The difference between cloud and mud

Mrs. Xiao asked Jiang Tong to meet at Mandarin Oriental.Although Singapore is full of high-end hotels, Jiang Tong, a poor student, has never had the opportunity to set foot in such places except for participating in academic conferences in his four years of university.Although he has worked hard to dress up for this meeting, he saw himself on the mirror in the elevator - well-formed glasses, backpack, shirt and trousers without brand, it can only be called simple and generous .

In college, there is nothing wrong with such an attire.However, surrounded by hotel guests dressed in fancy clothes, decorated with famous watches and jewelry, Jiang Tong suddenly felt like there was a stone in his stomach, which was so heavy that it made people want to vomit.

He smiled wryly from the bottom of his heart, and the scene when he met Xiao Fengtai for the first time and made the other party easily embarrassed appeared in his mind.The more you live, the more you go back, Jiang Tong thought.

Jiang Tong has seen Mrs. Xiao many times in the photos sent by Xiao Fengtai, but the real person is far more temperamental than the photos.Mrs. Xiao is sitting by the window drinking tea. The waiter will attract Jiang Tong. She turns her head and smiles slightly: "Mr. Jiang is good."

"You're too polite." Although the old man looked very kind and kind, Jiang Tong felt thorns on his back under her gaze, and his voice was an octave lower: "Just call me Jiang Tong, I really don't dare to be a teacher."

Mrs. Xiao patted the sofa beside her: "Then I'll call you Xiao Tong, don't blame me for being blind. Xiao Tong, don't sit so far away, come, sit beside me, let me take a good look at you."

Jiang Tong felt strange, but he couldn't refuse Mrs. Xiao's warm invitation, so he sat down beside the old man.

Mrs. Xiao didn't move, she gave a signal with her eyes, and the waiter immediately stepped forward.

"What would Xiaotong want to drink?" Mrs. Xiao asked with a smile.

Jiang Tong didn't know the price, so he ordered a cup of chamomile tea cautiously.Even the tea bags in high-end hotels should not be so expensive that they cannot afford it.

"Add two pieces of muffin, with rose jam." Mrs. Xiao added with a smile: "Kenneth liked the rose jam from this family the most when he was a child, and his mother would bring him to eat it every now and then, and every time he would buy a basket of jam to take home. "

She compared her height: "He was so short at that time, and he was wearing small overalls, so he had to wear a big wicker blue. After walking two steps, he was so tired that he was sweating profusely, like a villain in a pictorial."

Jiang Tong's heart skipped a beat, not sure what Mrs. Xiao meant, so she just smiled along.

"Actually, I know very well that he doesn't want to eat it himself." Mrs. Xiao sighed: "Obviously his mother wants to eat it, but she's too old to say so, so she quietly made an appointment with him and used her son as a shield."

"My daughter grew up holding her in the palm of her hand, and the family looked at her like a puppet. Even if she is a mother, she is still childish, and even her son has to coax her."

Mrs. Xiao's eyes gradually became moist: "In the past ten years, I have often regretted it. If only I had brought her to see the world more. Even if something is wrong, it would be fine to lock her up at home for a year or so. .”

"Even if she hated and resented me for a while, she wouldn't be tricked into leaving me early in school as she was later."

She got it.

Jiang Tong sat motionless on the sofa, his shirt drenched in cold sweat, and the coolness spread from his back to his heart.The world seemed to be muted in an instant.Only these few words echoed in his mind like a thunderbolt.

Mrs. Xiao's mouth was still opening and closing, but he could no longer make out what she was saying.Not only Mrs. Shaw's mouth shape, the luxurious hotel, exquisite refreshments, waiters coming and going, guests, the bird's-eye view of the city outside the window... everything is distorted, shaken, and confused into colorful spots Lan's vortex.He is in the middle of the vortex, overwhelmed and suffocated by countless complicated information and ideas.

Mrs. Xiao knew about him and Xiao Fengtai.No wonder she had to see him.She wanted to see with her own eyes what kind of person the liar who led her grandson to the wrong path was.

"...Xiao Tong, why does your face look so bad all of a sudden." Mrs. Xiao reached out to caress the back of his hand while she was talking. She frowned: "Good young man, why are your hands so cold. I usually don't know why my hands are so cold. Even if you are nervous, you should pay more attention to rest. Otherwise, you will regret it when you reach my age."

The old man's hands were warm and dry, but Jiang Tong felt a terrifying tremor where the skin touched, as if there were colorful big flower spiders crawling on the back of his hands.

"I'm fine." He said dryly with a stiff face, "Thank you for your concern."

Mrs. Xiao didn't care about his almost impolite indifference: "Where did I just say, by the way, talking about Kenneth's mother."

"It is said that a son follows his mother, and Kenneth is like Iris carved out of the same mold—the eyes are the same, the nose is the same, and even the swirls on the hair are the same."

"Although the mother and son look alike, Iris' personality is much different from Kenneth's. She loves to be lively, has a good voice, and always sings and dances tirelessly. As long as she is at home, her singing can be heard everywhere laughter."

"I'm just such a daughter. I don't ask her to make money to support the family in the future, and I don't need her to climb high branches and seek wealth. We let her learn what she wants to do and what she wants to do in the future. We just have one thing to talk to her about. My daughter's family, especially For people like us, we must respect ourselves and love ourselves, and we can’t play around casually.”

"She is very obedient and listens to us very well. At that time, she was studying in a girls' school in Singapore, and the students of the boys' school crowded around the school gate as soon as school was over. The love letters filled the shoe cabinet. She typed the love letters one by one. Fork back, "

As she spoke, a sentimental smile mixed with nostalgia could not help appearing on her face.

"She went to Oxford to study. At first, she was not used to it. She called me every day. After I told her twice, she called me less. Later, just like the little bird released from the cage, there was no news for ten and a half months. return."

"Although I miss her, I'm not very worried. Her two cousins ​​are studying for a PhD in Oxford, and there are elders in the family who teach in the school. They can take care of her more or less, and there will be no big troubles."

"Until suddenly one day, Iris called me crying and said she was pregnant."

Mrs. Xiao lowered her head and stirred the black tea with a calm expression and a calm tone, as if she was stating that one plus one equals two.

"I was so angry that I flew to England that day. In fact, with our wealth, as long as Iris removes the child and goes to school in another place, it is not difficult to start over."

"But my baby, the little princess I raised in my arms, knelt on the ground in the English December weather and begged me to let them go. Said she wanted to have this baby."

She said to herself, Jiang Tong sat silently aside, had no chance to interject and had no urge to respond.Previously, the enemy was in the dark and we were clear, but now that both sides are exposed to the sun, he has no way out, so he might as well wait patiently to see what cards Mrs. Xiao plays.

What's more...Deep in his heart, he really wanted to hear Mrs. Xiao continue.Xiao Fengtai only vaguely revealed a few words about his life experience, and Jiang Tong judged from the only clues that the Xiao family was probably not a model family model on TV.He never took the initiative to search for these old gossips, just because if he moved to another place, he would not want Xiao Fengtai to know about those embarrassing and bitter pasts.

But not pursuing it does not mean not being curious.Curiosity is an instinct.Who wouldn't want to know what their lover's life was like before they met them?