Half an hour after Wu Yongzhu left, a recruitment notice was posted at the door of Wu Ji Catering: one waiter, one delivery person, salary interview.

In the evening, the first rain of 1997 began to fall in the sky.

Xu Manli led Xinghua out of the kindergarten, because she was the last to go, it was not early.

Across the road, a thin middle-aged man saw it and slowly approached the two.

"Manly. The middle-aged man whispered behind the two, his voice dry.

Xu Manli and Xinghua turned back together.

"Dad?" Xu Manli exclaimed, with a look of surprise on her face, her father would not come to her until the salary was paid, it was not because something had happened in the family.

Xinghua tilted her little head to look at the man. The yellowed sweater on his body had two patches, and the clothes on his body were wet from the rain.

"Manli, Dad came to you today to tell you a happy event. Under the washing of the light rain, I couldn't see the man's expression clearly.

Xu Manli saw that the light rain was getting denser and denser, took off her clothes to cover Xinghua's little head, and said to her father: "Let's find a place to hide from the rain first." ”

Wu Ji Catering was not far away, and it only took four or five minutes for a few people.

Due to the rainy day, the traffic of Wu Ji Catering is not much, and without Wu Yongzhu, Wu Daguang and Zhang Erlai can cope with it.

"Daddy, I'm back. Xinghua appeared at the door, shouted sweetly, and then ran into the store and hugged Wu Daguang's thigh: "Daddy, I took three little red flowers today." ”

Wu Daguang patted the apricot blossom head dotingly: "What did you do, got three little red flowers?"

Xinghua gritted her teeth and pouted arrogantly: "Daddy, guess." ”

Since going to kindergarten, Xinghua plays with her peers, and is much more cheerful, Wu Daguang occasionally goes to send Xinghua to school, and Xinghua's homeroom teacher will also praise Xinghua for being sensible.

Seeing that her father couldn't guess, Xinghua took the initiative to say: "I am very obedient today, the teacher rewarded me with a little red flower, and I actively answered questions in class and got two little red flowers." ”

While listening to Xinghua happily sharing his joy, Wu Daguang noticed that Xu Manli brought back a middle-aged man dressed very poorly, and the two were somewhat similar.

"Daddy, I'm doing so well today, can Daddy make sweet and sour pork ribs for Xinghua tomorrow. Xinghua grabbed the corner of her father's clothes, this is her purpose.

Wu Daguang bent down and rubbed the bridge of the apricot blossom's little nose: "Little gluttonous cat, go upstairs first to change out of wet clothes, Dad will surprise you." ”

Because business is not good on rainy days, Wu Daguang has already made sweet and sour pork ribs in advance.

Xinghua happily ran upstairs, Xu Manli placed her father on a chair near the door, and then walked to the back kitchen.

"Brother Guang, can I ask you for something?" Xu Manli had a sad look on her face, and the following words made her ashamed to speak.

Wu Daguang didn't need to ask, he knew about the middle-aged man sitting at the door, so he replied briskly: "I've known each other for so long, if you have anything to say, just say it directly, don't ask for it, it's not a part." ”

"My dad came to the city to look for me, but it was raining, I want to stay with him for one night, and Xinghua will stay with you tonight. ”

Wu Daguang looked at the man at the door, and then at Xu Manli, although it was a father and daughter, but squeezed into a single bed, was it too awkward.

"Wu Yongzhu resigned today, Zhang Erlai's house has a vacant bed, or let your father and Zhang Erlai stay together. Wu Daguang said.

Xu Manli looked at Zhang Erlai, who was busy working, and Zhang Erlai agreed: "No problem, it's a trivial matter." ”

Wu Daguang saw that Xu Manli's father was soaked, and found one from his clothes for Xu Manli's father to change.

At nine o'clock, the rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the small shop was empty.

Zhang Erlai carried a table upstairs, Wu Daguang carried a pot of sweet and sour pork ribs in the back, and the second child carried a pot of chopsticks and two plates of stir-frying, such a casual life can only be found when it rains.

When calling Xu Manli out of the house to eat, Xu Manli's eyes were red, as an outsider, others were embarrassed to ask, Xu Manli's father was not polite, sat at the table, picked up the chopsticks and went to the sweet and sour pork ribs, only the ribs were not polite, and completely ignored the two plates of stir-fry.

"These ribs are delicious, and it would be better if there was a bottle of liquor. Xu Manli's father smacked his lips and commented.

Xu Manli was embarrassed to pull her father's clothes and reminded in a low voice: "Dad, this is someone's house, I just stay here." ”

Dad is a person who can talk, and he clasped his hands into fists and thanked Wu Daguang: "Thank you to the big boss for letting my daughter live here, our family is poor, and we don't have money to let my daughter live in a good place." As he spoke, he let out a long sigh: "Pity my daughter, I have been dragged down by my family." ”

The old man's words opened the conversation, but he didn't cover his eyes.

Things have to start from three days ago, people in the mountains generally get married earlier, Xu Manli's younger brother is eighteen or nineteen years old, the family pondered, it was almost the age of marriage, after a few kisses, finally a girl fell in love with Xu Manli's unadulthood brother, but the other party opened his mouth to ask for a bride price of 2,000 yuan, originally wanted to refuse, but Xu Manli's younger brother was not a female baby, after tossing, as the only source of income for the family, Xu Manli's father had to find Xu Manli here.

As the cash cow of the family, Xu Manli can't say her bitterness, sitting next to her father and crying silently, whenever she sees Wu Daguang so good to Xinghua, she will have an indescribable sadness in her heart, the same person who is a father, why is the gap so big.

Xu Manli's father saw his daughter crying, not only was he not comforted, but blamed: "What are you crying about, you have a good life, you have learned words with Mr. Teaching for two years, you look at whose daughter in our village has gone to school, and the family doesn't expect you to count on anyone." ”

This passage is a matter of course, imposed by a large family on a little girl who is less than twenty years old.

"Uncle, I heard that you still have a daughter in your family, why don't the other girl and son come out to work?" Wu Daguang asked rhetorically.

"My daughter is going to get married this year, my son is still young, what kind of work can he do. ”

The second child listened to it angrily: "Who said that if you get married, you can't work, your son is not young, if you really marry a daughter-in-law, is it possible that her son and daughter-in-law will be raised by her sister?"

"The girl has been married to others, the man went out to work to make a lot of money, I heard that the development is good, as soon as he gets married, the eldest daughter will be a rich wife, we can't raise people rough, no, we have to count on her in the future, the son will wait for him to get married and have children, and the heart will naturally be set. ”

The corners of Wu Daguang's mouth twitched, the palms and backs of his hands were full of meat, how could he be willing to let his second daughter endure hardships, and when his son got married and had children, his daughter-in-law and children estimated that they had to be forced to press Xu Manli alone, and he couldn't run away.