Life is more than just living

Chen Xu said to Zhang Dawei: "I'd better not go to your house for dinner. We have just started getting along, so I'm embarrassed to go so rashly. Let's go there when there is a suitable opportunity in the future!" Unexpectedly, Zhang Dawei said anxiously: "That won't work. , If you don’t go, my mother will blame me. In order for you to go to dinner, my mother started preparing yesterday and bought a lot of things. Our family doesn’t cook that kind of food during the Chinese New Year. "

Chen Xu looked at Zhang Dawei blankly for a moment, and finally decided to go to his house. She found that she didn't know Zhang Dawei so well, and wanted to see what kind of family could raise such a child, not a child of a poor man. Heading home early?

Chen Xu followed Zhang Dawei on the bus home. When he was approaching his home, Chen Xu suddenly stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, let me buy some fruit!" Zhang Dawei followed Chen Xu to the fruit shop next to him. When she asked Zhang Dawei When his parents liked to eat fruits, Zhang Dawei couldn't tell him. He only said that they didn't eat much fruits. Chen Xu had no choice but to buy some seasonal fruits on his own initiative. It was a bit heavy to carry, but Zhang Dawei was leading the way and seemed to have no intention of helping. Chen Xu couldn't help frowning, thinking to himself, this is really a lack of expression!

Arriving at the door of Zhang Dawei's house, Zhang Dawei took out the key, opened the door, went in first and shouted, "Mom, Chen Xu is here." Chen Xu followed him carrying many things. Mother Zhang heard the shouting and ran out of the kitchen. When she saw Chen Xu, she clapped her hands and said, "Oh, Chen Xu, come in quickly." After that, she took the things from Chen Xu's hand and said a very classic sentence, " Come on, what are you buying?" Chen Xu suddenly wanted to laugh. At this time, Zhang Dawei's father also came over. Zhang Dawei did not introduce her. Chen Xu was a little embarrassed, so he had to bite the bullet and said, "Hello, uncle and aunt." Zhang's mother kept moving in, and Chen Xu saw that there were many things in the narrow living room. Chen Xu set up a small table with a lot of dishes stacked on it. Chen Xu believed Zhang Dawei's words that his family's New Year's Eve dinner might not be so sumptuous.

Zhang's mother quickly asked Chen Xu to sit down at the table and said, "Sit down for a while, the food will be ready soon." Chen Xu looked around. This is a small two-bedroom apartment. The house is very small, about 50 square meters. There are two There is a bedroom, a bathroom, a small balcony for the kitchen and a small hall. There are people cooking in the kitchen, but others cannot enter, because the kitchen itself is too small, and there are cabinets in it, which can only barely allow one person to turn around. Chen Xu felt like he was in a dream today. He went to see a movie with someone in a daze, and then followed him to his home to meet his parents inexplicably. Zhang Dawei sat at the table, reached out, grabbed a meatball on a plate, and threw it into his mouth. Chen Xu looked at him speechlessly. At this time, Zhang's father looked back and said, "Dawei, what are you doing? We have guests!" Zhang Dawei picked up another meatball with a smile and handed it to Chen Xu's mouth, "You try it! I Mom's fried meatballs are delicious." Chen Xu quickly hid behind him, "You can eat it yourself!"

Chen Xu was in a daze for a moment, feeling indescribable. Zhang's mother prepared the last dish and brought it to the table. She quickly divided the bowls and chopsticks, and kept telling Chen Xu, "Hurry up, eat quickly, use the chopsticks quickly, the dishes will be cold after a while. There is only one stove in the house, and cooking is slow." , I cooked too many dishes, and the ones I cooked in front of me got cold."

Chen Xu stood up and said, "I'm going to wash my hands first." When he came back after washing his hands, he found that Zhang Dawei had already eaten with his chopsticks. With the food in his mouth, he shouted to Chen Xu vaguely, "Hurry up and eat. Mom's cooking is delicious." Chen Xu felt a little awkward and felt too disrespectful. The first time he came to the door, Zhang Dawei ate it before he could wait. Zhang's father and Zhang's mother were still standing and kept greeting Chen Xu, "Come here and sit down to eat." Zhang's mother seemed to think it was wrong for Zhang Dawei to use the chopsticks first, so she quickly explained, "Dawei is very hungry. He got up late in the morning. In order to I went to pick you up and didn't have breakfast." Chen Xu had no choice but to sit down and make peace with him as he came! Father Zhang took out a bottle of wine and asked Chen Xu if he knew how to drink. Chen Xu shook his head. Father Zhang was not polite, poured it for himself, and started drinking by himself.

Zhang's mother didn't eat a few bites of the meal. She kept busy helping Chen Xu pick up the food. Despite the hospitality, Chen Xu was also very full. After dinner, Chen Xu wanted to help clear away the dishes. Mother Zhang quickly held down the table and said, "No, no, I can just do it by myself. The kitchen is small and there are too many people to turn around." Father Zhang burped in an indistinct manner, then picked up a security uniform and went out. Zhang Dawei took Chen Xu to his room to sit down. Chen Xu took a closer look at the house. The master bedroom faced the sun and had a double bed and wardrobe. The small bedroom opposite was occupied by Zhang Dawei. It only had a 1.2-meter bed, a computer desk, and a chair. , the room was almost full. Zhang Dawei asked Chen Xu to sit on the chair and sat on the bed. He looked at Chen Xu and said with a smile: "Chen Xu, I can't believe you are my girlfriend. I noticed you the day I first reported to college, and you were standing in front of me. At that time, I missed you My fellow countryman is so good-looking. I wish I could have a girlfriend like this. I didn’t expect that my dream would come true four years later. It’s great.”

Chen Xu was speechless for a moment. Zhang's mother finished cleaning the kitchen and asked Chen Xu to sit in the living room. Because the living room was relatively small and there was no sofa, he could only sit around the dining table. Chen Xu sat facing the kitchen and found the leftover dishes from lunch placed one next to another on the kitchen stove. Zhang's mother poured a cup of tea for Chen Xu and said, "If I'm not afraid of your jokes, it's like I'm dreaming. I can't believe it's true. That day, Dawei came back and said he had a girlfriend, and she was the best in the class." Beautiful girl. She has a good job and works in the procuratorate. I really can’t believe it. Later, I asked someone to inquire and found out that what he said was not a lie. Chen Xu, thank you for not disdain my family for being poor. We, Dawei, learned from childhood. It was very good. We never had to worry about our studies. Our family was poor and we didn’t take a few extra classes when we were in high school. Extra classes were too expensive. But fortunately, Dawei worked hard. When he held a college entrance banquet, it was a feeling of pride. The children from my relatives and neighbors are not as good as Dawei in the exams. What use is their money? Their children are not living up to expectations!"

Chen Xu couldn't get a word in, so he just smiled. Zhang's mother continued: "Chen Xu, you are a good boy. You don't mind the poor and love the rich. But don't worry, although our family doesn't have much money, I guarantee you won't regret marrying into our family. You can do anything when you come to our family." You don’t have to do it. I will take care of the children when they have children in the future. You won’t need to take care of cooking, washing, or anything else. Now the house is a bit small. When Dawei’s grandmother passed away, he left a bungalow behind. That area is about to be demolished. , I’ll give you a bigger house after it’s demolished, and you can use it for your wedding.”

Zhang Dawei was sitting next to him, yawning constantly. Zhang's mother glanced at him and said, "How long did you play games last night? I asked you to go to bed early. You must be disobedient." As he was speaking, he suddenly thought of Chen next to him. Xu quickly changed her words and said, "Oh, I'm so mouthy. Dawei learned it too late." Chen Xu still smiled and said nothing. She felt that she had nothing to say.

Zhang's mother was still trying to make up for her slip of the tongue, "This kid, Dawei, knows it well and doesn't have to worry about others in his studies. From now on, there will be many opportunities for the provincial and national exams! Chen Xu, don't worry, Dawei will definitely pass the exam. You two As a student in the same class, you should know that Dawei is not bad at studying." Chen Xu didn't want to expose Zhang Dawei. He was addicted to games and often failed classes. It would be great to get a diploma.

Zhang's mother was chattering about Zhang Dawei's past glory again. As she talked, Chen Xu felt a little sleepy. She felt that it was almost hypnotic. Zhang Dawei yawned several times in succession, which seemed to be contagious to Chen Xu. Chen Xu desperately resisted the urge to yawn. After a while, Zhang Dawei returned to his room.

In the afternoon, before Chen Xu could speak, he learned everything about Zhang Dawei's family. Zhang's mother poured out the family situation like beans from a bamboo tube. The couple were both laid-off workers when they were young. After being laid off, Zhang's father has been working as a security guard, while Zhang's mother has worked as various odd jobs. Now, Zhang's father works as a security guard in a newly developed community and Zhang's mother works as a cleaner. Zhang's mother said: "It doesn't matter that our family is not rich. Dawei has never suffered hardship since he was a child. He eats all the good things. He is never asked to work, as long as he learns and strives for success. Chen Xu , Don’t look at the fact that he has no job now. He is studying now. I spent more than 3 to enroll him in a class, and he can pass the exam. You have to believe me, he can’t make mistakes, he will definitely pass the exam! You two He is a graduate of the same school and a student in the same class. If you study well, he will also study well. Although he didn't pass the exam last time, he will definitely do well next time. After you two get married, just leave all the work to me. Cook and take care of it. I've taken care of the kids, so you two can go to work without any worries."

Chen Xu suddenly felt sorry for Zhang's mother, who was describing to Chen Xu the bright future she thought she had. It is not difficult to see that this is a hard-working and dedicated mother, but she did everything for her and raised Zhang Dawei into a mother's baby. Chen Xu finally couldn't help but yawned, and she said goodbye: "Auntie, I have to go back to Beicheng to see my grandma, so I won't disturb you. Goodbye!"

Zhang's mother persuaded her, "You can eat here in the evening. There are so many dishes left at noon!" Chen Xu shook his head, "No, my grandma is old. If I don't go back, she will be disappointed. Thank you, aunt, for your hospitality today. You're too polite. In fact, you don't have to cook so many dishes. It's too expensive." As she spoke, Mother Zhang quickly took out a red envelope from her pocket, handed it to Chen Xu and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. It's your first time here. It's for the red envelope." Chen Xu declined: "Auntie, I really don't need it. How can I even eat it and hold it? It's already embarrassing for you to cook such a big table, so I don't need the red envelope." Mother Zhang couldn't help but It was relatively big, so he desperately stuffed the red envelope into Chen Xu's pocket. Chen Xu was very helpless. She really regretted going home with Zhang Dawei today. She had a strong intuition that there was no future for the two of them. She walked to the door of the small bedroom to say goodbye to Zhang Dawei, but she saw that he was playing games in full swing. Chen Xu was about to leave without saying hello to him.

When Chen Xu was about to come out, Zhang's mother quickly called Zhang Dawei, "Dawei, Chen Xu is going back, hurry up and see him off." Zhang Dawei ran out to see Chen Xu off as if he had just woken up from a dream. Chen Xu stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "No need to send him off. I'll just take the car back by myself. You can study hard at home!" After saying that, he left without looking back. As expected, Zhang Dawei didn't come out to see him off.

Chen Xu sat on the bus and suddenly smiled helplessly. Can I break up with you immediately? After eating a large table of dishes carefully prepared by others, I also received a red envelope. She hasn't opened the red envelope yet, so she doesn't know how much it is. But considering his family's financial conditions, the food on that table alone was a feast. Chen Xuzhen had a headache, feeling that the consequences of his impulsiveness had appeared so quickly. Chen Xu could categorically reject Yan Donglin without any psychological burden, but he couldn't bear to face Zhang Dawei's mother who had endured so much hardship. Along the way, Chen Xu was wondering why this was happening. After much deliberation, Chen Xu couldn't quite figure it out. Maybe he was from a lower class background, so he couldn't bear to have his mother Zhang's hopes dashed so quickly.