Chapter 17 sixteen

After more than a month of hard work, the renovation and decoration project of Tianliang Catering Service Center has been completely completed, and all the procedures required for business have been completed.To do this kind of thing, the actual expenditure will always exceed the budget by a large margin.Although Xiaocao and Sanli strictly controlled expenses, when everything was ready, Xiaocao and Sanli sat down to settle the accounts. More than half of the 20,000 yuan had already been paid out, and the next step was to purchase goods for the store, prepare ingredients for the restaurant, buy kitchen utensils, tableware, and distribution. Tables, chairs, benches, hiring red and white chefs, no matter how you calculate, there is a gap of four to five thousand yuan.Seeing them worrying, He Tianliang said: "Don't worry, I have a solution, you can do whatever you want."

Xiaocao said: "What can you do? Don't you want to take in the remittance from unknown sources? Why do you need to build a house and pay for everyone's business?" Sanli also said: "If the remitted money is unclear, try not to move it if you can, and we will think of a way." He Tianliang knew in his heart that they said they were trying to figure out a way. After investing all their capital in this business, they would earn a living day by day just like him, and it was impossible for miracles to happen again.But unless it was absolutely necessary, he really didn't want to use the five thousand yuan, because the money came so strangely that no one could tell whether it was a blessing or a curse.

The purchase directly touches cash, so Xiaocao handed over the matter to He Tianliang, and told him not only to do things well, but also to save money.So he started running around the city every day. In order to save every penny, he almost ran all over the city every time he bought something. Make every effort to bargain repeatedly to make the final decision to buy.As long as there is a store that does not run, he will feel that he has been cheated.After dinner that day, Xiaocao cleaned the pot and washed the dishes. He Tianliang and Sanli watched TV for a while. They ran for a whole day during the day and wanted to rest earlier. Without moving in front of the TV, He Tianliang lay down on the bunk and chatted with him about the opening.Sanli was busy watching TV, and dealt with him one after another.At this time, Xiaocao called him while wiping his hands: "Brother He, come here."

He thought that Xiaocao had something to discuss, so he followed her to the commodity department.The commodity department is a small store during the day, and Xiaocao's dormitory at night. Xiaocao returned the house she originally rented, saying that she wanted to save a few rents.He Tianliang felt in his heart that it was inappropriate for them to live in the same courtyard, but he thought that Xiaocao had invested all his savings in the catering center, so he couldn't say anything that disagreed.Xiaocao used a cloth curtain to block a screen behind the shelf, and opened it during the day to put the folding bed away, which would not affect the business at all. When the curtain was pulled at night, the folding bed was opened to form a small bedroom.He came to the shelf and stopped.Xiaocao went to the back of the shelf and fumbled around, not knowing what to do.After a while, Xiaocao came out from inside, holding a pile of clothes in her arms: "Brother He, the Spring Festival is coming, here are your holiday clothes, you can go back to try on your underwear later, you can try this suit now, if you don't If it suits me, I will change it as soon as possible.”

He Tianliang asked, "How much do these clothes cost?" Xiaocao said: "How much money is not important, the key is that you can't always go down the mountain with just one set of clothes, look at your suit, it must be low-quality and cheap when you buy it, and wash it again. A few drops of water, not much better than a dried rag. If it wasn’t covered by a down jacket outside, it would be no different from wearing popcorn.” He Tianliang remembered that the suit he was wearing was bought temporarily when he went to Feng Meirong's house to look for Ning Ning. He wore it for so many days and washed it a few times. A popcorn cracker, he laughed at himself and said, "I'm not as good as a popcorn cracker, I'm a shoe shiner."

Xiaocao said: "No matter what you do, you have to wear new clothes during the Spring Festival, at least for auspiciousness." As he spoke, he reached out and took off his suit jacket, put the new suit on him, and then walked back and forth. After sizing it up, he nodded with satisfaction: "After all, you get what you pay for, how decent it is, try the pants again." He Tianliang said in embarrassment, "How do you try on these pants?" Xiaocao said, "Go inside and take off your outer pants, and just put these pants on." The grass is graceful, pure and natural.He Tianliang felt that if he twitched and refused, he would look coquettish, so he went to the back of the shelf to take off his outer pants according to Xiaocao's instructions, put the new pants on his legs, and then came out to show Xiaocao.Xiaocao tried the waistband of his trousers with her hands, and then squatted down to compare the trousers, saying: "Fat and thin are just right, a little long, just fold the trousers bigger."

When Xiaocao did all this, she looked like a virtuous housewife, and the faint fragrance on her body comforted He Tianliang's sense of smell.He Tianliang strongly felt the atmosphere of family life. His whole body seemed to be soaked in the clear spring heated by the sun. He suddenly had the urge to embrace Xiaocao in his arms, just like his husband who loved him was working for him. like his wife.Xiaocao seemed to sense his emotions, looked up at him, and suddenly blushed, her face was bright, and her eyes were soft.He Tianliang struggled out of the whirlwind of emotion and asked, "How much do these clothes cost?"

Xiaocao suddenly lost the generosity and naturalness she had just now, and avoided looking away from He Tianliang. With her head half down, she tidied up her clothes, folded them one by one, and said, "It's less than a thousand dollars." He Tianliang was taken aback: "It's so expensive, how can I wear it out?" Xiaocao raised her head and asked solemnly, "Don't you think you are worthless?" He Tianliang smiled wryly and said, "Xiaocao, Xiaocao, who do you think I am? A few days ago, I used to shine shoes for a living. Tell me, how could anyone wear such nice clothes and sit on the street to shine shoes for others?" where?"

Xiaocao said: "In my heart, even if you are a beggar, you are more important than those officials who are big bosses." As soon as she said this, her face flushed immediately, and her daughter's shyness exposed her true feelings. exhaustive.He Tianliang was shocked. He tried his best to understand Xiaocao's care and care for him in the past as a reward for saving her and the goodwill and friendship that came from it. He never dared to think about other things. Everything in the past was given a new interpretation, forcing him to face up to Xiaocao's pure love, confusion and joy intertwined into an unspeakable eddy.

"I, I don't deserve you so..." He stammered and spoke incoherently.He is a prisoner released from a labor camp, married and has a child.Moreover, ever since he went to the "public restroom" with the Taoist priest, he faintly felt that there was something wrong with him. When he saw the naked woman, the scene of Feng Meirong being caught and raped by him suddenly appeared so clearly in front of him. , the ensuing weakness and disgust frightened him, and he lost confidence in his male function.He didn't think he deserved Xiaocao's affection.Afterwards, the Taoist priest teased him that his weapon was rusted and fled.He scolded the Taoist priest.The Taoist priest asked him to try again, but he was no longer in the mood.

Xiaocao is quick-witted and intelligent, and has been dealing with all kinds of people in the society for a long time in order to make a living. Her understanding of the world is far beyond her age.He Tianliang's facial expression and words showed her psychology clearly, and He Tianliang's reaction made her happy. He Tianliang adopted an evasive and vague attitude towards the true feelings that she couldn't help showing under her emotional impulse, which somewhat disappointed her , but she also got a clear and affirmative message that He Tianliang has affection for her, and this is enough.She believed that as long as He Tianliang had feelings for her, no obstacle would be able to stop her.What she is really worried about is that He Tianliang treats her as a little sister or a pure friend and business partner. If that is the case, although it cannot be said that there is no hope, but it will take a lot of trouble to make progress. Tonight, she has been satisfied. s answer. He Tianliang sighed and said, "Xiaocao, you just paid my living expenses for several months." Xiaocao smiled secretly, and said triumphantly, "Don't worry, you won't be hungry. I gave you these clothes. Otherwise, how could I decide to buy you such a pile of clothes without your consent?" He Tianliang was taken aback again: "You gave it to me? Where did you get so much money?" Xiaocao said: "If I don't have enough cash, don't I know how to pay on credit? I got it from the wholesaler that Sanli used to pick up the goods. I told him that I was the boss of Sanli, and Sanli also confirmed it, so he accepted credit. Give it to me. I will pay it back slowly when I get paid.” He Tianliang said, "Why bother? Is it really that important what clothes you wear?" Xiaocao said coquettishly: "Important, it is important to me, I just want you to behave in a decent way from now on." He Tianliang looked at her emotionally and said: "Okay, I will change into the new clothes you gave me from tomorrow." He said, picked up the pile of underwear and coats and went back to his room.He knew that what he brought back was not just a few clothes, but also Xiaocao's fiery feelings and the heavy responsibility he would bear to Xiaocao in the future.However, can he take on this heavy responsibility?He is a little guilty. "Brother He, someone is looking for you." He Tianliang returned to his room, and hadn't woken up from the coma of Xiaocao's public show of love, and heard Xiaocao calling him outside, and walked outside, Feng Meixian pushed a purple-red Xiaokun standing in the yard inside.Xiaocao stood aside silently, her eyes twinkling like two little stars in the darkness.He Tianliang reckoned that Feng Meixian's visit must have something to do with his visit to Ning Ning, but he didn't know what she was going to do, so he couldn't help but asked suspiciously: "Xianzi, why are you here?" Feng Meixian raised her hands to gather her long hair blown away by the wind, looked around and said, "What am I doing here?" Then she said, "Aren't you shining shoes on the street, why are you opening a restaurant again? " He Tianliang didn't expect that she knew about his shoeshine. Hearing the sarcasm in her tone, he said coldly, "What I do is my business." Feng Meixian said: "Sorry, I have to ask more." He Tianliang was eager to know what she was going to do, so he said, "If you have anything to say, go to the room and talk about it." "No, just a few words, just say it here." Speaking of this, she exaggeratedly glanced at the grass next to her, which clearly meant that they didn't want others to listen to their words. He Tianliang looked at Xiaocao, and said to Feng Meixian: "There are no outsiders here, and there is nothing to say face to face." Of course Feng Meixian heard that their relationship was different from what she said, and turned her head to look at Xiaocao carefully, Xiaocao let out a "hum" and raised her face for her to see. At this time, Sanli also dropped the martial arts movies that fascinated him, but he didn't dare to come out, hiding behind the window and peeking out.Sanli's curious peeping and Xiaocao's slightly hostile onlookers made He Tianliang feel awkward to be face to face with Feng Meixian, so he squatted under the window sill, lit a cigarette and started smoking.He spewed out clouds of smoke, as if the light smoke could cut off the probing eyes of others. Feng Meixian was calm and composed. She changed her sharpness and sourness when she was at her house last time, and said carefully: "I came to you today specifically to ask you to answer a question: What exactly are you going to do?" He Tianliang knew that she was referring to his visit to Ning Ning. Although he felt that she was a bit too much, he was unwilling to entangle with her on this issue, because he knew that he had done nothing wrong in this matter. What, but what the other party said is not unreasonable, so if you stick to your own opinions, you will never be able to argue. Seeing that he was silent, Feng Meixian simply made her point clear and said, "What do you mean by running to the school to block Ningning and pestering him endlessly?" Her almost unreasonable questioning made He Tianliang unbearable, and he replied coldly: "I'm going to see my daughter, what do you think I mean?" "What's there to see? She's living a good life, except she doesn't have a father, she has all the other children she has." He Tianliang was irritated by what she said that Ning Ning had no father: "Don't take it for granted, go home and ask your sister, where did Ning Ning come from without a father? Ning Ning's father was brought to prison by your sister In turn, you told the child that her father didn't want her because she was a girl. Are you still a human in the Feng family? If it wasn't for your mother's role in bringing the child up, I would forgive her lightly. I don’t deserve to live in this world without you. You stop pointing fingers in front of me, it’s not your turn to speak, and if you can go home and clean your own shit, it’s good.” Seeing that he was angry, Feng Meixian was not afraid, and said in a cold tone: "Swearing is a sign of incompetence, and what you have done can only further prove that you have always been an incompetent person. Today I will tell you clearly and clearly, yes You sent yourself to prison by yourself, others can't hurt you, and you don't always put all the responsibility on others. You can't even handle the messy things in your own home, what else can you handle well? " Feng Meixian's words were like a sharp awl, while He Tianliang was like a balloon pierced by an awl.His face was sallow, his voice was hoarse and his breath was short, as if he had suddenly suffered a serious illness. He had no heart or energy to argue with Feng Meixian anymore, and he simply didn't want to talk to her.He turned around to leave, but Feng Meixian blocked his way with words: "I don't care about the affairs of you two, and I can't explain clearly, and I don't want to listen. I didn't come to discuss with you today who is right and wrong between you two, I'm just telling you, stay away from Ningning. If you come to school to find her again, I'll tell her the absurd things about you two, and let her choose whether to follow you, your father released from a labor camp, or I will simply send her to you, let her be named He with you, and completely sever ties with our Feng family from now on, which will also satisfy you completely. " He Tianliang wasn't sure if she would really do that. If she did, he couldn't imagine how much Ning Ning would be hit. Besides, considering his current situation, he didn't take it well at all. The condition of a school-going child.He was speechless, bowed his head and smoked.Feng Meixian didn't say a word, and used silence to exert pressure. This kind of silence made He Tianliang breathless, but he couldn't hold it any longer, so he asked casually, "What is your sister doing now?" "I don't know." Feng Meixian looked at him and added, "We don't see each other a few times throughout the year. I never ask about her affairs, and she never tells us." "Who paid Ningning's living expenses for so many years?" "My sister sometimes gives some, she is unreliable, and we don't count on her." Hearing what she said, He Tianliang's heart softened. After all, he was the one who raised Ningning for so many years.He took out 300 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Feng Meixian: "Xianzi, I have been inside for so many years, and I have not fulfilled my obligations as a father. From now on, I will give Ningning 300 yuan a month for living expenses, and I will earn money from now on." More money." Feng Meixian turned her face away.He Tianliang thought she thought it was too little, so he quickly explained: "I just came out, I have no foundation, don't think it's too little." Feng Meixian said: "I didn't come here today to ask you for money. I have come through the hard times in the past. Now I have a formal job and a stable income. No matter how you say it, it is much better than when my father just passed away. You You just came out, there are many places to use money, you keep the money first, and we will settle the account when you are ready." Seeing that she was serious, He Tianliang was afraid that he would make Sanli and Xiaocao look ridiculous when he forced the money to others, so he put the money back embarrassingly. Feng Meixian said again: "I can't run in vain this trip, you have to make a clear statement and promise not to disturb Ningning in the future." He Tianliang saw that she was biting her tongue tightly, and felt a little angrily in his heart, and asked her: "Why is it a disturbance when I go to see her? Could it be that I will not be able to see my own daughter for the rest of my life?" Feng Meixian said: "I didn't mean that, and I don't have that right. I just hope you put this matter aside for a while, and don't suddenly intervene to interfere with our life. Back then, the two of you had trouble, and one entered We went to prison, one lost his ass and ran away, and the rest of the troubles were borne by us. The old ones cried, the young ones screamed, and the house was in darkness all day long. It has been a few years since I can't get over it. Now it's easy to calm down, you Again, I heard Ning Ning say that she met an uncle after school who said he was a good friend of her father, and bought candied haws and gave her money. We knew it was you, and my mother was ill for several days. Ning Ning was me My mother raised her with one hand. She can't leave Ningning, and Ningning can't leave my mother. If you take Ningning away from my mother like this, don't you have the heart? My mother can't stand such a blow. I can’t just watch my mother suffer such a blow.” He Tianliang understood what they meant, and seeing Feng Meixian's eye circles were red, he told her kindly: "You brought Ning Ning up, how could I just take Ning Ning away from you? Besides Ning Ning may not come with me either. You can go back and tell your mother that I, He Tianliang, am not the kind of unreasonable person, and I will never take Ning Ning away from you without your consent. If you still Don't worry, I won't go to see her from now on." Feng Meixian also felt that her request was a little too much, so she forced a smile and said: "That's not necessary, we can't stop you from going to see her, as long as you don't tell her about you and her mother for the time being, don't rush to let her know about you It's her father, let us tell her slowly, by then your situation will be better, and it will be great to recognize your daughter dignifiedly and happily." He Tianliang thought, you lied to the child, saying that I think she is a girl and I don't want her anymore. Now that I am back, I will let Ningning know the truth sooner or later, and see how you can make up this lie.Thinking of this, he said: "Okay, I will do as you say. Even if you say that I am the worst villain in the world, don't say that I, a father, don't want her because she is a girl." When Feng Meixian heard him mentioning that they lied to Ning Ning again, her pretty face blushed slightly, and she tried to explain: "There are some things that we really can't explain to Ning Ning clearly. We can't always say why her mother is so bad, and what's wrong with her father. Why did you go to prison? There were some things that I couldn’t fool her at the time, and I’ll tell her slowly when she grows up.” He Tianliang grinned when he heard what she said, and said with a sneer in his heart: You know how to protect the reputation of your Feng family, so you are not afraid of hurting my relationship with Ningning, and it seems to be really reasonable when you say it. Feng Meixian saw the meaning of his mockery, but she couldn't defend herself anymore, she changed the subject and hurriedly said: "Then it's settled, you don't want to visit Ningning again for the time being, I also wish you to develop quickly Let Ningning know what kind of person her father is." Feng Meixian's words disgusted him, and He Tianliang felt that he had nothing to say to her, so he expressed his dissatisfaction with silence.Feng Meixian saw his displeasure and said, "It's late, I have nothing else to do and I'll go back." He Tianliang said, "Okay." When Feng Meixian was walking outside, she raised her chin towards Xiaocao and asked, "Is this the waiter you hired? It's pretty." He Tianliang said flatly: "No, we are friends, we are partners." Feng Meixian suddenly stepped onto the bicycle and galloped away without even saying goodbye. Xiaocao pouted contemptuously at the direction Feng Meixian was leaving: "This is your sister-in-law?" He Tianliang said: "It used to be, but not now." Xiaocao said: "This woman is really cunning, she speaks like a knife. Why should her child not let her see her? It's really unreasonable. When she came in just now, she was coaxing, as if she was the mayor's wife. I won't let her in the next time." He Tianliang smiled wryly and shook his head: "Speaking of it, I also owe him something. The child was brought up by him, so of course he speaks harshly." Xiaocao asked with concern: "Then what are you going to do?" He Tianliang said, "How do I know what to do? Let's talk about it slowly." At this time Sanli also came out of the house and said: "The one who came just now is your sister-in-law? She looks really good-looking, but her mouth is too sharp. It's not a mouth, it's a knife. Otherwise, it would be pretty good insurance for someone to be a wife." Xiaocao rebuked him angrily: "In your eyes, which woman is not beautiful? Be careful and I will tell Baoya." Sanli chuckled, and said inexplicably: "It's almost dawn, the rooster is about to crow." Then he added suddenly, "She is beautiful, and her sister is not bad either." "What's the use of being beautiful? Beauty snakes are beautiful, why don't you find one for you to be your wife." Xiaocao rebuked him again. What else did Sanli want to say, He Tianliang knew that Sanli was teasing Xiaocao on purpose, and was afraid that they would say the truth out of the way and cause an unpleasant disturbance, so he said, "It's so late, if you don't sleep, I'll go to bed first." He also specifically said to Sanli, "Go to bed early, and you have to get up early tomorrow." Xiaocao obediently went back to her own room.Seeing that Sanli didn't intend to go back to the room, He Tianliang had no choice but to say to him: "It's cold outside, let's go inside." Back in the house, Sanli was silent for a while, then suddenly asked: "Tianliang, will you remarry her?" He Tianliang was taken aback by his question, and wanted to ignore him, but seeing his seriousness, he felt that this question was not simple, and Sanli would never ask him this question for no reason.He thought about it seriously, shook his head firmly, and said, "It's absolutely impossible. If you were you, would you live with a woman who shit on your face and then ruined half your life?" Sanli replied honestly: "I can't explain this kind of thing, because I haven't encountered it before." He Tianliang said: "You ask me this kind of question just because you have never encountered it before. If you had experienced it yourself, you would definitely not ask me such a stupid question. Hey, why did you suddenly think of asking this?" Seeing that he was a little angry, Sanli explained: "I saw your former sister-in-law coming to you just now, and suddenly remembered this matter, so I just asked." He Tianliang was unwilling to discuss this topic, so he began to make the bed and undress, as if preparing to go to bed.Sanli said another sentence: "Face it, a good horse never turns back." He Tianliang stopped his hands and asked him: "You definitely didn't just say these things in passing tonight, what exactly do you mean?" Sanli grinned, and Bai Fang became more conspicuous in the darkness: "It doesn't mean anything, I just said it casually." But He Tianliang felt that his smile was a little stiff.Sanli is a straightforward person, and he never beat around the bush when he speaks. He Tianliang knew that he said these words without reason and background. "If you have anything to say, just say it directly, don't stretch half and half like constipation." Sanli groaned twice, and suddenly said something that surprised him even more: "You have to make up your mind early, so don't delay Xiaocao." He Tianliang immediately understood that he was worried for Xiaocao.He didn't know whether to be angry with Sanli or to thank him. This was between Xiaocao and the two of them. He didn't want others to get involved in his affairs, even though this person was his good friend. "Why do you drag other people's grass up when you talk about me?" Sanli finally spoke smoothly: "Why Xiaocao has nothing to do with you? It doesn't matter that people follow your ass all day long to figure out what? You don't pretend to be good, what should you do? Make up your mind early, don't let me People flashed." He Tianliang said: "Don't eat carrots and worry about it. I make up my mind. What can I do? Let me tell you two words: Let fate and let nature take its course. People like us must often say these two sentences in our lives." Talk.” He didn’t want to entangle Sanli on this topic any longer, and Sanli was not an opponent who could conduct serious research on this kind of topic, so he said: “I’m going to sleep, are you going to sleep? If you don’t sleep here, go home .” Seeing that he was impatient, Sanli said angrily, "I'm going home, what am I doing here? It's not like I don't have a home." He opened the door and left. Sanli left, but He Tianliang couldn't fall asleep. He forced himself to close his eyes, but his brain was like a spinning top, unable to stop no matter what.The complicated and messy things were stirred up into a pot of porridge in his mind, and he felt a little dizzy, as if he had drunk too much wine.He got up, turned on the TV, and looked at the unpredictable screen without seeing it. He didn't understand what was broadcast on the TV.