Song Xiaowu took care of it briefly, and took out the leftover pillows and quilts from the cabinet. To her, while turning on the heating, he said: "Just rest for a while, I will take you out to buy some clothes after you have enough rest, it is much colder here in winter... the old house where you used to live has been demolished, you You can pick a place first, and I'll ask someone to find a suitable house for you."

"Xiao Wu..." the woman looked at him, "Actually, mom has been thinking about you, but... mom is not capable, and she can't help you even if she wants to." She walked over, pulled Song Xiaowu's sweater hem, Stroking here, Shun Shun there, while speaking, his eyes turned red: "You have grown so big..."

Song Xiaowu was stuck in a dilemma, and after a second thought, he simply sat down beside her, hesitated for a while, and finally called out the unfamiliar name for too long: "Mom."

Feeling that the woman was obviously taken aback, he wanted to express himself clearly as soon as possible: "I can't control the past. Now that you are back, you can live here with peace of mind. Tell me anything you need , I will try my best to find a solution for you." Speaking of this, Song Xiaowu smiled, trying to make the atmosphere a little more relaxed: "Although I am not very promising, I have always been very lucky, and I can always meet noble people."

It seemed that what should be said was almost finished, Song Xiaowu thought about it again, and didn't know if he needed to say any more concluding remarks.At the end, he said, "Grandma, she was buried with grandpa in Xishan Cemetery. I'll take you to see her when I have time."

"Hey." The woman hurriedly agreed, Song Xiaowu could see her earnestness and anxiety, smiled at her reassuringly, and said in a brisk tone: "Then you rest, I will help Aunt Yang clean up together."

The woman responded again, watched him go downstairs, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Xiaowu went into the kitchen and saw that Aunt Yang had already tidied up everything by herself, and she couldn't help pretending to complain: "Auntie, you are both buying and cooking, and you have been busy for a long time, why don't you even leave me to wash the dishes? "

Aunt Yang laughed: "Hey, I was using your place to cook a few dishes. I said it was a treat and I also borrowed flowers to present Buddha. How can I let you, a 'guest', wash the dishes?" She secretly looked at Song Xiaowu's expression, she considered Then he said: "Xiao Song, isn't Auntie too self-assertive today?"

Song Xiaowu shook his head when he heard the words: "Don't think so... I really haven't seen my mother for a long time."

Aunt Yang smacked for a moment, then said: "In theory, I'm an outsider, so I shouldn't meddle in your family's affairs. But your mother came here early this morning, saying that she came back overnight, and she only found out about it after asking all the way. This place... I heard her describe it, and it really fits with you. Another one, she didn't close her eyes all night, she was dressed in single clothes, and she was afraid that something would happen in the cold outside, so she was asked to rest in the store. So that you can get to know someone."

Song Xiaowu nodded to express his understanding, and said with relief: "Auntie, I understand, you must not worry too much." The two came out of the kitchen, and Song Xiaowu handed her the things he had brought: "I originally wanted to bring lunch at noon. I did it, who knows that you have already made such a big table. You can take it back."

Aunt Yang refused, and Song Xiaowu said again: "They are all local specialties given by my father and his old colleagues. The old man gave them all to me. They are not valuable things, but they are probably more authentic than the ones we buy here." He said Insisting on picking it up for Aunt Yang, she sent her out again, saying: "Be careful by yourself, how about I see you?" Aunt Yang quickly waved her hand: "No, no, your mother is still upstairs, go back and accompany her. "

Song Yunmei didn't fall asleep.She did go to the old house to inquire about the news just after she came back yesterday. The tube building has been demolished, but an old teahouse nearby has not yet moved out. She saw some old neighbors sitting in it, and went to accompany a With a smile on his face, he finally found out that Song Xiaowu was helping others in the restaurant.

By the time they found Li Ji Restaurant, it was already dark and the store was busy. Song Yunmei saw that the young people passing the dishes were obviously small workers, and none of them looked familiar. There was only one old lady at the bar. , Not sure who it is, I simply go back to the hotel to stay, lie on the bed, I don’t feel hungry, I’m ready to recharge my energy, and go to the store early the next morning to see if I can find someone to talk about it.

Song Xiaowu stood outside the door for a while, thinking about it for a long time, and finally opened the door quietly, but saw Song Yunmei put the quilt on her chest, half leaning on the sofa, just lost in thought.He froze for a moment and asked, "Are you awake? Is the quilt too thin?"

Song Yunmei raised her head when she heard the words, and realized: "Oh, I'm not very tired, I'll be fine after a while." She got up, put on her shoes, and asked, "Why don't we go out for a stroll now?"

Song Xiaowu nodded and said with a smile: "Then you clean up slowly, and I'll drive the car over."

Song Yunmei had already known from Aunt Yang that Song Xiaowu was taken back by his father, and she was a little surprised at that time. Could it be that Yao has changed his temper as he got older?When the two meet, Song Xiaowu's clothes are not too fancy, but she also enjoyed a life of spending money when she was younger, and she can tell at a glance that they are all good things, and then look at her demeanor. It looks like it was carefully raised by a wealthy family.

Now that he walked to the door and saw Song Xiaowu's car, he became more sure that his son was definitely favored by Yao's family.

"Xiao Wu," she couldn't open the door of this car. Song Xiaowu opened it for her and helped her fasten her seat belt. Song Yunmei sat down, looked at the interior of the car again, and asked, "Your father? ,How is it going?"