Carrying two bags, Lou Cheng suddenly felt a little embarrassed and couldn't say the words he had prepared. He said blankly, "Dad, mom, these are my gifts for you."
"Gifts?" Lou Cheng's mom put down the things in her hands and looked at him with surprise and suspicion. "Why do you want to buy us gifts? Did you do something wrong at school? Don't worry, we won't blame you. "
Seeing that his mother had such a misunderstanding, Lou Cheng almost burst out laughing. His embarrassment dissipated a lot. He handed over the gifts and explained, "No, I bought them with the first sum of money I earned on my own. The gift for Dad is a woolen sweater, and the gift for you is two sets of warm autumn wear. Try them on and see if they fit."
"You bought them with the first money you earned?" Lou Cheng's mom was stunned at first and then couldn't hide her smile. She said happily, "Oh, this, this, you know how to be filial. Oh, it's good to have such a heart."
Lou Cheng's dad took the bags and took out the woolen sweater. He coughed and said, "Why buy gifts? You're still in school and it's not easy to earn money. Keep it for yourself. Your mom and dad don't lack clothes."
While speaking, he held the woolen sweater tightly in his right hand, as if no one could take it away from him.
Seeing this, Lou Cheng felt funny and wanted to cry. He held back his emotions and said, "Don't worry, I have my own private savings. See if they fit."
Lou Cheng's mom's eyes were red. She looked at the label and nagged, "You should tell us if you want to buy clothes as gifts. If you don't buy the right ones, we have to wait for a few days before we can change them. Do you have a receipt? Hey, they fit. The size is right. "
"Hey, hey, I secretly checked your wardrobe." Lou Cheng surrendered.
"You little brat, you're getting smarter and smarter." Lou Cheng's mom laughed and scolded.
Lou Cheng's dad looked at the label, pushed up his glasses and wiped the corner of his eyes. He said, "You earned this money from part-time work?"
"No, didn't I tell you that I joined the University Martial Arts Club? I found that I had some martial arts talent and improved quickly. During the holidays, I signed up for a Challenge Tournament and entered the elimination stage. I got a few thousand yuan in prize money. "Lou Cheng reduced the 15,000 yuan to a few thousand yuan.
This was not an intentional lie to his parents, but a practical consideration.
Ever since he started high school, he didn't need to hand in his lucky money and could keep it for himself. His family wasn't very strict when it came to money. However, if he kept a bonus of ten thousand or more in his own hands, his mother would be worried. She was afraid that he would squander it all. After all, he was still a student who hadn't officially entered society yet.
If she offered to help him save ten thousand yuan as a daughter-in-law's book, there was no way he could refuse. He couldn't say that it was to chase after their future daughter-in-law, right?
"Martial arts competition? It was very easy to get hurt! Why do you want to participate in the competition? Are you hurt? "Lou Cheng's mother was shocked and asked a lot of questions.
Lou Cheng posed like a bodybuilder. "Mom, look at me. I'm so lively. How do I look like I'm injured? Moreover, there are high-level referees and supervisors in official competitions. Minor injuries are not a problem, and serious injuries are already very rare. "
"That won't do. Accidents are bound to happen!" Lou Cheng's mother said worriedly.
Lou Cheng smiled and said, "If you really want to talk about accidents, it's not safe to take the bus. Can we not take the bus?"
"Bah! Don't jinx it! "Lou Cheng's mother waved her hand.
At this time, Lou Cheng's father opened his mouth and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, don't say anymore. I feel that Cheng has changed a lot since he came home this time. He's more cheerful and has his own opinions."
After a pause, he turned his eyes to Lou Cheng. "You're now an adult. Since you've made such a choice, we respect your choice. But I just want to remind you. First, don't neglect your studies. Second, don't give up the path you've chosen. No matter how hard or tiring it is, remember that you've chosen it yourself."
"Yes, dad. I've chosen the path myself. I'll finish it even if I have to kneel down!" Lou Cheng replied using the popular words on the Internet.
Lou Cheng's mother glared at his father. "What adult? You've just started college. How can you be considered an adult? "
"In our time, there were a lot of 18-year-olds who had babies." Lou Cheng's father replied in a low voice.
"Humph! Then you didn't have a girlfriend at the age of 26! "Lou Cheng's mother exposed him.
Seeing that his mother and father had stopped arguing about martial arts, Lou Cheng heaved a sigh of relief. He busied himself with packing up the last bit of things.
"Hey, now you know how to show off." Lou Cheng's mother looked at him unhappily. "Come, help me carry these things."
The lackey carried the things and Lou Cheng led the way. They went out of the neighborhood and went straight to the bus stop.
It was New Year's Eve. In a city like Xiushan, there were basically no online car-hailing services. They could only wait for a taxi or bus. Of course, when they came back at night, Lou Cheng's father and mother had other ways. They knew several people in the neighborhood who drove for a living, which was commonly known as "little black cars". They just needed to call and pay a little more and someone would come to pick them up.
This was the advantage of being neighbors who used to work in the same factory and were quite familiar with each other. It was also a small detail in the life of ordinary citizens.
After nine stops, the family of three took a bus and arrived at Lou Cheng's grandparents' house.
This was an elevator apartment that had been built in recent years. The old couple sold their old house as a down payment and lived here with Lou Cheng's second uncle.
The elevator went up and arrived at the 16th floor. Lou Cheng knocked on the security door.
After a while, the door opened. A young man in his twenties said with a smile, "Cheng, you've been back for so many days. Why don't you come over for a meal?"
Lou Cheng took out his slippers as if he were at home. He changed into his slippers and said, "Hey, hey, too many classmates asked me out."
The man in front of him was his cousin, Lou Yuanwei, who was about 1.75 meters tall. He was not fat but had a round face. His facial features were characteristic of the Lou family. He was filial and lively. He took good care of his younger siblings.
During the third year of junior high school, Lou Cheng's family situation was not good. He barely had any pocket money. It was only because of this cousin that he didn't feel inferior. At that time, he was the good brother of China in his heart.
Lou Yuanwei was good at everything, but he was too restless. When he was in his third year of senior high school, he felt that college was boring, so he went to work early. Later, he quit his job and started his own business. He ran a milk tea shop, a cake shop, a Taobao shop, and even a restaurant. However, these businesses either didn't make any money or were doing well in the beginning. He had no choice but to close them down. After a few years, his parents, who were also his second uncle and second aunt, were almost emptied out. He had no choice but to go back to his old place to work.
"Not bad. You're doing well." Lou Yuanwei said with a smile. He took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and handed them to Lou Cheng's parents. "Big Dad, Auntie, come in. It's windy outside."
Lou Cheng's father was the oldest among the three siblings. However, because he focused on his studies, he didn't get married until he was 27. As a result, Lou Cheng was five years younger than Lou Yuanwei.
When he entered the living room, the first thing he heard was the sound of the TV and cooking in the kitchen. A middle-aged man with white hair appeared in front of him.
"Second Dad, Grandma and Second Aunt are in the kitchen?" He greeted with a smile.
This was his second uncle, Lou Zhiqiang. Well, the three siblings were called Zhisheng, Zhiqiang, and Zhixian.
"Yes. We're waiting for your mom to help." Lou Zhiqiang nodded.
"You're so capable. What else do you need me to help you with? What's the use of being a chef? "Lou Cheng's mother, Qi Fang, said sarcastically.
Lou Zhiqiang was the "best relative" she always talked about.
Lou Zhiqiang didn't study much and chose to be a soldier. He entered the cookhouse class. After he transferred, he got married and became a driver in the Xiushan City Health Bureau. As a car driver, he often got close to the leaders and had a good chance of becoming their confidant and getting a better career. However, the leaders changed again and again. After the other drivers left, he was still just a driver.
In the words of his colleagues, this person had a bad mouth and was mean. Even if he didn't show it in front of the leaders, rumors would spread. Therefore, he was delayed again and again.
Fortunately, he had gotten to know some people, so he decided to take a leave of absence and use his connections to contract a canteen. Because he was from the kitchen and had good culinary skills, coupled with his wife, Wang Lili, who was diligent and hardworking, he lived a prosperous life for the past few years.
Lou Cheng's parents asked him for money during their most difficult time, but he refused. Moreover, Lou Cheng's grandparents felt that their eldest son was studying and had a promising future. They didn't need to take care of him. Their second son was not capable and needed help and subsidies. After a hundred years, the house and inheritance would belong to him. Therefore, Lou Cheng's mother always complained.
Of course, the responsibility of living together and taking care of the old couple was completely given to Lou Zhiqiang and his wife.
Hearing Qi Fang's sarcasm, Lou Zhiqiang said embarrassedly, "There are more dishes to cook."
In the past few years, the canteen business had declined, so he didn't contract a canteen anymore. His son was too troublesome, and the family's property was almost emptied. He was in a terrible fix, and his hair had turned white. He became taciturn and rarely spoke sarcastically.
Although Qi Fang was sarcastic, she still went to the kitchen after a few sarcastic remarks.
"Cheng, I'm going back to my room to play games. If I stay in the living room, I'll be nagged about my partner again." Lou Yuanwei patted Lou Cheng on the shoulder and whispered.
"You can't escape forever." Lou Cheng couldn't help but tease him.
He had heard from his mother that his grandparents and second uncle thought that Lou Yuanwei was too troublesome and wanted to find him a wife to control him and stabilize his temperament.
"I'll live a carefree life as long as I can!" Lou Yuanwei replied with "grief and indignation".
After watching him enter the room, Lou Cheng turned to the sofa and called the old man sitting at the head of the table, "Grandpa."
This hale and hearty white-haired old man was his grandfather, Lou Debang. He was partial to his second son and loved his grandson very much. Seeing Lou Cheng come over, he smiled and said, "How's life in school? Come on, have some strawberries. "
"Sure enough, they're a family. They all ask the same questions …" Lou Cheng thought to himself. He casually talked about school and then turned to a middle-aged woman coming out of the kitchen. He smiled and said, "Aunt, where's Xixi?"
"She's lying in the guest room. You can talk to her. Her grades have declined recently. I'll be satisfied if she's half as obedient as you are!" Lou Zhixian sighed.
As a primary school teacher, she didn't teach her daughter well.
"Okay." Lou Cheng agreed readily. "Hey, where's uncle?"
"Him? Jiale kept saying that he wanted to buy a hand cannon, so I took him to the supermarket nearby. "Lou Zhixian pointed outside the window.
Ma Jiale was their youngest son, just seven years old. He was nine years younger than their eldest daughter, Ma Xi.
Lou Cheng stood up and walked to the guest room. He saw a girl of 15 or 16 years old lying on the bed, playing with her mobile phone in the dim light.
"Xixi, why don't you say hello to me?" Lou Cheng smiled at the rebellious girl.
Ma Xi looked cute with neat bangs. She pouted and said, "My mom must have asked you to come in and tell me to study hard, right?"
"Okay, I won't say anything." Lou Cheng sat on the bed. "Why are you sulking here?"
He could tell at a glance that his cousin was unhappy.
Ma Xi's facial features were ordinary, but she was full of youthfulness. She said bitterly, "I don't want to go out and look at them. Ma Jiale, Ma Jiale, I think Ma Jiabao is better!"
Lou Cheng smiled and shook his head. "You're angry because of this?"
Without waiting for Ma Xi's reply, he continued, "To be honest, my mom often complains that my grandparents are biased and that they always care about the house. But in my heart, I always feel that it's not a big deal. Especially recently, when I went abroad to study for half a semester and saw a lot of things, I don't take it to heart."
"I have hands and feet, I can study and I'm talented. Why should I care about that little thing? My vision is broadened and my ambition is higher, so I don't care about many things. "
That's right, in just ten days, I've earned 15,000 yuan!
Yes, the champion's prize for a Professional Ninth Pin to Eighth Pin Challenge Tournament was more than 100,000 yuan. If he entered the professional martial arts circle and became a high-ranked expert, he wouldn't care about a house in a small city.
"Second brother, what are you trying to say?" Ma Xi listened with great interest, but she knew that Lou Cheng was not just talking about this.
Because of what happened to her younger brother Ma Jiale, she didn't have a good relationship with her father's relatives. Instead, she felt that Lou Yuanwei and Lou Cheng were her biological brothers.
Lou Cheng snorted. "I'm telling you that it's useless to be angry. When you see more things, your vision is higher, and you're self-reliant, you won't care about your younger brother anymore. There's no need to fight over him. Your parents can love you, but you can love yourself."
Ma Xi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Second brother, what you said makes sense …"
"For you to broaden your vision and have the ability to be self-reliant, the best and most possible way is to study. Study well and go to a big school in a big city. In the future, you'll have the ability to make a living." Lou Cheng was serious at first, but then he suddenly smiled and said, "So, study hard!"
Ma Xi was stunned and then raised her voice. "Well, you're beating around the bush, but you still want to talk about study!"
"I'm just saying. It's up to you whether you want to listen or not." Lou Cheng stood up and slowly walked out of the guest room.
Watching his back disappear, Ma Xi was in a daze. After a long time, she said to herself,
"Study hard …"
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