After a long journey day and night, Pei Donglai finally arrived home.
The moment he saw his mother, Pei Donglai's eyes became wet.
After not seeing each other for three years, my mother's hair was almost completely white. When she saw her son coming back, Pei's mother just said lightly: "He's back."
Pei Donglai was surprised.
"Where's my dad?"
"Go fishing"
Seeing that something was not right with his mother, Pei Dong came and asked, "Mom, what happened at home?"
"Did you divorce Xiaojie?"
Pei Donglai didn't know why his mother suddenly asked this question. Did Lin Xiaojie tell her elders?
"No...no".
"How long are you going to lie to me and your dad?" After saying this, my mother burst into tears.
"Xiao...Xiaojie told you?"
Mother Pei nodded and said, "Xiaojie came here last week."
"Has she been here?" Pei Donglai couldn't believe his ears.
Pei Donglai remembered that Lin Xiaojie did call several times during his stay in Hainan, but each time he was either busy or drunk, so he didn't answer the call and was too lazy to reply.
Seeing that his mother was very sad, Pei Donglai helped her sit down.
Pei's mother: "Xiaojie said that she was sorry for you, and she was the one who initiated the divorce. You had no choice but to do so. She bought a lot of things for me and your dad, and even gave us 200,000 yuan."
After finishing speaking, Pei's mother took out a bank card and gave it to Pei Donglai.
Pei Donglai couldn't figure out why Lin Xiaojie did this?
Pei Donglai picked up the phone and scrolled to "Familiar Strangers". Since the day of the divorce, Pei Donglai had changed the note. He originally wanted to delete the contact information, but thinking about a couple, there was no need to be so naive.
After hesitating for a while, Pei Donglai dialed over.
The ringtone rang for a few seconds, and the other party answered: "Dong Lai".
"Send me your card number and I'll transfer the money to you."
"Have you gone home?" Lin Xiaojie did not tell Pei Donglai his card number.
"I'm going home. You can send me your card number later. I'll hang up first."
"That 200,000 yuan is for my uncle and aunt to provide for their retirement. I won't give you my card number."
"Why?"
After being silent for a few seconds, Lin Xiaojie said: "Donglai, I remember that I have been to your house once since we got married. As a daughter-in-law, I am incompetent. On the contrary, my uncles and aunts often call me to ask for help. They are very caring. They buy me gifts and give me red envelopes every year. Although we are divorced, in my heart, they will always be my parents, and this 200,000 yuan is a little bit of my heart."
Indeed, Lin Xiaojie was telling the truth. Father Pei and mother Pei cared about their daughter-in-law very much. In addition to buying gifts and sending red envelopes, mother Pei knitted sweaters for Lin Xiaojie every year.
No matter what Pei Donglai said, Lin Xiaojie was unwilling to take back the 200,000 yuan.
In the evening, Pei's father came back from fishing. Compared to his mother, his father was much more open-minded.
In the evening, the two men drank together. Father Pei asked, "Son, what happened? You and Xiaojie just divorced?"
"Didn't Xiaojie tell you?"
"Yes, but I feel like she is always defending you and taking all the blame on herself. Is it really like what she said?"
Later, Pei's father told Pei Donglai exactly what Lin Xiaojie said that day.
After hearing this, Pei Donglai realized that it was indeed the same, but he felt something was wrong. Just like his father said, he was always defending himself.
Father Pei said: "After Xiaojie came, she didn't leave immediately. She stayed here for three days. She also took your mother to see a doctor and bought a lot of medicine."
"How is my mother's illness?"
"It's still the same, I can't stand the stimulation."
Father Pei: "Honestly, do you still have feelings for Xiaojie?"
"Dad, we are all divorced. Besides, she should be married now."
"She said that day that she was not with that man."
"It's impossible. They were together before we got divorced. I saw it with my own eyes."
Seeing that his son was a little excited, Father Pei stopped asking any more questions.
After washing up, Zhang Yutong called, "Donglai, are you home?"
“Arrived at noon”
"It seems you have forgotten me," Zhang Yutong said with some disappointment.
"No, we will always be friends."
After chatting for more than 10 minutes, Zhang Yutong was busy with work and hung up the phone.
Pei Donglai drank some wine and slept until dawn.
When I woke up in the morning, there was a missed call and multiple messages, all from Zhang Yutong. Pei Donglai didn't bother to reply, fearing that he couldn't help but fall in love with the other person.
Seeing his mother going to buy groceries, Pei Dong came and said, "Mom, you rest at home, I'll go buy it."
"What kind of food will you buy? Stay at home."
"I will go with you".
Both elders are retired. Pei's mother has nothing to do except buy food and cook. Pei's father goes fishing with a few friends.
Along the way, Pei's mother chatted with her son about the gossip in the small county. In short, it was all about getting married and having children.
Although Pei Donglai sounded annoyed, he echoed a few words in order to make his mother happy.
This is repeated every day. Pei Donglai has been staying at home for a month. He originally wanted to go to Tibet, but seeing the old appearance of his parents, especially his mother, whose condition has worsened since she learned about her son's divorce, Pei Donglai couldn't bear to leave.
One day, Pei's father said: "Donglai, didn't you work in a bank before? Today I passed by the bank in the county and saw that they were recruiting. You should go and give it a try. Staying at home all the time is not an option."
Pei's mother also echoed: "Go ahead. If you can work locally, your dad and I will feel relieved."
Pei Donglai didn't want to go, and of course he didn't want to stay at home to grow old. He just didn't want to work in a small county town, but in order not to make his parents sad, he had no choice but to go.
When I came to the bank in a small county town, I saw that they were indeed hiring. There was no need to take an exam, just an interview.
Pei Donglai walked to the third floor, and only Westerners came for the interview.
After the interview, the president said to Pei Dong: "You have worked in a big bank and been a president. You have rich experience. We need talents like you here."
"Am I admitted?"
The president nodded and said, "You can come to work tomorrow."
Pei Donglai was a little surprised that he could go to work so soon.
During dinner in the evening, Pei Donglai told his parents the news. The two elders were very happy. Pei Donglai felt relieved to see his parents so happy.
There is not much nightlife in the small county. Basically, after dinner, you take a walk for about an hour, come back and play with your mobile phone before going to bed.
Every night around 9 o'clock, Zhang Yutong's phone call comes on time.
Pei Donglai told Zhang Yutong that he would stay in his hometown to work in the future and would never pursue poetry and distance again. Zhang Yutong was very disappointed after hearing this.
Pei Donglai wanted Zhang Yutong to give up on him because he was not worthy of eating swan meat. He didn't want to delay others, so he told her this.
