I fell through the tunnel and brought my family to live a good life

It was already dark, and the dim oil lamp illuminated the four dishes in front of them. Mother Sun picked up some dishes for Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao, and said, "Eat quickly, kids. I'm sorry to embarrass you because our family is not well off, but my cooking skills are pretty good. You can try them."

After tasting the food, Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao were full of praise. This simple ingredient was cooked by Sun's mother to make it look good, smell good and delicious. "Delicious! Delicious!" Tang Wenhao ate the food with big mouthfuls.

Before dinner, Sun's father bought some white wine. Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao waved their hands and said they didn't want to drink anymore. This time, Sun's father didn't force them and poured himself a full glass.

Halfway through the meal, Sun's father insisted on toasting the two of them, and the two of them had no choice but to accept. Sun's father drank one cup after another, and when the meal was finished, he was also drunk.

"Yingying, my daughter..." He murmured to himself, his tone full of tenderness and helplessness, "Blame Daddy for being incompetent, Daddy is sorry for you, sorry for you..." This sentence seemed to be the monologue in his deepest heart, echoing countless times in the dead of night, but he never had the chance to say it to his daughter in person. At this moment, alcohol became the catalyst for his courage, allowing him to finally face his powerlessness and regrets.

Gradually, Sun's father's body could no longer support him, and he fell heavily on the table, his breathing becoming heavy and even. But even so, he still murmured indistinctly: "Yingying... don't cry..." In that voice, there was love, guilt, and deep self-blame and powerlessness. He seemed to really see the young Yingying, crying in his arms because she wanted to eat the fruit but couldn't. His heart was deeply hurt, and regret surged like a tide, but he found that he could not do anything for his daughter. He could only repeat the words of comfort over and over again, hoping to wipe away her tears and heal her wounds in her dreams.

Mother Sun looked at her husband quietly, with both heartache and understanding in her eyes. She gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned to Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. Ever since he found out about Yingying... that incident, her father said that he would pretend that he didn't have that daughter, but how could he really let it go? Although my husband and I don't have any great abilities, we have been trying to make our lives a little more comfortable. Unfortunately, my health is not good enough, and I spent a lot of money on my illness, so my family went into debt. Her father took on everything by himself, and he had to pay off the debt and buy medicine for me, so he lived a tight life. When the child wanted to eat fruit when she was young, we had to save money to satisfy her once..." At this point, Mother Sun's voice choked up.

......

Tang Wenhao remembered that Chen Yuanyuan had also said that her mother was ill, so it seemed that this was indeed true. Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao listened quietly. They knew that these words had been accumulated in the hearts of Sun's parents for a long time, and today they finally had the opportunity to speak out. They did not interrupt Sun's mother, nor did they rush to comfort her, but just accompanied her silently.

After dinner, Shen Xiao and Tang Wenhao said goodbye to Sun's mother, and walked out of the alley on bricks. It was not too late, so Tang Wenhao suggested that they walk back to the inn. Shen Xiao naturally agreed. He knew that after this, Tang Wenhao must have something to say to him. On the street, the lights were dim, and occasionally the laughter of children in the distance added a bit of warmth to this quiet night.

"Thank you, Shen Xiao." Tang Wenhao suddenly stopped, turned and looked at Shen Xiao, his eyes full of sincerity and gratitude.

Shen Xiao smiled when he heard that. His smile was warm and open-minded. "What are you thanking me for? You found the clue yourself." He patted Tang Wenhao's shoulder gently, his tone full of encouragement and recognition.

But Tang Wenhao shook his head and looked more serious. "I'm not talking about today, but everything before. Thank you for being my friend and for accompanying and supporting me when I was the most lonely and helpless. No matter what difficulties I encountered, you were always the first to stand up, listen to me and give me advice. More importantly, when you found something suspicious about Yuanyuan, you told me without hesitation. This trust and honesty is priceless to me."

"Wenhao, I feel ashamed when you say that." Shen Xiao put away his smile and looked at Tang Wenhao seriously. "We are good friends. Facing difficulties and challenges, it is natural for us to support each other. And have you forgotten that you worked so hard for my father before? Your persistence and courage also touched me. As for Yuanyuan's matter, you have been sad for her for so long and even broke up with your family. Naturally, I will not hold back when I find any doubts."

The two continued to walk side by side in the night, the lights on both sides of the street stretching their shadows long. "Shen Xiao, why do you think Yuanyuan became like this?" Tang Wenhao asked, with a hint of puzzlement and confusion in his tone.

Shen Xiao pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Human nature is complex and changeable. Sometimes a single thought can lead people to completely different paths. My aunt just said that Yuanyuan was smart and sensible when she was young, so she might have been a kind girl. But perhaps she was stimulated or tempted by something, which led her to this path of no return. Of course, this is just my guess, and we need to investigate the truth further."

Tang Wenhao nodded and secretly made up his mind to find Yuanyuan and get to the bottom of it.