middle of the road

On the second day of the holiday, Cheng Yang didn't sleep anymore, and took Cheng Ying and Cheng Le out for a trip, bought them both new clothes, and stopped by the supermarket to buy some food. Ten, he may not even be able to spare time.

Just like last year, he went to a nearby wholesale market to buy a batch of Spring Festival couplets and put them on sale at the entrance of the vegetable market. At this time of year, the Spring Festival couplets are the best sellers, sometimes earning one or two hundred a day.

The winter vacation only lasts for a few days. Unlike summer vacation, short-term jobs are hard to find, especially for those like him who can only work during the day, and selling things is the most suitable.

Sometimes he would bring Cheng Ying and Cheng Le with him, and let them play beside him. Most of the time, he was alone. He got up too early in the morning and it was cold. , Usually they can be kept at home, but he will still try his best to keep them at home.

There was a lot less business in the afternoon. At this time, Cheng Yang would usually sit there and read a book. If Huang Ming knew that he carried Chinese and English textbooks with him when he went out, he would probably be moved to tears.

He knows where his shortcomings are, and he also knows that he can't spend more time on them at this stage. He is also worried that he will fall behind for too long, and he will not be able to catch up when he is in the third year of high school.

So what to do, I can only take advantage of the time now, read more and memorize it, and leave an impression in my mind.

It's just...it's really boring, especially Chinese. There are so many classical Chinese texts that not only need to be translated but also memorized. Usually, he falls asleep after reading two pages. He can persist all afternoon because of his willpower.

Of course there is a sense of crisis.

That day when I went back to school to get the report card, no accident, he failed in the two exams again. He was just in his early [-]s in English and only [-] in Chinese. Huang Ming changed his routine this time. Instead of pulling him out for criticism, he Smilingly, she told him to settle the score with him after school started, and let him pass the New Year safely.

Cheng Yang had a premonition that another storm was waiting for him ahead.

The report card that Cheng Le got back that day said Chinese was [-], and he was only in the first grade.

It can only be said that this is determined by the special genes that are passed down from male to female in their family.

According to the original plan, Chi Yu planned to return to his hometown the next day after the holiday, and then spend the year alone there, and then come back when school starts, but some of his former school classmates said they would come to visit him, He could only spend a few days with them.

When the time is almost the same, and the end of the year is approaching, the plan is postponed until the next year.

When he doesn’t go out, he stays at home watching movies and practicing calligraphy, and occasionally finds Fu Jin. Fu Jin didn’t do well in the exam this time, so he was arranged by his mother to take tutoring. , and was pulled out by various people to get together.

Chi Yu expressed that Ou Cao's busyness was very understandable.

Fu Jin wanted to call him together, but Chi Yu refused, he wanted to stay by himself even more in the rare free time.

Chi Yu hasn't seen Chi Haidong for a long time. The old house is still there. Chi Haidong said that sometimes he will live there because he is afraid of disturbing him when he is late. So most of the time, he is the only one in the whole family. .

He guessed that this was the space Chi Haidong specially gave him, after all he also knew that he didn't want to see him.

Chi Yu called Cheng Yang's house a few times, and Cheng Le said that he had gone out and asked what he was doing, saying that he was selling Spring Festival couplets.

Chi Yu found that he really couldn't stop for a moment.

He went to the vegetable market that Cheng Le mentioned, but he didn't know whether it was the wrong door or the wrong time, and he never saw anyone else.

Cheng Yang didn't even have an old mobile phone in his hand, and the contact was always relying on a single line, and he had to cooperate with his erratic time. At this time, Chi Yu finally realized the depression of paying Jin to deliver snacks back then. A mobile phone was only a few thousand yuan. It's nothing to him, but it's probably more difficult than going to heaven to send it to Cheng Chengyang.

On New Year's Eve, Cheng Yang closed the stall at noon, because almost no one would come in the afternoon, so he put away his things and put them in bags, and there was a New Year's Eve dinner for him to go back to make in the evening.

Chi Yu called today, Cheng Ying answered the call, she recognized his voice, before he could speak, she called out: "Brother Chi Yu."

"Is your brother at home?" Chi Yu asked.

"At home." Cheng Ying said.

"..." probably didn't think that there was an answer to this question outside of home, Chi Yu forgot how to ask it, and waited for a while before saying "oh", "Then what is he doing now? "

"Make dumplings."

"Are you eating dumplings tonight?"

"Well, Brother Chiyu, what do you eat at home?"

Chi Yu thought about it, but actually he didn't know what he would eat tonight. Chi Haidong said that he would buy vegetables later to cook, and he would first ask if he could buy vegetables at this time.

The dishes are actually in the refrigerator, he bought them two days ago, originally Chi Haidong was going to say that he would not come back, so he was going to make a table for himself.

"I haven't figured it out yet, I'll find out when I eat it." Chi Yu said.

Cheng Ying was a little confused, so she said, "I'll ask my brother to listen."

"Don't." Chi Yu called to stop her, "It's nothing, don't call him, I just called to say Happy New Year to you all."

Cheng Ying laughed, "Happy New Year to you too."

Cheng Ying put down the phone and ran to the kitchen to watch Cheng Yang and Zong.

"Who called just now?" Cheng Yang asked.

"Brother Chiyu."

"Did you say anything?"

"Say Happy New Year to us."

"Well, have you returned yet?"

"I'm back, and I wish him a happy new year too." Cheng Ying looked into the bowl, "Brother, I want to make dumplings too."

"You go." Cheng Le, who was splitting the skin, said, "Just wait and eat."

Cheng Yang tapped her nose lightly, leaving a spot of flour, "Go and fill two bowls of water, I want to learn and let Cheng Le teach you."

Cheng Le took advantage of the opportunity to shave her face, "Tuition fee."

The two looked at her pretty face and laughed at the same time, Cheng Ying went out with two braids.

Chi Haidong called him at five o'clock and said that one meeting in the afternoon was late, and he had to go to another venue to give a speech in the evening, and he might not be able to come back. He asked Chi Yu if he had eaten. Send someone to pick him up and go to the restaurant he ordered to eat together.

Chi Yu refused without even thinking about it, even reluctant to eat with him, let alone with a bunch of strangers.

Chi Haidong apologized repeatedly, and promised to come back tonight and have a New Year's dinner with him tomorrow morning. Chi Yu didn't think it mattered, because he didn't expect much from this meal.

In the afternoon, Zhao Shuangqing called and asked him to go to her place to celebrate the New Year, but he refused. Since the concept of home disappeared in his life, the ritual sense of family reunion has long been dispensable to him.

He walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and looked at it. There were so many things that one person could not finish it all. He found a big bag, filled it with all the things he bought for today in the fresh-keeping and freezing, and took it out. Door.

Cheng Yang was cooking in the kitchen, when he heard a knock on the door, he called out, "Yingying, go and open the door."

Cheng Le put down the dumpling in his hand and went out to have a look. After a while, he heard someone talking in the living room. Cheng Yang wiped his hands and walked out. He was relieved when he saw that it was Chi Yu.

Chi Yu was changing the cotton shoes Cheng Ying found for him at the door, and by the way put a large bag of things on the living room table.

"Have you eaten yet?" He looked towards him, "Haven't eaten yet, it's great."

"Who's dinner is so early." Cheng Yang looked at him, "Have you eaten before?"

"My family's meal is not so early." Chi Yu came in after dressing up, carried the bag to the kitchen, walked two steps and smiled, "No, my family has no food."

"Brother Chiyu, do you want to eat at our house?" Cheng Ying asked.

Chi Yu bent down and looked at her, "Is that okay?"

Cheng Ying glanced at Cheng Yang, Cheng Yang nodded, she immediately smiled and said, "Our family eats dumplings today."

"Okay, I haven't eaten dumplings for a long time." Chi Yu patted her head, went into the kitchen and saw that Cheng Le was making dumplings, alone with a small bench and a small basket, the dumplings made looked decent, It is more beautiful than his bag.

"You don't know how to do it yourself, just leave the work to your brother." Chi Yu said.

"That's right." Cheng Yang stir-fried it twice in the pot, "It must come in handy to raise it so big."

Chi Yu took it over with a smile, "I'll do it, you help me wash the dishes."

"What are you going to do?" Cheng Yang asked.

Chi Yu shook the spatula, "Full Han banquet."

"Is this kitchen a full banquet for Man and Han?"

"how?"

Cheng Yang gestured to the other side, "Only one fire can be used."

Chi Yu tried to hit it twice, but it really didn't turn on, "You should change this gas stove, it's too affecting your performance, what about the pot, besides the wok, do you have a frying pan?"

"No."

"Okay." Chi Yu sighed helplessly, "I wanted to fry steak for you, but it seems that I can only fry it."

Cheng Yang asked Cheng Le to go out to play, and he would take care of the rest. There were three people standing in the kitchen, unable to turn around.

Sitting on the bench was too tiring, so he put all his things on the stove at the back. When Chi Yu closed the pot, he leaned on the cabinet door to look at his bag. Cheng Yang's hands are very beautiful. He discovered it when he turned the Rubik's Cube before. The fingers are thin and long, and the knuckles are evenly raised. At this moment, when he is pinching the skin and turning it flexibly, he can see the continuous undulating lines on the back of his hand.

I just thought that this slenderness was partly due to the lack of flesh on my body, so I didn't feel much beauty at once.

"Did your family eat dumplings during the Chinese New Year?" Chi Yu asked. Families in the south like theirs actually don't eat many dumplings during the Chinese New Year. Their family didn't have this custom before.

Cheng Yang shook his head, "If they can't think of what to eat, they will eat whatever they want."

"Is it enough?" Chi Yu saw that there was not much left, "Don't forget to count mine."

"Do you eat a lot?" Cheng Yang almost forgot.

"A lot."

"..." Cheng Yang looked at him, "That should not be enough, I didn't buy much."

It is definitely unrealistic to go down and buy at this time, and the two looked at each other for a while.

Cheng Yang: "How about I share half with you?"

Chi Yu: "Then I'll make you two more dishes?"

Cheng Yang: "OK."

Because there was only one fire, the dumplings were cooked in the rice cooker in the end. A lot of Chiyu dishes were cooked, and the combination of meat and vegetables added up to eight or nine. Finally, there was still left in the bag, so he asked Cheng Yang to put it in the refrigerator Well, you can still eat it in the next two days.

Cheng Yang served a plate of dumplings to the two young ones first, and waited so long for fear that they would be hungry, so he came back and cooked the rest, while Chi Yu was cooking the last soup.

"Cheng Yang?" Chi Yu stood in front of the stove, looking at the heat coming from the edge of the pot lid, "I...have never asked you, where are your family members?"

Cheng Yang added a bowl of water and went in without looking at him, and said in a calm tone, "Let's go."

Chi Yu coughed, "...Sorry."

He regretted asking the question on a day like today, knowing that the answer would not be good.

"Don't get me wrong, he's not dead." Cheng Yang walked up to him and washed the unused dishes first. "Going away means leaving the house."

"Oh." Chi Yu replied, "Do you know where they went?"

Cheng Yang shook his head, "My mother used to send some money home, but then she stopped. I haven't heard from her for two years."

"...What about your father?"

Cheng Yang stared at the water and paused for two seconds, "He's different, he hasn't even sent money."

Chi Yu followed him and stopped without asking any more questions, but Cheng Yang said at this moment: "Actually, it's good to have no news. Knowing how they are doing now, good or bad, is a burden to me."

"So Cheng Ying and Cheng Le were really brought up by you?" Chi Yu turned around.

Cheng Yang: "Doesn't it look like it?"

Chi Yu is skeptical.

Cheng Yang: "It's much better now. When I was the youngest, I was only their age. Changing diapers a few times made me cry."

Chi Yu turned her head to look at him, "Are you still crying?"

Cheng Yang: "..."

Cheng Yang: "Who stipulated that I can't cry?"

"Then I really want to see it." Chi Yu smiled, "What would you look like if you really cried?"

The two people are standing at right angles, one is in front of the pot and the other is in front of the pool. As long as Chi Yu turns his head slightly, he can feel Cheng Yang's breathing when he speaks. Hearing him say that he cried after changing diapers, imagine it for a while. The [-]-year-old Cheng Yang looked at the two babies at a loss, and while laughing, looking at his lowered profile, Chi Yu's heart was suddenly covered with a layer of softness.

He stretched out his hand, wanting to know what kind of tenderness lies under that thin layer of skin.

Cheng Yang only felt a shadow approaching his eyes, without thinking, he hit it with chopsticks, and at the same time he leaned back, "What are you doing?"

"Fuck!" Chi Yu retracted reflexively, covering the back of his hand, "The reaction is so big, you have rice on your face."

"Our family didn't cook rice today."

"That's the food." Chi Yu wanted to laugh a little, "Anyway, there are things, if you don't believe me, go and look in the mirror yourself."

"Eat." Cheng Yang casually wiped his face twice and went out.

Chi Yu waited for him to leave, rubbed the back of his hand, fuck, it's so red.

The author has something to say:

Cheng Dayang holds chopsticks in one hand

waving swish

what

I heard you all want to sleep with me?