Chapter Thirty-Six New Home

  "Dad!" Just out of the train station, Ouyang Mubo saw two children standing near the main entrance of the train station.

  "How did you come to pick me up? Does your mom know?" Ouyang Mubao smiled and said to Chenxu.

  "Alright, I've finished talking to her." Obviously, Ouyang was very happy after seeing his father. Ouyang Mu Bo looked at the two children and asked Mais: "You have some dirt on your mouth, what did you eat that made such a mess? You seem fatter than when I last saw you!" Mais wiped his mouth with his hand and said: "Ouyang just invited me to eat KFC." Ouyang Mu Bo smiled and said: "Let's go."

  Three people returned home together in District D. Compared to her husband, Feng Hongyan was more worried about the safety of the two children and didn't know if it was safe for them to take a taxi to the station by themselves.

  "I'm back." Feng Hongyan said calmly to Ouyang Mubo, then took the suitcase from him and walked into the house.

  Chen Xi knew that his mother and father must have had a lot to say, so before Mais asked Ouyang Mubo for gifts, he pulled him into the small house.

  Ouyang Mobo tidied up a bit, went to the washroom to wash his face, took off his jacket and came into the main room.

  Feng Qinglian had gone to the square for a stroll at this time. Unlike ordinary old people who like to take a walk in the evening, Grandma Feng Qinglian preferred to take a walk before dinner. Ouyang always thought that this was Grandma's necessary training to increase her appetite.

  Inside the big house, Feng Hongyan was arranging the things brought back by Ouyang Mubao with no expression, then asked: "Ouyang has a sports meeting the day after tomorrow, may need to get up early." Ouyang Mubao sat in the chair, just about to light a cigarette, but found that Feng Hongyan stared at him, so he put down the cigarette and said: "Can people live in the house on the other side?" Feng Hongyan shook her head and said: "It can be lived in, it's just that there may be some formaldehyde smell that hasn't dissipated." Ouyang Mubao said: "That's okay, living for one night is no big deal. Tomorrow I'll take Chenxi to Le Fang community to live, and the day after tomorrow he will go directly to participate in the sports meeting, and I'll come back." Feng Hongyan thought for a moment, nodded, then asked: "How long do you plan to stay this time?" Ouyang Mubao stood up from his seat and said: "I plan to take an EMBA degree, after that I will definitely..."

  Before Ou Yang Mu Bo could finish speaking, Feng Hong Yan had already interrupted him, saying: "You want me to give you money again? What do you think you've contributed to this family? Besides taking some money every month, what else have you done? Do you know that the money you've lost is ten times more than what you've earned?"

  Ouyang Mubobo sighed and said: "Will you believe me one last time?"

  Feng Hongyan didn't respond. After a while, Ouyang Mubo walked out of the house, went into the kitchen and onto the balcony, then lit a cigarette and started smoking.

  At dinner, Feng Hongyan told Chen Xiu that she would be going to the Happiness Community tomorrow, but unexpectedly Ma Si seemed even happier and said: "I'm also going." Feng Qinglian put a piece of meat in Ma Si's bowl and said: "Chen Xiu only goes back when there are things to do. Haven't you heard people say that new houses aren't good for living, the air isn't good?" Ma Si nodded.

  That night, because Ouyang Mubo was back, Feng Qinglian moved to the small house to sleep with Ouyang and Maisie on one bed. Feng Qinglian lay between the two children, looked left and right, and said: "Do you still remember when we were young? It was like this too, one on each side, in the old house. You guys always asked me to tell stories every day." Chen Xi and Maisie had already fallen asleep. Feng Qinglian continued to mutter to herself: "If only you would never grow up, how great that would be! No growth, no decay, no leaving."

  "Alright, this is the last of our family's savings. I only have some loose change left. I hope you're making the right decision this time." The lights in the big house were still on, and Feng Hongyan reached into the mattress and pulled out a paper bag full of money.

  Ouyang Mubo took the money and said, "Don't worry, let's wait until the morning exercise is over before we leave. I originally said I'd stay with him for a while longer, but now he wants to leave again. Will this little guy be angry with me?"

  Feng Hongyan sighed and said, "This child Chen Xiu, I'm afraid his personality will put him at a disadvantage in school later on. City kids are cunning, we all know that. He wears his heart on his sleeve, who knows when someone will take advantage of him."

  "So, it's better to move over there as soon as possible. My courses here will probably take about two or three years, and after I graduate, I'll find a stable job here. By then, he'll be in high school too, so you should worry more." Ouyang Mubo patted Feng Hongyan on the shoulder.

  Feng Hongyan said expressionlessly: "You've already said this many times, haven't I always been doing it like this?"

  One night passed.

  "What? You've booked a ticket for the 10th and you're leaving again?" On the bus, Chen Xi was clearly very angry with her father's actions. "You said this time you'd come back and stay for a while."

  Ouyang Mubobo smiled and looked at Chenxi, then turned his head to look out the window and said: "Then Chenxi, Dad asks you, do you want me to stay home with you every day or go out and earn money to buy you fun things?"

  "Let me think about it," said Chen Xi. "It depends on whether the money is enough to spend. If it's enough, of course I hope you're at home and can accompany Mom and me more."

  "So, I'm going to make money until I can afford it, don't worry, I won't be gone for a year or two without coming back." Ouyang Mubo continued to comfort Chenxi.

  "Then promise me, you'll come back every year to see Mom and me." Chen Xi still wouldn't let up.

  "Alright, alright, I'll definitely get it done," said Ouyang Mubo.

  "This time we're making a deal," Ouyang said, sticking out his left thumb. Ouyang Mobo smiled and also stuck out his thumb.

  "Hang on the hook, don't change for a hundred years."

  After getting off the bus, Chen Xi took his father for a walk around Yuefang Community where the school is located.

  "It doesn't show, your school's teaching building looks quite new, it's just that the houses in this neighborhood are a bit too old." Ouyang Mubo said, looking around at the buildings.

  "Our school isn't bad, right?" Ouyang Mobo nodded after listening to Chenxi's introduction.

  "Come on, let's go to the supermarket downstairs in the business district to buy some things." Chen Xi heard his father say they were going to buy things and happily quickened his pace.

  Unlike his father, Feng Hongyan always restrained Ouyang's diet and daily life. For example, he could only eat three pieces of sugar a day and drink two cups of drinks. However, Ouyang Mobo was different. When they went to the supermarket, Chen Xi directly picked up two packs of Ohoh candies, then bought three cans of Coke, and a bunch of snacks.

  Ouyang Mubo watched as the child wandered around the supermarket, selecting things with a happy expression on his face. He smiled comfortingly, thinking that children were like this - their hearts were pure and uncomplicated. If you treated them well, they would naturally feel it too. Sometimes even small kindnesses could leave a lasting impression on them.

  After leaving the supermarket, Ouyang Mubo took Chen Xiu to Pizza Hut for pizza. Then, the father and son went to the square between the two commercial buildings and sat for a while. Although the weather was slightly cool, there were still middle-aged women dancing in the square. Ouyang Mubo lit a cigarette and started smoking.

  "Dad, our class has changed teachers again, and with the current situation, do you think I should transfer schools?" Ouyang Mubo didn't look at Chenxiao and said: "This house has already been bought, how can we transfer schools? The things that happen in your class, I've also heard from your mom, I feel like since it's a private school, they definitely won't let this situation go unmanaged."

  I feel like I've heard this before, but I just can't remember who said it.

  The sky gradually darkened, and Ouyang Mubao finished his cigarette before heading to his new home with Chen Xi. Since it wasn't a high-rise building, they still had to climb the stairs. When they reached the landing, Chen Xi looked around and saw that most households didn't have their lights on, but there were some families like theirs who had moved in early and had their lights on. Upon entering his home, Ouyang saw the piano that had been moved from District D's house in the living room. Every time he saw this piano, he would think of his late grandfather. To the left of the entrance was the kitchen. The balcony wasn't particularly large, with a window overlooking the landing below and the high-rise building across the way. The kitchen wasn't big either, making the living room seem not very spacious. He remembered his mother saying that they had sacrificed the living room because the two bedrooms were larger in area. Chen Xi wasn't surprised to see no TV in the living room; most households would have a large projection screen in the living room. However, Ouyang's family had never put a TV in the living room, probably because they had never had a large enough space for one before, and now the only spot where a TV could be placed was occupied by the piano.

  The living room is next to the bathroom, which is a single unit unlike the separate toilet and bathroom in District D. The area is roughly the same as that of homes in District D. The house faces east-west, with the larger rooms on the eastern side. Even though the room is filled with furniture, TV, and other items, it still feels spacious. Ou Yang's own room is on the western side, where his mother recently bought him a new bookcase. Ou Yang thought the bookcase was too big at first, but later found out that his father also planned to store some of his books there. In addition to the necessary computer desk, there is also a low cabinet that was moved from District D, which Ou Yang had requested to bring over. The cabinet contains Ou Yang's favorite CDs and some small items, as well as a pair of crystal bottles that he recently put away.

  "Have something to eat, son. I've already packed the necessary things in your backpack." Chen Xi had just been to the supermarket and also picked out many things for tomorrow's school day.

  "Dad, why didn't I smell anything strange?" Ouyang said after sniffing hard with his nose.

  "Of course, you might smell it when you first come in, but after staying in the house for a while, you get used to it and can't smell it anymore." Ouyang Mubo walked into the kitchen, picked up a knife, peeled an apple and handed it to Ouyang.

  Morning light took two bites and said: "Then I may live here in the future? It feels better than the house in District D."

  "Of course, new things are always good," said Ouyang Mubo. "After eating, just wash your face and go to sleep. Set an alarm for tomorrow, you'll have to get up at 5 o'clock, isn't the school rule to arrive by 6?"

  Chen Xi listened to her father finish speaking, then ate something and went to wash up. She lay down on the new bed in her own room, which felt very soft. Mainly because she was used to sleeping with Maisie on one bed before, now being able to turn over freely felt really good.

  However, when he arrived at an unfamiliar place, Ouyang always couldn't sleep, so he picked up his mobile phone and wanted to find someone to chat with.

  "Have you slept? I moved into the new house today, it doesn't smell too bad, just can't sleep well." Ouyang edited like this, but the recipient's end was always blank.

  "Who should I give it to?" Ouyang thought to himself, unable to make a decision...