As soon as he entered the courtyard, Li Ling shouted. From elementary and middle school, to high school, he would go home every two weeks, and then to university, he would go home every one or two months. This habit, formed over more than ten years, made him shout as soon as he entered the courtyard.
I wonder how many people, like Li Ling, have a fixed mindset, always calling out "Mom" a few times when they get home.
"Hey hey~" came Mom's voice from inside the house.
When she lifted the curtain and saw Li Ling, her mother's face lit up with joy. "Why are you back? Shouldn't it be the end of the year?"
Li Ling entered the house with a smile: "I had some free time these past few days, so I came back to see you all. It's been so long since I've seen you all, and I've missed you all."
As Li Ling entered the house, her father had already gotten off the kang (a heated brick bed). He looked at Li Ling and asked, "Weren't you quite busy over there? Why are you back? Is something wrong?"
"No, I just came back to visit," Li Ling said with a smile.
"Why did you come back if there's nothing wrong? It takes most of the day to go back and forth, it's too much trouble." Seeing his son, Li's father was very happy, but he still couldn't help but complain.
"Dad, how are you feeling right now?" Li Ling asked with concern.
"It's still the same. He takes his medicine on time and doesn't do any heavy work. He's fine," Mr. Li said calmly, not wanting to burden his child.
Li's father's illness is a mid-stage symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. His joints are red, swollen, and painful, especially when the weather changes. He cannot do heavy work, but it does not affect his normal daily life. When he is not in pain, he is almost like a normal person.
However, this disease can continue to progress. With proper treatment and care, the progression of the disease can be controlled. If it is not treated well, it will become more and more serious, eventually leading to whole-body pain, joint deformities, and even paralysis, confining the patient to bed all year round.
The two old people were naturally happy to see Li Ling back. They sat in the house talking when the curtain was lifted and a pretty girl carrying a bag walked in. She was taken aback when she saw Li Ling, and then exclaimed with delight, "Big brother, you're back!"
After saying that, she pounced on him; this was her younger sister.
The three siblings had a very good relationship. Li Ling especially doted on his youngest sister. Although the family couldn't provide her with a good environment, they never let her suffer.
"Brother, why are you back? I thought I wouldn't see you until the New Year," said Li Lu, the younger sister, as she hugged Li Ling's arm.
Li Ling looked at her younger sister; she had grown taller and prettier. Girls develop early, and at 15 years old, she was probably 1.6 meters tall. She was also beautiful and a lovely young woman.
“I had some free time these past few days, so I came back to visit. By the way, Xiao Lu, why are you back?” Li Ling asked. Lu and Lu are homophones, and her younger sister is usually as cheerful as a little deer, so her family calls her that.
"It's the weekend today, you forgot? I'm going home to rest for the day."
Li Ling remembered that the girl was a first-year high school student and could come home every week, while the second child was a third-year high school student and only got two days off every two weeks, so he couldn't come home today. Otherwise, the two siblings would have taken the minibus home together.
"I bought you some things, go take a look."
"What is it?" the younger sister asked excitedly.
"A tracksuit and sneakers. By the way, your toes haven't grown any longer, have they?" Li Ling asked.
"No, no, let me see quickly." Xiaolu pulled her brother into the house. Li Ling picked up a bag and handed it to her. "This bag is yours, and the other bag is your second brother's."
The little girl opened it and immediately cheered, "Nike, you're so kind, I've wanted a set like this for so long!"
Li Ling had originally thought about buying her younger siblings phones and computers, but then she decided against it. They were in school, and those kinds of things would only affect their studies. She could buy them things when they needed them in the future. For now, she decided against it.
They bought the most practical clothes and shoes, spending less than two thousand yuan each, and the little girl was already overjoyed.
"By the way, Mom, whose car is that big Mercedes parked in front of our house? Why is it parked there?" Xiao Lu asked absentmindedly as she tried on her shoes.
"I don't know, maybe they're visiting relatives nearby," Mom said.
Li Ling looked at her parents and said, "I drove here."
Little Deer looked up at her older brother, her face full of surprise, "You drove here? Brother, you have a car now? It's a Mercedes!"
Mom and Dad looked at Li Ling in surprise. Mom had just gone out and saw the car outside. She thought it was a relative from the neighborhood visiting, but it turned out to be her eldest son driving it back.
Elderly people in rural areas only know two brands of luxury cars: Mercedes-Benz and BMW. As for other car brands, even if you drive a Lamborghini or a Porsche, they may not recognize them.
Li Ling's mind raced, and he said, "It's not mine, it's the company car."
Mr. Li asked in surprise, "Weren't you a fitness instructor? How come you're a driver for your gym now? Did your company ask you to drive their car back home?"
“No, Dad, this company isn’t a fitness company. Oh, actually, I didn’t dare tell you before because I was afraid you’d worry. I’m no longer working at the gym. You won the lottery last time, right? So I invested in some business with a friend and started a company.” Li Ling blurted out.
"Start a company? What kind of company?" Mom asked.
"Oh, software and high-tech stuff, you probably wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." Li Ling tried his best to steer the conversation towards cutting-edge technology, since his parents didn't know much about it and he could easily fool them.
"Brother, you're amazing! A high-tech software company, is it one of those app companies, game companies, new media companies or something?" Li Lu exclaimed from the side.
"You know all this."
"I read in a magazine that these are extensions of software technology, and they seem to have a very promising future. However, it also mentioned that the competition is quite fierce. How is your company doing?"
Li Ling patted his younger sister's head: "You know a little bit about everything, haha. Our company is doing pretty well, so supporting your and your second brother's education is no problem at all. So, you two should study hard and try to get into a better university."
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Chapter 118 New Mission (A New Volume)
After dinner, Li Ling said to his father, "Dad, I wanted to take you to the hospital for a check-up this time I came back. Your illness needs to be controlled, otherwise it will get worse."
"I've been to the county town, and it's just the same old thing."
"This time we're going to Xidu, the provincial capital."
"It's so difficult to see a doctor in the provincial capital."
“Just listen to me. This time, I’ll find a specialist to take a look at you. Once you’re healthy, I can work with peace of mind. Don’t you think so, Dad?” Li Ling persuaded.
The next day, Li Ling took his parents and dropped Xiao Lu off at the county high school. Xiao Lu ran into the school and soon called his second son out.