Because he had promised Song Yimian to go to the game, Tao You rushed to do his homework on Saturday, even while eating.
"Xiaoyou, the meal should be delicious. Just hurry up and do your homework later. There is still another day tomorrow." Tao's father saw that Tao You was absent-minded. He ate a few hastily and continued to do his homework, not caring about the rice in his mouth. Not chewable. .
Tao You shook his head, finished a question, picked up his chopsticks, stuffed his mouth with rice, and said, "I'll go find Song Yimian tomorrow."
Tao's mother put vegetables into her bowl and asked, "What are you doing?" Tao You's grades were good this time and she could go out and relax, but she still needed to ask.
"Go and see..." Tao You blurted out. He reacted mid-sentence, rolled his eyes, hesitated, and stopped revealing anything.
Tao's mother keenly sensed something was wrong, tapped the bowl lightly, and reminded: "What are you going to see? Tao You, please figure it out. You are finishing the mid-term exam for your first year of high school, not the college entrance examination. Don't waste too much on fun." Time, clearly distinguish the priorities, and it will be easier to attack."
"Look, look, you're in a hurry again." Before Tao You could say anything, Tao's father spoke first, "Xiaoyou hasn't said anything yet, and you start again. What if they just go to the bookstore to read? Watching exhibitions in museums, watching competitions, etc., those who are disguised are learning, and they are all knowledge that cannot be learned from textbooks, which is a good thing."
When Tao You heard the words "watch the game", her heart skipped a beat. She clenched her chopsticks with her teeth. She nodded along with Tao's father's words and glanced at Tao's mother, observing her reaction.
"I'm afraid that she will forget her main task. It's a reminder!" Tao's mother put down the dishes and chopsticks hard, and collided with the table, making a crisp sound.
Tao You was so frightened that he dropped the rice on the table and said carefully: "We are just going out for a walk. Hong Xiqi and the others are also here. It won't be long."
Tao's mother then continued to pick up the bowl and eat, and she did not forget to say to Tao's father: "Every day, you are the best at talking, and I can't stop your mouth while eating."
Tao's father and Tao You both had their heads buried in the food, not daring to protest in a dull manner. They ate the meal quietly, with only the slight sound of the bowls and chopsticks making contact.
"Dad, thank you just now." After eating, Tao You helped put the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen. He glanced at Tao's mother in the living room, then came to Tao's father who was washing the dishes and whispered his thanks.
Father Tao glanced at her, twitched the corner of his mouth, and replied in a low voice: "Your father, I sacrificed so much just now, should you tell me what you are going to do later?"
Tao You stood there, scratching his head, avoiding Tao's father's eyes, debating whether to tell the truth or not.
"Hey, forget it, our Xiaoyou has grown up and is now a big girl. She has her own little secrets. She doesn't want to tell us anything. It's okay. Dad understands." Dad Tao sighed deeply and asked his superiors. .
Tao You couldn't bear to hear such a way of speaking. It felt like someone poured a large jar of sticky, sweet honey over her head. Her whole body became sticky and uncomfortable: "Dad! Can you be good?" Talk." After saying that, she looked back at the direction of Tao's mother. After confirming that she would not come over for the time being, she hooked her arms around Tao's father's shoulders, leaned into his ear and said, "I told you, you are not allowed to talk to Mom. Say, you swear.”
"I swear, I won't tell your mother." Tao's father stopped what he was doing, put on his gloves, raised three fingers, and swore calmly, waiting for Tao You's next words.
Tao You cleared his throat, glanced back secretly, and said quickly: "Let's go watch a tennis match."
"Net...!" Tao's father separated a little distance from her and shouted in shock. He forgot to pay attention to the volume. The sound was so loud that he could be heard from every corner of the house. Tao You was so frightened that he stamped his feet. , quickly motioned for him to lower his voice.
Before Tao's father could continue, Tao's mother's voice came faintly from the bedroom: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay." Tao's father hadn't recovered from the shock, so he reflexively replied, then turned his head, paused for a few seconds, took off his gloves, frowned, lowered his voice, and said to Tao You seriously: "Tennis match. ? Tao You, do you know what you are doing? How many times has your mother banned you? You, I don’t know, when did you become so courageous and dare to commit crimes against the wind? You are not afraid of being discovered by your mother and beating you up. ." He wanted to go back on his vow just now.
Tao You doesn’t think so
Watching a game is fine, but Tao's mother would really beat her because of this, so she anxiously grabbed Tao's father's arm and said, "Dad, it's just a game. Don't tell mom, she won't know." .”
Dad Tao took a deep breath, thought of something again, and asked tentatively: "Is there anything else you are hiding from us?"
Tao You took a breath, pursed her lips, and stared at Dad Tao with wide eyes.
Dad Tao felt that something was wrong. Something must have happened to her like this, and she would still be beaten. It was better that she didn’t know. Just when she was about to speak, she heard Tao You hesitantly say: "There is one more thing, that is, um , um, I joined the tennis club." After saying that, she lowered her head, not daring to look at Tao's father, with her hands behind her back, as if she was obeying the instructions honestly.
The moment Tao You finished speaking, Tao's father felt his blood flow backwards, rushing straight to his forehead. His vision went dark. He stumbled back, holding on to the table to stand firm. It took him a while to regain his composure.
Seeing this, Tao You quickly stepped forward to help him: "Dad, are you okay?"
Dad Tao brushed her hand away, pointed at her, and raised his voice again: "You are really...!"
"What's going on? You were so surprised, what did you two say?" Tao's mother changed her clothes and walked out, "I'm going out, Tao You, you take a break at noon, and then you have the energy to study in the afternoon."
"It's okay," Tao's father said the same thing, but he didn't seem to know what to say other than this, "Why are you going out at noon?"
"I made an appointment with some old friends." Mother Tao packed her bag quickly at the door, "I'm almost too late. If you have anything to bring, send me a message and I'll buy it back later."
Tao You obediently closed the door for Tao's mother and quickly returned to the kitchen. Only now did she dare to speak at a normal volume: "Dad, you must keep it a secret for me. You see, I didn't delay my studies when I joined the club, right? I have made progress in my study. I am not busy in the club. I only have three days a week and I do not miss important classes. It is equivalent to relaxing and exercising." She explained quickly.
"Didn't your mother put away your tennis racket? How did you hit the ball?" Tao's father put his hands on his hips and asked the key.
"What kind of ball are you playing?" Tao's mother opened the door and came back. When she heard Tao's father's words, she glanced at the two of them and asked.
Tao You looked at Dad Tao for help. Dad Tao received the signal from her, touched the tip of his nose, cleared his throat and said: "What, I, I made an appointment with some colleagues to play badminton, and I had a physical examination before. The doctor didn’t tell me to exercise more.”
After Tao's mother took the things, she looked at Tao's father and laughed out loud, her eyes full of doubt: "Why do I not believe what you said?"
"Whether you want to exercise or not, just do it in moderation. Don't exercise for too long at the beginning." Tao's mother reminded her as she hurried out.
Father Tao waited for Mother Tao's figure to completely disappear from the corridor, then closed the door, sat down at the dining table, and looked at Tao You.
Tao You's voice became weaker and slurred at this moment: "I took it out myself before."
"Xiao Song, you don't know that your mother doesn't agree with you playing, right?" Tao's father asked again.
Tao You nodded with difficulty: "He knows."
Father Tao felt that he had asked unnecessary questions just now. If Mother Tao found out in the future, he would not be able to escape; "You asked him to hide it for you. If I didn't ask today, you wouldn't tell us." chant."
"Forget it, I hid this matter for you first, so that we won't have to worry about it day by day. Hey, your mother will find out sooner or later. You can think of your words at that time, and remember not to involve Xiao Song. .”
Early the next morning, Tao You went out. The competition didn't start until the afternoon. She planned to go around the corner to see Grandma Tang. Uncle Zhilin's family left at the beginning of the month, and Grandma Tang's house was deserted again. She was a little embarrassed. I can't bear it.
"Grandma Tang!" She pushed the door open and went in. The room was quiet. Grandma Tang was half-reclining on the recliner, sleeping soundly. She was holding a thermos in her hand, and the blanket fell halfway to the ground.
Tao You walked over lightly and covered Grandma Tang with a blanket. Grandma Tang had suffered from a disease in her early years and was particularly afraid of the cold, so she had already put on a coat.
Grandma Tang didn't sleep deeply. When Tao You covered her with a blanket, she slowly opened her eyes and didn't speak for a while, as if she hadn't reacted yet.
Tao You stared at Grandma Tang's eyes for a while.
No, she seemed to be much older. Her eyes were a little blurry and not as bright as before. There were many more wrinkles on her face and she had lost a lot of weight. Her cheeks were somewhat sunken and her complexion was very poor. Only then did Tao You remember Grandma Tang is also octogenarian.
"Grandma Tang, I'm here to see you." Tao You whispered in Grandma Tang's ear.
Grandma Tang sat up and said slowly: "Xiaoyou is here. Why are you here so early? Why don't you get more sleep?" There was fatigue in her tone.
Tao You didn't know why Grandma Tang was acting like this suddenly, and asked worriedly: "Grandma Tang, what's wrong with you? Do you want to go to the hospital?"
Grandma Tang smiled and shook her hand carelessly, with wrinkles on her face piling up: "It's an old habit. The weather is getting colder. It'll be fine when it gets warmer. Let's go and sit on the sofa."
"Why are you free to come here today?" Grandma Tang pushed a plate of fruits and snacks in front of Tao You, holding her hand and asking.
Tao You grinned happily: "Song Yimian and his tennis team have a game in the afternoon. I went to watch the game. I just finished my homework. I was afraid that you would be bored alone, so I came to see you first. By the way, Grandma Tang, this time I have made great progress in the high school entrance examination and am ranked in the top 100 in my year." She picked some light topics to talk about, hoping to make Grandma Tang happy.
"Okay, okay, Xiaoyou and Xiao Song are both great. Grandma Tang is really happy for you." Grandma Tang laughed from the bottom of her heart. After Zhilin and his family left, she has never been so happy.
At noon, Tao You stayed for dinner. Grandma Tang specifically asked her to cook more of her favorite dishes, but she ate very little.
Tao You looked at the rice in Grandma Tang's bowl that could be finished in two or three mouthfuls, and remembered that she used to have a full bowl of rice for every meal, and became even more worried: "Grandma Tang, why do you only eat so much? That’s enough.”
"I haven't had much appetite recently. This small amount of food is enough. If you can't eat more, it's a waste." Grandma Tang slowly put the rice into her mouth, not forgetting to add vegetables to Tao You. "Eat more of your favorite prawns." point."
Halfway through the meal, Grandma Tang suddenly held her chopsticks, lowered her head and closed her eyes without moving. Tao You was frightened, put down the bowl and chopsticks, walked to Grandma Tang, bent down and called her softly, raised her hand and put it down again, not daring to move easily. Fortunately for her, Grandma Tang raised her head within a few seconds.
Tao You raised his voice and half-heartedly said: "Grandma Tang, what's wrong with you? You'd better go to the hospital to check. We can accompany you."
Grandma Tang rubbed her temples, her voice still as tired as ever: "I eat less and am a little anemic. I just need to eat more blood supplements. I don't need to go to the hospital. I don't know my own body well. I have been like this for so many years."
Tao You was very worried after the meal. After the meal, Grandma Tang sat at the dining table, bent over, holding her forehead with her hands, closing her eyes, and started to doze again uncontrollably. Tao You stopped disturbing her and said hello. Out the door.
Passing Jianlanxuan, Tao You remembered the book the Chinese teacher asked them to buy. He paused slightly, glanced inside, and turned around to leave.
