A week later, the "Shen Li running away from home incident" had subsided. The resentful words she blurted out at the time, the things she did to Shen Tianyou, were like heavy rain dispelling the mist, and when the spring sun shone on them, there was no trace left. However, Shen Li knew clearly that all this was far from disappearing, but was just buried under this disguised peace.
That night, my parents didn't come home until very late. Shen Li didn't want to sit with Shen Tianyou in the living room, so she went back to her room to play computer games. Neither of them went to bed. The TV was muted, and only the wall clock was ticking awkwardly. It was a long time after twelve o'clock when the door was pushed open.
Shen Tianyou immediately went to the door to greet them, and Shen Li also left the computer desk and stood at the door of her room looking out. Shen's mother, with a haggard face, looked up and saw her two children. The next thing she did was to rush forward and hug Shen Li tightly, crying loudly.
Shen Li was suddenly hugged. Before she could come to her senses, she found her mother leaning on her shoulder and crying heartbreakingly. If she struggled a little, her mother would hug her tighter. Shen's mother was still crying and shouting, "It's my fault, baby, I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for you!"
Shen Li looked stunned, and in her sight was Shen Tianyou who was equally stunned. When Shen's father came into her sight, she was surprised to find that Shen's father's face was also full of guilt.
Shen's mother's tears did not last long. After being comforted by Shen's father, she finally stopped crying. Shen's father hugged Shen's mother and Shen Li tightly. He kissed Shen Li's hair and seemed to promise something. But he refused to say more, and the matter of Shen Li running away from home and moving out of the house was left unresolved.
They seemed to have changed their ways, no longer making demands on Shen Li, and no longer starting conversations with "You are my sister". The porcelain doll used to be Shen Tianyou, but now it has been replaced by Shen Li. It's not that she is fragile, but they look at Shen Li with a trembling gaze, fearing that she will be dissatisfied, and they will be anxious for a long time even if she frowns.
Just like now, they originally thought that Shen Li would not come home for dinner because she had made an appointment with Li Zi to go out and play today, so when they packed the food back, they only brought back Shen Tianyou's portion, not Shen Li's.
Shen Li didn't care. Shen's father and mother opened their mouths several times, and finally said to their son who was looking at them eagerly: "You can't digest this at night, right? Why don't you give it to your sister?"
This is so unusual, or so weird! How could Shen's mother and father give priority to their daughter? What's even stranger is that Shen Tianyou actually agreed!
Shen Li's eyebrows were almost wrinkled into a frown, and she said, "I've eaten, give it to him!" Then she went back to her room and closed the door.
Shen Li lay down on the bed, ignoring Shen Ma's shouting. She said to the curious little monkeys, "They are weird, aren't they?"
The little monkey was playing with his toy banana and pulling his chin to make faces at her, probably laughing at her for making a fuss.
Shen Li shook her head and said to herself, "Shen Li, you are really sick! I am not comfortable with you even though I am nice to you!" Putting aside all these thoughts, she used her head to support the monkey's arm and played with it. The two of them played so much that they fell asleep. It was only one in the morning when she opened her eyes again. Shen Li, who had been sleeping since eight o'clock last night, could not fall asleep at all.
She supported her head with her arms and covered the little monkey with its own quilt. Then she took out her mobile phone from under the pillow. The screen showed a WeChat message from Brother Li Zi.
Brother Chestnut: I just realized I recorded these when I listened to the song I recorded myself. I swear I only listened to five minutes! It was not intentional. Sorry.
Brother Lizi called Lizi "Ban Li" and changed his WeChat name to "Ban Li Gege". Shen Li only had his WeChat for voting, collecting likes, and grabbing red envelopes. She had never chatted with him before. This time he suddenly said something without any context. Although Shen Li was confused, she still clicked on the web link he sent.
The link opened to an audio file, and after clicking to play, the sound that came out was Li Zi's brother's howling singing. As soon as it was opened, it made a very loud sound, which scared Shen Li so much that she quickly covered the speaker and pressed pause. It continued to play after she plugged in headphones.
At this time, someone in the recording called Li Zi, and he answered, put his phone on the table and left. The recording software was still recording.
There was a noisy sound in the recording. Someone entered the room, exchanged greetings for a while, and finally several people sat down.
Shen Li finally understood what Li Zi's brother meant. He heard the conversation between Shen's father and mother and Li Zi's mother. He apologized to her because he felt that he heard Shen Li's privacy.
On the day Shen Tianyou fainted, he couldn't get through to Shen's parents on the phone no matter what, because they were at Li Zi's house.
Everything became clear now. Shen Li felt that this recording would help her understand why her parents hugged her and cried that night. Recalling the drastic change in her parents' attitudes over the past few days, Shen Li became more curious about the content of their conversation that day.
What exactly did Li Zi’s mother say to Shen’s father and mother?
In the recording, Li Zi's mother's voice was very loud: "Tianyou Mom, to be honest, you are really not qualified to be called mom. It's not that you failed, it's that you are not qualified!"
Hearing this, Shen Li burst out laughing. Li Zi's mother was a straightforward person and often said things that made people feel hard to follow. She could fully imagine how embarrassing the scene was and how ugly her mother's face was.
In the recording, Shen's mother seemed to want to refute. She just opened her mouth to say something, but was pushed back by Li Zi's mother: "Don't deny it. Now it's because Shen Li made such a big scene that you think the matter is serious. Before this happened, how could you remember that you are her mother? Tianyou father, don't interrupt, you too!"
Haha! Shen Li was so happy that she wanted to roll on the bed. Her parents were so authoritative at home! Who would dare to scold them like elementary school students?
However, as Li Zi's mother spoke, her tone became less aggressive: "Why should I call you Tianyou's parents instead of Prosecutor Shen and Director Yang?"
Just like a primary school student answering a teacher's question, Shen's father answered: "After work, we are no longer government officials, but just parents of children."
"Wow, you are so shameless! The children's parents? I call you Tianyou's mom and dad because when I called you Shen Li's dad and Shen Li's mom, you didn't understand who I was calling! You, didn't react at all to the name Shen Li's mom and dad!"
The relieved smile on Shen Li's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a daze.
So-and-so's father, so-and-so's mother, kindergarten and primary school teachers like to use this name to address students' parents. In junior high school, it becomes so-and-so's parents. Shen's father and mother have rarely been to Shen Li's school since she started primary school. How could they be familiar with this name?
They are only familiar with the name "God bless Mom and Dad".
This is just a very small place, but details reveal people's hearts the most.
"What do you mean?"
No one spoke for a long time in the recording, as if Li Zi's mother was organizing her thoughts.
Finally, Li Zi's mother spoke up: "What I mean is that you are not worthy of being Shen Li's parents."
"The first time I saw Shen Li, she was still a very small girl, looking shorter than other first-grade students. When the teacher asked her if anyone was coming to pick her up, she just stood there without saying a word, staring at the door. I asked her where she lived and if it was on the way, we could go home together. Unexpectedly, she just nodded and followed me stupidly. I thought at the time that after sending this child home, I must talk to her mother and ask her to teach her children not to go home with strangers easily. As a result, she not only followed me, but also took us into the house. Shen Li's mother, if I were you, I would be so scared that I would not be able to sleep at night."
Shen Li was stunned, remembering that it was when she just started elementary school. Her grandmother was in poor health and could no longer take care of her. Her parents often had to accompany Shen Tianyou to the hospital, so they asked her to go home by herself after school. When she got home, she had to follow her mother's instructions and cook rice in the rice cooker. I think Li Zi's mother saw this scene when she sent her home for the first time.
The recording did not stop, and Shen's father and mother fell silent. Li Zi's mother continued, "When she was in fifth grade, Li Zi said she wanted to learn painting, and I agreed. Two days later, she changed her mind, and I asked her out of curiosity. It turned out that your family said they didn't have time to pick her up, so they didn't let Shen Li go. She didn't have a playmate, so she gave up. I always thought that children's enthusiasm for learning special skills was short-lived, but Shen Li has always liked painting. Did you know about this?"
"She said that all her New Year's money would be handed over to you. In the third year of junior high school, she saved her pocket money for a semester and bought a digital tablet. Did you know about this? When they were in junior high school, they were stopped by senior students and asked for money. Did you know about this?"
There were constant questioning in the recording, and it always ended with "Do you know?". Neither of Shen's father and mother answered, only Shen Li, who covered her mouth and cried silently, answered with tears. They didn't know, they didn't know these things!
Mr. and Mrs. Shen have limited abilities and can only be "all-rounders" for Shen Tianyou. When it comes to Shen Li's turn, they are completely clueless.
It's not that Shen Li hadn't thought about talking to them. Work, life, her sickly young son, and her frail old man, all these issues had completely divided the time of Shen's father and mother. If they had more time for one, they would have less time for the other. Shen Li just happened to be in a smaller area.
Chestnut's mother continued in the earphones: "You don't know all this, right? I don't understand what you are asking her to do. You ask her to be sensible, ask her to shut up, ask her to suppress her own nature, until later she dared not even tell you the truth. Mother and daughter are alienated, how much more sensible do you want her to be?"
"I also understand the things that happened between the two children. Bumps and bruises are nothing. Quarrels and bickering are common, and jealousy and vying for favor are absolutely inevitable. Parents of one child have to take care of the child's education, and parents of two children have to think about how to make the two children get along. These are all troublesome things, but you can't ask the older child to give in to the younger child just to save your own worries. The older child is still a child no matter how old he is!"
"If you can't raise the child well, why did you give birth to him in the first place? Since you gave birth to him, why can't you take on the responsibilities of a parent? You are not only Shen Tianyou's parents, but also Shen Li's parents..."
Mother Li Zi laid out the facts, and her words were like knives, piercing their hearts and lungs. It was their fault, and each cut left a scar, all of which were facts that had pierced their flesh and blood. The ignorant parents finally understood that Shen Li was really not living well, and it was not because she was not well fed or well clothed, but because she was not living like a child.
Shen Li no longer had the heart to listen to what was said in the recording. The words that Li Zi's mother said were like barbed hooks that pierced into her scars. When they were pulled out, they were covered with a blur of flesh and blood. She felt pain.
She seemed to have returned to many years ago, seeing the child who was not valued by her parents, step by step, hesitant and timid to this day. She coveted warmth, but eventually retreated within the boundaries of understanding set by her parents.
The same sobbing sound as hers came from the headphones, and suddenly someone called her name: "Lili, I'm sorry... Mom, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
This sound was exactly the same as the cry that Shen's mother made when she hugged Shen Li that night. The truth was completely revealed at this moment. Shen Li finally understood the reason why they changed their attitude towards her. Shen's mother's hoarse apology and breathless crying that night seemed to have reconnected the signal and reached Shen Li's mind.
Mom, I'm sorry...
Shen Li crossed her arms across her face, bit her arms and cried uncontrollably.
How long had she waited for this apology?
But fortunately it's not too late.
The moonlight outside the small balcony was bright, shining through the security windows and glass doors onto her bed, making her as hazy as the moonlight. It was already very late at night, and the summer insects had not yet begun to make annoying noises, so Shen Li's sobs were particularly obvious in the night.
Shen Li never thought about whether anyone would hear her. She had been suppressing her emotions for too long and was just waiting for this night to let her tears flow.
If vision could penetrate walls, Shen Li, who was crying her head off, would find that there was a bed of the same size in the room separated from her by a wall, and the blue sheets indicated that this was a boy's room.
Shen Tianyou, who had a good work and rest schedule, had not fallen asleep for the first time, or rather, he had just woken up from a dream . Half asleep and half awake, he heard the sobbing coming from Shen Li's room. He was startled at first, but then he became irritated by Shen Li's constant crying, and he almost punched the wall in anger.
But he held back and listened for half an hour.
He didn't know why Shen Li was crying, he just suddenly realized that Shen Li was also a girl who could cry, a girl who could cry so sadly.
Xiao Jingteng and the rainy season arrived in the city where Shen Li was, and the whole city was shrouded in rain and fog.
The monthly exam before the Qingming Festival made Shen Li do homework until late at night every day. She didn't even have time to check Weibo, and the comic strip "Monkey Playing with Naughty Kids" also reduced its update frequency. The feeding of the little monkey was handed over to Shen Tianyou. If the little monkey didn't accompany her to do homework until late at night every night and pull her to bed on time, she would have thought that the little monkey was going to rebel.
It was a little after 1:00 p.m. when they returned from tomb-sweeping. The family had not eaten anything. Except for Mother Shen who was busy in the kitchen, everyone else was watching TV or playing with their phones on the sofa.
The sound of WeChat messages, Weibo updates, and the football game on TV never stopped. Shen's mother was so annoyed that she rushed out of the kitchen and yelled at Shen Li, "You're busy with your phone all day long, and when you get home, you just sit on the sofa. Don't you know how to help in the kitchen?"
There were three people sitting on the sofa with three different expressions. Father Shen was desperately making eyes at Mother Shen, Shen Tianyou looked like something was wrong, and only Shen Li looked up belatedly, pointed at herself and asked, "Me? What do you need me to do?"
"I'm not talking about you, or..." The slow and angry Shen's mother finally received the signal from Shen's father and quickly added, "I'm talking about your father! He must be tired from driving. It's enough for him to rest for such a long time!"
Father Shen quickly replied, "That's enough, I'll go help! You two sit down, dinner will be served soon."
This matter was finally resolved. Shen Li took a glance and found Shen Tianyou patting his chest as if relieved. She found it funny in her heart. Was she that terrible ?
The WeChat messages finally stopped, but Shen Li started looking through the chat history. After Qiao Lu saved Shen Tianyou, they set up a WeChat group to update "Monkey Playing with Bear Kids" together. Before being interrupted by Shen's mother, Qiao Lu and Li Zi asked her about her family situation in the group.
Li Zi: Why don't you come live with us? I told you, if you give in so easily, they will only look down on you more and more!
Qiao Lu: How can it be so exaggerated? How is your family doing now?
Shen Li's fingers were typing on the phone screen, and a line of words appeared in the message box: They reacted even more strongly to issues involving Shen Tianyou and me, and were extremely cautious, thinking that I hadn't noticed.
She hesitated before pressing send, and finally deleted them one by one. Isn't it much better now than before? Then don't let others worry about her.
"We're out of soy sauce for steaming fish." Mother Shen came out with a spatula, ready to ask Shen Tianyou to go.
Shen Li stood up suddenly and said before Shen's mother could speak, "I'll go. I've run out of my water-based pen." After that, she walked to the door, took out her shoes and prepared to change into them before going out.
Mother Shen followed her hesitantly, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Shen Li was holding an umbrella. When she saw Shen's mother, she looked away. She sighed in her heart and asked, "Mom, is there anything else you want to buy?"
Shen Li's "Mom" touched Shen's heart, and she replied with a heavy nasal voice: "Is the money enough?"
"That's enough."
Her parents now treated her the same as Shen Tianyou, the difference being that they were cautious with Shen Tianyou and trembling with fear with her. Shen Li felt that she was not as happy as she was when she first heard their apology. She was happy that her parents were good to her, but it was all too deliberate.
She was like a time bomb that would .
This is too tiring.
Shen Li took steamed fish soy sauce from the seasoning section of the supermarket, and carried a small basket to get some pudding for the "Monkey King". She and Shen Tianyou were getting along awkwardly, and her parents did not dare to be biased at all. Instead, the "Monkey King" was more popular with them. Give him a pudding and he will be quiet, no noise, no trouble, and he can listen to them quietly. Who doesn't like it? Even Shen's father would hold the "Monkey King" and chat under the corridor of the small garden, but when Shen Li saw them, he would show a disgusted expression on his face, "I didn't do anything, it just had to pester me."
Shen Li picked up the pudding and happened to see that the yogurt counter was having a promotion. She walked over without looking around, but finally turned back to pick up Shen Tianyou's favorite yogurt... When she came out of the supermarket, Shen Li was holding an oversized plastic bag in her hand. In addition to the steamed fish soy sauce that Shen's mother wanted, there was also Shen Tianyou's favorite yogurt, Shen's father's cigarettes, and Shen's mother's favorite pastries that were accidentally put in there.
Shen Li sighed as she looked at the large plastic bag she was carrying, but she couldn't do anything about it. She had already bought it, so she shouldn't worry about whether someone said one thing and meant another. She took out the ice cream she wanted from the bag, tore off the wrapping paper, and ate while walking home.
"Hey! Little girl!"
Someone was calling from behind, but the voice sounded unfamiliar. Shen Li had no idea that the person was calling her.
"Hey, kid, stop!"
Shen Li continued to eat ice cream until her hand holding the plastic bag was grabbed by someone, and the low-quality plastic bag, unable to bear the weight, broke with a loud crash.
Shen Li turned around and kicked the man in the calf.
"Why are you still kicking people?"
The man even turned the tables, making Shen Li furious: "Who are you? I don't know you. You pulled me, and I didn't kick you. Should I follow you?"
"You don't remember me? You and Qiao Lu tricked me into the subway last time, don't you remember me?"
After hearing this, Shen Li had an impression. Wasn’t this guy the one who was “hunting down” Qiao Lu?
Shen Li asked tentatively: "Qiao Er?"
Qiao Zishun's expression became even uglier: "Qiao Er? What's the name? Is that what the little bastard calls his brother?"
Shen Li shook his hand away, and was even more upset when she heard him call Qiao Lu a little bastard: "You still call him a little bastard, why can't he call you Qiao Er?"
"I'm his brother, how dare he disrespect me?"
Shen Li only knew that "you are the older sister" meant she had to give in, and had never heard that "I am the older brother" was enough to curse someone. She immediately rolled her eyes at Qiao Zishun and was about to leave holding the torn plastic bag.
Qiao Zishun frowned: "I haven't let you go yet."
"So what else do you want to tell me?"
Shen Li mocked him, but he didn't understand at all and ordered: "Tell Qiao Lu to move back. His family agreed to let him keep a monkey. I even bought a cage for him..."
Shen Li was dumbfounded. What was going on with this tone of kindness? She thought Shen Tianyou was self-centered enough, but she didn't expect Qiao Zishun to be even more self-centered and weird. With this self-centered tone, did he think he was the greatest in the world?
Shen Li took a bite of ice cream expressionlessly, chose her escape route, and then said sarcastically: "Second Brother Qiao, I think your brain needs to be treated in the hospital. Thinking too much is a disease, and I suspect you are seriously ill!" After she finished speaking, she started to run, but she didn't expect that the man was tall and had long arms, and he stretched out his arms to grab her.
Qiao Zishun angrily grabbed Shen Li by the back of her collar and roared, "What did you say?"
Shen Li wanted to break free, but the other person was a boy, his arms were much stronger than hers, and he clamped her wrist. Qiao Zishun's hands were like iron pliers, and he pinched Shen Li so hard that she screamed in pain.
At this moment, a monkey jumped onto Qiao Zishun's body, waving its claws and pulling his hair. Three meters away, Shen Tianyou's eyes turned red with anxiety, and his roar became distorted with anger: "What do you want to do?"
Silly child, he is bullying your sister.
Shen Li thought helplessly, but did not think of relying on Shen Tianyou to escape from Qiao Zishun's control. Shen Tianyou was so young, how could he be a match for Qiao Zishun.
"Shen Tianyou, don't move, I'm fine, just stand there and wait for me!"
Shen Li pinched Qiao Zishun's wrist with her fingernails while shouting. When she couldn't resist anymore, she could only use her fingernails: "Let go, brother. You are several years older than me, and you are a boy. Do you really have the nerve to bully a girl like this?"
The low-power glasses on Qiao Zishun's face were knocked off by the little monkey. One of his hands was pinched by someone, and he had to use the other hand to stop the little monkey. He was actually in a very miserable state.
He became even angrier when he saw the little monkey helping Shen Li, and he just casually spit out his guesses: "Why would this beast help you like this? Could it be that the little bastard fell in love early, and he kept it in your house? If so, I'll beat him to death!"
"Shut up, don't talk nonsense!"
Before Shen Li could say anything, Shen Tianyou came up angrily to help.
However, Shen Tianyou's strength was no match for Qiao Zishun, who was nearly 20 years old and 1.85 meters tall. Qiao Zishun was annoyed and pushed Shen Tianyou to the ground with a backhand.
Shen Li looked at the fallen Shen Tianyou, and turned back with sparks in her eyes. She kicked Qiao Zishun's calf fiercely, and Qiao Zishun let go in pain. She took the opportunity to pick up the little monkey and ran to Shen Tianyou who had not yet stood up to protect him.
"Don't come over here! I'll yell if you come over again!"
Qiao Zishun grimaced in pain at first, then smiled: "Are you sick? I didn't do anything to you!"
"If I say you're robbing someone, do you think passersby will believe you or me?"
Qiao Zishun stopped hesitantly, but he still insisted: "I just asked you to say something, but you didn't cooperate!"
Shen Li was convinced by Qiao Zishun's logic and made a truce gesture: "You just want Qiao Lu to move back home, right? Okay, I'll tell you what he will think. As for what he will think, that's not something I can control."
Qiao Zishun thought about it and finally agreed, adding: "Ask him to wait for me in the classroom after school this Friday. Just tell him what you said."
Shen Li complained about his dictatorship in her heart, but nodded calmly, lent a hand to pull Shen Tianyou up, and called out to Qiao Zishun who was about to leave: "Hey, you pushed my brother to the ground, you have to give me an explanation, right?"
It was the rainy season, and when he was pushed to the ground, his umbrella fell off. Shen Tianyou's hair was wet by the rain, and he fell on the wet road. He looked so miserable.
When Qiao Zishun saw Shen Tianyou like this, he really couldn't say anything to shirk responsibility, but he also couldn't bring himself to apologize.
Seeing this, Shen Li walked up to Qiao Zishun, stretched out her hand to press the ice cream on Qiao Zishun's clothes, and then smeared it hard. The chocolate-flavored ice cream left a black sticky mark on Qiao Zishun's white clothes, and the black ice cream "pat pat" fell down from his clothes.
Shen Tianyou was stunned. He was already stunned when Shen Li protected him. Now Shen Li was venting her anger for him?
"You!" Qiao Zishun was so angry that he couldn't speak, especially when the little monkey squatted on Shen Li's shoulder and clapped his hands, which made him feel even more insulted.
Shen Li ignored his anger and threw the remaining ice cream into the trash can. She tilted her head and smiled at him: "Since you can't say sorry, then this will be your apology." Shen Li spread her hands, "We are even now."