For the favor of Mr. Shen

"He's been very busy these days, so enjoy the New Year by yourself."

The suggestion was put forward by Shen Mu, and Shi Yiqing was more determined to implement it.

Shi Yiqing secretly vowed in his heart to be a sensible child, and insisted on reducing his contact with Uncle Shen. He seldom made phone calls. If he wanted to talk, he could send him a WeChat message. He could finish talking in a line or two, and then put down the phone to start. Liver work.

It was February again, and it snowed heavily all night. Today is the New Year's Eve, and every household is busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.

This year's winter was very cold, and the aunt at home had something to do at home and went home, and Tan Xiaoli was busy inside and out by herself.

Shi Yiqing can do housework now, and can help with the kitchen work, so he went to help Tan Xiaoli in the kitchen.

Liu Yicheng never knows how to do housework. Like many Chinese men, he is all focused on his career. After returning home, his brain is empty and his limbs are basically paralyzed, and he doesn't take care of his children very much.

Shi Yiqing was using tweezers to pluck the fine fluff from the duck skin, and Tan Xiaoli was preparing to steam the duck meat.

He also sometimes thinks that maybe his mother likes this kind of life and this kind of division of labor.Compared to a messy man like her father who was exhausted outside and had to do housework and take care of the children when she returned home, a man like Uncle Liu who gave her a card and a lot of space was more suitable for her.

Because she is so strong and likes to take things into her own hands.

"Pay attention to the wings." Tan Xiaoli reminded.

Shi Yiqing said he knew, and after pulling it out for more than ten minutes, his eyes were about to rot. After handing over the finished product to Tan Xiaoli, he went to the vegetable sink to wash the ginger.

Turning around, I saw Tan Xiaoli continuing to pick up the tweezers, looking for the little fluff left on the naked duck.

Shi Yiqing shook his head, let her go.

He is not very interested in doing anything now. This is the first time in more than ten years that he has not celebrated the New Year with Uncle Shen, because at this time Uncle Shen is on a business trip in Germany, which is [-] kilometers away.

They are six hours apart, it is 01:30 in the afternoon, Uncle Shen probably just woke up.

When all the ingredients were ready after four o'clock, Tan Xiaoli forbade Shi Yiqing to stay in the kitchen, affecting her performance.

Shi Yiqing went back to his room, sat on the bay window looking at the snow-covered city, and sent messages to his friends on his mobile phone to say Happy New Year.

On the eve of Chinese New Year's Eve, the squad leader was busy from morning to night. She didn't check her phone very much and didn't reply to messages. Lin Lin didn't go to the island to celebrate the New Year, and her grandfather and aunt didn't come back either. She was assigned to her uncle in Yongnan City. The Chinese New Year is over at home, and she is very dissatisfied with it and complains a lot.

When it turned to Xiao Wen, Shi Yiqing realized that he had forgotten to reply to Xiao Wen's last message. He asked Shi Yiqing if he could help him buy something.

Because Shi Yiqing asked Xiao Wen to help bring some things when he came back from America last time.

After hanging out with others for several days, Shi Yiqing felt a little embarrassed to speak up now. Shi Yiqing carefully typed to say that he hadn't noticed the news, then asked him if he had returned to China, and said Happy New Year.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Wen came back right away, completely unaware that Shi Yiqing didn't reply to him before, and said: Yes, I'm back, I arrived at noon yesterday and have been jet-lagged, are you going out to play tonight?

Shi Yiqing: Where to go on New Year's Eve?

What he means is that on New Year's Eve, everyone generally stays at home and spends time with their families.

Xiao Wen: My friend and I are going to Binjiang Boulevard to enjoy fireworks for the New Year's Eve. Let's have a drink by the way. Don't you want to participate?

Shi Yiqing thought for a while: Forget it, it's better for me to be at home. Be careful not to be caught by the urban management.

He thought that he would definitely call or video call Uncle Shen at night, and it would be better to wait at home.

However, it happened very suddenly. At about seven o'clock, when Shi Yiqing's family was eating dinner, the housekeeper from the old house called and said that grandpa just passed out because of a sudden increase in blood pressure, and now he is waiting for the family to come over.

Liu Yicheng and Tan Xiaoli will rush over there soon.

"Ah Qing is watching Huaizhi at home, you know?" Tan Xiaoli confessed, Shi Yiqing agreed, squeezed Liu Huaizhi's little hand and hugged him.

But within 5 minutes, Tan Xiaoli and Liu Yicheng, who had just left the house, were still worried, and turned back to take Liu Huaizhi away.

Ten minutes before and after, Shi Yiqing was the only one left in the house. He pursed his lips, watched the Spring Festival Gala while picking and choosing vegetables, and waited for Uncle Shen to call him.

But after nine o'clock, there was still no news from Uncle Shen, so Shi Yiqing kept looking at his phone.

I didn't see Uncle Shen, but I got a call from the squad leader.

"I'm on my way to Dingzhou City, can you come out at night?"

Shi Yiqing: "What?!"

It's the first time in so many years that the squad leader is not at home in his thirties. What is he doing in Dingzhou?

Zhang Liang didn't seem to be in a good mood, so he just said lightly, "I'm coming with my cousin."

Shi Yiqing noticed that the monitor's tone was wrong, so he quickly softened his voice and said, "Okay, I can come out. When will you arrive, I will pick you up."

"Let's pick you up, cousin drove the car."

Shi Yiqing sent him his address in a daze, quickly cleaned up the big table for the New Year's Eve dinner, changed into clothes and went downstairs.

As soon as he left the gate of the community, he saw the black SUV that Zhang Liang said.The window of the driver's seat was lowered, Shi Yiqing buried his face in the scarf, and said hello obediently: "Hello, cousin."

"Well, let's get in the car first, it's too cold."

Cousin Lu Qinghao Shi Yiqing met many years ago, when he was still a junior high school student, Lu Qinghao even cared that he borrowed a few hundred dollars.

At that time, Lu Qinghao was wearing trendy clothes, and he looked like a flamboyant rich second generation, but now he is much more restrained and calm.The hair is black, and he simply grabbed the shape. He is wearing a basic down jacket. He is tall and long, and he is quite handsome.

Just ...

"What's wrong with your face?" Shi Yiqing couldn't help asking, and was about to reach out to touch Zhang Liang's face.

Zhang Liang avoided it, and gently covered his face with his hands: "It's nothing, did you tell your mother that you came out?"

Shi Yiqing shrank back: "No, they've all gone out, and I'm the only one at home."

"You are the only one at home during the New Year's Eve?" Zhang Liang couldn't believe it.

His own affairs were still in a mess, when he heard that Shi Yiqing himself didn't even care about the palm prints on his face during the Chinese New Year.

Shi Yiqing hurriedly explained: "No, I was having a New Year's Eve dinner and left because of something. You haven't told me what happened to you yet? Why did you run out in the middle of the night? Have you been beaten?"

The two have been friends who have talked about everything since elementary school. They didn't shy away from asking each other about things, and they asked whatever they had.

Zhang Liang took a deep breath, but still refused to speak.

"He quarreled with his parents and was slapped by his father." Lu Qinghao said from the driver's seat.

"Ah?" Shi Yiqing looked at Lu Qinghao and Zhang Liang, and asked in a low voice, "What's the fuss about?"

Zhang Liang lowered his head and was unwilling to speak, Shi Yiqing looked at him quietly for two seconds and then stopped asking, and sat quietly beside him.

About half an hour later, Lu Qinghao's car drove to the door of a bar, it was not very late, most people were still at home, there were only two tables inside, playing cards and eating.

Shi Yiqing and Zhang Liang followed Lu Qinghao in and walked straight to the bar.

Lu Qinghao walked in from the side with ease, greeted the elder brother who was the cashier at the bar, and kissed him affectionately on the cheek.

Then he turned around and introduced to the other party: "This is my cousin Zhang Liang, this is..."

"Just call me Ah Qing." Shi Yiqing said proactively.

The man dyed his hair gray, and his bangs were a bit long to block his eyes, but he could still see the crooked eyes behind the hair. He smiled and said, "They're all younger brothers, just call me Brother Li. "

Lu Qinghao smiled lightly, tilted his head slightly: "My boyfriend."

Shi Yiqing and Zhang Liang called Li Ge, and then Li Ge explained to the bar staff and took them to the quiet booth on the second floor.

Shi Yiqing looked at the backs with a slight height difference in front, they were walking side by side, Lu Qinghao gently put his arm around Brother Li's waist, turning his head to chat and joke with him from time to time, looking extremely natural.

He couldn't help but think of the embarrassed Lu Qinghao who was cheated of money and feelings on that cold night many years ago, his shameful and angry face at the gate of the police station.

At that time, maybe he didn't know what love was or how to find it.

Now that he has grown up, and having all these things, the original embarrassment does not seem so unbearable.

It may really be nothing to get hurt on the way to find love. There is no need to be too afraid and cringe because of it.

Just run forward.

"Sit down." Li Ge said, he sat down with Lu Qinghao himself, and sent a message to the waiter to ask them to get some food and drink.

"You shouldn't be allowed to come to the bar, but after the Chinese New Year, there are no places where children can go. I want to watch the store. You can play here, eat whatever you want but only drink milk and juice. The band said The New Year's Eve dinner will be over soon, and this location is just right to watch the show."

Shi Yi nodded dumbly.

He has never seen such a market, he has even participated in national art forums many times, and he is still a primary school chicken when he comes to this kind of place.

After the food arrived, Zhang Liang ate something, but still didn't want to talk, Shi Yiqing guessed it was because his cousin was here.

After another half hour, the number of guests increased and the band also arrived.

Brother Li was going to entertain regular customers, so he went down with Lu Qinghao.

Seeing that they had gone far away, Shi Yiqing hurried over and asked, "Squad leader, what's going on?"

Zhang Liang took a sip of milk, with a white circle around his mouth, and said sullenly: "I said I want to go to a university in the capital, but he said it was too far away so I could go to a nearby university, and asked me to go to a normal or medical university."

Shi Yiqing: "Your grades are so good, there is no problem with top10 at all, why not let you take the exam?"

Zhang Liang lowered his eyes: "What else could it be..."

Probably because of my brother again.

"Every time he mentioned this, he would cry and say no, don't want my brother to leave. My parents also said that it is not good to be so far away from home, and that there is no money at home. No one takes my thoughts into consideration."

Shi Yiqing gently put his hand around Zhang Liang's arm, and said without thinking, "I'll give you money to go to college, and I have savings."

"Ah?" Zhang Liang turned to look at Shi Yiqing, and burst out laughing.

Shi Yiqing: "Really, there are at least 15 now. It should be enough for you to go to college. If it's not enough, I told Uncle Shen to write an IOU and pay it back to us after you graduate and make a lot of money."

"No... Ah Qing, I'm not talking about money. Even if my family really doesn't have any money, I can still get money for my education. It's just that my parents don't care about me anymore."

Shi Yiqing nodded: "But I can't hit you because of this, my face is swollen."

Zhang Liang smiled, "Because I said that I just want to go, I just want to go to Beijing to go to school, far away from them, far away from my brother, I said that I am annoyed when I see my brother."

"what……"

Shi Yiqing was stunned, he had never heard such exaggerated words from the monitor, especially to his younger brother, who was in poor health and very attached to him, even though he sometimes felt annoying, he never said anything that hurt him.

"Then my dad slapped me. If it wasn't for my cousin, he would have been pushed to the ground and beaten." Zhang Liang smiled and leaned back on the sofa.

"Ah Qing, I'm so bored."

Shi Yiqing comforted him: "Leave them alone, you can celebrate the New Year here, go live with me, and wait until you feel better."

Zhang Liang: "No, I'll just live with my cousin."

Shi Yiqing also knew that it was inconvenient for him to live in his mother's house, so he acted like a guest, so he didn't insist.

At this time, the sound of an ear-exploding drum set rang through the bar, and the band's performance was about to begin.He motioned to look at his phone, it was almost eleven o'clock, he thought about it, and said he would make a call.

Running to a small corridor at the end of the corridor on the second floor, Shi Yiqing made a cross-country call to Shen Mu, wanting to say hello to him and tell him that he might not be home until very late.

The phone rang four or five times, Shi Yiqing frowned slightly, wondering if Uncle Shen hadn't finished his work yet?

"Hello? Hello."

Shi Yiqing was stunned, it wasn't Uncle Shen's voice on the other end of the phone, it was a woman.

He said indifferently: "Who are you?"

"You are Ah Qing, are you looking for Mr. Shen? He drank a little too much and went to the bathroom. When he comes back, I will..."

Before the other party finished speaking, another person answered the phone, and a man said, "Are you looking for Shen Mu?"

"Who are you?" Shi Yiqing asked again.

"I'm his friend," said the man.

Shi Yiqing didn't know what was going on for a while, and before he had time to react, the man said: "He's been very busy these days, you should enjoy the New Year by yourself."

After I finished speaking, I hung up the phone, and no one answered when I called again.

Shi Yiqing's heart was filled with fire, and the palm of his hand that was pinching the phone turned white.

Just when his anger and grievances were about to come to his nose, the phone rang, and he quickly picked it up, but it wasn't Uncle Shen.

It's Xiao Wen.

"Hey……"

"Hey! I still want to ask you once, come out to play? It will be really interesting!"