Chapter II

At night.

Ling Shan sat at her desk, slowly correcting the children's workbooks, listening to the laughter coming from the living room. Sister Lingzhen and her boyfriend Zhang Lisong seemed to be talking happily, and Lingzhen's melodious laughter was like a string of small silver bells hitting each other, flowing crisply in this early autumn night. Ling Shan held her chin with her hand, looked at the table lamp, and suddenly came to her senses silently. She thought about Lingzhen, this sister who was two years older than her, since she was a child, her sisters grew up together, they loved each other like something, sleeping in the same room, wearing each other's clothes, she never thought that one day she would be separated from Lingzhen. However, Zhang Lisong broke in, and her sister also changed, only with Zhang Lisong, she smiled very sweetly, very happy, sometimes, she felt that she was simply eating Zhang Lisong's vinegar, she also said to her mother:

"Mom! The daughter you have raised for twenty-four years is basically for Zhang Lisong! She only has Zhang Lisong in her eyes now. ”

"Raising a daughter was originally raised for someone else!" Instead of getting angry, Mrs. Liu smiled and said, "One day, there will only be another man in your eyes!" Not only you, but even Lingwu will have a girlfriend when he grows up! People are like this; When I was young, I was a parent, when I was young, I was a husband or wife, and when I was older, I was a child. ”

"Mom, are you willing to marry Lingzhen?"

"What's there to be reluctant to? The son-in-law is half a son, and Lingzhen is married, I will not lose my daughter, only half a son! Mrs. Liu smiled even more contentedly.

"Oh!" Ling Shan looked at her mother in confusion. "Mom, you know what? You're such a good mother who is free and easy, it's just ......" she paused.

"Just what?"

"It's just a little bit bad!" She frowned, grimacing.

"What's bad? You're right, I'll change it! Mrs. Liu said generously, frankly and sincerely.

"You have prevented me from telling my friends how authoritarian, domineering, impersonal, eccentric, selfish, and stubborn my parents are...... As a result, I lost many of my confidants! ”

Mrs. Liu smiled and put her hand around Ling Shan's head.

"When I was a child, your grandparents brought me up like a prisoner, I fell in love with your father, and your grandfather made things difficult in every way, from his family background, character, education, appearance...... Criticize them one by one, and evaluate them as worthless. I got married, and on the day I got married, I swore that my future children would not suffer what I had suffered. ”

"Fortunately, my grandparents brought you up like a prisoner!" Ling Shan said.

"How?"

"Otherwise, how can you be a good mother who understands people!"

Mrs. Liu smiled and pinched her cheek.

"Looks like I should be thankful to my parents, right?"

"Of course! I want to thank them too! ”

Mother and daughter laughed at each other.

Now, the laughter from the living room is mixed with the laughter of the mother and father, and it is obvious that the parents and Zhang Lisong get along very happily. In addition, Lingwu must have made his stereo in his own room, because the songs on the top ten charts in the United States rotated from one place to another, but none of them finished playing. Ling Shan listened for a moment, pushed open the study book on the table, she couldn't bear to be lonely, stood up, and walked to the living room. Just now, Ling Wu also came out of his room, and as soon as he saw Ling Shan, he grabbed her:

"Second sister, I want to raise donations!"

"What's wrong? Want to buy records again? ”

"That's right!"

"I don't have any money!"

"Don't be too stingy!" Fifteen-year-old Ling Wu raised his eyebrows. "I'm the only one in the family who is reaching out class! You don't support it, what should I do? ”

"I'll show you the way," Ling Shan said, "Do you recognize that Zhang Gongzi sitting in the living room?" Whoever turns your sister's mind, you can turn his mind too......"

"Hey! Lingshan! You come out! Lingzhen raised her voice and shouted, "Don't teach him to learn well, do you think you won't have a boyfriend in your life?" ”

Ling Shan walked into the living room and grinned at Ling Zhen.

"Anyway, I don't have any friends to blackmail right now!"

"Didn't you? It's going to be soon! "Where's the broomstick?" ”

"What broom star? His name is Shao Zhuosheng! ”

"Oh! Is it Shao Zhuosheng? Lingzhen grimaced, turned to Lingwu and said, "Lingwu, I will also show you a way, tomorrow you go to the gate of the kindergarten and wait, there is a broom star to pick up your second sister, you can block the road and rob!" ”

"Don't mess around!" Ling Shan shouted, "People haven't gotten to that level yet!" ”

"It's even better if it's not ripe to that extent!" Lingzhen said, "The more unfamiliar you are, the more you are the target of blackmail, and when you are ripe, you can't blackmail." ”

"Hey, hey!" Liu Siqian, who is a father, shouted, "You two sisters are studying education, what kind of education is this?" ”

"Opportunity Education!" Ling Shan rushed out.

The room was full of laughter, and Lingwu took advantage of the laughter to sneak up to Zhang Lisong's side and shouted with a smile:

"Brother Zhang!"

"Fool!" Ling Shan scolded with a smile, "This Brother Zhang is only worth a hundred yuan at most, if you call the eldest brother-in-law, it will be worth it!" ”

"Lingshan!" Lingzhen roared, her face flushed.

"Huh! It's strange," Ling Shan said, "I obviously want to marry him, and I will blush when I hear the words eldest brother-in-law......" She looked at Zhang Lisong and said, "Zhang Gongzi, you tell the truth, do you want Lingwu to call you a big brother-in-law?" ”

"I can't ask for it!" Zhang Lisong replied honestly and unceremoniously.

"Oops! You ......" Lingzhen's face turned even redder.

The room filled the room with laughter that grew heavier. In the midst of the joy and laughter of the room, the doorbell rang suddenly, and the maid Cuilian rushed to open the door, and came back to report:

"Second Miss, someone is looking for you! Probably looking for you, she said she was looking for a young lady with long hair! ”

Lingzhen has short hair, but Lingshan has waist-length hair.

"Here's your chance, Lingwu," Lingzhen said, "it's the broomstick star!" ”

"It's not a mile!" Cuilian, who has followed the Liu family for many years, also knows the banter between sisters. "It's the Ah Xiang next door!"

Ling Shan subconsciously touched her neck, and the place where she was scratched in the afternoon was still aching. She walked to the door, where there was a small hallway between the living room and the main door. When she opened the door, she saw Ah Xiang standing outside the door in a daze, a little cramped and a little uneasy.

"Miss Ah Xiang said respectfully, my husband wants me to come here, please come and sit down."

"Oh!" Ling Shan was stunned, looking at her plastered arm, and she already had a number in her heart. It must have been Ah Xiang who told Chu Chu's father about the wonderful performance in the afternoon, and the father was going to thank and apologize to her. However, this kind of person is also weird, if you want to apologize, you should come to the door in person, where is there such a reason to let the maid come to "invite" the past? Presumably, this Mr. Wei is a "high-ranking official" and has always been used to "summoning" people. Ling Shan hesitated for a moment, and wanted to excuse herself, but Ah Xiang had already looked at her with slightly anxious and pleading eyes, and said hurriedly:

"Miss, just go for a while!"

"Okay!" Ling Shan said freely, turned back to the house and shouted, "Mom! I'll be out and I'll be back! She followed Ah Xiang out, closed the door with her hand, and the moment the door closed, she heard a burst of laughter in the room. Obviously, Zhang Lisong and Lingzhen were making jokes again, she couldn't help but smiles on her lips, and her heart was still full of joy at home.

When she arrived at the door of Four A, Ah Xiang pushed the door in, and Ling Shan followed her into the living room, the room was so silent, so quiet, there was no sound at all. The thick carpet was silent when stepped on. Moreover, the light in the room was very dim, the ceiling light was not turned on, only in the corner of the house, a standing table lamp was lit, radiating a cold and faint light. For a while, Ling Shan was a little unable to adapt, and suddenly came from the brightness, liveliness and joy of her own home to this darkness and silence, making her feel like she was in another world. Her mind was in a trance for a moment, and then she heard Ah Xiang say:

"Sir, Miss Liu is here."

She was stunned for a moment, and when she looked closely, she found a tall man standing facing the long floor-to-ceiling window, with his back to the room. Ling Shan stood there, and could only see his back, broad shoulders, thick black hair, straight back, long legs, wearing a white shirt and a pair of blue-gray trousers, that back was quite "handsome".

The man didn't immediately look back, he rested one hand on the lattice, the other holding a tall wine glass, and seemed to be contemplating the flickering neon lights outside the window. Ling Shan was a little embarrassed, a little dissatisfied, and more confused, and she couldn't help but cough lightly. Then the man suddenly turned around and faced her.

Ling Shan was surprised and confused for a while, this man is so young! A wide forehead, thick eyebrows, a pair of sharp eyes, with a gloomy look, stared at her. The nose under the eyes is straight, the lips are thin, and there are two arcs at the corners of the mouth, which are slightly inclined downward, making this beautiful face show a cold and arrogant. Ling Shan's eyelashes flashed, her brows frowned slightly, she could hardly believe that this young man would have a daughter as old as Chu Chu, who didn't seem to be yet thirty years old!

"Miss Liu," the man broke the silence and walked to the wine cabinet. "Drinking?"

"Nope." She hurriedly said, "I'm very Chinese. ”

He glanced at her and shouted in a raised voice:

"Ah Xiang! Make a cup of tea! ”

"No need!" She immediately said, "I'm going back soon." ”

He stared at her for a moment, two small clusters of gloomy light flickering under his eyes. He put the cup in his hand on the table, took a cigarette from the cigarette case, and lit it. He took a deep breath and exhaled the smoke heavily. Raising his eyes, he looked directly at Ling Shan.

"My surname is Wei, and my name is Pengfei." He said.

She nodded.

"My surname is Liu, and my name is Lingshan."

"I know." He replied lightly.

"You know?" She was surprised.

"It's not hard to know, is it? The building management room has a list and information of each resident! Wei Pengfei said, his tone was still light and cold, and his face was still arrogant and expressionless.

"Oh!" Ling Shan subconsciously responded, thinking to herself, the first thing tomorrow is to go to the management room to find out what kind of character this indifferent Wei Pengfei is!

Ah Xiang still came out with a cup of hot tea, put it on the table, and turned away. Wei Pengfei waved his hand at Ling Shan.

"Sit down, you won't lose anything."

Ling Shan sat down passively, feeling a sense of unease and oppression in her heart. The joy and joy of the house were gone, and in this room, she was surrounded by an indescribable coldness and silence. She looked around, and felt that Wei Pengfei's sharp eyes always stopped on her face, and she was a little flustered.

"I didn't see your lady." She said.

"Chuchu? She was already asleep. ”

"Oh." The room was quiet again, Wei Pengfei took a sip of wine and took a puff of smoke, and the room was filled with a strong smell of wine and smoke. Ling Shan didn't like this silence, and she didn't like this atmosphere, she was about to say something, but Wei Pengfei had already opened her mouth:

"I heard that you disciplined my daughter this afternoon."

She looked up at him.

"It's not exactly 'discipline,'" she confesses, "and we fought and I almost lost!" ”

He stared at her tightly, his eyes serious and sharp.

"Miss Liu, I heard that you graduated from a teacher's college and are now teaching kindergarten, you must know a lot about education?"

She met his gaze, a little stunned.

"I studied education, and I don't necessarily understand education, at least, I don't know much about your young lady, she is arrogant and rude!"

"Thank you for your comment!" Wei Pengfei said, his voice was colder and more astringent. "In the future, I hope that Miss Liu will only take care of her own students and not come to my house, okay? My daughter has me to discipline her, I love to beat and scold me, I don't want others to interfere! Don't allow others to beat her and scold her! Even tie her up! ”

Ling Shan was shocked, and only then did she realize that this Wei Pengfei came to her, not to thank her, but to ask for guilt! She stared at the man in front of her in amazement, and then, an irrepressible rage rushed straight into her chest, quickly spreading in her bloodstream. She raised her chin and looked deeply at Wei Pengfei until she looked into the depths of his eyes. After a while, he nodded coldly and said clearly, word by word:

"I see! Indeed, there is a father, and there must be a daughter! I now know why your daughter is so arrogant and unreasonable, it turns out that it is genetic! She stood up from the couch, her eyes still resting on his face. Don't think I'm nosy, if I had known she had a father like you, I wouldn't have cared for her! Let her bully the servants, let her speak foul language, let her scratch and bite and kick people like a wild beast...... Anyway, you have her back! I bet you, in less than ten years, you'll be going to the penitentiary to find her! ”

With that, she turned around and strode out the door.

"Stop!"

Behind her, Wei Pengfei's voice rang out in a low voice. She paused, barely believing her ears. "Stop!" What does he think he is? Can she be ordered? Dominating her? Presumably, he is used to a commanding tone, and he is used to being a tyrant? She shook her head and continued to walk out the door.

"I said stop!" He whispered again.

She still walked hers. So, suddenly, he jumped over and put his hand against the wall, blocking her way. His eyes drooped as he stared at her, and the arrogance and coldness in his eyes turned into an unspeakable distress. He whispered, as if pleading,

"Don't go!"

"Why?" She raised her eyebrows. "I was scratched and bitten by your daughter here in the afternoon, and now, should I still come to be scolded by you? I tell you, you may be a dignitary, but I'm not your subordinate! Even if I were your subordinate, I would not put up with your arrogance and rudeness! Get out of the way! ”

He continued to stop there, the look in his eyes strange and sad.

"Am I arrogant and rude?" He muttered.

"Exactly like your daughter!"

"She—how bad is she?" He frowned slightly, hesitantly asked.

"Don't you know?" She pulled open her collar and showed him the scar on his neck, "She caught it!" She then ripped the plaster off her arm, "She pinched it!" She's a little devil, little monster! She is a bully and lawless! She took a breath, paused, and looked at Wei Pengfei. Mr. Wei, I know you are very rich, but Ah Xiang is not hired to be angry, she is also a human being, isn't she? She's equal to us, isn't she? I also have servants in my house, and Cuilian and I are like sisters. My parents were very kind to her! ”

Wei Pengfei stared at her.

"Are you teaching me a lesson?" He asked with a low grunt.

"I don't teach anyone, I'm gone!" She walked away from him and headed for the door.

"If I send Chu Chu to the 'Child-Friendly Kindergarten', will you take her?" He leaned against the wall and asked in a muffled voice.

"I'm not the principal! Someone will take it if you send it! ”

"I'm asking—you, will you teach her?"

"If it's in my class, of course I'll teach!"

"What if—" he said with difficulty, "what if I ask you to be a governess?" ”

She stopped at the doorway and slowly turned back.

"Didn't you say that you want me to leave your daughter alone?" She asked coldly.

"I changed my mind." He said.

She pondered for a moment, then spoke quietly:

"It's enough for you to have Ah Xiang a punching bag, I don't lack money, and I don't wait for Miss Kuo!"

His eyes began to burn with gloomy fire, and anger distorted his face, and he said in a hoarse, irritated voice:

"You are not the only female teacher in the world! I'm just coveting your closeness! ”

"With a little more carriage and horse fare, naturally there will be female teachers who live far away!" She said, twisting the door open and walking out of the room.

With a thud, she heard the door slam behind her, the heavy crash that nearly shook the wall. She looked back at the carved door, shook her head, and muttered to herself:

"Today is an unlucky day!"

Back at the door of her house, she reached out and rang the bell, listening to the laughter and noise inside the door, she sighed softly in comfort, as if she had escaped from the cold Arctic zone, and she couldn't wait to return to her own spring.