prefer silence

After seeing the woman off, Mom was still cooking in the kitchen.I didn't want to stay and meet Dad face to face, so I said I was going to see Chen Zheng's parents face to face, and I would come back before lunch.

Dad didn't stop me, and found a box of premium Tieguanyin from the small cabinet under the coffee table and handed it to me, saying, "It's not good to go there empty-handed, Bai Chang is so big."

Holding the tea leaves, I was warmly welcomed by Chen Zheng's parents.

"Come to my house and bring things, this is treating us as outsiders." Aunt Chen gave me a sharp look.

"Mom, my dad asked me to bring this over. Dad likes to drink this? We are all a family, so it's a good idea to bring something."

Uncle Chen took the tea and smiled cheerfully, "Yes, yes, this is the one I like to drink, and the old Li's family understands me."

Aunt Chen also laughed, "Once your father talks about flowers and tea, he will talk endlessly later. We won't give him this chance."

Chen Zheng was blocked by the three of us and couldn't get in, so he said helplessly, "Mom, don't just sit and chat at the door, can't you just go in and sit and chat?"

"You child, didn't you just say a few more words?" Aunt Chen gave Chen Zheng a disgusted look, "Sit down and talk and lose interest. What else are you talking about?"

Hearing Aunt Chen's unreasonable reasoning, I secretly sympathized with Chen Zheng.

Chen Zheng told me before that Aunt Chen always has a lot of truths that he finds strange, such as "It's better not to eat rice for dinner" and "It's better to stand up and chat". , Into the left ear, out of the right ear, not affected at all.

We still sat on the sofa, but Aunt Chen was about to cook at this point, and she wanted to stay with us for lunch. I thought that the dishes on my mother's side might be ready soon, so I had to say that I would come for dinner in the evening.

Because the two parents live too close, every time we go home, we will sit on both sides, have lunch at one house, and dinner at the other house, trying to level the bowl of water.

This can be regarded as the tacit rule of the two families.

Mom made my favorite sweet and sour short ribs and fish with pickled cabbage at noon, and I praised Mom while grilling the rice, "Mom, your cooking is getting better and better, it's so delicious."

"Really?" Mom narrowed her eyes with a smile, and poured half of the plate of ribs into my bowl, "Eat more if it tastes good, anyway, your dad doesn't like sweet things."

I was taken aback. Although Mom loves me, if there were other people present, she would not have shown it so obviously.

"Su Lan, you're going too far. I'll eat Chen Zheng if I don't." Dad's face was wrinkled, and there was a deep line on the brow.

Chen Zheng was considerate and said: "Dad, I don't like sweets either, so it doesn't matter if you let Yuan Yuan eat them all."

Dad was so choked that he had nothing to say, and began to eat sullenly.

Regardless of whether Dad is happy with this meal, I am very happy anyway.

After dinner, I sent Chen Zheng to the opposite side, and went into Mom's bedroom by myself, intending to have a good chat with Mom.

Mom and Dad have been sleeping in separate beds since a year ago, and Dad moved to the guest bedroom.The reason is that Dad snores while sleeping, and Mom is a little weak and needs good sleep quality.

I sat by the bed and scanned the room. The master bedroom where my parents have lived for more than 20 years is still the same as I remembered when I was a child. There is a big pear wood bed, a whole wall of brown closets, and a mother bedroom in the corner. The paint on the corners of the dressing table is already mottled.

Mom is a nostalgic person.Because of nostalgia, so long love.

I retracted my gaze and got to the point, "Mom, what is the origin of that Aunt Lan Qing who came to the house today? I don't remember seeing her before, and Dad said she hugged me."

When mentioning this person, my mother's eyes showed disdain, "She is your father's high school classmate. She did hug you when you were young. At that time, she was still doing volunteer work in our community, and we often communicated. Later, she married and moved to S city. I went and haven't seen her for so many years, until she said the day before yesterday that she had returned."

"Yuanyuan, you don't have to pay attention to her, she probably won't come here in the future."

"Mom, why do you say that?"

Mom let out a sigh, "She is a very face-saving person, she was run out today, she must feel ashamed, how dare she come again?"

Mom treats people kindly, there may be unknown stories behind that Lan Qing that Mom doesn't like so much.

I felt that this was very important, so I asked, "Mom, did Lan Qing do something bad to you?"

"Hey, why are you asking so clearly?" My urge to ask the bottom line made my mother very distressed, she turned her back, "It all happened 20 years ago."

"At the beginning, she saw that your father and I were having a good time, and wanted to destroy us. She went to your father behind my back, but your father rejected her. Soon after, she found another divorced man, who was still unmarried and conceived first. This Lan Qing is just vain, look at what she is wearing, isn't it just to show off how well she is doing now?"

I didn't expect this woman to have a relationship with Dad so early, 20 years ago...

Since Dad could reject her once 20 years ago, why not 20 years later?

Dad and Lan Qing get entangled, is it for the sake of the child, or is it just using the child as an excuse?Or, if you want children, you want extramarital affairs?

And the mother who was kept in the dark thought that Lan Qing was just here to show off to her.

In fact, it is right to say that showing off, but Lan Qing is not here to show off material things, but to show off the so-called "love".

There seemed to be a heavy shackle around my neck, forcing me to bow my head.I dare not look at my mother, afraid that if I look at her one more time, I can't help telling her everything and destroying her last illusions and hopes.

At least before Mom says to let go, I must try my best to maintain this superficial peace.

……

The time passed by January and came to February, and the Spring Festival is coming.

On the day before New Year's Eve, Chen Zheng and I were on vacation. We crowded among the aunts to buy new year's goods, and the children ran around happily. Melancholy.

This year's New Year's Eve, the two families still ordered the restaurant's New Year's Eve dinner outside, so we didn't need to buy too many things. We rushed to the supermarket on this day to experience the lively and New Year's atmosphere.

When queuing up to check out, I inadvertently glanced to the side. A boy in the line next to us, wearing a peaked cap and a down jacket, isn't that Yuan Jie whom I haven't seen for a long time?

The author says:

Adults always have to maintain superficial skills, especially like Yuan Yuan's mother, it's so tiring.