Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Chapter 229: A fleeting moment

Chapter 229 Time Passes by

Time flies. In March 1966, everything is revived and flowers are blooming. However, there is a sense of uneasiness in the air. People on the street are wary of the five black categories and various reactionaries. In the steel mill, the workers' conversations are mostly about "highlighting politics, one thing leads to another", "overthrowing the devil, liberating the devil".

In the Lou family's mansion, Lou's father sat on a mahogany chair in the study, holding a newspaper in his hand, his brows furrowed. The headlines on the newspaper were so dazzling that they made him panic, and the sound of the wind between the lines made him fidget. Lou's mother came in with a cup of hot tea, gently placed it on the table, and whispered, "Master, are you still thinking about that thing?"

Father Lou sighed, took off his reading glasses, and rubbed his temples: "Yes, this situation...is getting more and more wrong. Although our family has donated all the shares to the country, this origin...is still a problem after all."

Mother Lou was silent for a while, then whispered, "How about...let's go? To Hong Kong, or abroad?"

Father Lou didn't say anything, his eyes fell on the family photo on the desk. In the photo, Lou Xiao'e was smiling brightly, standing between her parents, with the Lou family's magnificent mansion in the background. He reached out and touched the photo, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

"Leave? It's not that easy." Father Lou whispered, "Can we, as a family, just leave like that?"

Mother Lou sighed: "But given the situation...if I don't leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave in the future."

Father Lou was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said, "Let me think about it again."

Although the outside world was getting more and more tense, Lou Xiao'e still walked into the courtyard as usual, carrying snacks and canned fruits. She was wearing a khaki Lenin suit, her hair was neatly combed, and she had a gentle smile on her face, as if the outside world had nothing to do with her.

"Old lady, I'm here to see you!" Lou Xiao'e pushed open the door of the deaf old lady's house, her voice as clear as a lark.

The deaf old lady was sitting on the kang sewing shoe soles. She looked up when she heard the voice, and her cloudy eyes suddenly lit up: "Oh, Xiao'e is here! Come and sit down!"

Lou Xiao'e put the snacks in her hand on the table and said with a smile: "Old lady, I brought you your favorite green bean cakes and a few cans of oranges. Please try them."

The deaf old lady couldn't stop laughing. She took Lou Xiao'e's hand and clapped her hands: "Good child, good child! You always think about me, an old woman."

Lou Xiao'e sat by the kang and chatted with the deaf old lady. The old lady had poor hearing and spoke loudly, but Lou Xiao'e was not annoyed at all, instead she laughed very happily. She liked listening to the old lady telling old stories, as if she could find a long-lost peace from those stories.

After chatting for a while, Lou Xiao'e stood up and said, "Old lady, I'm going to go see Xiao Qiyi from Sha Zhu's family. That boy is more lovable than his brother."

The deaf old lady nodded: "Go ahead, go ahead. That child is really lovable."

Lou Xiao'e quietly pushed open the door of Sha Zhu's house and saw Yu Li sitting by the bed coaxing the child. Xiao Qiyi was lying in the cradle, kicking his little hands and feet and babbling.

"Yu Li, I'm here to see Xiao Qiyi." Lou Xiao'e said softly, afraid to disturb the child.

Yu Li raised her head and greeted with a smile: "Xiao'e is here! Come in and sit down."

Lou Xiao'e walked to the cradle and looked down at Xiao Qiyi, her eyes full of tenderness: "This child really looks like Sha Zhu, especially the nose, which is exactly the same."

Yu Li smiled and nodded: "Yes, Zhuzi kept saying that his son would definitely be better than him in the future."

Lou Xiao'e reached out and gently touched Xiao Qiyi's face, and the child suddenly grinned, revealing his pink gums. Lou Xiao'e felt warm in her heart and couldn't help teasing him: "Xiao Qiyi, call me auntie, call me auntie..."

Xiao Qi responded with a babbling sound, his little hands scratching in the air, which made Lou Xiao'e and Yu Li laugh.

Just as he was laughing, Sha Zhu pushed the door open and came in, carrying a basket of vegetables. Seeing Lou Xiao'e, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Xiao'e is here? It's just right, I bought a fish, let's have dinner together tonight."

Lou Xiao'e shook her head: "No, I just came to see Xiao Qiyi, and I have to go back later."

Sha Zhu put down the basket, walked to the cradle and looked at his son, his face full of pride: "How about it, my son is handsome, isn't he?"

Lou Xiao'e smiled and nodded: "He's handsome, very handsome! He will definitely be better than you in the future."

Sha Zhu laughed loudly: "Of course! My son will definitely have a bright future!"

Yu Li smiled and shook her head: "You two, you are singing the same tune. Xiao Qiyi is embarrassed by your praises."

Lou Xiao'e played with the child for a while, then stood up and said, "Okay, I should go now. Xiao Qiyi is so cute, I'll come visit him when I have time."

When Lou Xiao'e left the hospital, she ran into Xu Damao who was returning home with his business.

Xu Damao saw Lou Xiaoe's mouth curled up involuntarily, "A hen that doesn't lay eggs."

Although the voice was not loud, it was clearly heard by Lou Xiao'e. Her face darkened instantly, and her heart felt like it was pierced by a needle, painful and angry. She clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, but she tried hard not to show too much emotion on her face.

Seeing that Lou Xiao'e didn't get angry right away, Xu Damao felt even more proud. He raised his voice deliberately and said to Shouye in his arms, "Shouye, when you grow up, you must strive to be a good person. Don't be like some people who just occupy the nest but don't lay eggs, wasting food."

Having only been running the business for seven months, he certainly didn't understand what Xu Damao meant and could only mumble.

After hearing this, Lou Xiao'e could no longer hold back. She looked at Xu Damao coldly, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone: "Xu Damao, what you said is really interesting. I think the child in your arms doesn't look like you."

Xu Damao's smile froze after being confronted by Lou Xiao'e. He didn't expect Lou Xiao'e to say that, and was caught off guard for a moment. But he quickly reacted, snorted coldly, and said sarcastically: "Hey, Lou Xiao'e, are you anxious? How could my son not look like me? You are jealous, nakedly jealous. I am telling the truth, you are a hen that can't lay eggs, otherwise I would not divorce you."

When Lou Xiao'e heard the phrase "a hen that can't lay eggs" again, she became so angry that she reached out and scratched Xu Damao's face, leaving four bloody marks on him.

Xu Damao instinctively wanted to protect his face, but just as he moved, he remembered Shouye in his arms and stopped abruptly. He quickly took two steps back and said, "Lou Xiao'e, a gentleman should use words instead of fists. I'm holding a child here."

"Just hold the child if you want to. It's not my child. If you scold me and beat me, why would I care who you hold?" Lou Xiao'e took advantage of the situation and kept scratching and kicking.

It happened that the third aunt came out of the house and saw this scene. She called the third uncle and Yan Jiecheng to pull the two apart. Lou Xiao'e saw that someone had come out and she was not at fault. She clapped her hands, spat at Xu Damao, and turned away.