like drinking ice

"Father Ruirui, I want to eat."

The one who spoke was a child, naked, wrapped in a diaper, and pulling a small truck with a rope, standing in front of my shop.His father was reminded by me to wash his hair a few days ago, so he shaved his head. Fortunately, his head is round and thick, which is also very cute.

I quickly put down the bowl feeding Ruirui, and picked him up. His father is also big-hearted. Although the temperature has been high these two days, he can't let him run around like this. I just helped Ruirui take a bath in the morning. He hadn't packed his clothes yet, so he had to find a big towel to wrap him up and put him next to Ruirui.Ruirui dislikes him very much, she turns her head and doesn't talk to him.

I found the bathtub, which was used by Ruirui when she was young. At that time, the bookstore was just opened and it was very busy. I could only do business with Ruirui in my arms. There were everything in the store, including baby bottles and diapers, too. When I was busy, I slept directly in the store at night, and this bathtub was used to bathe Ruirui at that time.

"Niu Niu, where is your father?" I was talking to the little boy while taking a bath. His father was the coach of the small taekwondo gym opposite. He was very young, only in his early twenties. It is said that when Niu Niu was born, his father was just in college. Niu Niu was thrown to him by his ex-girlfriend, and he took care of it responsibly, but after all, he is a young man who doesn’t know how to raise children, and always has problems. Don't care about these little things.

"Father's students were fighting." Niu Niu told me triumphantly, "Dad has gone to the police station."

I cleaned the tub, poured the hot water in the pot, mixed it with warm water, and took off Niu Niu’s dirty diapers. He stepped into the tub boldly, only then did I realize that he didn’t even wear shoes .He paddled happily in the water, smiling at Rui Rui.Ruirui ignored him.

"Ruirui, you eat by yourself first, and I'll help Niu Niu take a bath." While I was pouring children's body wash on the bath ball, Ruirui ate with a bowl even though she was unhappy.Niu Niu was probably hungry and kept staring at his bowl.

I cleaned Niu Niu neatly, dried him with a towel, put on my shorts and Rui Rui's T-shirt, and packed a bowl of rice for him.Ruirui was weaned late, and now he is still eating complementary food. I made meat porridge with lean meat on low heat, and cut two apples, which was his lunch.Niu Niu ate more, I gave him one of the steamed buns I ate in the morning, and washed an apple.Niu Niu is actually a month younger than Rui Rui, but he is very edible, so he grows stronger.

Ruirui finished the meal by herself, picked up the book and called me: "Dad, I want to listen to the story."

"Ruirui, let's see if it's okay, Dad needs to do laundry."

Ruirui was very obedient, she took the storybook and read it on the chair.Although Niu Niu can't read, he likes to look at paintings, so he also stood over with his bowl in his arms. Rui Rui despised him for not being clean, so he frowned and pushed him away.Niu Niu just stared at the painting with his eyes wide open, and didn't even notice that Rui Rui was pushing him.

"Rui Rui, don't push Niu Niu." I called Rui Rui while doing laundry.

Rui Rui didn't push anymore, she folded her arms and watched the story with an unhappy face.

The child Ruirui is actually very well-behaved. When I brought him out of Beijing, he was only so young.There were scars all over her body, and I was horrified to see it. I only thought that Hao Shi would not be able to bear the responsibility of raising a child, but I never thought that she would vent her anger on the child.I can't really absolve myself of the whole thing.

Li Xiu didn't approve of me raising this child at the beginning, but sending him back to Zheng's house would definitely reveal my whereabouts - Li Xiu wanted me to pretend to be dead.It would be too cold-blooded to throw Zheng Ao's child into an orphanage or someone else's home.What's more, that child looks very similar to Zheng Ao, as long as it is placed in Beijing, it may be exposed.

The situation at that time was extremely dangerous, I almost thought that I was going to die, and I just wanted to fight to the death, but who knew that the young man in the leather jacket fell down in front of me in the next second.

But to me at the time, that scene was not much better than death.

It was a sniper rifle that killed him. I only heard a loud noise. His head exploded in front of me. I didn't dare to think about what was splashed all over my face.

When Li Xiu helped me up from the ground, I was completely stupid.That was the first time I saw someone die in front of me, so close.But Li Xiu is used to this kind of situation, he helped me to sit in his car, wiped my face clean, ordered his men to drag that person away neatly, and did not forget to order someone to protect the scene .

"Listen," was the first sentence I heard when I came back to my senses. He held my shoulders and forced me to look into his eyes: "Listen, Xu Lang, we don't have much time."

I was really frightened by that scene, and I still can't get back to my senses.

Although he looked unhappy, he still stretched out his hand reluctantly and hugged me.

"Forget it, cry if you want to cry, I won't laugh at you."

I didn't cry in the end, although I had nightmares for several nights afterwards.

Li Xiu showed his calmness and wisdom that I admire, and I was almost like a spectator, watching him directing people to set up the scene, the man in black was captured alive by him, and the whole plan was tried out.Guan Ying asked them to arrest me and pick up the child by the way.Li Xiu asked him to call Guan Ying to say that the matter was settled, and then arranged for someone to take me away.

"I'll reverse your DNA record with the one that died." He asked me, "Have you seen a doctor at Zheng's house?"

I shook my head: "But I lived there..."

"I'll take care of it," he told me. "Now I have to see you off and pick you up later. Do you have any plans for yourself? Abroad? South?"

I was thinking, he didn't know what he thought of, raised his eyebrows: "You don't want to go back to Zheng Ao, do you?"

I shook my head quickly: "That's not what I mean, I'm just worried that it's not good for you to get involved."

Li Xiu raised his eyebrows.

"It's not good for me to get involved!" If it weren't for the fact that I was beaten up just now, he would have punched me a few times: "Aren't you complaining that we haven't rescued you these few months?"

"No, no." I quickly explained, "I'm very grateful that you guys came to save me."

This sentence did not make Li Xiu any happier.He kept a gloomy face until he sent me out of Beijing and handed me over to someone else, he was still very unhappy.When it was time to break up, he said to me: "It was my dad who made sure to send you out."

I thought he was talking about Li Zhurong, and I didn't know how to respond, so I said "oh".

"He said it's useless to keep you in Beijing. Zheng Ao will always look for opportunities. He said that Zheng Ao is not afraid of anything when he reaches that position. The only thing he can't do is life and death, so he wants you to fake death." Li Xiu was relentless reluctant to say.

This is probably the experience that my father summed up when he was imprisoned.

When I was very young, my grandma taught me: If grandma leaves in the future, your father will pick you up. Where he takes you, there will be many rich and powerful people. They seem to be very friendly and may let you Think you are their family.But you must always remember who you are and where you come from.At any time, you have to remember that you are not the same kind of person as they are, you are just a boarder, and it is their duty to treat you well, and it is their duty to treat you badly.In this way, when everyone is tearing their skins apart, you won't be overwhelmed and unable to survive.

My dad always thought he was hiding it well, thinking that grandma didn't understand his situation.In fact, she understands that a powerful person really wants to get someone, why should he be scruples about means and let himself be wronged?How much wronged have they suffered in this life?

Fortunately, I am not overwhelmed.I have places I want to go, I know how people with nothing can make money, I know it doesn't cost much to start a small business, and I can make a living even with a baby.I'm still the thorn that got shit luck at first, I didn't grow into a potted plant in the greenhouse, and I didn't really think that I was a rose with red roots. When I was moved out of the greenhouse, I could still Survive in the crevices of the rocks as before.

When Li Xiu got out of the car, I was teasing Rui Rui in the baby basket. He was too young at that time, maybe he was a little malnourished, and he was very afraid of people. Whenever I approached him with my hand, he would avoid him.I just kept teasing him to let him know that I wasn't trying to hurt him by approaching him.

Li Xiu looked at me and teased Rui Rui for a while, I picked up the doll on the back window of the car, cleaned it, and said to Rui Rui with a smile: "Come on, I'll give you a gift..."

"What is this?" Li Xiu asked behind me.

I picked up the doll and studied it: "Is it an alpaca?"

Li Xiu stopped talking.

After a while, he said, "I gave you the alpaca because I wanted you to give me a gift in return."

I looked at him in surprise.

He turned his face away and looked outside, the wheat field was endless, lush and green, the sky was high and the clouds were light, the weather was really good.

"I hated you for a while when I was a child. No one has ever treated me as well as my father. I thought you came to rob him from me, so I wanted to drive you away. Because my grandfather taught me since I was a child that if you want something, you can only Go grab it by yourself, and do nothing but lose it.” His deep blue eyes didn’t know where to look: “When you were young, you would give me presents every school holiday, and I always broke them and threw them away. Then one winter, the Xue, Dad said you were going home soon, I suddenly thought, if you give me another gift, I will ask you to play with me."

"But you didn't give me a gift that year, and you didn't give me another gift for many years later."

That was when I was in junior high school, and there was nothing serious about it. I just suddenly realized that there is nothing wrong with staying in school. I don’t seem to want to go back to Li’s house so much, and I don’t want them to like me that much anymore.Probably because my heart is cold.

It's just that it's all over.

Time has changed, he is no longer that fierce bad boy, and I am not that boy who only wants to get along with him.

The warm things in my heart have almost been used up.Even if I want to reconcile with him now, I want to say "it's okay", and then, like back then, even if I know that he is fiercer and smarter than me, I will still take care of him as a younger brother, and I will not hesitate to meet danger I can't even stand in front of him.

People like them have the smartest minds, the most brilliant skills, strategizing, engineering and industry, and they can't beat them.But the only thing they lack is the ability to get along well with others. They haven't learned how to be nice to others, and probably don't need to learn. Their position doesn't require companions.

I spent 20 years among them, and now I'm gone...

"Dad, Dad," Rui Rui ran over and hugged my leg: "Dad, I want to listen to a story."

I recalled from my memories, put Ruirui’s shoes on the window sill, turned around and hugged him, and asked him with a smile: “Why don’t you play with Niu Niu…”

He leaned his head on my shoulder, expressing that he didn't want to talk bullshit.

He is already three years old, and his facial features are gradually carved out like rough jade. They are all very familiar to me. Sometimes when I look at him, I often feel dazed, as if I am still the child who just arrived at the Li family. The first time I met such a beautiful child, I was so panicked that I didn't know what to do.

He always reminds me of Zheng Ao,

That's why I often worry that I can't give him the best.He inherited Zheng Ao's appearance, and also inherited his intelligence. Sometimes he is not like a child of his age at all. He is impatient to read ordinary fairy tale books. I have thought about sending him to kindergarten, and tried to listen to a section. He gave up this plan after class, he didn't want to communicate with children of the same age at all-to be prepared, it's called disdain, his eyes are very similar to his father's, and I am very familiar with that contemptuous look.

I have checked relevant information, and children with high IQs cannot play with their peers. It is said that this will make them very irritable, because the communication speed of the other party cannot keep up with him.

I have learned a lot of recipes, and when buying books and toys, I also compare them to children who are a few years older than him. I found that his memory is very strong and he can read books quickly. I can only buy those books in the store that are not suitable for him. Put it on a higher layer.

I am teaching him English myself.

I really want to grow up with him and be his father for the rest of my life.When I met him back then, he was still so young, covered with injuries, he didn't even like me to touch him in the shower, he was only a few months old, he didn't understand anything, and he already had such a conditioned reflex.I get close to him a little bit, let him get used to me.A child probably has an innate instinct to forget bad things. He quickly regarded me as his father—or maybe his mother. He was tired of me all day, cried after a while, and grabbed my collar when he fell asleep. I refused to let go. At that time, I was still living in my previous house, which was a bit messy, but the neighbors were very enthusiastic and helped me a lot.They all said I spoiled him too much.

But I like him a lot.

Such a small, soft ball, full of milky smell, don't understand anything, if you treat him well, tease him, he will giggle, eat and sleep all day, his arms are white and tender like lotus root, his hair Soft, with amber eyes so clear, I laid out a rug on the floor and bought him a baby dinosaur onesie that he crawled around in and stuffed everything he got into his mouth.

I told Li Xiu that I decided to stay in this city and I didn't want to go back.But I know in my heart that there are no absolutes in life. I have never asked about Zheng Ao. I wonder if he is married to Ye Susu now, and if he has any children of his own.

I was afraid that he would find Ruirui. I named Ruirui Xu Rui, but I knew in my heart who his father was.When he grows up, he may doubt his own life experience and suspect that he will not have such an ordinary father.

If he is destined to do great things in his life, will I be kind to him by bringing him out of Beijing, or will I forcefully lower his starting point?Ye Susu is not a bad person, she might treat Ruirui well as her own child...

But it's too early to think about that.

Ruirui buried her head on my shoulder, rubbed it for a while, and sniffed my hair: "Dad."

"What's wrong?" I patted him on the back. He has eaten and read a book, and he should be taking a nap. He is born with fan-like eyelashes, which is very beautiful. His hair is soft and black, and his skin is as white as milk. Want to take a bite.

Ruirui rubbed against my arms, found a comfortable position, and put her arms around my neck.

"Dad, I like you the most."

I put the sunflowers I cut from the yard in a vase. My bookstore is close to the school. Most of the book buyers are little girls who love flowers by nature. Recently, the two hydrangea bushes at the door have finished blooming. I plan to replant some poppies. But the flower shop has never been free, so I plan to drive there by myself tomorrow.

Niu Niu squatted under the hydrangea with his butt pouted, not knowing what he was doing.

"Niu Niu, what are you doing?" I walked over.

"I'm planting flowers for you." Niu Niu showed me the earthworm in his hand: "My father dug it up for fishing, and the book says it's a beneficial insect."

I rubbed his bald head, his head is round, like a little monk in animation, his skin is tanned, and he is also like his father, his eyes disappear when he smiles.The last time he followed the older kids on the street to bake sweet potatoes, he burned off his eyebrows, and now they have finally grown back.

I brought a small hoe from the store to loosen the soil, and loosened the soil. The earthworms that he pinched half to death slowly burrowed into the soil. Niu Niu squatted beside him intently. Looks like a lot of fun.

"Father Ruirui, will the flowers grow well this way?" He asked me seriously.

"Of course." I held his sticky hand: "Come on, let's wash our hands, don't let Ruirui know that you played with earthworms, otherwise he will definitely not want to play with you."

"Rui Rui always refuses to play with me..." Niu Niu looked very frustrated.

I was amused by him and laughed: "Then what should I do?"

"It's okay," Niu Niu was still in a depressed mood, but he comforted himself with open eyes: "I just want to play with him."

It has been more than two years since I moved here. It used to be in Hedong, where the place was small and the buildings were crowded. Although the business I opened was better, but Ruirui has grown up gradually. I don’t have the feeling of childhood, so I moved here. Li Xiu left me a lot of money. I opened a bookstore, and I still have a lot left. This year, the bookstore has more regular customers, and I can already pay back the money.

The location of this school is not very good. It is backed by the back mountain, and there are several streets scattered around outside. This street is the widest, and behind it is the woods of the school. There is a small yard behind my house, and I am inside. I planted a lot of flowers, which can be regarded as a pastime when I am bored.

Li Xiu warned me that I have never done anything that would be registered in the case. I even used the fake ID card he gave me to rent a house, let alone being a lawyer.

But watching Ruirui grow up day by day, although he is not as smart as Zheng Ao and the others when they were young, but his personality is still very correct, he can clearly distinguish right from wrong, although he is still a little cold towards people, I am already very relieved.I am very self-aware, knowing that I probably can't do any big things in this life, and it would be nice if I could give Rui Rui a happy childhood.

My day was fine until that customer walked in the store.

A recording machine was installed at the entrance of the store, which would automatically entertain guests. I was sitting on a chair watching "Redressing Wrongs", and when I heard someone coming in at the door, I didn't raise my head to say hello.The man seemed to stand at the door for a while.

Then the man walked towards me, and he got so close that he blocked my light before I looked up.

His voice was strange, a little nervous and a little disbelieving.

He said, "Xu Lang."