A Young Woman's Heart

"Ok?"

Chen Cheng didn't continue speaking for a while, but quietly finished smoking the Zhonghua cigarette in his hand, and then stuffed the rest of the cigarettes into Old Chen's hands.

"go home."

"……it is good."

"Let's go." Chen Cheng finally smiled, and now, half a head taller than his father, he patted his father's shoulder forcefully. "Let's go!"

He repeated the same two words twice.

"Let's go home!" Old Chen laughed loudly. At this moment, he couldn't help but want to shed tears. However, as the pillar of the family, he hadn't vented his emotions for too long, so he didn't even know how to cry. He just felt a stinging sensation in the corners of his eyes, but no tears flowed. "A family should indeed be together."

"Where's my mom? Should we call her back?"

“Her salary is pretty good right now, and the place has air conditioning in the summer, so let her work there for now. Once I’m settled, I’ll let her come back, and we can live together again.” Old Chen took out the whole pack of Zhonghua cigarettes that Chen Cheng had given him earlier, took out one, thought for a long time, and then put it back.

"Let's take the electric scooter back." Chen Cheng pointed to his large electric scooter parked in front of the grocery store; three people could squeeze in if they wanted.

"Row."

"Take Lianlian with you."

"What's your girlfriend's name?"

"Yes, her name is Zhuang Lianlian. Zhuang is the Zhuang family, Lian is the lotus, and Lian is the pity."

"It's a very nice name," Old Chen smiled.

"He is a disabled person."

"Whatever you like is fine, but don't hurt others."

"I know." Chen Cheng was a little impatient, but then he felt that his tone was not good, so he softened his tone. "I will definitely treat her well. I was very depressed for a while, and I was very grateful to have her by my side."

"Ah."

Chen Cheng glanced at his father waiting at the door and walked into the general store alone.

Zhuang Lianlian has fallen asleep again, this time slumped over the counter.

"Lianlian, wake up, it's time to go home."

"Hmm... um...?" Zhuang Lianlian opened her eyes half-asleep and saw Chen Cheng standing in front of her.

Do you want me to hug you?

"Hug—" Zhuang Lianlian stretched out her arms.

Chen Cheng picked her up in his arms and then casually put the key to the roller shutter door into his pocket.

"Dad, the key is in my pocket, lock the door."

"it is good."

Then came the sound of the roller shutter being pulled up with a 'whoosh'.

It was especially jarring in the quiet street.

Chen Cheng put Zhuang Lianlian on the electric scooter, letting her sit in front of him while he sat in the middle, and his father sat in the back. They squeezed in and managed to get home.

Zhuang Lianlian felt the cool night breeze brush against her face, which made her a little more awake. The smell of tobacco on Chen Cheng made her feel particularly at ease.

"Meow~" Su Tang, who was squatting at the entrance of the fruit shop, gently wagged its tail and meowed at them, as if saying goodbye.

Old Chen put his tools in the basket, and the electric scooter carrying three people finally started moving slowly, heading towards home.

"Ah... I used to take you for rides all the time, and you would sit like this in front of me." Old Chen was lost in memories. "Haha... This seat was usually for your mother, but back then we rode motorcycles, not electric bikes. Technology has developed so fast now. There weren't such big electric bikes back then. Electric bikes were as small as bicycles, and the batteries were tiny too, so they couldn't go very far."

"Um... what should I call you?" Zhuang Lianlian looked at Old Chen through the rearview mirror and asked shyly.

"Call me? Whatever you want, call me whatever you like, Uncle? Or even 'Dad' if you want, haha!"

……

Chapter 116 A Virtuous Wife

Although the beginning of autumn has passed, it is still considered a summer morning, or rather, the early morning.

Five o'clock.

Old Chen took a good shower at home and went to sleep on the master bedroom bed that he hadn't slept on for a very long time.

He slept exceptionally well that night.

Although I only slept for four hours, I felt exceptionally awake when I woke up.

When he saw this familiar yet unfamiliar home, he even felt as if he were in a dream.

A faint aroma of porridge wafted from the kitchen. If you listened closely, you could hear the clattering of pots and pans, and the sizzling of cooking oil in the pan.

For a family, this is the most heartwarming morning.

A home only feels like home when someone makes breakfast.

At least it's not cold.

Old Chen quickly washed up in a minute, then suddenly realized that it was still early and he didn't need to rush.

He walked to the kitchen and saw a petite figure busy at work.

She was wearing a cute printed apron, and the kitchen was spotless; even though she was frying something, there wasn't a strong smell of cooking oil.

Fresh and elegant, is this the taste of home?

Old Chen couldn't help but think to himself.

I thought back to my youth, when I was full of vigor and ambition. Every morning I would wake up to find my wife making breakfast, but I didn't find it anything special.

Indeed, people only learn to cherish things after they've lost them.

It turns out that this ordinary beauty is so precious.

"Oh, Uncle...you're awake?" Zhuang Lianlian looked at him somewhat embarrassedly. "Um...I made some breakfast, it might not be very tasty..."

"Really? I think it smells delicious."

"Eh."

"Haha, Chen Cheng is a lucky guy!" Old Chen laughed, leaning against the door. "Do you make breakfast every day?"

"Yeah, that's basically how it is... Actually, I wasn't very good at cooking last year..."

"Thank you for learning these things for him."

“It’s not hard work, it’s not hard work!” Zhuang Lianlian shook her head vigorously. “As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.”

"That kid is really lucky." Old Chen stretched lazily, returning home to live, the unease he felt seemed to be gradually dissipating. "Where's he? Isn't he getting up yet?"

"Hmm, he should get up around six or seven... Actually, I don't usually get up that early, but I heard that my uncle has to go to work very early, so I made a special effort to get up early..."

"Thank you for your hard work. You don't need to come so early next time. I'll go buy something to eat."

“Buying outside is expensive, and it’s not necessarily hygienic.” Zhuang Lianlian stared intently at the fried eggs in the frying pan. “Besides, breakfast isn’t complicated.”

"You've worked hard," Old Chen said again, repeating these three words many times that morning.

He was probably saying it to his wife in his heart.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since they last saw each other, and he misses her a little.

"It's true that it's best for a family to be together..." Old Chen sighed, repeating the same words countless times, as he sat down at the dining table.

Breakfast was actually very simple: just plain congee, a fried egg, and a plate of fried noodles.

The stir-fried noodles had some cabbage and shredded meat added; the ingredients were simple, and it looked very refreshing.

Old Chen looked at the white porridge that was served, took a few big gulps, and then let out a long, satisfying sigh.

"Ha—not bad!"

"Uncle, Uncle... Be careful, it's hot, it's just been cooked."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm used to it. I always eat like this when I'm in a hurry."

"It's better to go slowly, just in case you get burned," Zhuang Lianlian said cautiously with a smile. "Hmm... how does it taste?"

"Excellent!" Old Chen gave a thumbs up. "It's been so long since I've had such a wonderful breakfast!"

"Huh? Really?"

"Of course it's true." Old Chen blew on the congee. "That's what makes it taste like 'home'."

As they were talking, Chen Cheng staggered out of the room.

He rubbed his eyes, glanced at Old Chen, then took a bottle of iced cola from the refrigerator and gulped it down.

"You're drinking Coke so early in the morning?" Old Chen couldn't help but lecture him.

"Cheng, didn't I tell you not to drink iced cola in the morning?" Zhuang Lianlian said softly, "It's bad for your stomach."

"Uh, it's mainly because I feel that drinking iced cola is more refreshing." Chen Cheng seemed much more sober and, unusually, didn't argue with others, but instead put down the iced cola.

"Why are you up so early today? Do you want to have breakfast?"

"No, I don't have much of an appetite." Chen Cheng burped and went into the bathroom. "Dad, which construction site are you going to work at later? I'll come with you."

"Hmm?" Old Chen was somewhat surprised.

"I earn my own living expenses," Chen Cheng said. A short while later, the sound of brushing teeth could be heard from the bathroom.

"Ah Cheng mentioned before that he wanted to get a job..."

"Summer vacation is almost over, but it's good to get some experience," Old Chen nodded. "But it's very tiring, can you handle it?"

"How will you know if you don't try?" Chen Cheng came out after washing his face and sneered, "Heh, don't underestimate me."

"Okay, but don't complain when the time comes, haha!"

"If you're going to work, you must eat your fill," Zhuang Lianlian advised. "At least have some porridge, right?"

"Yes, I'll be hungry later."

"Oh...then have some porridge."