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

Song Ying looked at the three children in the room with tender eyes.

The three children were sitting together, their little heads huddled together, their eyes glued to the same picture book, occasionally letting out a few clear laughs.

Tu Nan stood in the middle, holding a picture book, and vividly told a story. "Once upon a time, there were three monks. One monk carried water to drink, two monks carried water together, but the three monks had no water to drink..."

Lin Dongzhe's child blinked his big eyes, looking curious. "Brother Tu Nan, why are there no water for the three monks?"

"They don't want to fetch water, so they have no water to drink."

Tu Nan patiently explained, even imitating the monks' lazy manner, which made the other two children laugh out loud.

Dongzhe rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at Tunan. "Brother Tunan, tell me another story."

"Okay! How about I tell you a story about Afanti?"

Song Ying sat up straight, craning her neck to look into the small house, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sister Ling, it's so nice. Dongzhe used to play alone all the time. I work the night shift, and Wu Feng is away on a business trip, leaving my son alone at home. He's so good at having fun, and it breaks my heart as his mother." After saying that, she wiped her eyes with her hand, but tears still flowed uncontrollably, swirling in her eyes.

Huang Ling held a glass of water, looked at Song Ying, and asked with concern, "Song Ying, what's wrong?"

Song Ying turned around, her back to the room, and quickly wiped away her tears. "It's nothing! I'm just happy to see that Dongzhe is finally not alone anymore and has a friend."

She forced a smile, but a hint of bitterness lingered in it.

Huang Ling placed the water on the table and gently patted Song Ying's shoulder. "So, when you left your son at the Party Secretary's house, did you secretly cry too?"

Song Ying was a little embarrassed. "Sister Ling, you~~~"

Huang Ling laughed. "Alright, let's turn the page. From now on, we'll all live in the same courtyard and help each other out."

Song Ying burst into laughter through her tears. "Then I won't be polite!"

Huang Ling responded, "I won't be polite either!"

At this moment, Zhuang Chaoying pushed open the door and saw that the two of them were chatting happily, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Teacher Zhuang is back! Then I'll take Dongzhe back!"

"Yes, I came back after talking with Engineer Lin."

Dongzhe poked his head out, his face full of reluctance. "Mom, you go back first, I want to play here a little longer!"

Zhuang Chaoying took off her coat and hung it on the hanger. "Let him play here."

Song Ying turned back every few steps, each glance filled with reluctance, looking again and again before finally leaving.

"Chaoying, what did you say to Engineer Lin?"

Zhuang Chaoying pulled down her pants and sat on the bed. "Ah Ling, come here, I'm going to tell you!"

Huang Ling walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, while Zhuang Chaoying whispered something in Huang Ling's ear.

They got more and more excited as they talked, and they started laughing.

"Chao Ying, I never realized you were such a sly devil!"

Zhuang Chaoying looked at Huang Ling, her eyes becoming serious. "There's no way around it, kindness is easily taken advantage of, and people will take advantage of you right away. Just like I told the kids this afternoon, Ling, if anything happens, you must speak up right away."

Don't keep it bottled up inside. You have to fight for your own interests. Before, I always thought that as the eldest son of the family, I should contribute to the family, but in the end, my wife and children can't even sit at the table to eat. I've finally understood and woken up.

"Also, Ah Ling, I hope that in the future you can think of yourself first, and then think of the children, and not be too hard on yourself..."

Before Zhuang Chaoying could finish speaking...

Huang Ling reached out and grasped Chao Ying's hand, squeezing it firmly in return. "Yes, I know, don't worry."

The two looked at each other, and Zhuang Chaoying felt her heart pounding.

She turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, but didn't pull her hand away; the two of them just sat there quietly.

,,,,

Song Ying's voice rang out from outside the courtyard. "Lin Dongzhe, come home quickly! Lin Dongzhe."

Lin Dongzhe pouted. "Uncle Zhuang, Auntie, Brother Tu Nan, Xiao Ting, I'm going back." He looked back every few steps.

Huang Ling smiled and patted Dongzhe's head. "Alright, we'll stay here as long as we want, we won't get lost. Come back to play tomorrow."

Dongzhe's eyes lit up immediately, and he grinned.

"Okay, okay, Auntie said it's settled, I'll come to play with Brother Tunan again tomorrow!"

Huang Ling nodded.

Zhuang Chaoying put on her coat and walked quickly to the entrance of the alley, where a bucket of water was placed.

He bent down slightly, grasped the handle of the bucket, and lifted it up steadily. As he walked, the water swayed slightly inside the bucket, spilling some small water droplets onto the ground.

Back home, the family began to wash up.

Under the dim light, the sounds of brushing teeth, washing faces, and washing feet mingled together.

Tu Nan slept in the attic, which Huang Ling had decorated very comfortably. He lay on the small bed and quickly fell asleep.

Xiaoting slept in the small room. Today was the first time she had slept alone, and surprisingly, she slept quite well.

Once the children were all fast asleep, Zhuang Chaoying quietly took off her clothes, preparing to wipe herself down.

Suddenly, Huang Ling sat up. "Chao Ying, do you need me to wipe your back?"

Zhuang Chaoying, who was only wearing underwear, trembled and her face instantly turned red. "No need, no need, I can manage on my own."

Huang Ling watched Zhuang Chaoying's retreating figure. She wondered what was wrong with Chaoying; she was changing her underwear every day, something she had never done before. She used to refuse to change them every two days.

She got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked behind Chaoying. "Chaoying, let me help you dry off! Give me a towel!"

The sudden sound startled Zhuang Chaoying, causing her hand to tremble and the towel to fall into the basin of water.

Huang Ling didn't say anything, bent down to wash the towel, and then gently wiped Zhuang Chaoying's back. "Chaoying, why are you dodging?"

Zhuang Chaoying's voice sounded somewhat unnatural, and her body was slightly tense. "It's a little itchy!"

After washing up, the two lay down on the bed.

It's finally not so crowded anymore.

The bed is just a bit small; a 1.5-meter-wide bed is a little small for two adults.

Everyone was exhausted after a long day, and Zhuang Chaoying fell asleep quickly. Little did he know that after he fell asleep, Huang Ling quietly watched his face for a long time before she also fell asleep.

That night, Zhuang Chaoying had a jumble of dreams.

Several dreams flashed through his mind like a movie.

In particular, he dreamed about Huang Ling.

In the dream, Huang Ling pointed at his nose: "You're not Chao Ying. Where did you hide Chao Ying?"

Zhuang Chaoying waved her hands frantically. "No, I didn't, I didn't!"

He snapped back to reality, his heart pounding. He squinted at the clock on the table; it was only a little past two.

He then realized that he had used Huang Ling as a pillow again, with his hand still resting on her. He quickly and gently removed it, barely daring to breathe, and then lay down properly on the bed, but at this moment he was wide awake.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he drifted off to sleep again and then felt some movement inside the bed.

Huang Ling stepped over Zhuang Chaoying, trying not to wake him, and said softly, "Sleep a little longer, I'll go make dinner!"

"Hmm!" Zhuang Chaoying responded vaguely and turned over.

After sleeping for a while, Zhuang Chaoying felt as if a large stone was pressing down on her body, and she couldn't move it no matter what she did.

He struggled incessantly in his sleep.

"Dad, Daddy!"

He opened his eyes and saw Xiaoting sitting on his lap, looking at him with a grin.

"So it was you, you little rascal! Dad thought you were carrying a big rock."

Zhuang Chaoying smiled and hugged Xiaoting, giving her a big kiss on her rosy cheeks, which made Xiaoting giggle.

"Dad, why aren't you shaving yet?"

Xiaoting touched the slightly prickly stubble on Zhuang Chaoying's chin with her soft little hands, her brows furrowing slightly.

Zhuang Chaoying smiled helplessly and touched her chin.

It's not that he doesn't want to shave, it's that he really doesn't know how, the last few times.

Every time I picked up a razor blade to shave my face, it left several cuts.

However, he thought to himself that being a man also had its advantages; he didn't have to go through menstruation every month like women, and he was also stronger.

He stood up abruptly, hoisted Xiaoting onto his shoulder, and Xiaoting giggled excitedly, her little legs swinging merrily in the air.

Tu Nan watched from the side, and Zhuang Chaoying couldn't show favoritism, so she easily lifted Tu Nan up with her other hand, just like a majestic strongman.

He strode over to the basin and put the child down: "Wash your face!"

After the two children finished washing, he used the water they had used to wash his face as well.

He has been here for two months and has inherited Zhuang Chaoying's feelings, which has allowed him to naturally accept the two children.

In his eyes, they were his own children.

How could I possibly dislike my own child?

He picked up the soap, rubbed it on his beard, then picked up the razor blade, took a deep breath, and carefully swung it at his face.

Just then, Huang Ling came in with breakfast, placed it on the table, and looked at Zhuang Chaoying. "Chaoying, do you need any help?"

"No need. If you rely on Ah Ling for everything, you'll spoil me rotten."

Zhuang Chaoying verbally refused, but her hands became stiff with nervousness.

The razor sliced ​​across his face. "Tear!" He couldn't help but gasp, a sharp pain shooting through his skin.

"Is it broken? Let me see!"

Huang Ling hurriedly put down what she was holding and walked over quickly. She held Zhuang Chaoying's head and gently turned his face to look at him carefully.

Then, she took the razor from his hand and carefully shaved his beard.

Zhuang Chaoying swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Huang Ling, a fragrance that made him feel uneasy and his heart beat faster involuntarily.

Huang Ling stared at Zhuang Chaoying's face. "Don't move, or you'll break it again!"

,,,,,,,,,