How's grandpa's health? "
After dinner, Zhang Heng's mother covered the portion of food left for Zhang Heng's father. She then took out an ice cream from the fridge and slumped on the sofa.
"He's doing well. You know him. His lifestyle is healthier than anyone else's. He walks every day, exercises, plants, and keeps learning." Zhang Heng then pointed at the ice cream. "You, on the other hand, aren't you pregnant? You should eat less cold food."
"It's rare that your dad isn't here. I'll just eat half of it. You can have the rest," Zhang Heng said as he quickly opened the ice cream wrapper in her hand and licked it.
"I told my dad that I should bring grandpa over to stay for a while."
"Ah, I don't think so. Wouldn't that mean there will be two people in this family to control me?" Zhang Heng's mother shuddered at the thought of her miserable life.
"…"
"I'm just kidding. It's great that my dad is willing to come over, but you'll be the only one left in the country." Zhang Heng's mother took a bite of the ice cream. "No one will be able to take care of you if anything happens."
"I'm already twenty years old, and I still have Auntie Han."
When Zhang Heng's mother heard this, the ice cream in her mouth suddenly lost its taste. She stared into Zhang Heng's eyes and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you keep in touch with Han Lu often? I heard from grandpa that you two went to Japan together for vacation. "
"We went for vacation, but we only contact each other three or four times a semester."
Zhang Heng's mother's expression relaxed a little, but she still said, "No, you should stay away from her in the future. I was careless before. I thought that woman would care about our friendship of more than twenty years, but then I remembered that she's never been a good person. She'll get what she wants. When we were studying abroad, she would get up in the middle of the night, run to the balcony naked, and catch a cold to win my sympathy. I've never seen someone so cruel to herself, especially now that she has experienced the ups and downs of the business world and made money. I think she's even more inhumane now …"
Zhang Heng did not know what to say. The woman in front of him usually looked confused, but sometimes her intuition was terrifyingly accurate.
"Help me tell Han Lu to give up. I won't give her the chance to call me mother. Although it's nice to think about it that way, there will be three people in this house controlling me." Mother Zhang took another bite of the popsicle in her hand.
Zhang Heng did not want to dwell on this issue any longer, so he changed the subject. "Are you and my dad used to living here?"
"Of course. We've almost traveled all over the world over the years. My adaptability and survival ability have been maxed out. Even if I'm thrown on a deserted island, I can live happily with the monkeys on the island. It's just that the take-out and express delivery here aren't as convenient as in China." Mother Zhang paused. "Actually, your dad and I are considering settling down here."
"Stable? Are you planning to settle here? "Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"Well, my tutor recommended me to Maynooth University, but I'm not there to teach. I'm there to do administrative work. I heard that it's quite relaxing. Basically, I only need to work a few hours a day, and I can do whatever I want with the rest of my time."
"Sounds good. Congratulations."
"No, not so soon," Mother Zhang waved her hand. "The school is still discussing it, but if it passes, our next step will be to buy a house near the school. When that time comes, your dad will also get a job that can accompany me … You still have two years to graduate, right? How about it? Are you interested in studying here? That way, our family can be reunited. Because of work, we left you in China, but in the blink of an eye, you've grown up. "
"I don't know. I haven't completely thought about the future," Zhang Heng said truthfully.
He didn't even know who he was, so why would he consider whether or not he should study abroad in two years?
"It doesn't matter. You can think about it slowly. I'm not forcing you. I'm just mentioning it when I think about it. Everything is up to you. If you meet a girl you like and are willing to stay in China to develop your career, it's good too. When I was your age, I still thought about comics and delicious food every day," Mother Zhang said and yawned.
Perhaps because of her pregnancy, she was more sleepy than usual, especially after she had just eaten. Her blood sugar was elevated, making her sleepy. So, Mother Zhang handed the half-eaten ice cream in her hand to Zhang Heng, and she lay down completely, resting her head on Zhang Heng's knee, and closed her eyes.
"Do you want me to carry you back to the house to sleep?" Zhang Heng asked.
"No, I just want to take a nap. It's good like this."
"Okay then." Zhang Heng moved his thighs a little and changed his position to make Xiao Xia's pillow more comfortable. Initially, he thought that she would fall asleep just like that, but after a while, Xiao Xia spoke again, "Why aren't you talking? I want to hear your voice."
"What do you want to hear?"
"Anything. Talk about the girl you like, the troubles you encountered growing up, or simply talk about the singer you followed, or the games you played. If you have any doubts in your heart, you can ask me. No matter what, I've been through puberty. Well, although I'm not a man … you should wait for your father to come back and ask him about your physiological urges."
"Really? I do sometimes wonder who I am recently. "
"Are you studying philosophy?"
"Sort of. Each of us is born into this world with some kind of … mission, right?"
"I don't think there's such a troublesome thing. Everyone just needs to live happily according to their own wishes."
"But what if, and I mean what if, a person finds out that their true intentions are not a good thing for others?"
"Is this what you're afraid of? Are you worried that deep down, you're actually a bad person? Is that why you don't dare to fully face yourself? "Mother Zhang turned over, lying on her side, and muttered. Her voice gradually became softer, and it sounded like she would fall asleep at any time." It's okay. Just accept that you're a bad person. "
"But what if I'm a bad person who's so bad that I can't destroy the world?" Zhang Heng asked.
"If that's the case, then let the world be destroyed," Xiao Xia said softly. "It doesn't matter. In human history, there have been several mass extinctions. The murals engraved in the caves and the myths of our ancestors have recorded these stories. We will survive in the end. We can build a civilization not because we're smarter than other species, but because we're tough enough."
"But I don't want to lose you, Dad, Grandpa, and my unborn sister. I don't want to lose my friends either."
"Silly child, you won't lose me. No matter what you become in the future, you'll still be my son. No one can change that. That's enough … enough." Xiao Xia's voice finally became inaudible when she said the last sentence. Just like that, she fell asleep peacefully.
Zhang Heng placed his palm on her lower abdomen, feeling the strange rhythm coming from there. He could feel that a new life was being born there.
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