In my impression, this is the first time Xiang Qiankun has cooked for me, although these simple side dishes on the table make people look like they don't have a little appetite, but I still feel very happy.

At the dinner table, Xiang Qian Kun put a piece of braised eggplant in my bowl in order to hold a big bowl of rice.

After I ate the eggplant in my mouth, Xiang Qiankun stared at my expression like a child, as if he couldn't wait to get my affirmation.

I almost threw up after just one bite of the salty taste, but luckily I was able to control it, swallow it with difficulty, and then show a forced smile.

Xiang Qian Kun stared at me intently as if he knew it wasn't delicious, and then asked, "How is it?

"Good, good. I laughed and quickly loosened two mouthfuls of rice into my mouth.

But this rice is also half-cooked, and it is still a little sticky in my mouth, and I didn't say that it was not delicious, so I still forcibly swallowed it.

Xiang Qian Kun hurriedly grabbed a chopstick braised eggplant, and as soon as he put it in his mouth, he spit it out, and then said with an uncomfortable expression: "This, this is too salty, you can't eat it." ”

As he spoke, he was about to pick up the plate, but I raised my hand to stop him and said, "It's okay, I can eat, my taste buds are big, and the meal is just right." ”

Xiang Qian Kun still wanted to insist on doing it again for me, but I still stopped him, and in order to confirm my statement, I ate a few big bites one after another.

The rest of the side dishes are either too salty or too light, too light is fine, too salty I really can't swallow, but I still forced a smile.

While eating, Xiang Qian Kun suddenly sighed: "Hey, in fact, my dad used to cook very well, and the best thing was braised fish, and your mother was conquered by one of my braised fish...... But now ......"

Xiang Qian Kun let out another long sigh as he spoke, and suddenly stopped talking.

I used to be the last thing I wanted to hear from him, but now I wanted to know their story, so I asked him, "Can you tell me about you and my mother?" ”

He was silent for a while, then took out a seven-piece pack of Baitashan cigarettes, handed one to me, and lit one himself.

Because I was still eating, I didn't want to smoke, but if I didn't take it, I was afraid that he would think I disliked the inferior cigarettes, so I reached out and put my hands aside to continue eating.

After lighting a cigarette to Qian Kun, he took a hard puff and then fell into silence for a while, and only after a while did he start to say: "That was many years ago, I came out to work with my fellow villagers at the age of fifteen, and followed my fellow villagers to learn to do business and sell vegetables, but the fellow villager was found doing tricks and feet on the scale, and the villager was beaten half to death, and I escaped by running away smartly...... Later, I entered a machine factory, it was great to be able to enter a machine factory at that time, at that time your mother was downstairs in the dormitory of our factory, she had a small tailor shop, your mother is very beautiful, she is really beautiful...... "

When Xiang Qian Kun said this, tears rolled in his eyes, I didn't interject, picked up the wine glass and touched him.

He smacked his mouth and continued: "I will go to her to sew clothes at the end of three days, even if the clothes are good, I will cut them up and take them to your mother to sew." At that time, it was very expensive to mend a piece of clothing, and my monthly salary was basically spent on mending clothes...... Later, your mother saw through it, and she said a few words to me and told me not to do this in the future, I thought she didn't want to see me, but guess what happened?"

I almost didn't react, and I was stunned for a moment before I smiled and replied, "Could it be that she took the initiative to come to you?"

Xiang Qian Kun shook his head and said, "That's not, the woman at that time was not so open, and later she made me a dress, which she made with her own hands." ”

"Where's the dress, is it still there?" I asked.

Xiang Qian Kun was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and whispered, "It's gone......"

I didn't say anything more, nodding my head for him to continue.

He picked up the wine glass alone and took another sip of wine, and said slowly: "Later, I plucked up the courage to ask her to watch a movie, at that time watching a movie was also a very luxurious thing, she actually agreed, that was the first time I held her hand, and then we were often together, I would go to see her every day after work, and slowly we were together, until we got married after having you...... They are urban hukou, but her parents don't dislike me from the countryside, and we live a good life, really good......"

After a long silence, I finally asked him, "I just want to know, why did you choose to gamble when you had such good living conditions?"

Xiang Qian Kun took two puffs of cigarette and said, "I have to intercede, do you believe it?"

I didn't understand what I meant, and looked at him suspiciously.

He shook the cigarette ash on his hand, half-tilted his head, as if falling into an unforgettable memory, and said for a long time: "Your mother was so good back then, there must have been a lot of people chasing her, and I came from the countryside again, and I have no self-confidence, so I am afraid that your mother will be snatched away...... Later, I heard from a worker in the factory that there was a place where the money came quickly, so I went with him, and I won more than 8,000 on the first night. Do you know how much more than 8,000 was at that time?"

Of course, I know that although there were no 10,000 yuan households at that time, it was still difficult for an ordinary family to come up with 10,000 yuan.

I nodded, and he continued: "I went again the next night, and I won, but not as much as the first night, and only won more than seven hundred. ”

I smiled and said, "You went again on the third night and lost, didn't you?"

He nodded and said, "I don't lose much, just a thousand yuan." ”

"But then you keep losing, don't you?" I answered.

He nodded again and sighed: "I always thought that I could win back, but not only did I not win back, but I put all my savings into it, and then your mother found out and begged me not to gamble, but I was like being led by a ghost at that time, and I couldn't turn back at all." ”

"Did you know that my mom had liver cancer at the time?"

"Yes, we also prepared the cost of the operation, and the doctor said that the surgery has a 60% chance of cure. ”

"But you took that money to gamble, didn't you?" I asked, pressed like a policeman.

Xiang Qian Kun stopped talking, he lowered his head, wiped his hands heavily on his face, that painful expression, although I can't empathize, but as a son, I can understand his regret at that time.

We didn't speak for a long time, he was drinking, I was in a daze, and now it's useless to talk about more, and a family is so broken......

About ten minutes passed, which was longer than an hour for me, and during these ten minutes, Xiang Qian Kun had been smoking and drinking, and I had been in a state of distraction.

He finally put down his wine glass, looked at me and said, "Xiang Nan, it's useless for Dad to say more now, if I bet on you again in the future, I'll cut off my hand, Dad won't blame you." ”

I nodded and replied: "As long as you don't gamble, no matter what you do, I will forgive you, and I will say that there is no overnight feud between father and son, and I don't want to make our relationship so stiff." ”

That was the first time Xiang Qian Kun cried in front of me, and that night he cried like a child in front of me.