"Hmph." Tao Xubai pouted and hummed, then asked, "Aunt, that handsome brother just now, is he your boyfriend?"
The child's voice was clear and loud, especially clear on the empty and silent path.
What he said made Tao You feel excited. She immediately covered Tao Xubai's mouth and looked around warily. Except for a small team of barkers passing by on the trail behind her, no one could be seen.
A gust of wind blew by, and two insect chirps came from the mud on the roadside.
There were no lights on in the adjacent yard, but it was quite lively inside.
No one noticed them, which made them feel relieved.
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. We are friends." Tao You let go and warned, "Don't tell your aunt and uncle about this! If she asks you why you came back so late, just say there were too many people at the entrance of the village. , there are not many seats left, we waited for a long time to set off the fireworks."
Tao Xubai tangled at the hem of his clothes, frowned his thick eyebrows in disapproval, and murmured softly, "I am a good boy, and good boys can't..."
Tao You understood that he had inherited this trait from someone, and tried to persuade him, "I'm not lying! There were a lot of people just now. You went to play with your friends at first, not with me."
"When you and I set off the fireworks, we just waited for a long time. There were a little less people at that time, right..."
Tao Xubai dragged his feet and walked forward in small steps. He lowered his head, thought carefully, and nodded hesitantly.
Auntie, she probably wouldn’t lie to him.
Tao You held his little hand with satisfaction, "So we didn't lie! You are still a good boy!"
Tao Xubai's little brain hadn't evolved enough to understand the twists and turns. He was dizzy by Tao You's remarks, and he just nodded in confusion, "I know."
One big and one small continued walking home.
"Auntie," they were almost at the door. Tao Xubai shook Tao You's hand, raised his head and asked innocently, "Will that handsome brother be my future uncle?"
Tao You stumbled, covering his mouth in shame and anger, "I told you, he is not my boyfriend! No! He is just an ordinary friend! Classmate! Don't talk nonsense in front of my mother!"
Why did she feel that Tao Xubai was immersed in his own little world, and he didn't take what she just said to his heart at all.
Her eyebrows twitched fiercely. Don't ask her mother for a while. This brat should answer truthfully...
"And my dad!" she added promptly.
She wasn't originally worried about Tao's father, but between his reaction in the past few days and his sudden probing inquiry at noon today, it was better to mention it.
Tao Xubai fell silent again.
"But you like him." Tao Xubai spoke again with great certainty.
"Ahem!" Tao You cleared his throat violently, almost angrily, trying to suppress Tao Xubai's voice.
Seeing that no one came out from the front door, he blushed and glanced down, "You little brat, you are as big as a brat. What do you know..."
Tao Xubai put her hands on her hips confidently, "Auntie, please stop making excuses. The way you look at your phone is exactly the same as the way my aunt looked at her previous boyfriend. And my teacher also smiled when she was on the phone with her boyfriend. Same."
"Ex-boyfriend?" Tao You asked curiously, "Ex-boyfriend? Also, how did you know your teacher's expression when he called?"
She has never met Tao Xubai's teacher, but she is lucky enough to have met his aunt. She is a very fierce strong woman with a cool expression and eyes that makes people dare not approach easily. It seems that there is nothing in life except work. She brought up things she was interested in.
"Not really an ex-boyfriend." Tao Xubai thought for a moment, touched his chin, and told the love story of his strong-woman aunt, "She had a crush on him at the beginning, and after confessing her love, they broke up within two days of being together, because She discovered that the scumbag was just using her as a backup."
Also, with his aunt's character, having a secret crush on someone is already an eye-opener, how could she tolerate being a spare tire.
"Auntie," Tao Xubai waved his hand again.
Three times he made a shocking statement, "I agree with this handsome brother to be my uncle. I have never seen such a handsome man in my life..."
"I told you, no..." Tao You stomped his foot and persisted in his quibble, tapping Tao Xubai's furry head gently, "You agree, you don't even know or understand, so you agree. ? You decide based on your appearance, right?"
This matter of facial appearance cannot be an inherited gene of their family...
"Besides, you haven't decided who your uncle will be in the future, okay?"
"No, no, why are you so fierce?" Tao Xubai muttered, covering his head.
"I'm waiting for the day you slap me in the face."
「······」
Tao's mother poured a basin of water on the stone ground. When she turned around, she saw Tao You and Tao Xubai competing with each other. She greeted them, "You're back and you're standing there blowing the cold wind?! Xu Bai, come on, come in to eat."
"Uncle, here we come." Tao Xubai awkwardly swung his legs restricted by his heavy pants and trotted towards Tao's mother.
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After the phone call on New Year's Eve, Tao You felt that his relationship with Song Yimian had changed a bit, but nothing seemed to have changed.
During the New Year days, in addition to entertaining guests at home, going out for meals, and going to the mountains to worship.
In the WeChat group of the four of them, there are only occasional complaints about unreasonable relatives.
The chat page between Tao You and Song Yimian only contains answers to questions and doubts.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Xiqi took the high-speed train home first. Although she had to attend cram school, it was better than seeing those showy and difficult relatives every day.
After the third day of the Lunar New Year, almost all the relatives who were supposed to meet were met. The rest were unimportant, so Tao's mother did not require Tao You to be present.
Knowing that Song Yimian was also preparing to leave home, Tao You decided to go home early to study after some thought.
The main reason is that she is quite bored here alone... Well, that's why.
It's definitely not because she wants to see Song Yimian sooner...
"Xiaoyou, have you brought everything?" Tao's mother stood by the bus stop and asked Tao You, who was walking towards her carrying a schoolbag.
"The house keys are in your wallet, don't lose them."
Tao You held the hot pancake in his mouth, touched his wallet in his schoolbag, and nodded.
"Why are you so anxious to go home this time? You didn't want to leave even after you came here before." Tao's mother felt strange and asked curiously.
Tao You touched his nose and laughed, "School is about to start. Go back and preview early. Hong Xiqi and the others have already gone back."
"When you are at home alone, stay away from your cell phone and computer." Tao's mother knows Tao You very well. No one cares about her. She can stay in bed all day scrolling through her cell phone. Not to mention doing homework, it is difficult to open her schoolbag. "Alone If you can't learn it, go to Xiao Song, Hong Xiqi and others to learn it together. There is not much time left after school, so hurry up."
"Xiaoyou, please be safe on the road. Remember to call when you get home." Grandma Tao put a bag of oranges into Tao You's hand, "Eat on the way."
Tao You took it and stuffed it into his schoolbag.
"Xiaoyou, go home and study hard." Grandpa Tao followed Grandma Tao out, with his hands behind his back, and said slowly as usual, "Prepare well for the college entrance examination. Your parents will go back in a few days. You are alone." People should also eat well and go out to eat if they don’t want to burn.”
Tao You nodded vigorously, looking at his grandparents with gray hair on his side and their backs hunched over last year, his eyes were filled with soreness, and he was a little reluctant to leave.
"The bus is here." Dad Tao waved to the oncoming bus and picked up the plastic bag filled with food on the ground. "Remember to put the meat in the refrigerator when you go back. I will eat the pork with pickles and vegetables at the bottom today."
Tao You smiled helplessly and took the bag, nodded, "I understand. I'm going home, not traveling far away. You can take these things when you go back, but I have to take them back now..."
As soon as she stepped on the car, she
Grandma Tao stopped her and said, "Xiaoyou, please pay attention to safety when cooking, and close the door and windows when you go to bed at night..."
Every warning was full of reluctance and genuine concern for her granddaughter.
"Okay, okay, there are so many people waiting in the car." Grandpa Tao pulled Grandma Tao, who kept nagging, and motioned Tao You to get in the car, "Xiaoyou is already old enough, she can take care of herself."
Grandma Tao shook off Grandpa Tao's hand and glanced at him sideways, "Now it sounds like you are relieved. Didn't you get up early in the morning to pick vegetables in the field, and when you came back, you picked all the vegetables and put them in the bag? , and also went to town to buy oranges... I tell you, you will be the last one to walk in after a while."
Grandpa Tao pulled at Grandma Tao's sleeve uncomfortably, "Okay, let's go home." Then he waved to Tao You who got into the car and walked home first.
The figure from behind, never looking back, seemed to be proving something to Grandma Tao.
————————————————————————————————
The bus had just opened not long ago, and there was no direct one yet. By the time Tao You finally got home with big and small bags in his hands, it was already almost one o'clock in the afternoon, and it was already past lunch time.
As soon as she entered the room, without turning on the air conditioner, she threw herself on the sofa and lay down, closed her eyes and didn't want to move. But remembering my father's instructions before departure, and the instructions from Tao's father again when I was almost home, I took a breath and got up with difficulty to pack my things.
While I was steaming the rice and vegetables and packing them up from the kitchen, the message sound on my phone never stopped, and I could hear a few songs intermittently.
Hong Xiqi knew that Tao You was coming back today, so she kept asking her to go out in the group, saying that several new shops had opened on the street next to the school, and they all tasted good.
It happened that she had just finished class, and today's tutoring had ended.
Tao You was a little moved, and placed his fingers on the keyboard, wondering whether he should agree or refuse.
The water for the hot dishes hasn't boiled yet, so it's not impossible to turn off the heat now, but these dishes will have to be eaten sooner or later, whether today or tomorrow.
But the photos Hong Xiqi posted looked delicious, and she was a little greedy.
She was still struggling here, but Gu Yi had already started to reply, saying that he had just finished the training camp in the morning and could go and get the tickets first to occupy a seat. The teacher had to go out for a meeting in the afternoon, and the training camp was cancelled. He went home to write the questions. It was a rare chance to take a breath for half a day after the holiday. He wanted to have a good meal at noon today.
Hong Xiqi naturally had no objection, and then asked Tao You and Song Yimian again.
