Because he was busy with Bai Duoduo’s affairs, Gao Lang quieted down for a while.
On this particular day, Papa Gao, Mama Gao, Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou had gone to the cemetery to pray for Papa Li and Mama Li.
After coming out of the cemetery, everyone’s mood was a little depressed.
Seeing this, Li Huairou tugged on Li Huaiqing’s sleeve. Li Huaiqing understood and said, “Auntie, let’s go back.”
“Okay, let’s go back,” Mama Gao replied.
They drove back.
The car was parked in the garage and everyone got out. With the help of Papa Gao and Li Huaiqing, Li Huairou got into the wheelchair. She lifted her head and glanced at Li Huaiqing.
Li Huaiqing nodded. “By the way, Auntie, I put something in the trunk. Can you help me get it?”
Mama Gao replied, “Okay, I’ll get it.”
She went to open the trunk, but was seized by the scene in front of her and was stunned. “This—this—this is?”
“This is a surprise prepared by Huairou and me, as well as a birthday gift. Auntie, do you like it?” Li Huaiqing smiled and carried a bunch of flowers from the passenger seat to Mama Gao’s arms. “These are the flowers I personally wrapped—your favorite lilies and lilies of the valley.”
Mama Gao lowered her head and wiped her tears. “I like it! Auntie likes it!”
Li Huairou grabbed Mama Gao’s hand. “My sister also bought the ingredients for the cake. Let’s go back and make it!”
“Okay!” Mama Gao had already been moved and didn’t know what to say. She raised her head and saw Papa Gao standing to the side, smiling at her. She groaned, “You dead old man, keeping it from me with the kids. ”
Papa Gao smiled. “The children are full of filial piety; how can I not cooperate?” These are all personally arranged by Huaiqing and Huairou. This purple box is a gift from me. This blue one is from Huaiqing and the red one is from Huairou. I’ll hold it for you and unpack the present in the house. ”
Mama Gao smiled and nodded. Their group got into the elevator while talking and laughing.
On the sofa, Li Huairou accompanied Mama Gao to go unpack the gifts while Papa Gao clumsily made cake under Li Huaiqing’s guidance.
Papa Gao gave a precious jade necklace. Mama Gao saw that it was the one that she’d liked from a magazine not long ago. Li Huaiqing gave a skirt that she made by herself. Mama Gao laughed when she saw it. It was her favorite style and fabric.
Li Huairou’s gift was the biggest; Mama Gao opened it and saw that it was a photo album. When she turned to the first page, her eyes turned red. The first photo was Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou’s first day in the Gao household. A family sitting together having a meal. She kept looking at the days and nights they’d spent together over the past ten years, the many good memories.
Mama Gao was crying while looking and Li Huairou intimately wiped her tears, saying, “Auntie, I’m giving you this gift to make you happy, not to make you sad. Don’t cry. If you cry again, I’ll also want to cry.”
“Good child, Auntie is not sad—Auntie is happy, very happy! It must have been hard on you, when was it taken?” Mama Gao wiped her tears while watching.
“I took the photos with my cellphone. The shots are good. I printed them, and there are still a lot of them that haven’t been printed. There are videos too. Would you like to watch them?” Li Huairou asked.
Mama Gao nodded. “I want to watch them.”
Li Huairou took her laptop and found the videos and photos that the original owner had stored on it. Mama Gao watched with gusto, the memories of the past emerging one by one along with the photos and videos, recalling many neglected details.
Li Huairou was also watching. She inadvertently looked at the computer, only to realize how deep the original owner’s affection for the Gao family was. The original owner was introverted—even if she liked something, she’d never show it. Now that Li Huairou was here, she had to make good use of it!
Over there, Li Huaiqing and Papa Gao were also drawn in, and the four of them gathered and watched together.
“I remember this. Huaiqing’s hair had grown out. I said to go to the salon to have it cut. You insisted on cutting it at home, but the result turned out to look like a dog. I was so angry, so I scolded you. Huaiqing was very sad at the time; I had to endure my sadness to comfort you,” Mama Gao recalled, pointing to a photo.
Papa Gao glanced at Li Huaiqing with embarrassment, then continued to look at it. After seeing one particular photo, he immediately pointed and said, “This one, do you remember this picture? Huairou was hungry and the housekeeper asked for leave. I said to order takeout. You must have said that it wasn’t good to eat takeaway, and you were too lazy to go out for a meal—you said you wanted to cook. As a result, Huaiqing and Huairou got diarrhea and threw up after they ate your scrambled eggs with tomatoes. They stayed at the hospital for two days.”
Mama Gao gave him a blank look. This old thing—after so many years, he still couldn’t hold his tongue.
Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou laughed.
Speaking of being hungry, Li Huairou recalled, “Jie, are we only eating cake at noon?”
Li Huaiqing was stunned. She seemed to have forgotten to order a meal.
Papa Gao laughed. “It’s okay, I’m prepared. Let’s have hot pot today, I called Haidilao.”
Everyone laughed.
Looking at the laptop, Mama Gao found a problem. In these photos and videos, Gao Lang did not appear much. In the beginning, he was still there. As time passed, he gradually disappeared. Yes, Gao Lang was older, had his own social circle, had his own life, and the time he spent at home was shrinking. Most of the time, only Huaiqing and Huairou kept them company.
After a while, the takeout from Haidilao arrived, and the table was full.
“Let’s eat!” Papa Gao said with a grin. Li Huairou looked at everyone and asked, “Would you like to call Gao Lang-ge to come over? Today is Auntie’s birthday, after all.”
Mama Gao did not speak. Li Huaiqing smiled and replied, “You call.”
Li Huairou nodded. She took out her phone and called Gao Lang.
Gao Lang was with Bai Duoduo—the two were discussing what to do. After receiving the call from Li Huairou, Gao Lang sneered. ‘Didn’t you blacklist my number? Why are you thinking of calling me now? Tsk!’
Gao Lang immediately hung up.
Li Huairou rolled her eyes and did not continue to call, but merely sent a message to him: “Today is Auntie’s birthday. I don’t want to fight with you. At my house, we’re eating hot pot. If you want, just come.”
Gao Lang saw the text message. He suddenly reacted; it was his mother’s birthday today. He stood up suddenly. “Duoduo, hurry up, let’s go to the mall.”
“What’s the matter?” Bai Duoduo asked.
“Today is my mother’s birthday, I forgot,” Gao Lang answered. But deep down, he was a little unhappy. His mother really had a double standard. He wanted to celebrate her birthday, but she’d been angry. Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou celebrated her birthday. Why did she agree to it?
“You really… I’m impressed. Although Auntie said that she wouldn’t celebrate her birthday, how could you forget it? Just blame it on me, there’ve been so many things recently, forget it. Hurry up!” Bai Duoduo hurried to clean up.
The two rushed to the nearest shopping mall. It was too late to choose carefully—Gao Lang bought the most expensive bracelet and Bai Duoduo bought a new bag.
Then they went to the flower shop to buy a bunch of flowers and hurried to the Li household.
Papa Gao and Mama Gao had long been impatient. Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou tried their best, even bringing out the video of their participation in a competition when they were children for everyone to enjoy.
Finally, they heard a knock on the door.
Li Huairou breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she didn’t have to face the black history of the original owner as a child. The strange makeup and unpleasant modelling was too painful for the eyes.
Li Huaiqing went to open the door and saw Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo. “Here now? Come in!”
Gao Lang took Bai Duoduo’s hand and went in. “Dad, Mom. Here we are. Mom, happy birthday—this is a birthday gift that Duoduo and I bought for you. Do you like it? These are the flowers that Duoduo bought for you.”
Mama Gao took the flower and the gift, looked at them, and then put the flower aside. “Okay, wash your hands and quickly sit down. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo came out after washing their hands. Papa Gao and the others were already at the table. Papa Gao and Mama Gao were sitting together. Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou were sitting beside Mama Gao. Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo were sitting beside Papa Gao—face-to-face with Li Huaiqing and Li Huairou.
Li Huaiqing didn’t spare Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo a single glance throughout the whole meal, instead taking care of Li Huairou and Mama Gao with all her attention, giving them food.
Li Huairou didn’t bother to watch the two people at the opposite end of the table showing their affection.
“Auntie, eat some shrimp.” Bai Duoduo peeled the shrimp, stood up, and sent it to Mama Gao’s plate.
Mama Gao nodded slightly. “Thank you. Help yourself, don’t bother to take care of me.” The shrimp stayed on the plate.
Bai Duoduo had to awkwardly sit down.
Gao Lang frowned. “Mom, why aren’t you eating the shrimp that Duoduo peeled?”
Li Huaiqing couldn’t help it anymore. “Auntie gets a rash when she eats the shrimp, don’t you know?”
Gao Lang was a little embarrassed. “This—this—really?”
Papa Gao snorted, “You sure are really competent as a son! You don’t even know whether your mother eats shrimp.”
Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo were a little embarrassed. Bai Duoduo gave Gao Lang a resentful look—he always compares himself with the Li sisters, every day! How could he compare? Doesn’t even know the likes and dislikes of his own mother. Too negligent.
After eating, Gao Lang and Bai Duoduo felt too embarrassed to stay at the Li house, so they found a reason to leave.
On the way, Bai Duoduo complained, “Why don’t you know anything?”
Gao Lang was silent.
“You can’t be like this in the future. Forget it, I’ll help you remember more in the future! I can’t count on you,” Bai Duoduo lamented with a sigh.
These words hit Gao Lang’s heart. He smiled and squeezed her hand. “That’s right, Duoduo. You’re attentive, help me more in the future. Tonight, I’ll have you.” He checked the time, hoping he could get lucky.
Bai Duoduo blushed and took her hand away. “Smelly hooligan!”
“A wise man once said that the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. Why am I a hooligan?” Gao Lang countered with a smile.
“Can you not take the meaning out of context? This sentence comes from the fourth section of Meng Zi’s Gao Zi Zhang Ju Shang. The original saying is ‘To enjoy food and delight in colors is inborn. Benevolence is internal and not external; righteousness is external and not internal’. Fundamentally, it’s not what you mean,” Bai Duoduo couldn’t help refuting.
[Meng Zi a book by Chinese confucian philosopher with the same name also known as Mencious. Gao Zi Zhang Ju Shang is the chapter name in the book]
[食色，性也。仁，內也，非外也；義，外也，非內也 literally mean Food, colour, sex. Benevolence, internal, not external ; Righteousness, external not internal. For full contex https://ctext.org/mengzi/gaozi-i ]
“Well, well, I was wrong. My Duoduo knows a lot, even this,” Gao Lang said with a smile.
Bai Duoduo took out her mobile phone and said, “I don’t understand. These are the great words of the author of a novel I followed recently. I think she’s really amazing—she’s good at writing ancient novels. The scenes and furnishings inside the novel are so real, it’s like she’s seen it with her own eyes. I don’t know what’s wrong today; it hasn’t been updated yet. No, I’ll have to send a rocket launcher to remind her.”
[A gift given to support the author in JJWXC]
Gao Lang shook his head with a grin.
