Chapter 219 goodbye in twenty years
On the first day of the first month, she had a day off at home.
On the second day of the first month, they slept in. It was already nine o' clock after breakfast. Li Haitang drove everyone to enjoy the new year in the capital and to the busy temple fair on the street.
"Wow, it's so lively." As soon as he saw the crowd in the street, all kinds of shouting and selling interweaved, Duan Jinqiao talked to them at the top of his voice.
Li Haitang had never experienced such a lively atmosphere before. Even she was dazzled by it, let alone the others.
"Mom, I want to buy some ice sugar gourd." It was rare for Duan Jinqiao to act coquettishly and beg for food. She looked at the string of red fruits and thought they should be delicious.
Liu Fen took out some change from the small bag in front of her and said, "Go buy it. You three children can buy more skewers."
Li Haitang immediately said, "Jin qiao, I just want a string." She doesn't really like snacks. Just try them.
Soon, Duan Jinqiao bought a small bouquet. The two adults and li haitang only needed one bunch. She and Li Tao each had two strands. She licked the top red fruit and looked sweet and intoxicated.
Li Tao didn't eat very elegantly. He ate one in two and stuck out his tongue, "It's sour and sweet. It tastes good."
"You delicious ghost!" Li Haitang pulled him to the side of the road. There were too many people coming and going, and the road was too crowded, so as not to squeeze out his ice-sugar gourd.
Liu Fen was the happiest when she went out to the temple fair today. There were many new things on the roadside stalls, and the price was not expensive. She also bought many kinds of things generously, and also bought some special things for the relatives on both sides of the li family and the Liu family.
"Aunt Fen, you buy it here. We're going to the front to watch the dragon lantern show." Li Tao was tall and immediately saw the bustling square in front of him. Many people were clapping and cheering.
Liu Fen looked over there and nodded, "Okay, you guys go ahead. I'll look for you later." Today, both haitang and jin qiao were wearing pink down jackets. They were tall and short, so it was easy to find. She was not afraid to lose them.
Li Jianguo walked faster than them. Apparently, he liked to watch it too. Just as he saw a better spot open up, he was about to squeeze past it, but he saw a man he hadn't seen for many years suddenly being squeezed in front of him.
The other party looked at him in a daze for a few seconds and said with some uncertainty, "Jianguo?"
Li Jianguo's hands, which were in his pocket, were tightly clasped together. There was still no expression on his face and his voice was faint, "Xiaoqin, long time no see."
This was Li Xiaoqin. The four of them went out to the temple fair today. As soon as they got here, Zheng Mingfeng ran away happily, but she was pushed to this side.
It has been almost twenty years since I saw him. His appearance has not changed much, but his wrinkles have deepened, his skin has become darker, and he has not seen any signs of decadence. Li Xiaoqin always felt a little uncomfortable facing him. "Long time no see. When did you come to the capital?"
Li Jianguo remained calm and his tone did not change much, "It's the 27th of the twelfth lunar month."
Li Xiaoqin thought about it. It seemed that Li Haitang had brought him here for the new year. She thought that he must have known about the letter of guarantee they had signed with her. The thought of it made her even more embarrassed.
"Qin, did you catch up with Mingfeng?" As soon as Zheng Wentao got here, she saw her talking to a man, and her brows furrowed unnaturally.
Li Xiaoqin turned around, "No, she ran too fast. I couldn't keep up."
Zheng Wentao frowned a little more and looked at Li Jianguo. He felt as if he had seen him somewhere, but for a moment he couldn't remember, "Who is this?"
Li Xiaoqin pursed his lips and leaned over to introduce him, "It's my neighbor from my hometown." He gave him a look without a trace.
Zheng Wentao's eyelashes trembled. He remembered that this man was with Li Haitang on the ship to Qiongzhou island in july. In combination with what Li Xiaoqin said, she was the neighbor of her hometown, so she seemed to be the foster father of the child.
Li Jianguo pursed her lips and nodded at him, her eyes filled with pain and complexity that no one else could see through.
Twenty years later, he finally met the man who took her away. They were a good match. In the words of young people nowadays, the beauty of a man and a woman was quite appropriate. Seeing that he was dressed well and had a shrewd and elegant temperament, it seemed that his family background was quite good, much better than his muddy legs. Twenty years had passed, and her appearance remained the same, except for some fine lines at the corners of her eyes, her dress had become more mature, and there was not much change. It seemed that these years had passed very well.
He was actually very happy that she was doing well, but some of the bitterness of the past was always lingering in his heart.
"Daddy, mommy, why are you here? Where's sister?" Zheng Minglong searched around and finally found them.
Li Xiaoqin tugged at the corner of his mouth and beckoned him over. "Minglong, your sister has gone to the front to see the dragon lantern. She'll look for it later. Mom just met an old acquaintance here. Come and say hello to uncle."
"Oh." Zheng Minglong was a head taller than Li Xiaoqin. He smiled shyly and politely shouted to Li Jianguo, "Uncle, happy new year."
Li Jianguo saw the shadow of Li Haitang in him. The child had a good upbringing and a smile, "Happy new year."
After saying a word, Li Tao and Duan Jinqiao rushed over together and saw several people surrounding Li Jianguo. They thought someone was making trouble and stood in front of him, one left and one right, looking nervous, "Dad, what's going on?"
Li Jianguo glanced at the two of them, tugged at the corners of his mouth and shook his head, "It's okay. I met an acquaintance. Taoer, jin qiao, happy new year to aunt uncle."
Li Tao was stunned. Does dad know anyone here? Before he could figure it out, he turned around and saw Li Xiaoqin's face. He frowned. He had already guessed her identity. She looked too much like sister haitang. It was this woman who had harmed Sister hoi tong and her father.
"Taoer!" The resentment on Li Tao's face was so obvious that Li Jianguo's voice sank a little.
Li Tao was shocked. He knew that his father was angry, but it was impossible for him to say hello to this woman. He stubbornly looked away.
Duan jinqiao wanted to speak, but Li Tao's face was frosty and stubborn. Looking at Li Xiaoqin's face, he suddenly remembered something. He frowned and swallowed the words in his mouth.
Li Xiaoqin was very embarrassed. It was obvious that his children knew about the past, so they had to take the initiative to smooth things over, "Jianguo, it's okay. The children have never seen us. People they don't know, it's normal not to say hello."
Zheng Minglong looked at the two people around his age and had a strange feeling in his heart. He felt that the boy had an inexplicable hostility and dislike for his mother, and that his mother spoke strangely to the old uncle.
"It's the children who don't understand." Li Jianguo also knew that his son was sometimes stubborn, just like when he was young.
Li Xiaoqin heard his parents talk about Li Jianguo's divorce. The woman he married gave birth to a son and a daughter, but the daughter was not his, but was born with another man and lived with his ex-wife. What about the little girl in front of him?
Feeling a little awkward, she had to change the subject and ask, "Are these two children yours?"
"Well, Taoer is my son and jin qiao is my stepdaughter. I remarried her mother last year."
Li Jianguo believed that she knew how she had been all these years. His life had been ruined by her, and he didn't know if she had any guilt. He looked calmly into her eyes, but saw her look away, just like when he broke up with him.
Perhaps she felt a little guilty.
Li Xiaoqin was unaware of his remarriage. He pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly, but could not say a word of congratulations.
Li Haitang did not know when he had already stood behind them and listened to them. He was very upset. He really didn't look at the lunar calendar when he went out. How could capital be so small? How could he often meet his family?
She saw the boy standing between Zheng Wentao and Li Xiaoqin. He must be 16 or 17 years old. He looked like a obedient and good student. He looked similar to her. He should be the boy in the twins.
Seeing that the conversation was getting cold, and knowing that Li Tao must have thought of those things, he had to interrupt, "Dad, Li Tao, jin qiao, you are here."
The three of them turned around and looked at her with a complicated expression. Then they looked at the family of three opposite them, not knowing what to say.
The other family of three also heard the sound and looked at Zheng Wentao, but his expression was calm. Li Xiaoqin was obviously not calm enough, and his face was extremely complicated.
Zheng Minglong, on the other hand, was surprised. Who was this girl? Why does she look like her mother... So much? He turned his head to look at his mother, and saw that her lips were trembling slightly, and her face had turned a lot whiter. He did not dare to look at the person opposite him. He was sixteen years old and sensible, and he would never believe it if there were no tricks in it.
Li Haitang strode over, not giving a single glance to the person opposite him. He pulled a piece of jinqiao, "Jinqiao, aunt Fen is still shopping in the back. Go and pick her up."
Duan Jinqiao nodded obediently and immediately turned to look for his mother.
"Dad, it looks like you have someone you know who wants to reminisce with, so you guys can have a few more words. I'll take Li Tao to the dragon lantern first." Li Haitang wouldn't have anything to do with them herself, but she didn't want to get involved with Li Jianguo and Li Xiaoqin. She believed that dad would only treat her like a normal neighbor.
Li Jianguo pursed his lower lip and warned, "There are too many people. Don't go too far. Be careful."
"Yes." Li Haitang pulled Li Tao, who was still cold, back the same way, and walked away without looking back.