You are on summer vacation now, right? "Mr. Zhang started the car." I'm so envious … When you start working, you will know how rare such a long vacation is. "
"Why? Are you very busy?" Zhang Heng fastened his seat belt.
"This … not really," Mr. Zhang scratched his head. "Our job is special, and we don't have to work every day. But that's not the point. I just want to tell you to cherish the good times of your youth." After a pause, he continued, "Since you are here, stay for a while. It just so happens that your mother misses you too. Our family hasn't been together for a long time these past few years. We can take this opportunity to drive around Ireland for a road trip."
However, Zhang Heng said, "Let's talk about it later. I just came to see you. I haven't decided how long I want to stay here."
Mr. Zhang was stunned when he heard this. "Is there anything else to do during your vacation?"
Zhang Heng did not answer this question. Instead, he asked, "Have you received any strange phone calls recently?"
"Strange phone calls. Does the welcome advertisement of a strip club count?"
"Other than that."
"That's nothing," Mr. Zhang said. "You know, our jobs are quite special. We've been abroad all these years, and we've been running around all over the world. Even most of our former classmates and friends are rarely in touch with each other. This is also why we left you in China when you were a child. Your mother felt that a stable living environment was more beneficial for children's growth. We just moved to Ireland half a year ago, and we don't actually know anyone here. "
"That's good. Bring grandpa here later."
"Huh? Xiao Xia and I don't have any objections, but didn't your grandfather never want to go abroad? In the past, we thought it was because you were still studying in China, and it was not convenient for him to leave. But now that you have grown up, we mentioned this to him the last time we went home, but we didn't expect him to still refuse. He said that he was used to living in China, and he had to take care of the plants in the yard. "
"Find an excuse. Isn't my mother pregnant now? Just say that her emotions are unstable and she wants grandpa to take care of her."
"How can someone with Xiao Xia's personality be emotionally unstable …" Mr. Zhang suddenly paused as if he realized something. "You asked me if there were any strange phone calls recently, and you asked us to bring grandpa here. Did he get into trouble in China? Delinquents in school? Your mother and I may not be rich, but we have saved up some money over the years. We can help you pay for it first. Besides, if it doesn't work out, your mother can sell herself to her rich bestie. "
"Not this kind of trouble."
"What kind of trouble can that university student get into?"
"Just in case, I can solve it myself. Just give me some time," Zhang Heng said.
"Your stubbornness is exactly the same as when I was young." Mr. Zhang did not continue to ask. He just said, "Have I told you the story of how I acted bravely when I was young?"
"I don't think so. I don't remember."
"Well, everyone may generally think that minors can't be that bad. After all, children are still young, and mistakes are inevitable. It's not a big deal. So, they are used to avoiding talking about school violence. And the current law focuses on education and guidance when it comes to juvenile delinquency. On the other hand, it does make the cost of juvenile delinquency very low."
"In any case, at that time, basically every school had a school bully or something. They basically gave up on studying and gathered a bunch of scoundrels. Most of them would even interact with people from outside the school and recognize one or two big brothers to back them up. Then, they would act like a tyrant in school, flaunting their prowess and bullying the students they targeted. Sometimes, it was to extort money, and sometimes, it was just to get pleasure.
"Unfortunately, there was such a guy in our school. They were actually very good at choosing their targets. They specifically picked students who were introverted, weak, and shy. These targets usually didn't resist much and could only endure the bullying in silence. I had seen them ask people to buy them cigarettes or block people at the school gate. But that time, it was the first time I saw them beating other students. I didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing, but they were beating a student in my class. "
"I actually didn't know him very well, but I knew that he was from a single-parent family, and his family wasn't doing very well. Other than him, there were two elderly people, and his mother worked alone in the factory workshop. And at that time, the cannery that his mother worked in wasn't doing very well. He didn't usually speak much at school, and he was a little taciturn. On that day, it happened to be the time for him to pay for his homework. I guess this was also the reason why the gang targeted him. So, I hesitated for a while before I stood up and shouted at the gang. 'What are you doing? If you don't stop, I'm going to call the police!'"
"And then?"
"Then, my classmate and I were beaten up by them, and my writing fees were also stolen." Mr. Zhang sighed. "I thought about it later. That place was actually very close to the gate of our school. If I had gone to the security office to look for someone first, or if I had called the police instead of putting on a brave front, the result might have been different. Maybe we wouldn't have been beaten up and robbed of our money."
"Well, you always told me to stay calm and rational when I was in danger. I didn't expect you to be so impulsive."
"Don't think that I'm just an ordinary middle-aged man now. Who hasn't been a teenager before?"
When Mr. Zhang talked about this matter, he looked excited. While there was no one on the road, he opened the car window and stepped on the accelerator. He felt the pleasure of the wind whistling in his ears, and it seemed that he had returned to his youth.
An hour later, the two arrived at Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang's new residence in Ireland. Although it was a rented house, it was very clean, and all kinds of appliances had been purchased and configured. The front yard was also full of flowers and plants.
Mother Zhang was busy frying something in the kitchen. Compared to the time during the Chinese New Year, her lower abdomen was now very obvious, but it was still a few months before the delivery. Her complexion was as good as ever, and she still looked as carefree as ever.
When she saw Zhang Heng, she couldn't help but laugh. "How dare you say that I'm living in a daze? You're a grown man, and you can't even keep a watch on your phone. Where did you lose it?"
"If I knew where I lost it, I would have picked it up," Zhang Heng said.
"That's true. Forget it. You came at the right time. Just in time for me to master my cooking skills, I'm lucky enough to taste the delicacies of the world. Let's go buy you a phone tomorrow. I also want to buy a cooking machine."
Mr. Zhang took Zhang Heng's luggage out of the trunk. At this time, his phone rang. Mr. Zhang glanced at the message he received, then said, "You guys eat first. There's something I need to do at the research institute."
"Now?" Mrs. Zhang asked. "But my meal is almost ready."
"Sorry, it should be related to the paper I'm preparing to publish. It's urgent. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Don't finish everything, leave some for me," Mr. Zhang said as he opened the car door.
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