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CHAPTER 15
PART 1
Should I get in touch with Zhou Sida? Logically, since he's in the city, it's proper for me to extend some hospitality, invite him for a meal or something. But going alone to meet him seems inappropriate, yet bringing my husband and son to meet an ex-boyfriend is awkward. Besides, in the current situation, even if we meet, can we pretend as if nothing happened and have a pleasant chat?
This has been the issue Su Xiaotong has been grappling with in the past few days.
The reason being, on Zhou Sida's first day in the city, he called her; the next day, he inquired again if Su Xiaotong was free. For two consecutive times, Su Xiaotong made excuses to politely refuse. Yet, she felt somewhat guilty, feeling that avoiding deliberately contradicted her principles of handling things. But if she were to really go out and meet Zhou Sida, it would involve all those aforementioned concerns, making it really difficult for her.
However, after the second refusal, Zhou Sida didn't contact Su Xiaotong again. Perhaps, after being turned down twice in a row, he realized it was better to give up. Su Xiaotong thought it was for the best too; if Zhou Sida didn't make any more invitations, she didn't need to initiate contact either. After all, he was an ex-boyfriend; meeting even as ordinary friends would always carry some ambiguity. With that in mind, it's better to let it go.
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Since the "poisonous chicken soup" incident, the family hardly went out. Adults managed, but the child couldn't stand it. Gu Xiaoliang used to go out to play every day, either at the park's children's play area or in the shopping mall's playhouse. After several days indoors, Gu Xiaoliang started crying and fussing; even cartoons couldn't pacify him. Early this morning, he woke up and refused to sleep again, clamoring to go out and play.
With his tantrum, Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei couldn't sleep either. After consoling him for a while, Gu Lei said, "Why don't we take Xiaoliang out to play?"
"Now?" Su Xiaotong glanced at the time on her phone. "It's only eight o'clock. Where do we go?"
Gu Lei asked his son, "Xiaoliang, where do you want to go?"
"Outside, play outside!" Gu Xiaoliang didn't have a specific request, as long as he could go out.
"Alright, let's have breakfast first, then we'll go to the most beautiful section of Huanhai Road to ride a three-person bicycle, okay?" Gu Lei suggested.
"Okay!" Gu Xiaoliang became happy, wiping away his tears and smiling.
Su Xiaotong hadn't been out for a few days and felt quite stifled. Plus, after Xia Qi's death and no new casualties for two days, she felt a bit relieved. So, the two of them got their son ready, changed their clothes, and went out together.
Before leaving, Su Xiaotong was a bit worried. Gu Lei reassured her, "It's okay," opened the door, went out to check for a bit, then said, "Let's go."
The family of three took the elevator downstairs, left the neighborhood, and arrived at a nearby breakfast shop, ordering a hearty meal: rice noodles, soy milk, fried dough sticks, stewed eggs, buns... Gu Xiaoliang enjoyed his meal a lot. After eating, they went to the adjacent supermarket to buy some drinks and snacks. Then, they hailed a cab and arrived at the most picturesque section of Yuehai Road—Huanhai West Road.
This road is closed to vehicles, allowing only non-motorized vehicles. The road has pedestrian paths and lanes specifically for non-motorized vehicles. It's just past nine in the morning, the weather is clear and beautiful, and there are already quite a few tourists and people exercising on Huanhai West Road. Groups of two or three, either walking or cycling, some pausing to admire the beautiful mountain and sea views across the road, taking photos. Along the road are unique buildings housing B&Bs, hotels, cafes, almost every one of them offering bicycle rentals.
Gu Xiaoliang spotted a three-person bicycle with a colorful canopy, pulling his parents' hands and running towards it. Gu Lei paid a deposit to the owner, renting the bike. The two adults sat on either side, pedaling, while Gu Xiaoliang sat in the middle, holding the handlebars. The three coordinated, smoothly moving the lovely little vehicle forward.
"Oh, I forgot to bring the Bluetooth speaker," Su Xiaotong regretfully said.
Gu Lei chuckled and like magic pulled out a mini Bluetooth speaker from his pocket, saying, "I knew you'd want to listen to music, so I brought it."
"That's great!" Su Xiaotong connected her phone to the Bluetooth speaker, playing soothing music that added to the atmosphere. The family, enjoying the breeze, pedaling the bike, snacking, listening to music, and admiring the beautiful scenery, reveled in a cozy and romantic ambiance. Su Xiaotong hadn't felt this content in a long time; in this moment, she temporarily forgot all her worries and immersed herself in the beauty of life. Gu Xiaoliang was also happy, humming along with the music. Gu Lei occasionally glanced at the mother and son, his face beaming with a happy smile.
The rent for this three-person bicycle was thirty yuan. No time limit, return it before dinner. The drinks, candies, biscuits, and such they bought from the small supermarket just cost a bit over sixty yuan. The music and the beautiful view were free, and the good weather was a gift from nature. While enjoying this moment, Su Xiaotong couldn't help but feel a bit emotional—less than a hundred yuan spent, yet it brought such joy to the family. Some happiness and joy truly weren't brought by money, or perhaps, had nothing to do with how much money one had. If so, why do people relentlessly pursue wealth and fame?
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Feeling a bit tired from cycling, they spotted public benches on a lawn facing Yuehai. The scenery was breathtaking, with seagulls flying in groups. Gu Lei suggested a short break, and Su Xiaotong readily agreed. They parked their bicycle nearby, sat on wooden benches, and immersed themselves in the beautiful scenery, melting into nature.
A few minutes later, both Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei received WeChat message alerts, probably from a group chat. They withdrew from their pleasant state to find a voice message from Fan Lin in the group. Su Xiaotong played the message, instantly shattering the serene atmosphere:
"Who the heck did that just now?!"
Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei were startled and quickly stood up, moving away to shield Gu Xiaoliang from hearing such foul language. At the same time, they were puzzled; although Fan Lin was straightforward, she rarely used profanity and never vented in such a manner. What had happened to her?
Before they could reply, Li Xueli responded first: "Fan Lin, who are you cursing at?"
Han Lei also replied: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Fan Lin sent another voice message: "Come downstairs and see for yourselves, then you'll know!"
"Downstairs? Does that mean Fan Lin encountered something in the building's vicinity?" Su Xiaotong remarked.
"It seems so, then we..."
Su Xiaotong sighed, reluctantly saying, "Let's head back too and see what's going on."
Gu Lei only nodded in agreement. Faced with such a situation, they couldn't continue enjoying themselves wholeheartedly.
The couple explained to their son that there was something going on in the neighborhood and they needed to go back immediately. Gu Xiaoliang, who was all excited, naturally didn't want to, pouting his lips high. Finally, they managed to coax him by promising to buy him a toy as compensation. The three rode their bike back to the starting point, returned the bike, and immediately hailed a taxi back to Yuehai Bay Community.
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TL CORNER
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