‘Creak’

The wooden door of the big house was pushed open from the inside, and the rusty hinges made an uncomfortable sound.

The door opened, and my mother stood in front of me with her hair disheveled and sleepy eyes.

Outside the red sweater, she also wears a floral vest, and has a pair of summer sandals on her feet.

"I didn't know to tell you in advance when I got home, and I didn't even light the kang for you. Just go inside and sit down. I'll prepare a meal for you, and the kang was burned just in time."

Under the dim light, I saw my mother's kind smile, and inside the house, my father was lying on the edge of the kang, looking at me with his head stretched out.

And inside the house, the furnishings everywhere have not changed much for many years, which makes me fall into the memories of my childhood.

At this moment, I am no longer a big brother in the world, I am like a child who has been wronged outside and ran home to complain.

My nose was sore and tears seemed to burst out of my eyes.

He lowered his head and gently pinched both sides of his nose with his hands, trying to smooth out the congestion.

"Okay, Mom, I want to eat your scrambled eggs. Don't pick them. Put a few more eggs... I still have something in the car. I'll get it..."

I tried my best to sound calm. I didn't want my parents to see my wet eyes.

I controlled my tone, but my voice still trembled slightly.

Turning around, I opened the door and walked out quickly.

Behind me is my mother's laughter and my father's urging.

"Brat."

"Hurry and go, the heat in the room will be too much for you after a while..."

Taking things is fake, avoiding my uncontrollable emotions is real. I can't show my cowardice in front of Yan Nini, let alone my parents.

Walking back to the car, I used my thumb to brush away the dried tears from the corners of my eyes. I took two deep breaths and took out a cigarette from my pocket.

People's emotions will always be sentimental because of some people and some things.

I thought that as I grew up, I would become stronger and become a big brother with a strong heart and a calm mind.

In the end, I realized that I was still the cowardly me at the beginning, but I was just better at pretending.

Although I may be strong in the eyes of outsiders, I suffer a desolation inside that others don't know.

I stood outside silently after smoking a cigarette, flicked the cigarette butt into the snowflakes, and patted the ash and fine snow scattered on my body by the wind to keep myself in the best condition, and then returned to the house again.

On the bed, my dad had already climbed out of bed and put on a cotton vest.

My mother lit firewood in the outer house (the name for the kitchen in rural areas of Northeast China).

"Yanqiu, what have you been busy with during this time? I haven't seen you all the time." My dad picked up the thermos, poured the boiling water in the thermos into the water cup that was replaced by a canned glass bottle, and asked as he poured it.

"It's still a business matter, you don't understand."

I chuckled, my words a bit perfunctory and playful.

It's perfunctory because I don't want to lie in front of my dad, but when it comes to what I'm busy with and my work, I have to lie.

"Cao, I won't understand if you tell me." My dad held the can with one hand and held the mouth of the bottle with the other hand while blowing the steam rising from the hot water with his mouth.

Regarding my dad's persistent inquiries, I know that he wants to know about my life.

That wanted incident and my cousin Li Yandong's nonsense that night made my dad worry about whether I would continue to walk in the wrong way.

"I have been busy with engineering work recently. I met a good brother who is engaged in real estate development. He assigned a project to me. I can be regarded as a small contractor. Don't worry, it's a serious business."
Chapter completed!