CH 29

This time, Mother Hua wanted to repay him. She actually wanted to do so last time.

“Zhouzhou, Miaomiao, and I appreciate your kindness, but you are still only a kid with no financial resources. I’ll return this money to you.”

She wondered if Zhou Yuan used his New Year’s money or the money that he had saved up. Since his savings were suddenly reduced, his parents would surely find out. They would feel a slight discomfort when they discovered that their son bought some things for a classmate.

She wanted to bestow some money upon Zhou Yuan in private, so that his parents wouldn’t find out about this. She was afraid that they might begin scolding or reproaching him if they found out.

Although he was wise and precocious, there were many complications involving money.

Soon, she received Zhou Yuan’s reply on WeChat, “I have a source of income. It’s only a little gift and it’s not entirely just for Miaomiao.”

“I bought it for peace of mind.” 

If something happened to her and he couldn’t find her, he could at least appease his concerns and allay his fears if he knew that she was able to contact him if she found herself in any kind of danger.

Mother Hua: “…”

What kind of income could he have at such a young age? It had to be New Year’s money.

Mother Hua still transferred one thousand, five hundred yuan to him on WeChat.

Zhou Yuan, however, didn’t accept this money. He believed it was something he had gifted to Miaomiao. It would be strange if he received money for it.

At this time, Father Zhou sent a message to Zhou Yuan on WeChat, “Big guy, what did you buy? It cost more than a thousand yuan.”

Zhou Yuan: “You linked my bank account to your phone number?”

Father Zhou: “Don’t change the subject. Big guy, answer me fist. What did you buy that cost more than a thousand yuan? Didn’t you just go to the hot springs?”

Zhou Yuan never understood why adults loved to indulge their curiosity and revel in gossip all the time.

He replied, “Dad, I never asked you how you spend your money.”

Father Zhou quickly replied, “I sent the wrong message to you. Don’t mention this to your mother, or you won’t be hired in the future.”

When Zhou Yuan had nothing better to do, he would make PowerPoint lessons for him. Of course, he didn’t work for free, but he would never tell Mother Zhou about this.

Zhou Yuan: “…”

This was why he didn’t converse with adults as much. Sometimes, they would forget that they were the ones who started the conversation in the first place.

Since Zhou Yuan refused to accept the money, Mother Hua had to purchase a gift for Zhou Yuan that was worth as much as the watch. But she could only buy it when she returned home.

The next morning, everyone awoke to the chirping of birds outside.

Upon waking up, Mother Hua discovered that Miaomiao, who had been sleeping in her arms, had disappeared.

This dismayed Mother Hua. She rushed out of the room and saw four children playing in the living room.

More accurately, it was Zhou Yuan watching three children while they indulged in their frolic and games.

The children had to go to school, and the adults had to go to work on Monday; therefore, they had decided to return to the city on Sunday morning.

As they parted, they promised each other that they would go on some short vacations together in the future.

The Hua family arrived at their house. They found an adult and a child standing in front of the entrance. The child was about seven or eight years old. He buried himself in his phone, playing games.

Mother Hua sent a glance in their direction and without changing her expression, she bent her head to talk to Miaomiao, “Miaomiao, let’s give Zhouzhou a present first. Zhouzhou just gave you a present.”

While holding Miaomiao’s hand, she walked away.

Miaomiao stared at the boy as she walked away. The little boy felt a stare on him and looked at Miaomiao. Then, he said, “A hen that can’t lay eggs.”

He uttered those words as the mother and daughter traversed away from them. They were too far away to hear them. He couldn’t say those words to them in their face. Although Mother Hua didn’t hear his words, Father Hua did. Father Hua had an irate look on his face. He slapped him, “What did you just say?” 

Mother Hua and Miaomiao left the community together. Mother Hua mused over what to do next. She decided to take a taxi to Miaomiao’s school.

She contacted her old classmate, who was also Miaomiao’s teacher, Mrs. Li. Instead of calling her to explain her predicament, she sent a message to her, as she didn’t want Miaomiao to listen to all of the unpleasant stuff. 

After reaching school, she began discussing with Mrs. Li about what to do. Mrs. Li quickly located a suitable house to rent. The location of the house satisfied Mother Hua, as the house was close to Miaomiao’s school, which would make it easier to pick up and drop off Miaomiao at school. As for work, she decided to just take a taxi.

Mother Hua said to Miaomiao, “Mom still doesn’t know how to drive yet, so let’s live near the school, okay? That way, I don’t have to drive.”

Miaomiao whispered, “Okay.”

Then, Mother Hua took Miaomiao to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities. While she was there, she also bought a watch for Zhou Yuan. Of course, it wasn’t the same as the watch that Zhou Yuan had gifted to Miaomiao. It was just a simple one. Afterwards, she returned to their rental house.

She saw countless missed calls on her phone.

There were also a bunch of unread text messages, “Honey, please answer my call.”

“Honey, I’ve already discussed it with my mother.”

“Dear. Please call back.”

“I won’t agree to the divorce.”

Mother Hua replied, “I’m sorry for delaying my response for so long, but we should just separate. I think I was wrong in this situation. After all, that’s your mother and brother who are asking you to take care of your nephew. You might believe that it isn’t a big deal. But it is a big deal for me. You’re almost always busy at work. At the end of the day, I have to take care of the child. I’m frightened of this scenario. I’m sorry that I can’t accompany you to the end. Thank you for all these years. I wish you happiness for the future.”

Father Hua quickly replied, “Honey, we have been together for fifteen years now. We never fought. You were never angry with me all those years. Honey, please trust me a little, I’ll take care of this problem well. I won’t agree to the divorce…”

Mother Hua turned off her phone and retired to the kitchen to cook.

Miaomiao could sense Mother Hua’s unhappiness. She felt sad for her.

Miaomiao was sitting on an unfamiliar sofa. She looked around the room once. Then, she stood up, picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor.

The previous owner of the house should have cleaned the house before leaving. But since the house was vacant for such a long time, there was a lot of dust.

Miaomiao swept the house with utmost sobriety and earnestness. 

She wanted to make the house as clean as theirs. 

If they resembled each other, would mom be happy?