People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

Zhuang Chaoying has now completely integrated all of the original owner's memories, as well as those complex personal emotions.

I followed the route I remembered to walk towards the old, cramped apartment building where my workplace used to be.

The family of four finally returned to their small but cozy room.

Zhuang Chaoying gently opened the door. Xiaoting in her arms was already asleep, with a sweet smile still on her lips.

Zhuang Chaoying gently placed her on the bed in the room, and then tenderly took off the child's shoes.

Before coming here, I had never experienced what it was like to be a parent, nor did I have any experience in taking care of children. But now I take care of Xiaoting so skillfully. I suppose this is the original owner's muscle memory.

Tu Nan sat on her small bed, struggling to take off her clothes, her little face flushed red from the effort.

"Chaoying, I'll boil some water so you can wash up."

Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Zhuang Chaoying turned around and saw Huang Ling carrying a basin of water. Under the dim light, her figure looked so gentle.

He hurried over and took the basin from him, saying, "I'll go, I'll go fetch water."

The water room was at the end of the corridor, and Zhuang Chaoying filled a basin with water.

Back in the room, Huang Ling took the basin and slowly poured the hot water from the thermos into it.

There are only two basins in the house, one for washing the face and one for washing the feet.

Huang Ling carefully washed the towel in warm water, then gently took off Xiao Ting's clothes and carefully wiped the child's body, muttering, "Xiao Ting, wipe yourself, it will make you sleep more comfortably."

Huang Ling washed the towel. "Tu Nan, come and wash your face and feet."

"Coming!" Tu Nan brought over a small stool, blinking his big eyes. "Mom and Dad, let's take a shower together!"

Zhuang Chaoying was still a little unaccustomed to it. Hearing someone call her "Dad" out of the blue made her heart pound, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He quickly waved his hand: "No need, Tu Nan, you go ahead and wash, don't worry about me."

Tu Nan first washed her face, then picked up the soap and rubbed it into a lot of bubbles. After washing her face, she started washing her feet, her little feet splashing around in the water.

After that, Huang Ling washed up.

After Huang Ling finished washing, it was Zhuang Chaoying's turn.

Zhuang Chaoying saw that they had all gone to bed.

Huang Ling lay down. "Chao Ying, why aren't you washing?"

Their eyes met, and Zhuang Chaoying trembled, feeling a little embarrassed by her sister's gaze. A blush crept onto her face, and she lowered her head. "I'll wash, I'll wash right away!" (Huang Ling, aged thirty-five, is based on her appearance in the TV series "My Own Swordsman").

He took off his socks, revealing a pair of large male feet, and gave them a quick wash.

Then he took the basin to the washroom to empty the water, and washed his face with cold water. The icy water instantly made him feel much more awake. After that, he brushed his teeth and then returned to his room.

Their house only has one room, and the space is limited. A double bed takes up most of the space, and there is a small bed next to it, which Tu Nan sleeps in by himself.

Xiaoting is still young and sleeps with the two of them.

After returning from the water room, Zhuang Chaoying sat in a chair, gazing at this familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar home.

"Chaoying, what are you doing instead of sleeping?" Huang Ling's voice came from behind.

"Go to sleep, I'm going to sleep right now!"

Zhuang Chaoying then came to his senses, tiptoed to the bedside, saw that the pillow was placed next to Huang Ling, hesitated for a moment, and then lay down directly, trying to lean his body as close to the edge of the bed as possible, only taking up the edge.

"Chaoying, today the female workers in our factory's second workshop are causing trouble, demanding to change rooms, and they even left their sons at the leader's house."

With her eyes closed, Zhuang Chaoying imagined the scene of the disturbance. The female worker causing the disturbance must be Song Ying, and the son who was thrown away must be Xiao Dongzhe.

He replied casually, "Well, how did your factory handle it?"

Huang Ling. "I don't know how it was handled. Do you think we should go and give Secretary Zhang some gifts?"

Zhuang Chaoying frowned, thinking that whether she gave gifts or not, she would still get a house. But what if she gave gifts and they got a house in front of her? Then she wouldn't be in the same courtyard as Song Ying!

"No need to give gifts. You are a model female worker in your factory, with long service and a hard-working attitude. We will definitely be able to allocate you a house. Don't worry."

Huang Ling hummed in agreement, but was still somewhat worried: "It's Grandma's birthday today, and we're making such a ruckus..."

Zhuang Chaoying sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. He had to clean up the messes of the original owner's foolish actions, making him a complete scapegoat.

"I was wrong before. You've suffered so much these past ten years with me. I'm sorry I wasn't there to support you, and I watched them bully you and Xiaoting..."

Huang Ling turned over without saying a word, but gently patted the sleeping Xiao Ting. Tears streamed down her face like broken beads, slowly soaking the pillowcase.

Seeing that Huang Ling stopped talking, Zhuang Chaoying also fell silent. He was really tired. The day's experiences seemed to have exhausted all his energy. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

,,,,,,,,,

The next day, as soon as the sky began to lighten, the body's biological clock started to kick in.

Zhuang Chaoying opened her eyes groggily and suddenly realized that she had actually used Huang Ling as her human body pillow, with her thighs still pressed against Huang Ling's body.

He felt a little embarrassed. Huang Ling was still asleep. He carefully moved his hands and legs off Huang Ling, put on his slippers, fumbled for his glasses by the pillow and put them on, and looked at the clock on the table. It was only 5:30.

He thought of his secret stash of 1,200 yuan, which the original owner had painstakingly saved up over many years of work. Apart from giving 25 yuan to Mrs. Zhuang, the original owner saved on all other non-essential expenses. He didn't smoke, drink, or gamble, so he could be considered a person of integrity.

Over the years, Huang Ling has been the one paying for household expenses and raising children. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to save so much money.

Zhuang Chaoying quietly got dressed and went to the restroom.

He found the extra thing on his body quite novel.

Although he had never eaten pork before, he had seen pigs run before. But suddenly finding himself like this left him feeling quite lost, like having a new toy but not knowing how to play with it.

After relieving himself in the toilet and washing up, he put the basin back in his home and then went out to buy breakfast.

Each fried dough stick cost three cents. He bought six, paid for them, and gave them his food coupons.

When he returned with six fried dough sticks, the neighbors gradually got up. "Teacher Zhuang, going out to buy fried dough sticks!"

The neighbors greeted me warmly.

Zhuang Chaoying responded to them with a smile.

After Zhuang Chaoying left, the neighbors began to whisper among themselves. "That's really rare; it's the first time we've ever seen Teacher Zhuang go out to buy breakfast!"

"Yes, Huang Ling used to take care of this family."

Zhuang Chaoying pushed open the door and saw Huang Ling combing Xiao Ting's hair, while Tu Nan was getting dressed.

When Tu Nan saw the fried dough sticks in his father's hand, his eyes lit up immediately, and he excitedly shouted, "Dad, you bought fried dough sticks!"

Xiaoting ran over too, tugging at Zhuang Chaoying's clothes: "Youtiao! Youtiao! Mom and Dad bought youtiao!"

Zhuang Chaoying smiled and said, "Alright, come inside. Dad will go cook some porridge."

Huang Ling looked at the fried dough sticks on the table, then at Zhuang Chaoying's back, and paused for a moment before realizing what she was doing: "Chaoying, I'll go!" She then walked towards the communal kitchen. The kitchen wasn't big, and Zhuang Chaoying thought that she wouldn't be able to help much there, and might even be in the way.

Zhuang Chaoying returned to the room, helped Xiaoting get dressed, and then began searching through the metal box where the original owner had hidden her secret stash of money.

After searching for a while, I finally found it. When I opened it, there was indeed 1,200 yuan inside.

He thought for a moment, then took out two hundred yuan and kept it for himself. "Dad, what are you doing?"

Tu Nan's voice suddenly rang out behind her. Zhuang Chaoying was startled and quickly turned her back to Tu Nan and Xiao Ting, hurriedly putting the money into her pocket.

He thought to himself that now that he was a part of the family, he couldn't let Huang Ling bear the family's financial burden alone anymore.

He could no longer stand idly by like the original owner, neglecting his wife.

A moment later, Huang Ling brought in a steaming pot. She immediately spotted the familiar metal box on the table—it was the box where Chao Ying hid his money.

She was a little surprised, but since Chaoying didn't say anything, she decided not to ask and quietly served everyone some porridge.

Tu Nan and Xiao Ting each ate a fried dough stick, their mouths covered in oil, while the two adults each ate two.

After the family finished eating, Tu Nan took his younger sister to school.

It was still early, and the room quieted down, with only Zhuang Chaoying and Huang Ling inside.

Zhuang Chaoying gently pushed the box on the table, looking at Huang Ling with a firm gaze: "This is all the money I've saved over the years, it's all for you. You'll manage the money from now on! My salary will all be yours too!"

Huang Ling was stunned; she hadn't expected Zhuang Chaoying to do this.

Seeing that Huang Ling refused to accept it, Zhuang Chaoying directly stuffed the box into Huang Ling's arms.

Then, Zhuang Chaoying picked up her handbag and went out.

Huang Ling was left sitting alone on the bed, holding the box containing the money.

Did Chao Ying give her the money?

Will she be in charge of the money in our family from now on?

These words kept echoing in Huang Ling's mind.

She couldn't understand what was wrong with Chao Ying. How could a person change so much?

However, Huang Ling's lips unconsciously curled up slightly. Who cares? Anyway, she likes Chao Ying very much now and hopes he can keep it up. Just don't ask for the money back halfway. Once the money is in her hands, she can't give it back!

...