Miss White Rose

It was exactly seven o'clock when Lin Shengmiao opened the curtains in the morning and let the first ray of sunlight shine into the house.

The consistent biological clock for many years allowed her to open her eyes on time before six o'clock, but those who are on vacation have the privilege to covet the temperature of the bed for a while.

The homestay she lives in is not far from a market, and she can even hear the cries of vendors pushing tricycles in the streets and alleys: "Sell buns and fried dough sticks", "Grandpa, let me have a bowl of tofu nao" ...

The rich breath of life makes people get out of the fast-paced urban life at once.

The short-term rent of such a homestay is more than 2000 yuan a month, which is much cheaper than staying in a hotel. It has complete disposable supplies and does not need to be cleaned, which is more troublesome than renting a house.Lin Shengmiao would always choose such a place when she went to participate in some study and work that did not include board and lodging.

Another option is to book a room in a small hotel and pay the fee once a month. That is cheaper, but it is easy to be cheated and not safe enough. It is a backup option when the finances are tight, and it has not been used for a long time.

After washing up, I went downstairs. The elder sister who warmly received her yesterday was holding a watering can to water the flowers in the yard. She opened this homestay. During the chat yesterday, I heard her talk about her divorce in her early years and her daughter who went to college in other places. , the day is also considered relaxed.

"Ah, you got up so early," the elder sister put down the watering can and greeted her with a smile.

"I'm going to have breakfast. If you go east, there are breakfast stalls. But if you like steamed buns, you have to go to the south. There is a steamed stuffed bun shop called Li Ji, which tastes the best here. Yes, we locals love to eat at his house.”

Lin Shengmiao had only said that she was here for vacation and tourism, but the eldest sister treated her as a foreign tourist.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of statement. The economic development of Jinning Province has been particularly rapid in recent years. Nancheng City, as its capital city, is changing with each passing day. Sitting in the car yesterday, I saw those high-rise buildings, circling expressways, and tidy streets. , I can't see a trace of the appearance in memory.

Ten years have passed, and she has once again become a stranger in this city. Even the dialect tunes she learned while walking on the playground with Xu Xingyan were hastily forgotten while studying abroad.

Lin Shengmiao admitted that the landlady's love for Xiaolongbao was very exciting, but she still chose to walk into a wonton shop.

The bustling morning market can easily evoke memories in people's hearts, especially Lin Shengmiao, who stepped into this city with a tender heart, is more likely to be moved.

Among her few fond memories of her birthplace, there is always a wonton cart.

Although at that time my mother had already decided to divorce desperately, she didn't want any property, including her savings, clothes, and house, and my father was still drinking and playing cards to dawdle, but he hadn't married his stepmother yet.

But no one cares that sometimes she is very happy. She can rely on copying homework for her classmates and save a lot of money from fifty cents. Anyway, Dad will not dig into her small coffers. Books, and occasionally a piece of sausage or a bowl of wontons.

The small wontons made on the wonton cart were all made with firewood, so they had a natural fragrance, which was better than all the wontons she ate afterwards.

After eating a bowl of "unauthentic" small wontons, Lin Shengmiao found the largest shopping mall nearby under the guidance of several uncles and aunts.

"Hello ma'am, what do you need?" The shopping guide greeted her with a sweet smile.

Lin Shengmiao was concise: "Please help me get a set of skin care products for female elders, for dry skin."

"Okay, these are some of the best-selling products in our store, please take a look..."

A pleasant ringtone rang, and the shopping guide lady politely stopped recommending immediately. Lin Shengmiao glanced at the caller ID - Uncle Zhang.

"Sheng Miao, your mother and I are at the vegetable market. Do you have any food you want to eat? We happened to buy it together and cook it at home." The voice on the other end of the phone was very noisy, but Uncle Zhang's tone was friendly and warm, Let people relax unconsciously.

Lin Shengmiao casually reported two simple stir-fries, and then said softly, "Uncle Zhang, you don't need to cook a lot of dishes, it's too troublesome."

"No trouble, no trouble!" Uncle Zhang laughed loudly: "It's rare for you to come back, your mother and I are very happy, and your sister, I have always wanted to see your sister! If you are fine, come here early , we bought a lot of fruit, as well as your favorite dried tofu."

After chatting for a while, Lin Shengmiao hung up the phone, glanced at the container, pointed to the most expensive one and said, "Just this set, wrap it up."

The shopping guide lady's smile remained unchanged, as if she hadn't heard the "don't come here for shopping" that was mentioned repeatedly in a loud voice on the other end of the phone.

"OK, just a second."

When paying the bill, Lin Shengmiao asked casually, "What are the best gifts for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl?"

Standing at the cash register was a young girl. After listening to this, she thought for a while and replied: "Girls of this age generally like high-value things. You can use an exquisite pop-up book, or perfume, music, etc." Boxes, Lego, um... lipsticks are fine too."

……

When knocking on the door of her mother's house, Lin Shengmiao didn't feel any nervousness, and was even in the mood to admire the newly posted New Year pictures on the door.

This trip was unavoidable when she returned to Nancheng. Lin Shengmiao already knew that these years were not in vain. She had seen all kinds of big scenes, and she just got flustered easily when facing Xu Xingyan's problem.

The one who came to open the door was a little girl with ponytails. She had delicate features and could be seen to be six or seven points similar to Lin Shengmiao. She was her half-sister Zhang Ting, who was 13 years old and was in the first grade of junior high school.

It is said that the daughter is Xiao's father, but this is completely untenable for the two sisters. It is as if genes have their own aesthetics, and they invariably move closer to the beautiful mother who was once a generation of school belle.

"Sister!" Zhang Ting led her into the door cheerfully, took out a pair of fluffy cotton slippers with rabbit pattern from the shoe cabinet, put them at her feet, and looked at her with a smile.

Lin Shengmiao felt very familiar with the same enthusiasm inherited from her stepfather. She knew very well that according to normal human relations, what should she say at this moment to express the affection between sisters, so she smiled gently and said in surprise: "You don't even know what to say?" It's grown so big!"

Zhang Ting smiled so much that she showed her two small canine teeth, "Yes, I heard that I was only three years old when we met last time!"

Lin Shengmiao: "..."

Almost immediately, she realized that this younger sister seemed to have inherited Ms. Pei Wei's mouth.

in the living room.

Pei Wei was sitting on the sofa holding a magazine, and on the coffee table was a plate of cut fruits, arranged in the shape of a smiling doll, very cute.

Lin Shengmiao didn't look at it for too long. She knew that it was set by her stepfather Zhang Cheng for her mother. It was a habit she had since she got married. It has been the same for 20 years now.

Even as a daughter, Lin Shengmiao had to admit that it was undoubtedly the smartest and wisest decision for Ms. Pei Wei to abandon her father and choose Uncle Zhang!

"Mother."

Hearing this, Pei Wei raised her eyes lightly, as if ten years was just a snap of the fingers, which was not worth mentioning to her, and said calmly: "Sit down."

Unsurprisingly, at this long-awaited family reunion, the most indifferent attitude was not the stepfather, nor the half-blood sister, but the biological mother.

As soon as stepfather Zhang Cheng heard the sound, he quickly ran out of the kitchen holding a spatula, wearing a Doraemon apron, which made his ordinary face look childlike and cute.

"Uncle Zhang."

"Sheng Miao is here, didn't you tell me not to bring anything? Why are you still buying so much!"

"I bought these before coming to Nancheng." Lin Shengmiao revealed this section lightly, and distributed the gifts prepared for each of them.

"This old white tea is not bad!" Uncle Zhang praised: "I've been used to drinking this kind of tea for so many years, it's rare that you always remember it."

Zhang Ting was holding the pink bottle of perfume, smiling, "Thank you sister, I like it very much."

Pei Wei: "I have a heart."

Uncle Zhang turned around and went into the kitchen. After a while, he took a plate and put three chicken wings out. Lin Shengmiao saw that the chicken wings were braised in soy sauce and sprinkled with white sesame seeds. They were still Ms. Pei Wei's favorite.

Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "It's fresh out of the pot, you three should eat it first, Sheng Miao taste it quickly, and see if uncle's cooking has improved under your mother's supervision?"

The gas stove in the kitchen was still on, and Uncle Zhang didn't stay in the living room for long. As soon as he left, Zhang Ting keenly felt that the atmosphere between her mother and sister was a bit stagnant.

Pei Wei leaned on the sofa, spread the magazine on her lap, lowered her head, and flipped a page for a while.

Lin Shengmiao glanced at the name of the magazine, and found that it was the set of niche literary magazines she subscribed to the most back then. She raised her eyebrows, a little surprised that this magazine has not closed down for so many years.

Zhang Ting looked at her mother, then at her sister, and ran to the room to bring a tablet, "Sister, let's add WeChat, so we can chat via video in the future."

Ms. Pei Wei and Lin Shengmiao paused at the same time, and Qiqi looked at her with eyebrows twitching.

Yes, how strange.

With the prevalence of smartphones, the mother and daughter never even thought about trying the video function. They only kept in touch with each other once every two months to report their safety, and they were basically called by Zhang Cheng.

Feeling like she had said something wrong, Zhang Ting hurriedly made up for it, "Sister, you should stay for dinner at night too, let's eat hot pot."

"No, I have an appointment with a friend."

"Ah?" Zhang Ting was a little disappointed, "Can't we change the day?"

Lin Shengmiao rejected her gently but firmly: "No, because it's a very important person."

……

At the dinner table, Zhang Cheng kept persuading Lin Shengmiao to eat, and even made a corn juice by himself, looking really happy.

After the meal, he rejected Lin Shengmiao's proposal to help wash the dishes, and asked them to eat duck necks and dried beans in the living room... Then he worked hard in the kitchen by himself, humming a little song.

"Sheng Miao, this is the money you have sent over the past few years. Your mother and I have saved it for you."

Uncle Zhang took out a card from the room and put it on the coffee table, "I told you on the phone before, you didn't listen, don't send money home, your mother and I both have wages, and there is no shortage of money, but you , I’m out alone, so I’d better keep some money on hand.”

Lin Shengmiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have savings."

Uncle Zhang sighed: "It's not a matter of saving or not. Uncle can't take this money. When you went to college and went abroad, we couldn't help you. Uncle felt so desperate for this money. You hurry up." Take it back!"

"You can't say that!"

Lin Shengmiao hurriedly said: "If it weren't for you and my mother, I might not even be able to finish high school, let alone other things. Besides, I am a junior, and I earned money outside. It is only right and proper to give some money to the elders. , there is nothing you can't accept!"

Indeed, as soon as Lin Shengmiao graduated from junior high school, Lin's father was persuaded by his step-wife not to let her go to high school. He was still an elder in the same village, so he called the remarried Ms. Pei Wei far away in Nancheng to inform him of the situation.

Zhang Cheng made a decision on the spot, and the couple bought plane tickets overnight, and after half a month of arguing with Lin's father and stepmother Lin, they took Lin Shengmiao to his side to raise him.

The tuition fees for the three years of high school were all paid by Zhang Cheng and Pei Wei. Later, when he got the admission letter, Zhang Cheng also expressed that he would cover the tuition and living expenses for the four years of university, but was rejected by Lin Shengmiao.

At that time, Zhang Ting was still young, and it was the time when she needed to spend money. Both of them were just ordinary wage earners, and they still had mortgages to pay, so where did they bear the burden?

So in the end, whether it was university tuition, living expenses, or the cost of studying abroad, it was Lin Shengmiao's own application for student loans, and the time spent working part-time during the study breaks to earn back.

But...

It is true to be grateful, it is true to want to repay, and it is true not to want too much contact.

after all……

Lin Shengmiao looked up at her mother, only to see that Pei Wei was staring at Zhang Cheng for a long time, the cold air that seemed to be frozen on her eyebrows before had all dissipated, and her eyes were soft.

She bowed her head and smiled wryly. The three years of getting along in high school had made Lin Shengmiao fully understand how redundant she was in this family.

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The author has something to say:

Is it because I haven't been to Jinjiang for a long time?How does its mobile phone typesetting become ugly again!