Chapter 115 He is the driver
People have to stay up all night on New Year's Eve. From childhood to adulthood, every New Year's Eve, Ye Zhenzhen and her brother could not stay up until after midnight.
Ye's father has not changed for decades. He sits in front of the TV until dawn every New Year's Eve.
Without waiting for the children to get up, firecrackers were lit on time in the dark northwest morning.
On the morning of the first day of the New Year, the white snow outside the courtyard was covered with red firecracker scraps.
Firecrackers are not allowed in Yuncheng this year, but the old rules of staying up late to celebrate the New Year must still be followed.
Everyone sat in the living room chatting, and the family was in a happy mood.
Relatives who haven't seen each other for a long time always have endless topics to talk about. Ye Mao shared his daily life with his parents with great joy, always talking about happy things.
Ye Zhenzhen sat aside and replied to messages from time to time. She still had to thank the customer even though she knew it was a mass message. It would be too rude to ignore it.
Ye's mother didn't want to talk about Ye Zhenzhen's marriage anymore, so she inquired about her daughter's work situation and asked, "Zhenzhen, how much money do you make a month now?"
Ye Zhenzhen calculated in her mind and answered truthfully: "On average, it should be 10,000."
According to Ye Zhenzhen, most store managers in the company can get this salary, and many store managers with good performance have an annual income of over 200,000.
The authenticity of this data is beyond doubt, and the source of the information is Wen Baijing.
When Ye's father and mother heard this, they were obviously relieved. Although being a shopping guide is not a respectable profession, fortunately the income is not low.
Mother Ye looked around the room and said in a low voice, "The rent here is not cheap, right?"
Even though his parents had never seen the world, they could roughly estimate that the rent here was a bit expensive by comparing it with the house that Ye Mao and Ye Zhenzhen rented.
Ye Mao took over the conversation and explained for Ye Zhenzhen: "You have been to where I live, and you know what the environment is like. A young single girl living there, if something happens..."
He didn't continue talking, thinking it was not appropriate to say unlucky words during the New Year.
After learning that the rent was two thousand, Father Ye couldn't help but click his tongue and felt sorry for the money: "This is too expensive. How much can you save if you spend like this? It's better to save as much as possible."
It was rare for Ye's mother to refute her husband, "My daughter's safety is important. Zhenzhen is making a lot of money now, so it doesn't matter if it's a little more expensive."
Father Ye glanced at Mother Ye and said nothing.
Ye Mao tactfully changed the subject and talked to his parents about his business plan.
The rent could actually be saved. Ye Zhenzhen only returned to Tinglanyuan a few times, and Wen Baijing had asked her to move there completely several times.
Ye Zhenzhen would rather spend a little more money every month than move out. She wanted to leave a way out for herself, so that if something happened between her and Wen Baijing, she would not end up living on the streets.
A colleague of mine from the supermarket used to live with her boyfriend. One time they had an argument and broke up, and they even divided all the pots and pans clearly.
Although I didn't witness the scene with my own eyes, it sounded funny at first, but after I laughed, I was left with endless sadness.
When I love you, I can go through fire and water for you. When I don’t love you anymore, I will figure out every single thing for you, for fear of being at a disadvantage.
Before her parents returned to their hometown, Ye Zhenzhen accompanied them to visit the surrounding area during her vacation. Wen Baijing asked the driver to take them to the scenic spot, but Ye Zhenzhen was worried that she would not be able to explain to her parents, so she could only decline the offer.
The night before she left, Ye's mother and Ye Zhenzhen leaned against the bed and chatted about personal matters. Most of them urged their daughter to take good care of herself and work hard.
Ye Zhenzhen couldn't bear to interrupt her mother's endless exhortations. Both her parents were farmers who were not good at speaking and could not say anything nice. She had not seen them for several years since she left home. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel her nose sour.
Seeing her daughter silent, Ye's mother was still worried and asked suspiciously, "Zhenzhen, tell me the truth, are you and a married man..."
She clearly has a boyfriend but she never mentions it, and she is secretive about not bringing him to meet her parents, which inevitably makes people think too much.
Ye Zhenzhen understood that her parents were thinking the wrong thing, and she explained with a smile: "I didn't, don't worry, Mom, I won't do such a thing."
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Ye's mother could still detect something unusual in her words and asked suspiciously, "Your boyfriend has no family, why don't you bring him to us to meet him?"
"Mom, I won't look for a man with a family." Ye Zhenzhen took a deep breath, lowered her eyelashes silently, and said in a weak tone: "I don't have a boyfriend."
I wonder if Wen Baijing would be angry if he heard her say this?
Ye Zhenzhen clenched her fingers for a long time, still unable to make up her mind to tell the truth to her mother.
Mother Ye sighed, "Zhenzhen, don't lie to us. You are still young and you can earn money slowly. Don't do anything for money."
Suddenly, a cotton ball got stuck in her throat, and she couldn't spit it out or swallow it.
Ye Zhenzhen leaned on her mother's skinny shoulder, her voice choking a little: "I won't do such a thing. I won't do anything for money."
She said this with a guilty conscience.
Her mother's hands stroked her hair like dry branches.
Ye Zhenzhen bought a lot of clothes for her parents and some local specialties for them to take back. It was not easy for them to come all the way here, so she had to prepare some gifts for her close relatives to express her gratitude.
It was originally agreed that Ye Zhenzhen and her brother would take a taxi to send their parents to the airport. The family was standing at the gate of the community waiting for a taxi, and his parents were holding Wang You's hand to say goodbye.
A business car stopped in front of us.
Wen Baijing got out of the car and walked up to the group with a faint smile, "Hello, uncle and aunt."
Ye Zhenzhen had never expected Wen Baijing to do this. She tried to remain calm for a few seconds and forced a smile.
Ye's father and mother stood there in a daze, not realizing that Wen Baijing was greeting them.
"This is..." Seeing this, Ye Mao wanted to introduce it, but he didn't know how to say it for a moment. He didn't dare to speak without Ye Zhenzhen's permission.
"Mom and Dad, this is a friend of mine." Ye Zhenzhen quickly responded, pretending to be calm and introducing him to her parents.
Wen Baijing didn't argue with Ye Zhenzhen, and said considerately: "Let's get in the car first. In case there is a traffic jam on the road, don't miss the flight..."
After saying that, he opened the trunk and put the luggage into the car with Ye Mao with quick movements.
Ye Mao was a little flattered and kept saying that he could do it himself.
Ye's father and mother sat in the car in confusion, looking at Wen Baijing from time to time with a bit of admiration in their eyes.
That day, Tian Baijing was dressed as usual, still in a suit and tie, with his hair neatly combed, looking smart and capable.
The external image is naturally impressive.
Mother Ye couldn't hold it in any longer, so she laughed awkwardly and asked, "Xiao Wen, what do you do?"
The household registration check was too obvious, without any preparation.
As simple as an unwrapped and waxed candied apple.
Wen Baijing turned his head and looked at Ye Zhenzhen meaningfully. He said nothing, but raised the corners of his mouth to smile faintly, waiting to see how Ye Zhenzhen would answer.
Before Wen Baijing could speak, Ye Zhenzhen turned around from the passenger seat and started to talk nonsense: "Mom, he is the driver."
"Driver..." Ye's mother's eyes dimmed and there was a hint of disappointment in her tone.
Not wanting her parents to continue asking, Ye Zhenzhen cleverly changed the subject, turning into a caring and thoughtful girl, and patiently reminded them, "Mom, when you get off the plane and pick up your luggage, be careful not to leave your luggage behind."
She has told him this many times.
After saying this, she lowered her head a little guilty and glanced at Wen Baijing secretly, afraid that he would be angry. Wen Baijing looked very calm and did not look unhappy.
Ye Mao stared at Ye Zhenzhen. He wanted to see if Ye Zhenzhen would blush if she lied.
Ye Mao didn't know the details of Wen Baijing, but he was not stupid. Ye Zhenzhen lied in front of Wen Baijing. He lay on Ye Zhenzhen's chair, but his eyes would steal glances at Wen Baijing from time to time.
Ye Zhenzhen turned a blind eye to this, rolled her eyes at Ye Mao and ignored him.
After helping my parents check in their luggage at the airport, I tearfully watched them walk into the departure hall.
The pain of separation from one's parents is not only about reluctance but also about unwillingness. When I left home to study at the age of 17 or 18, I was yearning for a distant place and just wanted to get away from my nagging parents as soon as possible.
I just want to be a free bird.
For the first time, Ye Zhenzhen carefully watched her parents' backs. Their shoulders and backs were slumped, and their bones and muscles shrank.
Very different from the parents I remembered.
Time is so cruel. In the blink of an eye, my parents have grown old.
Wen Baijing put his arm around her shoulders and said half-jokingly, "When will you be my guide and take me to see the frontier scenery?"
A man like him, where can't he go? He was just saying it casually to cheer her up.
However, it was too rude to expose someone so openly, so Ye Zhenzhen forced a smile and said, "Okay! It's just that I haven't been to many places in the border area."
Wen Baijing asked again without giving up: "Would you like to teach me a few words of the minority language?"
When chatting, Wen Baijing would occasionally ask Ye Zhenzhen to teach him a few words, but Ye Zhenzhen never refused to teach, not because she was intentionally keeping something to herself.
Really not.
Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but frown, smiled and patted him lightly, looking a little embarrassed: "I only know: Hello, have you eaten? And so on, I don't know anything else."
Wen Baijing was even curious, raised his eyebrows, and said with a doubtful tone: "It shouldn't be the case, are you so poor in language talent?"
In fact, she knows more than just these few sentences.
Learning swear words does not require linguistic talent. Hearing them once will make you remember them better than writing them twenty times.
Ye Mao spoke slowly, trying to expose her disguise, "She knows a few other words, but she can't teach you..."
Wen Baijing seemed to have heard something, his face was full of disbelief, and his tone was inflected: "Really?"
When Ye Zhenzhen met a teammate who was trying to sabotage her, she felt both amused and annoyed. She wanted to twist his ears and ask him, "Are you stupid?"
Fortunately, Wen Baijing was present. No matter how naive Ye Zhenzhen was, she didn't dare to act like a spoiled child. She had to maintain some image, so she could only glare at Ye Mao hatefully.
On the way back, Ye Zhenzhen felt inexplicably uneasy, wondering if Wen Baijing would take revenge on her later.
Wen Baijing leaned his elbows on the car window and teased, "Ye Zhenzhen, your face won't even turn red when you lie now. Your skin is getting thicker and thicker..."
Ye Zhenzhen observed him for a while, but didn't see that he was unhappy, so she felt relieved. She sincerely apologized to Wen Baijing, "I'm sorry, I've worked hard for you today..."