Return to the inner city.
The fever only subsided in the afternoon of the New Year. After he woke up, his stomach growled. He was alone on the bed. The evening sun shone on the wall along the floor-to-ceiling windows. He found that his whole body was sore. It must be the sequelae of the fever.
As soon as he got up and leaned on the pillow, Chu Xijin opened the door and came in. The man's brows were filled with worry. He sat on the edge of the bed and touched his cheek, saying warmly:
"Baby, how are you feeling?"
He Nian shook his head, feeling that apart from blinking a little, there didn't seem to be much discomfort. He raised his hand and found a small bruise on the back of his hand, and raised his head in confusion.
Chu Xijin leaned over, kissed his slightly swollen eyelids very lightly, touched his back and blamed himself:
"It's my fault that I made you feel uncomfortable."
"No." He Nian said, getting into the man's arms in slow motion, rubbing his neck dependently, smelling the reassuring smell, his voice was still a little hoarse:
"Sir, it's not your fault. I'm not feeling particularly uncomfortable." He raised his head and kissed Chu Xijin's chin, and said very manly:
"Don't blame yourself. You will always be the best in my heart. I like you very much."
Chu Xijin choked, holding the man and checking him carefully, and then taking his temperature before he felt relieved, and reached out to touch his soft belly:
"Are you almost hungry?"
"Yeah!" He Nian nodded quickly. He was really hungry and would faint again if he didn't eat.
"Didn't you say you wanted to eat dumplings yesterday? I've already made them, but you can only eat light ones."
"dumpling?"
He Nian came out of the man's arms, looked at Tian'er outside, and then clicked on his phone to check the time. He slept for too long and didn't react for a while.
"You forgot, today is New Year's Day." Chu Xijin pulled the quilt and covered him up, fearing that he would catch a cold again.
"Lie down and I'll call you when it's ready."
"No." He Nian grabbed the man's arm and was as clingy as a kitten. He blinked his big innocent eyes and said coquettishly:
"Honey, I'm not sleepy anymore. I'll have a headache if I sleep again. I want to go with you."
Chu Xijin had no choice but to find a pair of winter pajamas to wrap him up, then put one hand around his waist and the other hand on his butt, packed him up and carried him away.
I was originally going back to my old house for dinner on New Year's Day, but I didn't expect to get sick during the New Year celebrations. At noon, Chu Xijin called and simply told Liang Yunyun that I had a cold during the New Year celebrations and that I needed more rest. The car ride back and forth was too tiring, so I didn't go back.
Liang Yunyun was worried and quickly asked if she had seen a doctor and if she needed to come take care of him. Chu Xijin told her not to worry, it was just a cold.
After New Year's Day, the final exams begin in school, and winter vacation will come soon.
He Minglan missed her son so much that she called He Nian several times, saying that tickets were crowded during the New Year holiday, and transferred money to urge him to buy high-speed rail tickets.
It had been more than half a year since he had been back to the inner city, and he was a little homesick for the New Year. He was thinking about buying tickets.
On the day of departure, Chu Xijin drove to the high-speed rail station to send New Year greetings. Licheng was a relatively backward small county with no airport, so taking the high-speed rail was already the most convenient way.
The atmosphere on the road was dull.
He Nian secretly looked at the man in the driver's seat. Chu Xijin looked like he was focused on driving. He couldn't tell his emotions. He was just unhappy anyway.
In fact, he was also very disappointed. He hesitated for too long when buying tickets, and he was still thinking about whether the 20th would be early. In the end, only the 15th had tickets. After that, they were all sold out, so he had to buy them.
Putting it all together, the two of them could not see each other for a month.
"gentlemen......"
He Nian wrinkled his little face and looked miserable. He sighed and didn't know what to say. He drooped his head and said dullly:
"...Forget it, it's nothing."
Chu Xijin didn't want to be really angry with him, but it happened too suddenly, and she didn't tell him in advance. She said she would go back to the inner city one day, but she would leave the next day.
Arrive at the high-speed rail station.
The crowd was very crowded. Chu Xijin took his ID to get a ticket for him. He couldn't get into the waiting room without a ticket. He could only wait at the door with a suitcase. The suitcase and schoolbag were not heavy, and they contained some health care products. , and new clothes bought for He Cen and He Minglan.
There are many restaurants next to the high-speed rail station, all of which are provided for passengers who are in a hurry to catch the train. He Nian was attracted by a flower shop next to it.
When Chu Xijin came back, he had a large bouquet of roses in his arms to celebrate the New Year. He ignored the gazes around him and walked over to the man and offered them to the man, vowing:
"Sir, I will come back early after the New Year."
Chu Xijin said amusedly: "Are you trying to compensate me?"
Feeling relieved, He Nian nodded quickly.
The voice announcement had already begun to prompt him to enter the station. Chu Xijin helped him tie his scarf carefully, then pulled him into his arms and held him for a while, then placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Accept the compensation, pay attention to safety on the road, and call me when you get home."
He Nian's eyes were hot and his throat was so sore that he couldn't say anything and could only nod his head. When he left, he didn't even dare to look back, for fear that he would shed useless tears.
The winter in Licheng is considered mild. It rarely snows, and the temperature remains around zero. It is often sunny in winter, and even the cold wind is not that biting.
Four dishes and one soup were placed on the dinner table. He Minglan had already been looking forward to it. He Cen didn't say anything, but actually walked to the door intentionally or unintentionally.
The first thing I did after getting off the high-speed train during the Lunar New Year was to call Chu Xijin, and then I took the bus. It was just dark when I got home. The whole family was laughing and laughing, and He Minglan served him some food with a smile:
"The food in school is rich in variety. Are you still used to eating what your mother cooks?"
"Mom, no one can match your craftsmanship, but the food at home is delicious." He Nian held the bowl and drank a big mouthful of bone soup. His cheeks were bulging, and the warmth spread from his stomach to his whole body. He turned his head and said with concern:
"Dad, how are your legs lately? Is there any discomfort or wear and tear?"
"Don't worry." He Cen said happily: "The prosthesis is very easy to use. When I go to see a doctor in our small county, people say they have never seen anything like this material."
"Oh, after receiving such a great favor, I don't have a chance to thank others. Otherwise, I would never have the chance to sit here."
As He Cen spoke, he suddenly seemed to have something on his mind and turned around to ask for New Year greetings:
"Xiao Nian, I heard from your mother that you applied through the scholarship established by your high school. Can you still contact them now? As human beings, we must not forget our roots. If there is a chance..."
The topic changed so quickly that He Nian's heart skipped a beat, and in the end he could only vaguely explain it. He obviously hadn't figured out how to confess yet.
Falling in love is nothing in itself, but if his parents know about what happened between him and his husband, they may not be able to accept it for a while, and may even think about other things. With He Cen's temper, he may not even continue to use his prosthetic limbs...
On New Year's Eve, supermarket products were on sale everywhere. He Minglan bought a lot of things for home from the Internet. Their express delivery did not deliver them to your door, so she had to go to the station to pick them up during the New Year.
The newly opened station was far away. When he was queuing for the New Year greetings, he vaguely noticed two men next to him who kept looking at him. He turned his head to look over, then quickly looked away and looked around.
The two looked at each other in their twenties. One of them was burly, with a face, wearing a thick red coat, with a thick titanium steel chain hanging around his neck. The other was skinny and had a perm. Yellow hair and jeans.
I was careful about the New Year's greetings and walked quickly after picking up my things. There was an elementary school not far ahead. Although the school was on holiday, there were many businesses in that area.
After walking for a while, he turned around and found that no one was there. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the two people approaching from the other direction.
The melon-faced man put his hands on his hips, his face flushed and gasping for air, pointing at the New Year greetings and said angrily:
"Are you a rabbit?! Running so fast makes grandpa exhausted!"
He Nian warned: "Why are you following me?"
Wogualian glanced at Shouhou, the two exchanged glances, and gathered around aggressively:
"Boy, I've made it clear that I won't make things difficult for you during the Chinese New Year. My brothers need money to spend, so you can just hand over the money you have and leave."
In a small city like Licheng, blackmailing people for money is not uncommon. This was the first time he encountered it during the New Year. He calmly dug into his pockets:
"I only have ninety dollars on me."
The melon-faced man obviously didn't believe it: "Are you a liar?! Your outfit must cost at least tens of thousands. You tell me you have no money?"
Greeting the New Year innocently: "Anyway, I only have so much. Didn't you say that you can leave after handing over the money you have?"
People in mixed society are more or less particular about honesty. The words had already been spoken. Wo Gua reluctantly took the money, looked at the box of express delivery and asked:
"What do you have here? Is it valuable?"
"toilet paper."
Genuine toilet paper, now the two people were completely out of temper. Wogualian divided the money in his hand by forty to Shouhou, stared at the New Year greetings and clicked his tongue.
"It's really unlucky. I thought I could make some big bucks today. Damn, you're as poor as me... let's go, monkey."
Seeing that the two of them had no intention of quarreling anymore, He Nian bent down and picked up the express. At that moment, Shouhou felt something flash in his eyes, and he quickly turned around and shouted:
"Brother, that thing around his neck is worth a lot of money!"
He Nian's face changed slightly, and just when he was about to call the police, his arm was already stretched out.
"Give it back to me!"
Wogualian looked at the ring in his hand, thinking that he would make a fortune this time. He was so excited to celebrate the New Year that he rushed to grab it regardless.
Chuanxi Road Police Station.
This was the first time He Nian had entered the police station since he was a child. He was standing aside with the ring he had snatched tightly in his hand. His husband had asked him to exercise and learn self-defense skills before. Unexpectedly, he had a puffy face and looked like a balloon when he punched him. The air was leaking, and the thin monkey had no ability at all. The two of them were completely bluffing.
In the small room, Wo Gua face covered his stomach and cried out in pain, while Skinny Monkey covered his stomach and cried out that he was blind.
"Uncle policeman, you said it was just Chinese New Year, but we brothers were beaten like this... pay for it!"
"Ouch, there is no law of heaven... It's unjustifiable if I don't pay thirty to fifty thousand yuan..."
There were two police officers, a man and a woman, in charge of taking notes, both in their thirties and forties. The female police officer had a serious look on her face, glanced at it, and slapped her ballpoint pen on the table:
"Why are you shouting! It's you two again. It's fun to be a police station, isn't it? How many times have you come in in just half a month? The threshold has been stepped down by you!"
"You can't accuse people unfairly..."
"Shut up!"
The male policeman roared angrily, and his face finally became quiet.
The two policemen looked at the New Year greetings, but they couldn't recognize him. Isn't this the top scorer in last year's college entrance examination? Although he studied in F City, he was also a native of the inner city. It is not easy for his hometown to produce such a good young talent.
"Come, classmate, sit down." The female police officer stood up, made a cup of jasmine tea and placed it on the table, her voice was much gentler.
"Tell me what happened."
The New Year greeter sat in an upright posture, with his hands on his knees. Under the cold white light, you could still see the blue blood vessels. He told the story honestly, with clear logic. When he saw that the situation was not right, he immediately jumped on the topic:
"Fart! He knocked out my stomach acid!"
The female police officer glared at him: "Shut up!!" She turned her head and said softly:
"Just tell the truth, don't be afraid of them."
When he finally left the police station, the two police officers enthusiastically stuffed a bag of toffee into his New Year greetings. He ate one and his mouth was filled with sweetness. He didn't even notice that the palm of his hand was broken and bleeding.
The phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a call from my husband.