"Chiba, let's go to my house in the evening, your aunt has made a table of dishes, and let's have a New Year's dinner."

Min Yuhua said as she stuffed the newly bought adult diapers into the locker, her face filled with the joy of the holiday.

"No, Uncle Min, I'll be with my mother in the ward."

Chiba refused, afraid that he would see his inferiority complex that "he couldn't escape at this time every year".

"Hey, this ward is cold and deserted, there is no New Year's flavor at all, you accompany her every year, and this year is an exception."

"I really don't need to, thank you Uncle Min. By the way, you wait......" she opened the drawer under the bedside table and pulled out a wad of money, "pay back your money, thank you." ”

She smiled and bowed to Min Yuhua, and offered the money with both hands.

"Keep it up, I have it." Min Yuhua pushed back.

She slipped the money into his hand anyway.

"You have spent a lot on our mother and daughter over the years, and I can't trouble you anymore, I have the conditions to burden it now, you don't have to worry."

Min Yuhua didn't refuse again, took the money and put it in the bag, and asked casually: "How much can you earn in a month now, and the work is going well, right?" Lucheng is a big city, and the salary is definitely good. ”

Chiba turned around and pretended to draw the curtains, trying to hide her unease.

"It's ok, it's much better than before."

"That's good, your mother can rest assured that you have a stable job. You must take care of yourself, be open-minded, fight if you can, fight if you want, and don't delay your future for your mother. She is in stable condition now, and I come to visit from time to time, so you can rest assured. ”

"Well, got it, I'll peel an apple for you." She brought a chair and invited Min Yuhua to sit down and began to peel apples.

"Don't go to your boyfriend's house for the New Year, aren't you afraid that people will be angry?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." She didn't look up, calmly and carefully paying attention to the fruit knife in her hand.

"Dr. Cen told me, last time you brought a guy back, I saw that it was your object. Those little nurses in the nursing home said that they looked like movie stars, and the most important thing was to hit 300,000 in one breath, what else could this relationship be if it wasn't a boyfriend? ”

"No, he's my boss, he's very kind and warm-hearted, I've already explained it to Dr. Shum. I only found out about his money later, and I will slowly make money and return it to others. ”

"You are duplicitous and not too inferior, you must know that excessive inferiority is also a kind of conceit." Min Yuhua hit the nail on the head and said, "Actually, I know you, you must feel that your family background is not good and you are not worthy of others." But Chiba, the times are different, there is no right way to say it, as long as you two really love it, there is no need to put too much pressure on it, relax. ”

An apple is peeled out of a bunch by a fruit knife, and it is never broken. But Chiba's mind has been disconnected, and for some reason, after staying away from Deer City, the people there are hovering in their minds all the time.

"I'm not ready to fall in love, it has nothing to do with people."

"What do you want to prepare?" Min Yuhua was very puzzled when he heard this, "Life never gives us time to prepare, it will come when it comes, just face it well and adapt bravely." ”

His words made Chiba ashamed.

Indeed, she has low self-esteem, she has had low self-esteem since she was a child, and she has low self-esteem because of the changes in her family and the tragic experience. But this inferiority complex did not give any benefit except for making her erect spikes and wrap herself tightly to make herself unapproachable. Because of her inferiority, she has no friends, because of her inferiority, she can only secretly like others, and because of her inferiority, she has never had a clear and systematic vision and plan for life and the future.

She couldn't help but want to ask herself, what to do with inferiority? Afraid of ridicule or bullying? Low self-esteem has left her out in the cold, and she doesn't even have a confidant by her side, so who would be bored enough to pay attention to a hedgehog?

This can explain why I still think about those people in Lucheng when I am in Lancheng. Song Yingchen, Luo Damao, He Chong, Shangguan Yu, Grandma Wang, Lu Meiqin and even Chocolate, these people exist around her in different ways, giving her a real feeling of being a human being, and also fulfilling other joys, sorrows, and sorrows in addition to deep hatred.

"It's your blessing that people are in good condition, don't be in the blessing and don't know the blessing." Min Yuhua saw that she was lost in thought and continued.

"......Eat apples," she handed the apples, dodged to wipe the fruit knife, picked up the unfilled garbage bag from the paper basket, and walked out of the ward.

Min Yuhua knew that she was running away, and shook her head helplessly.

As soon as she walked to the door, she crashed into someone's arms, and was about to say sorry, when she looked up and saw that she was stunned.

It's He Chong!

"You're really here, why don't you turn on your phone?" He opened his mouth to question, but the blame disappeared the moment he saw her, and there was only a day left in his eyes.

Chiba actually stirred up a warm current in his heart.

"The signal in the ward was not good, so it simply didn't turn on...... What are you doing here? ”

"Celebrate the New Year with you!" He Chong strode into the ward, saw the strange Min Yuhua, and looked back at her.

"Oh, this is Uncle Min, Mom's old friend."

"Hello Uncle Min!" He Chong warmly called and shook hands with Min Yuhua, "Happy holidays, good fortune, Wishing you prosperity." ”

"Hello, hello, come and sit." Min Yuhua also politely gave up his seat, and he pushed one back and forth to be pressed and sat down by the shoulder.

"Chiba, I'll go back first, I have to buy some candy or something, the store closes early today, I'm afraid it's going to close late." Min Yuhua was very interesting and found an excuse to leave.

"I'll send you." Chiba stood at the door, but Min Yuhua waved his hand.

"What to send, you are familiar with the road, hurry up and accompany your friend."

He nodded and smiled at He Chong in a friendly way as a goodbye, and then walked out with his bag.

He Chong was not in a hurry to talk to Chiba, but cordially took Mo Lianzhi's hand and called gently: "Auntie, I'm here again, I'm here to accompany you for the New Year, are you happy?" ”

His eyes shone brightly in front of Mo Lianzhi, as if he was also the closest relative of this woman who was lying on the bed for a long time.

Seeing him so sincere, Chiba was grateful.

"Drink water or eat fruit?" She asked.

"Oh, I've got it all, you wait."

Before she could react, he ran out of the ward, and in a short time brought two incubators and laid out all the belongings. Drinks, wine, sliced fruit plates, charcuterie, sweet shrimp sashimi, salads, frozen dumplings and a few other items are just a few of the options.

"You're here for a picnic." Chiba smiled.

"Knowing that you are reluctant to leave your aunt, simply move the Chinese New Year's Eve meal to the ward." He Chonghuan happily put the things away, "Can you find a place to cook dumplings, no matter how casual you are, you have to have a bowl of hot things." ”

Chiba was suddenly full of anticipation for this meal and replied, "Yes, there is a shared rice cooker in the boiling water room. ”

"Okay, I'll leave it to you, oh yes, I also brought vinegar." He Chong found two bags of handy vinegar among the many things, and raised his forehead to reveal a smile seeking praise.

After chatting some gossip, it was almost time to prepare dinner. Chiba went to the boiling water room to cook dumplings, He Chong turned on the TV in the ward, and the party was about to start.

With the sound of familiar music, the atmosphere of the New Year suddenly filled the ward. The other two beds were picked up by their families, leaving only the three of them.

"Happy New Year." Chiba took the initiative to hold up the paper cup and touched him.

"Happy New Year." He Chong said and raised his glass to Mo Lianzhi again, "Auntie, Happy New Year!" ”

The originally tasteless fast food actually had the most delicious feeling in the world, and Chiba's whole person warmed up.

"How did you tell your family, don't they blame you if you don't go back for Chinese New Year's Eve?"

He Chong stuffed a dumpling into his mouth, and in his heart he defined it as the first time that Chiba had cooked a delicacy for him, which was delicious.

"There is no one more than me, no one is not too much of me, they eat together every year, nothing new."

Chiba hesitated a little and glanced at him: "So you didn't say hello." ”

"What is there to say hello, didn't he quit you without saying hello, I just treated him in the way of others, learn from you to turn off the phone, and your ears are clean."

"It turned out to be for this...... Your dad is the boss, and it's normal to fire employees, so why bother with me and him unpleasantly. ”

"No, I will not budge on matters of principle."

"What principle? You promoted me to be a secretary and brought me into Ogu without exception, and you didn't follow the principles in the first place. It's because I'm not capable enough to complain about it. To be honest, it's nothing, Ogu's work is much more difficult than Huanyu, and he works every day for fear of making mistakes and getting into trouble, so don't worry about it now. ”

"Anyway, I won't just forget it, you are my person, he can't just move."

He Chong used the word "my people" to define the relationship between them, which made Chiba inexplicably cramped.

"And what else do you want?"

"He's either coming and asking you to come back, or I'm not going to do it."

Chiba hurriedly put down the dishes and chopsticks and looked at him anxiously.

"Don't be like this, we didn't handle it well, if you do it against your dad again, he must think that I am instigating it behind my back, and he will have an opinion on my character."

He Chong was silent for a few seconds, then tilted his head and thought about it.

"Don't worry, even if you can't go back to Ogu or Huanyu, I will help you arrange another job, no worse than his. I know what you do, it's steady and detailed, and any boss likes it. ”

"Thank you, I really have to be cheeky and beg you for this busyness, otherwise I don't know when I will be able to pay back the money."

Chiba's face turned crimson, I don't know if it was because of shame or because of red wine.

"Don't think about that money, it's for Auntie, not for you. If you want to save a few more money in the future, you can save slowly, when you save enough and when you pay it back, it's okay if you don't save enough, I don't lack that. In short, don't worry, are you tired? ”

"Tired." She said softly and earnestly, "Seriously, I don't want to go back at all. You also saw my mother's situation, and I wanted to be with her as much as possible, but the reality didn't allow me to do this, and she definitely wouldn't allow me to do that. Borrowing to repay the money is a matter of course, and that money is no longer a matter for you, and I can't take it for granted. ”

"Oh, whatever you want, I won't stop you if you have to pay it back. But don't stop me, it's okay to pay back the money, just one, don't worry, okay? ”

Chiba's eyes suddenly moistened, and he bowed his head with the tips of his chopsticks in his mouth and said nothing.

"May I ask you?"

"Well, thank you."

"Deal!" He Chong stretched out a small indicator to pull the hook.

The two hands crossed over a plate of steaming dumplings and joined each other, and both his and hers hearts changed in a small but crucial way.

"How long have you been here?" He Chong asked.

Chiba shook his head and looked at Mo Lianzhi, who was unresponsive on the bed, without an idea.

"Go back early, come with me."

She still didn't speak.

"It's a long time coming, you don't have to lock yourself in the ward throughout the Spring Festival, it's enough for Auntie to know your intentions."

"I'm afraid of the holidays, especially scared, but every year it comes as scheduled, and I can't hide from it. Everyone else can have a family reunion and be lively, so I can only stay in this deserted house and keep talking to her, talking about the past over and over again. ”

"So, try to change it this year, people should learn to let go properly, which is not only a kind of relaxation for you, but also for Auntie. Trust me, really. She wants you out, she doesn't want you to stay here. ”

"Really?"

"Really."

A feeling of guilt was moving in her heart, but He Chong's suggestion seemed to have magic power, and she wanted to try it.

He Chong encouraged again: "I can drive you back to see her once or twice a month, so you can rest assured." ”

Finally, she bit her lip and nodded, and instantly felt a smile appear on her mother's still face.