Early the next morning, Zhuang Chaoying was shaken awake by Lin Dongzhe.
"Uncle Zhuang, get up quickly and stop sleeping in. We are going to meet Sister Li Jia."
Zhuang Chaoying was still in a state of confusion. She hurriedly put on her glasses and asked: "What time is it now?"
"It's half past seven, Teacher Zhuang, we have to hurry up, it's not good to let the little girl wait for us." Lin Wufeng said.
Zhuang Chaoying patted his forehead: "It's so late, hurry up, I didn't sleep well last night."
Lin Dongzhe and Xiang Pengfei were snickering on the sidelines. When they got up last night, they saw Zhuang Chaoying tossing and turning like pancakes. It was obvious that she still couldn't sleep because of the dance, so it was not a matter of bed recognition at all.
Lin Wufeng glared at the two of them and signaled them to save some face for Zhuang Chaoying.
At eight o'clock, the group left the room and came to the door of Tongji University. Qin Hao had already arrived and Li Jia had not yet been seen. Zhuang Chaoying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uncle Lin, did you sleep well last night?" Qin Hao said casually, but found that Zhuang Chaoying's expression was a little abnormal.
Lin Wufeng said quickly: "It's okay, it's okay."
Almost a quarter of an hour later, Li Jia hurried over. At first she was a little embarrassed to approach, but Lin Dongzhe pulled her over in a familiar manner.
"Uncle Lin, Uncle Zhuang, I'm sorry I'm late."
Lin Wufeng waved his hand quickly: "We have just woken up, so it's only us who are embarrassed, and I want to trouble you to take us around Shanghai."
"No trouble, we are all classmates. It's rare for you to come here..." Li Jiazheng was about to say a few words of courtesy when he was interrupted by Qin Hao.
"If you continue to be so polite, I'm going to get hungry."
Li Jia's eyes were slightly slanted, she glanced at Qin Hao, and then said to Lin Wufeng: "Then let me take you to have breakfast first. There is a morning market outside Yuyuan Garden, with many Shanghai snacks. After eating, we can also go to Yuyuan Garden for a stroll."
"Okay, I have heard of Yu Garden for a long time, but I have never had the chance to go there. This time, a guide will take us to visit." Lin Wufeng replied with a smile.
Afterwards, the group took a bus to the entrance of Yuyuan Garden. As expected, there were many stalls at the entrance. In addition to various snacks, there were also stalls selling clothes and pots and pans. It turned into a small commodity market.
"Sister Li Jia, what's that?" Lin Dongzhe's mouth was so sweet, as if it had been covered with honey.
Girls naturally have little resistance to sweet-talking men, and Li Jia was no exception. She led Lin Dongzhe to the stall and said, "Auntie, help me get two oil dumplings."
"Give."
Lin Dongzhe picked up a fried dumpling and took a bite: "Yeah, it's delicious. It has radish and shrimp skin. It's crunchy. I've never eaten it in Suzhou."
"As long as you like it." Li Jia said and handed the oil dumpling in his hand to Xiang Pengfei.
Xiang Pengfei was hesitant, Lin Dongzhe pushed him with his elbow, Xiang Pengfei quickly picked it up, and imitated Lin Dongzhe and shouted sweetly: "Thank you, sister Li Jia."
"You're welcome, eat it quickly, it won't taste good after it cools down for a while." Li Jia's smile was very sweet, but the sugar content was a bit high.
Zhuang Chaoying quietly said to Lin Wufeng: "It's not a good idea to ask people to give you money, isn't it?"
"It's okay, I'll just ask Haozi to return the favor later." Lin Wufeng said nonchalantly.
The corners of Zhuang Chaoying's mouth twitched. He was not stupid, so how could he not understand Lin Wufeng's thoughts? Favors came and went, but contact was too much. He couldn't understand why Lin Wufeng was so "indulgent" to Qin Hao.
Is it because Qin Hao is not his biological child? If it were Lin Dongzhe, would the two couples think differently?
When she thought about college students falling in love, Zhuang Chaoying looked at her son with some worry.
Zhuang Tunan didn't understand what his father meant at all, and thought he was hungry, so he took them to buy snacks.
After the group had eaten and drank enough, they began to stroll around Yu Garden, with Li Jia acting as their guide as they walked.
"Yu Garden was built in Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 400 years between the Wanli Period and covers an area of more than 30 acres. Together with Luxiang Garden and Japanese Garden, it is known as the three famous gardens in Shanghai during the Ming Dynasty..."
Li Jiaru recounted the history of Yuyuan Garden in detail, and Lin Dongzhe's face was full of admiration: "Sister Li Jia, you are so amazing and know so much."
"Our architectural history class has content about ancient buildings. The teacher also asked us to visit these ancient buildings in our spare time. These are the crystallization of the wisdom of our ancients. Many architectural structures are not outdated even today."
Qin Hao noticed that when Li Jia talked about her major, there was a sense of confidence and pride in her eyes. It could be seen that she really liked architecture. Perhaps this was why she later found that her professional level lagged behind Zhuang Tunan.
After that, one of the reasons for the crash.
Lin Wufeng winked at Lin Dongzhe, who immediately understood and held his stomach: "Oh, where is the toilet for Sister Li Jia?"
"The toilet is over there. There is one across the bridge. I'll take you there." Li Jia was startled and thought Lin Dongzhe had a bad stomach.
Lin Wufeng quickly said to Li Jia, "I'll just take him there."
When Lin Dongzhe left, he also took Xiang Pengfei away, and Xiang Pengfei took Zhuang Tunan away. Zhuang Chaoying saw that he should go to the toilet too. There was some distance between him and Qin Hao, so he asked him to stay and see Qin Hao.
Hao always feels awkward when he is in love.
By the time Li Jia reacted, it was already too late, and she and Qin Hao were the only two people left at the scene.
"Thank you very much for today." Qin Hao said sincerely.
This was the first time in Li Jia's memory that Qin Hao had thanked her so solemnly, but he heard Qin Hao continue.
"I was less than eight years old. If Aunt Song Ying hadn't agreed to be my guardian, I wouldn't have been able to get rid of them. Over the years, Aunt Song, Uncle Lin and Lin Dongzhe have been closer to me than family members, so I have always regarded them as my guardian.
They treat them like family.”
Li Jia listened quietly to Qin Hao's words, and after pondering for a long time, asked: "So, where are your father and mother-in-law?"
"Of course they want to repair the relationship with me, but I ignored them." Qin Hao said calmly, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Li Jia fell into silence after hearing this: "But... after all, blood is thicker than water. What if they really know they are wrong?"
"It's not that they know they're wrong, it's just that they are getting old and they are afraid that no one will care for them in their old age."
Qin Hao and Li Jia looked at each other and spoke slowly before Li Jia subconsciously tried to avoid his gaze.
"The most unreliable thing in the world is the so-called blood connection. People who can hurt you are often so-called relatives. My personal experience tells me that whether you are close or not does not depend on whether you are related by blood, nor does it depend on what they said.
, it’s about what they did.”
"It's not about the heart but the deeds?" Li Jia murmured to himself, then shook his head.
"Our situation is different. My parents suffered a lot in order to let me return to Shanghai. I watched them kneel in front of my grandparents all night. Only then did I have the opportunity to come to Shanghai to study. Over the years, they have been hurt by their teeth.
I dug out some money and sent it to me."
Qin Hao subconsciously wanted to pat Li Jia's shoulder to comfort him, but felt that this was a bit abrupt, so he took his hand back: "So, in order to repay your parents, you plan to sacrifice your happiness for the rest of your life to atone for your sins?"
"Li Jia, have you ever thought about where you went wrong?"
Li Jiaru was struck by lightning and stared blankly at Qin Hao, yes, where did she go wrong?
"Li Jia, the reason why your parents sent you back to Shanghai to study was because the policy did not allow them to come back. The reason why they sent you instead of your brother was because your uncle and aunt didn't agree, and they were afraid that your brother would divide them.
house."
"The Northeast is very hard, but you are not enjoying the blessings. You have a teenage child living under someone else's roof and sleeping on the kitchen partition every day, so you really don't have to feel guilty."
Instantly, tears burst into Li Jia's eyes. The letters her parents had written to her over the years always told her how difficult it was for them, and told Li Jia to study hard, find a good job in the future, and take her family back to Shanghai when the policy allows.
.
The complaints in her parents' letter once made her feel that her life in Shanghai was like being in heaven, so that she did not dare to slack off at all. Even eating an extra piece of candy during the New Year would make her feel deeply guilty.
Now after being reminded by Qin Hao, Li Jia suddenly discovered that in the letters her parents sent her, they never seemed to ask her whether she was living well in Shanghai or whether she was studying hard.
On the other side of the bridge, Lin Dongzhe noticed Li Jia crying with sharp eyes, and couldn't help but asked in confusion: "Dad, why is sister Li Jia crying? Did Brother Hao bully her?"
"Lin Dongzhe, don't be too meddlesome. Don't mention this when you get back soon, you know?" Lin Wufeng quickly explained.
Lin Dongzhe thought for a while: "Okay."
After saying that, he told Xiang Pengfei beside him: "Pengfei, don't say anything either."
"Well, then when are we going to meet up with Brother Hao?"
Lin Dongzhe put his arm around Xiang Pengfei's shoulders: "When will Brother Hao come to see us?"
Lin Wufeng burst into laughter. He suddenly realized that his son knew quite a lot, but he quickly became alert. How could this kid know this when he was only in junior high school?
On the other side, Li Jia finally calmed down. Seeing Qin Hao staring at her, she glanced sideways at him: "What are you looking at?"
"You are good-looking just for people to see. Is it possible that you have to buy a ticket to see it?" Qin Hao exaggeratedly covered his pockets.
Li Jia burst into laughter and patted Qin Hao on the arm: "You just have to buy a ticket."
"There has to be a standard for buying tickets, right? Let's take a look at how much it costs."
"It's still fifty cents anyway."
"It's so expensive, you can obviously grab it."
Li Jia was angry: "Then you mean I'm not worth fifty cents anymore?"
"That's not true. The buyer is the one who hates the goods. You have to give me a chance to bargain before we can seal the deal." Qin Hao spread his hands.
Li Jia hummed: "Then how much can you say?"
"Fifty cents is too expensive to take a look at it. If I take a few more looks, I will go bankrupt. Otherwise, how about a monthly subscription? How about five yuan a month for me to enjoy?"
"Look at your size."
"Look at you and see if you don't suffer any loss. If you really don't want to, let's take a good look at each other. I'll look at you and you look at me. We'll be even and we won't owe each other anything."
Li Jia rolled her eyes at Qin Hao and spat: "Who wants to look at you?"
"Don't be poor, where are Lin Dongzhe and the others?"
"They will naturally appear when they should appear."
Li Jia's pretty face flushed, and she suddenly realized that Lin Dongzhe and his party were creating an opportunity for her and Qin Hao to be alone. It would be fine if it was just Lin Dongzhe. The key is that Lin Wufeng is also there. According to Qin Hao, he has always regarded Lin Wufeng as a relative.
"Does this count as meeting the parents?"
A horrifying thought popped up in his mind, which frightened Li Jia to the point of being paralyzed. He waited for a while and then angrily said to Qin Hao: "Go and find them quickly."
Soon, Qin Hao and Li Jia "encountered" Lin Dongzhe and his party at the entrance of Yuyuan Garden.
"Sister Li Jia, there is not much to see in Yu Garden. Is there any place in Shanghai that is particularly lively and sells things?"
Just when Li Jia was so embarrassed that she didn't know how to speak, Lin Dongzhe stepped forward to rescue him.
"Yes, then I will take you to Nanjing Road."
"good."
Under the leadership of Li Jia, the group came to Nanjing Road. Looking at the busy scene of traffic, not to mention Lin Dongzhe and Xiang Pengfei, even Lin Wufeng and Zhuang Chaoying were stunned.
"Is Nanjing Road so prosperous now?" Lin Wufeng once visited Nanjing Road on a business trip, but that was several years ago, and it was not as lively as it is now.
However, after shopping around, Lin Wufeng and Zhuang Chaoying were not so interested. The reason was very simple. The items in the department store were too expensive, much more expensive than they imagined.
Zhuang Chaoying quietly said to Lin Wufeng: "In that department store just now, a piece of clothing sold for hundreds of yuan. This is too expensive. It shouldn't be so expensive if it is sewn with gold thread, right?"
It's embarrassing to say that when he was visiting a department store just now, Zhuang Chaoying fell in love with a T-shirt. When he asked about the price, he was shocked. The piece of clothing cost him a year's salary, so he could only feel dejected.
and leave the counter.
"That one seems to be a foreign brand called Montagnard, which is quite expensive." Lin Wufeng remembered that there seemed to be a similar style in Song Ying's magazine.
"It can't be so expensive. Doesn't the Price Bureau care about it?" Zhuang Chaoying said angrily. When he thought of the disdainful look in the salesperson's eyes at that time, he wanted to find a place to get in.
Fortunately, except for a few high-end department stores, the prices in other stores have dropped a lot, and the variety of products is much more complete than in Suzhou.
Lin Wufeng gritted his teeth and bought a ladies' watch, while Zhuang Chaoying bought a dress for Zhuang Xiaoting.
Qin Hao secretly bought a silk scarf behind Lin Wufeng's back. At first, Li Jia thought it was for her, but later he saw Qin Hao secretly stuffing it to Lin Dongzhe, and then he realized that it was probably for her.
Song Ying's.
I don't know why, but at that moment Li Jia felt an inexplicable sense of loss in his heart.
At noon, Lin Wufeng found a restaurant near Nanjing Road and invited Li Jia to have dinner with him. Li Jia originally wanted to refuse, but before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Lin Dongzhe.
"Sister Li Jia, please don't leave. I want you to take me shopping this afternoon."
In the end, Li Jia couldn't stand Lin Dongzhe's insistence and entered the restaurant.
After eating and drinking, the group of people started shopping again. It was not until three o'clock in the afternoon that Qin Hao and Zhuang Tunan sent Lin Wufeng and his party to the train station, while Li Jia returned to Tongji Dormitory to pick up what Lin Dongzhe had given her.
Apple and Chagan returned to their grandparents’ house.