Song Zhaodi’s vision went black and her head buzzed as if the ceiling above her was shifting up and down. She was completely stunned.
Zhong Jianguo blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend how everything had unfolded. Instinctively, he let go.
Thud!
Song Zhaodi landed on her legs before collapsing flat on the ground, finally snapping back to her senses. She glared at the square-faced man who had suddenly appeared, gritting her teeth. “Zhong Jianguo, you’re done for!”
“I, ” Zhong Jianguo wanted to say, I didn’t do it on purpose. How did you fall? But the words stuck in his throat and he instinctively swallowed them back. “Let me help you up.”
Song Zhaodi snapped, “No need!”
“But the floor is cold.” Zhong Jianguo hesitated, squatted down and reached out his hand. “Come on, don’t be stubborn. Get up quickly.”
Song Zhaodi spat out a single word coldly, “I can’t afford it!”
Zhong Jianguo’s face darkened. He opened his mouth to explain, but then he saw her eyes reddening. His heart clenched and he suddenly panicked. His first instinct was to call the children to defuse the situation.
Lifting his head, he suddenly remembered that the children were all asleep in their beds. His anxiety grew. “Zhaodi, please, just get up first. You can hit me or scold me, I won’t fight back, I promise.”
“Get lost!”
Zhong Jianguo glanced around, saw that no one was watching, took a deep breath and scooped Song Zhaodi into his arms, running upstairs.
He kicked the door open, rushed into the room and shut the door tightly behind him with his foot. Placing Song Zhaodi on the bed, he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his face.
Song Zhaodi flung his hand away with a slap. “Get lost!”
Zhong Jianguo froze and hesitated before asking, “Can you say anything else besides ‘get lost’?”
“Get lost!” Song Zhaodi replied icily.
The colder she was, the less Zhong Jianguo dared to leave. “I didn’t expect you to lose your balance.” As soon as he spoke, he wanted to slap himself. “I misspoke. You’re not a dancer, nor have you trained in martial arts. It’s normal for you to be unsteady. I should’ve thought of that.”
Seeing that she was still expressionless, his scalp tingled. “From now on, I won’t lay a hand on you ever again, I swear!”
“Get out!” Song Zhaodi demanded.
That was progress, two words this time. Zhong Jianguo exhaled lightly in his heart. He thought for a moment, then grabbed her hand again. “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I was being thoughtless. I promise I’ll remember next time.”
[T/N: The first time, she says 滚 – lit. roll! The second time, she says, 出去 – get out or go out.]
Song Zhaodi glanced at him coldly, then turned her back to him.
Zhong Jianguo scratched his head in frustration. Why did he have to be so impulsive with his hands?
“Zhaodi, Zhaodi, tomorrow I’ll cook and do the laundry.” After a moment’s silence, he realised he couldn’t let things fester. He got up, ran to the other side of the bed, lay down at the edge and grabbed her hand again. “If you’re angry, just hit me. No, hit me as much as you want, just don’t ignore me.”
Song Zhaodi looked at him once more, then turned away again.
Zhong Jianguo suddenly noticed the dirt on her clothes. An idea struck him and he blurted out, “Zhaodi, your clothes are dirty. Let me take them off for you.”
Song Zhaodi was about to refuse, but then she remembered that the bedsheets had just been changed that afternoon. She remained silent.
Seeing this, Zhong Jianguo cautiously tugged at her sleeve. When she didn’t resist, he grew bolder, quickly removing her cotton jacket and pants. In a flash, he stripped off his own clothes and slipped under the blanket.
Hearing the rustling sounds, Song Zhaodi already knew what was happening. “Zhong Jianguo, did you close the door?”
“The front door doesn’t need to, ” He stopped abruptly. Meeting her gaze, he looked embarrassed. “I, I’ll go close it now.” He lifted the blanket and dashed downstairs.
He locked the courtyard gate and shut the living room door. When he got back upstairs, he found the bedroom door firmly closed.
Staring at the shut door, he wasn’t surprised. But this time, he didn’t dare to sleep in the living room, nor squeeze in with his sons.
He went to the storage room, found a thin wire, then realised the door was latched from the inside. If he wanted to get in, he’d have to kick it open.
Kick the door open? He shook his head repeatedly. That would make Teacher Song furious.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
Zhong Jianguo turned around. “Dawa? You’re still awake?”
“I just woke up.” Zhong Dawa yawned. “I need to pee but forgot to bring the chamber pot downstairs.” He glanced at his father. “Aren’t you cold standing here in just a shirt?”
Zhong Jianguo thought, My body’s cold, but my heart is even colder. “Of course I’m cold. But your mom won’t let me in.”
“You made Mom mad again?” Zhong Dawa sized him up. “I really don’t get you. Why do you always make Mom angry?” Shaking his head with a sigh, he turned to grab the chamber pot.
Zhong Jianguo felt dizzy. He took a deep breath and followed after him. “Son, knock on the door for me. Say you have a stomachache.”
“If I help you and make Mom even angrier, she’ll make you cook. I don’t want to eat your cooking.” Zhong Dawa shot him a look. “Stop following me. I need to use the bathroom.”
Zhong Jianguo walked as he spoke, “I don’t want to follow you either. But if I don’t go in today, your mother will stay mad for a month. Son, even if you don’t want to eat the food I cook, I’ll still have to cook for a month.”
“What?!” Zhong Dawa was so shocked that he almost missed a step and rolled down the stairs. He quickly grabbed the handrail, turned around and stared at Zhong Jianguo. “Are you serious, Dad?”
Zhong Jianguo nodded. “I’ve caused quite a bit of trouble this time.”
“You, you, you… Why do you keep causing trouble all the time?” Zhong Dawa was exasperated. “I don’t even know what to say to you. What did you do this time?”
Zhong Jianguo cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed. “Your mother kicked me and I fought back.”
“You hit my mom?” Zhong Dawa’s eyes widened. “How bold of you?!”
Zhong Jianguo shook his head. “I didn’t hit her, but what I did was even worse. Sigh, son, stop asking and help your old man think of a solution.”
“Is it really serious?” Zhong Dawa asked.
Zhong Jianguo sighed. “I think it’s very serious.”
“Then come with me, Dad.” Zhong Dawa waved his hand and led him to the courtyard. He pointed at the window facing the door and whispered, “Ladder.”
Zhong Jianguo’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, son.” He borrowed a ladder from the Liu family, climbed up in a few quick steps and gently pushed the window open before slipping inside.
Lying in bed, Zhong Jianguo was about to complain about how ruthless Song Zhaodi was, but before he could speak, he carefully asked, “Comrade Song Zhaodi, are you asleep?”
Song Zhaodi glanced at him and closed her eyes.
Zhong Jianguo let out a sigh of relief and moved a little closer to Song Zhaodi. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Where does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“Headache.” Song Zhaodi uttered two words.
Zhong Jianguo quickly asked, “Is it swollen?” Before Song Zhaodi could respond, he leaned over and brushed aside her long hair. Seeing that there was no swelling, he still felt uneasy. The fall from earlier had sounded quite harsh. “Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow to check.”
“Shut up,” Song Zhaodi frowned. “Noisy!”
Zhong Jianguo immediately shut his mouth. After a while, he couldn’t help but ask again, “Zhaodi, are you really okay? If something’s wrong, you have to tell me.”
“Zhong Jianguo, if I hear one more word from you, get out immediately,” Song Zhaodi looked at him, enunciating every word with a fierce expression.
Zhong Jianguo became obedient.
The next morning, as soon as Zhong Jianguo opened his eyes, he got dressed. He opened the bedroom door and glanced at the wall clock, 6:10 am? Still early, just in time.
He went downstairs, brushed his teeth, washed his face and started making porridge. Then he boiled seven salted duck eggs and stir-fried a plate of lettuce.
Zhong Dawa came downstairs and saw the dishes on the table. Instinctively, he called out, “Mom, why are we eating so early today?”
“Your mom hasn’t gotten up yet. I made breakfast,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “Go wake your mother.”
Zhong Dawa frowned. “You still haven’t made up with Mom?”
“What happened to Mom?” asked Zili, who had just come down.
Dawa looked at Zhong Jianguo and sighed. “He made Mom angry again.”
Zili was stunned. “Dad, why do you make Mom angry every few days?”
“Is it really that often?” Zhong Jianguo seriously thought for a moment. “No. Stop talking nonsense.” Seeing Gengsheng come down, he said, “Gengsheng, go call your mother for breakfast.”
Gengsheng sighed. “Dad, I hope you can be as steady at home as you are outside.”
“Are you lecturing your father?” Zhong Jianguo glared. “I’m the father here or are you?”
Dawa smirked. “You’re our laozi, my biological dad. So why don’t you go call Mom yourself?”
Zhong Jianguo was at a loss for words. “Can’t I order you guys around anymore? If you don’t listen, I’ll tell your mother once she’s in a better mood.” He glanced at his three sons. “Scared now? If you’re scared, then go!”
“You’re so childish,” Gengsheng muttered. He couldn’t help but wonder how such an immature man had become a regiment commander. But strangely, despite having such an unreliable father, he didn’t find it annoying, he even found it amusing.
Zhong Jianguo gave him a look, then turned back into the kitchen to bring out the porridge.
Song Zhaodi woke up late that morning, not because she was angry, but because she had been traveling for five days, spending four of them on trains and boats. Now that she could relax, she felt exhausted and sluggish.
Zhong Jianguo had left in a hurry in the morning and hadn’t closed the door properly.
Vaguely hearing Zhong Jianguo and Dawa’s voices, Song Zhaodi figured the children were already up. Realising it wasn’t early, she sat up and got dressed.
Hearing a knock at the door, she buttoned up her last button, picked up a comb and said, “Come in.”
“Mom, breakfast is ready,” Gengsheng pushed the door open and checked Song Zhaodi’s expression, trying to gauge her mood. He hesitated and asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”
Song Zhaodi, puzzled, thought for a moment and replied, “Quite well.”
“So you’re not mad at Dad anymore?” Gengsheng watched her closely.
Song Zhaodi chuckled. “Did that scoundrel tell you to ask me?”
“What happened last night?” Gengsheng asked. After nearly two years in the Zhong family, he had never seen his adoptive parents argue. That was why he was worried.
Song Zhaodi replied, “Your dad is such a troublemaker. I don’t even want to talk about him. Did he cook breakfast?”
“Yes,” Gengsheng nodded. “By the time we got downstairs, he had already finished everything. Mom, you’re really not mad anymore?”
“Mad at him?” Song Zhaodi snorted. “Even if I had the patience of a cat, it wouldn’t be enough to keep up with him.”
Gengsheng chuckled. “Dad knows you’re generous, so he dares to joke with you.”
“Stop trying to sweet-talk me,” Song Zhaodi said as she walked out. Seeing that Erwa and Sanwa were still asleep, she pulled off their blankets.
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