Shanghai

Zhuang Yuncheng and Su Beicheng got off the train.

"Yun Cheng, you passed through Shanghai when you went to Japan, right?" Su Beicheng asked.

"yes, I didn't expect to stay here for a long time this time." Zhuang Yuncheng looked around, the difference was not much different from Beiping, the sky was sunny after the rain here, and the city looked fresh.

"Since you don't have anywhere to go, come with me." Su Beicheng said.

"Of course, you have to start over when you first come here, and it's difficult to do it if you're not familiar with life," Zhuang Yuncheng asked, "Where are you going?" ”

"I think since we have all come to Shanghai, I should go and see my cousin's family, live in their house first, and then slowly find a place to live."

"How many people are in your cousin's family?"

"There are four people, two with two children, the younger boy is thirteen or fourteen, and the older girl should be twenty, all of whom are studying." Su Beicheng said.

Out of the station, Zhuang Yuncheng looked at the scene in front of him, and felt that it was better than Beiping City, with wide streets, new buildings, prosperous business and many foreigners.

"This territory is now the French Concession, the economy and trade are prosperous, and there are many new things." Su Beicheng said, "Do you remember Lord Zhao Cheng?" He wrote me a letter of introduction and sent an economic adviser to the Finance Bureau, and since I was also studying economics, he asked me to try it. ”

"That's good, I also learned about this place in Shanghai, although the British, French, and Japanese divided the concessions and plundered economic resources, but they also indirectly or directly promoted the development of the city, and sometimes it was really a blessing and a curse."

"Yes, but this is not a good thing after all, this kind of development under the stimulation of the external economy is distorted and deformed after all, although this concession is called under the jurisdiction of the local government, but its various privileges and treaty restrictions have already changed the flavor of this concession."

Zhuang Yuncheng pouted, and the two walked out of the station, with many rickshaws waiting to depart in front of them.

"Let's go, take a rickshaw, my cousin's house is far away, in an alley outside the concession."

"Okay."

The two of them bumped around on the rickshaw for almost an hour, and then arrived at the entrance of the alley, Su Beicheng knew that it was accessible in all directions, and he had not been here for four or five years, and he was not sure to know the specific location of his cousin's house, so he got off the car at the entrance of the alley and walked to look inside.

The two walked around the alley and finally found Su Beicheng's cousin Jin Jiuer's house.

At this time, it was already evening, Su Beicheng knocked on the door, and it was a somewhat tired woman who came to open the door, holding a child in her arms, and it seemed that she was not forty but thirty-five.

"Cousin." Su Beicheng smiled.

"Beicheng?" Jin Jiu'er was pleasantly surprised, the tiredness in her eyes swept away, she took a closer look at Su Beicheng, relieved herself, and hurriedly walked in, Zhuang Yuncheng nodded politely, and followed her in.

When she arrived in the small courtyard, she shouted into the house: "Xiaoye, Xin'er, you come out." At the same time, he led Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng to the small guest room, asked them to put down all the things in their hands, and asked them to sit, but they didn't sit, and dangled the child in their arms.

"Cousin, you are ......" Su Beicheng looked at the child in her arms.

"Your nephew too." Jin Jiu'er said with a smile.

"Gave birth to another one?"

"yes, it's more than two years old."

Su Beicheng stood up with a smile and looked, Zhuang Yuncheng also surrounded him, this child was sleeping, but seeing that his eyelids were motionless, he might have been disturbed and was about to wake up.

At this time, the person who was called "Xiaoye, Xin'er" by Jin Jiu'er just now also came.

"Mom." The girl exclaimed coldly.

Several people looked up at the same time, and there was a sweet-looking girl wearing an off-white jacket and shoulder-length short hair by the door, but her expression was cold and indifferent, ignoring Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng.

"You're here, this is your cousin Beicheng and his friend." Jin Jiuer introduced.

Tao Ye glanced at the two of them at this time, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and then turned his head.

"Cousin." Tao Xin shouted enthusiastically.

Jin Jiu'er hurriedly said: "You haven't been here for a few years, and they don't know you soon." ”

"yes." Su Beicheng smiled and touched Tao Xin's head, and said with a smile: "I was only sixteen years old when I came to Xiaoye last time, and now she should be twenty, don't say that she doesn't know me, I can't even recognize her, and Xiao Tao Xin has grown so big." ”

Su Beicheng looked at her again, Tao Ye looked very impatient, and his eyes flickered.

"Mom, I'll cook if it's okay." Tao Ye said.

Jin Jiu'er knew why she was so unapproachable, she was already twenty years old, and she couldn't blame her, so she nodded.

Tao Ye went to the kitchen to cook by himself, Jin Jiu'er smiled awkwardly at the two of them, and said, "Beicheng, help me hug him, Xiao Ye can't be busy alone." ”

"Okay." Su Beicheng took the child and held it carefully.

"You sit down and I'll make dinner."

"Okay." The two smiled and agreed.

"Xin'er, pour tea for the two cousins."

"Hmm." Tao Xin Xingxing was busy with cups, kettles, and tea.

Su Beicheng felt strange, the attitudes of these two sisters and brothers were diametrically opposed, although the girl may be shy when she grows up, but she is not indifferent to people, it was not like this four years ago.

Soon, the child fell asleep again, and Su Beicheng put him on the bed.

Soon, their mother and daughter had dinner, plus Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng, a total of five people ate around the table, Su Beicheng didn't see his cousin-in-law, so he asked: "Cousin, where is my brother-in-law?" ”

Jin Jiu'er hesitated with a smile and didn't answer, Tao Yeben lowered his head and ate by himself, but suddenly stopped his chopsticks, paused, frowned and said, "What is he asking him for?" He's dead. ”

Su Beicheng and Zhuang Sheng were shocked, looking at Jin Jiu'er and Tao Ye in confusion, and saw that what appeared on Tao Ye's beautiful face was eternal indifference.

"Xiaoye!" Jin Jiu'er scolded, "No matter how bad it is, he's your father." ”

"I don't have a dad."

"You-" Jin Jiu'er couldn't help this daughter, and she also felt helpless about her father's affairs, looking at Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng's puzzled eyes, she said after a while: "Your brother-in-law, he-"

"Don't mention him!" Tao Ye said angrily, his eyes were full of hatred.

"Forget it, cousin, let's eat." Su Beicheng said.

Jin Jiu'er was speechless, she understood her daughter, so she didn't blame her for such an attitude, "Beicheng, don't mind, Xiao Ye is like this." She said.

"It's fine." Subei Chengqiang said with a smile, Zhuang Yuncheng was even more difficult to speak, so several people finished the meal in silence.

After dinner, Tao Ye took her little brother to play in her house, Jin Jiu'er took care of everything, thinking that Tao Ye and his father didn't come home either, so he packed up this empty house and let Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng live together.

"Beicheng, don't blame Xiao Ye, she has changed a lot recently and has a bad temper."

"What's this, don't blame her."

Jin Jiu'er cleaned up and said, "It's all because of her father, her father hasn't been home for more than half a year." ”

Su Beicheng and Zhuang Yuncheng guessed that this was the case, but they didn't say a word.

"He's got a lover out there." Jin Jiu'er said lightly, as if she had looked down on everything.

"These are all three children, is he still like this?"

"What about the three children, I can't do it, I'm not as young and beautiful as his lover outside." Jin Jiu'er said bitterly.

The two were speechless.

"I'm just a little woman, I can't help it, I can't stop him, but he finally has a little conscience, he will give some money every month, and he has no feelings for me, but these three children are his own after all."

"How much can he give you for his own use and for his lover?"

"It's better than nothing, make do with it, don't starve to death," Jin Jiu'er said, "Fortunately, Xiaoye has grown up and can also earn money, now she is taking care of our mother and son, she is a sensible child, but she hates her father and doesn't want to hear everything about him, so she ...... just now"

Zhuang Yuncheng and Su Beicheng saw that they understood her better.

"Xiao Ye has stopped reading?" Su Beicheng asked.

"No, now working in a church for the French."

"Where's Tao Xin?"

"He's reading."

Su Beicheng pondered for a moment, and immediately went to rummage through the box and took out more than a dozen silver dollars, "Cousin, you take it." Su Beicheng said to her.

"You only came back from studying, where did you get the money, I can't ask for it!" Jin Jiu'er pushed it back to him.

When Zhuang Yuncheng came to Shanghai, he advanced three months' money from Yang Aomin from the factory, and he had cash in hand, seeing that it was not easy for Jin Jiu'er to raise his three children, besides, he ate here tonight and lived here, and he might have to live for a few days in the future, so he also stuffed money to her.

"When I was studying abroad, I also saved some money while studying and working, and my parents also gave it to me when I came to Shanghai, so you don't have to worry about me." Su Beicheng was forced into Jin Jiu'er's hands.

"And mine, cousin." Zhuang Yuncheng also followed Su Beicheng's title, stuffed a dozen silver dollars into her hand and said: "This is also my accommodation fee, I want to stay here for a few more days, and then go out to find a place to live when I am familiar with the situation, you take this money, if you don't want it, you just won't let me live here, then I will leave tomorrow." ”

Jin Jiu'er couldn't refuse, she accepted it, she didn't know what to say, in fact, she needed this money very much, she had nothing to express this kindness in the snow, only deep gratitude in her heart.

"Mom." Tao Ye shouted outside the door, "Brother is crying, come quickly." ”

"Here we are." Jin Jiu'er wiped her tears, looked at the two and said, "The bed is cleaned up, you guys have a good rest, I'm out." ”

"Well, cousin, you should rest early, too."

Jin Jiu'er nodded, turned around and left, Tao Ye was standing outside the door waiting for her.

"Mom, have you ever cried?" Tao Ye saw that there were still tears in her eyes.

"Let's go." Jin Jiu'er took the child back to the room with Tao Ye in her arms, and handed Tao Ye a handful of money in her hand.

"What did you tell them about him?" Tao Ye asked.

Jin Jiu'er stopped, stared at Tao Ye, and said seriously: "Xiao Ye, you shouldn't treat your cousin and his friends with such an attitude. ”

"Men aren't good things!" Tao Ye hated and hated.

"If you were really sensible, you wouldn't say such things, and if you think like this, it means that you haven't grown up yet." Jin Jiu'er continued to walk.

"A man who has been with this family for 20 years can abandon our family of four because of one woman, how can I trust him again, how can I trust these men again?"

"Not everyone is like your father, at least not my father, and neither is Beicheng's father." Jin Jiu'er said, "I believe that Beicheng is not. ”

Tao Ye was speechless, she frowned, she didn't know that she had become lonely, indifferent, and temperamental in the past few months, but Jin Jiu'er saw it in her eyes, she didn't want her daughter to become an unkind person.

When he got to the house, Tao Ye spread his hands and asked, "Did he give all this money?" ”

"He's your cousin." Jin Jiu'er said earnestly, "This money is not something I went to ask for, nor is it for them to give alms, this is the complete goodwill of Beicheng and his friends, and they even take into account my dignity, even if I have no dignity, if you don't even understand these truths, and you can't even distinguish between right and wrong, then you can't support this family." ”

"Mom......" Tao Ye looked at her in a daze.

"Your dad abandoned his wife and children, I know it's a big blow to you, he's a bastard, but you can't be like this, if you figure it out, go and apologize to your cousin and his friends, your attitude towards them today is the same as your dad did to me, do you know what it's like?"

Tao Ye stood silently, and two voices appeared in his heart: one was the voice of reason, and the other was the voice of the demon, they were fighting, and the result of the struggle was to make Tao Ye physically and mentally injured.