Chapter 27
The bell for the end of the night self-study rang at 9 o'clock, and the middle school third-year students gradually came out.
Yu Xin immediately spotted her mother and brother under the street lamp.
She paused, then happily ran to the two, "Mom, brother."
However, when she saw the man behind them, Yu Xin's smile faltered for a moment.
Yu Li observed her reaction, knowing he had guessed correctly.
He inconspicuously glanced at the man, then led his mother and sister away.
Back home, Yu Xin went to her room gloomily to do homework.
Yu Li poured a glass of water, casually asking, "Mom, has that uncle been accompanying you to pick up Xin Xin lately?"
Lin Jiarong's gaze was a bit evasive as she shook her head, "No, he said he was just passing by to buy a late-night snack, so he waited with me."
Yu Li responded with an "oh".
Seems like that uncle was really pursuing his mother.
But did his mother know?
Yu Li looked at Lin Jiarong, but didn't ask this question, returning to his room instead.
He relayed what his mother had said to Yan Shiting, and soon received a message from the latter:
[Where does your mother work?]
Yu Li: [Wenhuan Garment Factory.]
[Okay.]
After that, Yan Shiting didn't send any more messages.
The next morning, after his mother and sister had left, Yan Shiting picked Yu Li up at the hotel.
He took out a tablet and pulled up a report from the local media a year ago, which wrote that there had been a fire in the Wenhuan Garment Factory workshop at night, but fortunately, the packaging worker Wang Jianfeng had discovered it in time, evacuated the employees, and rescued the goods, preventing major losses to the garment factory.
At the bottom, Yu Li found a photo of Wang Jianfeng who was the "uncle" he had seen the night before.
"After that, the workshop manager promoted him to be the packaging team leader."
Yu Li murmured, "A fire..."
His mother Lin Jiarong had been working at Wenhuan Garment Factory for three years, so she must have also experienced that fire a year ago.
But she had never told him and his sister about it.
"I'll have someone investigate and contact him further, and within two days, we should be able to basically determine whether this person is good or bad."
Yu Li put down the tablet, "Can you really confirm it?"
Yan Shiting said, "Yes."
Reassured by his affirmative response, Yu Li's heart gradually settled.
If the uncle turned out to be a decent person, he would go talk to him.
...
Two days later, Yan Shiting brought Yu Li definite information.
Wang Jianfeng had been married over 10 years ago, but his wife passed away in an accident, and since then he had not remarried.
He originally had a daughter, but when the daughter was 5 or 6 years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia, and he sold his house and car, but still couldn't save her.
According to the neighbors and colleagues, Wang Jianfeng may look rough on the surface, but he's actually a pretty decent person.
His physique is sturdy, and if any ruffians or bullies come around, as long as he stands there, they would back down.
He has unexpectedly prevented several campus bullying incidents.
The people living nearby would occasionally have something break down in their homes, and they would all ask him to come fix it, and he never charged a fee.
In addition, Wang Jianfeng has also self-taught electrical knowledge, and voluntarily checks the homes of the elderly living alone for electrical leaks, and regularly replaces their old power strips that have safety hazards.
Sometimes, when the neighborhood office has any notifications, it's Wang Jianfeng who goes door-to-door to remind everyone.
So on the street where Wang Jianfeng lives, aside from their own children, the elderly living alone trust him the most.
Yu Li listened in a daze.
He knew that to know if a person is good or bad, you can get a sense from their attitude towards the weak, the sick, and the elderly.
Even if Wang Jianfeng wanted to put on an act, he couldn't have done it for years in front of the elderly living alone.
In a blunt way, what would he gain by putting on a show in front of the elderly?
However, a person being too perfect also doesn't seem very realistic.
Yu Li snapped out of it and asked, "Didn't you find out if he has any quirks or flaws?"
Yan Shiting nodded, "Yes, this person is a bit stubborn, direct, and doesn't have much tact."
In other words, his EQ is a bit low.
This was mainly based on the evaluation of Wang Jianfeng's colleagues.
The garment factory had opened a back door, and there were always some employees sneaking back to the dormitory to slack off.
When Wang Jianfeng found out, he would go to the dormitory and bring the people back, then seal up the back door, depriving those employees of the opportunity to sneak back and slack off.
Additionally, even for small mistakes the employees made during work, Wang Jianfeng would require them to be corrected, even if those small mistakes didn't affect the product.
Such a person, the boss might appreciate it, but as a colleague, it's not very pleasant.
Yu Li pondered for a while.
Yan Shiting looked at him and asked, "Do you want to make direct contact with him?"
Yu Li thought for a long time before finally nodding.
-
After returning home from the hotel, Yu Li first took Yu Xin's bicycle out to get it repaired.
This way, Yu Xin could ride the bike back after night self-study, and Yu Li persuaded Lin Jiarong to rest at home, then went out alone to wait near the school.
Yan Shiting's car was parked on the side of the road a few meters away, and he was sitting in the backseat, observing the situation on Yu Li's side.
Soon, Yu Li saw Wang Jianfeng approaching.
Seeing only Yu Li there, Wang Jianfeng was a bit surprised, "Oh, it's you. Isn't your mom here today?"
Yu Li nodded, "My sister's bike has been repaired, so mom doesn't need to pick her up."
Wang Jianfeng scratched his head, "I see."
Yu Li looked at him and slowly walked closer, getting straight to the point, "Uncle, I know you're pursuing my mom."
Wang Jianfeng's eyes widened, his body shaking.
Taking advantage of Wang Jianfeng's shock, Yu Li continued, "Can I talk to you?"
After a long while, Wang Jianfeng opened his mouth, but was so surprised that no sound came out.
He could only nod and follow Yu Li to a nearby convenience store.
Dinner had been a bit greasy, and Yu Li was feeling a little nauseous now.
He got a bottle of plum juice, and was just about to pay when Wang Jianfeng stepped forward, "Let me."
He quickly scanned the code, leaving Yu Li somewhat caught off guard.
Recovering, Yu Li said, "Uncle, what do you want to drink? Let me get it for you."
Wang Jianfeng waved his hand, taking out a bottle of mineral water, "I'll get my own, you don't have to."
He quickly paid, then followed Yu Li to the long table next to the convenience store.
At night time, there weren't many people, and there were only the two of them at the table.
Yu Li held the plum juice, his mood complex, pursing his lips as he thought about how to start the conversation.
Before he could figure it out, Wang Jianfeng took the initiative and asked, "How did you know I'm pursuing your mom?"
His speech was indeed direct and to the point.
Yu Li focused his thoughts, "I've noticed you coming to pick up my sister these past few days, so I guessed."
He explained, then asked, "When did you start accompanying my mom to pick up my sister?"
Wang Jianfeng felt uncomfortable as he took a sip of water, talking about this kind of thing with a young person, especially the son of the woman he likes, made him quite nervous.
His tanned face flushed red as he pointed to the few barbecue stalls in the distance, "Those barbecue stalls often have people getting drunk and causing trouble. Last year, a male teacher was passing by after work and got his head smashed by a drunk."
"So after school started, I've been coming to take a look. Later when I saw your mom come to pick up your sister, I would go up and say a few words to her."
So-called "coming to take a look" was actually coming every night to silently protect Yu Xin's safety.
It's just that Yu Xin didn't recognize him, and had never noticed him before.
Later, when Lin Jiarong came to pick her up, Yu Xin noticed him because he was getting closer to her mom.
Yu Li was silent for a while.
He didn't expect that Wang Jianfeng had been silently doing these things in the background.
His lips trembled as he said after a long while, "Thank you."
Wang Jianfeng's face flushed even redder, "It's nothing."
Yu Li lowered his gaze, opening the cap of the plum juice and putting in a straw.
He took a sip of the sour-sweet plum juice, composing himself, "Uncle, Xin Xin and I actually support mom being able to start a new life."
"But Xin Xin is in her teenage years, feeling lost about the future. I hope that if you pursue my mom and she agrees, you two can properly handle how Xin Xin accepts this."
Wang Jianfeng listened in a daze.
Until Yu Li's words trailed off, he wiped the sweat in his palms on his pants, "I know, I'll wait until Xin Xin graduates from university, gets a job, or even gets married, before expressing my feelings to your mom."
Wang Jianfeng's considerations were quite comprehensive.
Yu Li let out a long sigh of relief in his heart, looking at Wang Jianfeng, "But Xin Xin already has some suspicions now."
He told the story of how Yu Xin had panickedly come to find him during the National Day holiday.
"So what are you planning to do now?"
Wang Jianfeng fell into contemplation, his large hand squeezing the mineral water bottle.
Yu Li didn't wait for him to answer, standing up with the plum juice.
Just as Yan Shiting said, this problem should be handled by Wang Jianfeng himself.
He didn't need to worry about it anymore.
After leaving the convenience store, Yu Li had finished the plum juice.
He threw the cup into the trash can, hesitating under the street light for a while.
Autumn in the Southern Province was already rainy, and it had started drizzling again.
The bell for the end of night self-study rang, and Yu Li stepped over to Yan Shiting's car, getting into the backseat.
Once the door closed, being in the same space as Yan Shiting, Yu Li finally relaxed a little.
Yan Shiting's low voice spoke, "Do you have an answer?"
Yu Li nodded, "Mm-hmm."
He thought for a bit, "It's the weekend tomorrow, let's go out and play."
"Since we're here, let's go see that popular tourist attraction."
It was dark inside the car, but Yan Shiting was still gazing at Yu Li.
He spoke softly, "Okay."
😍
ReplyDelete❣️
ReplyDelete❤️
ReplyDelete