Even after drying Xiao Meng’s hair, Zhuang Long had never scalded her.
“Done.” Zhuang Long bent down to pull the plug.
Xiao Meng touched her dry hair and smiled. She said, “Xiao Bao is still so sensible. Awesome.”
Zhuang Long was stunned.
He stood still with the hairdryer in his hand.
Xiao Meng turned around in confusion and looked up at him. Seeing that he seemed to be deep in thought, she asked softly, “Xiao Bao, what’s wrong?”
Zhuang Long asked, “Did you always call me Xiaobao?”
This time, it was Xiao Meng’s turn to be surprised.
“Yes, have you forgotten?” Xiao Meng could not smile anymore, and her face was filled with sadness. “You don’t remember…”
This was not what surprised Xiao Meng the most. There was something else that surprised her even more. Zhuang Long said, “I don’t remember.” He saw Xiao Meng’s eyes widen and felt sorry for her, but he still told Xiao Meng the truth honestly. “I don’t remember many things. About you, Dad, and our family.”
Zhuang Long had something on his mind, so he did not notice the panic in Xiao Meng’s eyes when he mentioned her father.
“I’m sorry, I forgot about you.” Zhuang Long had always thought that his mother was dead. In his memory, his parents were indeed dead. That was why he was so surprised when he received a call from the prison last night. After saying that, Zhuang Long looked down at Xiao Meng’s expression.
Xiao Meng heaved a sigh of relief.
Zhuang Long found it strange.
Why was she reacting like this?
Ding Dong—
The doorbell rang. Zhuang Long put down the hairdryer and opened the peephole to see the waiter pushing the dining car. He opened the door and tipped the waiter. After he left everything behind, he said to Xiao Meng, “Let’s make do with eating first. We’ll go out to eat tonight.”
Xiao Meng smiled and said, “That’s good.”
During the meal, the mother and son still did not talk much.
After dinner, Xiao Meng was a little tired. According to her prison habits, she should be taking an afternoon nap at this time. Xiao Meng felt very bad. She wanted to stay with the child for a while, but she was old and her biological clock was playing tricks on her, so she dozed off.
Zhuang Long could not bear to see her like this and planned to carry her to the bed.
Just as she got close to Xiao Meng, Xiao Meng suddenly woke up.
Seeing that it was Zhuang Long, she was relieved.
Seeing that she was awake, Zhuang Long stopped hugging her.
“Go to bed and sleep,” Zhuang Long said.
Xiao Meng nodded and stood up. “I have to sleep for a while at noon. It won’t be long. Half an hour will do.”
“It’s okay. It’s okay to sleep a little longer.”
After Xiao Meng returned to her room to rest, Zhuang Long lay down on the sofa. He turned on his phone and logged into OK. He saw that he had hundreds of messages that he had not read. He entered the group and scrolled through the messages online. He realized that everyone was talking about him.
It was unknown who leaked the news. Now, everyone knew that Zhuang Long, who had always called himself an orphan, actually had a biological mother who was still alive.
Everyone was good friends. They were all talking about Zhuang Long and his mother in the group. Suzanne was curious about what crime Zhuang Long’s mother had committed to be sentenced for so many years. Zhuang Long, Yan Nuo, and the rest were concerned about another question. Why did Zhuang Long not remember his mother!
Everyone discussed for a long time, but there was no conclusion.
After thinking about it, Zhuang Long spoke in the group.
Zhuang Long: [Now that she’s in San Francisco, I have mixed feelings. When I saw her, I couldn’t recognize her. She was 59 years old and had been in prison for 28 years. At that time, she should have been very young. I don’t remember her name or her appearance. It was only this morning that I found out that her name was Xiao Meng. She had a very gentle name. I only found out at noon that she looked very good in a dress. I vaguely remembered some things. It was probably when I was very young. She always liked to wear a blue dress. She stood in the kitchen and asked me what I wanted to eat for lunch…]
After Zhuang Long sent this message, he was very excited.
In the group, everyone appeared, not knowing what to say. Suzanne sent a hug emoji.
Fang Yusheng said: [This is fine. It’s better than when I was young. I always thought that I was Fang Pingjue’s son, but in the end, I was actually someone else’s child. To be honest, I spent those few days in a daze. Now that I think about it, I still feel that it’s ridiculous.]
Yan Nuo: [When I found out the truth about my mother’s death, I also found it ridiculous.]
Ji Yinbing: [In that case, I’m the most normal person who knows that I suddenly have a brother from the same mother.]
Realizing that everyone’s lives were quite messed up, Zhuang Long felt a little comforted.
He wrote again: [I just found out that she likes to call me Xiaobao.]
Yan Nuo: [Zhuang Xiaobao.]
An: [Xiao Bao.]
Ji Yinbing: [Xiao Bao.]
Suzanne: [Be good, Xiao Bao. Don’t feel bad.]
Zhuang Long’s stomach was filled with sorrow, and he was teased by this group of bad friends.
Zhuang Long: [Alright, I’m feeling much better. Thank you.]
The group fell silent.
Zhuang Long logged out of the OK app and opened another social media app. He stared at Xiao Li’s profile picture for a long time. He especially wanted to ask Xiao Li if she had long known about Xiao Meng, but he did not dare to ask. He was afraid that Xiao Li was hiding more from him.
He only sent Zhuang Qilin a message: [I’ll be back tomorrow.]
Zhuang Qilin quickly replied: [What does Grandma like to eat? I’ll get the chef to prepare it.]
Zhuang Long did not know either.
When Xiao Meng woke up, Zhuang Long pretended to unintentionally ask about Xiao Meng’s eating hobby. The reason was that he wanted to understand her past. Xiao Meng smiled especially gently and did not think too much about it. She said honestly, “I especially like spicy crayfish. When I was young, I always made it for us to eat together. You don’t like Sichuan pepper, but you like the numbing taste.”
Zhuang Long remembered it and asked, “What else?”
“I don’t have anything I especially like to eat, but I remember that you like fried pumpkin balls and celery. Your favorite food is celery stir-fried intestines.”
Zhuang Long’s heart ached when he heard this.
She only remembered his hobby. What about her own?
Zhuang Long said in a muffled voice,
Were all mothers like this?
In the afternoon, Zhuang Long brought Xiao Meng shopping. Xiao Meng had not been out of prison for too many years and was very reserved everywhere. She could not tell what the current trend was, so she asked Zhuang Long to buy some for her. Realizing that those clothes were especially expensive, Xiao Meng was a little uneasy. “You spent so much money. It’s too expensive.”
Zhuang Long asked, “How were our living conditions in the past?”
Xiao Meng said, “It’s alright. You don’t have to worry about food and clothing. You can’t be considered rich. Occasionally, you will buy one or two luxurious things, but you won’t spend money recklessly like you.” At this point, she thought of something and asked Zhuang Long, “Xiao Bao, are you married? After you get married, your expenses will be greater, and you can’t spend money recklessly.”
Zhuang Long was speechless.
