Lou Cheng, who had nothing to do in the afternoon, went home early. He was chatting with Yan Zheke on his phone while watching variety shows on the sofa.
When night fell, he found that his mother was not home. The dinner they had planned was still in his imagination.
"Hello, Mom, where have you been?" Lou Cheng, the "left-behind child", took the initiative to call.
Qi Fang was surprised. "Didn't I tell you?"
"No …" Lou Cheng answered blankly.
Qi Fang laughed dryly. "Oh, I'm used to you studying outside."
"Used to what? Used to not having a son like me? " Lou Cheng covered his face and sighed.
Qi Fang continued, "Feifei has been playing in our house for a few days. Your aunt urged her to go back. I thought it would be a waste if I didn't use it since I helped someone take over for a few days. So, I decided to send her back. I don't want to embarrass your aunt if anything happens on the way back. Cheng, you and your dad can settle it by yourselves tonight."
"Uh, I can sleep in my room tonight?" Lou Cheng was delighted. He asked, "Mom, when are you coming back?"
"The day after tomorrow. I'll go to your grandpa's house tomorrow and get some home-grown vegetables …" Qi Fang started nagging Lou Cheng to come over and spend time with his grandparents on weekends when he was not at the martial arts school.
After listening to his mother's nagging, Lou Cheng immediately sent a message to Yan Zheke, saying that he was abandoned by his mother and had no dinner.
Yan Zheke replied with a few pictures of the food she was enjoying without sympathy.
"Don't mention it. I'll help you eat!"
After a while, Lou Zhisheng opened the door and entered the house. He saw Lou Cheng sitting on the sofa with the lights off and the TV off, playing with his phone. His face was lit up by the flickering light of the screen.
"You young people can't live without your phones." Lou Cheng's father shook his head and sighed. He turned on the lights and the whole house was lit up.
"Dad, mom went to aunt's house. We'll settle the dinner by ourselves." Lou Cheng looked up with his phone in hand.
Lou Zhisheng pushed his gold-rimmed glasses. "I know. I'll cook …"
As he spoke, his voice suddenly came to a halt.
Lou Cheng was stunned. He took a deep breath and said,
"How about we go to grandpa's house?"
"Okay!" Lou Zhisheng made a prompt decision, as if he had been waiting for this suggestion for a long time.
The father and son did not need to pack up. They called Lou Debang and left immediately. On the way, they stopped to buy soy sauce duck and sliced chicken as extra dishes.
When he entered his grandfather's house, Lou Cheng suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right, because there were guests!
A man and two women were sitting in the living room. They were chatting with Lou Debang, Lou Zhiqiang, and Lou Yuanwei, while Grandma and Second Aunt were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.
"Zhisheng, you're here. Come and take a look. Do you still remember Zijun from Old Zhao's family? He's doing well now. He's the deputy director of the police station on Feixia Road." Lou Debang smiled and pointed at the only man among the guests.
"Zijun, I remember you. When we were young, we always played together. Every time we played a game of cops and thieves, he always wanted to be the police. Now, he is really a police officer." Lou Zhisheng was pleasantly surprised to see his childhood playmate.
Old Zhao's family had been neighbors for a long time.
Zhao Zijun was in his forties. He had a square face, short eyebrows, and heavy eye bags. He stood up and patted Lou Zhisheng. "Zhisheng, you still look like a scholar. Hehe. Back then, whenever I was naughty, my father would use you as an example to lecture me. He said that he would be satisfied if I was half as good as you …"
"Other people's children …" Lou Cheng silently summarized for Zhao Zijun.
The other two were ladies, but he didn't pay much attention to them. He just glanced around and found a girl in her early twenties with half of her hair in a bun. She looked quiet and uneasy. His cousin, Lou Yuanwei, didn't have his usual eloquence and seemed to be restless.
"Well, it's not a meeting between old neighbors. It's a blind date!" Lou Cheng suddenly understood. He walked to Lou Yuanwei with interest and patted him on the shoulder.
This was the first time he had encountered a blind date.
It seemed that Lou Cheng's ambition scared Second Uncle and the others, so they sped up the blind date. They came directly to him without making any arrangements.
Lou Yuanwei looked at his cousin "sadly" and did not dare to say anything.
"This is my wife, Huang Qun. This is my maid, Zhao Qian. She is a language teacher in No.3 Primary School. Is that your son?" After catching up, Zhao Zijun introduced his family.
Lou Zhisheng smiled. "Yes, Lou Cheng. He is still studying."
"Is he in university? Where do I read it? "Zhao Zijun asked casually.
"Songcheng University," Lou Zhisheng answered proudly.
"Very good. He is like you in this aspect!" Zhao Zijun did not ask more about Lou Cheng because he was not the main character today.
After they sat down, they continued to chat. Their topics were focused on Lou Yuanwei's current job, Zhao Qian's situation, and Lou Zhiqiang's previous canteen contract.
Lou Cheng could tell that his Second Uncle had been repeatedly reminded that he would not use a second sentence if he could answer with one sentence, so as to avoid accidentally saying something hurtful.
They talked from before dinner until dinner. Lou Cheng did not say a word and played the role of a normal person eating meat, chicken, duck, pork ribs, and eggplant diligently. The male and female protagonists were robbed of the limelight by their parents, so they could only answer questions in silence.
Lou Cheng could feel the awkwardness between them even with his toes.
Well, he tested Absolute Reaction this morning and found that there was no such thing.
Was it by accident that he caught the thief?
That's not right. That feeling was very obvious …
I was in a deep sleep at that time, but I was awake during the test. Was that the difference?
… Lou Cheng, who was lost in his thoughts, found the atmosphere a little cold and subtle. It seemed that the Zhao family was not satisfied with Lou Yuanwei's situation.
After dinner, Zhao Zijun did not stay long. He said that he had something to do and left with Huang Qun and Zhao Qian. He did not let Lou Zhiqiang and Lou Yuanwei see him off.
After the guests left, the Lou family fell into a short and depressing silence. After a few minutes, Lou Cheng's Second Aunt, Wang Lili, hit Lou Yuanwei and said with a sobbing voice, "Two or three years ago, when our family was still strong, would Old Zhao not like you? Weiwei, people have to accept their fate. Some people are destined to be rich and some are destined to live a stable life. Don't worry about it. Work hard and make progress … "
Lou Yuanwei pursed his lips tightly and said nothing. He stood there stubbornly, his round face full of gloom.
"Well, don't talk about it. Let him do whatever he wants. We can't afford it anyway!" Lou Zhiqiang shouted. His hair seemed to be getting whiter and whiter.
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come for dinner … Lou Cheng felt a headache. He looked at his father and found that he felt the same.
Even an honest official can't solve a family matter. It was his Second Uncle's problem, so he couldn't get involved.
"Don't talk about it. You can do whatever you want." The Old Master waved his hand and sighed. He walked back to the sofa and sat down, watching TV in silence.
Lou Cheng's grandmother and Second Aunt started to clean up the table. Lou Zhiqiang sat on the single sofa. Lou Yuanwei wanted to say something but couldn't. He walked back to his room gloomily.
"Dad, I'm going to talk to my brother," Lou Cheng said in a low voice.
"Go, talk to him." Lou Zhisheng knew that his son had matured quickly in the past half year, so he nodded with relief.
Lou Cheng knocked on the door and entered the dark room. He sat on the computer chair and looked at Lou Yuanwei who was lying on the bed. "Brother, what do you want to do this time?"
He had heard him mention it before.
Lou Yuanwei said sullenly, "I used to run a restaurant. I saw that the take-out business in Xiushan is booming, so I want to open a restaurant that doesn't have a shop. It won't cost too much …"
Speaking of this, he opened his mouth. He sat up and said in pain and confusion, "Cheng, do you know what's the most painful thing for a person? It's that I can't see any hope. I go to work on time every day and earn two or three thousand yuan a month. I won't starve to death, but I can't see any hope. Today is the same as yesterday, and tomorrow will be the same. I want a house, no! I want a car, no! I don't know when I can earn enough money with this little salary. Should I rely on my parents? "
"I don't want to suffer, but I don't want to be like this for the rest of my life …"
Lou Cheng listened quietly and thought that if he was in this situation, he would be in the same pain and struggle.
"But you can't just do it casually, right? You have to do some research and see the prospects before you do it. "Lou Cheng said in another way.
Lou Yuanwei was stunned and said, "I think it can be done. Many people in our company order take-out …"
You can't just rely on your feelings … Lou Cheng complained and took out his phone to ask his life coach, Coach Yan.
Yan Zheke replied with both hands supporting her chin, "I haven't done this kind of research. Since your cousin wants to do it, he must do a good job of positioning and investigation. For example, where is the take-out area he is targeting, how many restaurants there are, and whether they are popular …"
Lou Cheng translated her suggestions into his own words and told his cousin. Lou Yuanwei, who only had high school education, was stunned. In the end, he said, "Cheng, you know this?"
"I don't know, but some of my classmates do." Lou Cheng answered proudly.
Coach Yan is awesome!
"Well, I'll figure out these things first." Lou Yuanwei suddenly found that he had no idea at all. He had taken it for granted before!
…
Ningshui, Qi Yan's house.
Qi Yunfei was lying on the bed, watching a video leisurely with her legs crossed.
"Sister, what are you watching?" Chen Xiaoxiao walked in while drying her hair.
Qi Yunfei laughed and said, "Brother Lou Cheng's competition video, super handsome!"
"Brother Lou Cheng? Competition video? "Chen Xiaoxiao was confused.
"See for yourself!" Qi Yunfei pushed the tablet in front of her.
"I'm drying my hair!" Chen Xiaoxiao muttered. She stopped what she was doing and looked over.
A few minutes later, she said in surprise, "Is this really Brother Lou Cheng?"
How powerful and awe-inspiring!
"Yes!" Qi Yunfei held her chin and said happily, "I'm almost becoming a brother complex! If Ding Yanbo is half as good as Brother Lou Cheng, I'll be satisfied! "
Her eyes were shining as she imagined the future.
…
After leaving grandpa's house, they took a car back to the entrance of the community. Lou Zhisheng and Lou Cheng were about to enter when they suddenly saw a notice posted in a conspicuous place.
"Police Department Class A Wanted Order …" Lou Zhisheng read the title.
Lou Cheng looked at the following content.
"… Three cases of family extermination …"
"Zhan Xuming (on the run …), male, Professional Seventh Pin …"
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