Chapter 41: A Childhood Playmate Who Came From Afar
There were a few noisy voices outside the window. Li Mu opened his eyes and saw that he had become a young man, sitting on the sofa reading a book.
As a wave of memories came over him, he suddenly understood that he had become the protagonist of the TV series, Zhu Chaoyang, a child under the age of fourteen and the core of the entire drama.
As the perennial number one in his grade, Zhu Chaoyang is as smart as a genius, but taciturn and unsociable, with no friends.
His parents divorced early, and he lives with his mother. His father has remarried and has a daughter. He lives a happy life and doesn't care about his son.
When her mother goes out to work, Chaoyang always stays alone.
There are a lot of debates about this character. Some say he is innocent, while others say Zhu Chaoyang is the biggest boss of the show and has plotted against everyone.
He actually became Zhu Chaoyang directly.
This time travel carries three tasks, which are quite difficult.
1. Prevent evil from happening.
Second, help Yan Liang and Pu Pu return to a normal life.
Third, guide Zhang Dongsheng to return to the right path and be himself.
The difficulty of several tasks is not small. It is easier to prevent evil from happening and help Yan Liang and Pu Pu; it is really not easy to guide Zhang Dongsheng back to the right path and be himself.
It would be fine if he was an adult, but it's a pity that he is just a minor. He needs force but not force, and financial resources but not financial resources. How can he reform Zhang Dongsheng? This man is a ruthless person despite his gentle appearance!
As a Mathematical Olympiad teacher at the Children's Palace, I have no official establishment, earn a small salary, and am not liked by my father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Zhang Dongsheng is a gentle and good man who cares about his family. He is proficient in buying groceries, cooking, and doing housework.
If he hadn't stayed in the Children's Palace as a teacher and switched to other industries or business. With his IQ and temperament, rigorous layout ability, tenacity, and fierceness, he would definitely be able to do something in the big storm at the turn of the century.
Achievement.
It's a pity that for the so-called love, he is willing to be a househusband. Although he takes care of the family in an orderly manner, his career has been stagnant and has not made any progress.
As his wife Xu Jing's career got better and better, the gap in income and status between the couple led to the beginning of tragedy.
…
After Li Mu received the memory, he sat on the sofa and thought about what to do next.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Li Mu frowned. It was already evening, and it was already dark. According to his memory, his mother, Zhou Chunhong, just left home this morning and went to work in a scenic spot. It would take two days to come back.
He has no acquaintances, and no classmates want to play with him. At this point, who is knocking on the door?
Two figures suddenly flashed through his mind. Li Mu got off the sofa, put on his slippers and opened the door.
"Who is it?"
As he spoke, he opened the door of the house and looked outside through an old-fashioned iron fence security door.
There is a boy and a girl outside the door. They have familiar faces, dirty clothes, but very bright eyes. Aren't they Yan Liang and Pu Pu!
Before Li Mu could speak, Yan Liang said nervously: "Chaoyang, long time no see!"
"do you remember me?"
Li Mu looked at the two of them carefully again, looked at their hopeful eyes, and said, "You are Yan Liang!"
As he spoke, he opened the security door.
Yan Liang was very happy when he saw that Li Mu recognized him, and hurriedly introduced him to Pu Pu next to him.
"Pupu, this is Zhu Chaoyang, my best friend when I was a child."
Pu Pu looked a little pale and haggard. During this period, he couldn't eat well or sleep well, and he suffered a lot.
When he saw Li Mu, he smiled sweetly and called out: "Brother Chaoyang, my name is Pupu."
Seeing that she was so young and so well-behaved and sensible, Li Mu also smiled and said, "Hello, Pu Pu."
With that said, he invited the two of them into the house.
When they all sat down and looked at them, it was obvious that they hadn't eaten dinner yet. Li Mu said, "You haven't eaten yet! I'll give you something to eat."
After saying that, without waiting for a reply from the two of them, he got up and went into the kitchen. Since Zhou Chunhong was often away from home, she prepared a lot of cooked food for him, which he could eat once it was warmed up.
When Li Mu brought a plate of shrimp dumplings and a plate of siomai, they placed them on the dining table. The aroma of the food made the two people, who had not had a full meal for a while, swallow involuntarily, but they were very disciplined.
Move the chopsticks.
Li Mu saw him and smiled and said: "Yan Liang, we were best friends when we were children, and Pu Pu is also my friend now."
"Don't be polite to me, just eat!"
The two looked at each other and smiled. Li Mu's friendly attitude finally made the two people who had been anxious feel at ease.
Then I picked up the chopsticks and started eating deliciously.
Li Mu went to the kitchen again and made a cup of soy milk for each of them.
Pupu opened his big eyes and thanked him very sensibly: "Thank you, Brother Chaoyang!"
Yan Liang also said: "Thank you, Chaoyang."
Li Mu smiled: "You're welcome, we are good friends."
As he spoke, he was confused and said: "What are you..."
Yan Liangliang was outspoken. Seeing that Li Mu had not forgotten his friend and had such a good attitude, he did not hide anything, so he immediately told him about it.
…
After listening to Yan Liang's words, Li Mu had a hint of surprise on his face: "So, you ran away from the orphanage?"
Pupu answered: "Brother Chaoyang, we didn't run out on purpose. My brother Xinxin was adopted more than a year ago. News came some time ago that he has leukemia. The family that adopted him has no money to treat it. I
I want to see my brother and find a way to raise money for his treatment."
Li Mu had a surprised expression on his face: "Leukemia is difficult to cure and requires a lot of money. How do you raise it?"
Pupu said in a somewhat disappointed tone: "Yan Liang said that he had an uncle in Ningzhou who was a good friend with his father back then. He said that he could come to him if anything happened... We went to him to borrow money, but..."
As he spoke, his tone became lower and lower, and the result was obvious.
In this regard, Li Mu also understands that a child from a friend's family who ran away from the orphanage said that he was treating the brother of a friend he met in the orphanage. He asked you to borrow 300,000, and he will definitely pay it back in the future.
Do you want to borrow? Or not?
According to memory, it is now 2006, and Huanzhugege is still replayed from time to time. Three hundred thousand yuan, a house in a second-tier city in China. It is very difficult for adults, let alone underage children, to borrow so much money.
It is almost impossible for two orphans to borrow money to treat Pupu's younger brother Xinxin. Only children can be so naive and think that someone will lend them money.
"What are you going to do next?"
The two of them were stunned and thought for a long time before Yan Liang said: "We want to work to earn money and treat Xinxin."
Li Mu said: "You are underage and are child laborers. No one is willing to use you. Especially Pupu, you look like you are underage at first glance, and no one will use you."
Yan Liang said firmly: "I can, I'm tall, and I heard that you don't need an ID card to move goods at the dock. I'll go to the dock to help people unload the goods."
Li Mu shook his head: "It's very chaotic over there at the pier, and it's not that easy to mess around. You should go to school well now, and you will have a future in the future."
Yan Liang said in frustration: "What should we do about Xinxin? His illness can't wait. It will be too late after he finishes school. We can't just watch Xinxin do nothing!"
Li Mu thought for a while and told another cruel reality: "It will take many years to save 300,000 by working at the dock. In fact, it is too late!"
Hearing what Li Mu said, the eyes of the two people suddenly dimmed, and their expressions became lower and lower.
Li Mu sighed slightly, thought for a while and suggested: "Actually, the best way is to contact a charity and ask them to help raise money. It is much more convenient than working to earn money."
Their eyes lit up.
Pupu looked hopeful and said: "Brother Chaoyang, how can I contact a charity to help Xinxin raise money!"
Li Mu thought for a while: "I'm not very familiar with these, let's work out a solution together!"
Things took a turn for the better, and Pupu's complexion improved a lot, and he nodded heavily.
"Thank you, Brother Chaoyang."
…
After chatting for a while, the two of them finished their meal and Pupu went to wash the dishes diligently. Li Mu didn't stop him. It was not good to be too polite.
Wait until everything is sorted out.
Pu Pu came over again and asked carefully: "Brother Chaoyang, can I use your home phone to call my brother Xinxin?"
Li Mu smiled: "It's okay, just use it!"
"Thank you, Brother Chaoyang." Pupu smiled obediently and went to the side to make a phone call.
…
After hanging up the phone, the two sat at home for a while. It was already getting late.
Seeing how they were at a loss and hesitating to speak, Li Mu knew that they had no place to stay and wanted to stay, but didn't know how to speak.
Li Mu said directly: "Yan Liang, Pupu, you just came to Ningzhou today, do you have a place to stay?"
When the two heard this, they shook their heads in silence.
Li Mu paused for a moment, seeing that they looked a little hopeful and a little nervous, and then said: "How about staying at my house for two days first, and then you can move out when you find a place."
Their eyes lit up and their faces showed surprise.
"Thank you, Chaoyang."
"Thank you, Brother Chaoyang!"
Li Mu smiled and suddenly remembered something. According to the plot, his mother Zhou Chunhong would come back suddenly tomorrow morning and almost bumped into Pu Pu and Yan Liang, which made Zhu Chaoyang worried for a while.
After thinking for a while, he said: "However, my mother may have to come back tomorrow morning. We have to get up early to prevent him from finding out."
Pu Pu and Yan Liang quickly nodded in agreement.
Li Mu said: "Don't worry, in a few days, I will tell my mother and let her know that you are my friend, and you can come to my house to play often."
Yan Liang and Pu Pu looked relaxed and happy after hearing this.
Next, Li Mu chatted with them and watched TV for a while.
Pu Pu is very sensible and smart. He felt that Li Mu was friendly to them, and his anxiety was finally gone.
The few of them chatted for a while and gradually became familiar with each other.
Pu Pu hesitated and asked: "Brother Chaoyang, do you have a camera at home? I want to take some photos."
Yan Liang explained: "Chaoyang, Pupu's father has passed away. She promised to burn a few photos every year. Next month is the death anniversary of Pupu's father."
"Can you help me?"
Naturally, Li Mu would not refuse. This incident may seem trivial, but it kicks off the entire plot.
It was precisely because a few people went up the mountain to take photos that they accidentally recorded the scene of Zhang Dongsheng's crime. Yan Liang and Pu Pu wanted to use this evidence to threaten Zhang Dongsheng and demand money to treat Xinxin, which triggered so many subsequent incidents and tragedies.
.
Fulfilling Pu Pu's wish is only one of them. More importantly, it is to prevent Zhang Dongsheng from committing crimes. Otherwise, how can we guide him back to the right path and be himself.
"I don't have a camera at home, but my dad has one. I'll find a way to borrow it for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Brother Chaoyang." Pu Pu looked surprised.
After watching TV for a while, the two of them started to feel sleepy as they had not been able to eat well or sleep well for such a long time.
Li Mu arranged for the two of them to take a bath and rest.
…
Early the next morning, after several people got up and washed up, Li Mu led them out to have breakfast.
There happens to be a breakfast stall at the morning market not far from home.
Xiao Long Bao, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and bean curd. After breakfast, Li Mu paid the bill and the few of them strolled around the street. It was getting late.
Then he said goodbye to the two of them and waited for Zhou Chunhong.
As soon as I got home, my mother Zhou Chunhong came back.
"Morning sun."
Li Mu turned around and shouted: "Mom, why are you back? It will take two days!"
Zhou Chunhong smiled and said: "Your Aunt Li and I will change shifts, and I will be back."
As she said this, she walked into the house and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"My son has become successful and he knows how to help his mother clean the house."
Li Mu smiled and hesitated, could he say that Pupu helped clean it?
Zhou Chunhong rubbed his head.
"Okay, mommy will prepare delicious food for you later. Go and study hard first."
Li Mu nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to walk back into the house, the phone rang. He reached out to pick it up. It was for his mother, Zhou Chunhong.
"Mom, your phone number."
Zhou Chunhong took the phone and talked for a while, then her face darkened.
Li Mu asked: "Mom, what's wrong?"
Zhou Chunhong sighed: "I just got home. There is another fire drill organized in the scenic area. I have to go back now and I won't be able to come back for the next two days."
Li Mu immediately comforted him: "Mom, don't worry, I can take care of myself at home alone."
Zhou Chunhong looked at her sensible son in front of her and nodded happily.
He also warned: "It's just summer vacation, don't be too playful, and don't forget to study."
"By the way, I signed you up for the Mathematical Olympiad class at the Children's Palace a few days ago. I'm going to have a trial class in two days. Don't forget it."
Li Mu nodded. He couldn't escape studying during the summer vacation, and it was not easy to be a good student.
"Don't worry, Mom, I got it."
Zhou Chunhong simply packed up her things, and before leaving, she warned: "Son, there are prepared shrimp dumplings, siomai, and rice dumplings in the refrigerator. You can eat them hot, don't forget them."
Li Mu responded: "Don't worry, Mom, I got it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Chunhong hurried out the door.