Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 344 Ordinary People
At 6 p.m., after finishing their third exam of the day, Zhai Da took Lu Wei to Taiping Airport.

When passing by the industrial park, at Lu Wei's suggestion, Zhai Da went in for a while, but came out again after only a few minutes.

At eight o'clock, at Taiping Airport, Zhai Da and Lu Wei stood at the arrival exit, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Within minutes, Yu Xiaoli, pushing a large cart of luggage, appeared before them, but even faster was a charming and young girl rushing towards them.

"elder brother!"

After shouting energetically, Tang Xiaokui hesitated for a moment, but when she saw Zhai Da open his arms, she mustered her courage and ran over, her smile growing brighter with each step.

Zhai Da scooped Tang Xiao Kui up in his arms and weighed her in his hand: "You've gotten a bit heavier. Have you grown taller? How tall are you?"

The dress she's wearing has a bit of a Lolita style to it; you can tell it's a leftover from her mom's shopping cart. You can't buy clothes like this in Dongyang.

Tang Xiaokui said with a grin, "137, Mom says playing badminton helps you grow taller!"

Zhai Da keenly noticed the change in how Tang Xiao Kui addressed him, and felt quite emotional.

Tang Xiao Kui's mother's devoted companionship eventually led her to accept and integrate into her new family.

No matter how much hesitation or inner turmoil lies behind that "Mom," the fact that you can utter it smoothly in this moment proves everything.

"With your height, you need to leave room for growth later. You'll grow shorter first, you know?"

It's as if they can control it.

Tang Xiaokui chuckled and said, "Mom took me to have my bone age tested, and she said it's normal. I'll grow as tall as Sister Lu in the future!"

"That's not bad."

After putting Tang Xiaokui down, Zhai Da and Yu Xiaoli gave each other a deep hug: "You must be tired from the journey?"

Yu Xiaoli laughed and said, "I'm not tired. I slept the whole way."

I almost forgot that my mom has "vehicle narcolepsy".

Afterwards, Ms. Yu and Lu Wei hugged warmly. Zhai Da pushed the luggage, while Lu Wei held Tang Xiao Kui's hand and walked towards the parking lot.

The family is neat and tidy.

In the parking lot, Zhai Da unlocked the car from a distance and went to put his luggage away. Tang Xiao Kui couldn't help, so Yu Xiao Li told her to get in the car first.

The little girl opened the back door.

stunned.

To the right rear, there is a huge birdcage, inside which sits an even larger crow.

Even more outrageous, the crow was staring intently at the small screen on the back of the passenger seat, watching TV.

"."

Tang Xiaokui closed the car door, rubbed her eyes, and opened it again.

The bird is still there.

Tang Xiao Kui looked behind her blankly, hoping that an adult could explain what kind of program this was.
Zhai Da had just finished putting down his luggage when he said, "Xiao Hei, haven't we met before? Don't you recognize me?"

Tang Xiaokui thought to herself, is this a matter of knowing each other or not?

Isn't this scene surprising? Or should we wait until it speaks?
With a stiff face, he could only get on the bus from the other side, and then Yu Xiaoli squeezed him into the middle, pressing him against the birdcage again.

Normally you wouldn't notice, but today, due to the special circumstances, you can tell that Xiao Hei is much, much bigger than before in the birdcage.

Zhai Da measured it privately and found that his body length had grown from 59 cm, which was almost the limit for the large-billed crow species, to 64 cm, and his wingspan had reached 1.4 meters.

This bird is already similar in size to its distant relative, the raven, which is the largest passerine bird in the world and is known in Northern Europe as the embodiment of strength and intelligence.

In layman's terms: He's both strong and intelligent.

It's worth mentioning that ravens theoretically also exist in the three northeastern provinces, but Zhai Da has never seen one in the city.

Tang Xiao Kui felt a little nervous. Just from sitting down, she felt that the bird was taller than her when it was standing!

Xiao Hei turned its head and pecked at the anklet.

"Hello there!"

Tang Xiao Kui opened her cherry-like mouth, wanting to shout: Brother! He actually spoke!
Yu Xiaoli, on the other hand, was more accepting, exclaiming with delight, "This bird was raised for you, and it's so intelligent!"

Sometimes, middle-aged and elderly people are more receptive to novel ideas.

For example, Ms. Yu still believes that wearing a vibrating device on her waist can break down fat.

As Zhai Da started the car, he said, "Crows are inherently intelligent, with the intelligence of a seven-year-old human. This one is even more special; Tang Xiaokui might not be as strong as it."

Tang Xiao Kui: ? ? ?

"I was worried you'd be bored at home, so I brought it back here to keep you entertained. Otherwise, it spends most of its time at the factory. Little Black, remember to call me when you need to go to the bathroom."

Little Black pecked at the anklet again: "Okay."

Tang Xiao Kui lowered her head in shame, because she occasionally—well, very occasionally—wet the bed. She certainly couldn't compare to the crow.
Many people believe that birds cannot control their excrement, but this is a misconception. In fact, most birds will actively control their excrement during the incubation period to avoid polluting the environment or attracting predators.

That would normally be completely unnecessary.

However, trained birds can be controlled to a certain extent, including directing them to designated areas.

After responding, Xiao Hei turned back to watch the program, which was showing a video of bird training. The video showed falconers on the grassland using birds of prey to hunt and find prey.

As Xiao Hei watched the golden eagle hunt with its sharp talons, its own claws would unconsciously extend and retract.
Gradually, Tang Xiaokui also started to look into it, without saying a word.

It's just that I'm taking on the other half of the role.
The group chatted and laughed all the way (except for Tang Xiaokui, who was already completely captivated). Although it was their second time here, Yu Xiaoli still praised the beautiful night view.

What city dwellers perceive as dazzling light pollution is a rare sight for people in small towns.

Just like Zhai Da, who stayed in Shanghai for more than ten years in later years, he didn't quite understand why anyone would be willing to go to the Bund to see those dilapidated lights, but forgot that when he first came to Shanghai, he also stood on tiptoe and looked around there.

I look forward to the future, to whether there will be a brightly lit place that belongs to me.

Later, with more experience and traveling around, I would occasionally take clients to the Bund. When I saw it again, I was no longer as happy as I had been at first sight. I guess I realized that the fantasies I had in my youth were no longer possible. No matter how many times I passed by, I would no longer turn my head. I stubbornly only looked at the road in front of me.

Zhai Da drove everyone to the "Jufu Grand Restaurant," where Wu Yue was already waiting at the entrance, smiling as he greeted them: "Hello, Auntie, welcome to Harbin." Yu Xiaoli looked Wu Yue up and down, noting how mature the young man had become: "Little Wu has gotten so handsome! Do you have a girlfriend yet?"

Starting with zero frames, Wu Yue couldn't defend against it and gave an awkward laugh: "Not yet, not yet."

In fact, after he finished dealing with some matters here, he would soon fly to Shenzhen to help Li Haili try to open up a path and situation there, as the latter had already made some initial moves during this period.

Zhai Da was very interested in the results and achievements of the two men's trip.

Since they were all on the same side, there was no need to be polite for too long. As they walked inside, the owner of Jufu Restaurant saw them and quickly stepped aside, greeting them, "Hello, Brother Da! Hello, Brother Yue!"

Wu Yue casually greeted him, "How's business lately? It's been a while since I've been here."

"Thanks to Brother Yue's guidance, it's not bad."

Wu Yue patted the boss's arm: "What's with all this taking pictures? I'll come back for tea sometime," and then gestured to talk later.

Yu Xiaoli followed behind, a hint of doubt in her eyes, feeling that she had heard these lines in a movie before!
Once inside the private room, there were several other people sitting there. Not to mention Wang Xiaolong and Xu Xuejun, who were also from Dongyang, two important figures from Yueda Catering also came to join in the fun: Song Wu, the chief craft brewer, and Qin Yang, the deputy captain of the transportation team.

"Brother Da! Brother Yue!"

Several people managed to stand up after the launch start, but Yu Xiaoli was completely confused. Only Xu Xuejun remained calm, nodding with a smile.

Yu Xiaoli glanced at her son subconsciously and found that Zhai Da was very calm, so she stopped thinking about it and said with a smile, "Xiaolong, right? I saw you at the welfare home during the Spring Festival, as well as Master Xu. It's been a long time. Please sit down, we're all family here."

She regained the composure and friendliness of being a mother.

------

The welcome dinner went smoothly. It was getting late and they were tired from the journey, so they didn't have much time to catch up. After driving his mother and Xiao Kui home, Zhai Da started assigning rooms.

Shenzhou Zun Di 1501 has always been occupied by two adults and one child. When Yu Xiaoli first brought the two of them to school, each of them had their own room. However, it was obviously too crowded for her and Tang Xiao Kui to sleep in that room.

Zhai Da's master bedroom, which also served as a study, was needed for studying, so Xiao Mutou decided to give up his secondary bedroom and move into the small room.

Zhai Da had originally suggested that since they were already in a proper boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, they could just come to the master bedroom together.
Little Wooden Head: "I'm afraid of disturbing Teacher Yu and the others at night."

One sentence sums it all up, including the questioning of Zhai Da's self-control.

Afterwards, the family members washed up and rested separately. Yu Xiaoli and Tang Xiaokui would be staying for nearly two months, so they had plenty of time to chat. It was best to rest early today.

Zhai Da and Lu Wei studied late into the night in the master bedroom. Tomorrow, they will be taking three exams in a high-intensity schedule. However, with Ms. Yu here, at least there will be three hot meals waiting for them at home.

It was only one o'clock in the morning when Zhai Da was about to go to the bathroom and then go to sleep. He opened the door and saw Yu Xiaoli sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching TV listlessly, but there was no sound.

Zhai Da looked at his watch in surprise: "Mom, what's going on...?"

Yu Xiaoli sighed: "I slept too much during the day on the bus and plane, and now I have insomnia."

"."

Yu Xiaoli patted the sofa: "You just got up to use the bathroom, why don't you talk to me for a bit after you're done?"

Zhai Dayi waved his hand sternly: "No, I didn't get up at night, I just went to the toilet normally."

What's the difference?

"The difference in dignity."

After getting up, oops, using the toilet, and washing his hands, Zhai Da sat on the sofa: "Well, tell your son what's bothering you, and I'll see if I can help you sort things out."

Yu Xiaoli looked at her son. This sofa was bigger and newer than the one in Sanmao Community, so it seemed that the two of them were farther apart than in Dongyang.

"I felt like the people at dinner today were acting strangely."

Zhai Da frankly said, "It's because the treatment is good, and because your son and Wu Yue have some personal charisma, so they are relatively loyal."

"And the restaurant owner? Is he also loyal?"

"They're our customers, we're just being enthusiastic. Mom, you're implying something. Just say what you want to say. Are you worried that Wu Yue and I will go astray?"

I assumed Ms. Yu definitely wanted to talk about this, but to my surprise, she shook her head: "No, I'm never worried about you going astray. Wu Yue used to be naughty too, but I think he's different now."

"You're someone I watched grow up. You can't be that bad. At most, you'll just cause trouble in your relationships with men."

"Cough! Cough! Mom, is this appropriate?"

Yu Xiaoli smiled and said, "Just think of me as someone who knows a son better than his mother. I've always thought it was impossible for you to commit crimes, cheat or swindle, but you never know when you might make a fundamental mistake in your relationships."

Finally, he shook his head: "That's not right either. It's not a matter of principle, it's a matter of law."

Zhai Da felt a sense of powerlessness that traveled from his fingernails all the way to the top of his head.
"Fine, I won't argue. So what are you worried about?"

Yu Xiaoli looked at Zhai Da and said, "I'm worried that you're moving too fast and that you're starting to disregard ordinary people."

Zhai Da did not rush to defend himself, but waited for his mother to continue.

Yu Xiaoli turned off the boring TV, which was showing Dae Jang Geum preparing a bowel obstruction meal for the king.

"You're a writer, a company owner, and you did well on the college entrance exam, leaving most people far behind. You may have suffered a bit with me growing up, but you've mastered everything on the first try, it's all too easy for you."

“I’m afraid that people around you will praise you too much and make you forget that you are also an ordinary person. As long as you are well treated and they are grateful to you, you should also be grateful to them for their hard work so that the company can get better and better and you, as the boss, can benefit the most from it.”

Yu Xiaoli placed her palm on the back of Zhai Da's hand and said softly, "Mom may not be very knowledgeable, but Mom knows where we come from. Our family has been ordinary workers since your grandfather's time. Even if we know the things your grandfather kept, that hasn't changed. We can improve our skills, but we shouldn't elevate our status or look down on others."

Looking at his mother's earnest face, Zhai Da suddenly felt a pang of longing.

Did my mother have such feelings and teachings in my past life?

Perhaps they just haven't had the chance to say it.
Zhai Da also placed his other hand on the back of his mother's hand:

"Don't worry, I won't forget. But there's one thing you're wrong about, Mom."

Yu Xiaoli asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

It's not that I haven't suffered or failed; it's just that those things happened in places you don't know about.

Zhai Da really wanted to say that, but he kept it to himself.

Then she said, "I grew up with you and never suffered any hardship."

(End of this chapter)