CH 17.1

Chapter 17.1

The next morning at 7:30, Du Wenjuan came to pick up the child for their trip to the zoo. She was a little surprised when she saw the neat living room.

“Does Mr. Jiang have a girlfriend?”

“No, Xingwang and I cleaned up together,” Jiang Wang said bluntly, “He has always been very good at housework. ”

It was also possible that he was just using housework as a substitute in offsetting his part of the rent payment.

The child couldn’t stop smiling when he saw his mother. He deliberately pulled her to his room to review his final exam papers. The homework books were full of five-pointed stars from the teachers, and there were also hand-made butterfly flowers from the handicraft class. It was as if he wanted everything he made to be seen by his mother, he wished for her to know what he did on a daily basis

Then before leaving he hugged Jiang Wang very hard.

“Brother, bye-bye!”

“Bye-bye,” Jiang Wang yawned, “Have fun.”

Du Wenjuan glanced at her husband who was on a phone call near the stairs, then showed an apologetic smile.

“Is Mr. Jiang free this afternoon?” She crossed her arms on Xingwang’s chest, as if afraid that the child would run away. “I have… a fear of heights. Many rides can’t be done by me, and it’s not good to let the child play alone.”

“Hmm? Okay.” Jiang Wang agreed in a kind tone. After thinking more about it, he added, “It should also be more lively if there are more people, why don’t I call Teacher Ji as well?”

“Okay, that’s good.“ The woman was relieved, “I was afraid we wouldn’t have much to talk about, but thank you, let’s work hard today.”

As the two of them left with the child, Jiang Wang did a bit of stretching and went downstairs to buy some food. Then went back upstairs to find Ji Linqiu.

City A was very small, you could go around the whole zoo in just an hour and a half.

The people also knew that there were only a few foreign animals that could be viewed there. They basically relied on feeding projects to make money. Black swans, alpacas, tigers, and black bears could be fed with anything. They even specially equipped themselves with several long forks that could deliver meat across the barbed wire.

Jiang Wang first came here when he accompanied Peng Xingwang. The monkey mountain was in a mess. The camels wore irritable faces since they were ridden every day, and they occasionally spit on people as well.

At that time, he also wanted to get acquainted with the child. He didn’t want to be treated like a human trafficker all the time. So he deliberately bought four buckets of multi-grain feed from a hawker, but then they fed the pigeons too quickly that it almost caused them hemorrhoids.

Thinking of this, the man couldn’t help laughing as he knocked on Teacher Ji’s door with soy milk fritters.

Ji Linqiu liked to stay up late, so he hasn’t woken up fully yet. He knocked for almost half a minute before the door slowly opened.

As soon as the door opened, there was no stuffy and moldy smell coming from the inside which was common in male dormitories. But a wind mixed with the scent of gardenia gushed out.

“Morning,” Ji Linqiu’s voice was a little hoarse, “The child has been sent away?”

“He went to the zoo to play,” Jiang Wang handed him the soy milk fritters, leaning against the door frame he said, “In the afternoon, they’re going to Honghe Park to play. His mother said she didn’t dare to sit in the high rides, so she wanted me to accompany them.”

Ji Linqiu didn’t answer, his eyebrows raised and he smiled again.

“Then Brother Jiang wants me to accompany him?”

“How dare I bother you,” Jiang Wang said boldly, “Teacher Ji’s vacation is precious, and the required teacher training is in two days. It’s a good time to make up for your sleep.”

Ji Linqiu still didn’t answer, deliberately trying to embarrass him for a while.

The big-tailed wolf was very tough, “Real men never sit on a carousel.”

“I’m just,” the man coughed, “I’m afraid you’re too lonely, right?”

Ji Linqiu blinked, “Do I look lonely?”

“Well, as long as Teacher Ji is single, I have an obligation to invite you more to go out and play. It just happens that you can even eat two free meals, which sounds like a good deal.”

Teacher Ji took the breakfast and raised it to take a closer look at the oily cake fritters inside, “I like to eat steamed buns.”

“Definitely next time.” Jiang Wang wagged his tail again, “I’ll buy you twenty kinds of stuffing, so you can eat it until you’re round.”

The two made an appointment to meet, one turned around to make up for sleep and the other went out to check his accounts, both, particularly in a good mood.

Peng Xingwang held his mother’s hand the whole way and talked about the school. Seeing her interest and attentively listening with a smile, he was very happy.

Chang Hua walked beside the two of them, occasionally speaking a few words with great enthusiasm.

The zoo wasn’t big, you could see the overview of the park within a fifteen-minute walk.

Peng Xingwang inexplicably felt like a host. He must take the two adults to have fun and not be bored. When he saw the hawker selling corn kernels, he greeted him.

“Let’s feed the swans!”

Du Wenjuan hurriedly paid for a small cup and mainly watched Peng Xingwang feed the geese. Then pulled him to take pictures together.

After a while, they went around Monkey Mountain where another staff walked around pushing a trolley.

“It’s fun to feed monkeys too!” The child smiled and said, “Some monkeys can even salute. I saw it last time when I came with Brother Jiang!”

Chang Hua went to buy a feed bowl full of banana pieces, and when he got it back, his tone was mocking. “Fifteen for a bowl? They really know how to do business, it looks like they even save some money from feeding the monkeys.”

Du Wenjuan smiled awkwardly, “After all, there are still labor costs.”

The man sneered, still feeling that he could make a lot of money from opening a zoo.

Peng Xingwang was a little embarrassed and stretched out his hand to touch the two hundred yuan in his pocket, thinking to himself that it was good that his brother had deliberately given pocket money in advance today.

In fact, he had already saved a lot of pocket money, but his brother insisted on giving it.

The bird-watching area was very noisy, the parrots and starlings were quarreling, and many people were taking pictures with the sulphur-crested cockatoo.

While chatting with his mother, Peng Xingwang quietly looked at Uncle Chang’s expression and realized that the other party was not interested and had been yawning.

“Shall we go and see the alpacas? It’s fun over there!”

“Okay.” Du Wenjuan was also very happy today that her wrinkles came out when she smiled, “Mom likes those too, you take me there.”

Peng Xingwang nodded and led her forward quickly.

“Slow down!” Chang Hua said out loud, “Your mother is tired.”

Peng Xingwang was taken aback for a moment, thinking that he was negligent.

Du Wenjuan’s eyes showed a little hesitation, and she nodded and said, “It’s okay Xinxing, let’s walk slowly.”

Alpacas took a leisurely walk on a small lawn. There were always a lot of children here on weekends, and a few of them happened to be Peng Xingwang’s classmates.

“Xingwang?! You also came to the zoo today!”

“This is my mother!!” Peng Xingwang was afraid that they would not see her clearly, so he proudly said, “I have said a long time ago that my mother is very beautiful, right?!!”

“So elegant!”

“Hello, Auntie! Xingwang is very good at school!”

“Do you really have Dalmatians like in the movie?”

The children looked at Chang Hua curiously, “Anyway, who is he?”

Chang Hua’s eyes changed slightly, and she looked at Du Wenjuan suspiciously.

“It’s Uncle Chang,” Du Wenjuan nodded to the few classmates and parents, and explained with a smile: “I also came to play with Xingwang today.”

Chang Hua curled his mouth.

While chatting, a vendor pushed a trolley carrying fruit and forage over.

“Twenty yuan a cup! Almost sold out, come and feed the alpacas!!”

“Children, let’s see what the alpacas like best!”

The children screamed and ran over to surround the cart. Peng Xingwang was about to run over when he heard a sound.

“Stop!” Chang Hua frowned and stopped him, “It’s already been fed three times, why are you in such a hurry?”

Du Wenjuan opened her mouth to speak, and Chang Hua said again, “You have to be sensible. Your mother came to see you specifically. Just play with your mother more. There is no need to spend this kind of money.”

Peng Xingwang stood still in a daze, still holding the two hundred yuan from his pocket in his palm.

Du Wenjuan was taken aback when she saw it clearly, “Baby, where did you get the money? ”

“It… it was given by my brother.” Peng Xingwang lowered his head and said, “Then we won’t feed it.”

“That’s why you should be obedient. If you go to live with your mother in the future, you must also learn to be diligent and frugal.” Chang Hua said with satisfaction, “We are not poor, but the money has to be spent on the blade.”[1]spend money where it matters the most; make the best use of money

He motioned to Du Wenjuan to take the two hundred and led the two to continue walking as they said goodbye to the other children.

“Your cousin seems rich, what kind of business does he do?”

Du Wenjuan was somewhat upset and thought to return the money to Jiang Wang later, “I don’t know… I think it’s related to bookstores.”

“Ho, bookstores are making so much money now?”

The child panicked for a while, and asked his mother in a low voice, “Can we live together in the future?!”

“Wouldn’t that be great?” Du Wenjuan said with a gentle look, “Mom has always missed you very much, I came to you as soon as my work and residence stabilized.”

Peng Xingwang paused for a short time as if some magic spell had finally been lifted.

It wasn’t that his mother didn’t want him anymore, but she was just busy with other things. My brother really didn’t lie to me.

Chang Hua called to meet up at 11 am. But Jiang Wang delayed for a while and said that there was something to be done at the company. He didn’t come to pick up the group until 12 o’clock.

He deliberately drove a more spacious commercial vehicle, and first looked at Peng Xingwang’s expression when picking them up.

Ji Linqiu sat in the front passenger seat and looked at them for a while, “Talking and laughing. Looks like they’re getting along well.”

The three of them got on one after another, and the car turned around driving to the Western restaurant next to the park.

Peng Xingwang was tired. After he got on, he drank most of the bottle of water, but then he seemed to remember some good news. He was very happy as he lay down beside Jiang Wang.

“Brother! Mom said she wanted to take me and live with her!”

Jiang Wang paused for a few seconds, and said naturally, “That’s good, you wouldn’t have to worry anymore about writing essays in the future.”[2]maybe referring to the essay about his parents’ job where Jiang Wang made him draw a gun lmao

Du Wenjuan couldn’t help apologizing, “You have worked so hard to take care of Xingxing for so long, it really caused trouble for you two.”

“When we pick up Xingwang tomorrow, you will be able to have a good rest in a while.”

Peng Xingwang was stunned.

“Tomorrow?”

“Of course it’s tomorrow.” Chang Hua saw that the child was a little scared, “Don’t worry, Uncle will find you the best elementary school in our country. There are even foreigners as English teachers.”

Ji Linqiu smiled and handed the freshly baked chocolate bread to the child beside him.

“If you’re hungry, eat this first.”

Peng Xingwang said thank you and took it with both hands, but his attention was not distracted.

“Why tomorrow?”

“Because adults have to go to work on Monday,“ Du Wenjuan apologized, “After becoming an adult, there will be no winter and summer vacations. I have to go to work from Monday to Friday.”

“Don’t be afraid, Xingxing. Let’s go to Cizhou for a while,” she said softly, “If you can’t get used to it… just say so and you can just come back.”

“You must get used to it,” Chang Hua replied, “We are much better than here.”

Peng Xingwang didn’t expect this matter to be so urgent, his mind couldn’t process it for a while.

It was tantamount to saying that he would have to change to another city in the second grade, and all the friends he just got along with would no longer be able to see him.

More importantly…

“Will my brother go to Cizhou?”

“I don’t think so,” Jiang Wang, looking at the indicator light at the intersection, “But Teacher Ji and I will come to see you, we will definitely go.”

Ji Linqiu glanced at him and nodded tacitly. “This teacher will miss you very much.”

Peng Xingwang was a little anxious, but he didn’t know what to say. He called out to his brother very loudly.

“Here we are.” Jiang Wang looked at him through the rearview mirror.

Peng Xingwang became sad all of a sudden and stretched out his hand to hold his shoulder tightly.

“Brother,” he murmured, “Do I really want to leave tomorrow?”

While on the way, Jiang Wang had already hardened and was mentally prepared, but now he suddenly became unprincipled and soft-hearted.

Ji Linqiu glanced at him disapprovingly.

He had to cut through this mess quickly. Jiang Wang thought so. If the delay was too long, and the child couldn’t let go of both sides, it would make the problem even bigger.

“You don’t have to go right now. You can stay for ten more days or half a month. It’s a big deal, and I can send you there anytime.”

Peng Xingwang panicked. He suddenly felt that ten days or half a month were not enough.

But his mother was by his side, and he felt that it was a betrayal to want to stay.

“Can’t Brother go to Cizhou?”

Jiang Wang shook his head.

“I work here.”

It was impossible for him to integrate into Du Wenjuan’s life, but it was still possible for Xingxing.

Du Wenjuan felt that the child was in the wrong mood, and said hurriedly, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Have fun today, and we’ll discuss it tomorrow.”

Chang Hua responded absent-mindedly.

References