As the mother spoke, her gaze remained fixed on her son outside the car window. She watched as he scratched his head and cheeks for a while before trotting back to the front seat, starting the car. While turning the steering wheel, he secretly observed her and San San through the rearview mirror, and couldn't help but smile and sigh, "But seeing Xiaoqi this time, I feel he's changed a lot. This child has been very pitiful since he was little, and I haven't taken good care of him. His grandfather passed away early, and since then I've hardly seen him smile; he always looks so preoccupied."
"Auntie can see that you are a good child. Although I am a little hesitant to accept your relationship, I still respect it. I hope you can help each other and grow together, making each other better and better."
Before San San could figure out how to respond, Chen Yunqi interrupted, "Mom, you've improved, really. San San is very well-behaved and studies very well. You see, I now take him as my role model, and I'm very motivated at work."
"Who asked you? Just drive," Mom said, glaring at Chen Yunqi in the rearview mirror with feigned displeasure. Then she turned to San San and asked, "Does your family know about you two? What's your parents' attitude?"
San San hesitated to speak, but honestly whispered, "They...they don't agree...I ran away secretly..."
Fearing that San San would be put in a difficult position, Chen Yunqi quickly interjected, "Well... San San is eighteen years old now, he can make his own decisions..."
“You kids will never understand the suffering of parents until you become parents yourself,” Mom sighed softly, turned to look out the car window, and said calmly, “This isn’t a solution. If there’s a chance in the future, try to get their understanding and forgiveness.”
San San nodded sensibly and whispered, "Auntie, I understand. I will definitely work hard to get into university and bring my report card back to see my dad."
Hearing this, Mom smiled slightly at San San in agreement, and then remained silent. Seeing this, Chen Yunqi quickly changed the subject, saying, "Mom, where are we going to eat tonight? Is there anything you'd like to eat? Local food?"
"Let's go home. I'll cook you a meal. It's been a long time since I've cooked. Let's see if my skills are still up to par."
"By the way, Boss Zou said he sent you a piece of fish maw last time. I'll make you some nourishing soup today. He said the fish maw is at least thirty years old and that it's a family heirloom that's hard to find outside. It's especially nutritious."
Chen Yunqi was happily imagining a harmonious family dinner when he suddenly heard the words "fish maw." His heart tightened immediately, remembering the lump of food that had stuck to the bottom of the pot the other day and that he couldn't shake off. He asked guiltily, "Uh, is that expensive...?"
"Of course, at least tens of thousands. These Cantonese people really know how to eat; they spend all their money on health supplements. A while ago they said they wanted to send some tea, which must have been very expensive. I feel bad about this going on and on. I was even thinking of asking you to send the glue back to them; it's not good to be indebted to someone who takes a bribe..."
San San didn't hear what was said after that, but he suddenly felt inexplicably that it would be wonderful if he were really pregnant right now.
Chapter Seventy-Seven: Squandering the Family Fortune
"Strange, I clearly remember having a red enamel pot. Where did it go?" Mom muttered to herself as she searched the kitchen, recalling that she had indeed bought Chen Yunqi a complete set of Zwilling's limited edition 18-piece set. The kitchen was full of cast iron pots, frying pans, pressure cookers, and knives, but one pot was missing. She grabbed an apron, tied it around her waist, and asked suspiciously, "Could the cook have stolen it?"
"No, no," Chen Yunqi said hurriedly, his voice weak as he followed his mother around the kitchen with San San, afraid of causing Aunt Li to be wronged. "...Could it be that one was missing when we bought it?"
“How could that be? I thought you couldn’t cook, so I originally planned to buy a ten-piece set, but I ended up buying an eighteen-piece set because I liked that stew pot,” Mom said with great certainty. “I personally unpacked and put everything away for you, so it’s definitely not wrong.”
After saying that, she continued to search persistently. Chen Yunqi helped her while guiltily trying to dissuade her, saying, "Mom, it's okay if you can't find it. Maybe it will appear in a couple of days... Besides, we've already eaten that piece of fish maw. We can just cook a couple of dishes today."
"You ate it?" The mother looked at her son, who knew nothing about grains, with some surprise and asked, "Did you make it? Do you even know how to make it?"
"Yes, I can," Chen Yunqi replied calmly, feigning confidence. "It's just boiling it in water. I know how. I've already made soup for San San with it. The taste... it tastes alright, right?"
He glanced at San San as he spoke. Seeing Chen Yunqi's pleading look, San San nodded vigorously and quickly replied, "Delicious! So delicious! Sweet, um... a little salty and bitter...it's really good..."
The mother looked at the two of them with a mixture of disbelief and doubt, and asked in confusion, "You ate such a big piece? How did you do that?"
“Ah, yes, San San was so thin back then, so I thought I’d help him get some nourishment,” Chen Yunqi recalled and answered honestly, “I just boiled water and threw everything in, isn’t that how you make soup? That piece of fish maw was quite big, it didn’t fit in the pot, so I chopped it into smaller pieces. I made it following a recipe.”
The mother's expression froze, and after a long while, she asked incredulously, "You cooked a whole piece of fish maw at once? Didn't you soak it beforehand?"
Chen Yunqi hummed in response, looking at her blankly and saying, "Soaking?"
Upon hearing his question, the mother instantly realized that her son had most likely wasted that exorbitantly priced fish maw. After a long pause, she helplessly rubbed her forehead, considering whether she should rush back to sign Mr. Zou's cooperation agreement while lamenting, "Son, you're squandering a precious resource! A new mother can eat a single piece of fish maw for her entire postpartum period..."
Seeing the shocked expressions on Chen Yunqi and San San's faces, she smiled wryly and comforted them, "Never mind, we can't find the pot anyway, so let's just eat it... Next time, remember to soak it for a day in advance, otherwise it won't cook properly. Just put in a small piece at a time, enough to cook a whole pot of collagen."
The plan to make soup fell through. Mom took out the ingredients from the refrigerator to prepare cooking. She chased Chen Yunqi, who pretended to help but couldn't even tell the difference between a wok and a frying pan, out of the kitchen. She took the cutting board that San San had washed and asked while chopping vegetables, "How do you two usually eat at home?"
San San stood in front of the sink, picking vegetables as she honestly answered, "Aunt Li cooks. When Aunt Li isn't around, we order takeout or eat out."
Mom put the chopped green pepper strips into the empty bowl and asked, "You can't cook either?"
San San lowered her head somewhat shamefully and said, "I know a little bit... We don't have much to eat where I'm from, and the cooking is very simple. There are many things here that I don't recognize, and I don't know how to cook... I... I'll learn during my vacation..."
Seeing that San San's face was turning red and her voice was getting softer and softer, her mother quickly comforted her, "It's okay, if you don't know it, you don't know it. You must be very stressed about your studies right now, right? You need to eat more so you can get enough nutrition. You'll be taking the college entrance exam next year, right? Where are you planning to go?"
"I don't know yet, I haven't decided..." San San stopped what she was doing and said with some difficulty, "I'm not a local, I don't know if I can take the college entrance exam here. Brother Xiaoqi said I need to transfer my household registration first, and I need a receiving address here. But my household registration is still at home, and my dad..."
Seeing that San San was somewhat embarrassed about the matter, her mother didn't press further. She simply lowered her head and focused on chopping vegetables. After a moment, she said, "That Chen Yunqi is something else. He's such a grown man, yet he's still so inconsiderate. How can someone not have made up their mind by now? What major do you want to study? Where do you want to go to school? These are matters that affect your whole life. You two need to discuss them carefully and make a decision as soon as possible."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie, I'll remember." San San took a deep breath, silently picked and washed the celery in her hand, placed it next to the cutting board, and then asked, "Auntie, what can I do for you now?"
"No need, just keep me company and talk to me," Mom quickly chopped the celery into small pieces, picked up the thawed beef and placed it on another cutting board, patted it a few times with the back of the knife and said, "It's been a long time since I've spent time with Xiaoqi. He never tells me anything, and I didn't even know he was working."
Just as San San was about to say something to explain Chen Yunqi, her mother smiled and then muttered to herself, "It's not his fault. I haven't cared for him enough. He's never been close to me since he was little. I don't know if it's too late to regret it now."
“There’s still time,” San San hurriedly replied, “Auntie, when I first met Brother Xiaoqi, he said that you were very busy with work and that it was very difficult for you. He understands that you are doing all this for him and he misses you very much.”
Hearing San San say this, her mother gave a slight bitter smile, then shook her head and said, "Xiao Qi is just like his maternal grandfather, who is my father. On the surface, he looks cold and unsmiling, but he is actually very warm and kind-hearted, isn't he?"
“Mmm!” San San nodded quickly in agreement, “When Brother Xiaoqi first came to our area, he didn’t talk much, and I was afraid to get close to him. But he was very kind to the students and villagers, and he would help anyone who was in trouble. He was very polite and never looked down on anyone. Even if someone treated him badly, he would never think of harming or retaliating against them. After we... after we got to know each other, I felt that he was just like you said, very warm and very cute.”
As San San spoke, a blush crept onto his face. He rubbed his nose shyly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Auntie, Brother Xiao Qi is truly remarkable. Our place is very poor, and he, such a meticulous person, stayed for half a year. Before, some villagers were kidnapped by drug dealers, and even the village officials and police gave up, but he insisted on finding them. When the village needed electricity, he helped the village chief apply to the county and got it. He taught the naughty children to draw, took care of his sister and mother, helped Uncle Lao Qi contact doctors, and even helped Brother Dumb find a job. Without him, without you, the children in our area would only be able to stay in the village primary school and would never have the opportunity to go out and study and see the world."
“Auntie, I don’t know what to say. I’m not good with words, but I want to thank you and Brother Xiaoqi on behalf of the people in our village,” San San said to her mother with great sincerity, “We Yi people worship tigers. There is a legend about a tiger saving people and repaying kindness. You and Brother Xiaoqi, Teacher Tang, Teacher Li, Teacher Song, and everyone who has helped us, I will never forget your kindness in my life.”
San San's words made Chen Yunqi's mother put down the kitchen knife. She stared blankly at the simple and honest young man before her, momentarily unable to believe that the person he spoke of was her son. In her memory, Chen Yunqi had never shown excessive enthusiasm for anyone or anything. When she first heard he was going to teach in a rural area, she thought he was just feeling down and looking for something new, acting on a whim. And the reason he could persevere for so long in such harsh conditions, she now naturally assumed, was because he knew San San. She hadn't realized that Chen Yunqi had truly done what many dared to say and think but not dare to do—not only risking his life for others but also earning not just admiration but also profound respect. She realized how little she had known Chen Yunqi, and suddenly felt that she had neglected her son far too much and missed out on so much over the years.
Having spent years battling in the business world and developed a composure, the mother could hardly contain her excitement. She turned to the side, raised the back of her hand to rub her burning eyes, and said softly, "No need to thank me. It's just something I can do. As his mother, I should help him."
"Alright, I'm going to cook now," Mom said, trying to control her emotions. She waved to San San, signaling him to leave. After he turned around, she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and suddenly called out, "San San."
San San stopped and turned to look at her. She saw a glimmer in her eyes as she smiled gently and said, "I'm counting on you to take care of this big, silly guy in my family from now on."
Chen Yunqi was sitting on the sofa editing a work report on his phone. He had just sent the file when someone grabbed his neck from behind. San San, perched on his back, tilted her head to look at his handsome features and pouted, saying, "Didn't you say that piece of fish maw was cheap?"
Chen Yunqi put down his phone, pinched San San's nose, and said with a sheepish smile, "It's not expensive. It's for our San San's food, so the price doesn't matter."
"You spendthrift!" San San nudged him lightly with her head, like a kitten pretending to be a tiger, and said fiercely, "You big, spendthrift fool."
Chen Yunqi was stunned at first, then chuckled, reached out and grabbed San San from behind, pulled him over the sofa, pressed him face down on his thigh, tickled his side while gritting his teeth and saying, "What did you call me? You think you're so great just because your mother-in-law is backing you up?"
Mom brought out the dishes and saw the two of them playing around on the sofa. She was both amused and exasperated, and called out, "What are you doing! You're all grown up, yet you act like little kids. Come and eat!"
Seeing that Chen Yunqi only verbally agreed but didn't stop physically, his mother quickly took a few steps forward, grabbed Chen Yunqi's ear, and scolded him with a frown, "Chen Yunqi! Don't take advantage of your big size to bully San San! Let go! Or I'll hit you!"
Chen Yunqi reluctantly let go, sat up, rubbed his reddened earlobe, and said aggrievedly, "Isn't it said that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is the most difficult? Why are you all united against me?"
His mother patted his head and said, "Why are you so talkative now? Who do you take after? Come and eat, stop talking nonsense."
San San had already climbed up from the sofa and run off. He hid behind his mother, stuck out his tongue at Chen Yunqi, and almost inaudibly chimed in, "Big dummy, come and eat!"
Chen Yunqi gave her a "you wait, I'll deal with you later" look, and walked to the table indignantly. Just as he was about to sit down, his mother grabbed him by the back of his collar and sent him to get bowls, chopsticks and cups.
Mom hadn't cooked in a long time, and she was sweating profusely from cooking four dishes. San San pulled out a tissue and offered it to her to wipe herself, but she didn't take it. Instead, she untied her apron and leaned closer to San San, seemingly waiting for her help.
San San paused for two seconds, then quickly picked up a tissue and carefully wiped the sweat from her forehead, saying obediently, "Thank you for your hard work, Auntie."
The mother casually draped the apron she had taken off over the back of the chair, glanced back at Chen Yunqi who was getting a drink from the refrigerator, and then turned to San San and whispered, "Don't call me Auntie anymore. From now on, you're my son too. Call me Mom."
San San's face instantly turned red. He blinked his thick eyelashes rapidly, lowered his head in embarrassment, and nervously rubbed the tissue in his hand. Seeing that Chen Yunqi was about to return, he whispered, "Mom."
"Yes," Mom smiled contentedly, pulled San San to sit down, and then asked Chen Yunqi, who was trying to sit down again, "Do you have any wine?"
Before Chen Yunqi had even sat down, he jumped up again and hurriedly replied, "Yes, we have whiskey and red wine. Mom, would you like some?"
"Let me have a drink with San San, you don't need to drink anymore, you still have to take me home later," she said with a smile to San San, and asked him, "Want to have a drink with Mommy?"
“Okay,” San San nodded obediently.
Seeing the harmonious and pleasant scene between the two women, Chen Yunqi felt his position was threatened. He quickly fetched a bottle of red wine, let it rest for a moment, and then poured it for them. Watching the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law toasting and chatting happily, he couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only serve them at their beck and call.
The mother stopped drinking when she was slightly tipsy. It was late, and she had work to discuss early the next morning. After giving her two children some instructions, she prepared to go home. Chen Yunqi told San San to go to sleep first, then took his mother's bag and went out with her.
The mother rested with her eyes closed in the car seat the whole way until they were almost at the hotel. Then she suddenly spoke to Chen Yunqi, saying, "We need to get San San's household registration sorted out as soon as possible, otherwise it will affect his college entrance exam. You need to think of a way. Getting him registered here isn't a problem, leave that to me. The most important thing is how to transfer his household registration from his original place of residence."
Chen Yunqi replied thoughtfully, "Yes, I understand. I'll think of a solution as soon as possible."
The hotel waiter opened the passenger door for the mother. She waved to Chen Yunqi, indicating that he didn't need to get out of the car to see her off. After saying goodbye, she took a few steps away, then turned back, leaned over, and said to Chen Yunqi through the car window, "Son, Mom is happy for you and proud of you. Mom wants to come see you and San San often in the future, okay?"
“Okay!” Chen Yunqi was taken aback, but quickly replied, “We will visit you often.”
“Okay,” Mom said with a smile, “I’m leaving now. Take good care of yourself. Come home with San San for the New Year this year.”
After his mother left, Chen Yunqi sat in the car for a long time. He recalled many things from his childhood. In his memories over the years, his mother's appearance was always so blurry, but today, the warmth from the back of her rough hands still lingered in his palms.
With winter break approaching, Chen Yunqi booked his flight home early and also took some time to discuss San San's household registration with Tang Yutao. Tang Yutao said he would try to coordinate with San San's father through the Education Bureau before leaving. He cautioned Chen Yunqi not to have too high hopes; if that didn't work, they would have to find a way to get San San back to Haiyuan County to transfer to a regular school and take the college entrance exam. But if that happened, San San would likely be taken back by his father. Chen Yunqi silently agreed, knowing there was no foolproof solution. Right now, besides praying that San San's father would make an exception online because of San San's rapidly improving grades, he could only take it one step at a time.
Christmas is here again, and foreign companies are giving everyone a day off. Chen Yunqi finished his half-day work and went to a bike shop that Kevin had recommended to him. After listening to the shop manager's detailed introduction and explanation, he pointed to two bikes hanging at the top and asked, "Performance doesn't matter, just tell me which model young kids ride these days? Which one is the coolest?"
Upon hearing this, the store manager assumed that he wanted to buy it for his child so that the child could show off in front of his classmates and friends. So he replied very sincerely, "Then choose a road bike. Although it doesn't have the same suspension as a mountain bike, you don't need to go off-road for riding in the city. If you want to look even more impressive, you can customize it yourself. Tires, frame, suspension, fork, and gears—you can choose all of these yourself, which is more cost-effective."
"Forget it, I don't know much about it either. Let's just buy a complete bike. Is this the latest model?" Chen Yunqi asked, pointing to one of the black road bikes.
"Yes, the latest this year, the SpecializedDI2 disc brake version, 22 speeds, full carbon fiber, extra light, the god of racing."
“Okay, I’ll take this one,” Chen Yunqi said, taking out his wallet and about to swipe his card when he heard the store manager ask from behind, “How tall is your child? We need to choose a size.”
Chen Yunqi turned to look at him, frowned, and said in confusion, "What child? I'm riding it, what size should I choose?"
"Oh, you want to ride it?" The shop manager suddenly realized and said, "If you want to ride it, then you'll have to get the 61-inch one, the largest one."
After choosing his bike and getting a helmet, gloves, and cycling clothes, Chen Yunqi paid by card, quickly drove home, parked the bike in the garage, changed his clothes upstairs, and then rode his bicycle to San San's school. When he arrived at the school gate, he happened to run into San San as he was leaving school.
San San walked towards the school gate with his schoolbag on his back, silently reciting the key points from his textbook as he went. Just as he was about to jump off the sidewalk to cross the street, someone suddenly grabbed the handle of his schoolbag and pulled him backward, causing him to stumble back two steps. After regaining his balance, he turned around, still shaken, and saw a person wearing a helmet and goggles sitting astride a bicycle, holding onto his schoolbag tightly.
San San stood there blankly until the person took off his helmet and glasses, and flicked his forehead with a smile. Only then did he realize that it was Chen Yunqi. He was so shocked that he was speechless and didn't even bother to pick up his backpack strap as it slipped down.
"elder brother???"
Chen Yunqi casually tossed his hair, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Don't you recognize me?"
San San exclaimed in amazement, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Chen Yunqi, dressed in a black cycling jacket, looked like a movie star fresh from the set. The tight-fitting jacket clearly outlined his muscular chest, and the surge of testosterone and adrenaline after exercise gave him an intense aura of masculinity. He braced his long legs on the ground, leaned over the handlebars, and asked San San, "Isn't he handsome?"
"Super...handsome..." Seeing that San San was so infatuated with him that she couldn't even finish her sentence, Chen Yunqi felt a surge of crazy pride, as if he were about to grow a tail. He suppressed a laugh and waved to San San, pretending to be cool, and said, "Come on, I'll take you home. Class monitor, team leader, group leader, all of you, get out of my way."
San San took two steps forward, staring intently at the stunningly cool road bike Chen Yunqi was riding. She glanced at the tilted front frame, then at the narrow rear tire, her eyes shining with excitement. Hugging her backpack tightly, she excitedly asked Chen Yunqi:
"Brother! Where am I supposed to sit? Where's my seat?"
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