Even Mrs. Cheng had to give face. Leah immediately guessed which Cen family. Beicheng did have a Cen family. But wasn’t the Cen family’s daughter-in-law the Zhou family’s daughter?
“Divorced. Fang Qin married in later. The Zhou family has moved to Hong Kong now.” Mrs. Cheng added when she saw Leah didn’t understand the situation.
Leah had a headache. Beicheng was full of wealthy families. Rich people were everywhere. She couldn’t remember this family and that family.
“Is Fang Qin also on her second marriage?” Leah asked.
Mrs. Cheng thought and shook her head. “Probably not. How would the Cen family agree to a second-marriage woman marrying in?”
Leah asked again: “Has she had children?”
“No. She even asked me for help before, to book an expert appointment for gynecology.”
“But I think the Cen family doesn’t want her to have one in recent years. They treat Cen Yuankai like a treasure.”
Mrs. Cheng was simple-minded. She answered whatever Leah asked. After talking with Mrs. Cheng, Leah had a good idea. After Mrs. Cheng left, she took out her phone and blocked Fang Qin. This woman wanted to climb up through her, without checking if she was worthy. This party didn’t affect Hua Zhao’s life at all. She couldn’t let Qiqi know these things.
Winter break was next week. The adults had a lot of work at the end of the year. Shen Lin was busy preparing for exams. So the task of picking up the child fell to Shen Yan, who had just finished filming a movie. For a week straight, the little guy saw his big brother and Brother Xiao Tang come to pick him up every day.
The little guy wore a thick down jacket, a small white hat on his head, and white earmuffs, making his little face look milky. After the first snow, the snow on the ground hadn’t melted. Three or four days a week it snowed. The little guy went from initial excitement and novelty to taking it for granted. Shen Yan, picking up the little guy, instinctively wanted to carry him. But when he bent down, the little guy shook his head and refused.
“Big Brother, I’ll walk myself.”
Shen Yan touched his head. “Big Brother will carry you. The ground is slippery.”
The little guy still shook his head, standing straight, his little belly out. “Big Brother, I’ve grown up. I want to walk myself.”
Okay. Shen Yan had to give up the idea of carrying him and held out his hand, leading the little guy out. When they reached the stairs, Shen Yan slowed down. The little guy beside him held the stair railing and walked down slowly. His little short legs dangled in the air a few times before landing on the step. Shen Yan watched, worried. But the little guy was super serious about going down the stairs, saying “heave ho” with each step. The little backpack on his back bounced, incredibly cute.
Led by his big brother in the snow, the little guy looked up and asked: “Big Brother, has Brother Qiqi come back?”
Shen Yan shook his head. When they had just come from home, the Pei family’s door was closed. Perhaps afraid the little guy would come looking, a small sign was hung on the door saying they had gone on a trip; please call xxxxxx for anything. Pei Yi had taken his nephew and wife to P City for business.
Before moving to Beicheng, Pei Ye had bought a nearly 400-square-meter house in P City, in Pei Xu’s name. This house was bought by Pei Ye for Qiqi’s convenience for school. After decorating it, he had brought Qiqi to live here for a while. Pei Qiqi, led by his uncle into the community, felt memories of his dad surge like a tide. The keys were long lost. Pei Yi contacted the property management. When they saw Pei Xu, they smiled and greeted him.
“Little Qiqi, long time no see. You’ve grown so much.”
Pei Qiqi had seen this uncle before and said politely, “Hello, Uncle.”
The property manager clearly knew Pei Xu was a quiet child. He touched his head and asked if he had eaten. The property staff in the high-end residential area were very professional. Seeing Pei Yi, they proactively explained that because they couldn’t reach Pei Ye for the past half year, they opened the door once a month for water and electricity checks and cleaning.
“Mr. Pei, rest assured. We wear body cameras during our work. I’ll send you the recordings shortly.”
Pei Yi nodded, scanned to add him, and received the videos. Watching as they walked, they soon reached the door. This community had one elevator per household. The elevator door opened to Pei Ye and Qiqi’s home. The entrance door was black, with the house number beside it, and a “Fu” character pasted on the door. Pei Ye and Qiqi had once spent a New Year here. Pei Yi’s eyes heated when he saw the “Fu” character. His brother had written it.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, all of Pei Xu’s senses failed. He couldn’t hear the property manager’s voice, couldn’t feel whether his aunt’s hand holding his was warm. His body moved forward by instinct. He raised his hand and pressed his thumb on the fingerprint lock.
Click.
The door opened. Pei Qiqi called softly in his heart: Dad.
His feet stepped in. The man inside turned around. His shoulders were broad, a blue cartoon apron around his neck, with the words “Keeper” printed on it.
“Dad, what does it say?” The little boy standing beside him, waiting to be fed, looked up and asked.
The tall man pointed at the words on his chest. “Qiqi, come read with Dad. Keep-er.”
Pei Qiqi didn’t repeat. “Dad, did you raise a little pig, or a kitten?”
The man laughed heartily, pinching his face. “Yes, you’re the little pig, and Dad is your keeper, raising Qiqi plump and white.”
The man crouched down, put his index finger on the little boy’s nose, and pushed up. “Look, Qiqi pig.”
“I’m not a pig. Dad, you’re the pig.”
“I’m a pig, then you’re a pig, son.”
“I’m not a pig, hmph.”
Standing at the door, Pei Xu saw the little boy who looked exactly like him run away. He stepped in, as if entering a time tunnel.
“Qiqi, come quickly. Dad made your favorite scallion pancake. I also developed a new flavor. I added sugar to the scallion pancake…”
A sizzling sound came from the kitchen. The man hurried in, leaving Pei Xu with a somewhat blurry view of his back.
“Dad.”
Pei Xu hurried after him, running to the kitchen door in one breath. The kitchen was clean and tidy. No scallion pancake, no man in a cartoon apron. The little hand obediently holding his was suddenly pulled away. Hua Zhao panicked. Following him, she saw Qiqi standing blankly at the kitchen door, his black-and-white eyes just looking at the kitchen.
“Qiqi.” She didn’t dare speak too loudly, afraid of startling the child lost in memory.
Only when the child, somewhat dazed, walked in and called “Dad” to the air in a voice that was almost inaudible. Hua Zhao couldn’t hold back anymore. She turned her face and wiped her tears.
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chimia de goiaba On WAYCAC Chapter 48.2