The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 301 Mother and Daughter

Just like every other Chinese New Year, Nan Xiang's mother was always extremely gentle to her daughter. In addition to preparing a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, she also used all her skills in the past two days.

Even if Nan Xiang wanted to help, she couldn't do anything, so she could only enjoy the tenderness given by her mother in guilt.

But she didn't just do it for nothing. Yesterday, when her mother was cooking, she hesitated for a moment and still gave the other party a big red envelope.

After all, I have graduated and have a job. Although I have kept it a secret from the other party and have not revealed my job, as a son I always have to show some appreciation.

It's still the same idea, my mother is still a good mother when she doesn't gamble.

However, the bad thing is the money in the red envelope.

Half an hour ago, at Nan Xiang’s home.

As we all know, during the Chinese New Year, people all over the country can't avoid playing poker.

It's okay in the north, but for the south, playing cards is much more attractive than the Spring Festival Gala. If you meet San Gong at 9 o'clock, you will go to eastern Guangdong overnight. It's not just talk.

Although Shanghai is not located very far south, playing cards is still one of the main pastimes during the Chinese New Year.

Nan's mother herself had not intended to start playing cards so soon, but this pastime had spread too widely during the New Year holidays.

When she went out to buy vegetables, she could see neighbors gathering in groups of three or four to play cards on the road. Especially when she subconsciously walked into the chess and card room, she could feel the lively scene.

What she couldn't stand the most was that her familiar card-playing friends would always enthusiastically invite her to come over and play a few rounds when they saw her.

In fact, these street-side chess and card rooms are usually visited by some familiar friends who come to play. The amount of money played is not large and everyone is a neighbor, so they will not play to the point of bankruptcy.

After all, in some places, there is a chess and card room or mahjong parlor every three steps, and it is very common.

Nan's mother has also been playing in places like this for some time, just to satisfy her own desire.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year, Nan's mother went in for a walk as usual. At first, she was just looking around and chatting with them.

When she first moved here, people around her didn’t know that she came here because of gambling debts. After getting to know her, they just thought she was an old lady who liked to play cards and was a bit good at it.

The card table! As we all know, entertainment venues are the easiest places to build relationships. Nanmu is a mahjong master in the alleys, so once she shows up, she will definitely be warmly invited to take a seat.

At first, Nan's mother refused, saying that she was just here to take a look and would go home to cook for her daughter later.

And when her daughter was mentioned, the neighbors became even more excited.

After all, the situation of her family over the years has been obvious to everyone. Not to mention being penniless, they are also extremely poor.

But in such a family, Nan Xiang not only got admitted to Shanghai University, but also often worked part-time and used scholarships to supplement the family income. He was definitely one of the other children.

What's more, Nan Xiang is very beautiful, which makes the neighbors look at her with awe.

Even if we put aside her identity as Nanmu's poker partner, the fact that she has a daughter alone is enough for these old men and women to get closer to her.

Although every family has its own problems, and Nanxiang's family's is even more difficult, but as long as they don't say them out loud, isn't it okay?
Nan's mother watched them play cards and chatted with them at the same time. No one knew that the relationship between her and her daughter was very delicate.

When faced with invitations from her poker friends, Nan's mother initially said that she would not go to the table, but her eyes were always on the table and never left.

In fact, in order to restrain the urge to play cards in front of Nan Xiang, she spent most of her money on buying New Year's goods before the New Year. The New Year's Eve dinner and the New Year's goods prepared for Nan Xiang were basically all the money she won from the card table.

Anyway, in this kind of small chess and card room, she wins more and loses less.

The reason why she was able to make such a decision this year was because she almost starved to death at home last time. It was Gu Li who gave her some money when he came to find Nan Xiang that made her reflect deeply.

My daughter has started working. When she comes back this year, I must restrain myself.

So after she had almost spent all the money, Nan's mother really restrained herself for a while.

But my daughter gave herself money!
Nan's mother didn't know how she went from watching others play cards to sitting at the card table. She only knew that the air conditioning and heating in the room were turned on high, everyone spoke nicely and were very enthusiastic towards her...it was really just the right atmosphere.

However, what she didn't know was that while she was killing everyone, her good daughter appeared behind her.

By the time she realized what was happening, Nan Xiang just said expressionlessly, "The meal is ready."

Then Nan Xiang left.

When Nan's mother came to her senses, she found her daughter had already walked far away, so she hurriedly chased after her without caring about the cards that were about to be lost, leaving her fellow card players behind in confusion.

"Nannan, I just played for a while."

"Nannan, don't be angry, I didn't lose money this time."

"They are all neighbors, playing small games, I just want to chat with them for a while."

"..."

Nan's mother followed her daughter and began to explain as soon as they entered the alley. She felt very regretful in her heart that she had not been able to hold back.

However, Nan Xiang didn't listen to her at all. She went home without saying a word and started packing her luggage. Nan's mother hurried in to stop her, explaining that she had just played a little.

It was like the pale explanation of a child who was caught by his parents for secretly going to the Internet cafe. The only difference was that when he was caught secretly surfing the Internet as a child, he might be punished with a beating of love, but now it was his mother who was caught playing cards. Nan Xiang couldn't and didn't want to make a hysterical noise. She could only pack up her things with extreme disappointment in her heart.

There was food covered with a net bag on the dining table at home. Nan Xiang had made it while her mother was out.

During the Chinese New Year, it was always her mother who was busy serving her. Now that she had this rare opportunity, she also wanted to cook a meal for her dear mother.

But the meal was ready early, and my dear mother hadn't come back yet, and she didn't even bring her cell phone, so Nan Xiang had to go out to look for her.

When she passed by the chess and card room, she just glanced at it casually. Her mother was not visible from behind the door. She thought that she would not come to play cards. After all, no matter what, she would always be considerate of her when she was at home.

And maybe my mother has changed. In the past few days since she came back, the other party has shown no intention of playing cards.

It seems like everything is getting better.

Nan Xiang went to the vegetable market again, but still couldn't find Nan's mother. At that time, she even began to worry whether something had happened to her mother, and did not think that she had gone to gamble.

When she passed by the chess and card room again on her way back, Nan Xiang stood outside for a few seconds and was about to leave immediately when a familiar-looking person came out of the room.

Nan Xiang only knew that she had seen the other person on the street in the alley before, but she didn't know his name.

The man was about to leave, but when he saw Nan Xiang, he was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember who she was, and greeted her with a smile, and then said: "Nan Xiang has grown up so much now, and has become more and more beautiful. I just heard your mother talking about you!"

Just this one sentence contained a message that broke Nan Xiang's heart.

She asked in disbelief: "My mother, is she in there?"

"Yes, your mother is killing people everywhere!"

Nan Xiang didn't know when the other party left, nor did she know what kind of mood she was in when she walked into the house.

Standing in the inner room that could not be seen from outside, my dear mother was indeed killing everyone there.

That expression was something she had never seen since she returned home, but it was something she had seen countless times when she was a child. It made her angry and disgusted.

It was even more disgusting than when I first saw Jian Xi smile.

Nan Xiang stood silently behind her dear mother, without calling her. She just looked at her with a dazed look in her eyes, as if she saw the past that made her hate, and the future that made her despair.

The immense sorrow was like drops of water, dripping down continuously and carving a hole in her heart.

The funny thing is that someone at the table recognized her but didn't tell Nan's mother. Instead, he smiled and made eyes at Nan Xiang, thinking that this was just a funny thing between mother and daughter.

When Nan's mother saw her, her emotions that had been boiling for a long time finally turned into just one sentence: "The meal is ready."

Silly me, why did I ever think she might have changed?

Nan Xiang was packing her luggage at this moment, thinking only of returning to Pudong and escaping from this place that made her feel warm but desperate.

But Nan's mother didn't want her to leave just like that. Basically, every time Nan Xiang stuffed a piece of clothing into the suitcase, she would take one out.

The mother and daughter had surprisingly good tacit understanding at this time. One put the water in and the other took it out. When will the pool be filled with water?

"Nan Xiang, it's only the second day of the Chinese New Year, why are you packing your luggage? Mom promises that she will never go there again. Can you forgive me this time?" Nan Xiang turned a deaf ear to her mother's words. She didn't want to say anything, but just kept stuffing her outer clothes into the suitcase.

After working hard for a long time, it’s still the same as before.

The mother and daughter were stuck in a stalemate.

Finally, Nan Xiang couldn't help it anymore. She threw the clothes in her hands to the ground, stood up, looked at her mother and shouted, "I won't take them, okay? I'll leave them all to you!"

After that she went straight to the door.

Upon seeing this, Nan's mother rushed to her, looked at her panting, but couldn't say anything for a while.

After another long stalemate, Nan's mother forced a smile and said, "Nannan, why are you leaving during the New Year? You..."

"Why am I staying here if I don't leave? Do you want me to continue gambling? Then I might as well go out and work for you to pay off your debts!"

"I said this is the last time, and I won't do it again..."

"You always say it's the last time, but what's the result? I was really fooled by the dinner the night before last. I actually thought you would really be different from before! From the past to now, when have you not said it? You..."

After the great sorrow, there was the grievance and anger that was difficult to suppress in her heart. Nan Xiang spoke to her mother very bluntly, and she was so angry that she didn't care about being tactful or saving face.

Nan's mother, who had been speaking in a low voice, could no longer hold back. The corners of her smiling mouth kept twitching, and she finally said loudly, "Nan Xiang, I'm your mother, how can you talk like that? What's wrong with me playing a few games during the New Year? Didn't I lose any money?"

"Then should I still support you in playing a few more games while you're lucky?"

"I did not mean that……"

"I don't want to care about it anymore. I just feel sick staying here!"

“Nan Xiang!!”

Nan's mother could no longer hold back. She shouted, "I'm your mother! This is your home. Why are you being so disgusting?"

"You also know that you are my mother? Why didn't you think of you as my mother when you took my tuition money to the gambling table and counted it all? Why didn't you think of you as my mother when you lost the house? Is this my home? My home was lost by you a long time ago!"

Nan Xiang's eyes widened and she shouted angrily. What she said was not only the source of her own pain, but also the sharpest knife that stabbed her mother.

Nan's mother's eyes bulged, and after hearing her daughter's words, she made two hoarse sounds in her throat, but couldn't utter anything else.

The air was stagnant, and the mother and daughter, who had depended on each other for many years, looked at each other in silence.

The warmth and tenderness during these three days of the New Year is like flowers in a mirror and the moon in water, beautiful but illusory.

After an unknown amount of time, Nan Xiang turned around and walked back into the house, squatting down to pack her luggage again. This time, her mother did not come over to stop her. Only after she saw that she had almost finished packing did Nan Xiang's mother say, "Go, go, don't come back after you leave. If you hate me and this family so much, just pretend that you don't have a mother like me!"

After the words fell, Nan Xiang's shoulders shook, and then she slowly stood up with her suitcase.

"Mom, do you know how I made money for you after I graduated? I made money by serving wine to people at KTV!"

Nan's mother was suddenly struck by lightning. Nan Xiang turned around and two lines of tears were already falling down uncontrollably.

"Your daughter just graduated from college and went to work as a hostess. The chips you have on the poker table are the tips given by the customers when your daughter was a hostess!"

"..."

Nan Xiang's tone was no longer as turbulent as before, but gentle, as if she was chatting casually with her dear mother while basking in the sun on a sunny afternoon.

The topics they should talk about are what they want to eat for dinner, going shopping together tomorrow, and then chatting about their daughter's lifelong event.

Instead of now, the closest people are saying the coldest and most biting words to each other, like swords pointing at each other.

Nan Xiang wiped away the tears that were sliding down from the corners of her eyes and gathering at her chin, then dragged her suitcase past her mother.

Even after she left the house, walked along the long path along the wall, and finally disappeared around the corner, her dear mother was still there.

The food on the table had already cooled down. The lard had condensed on the surface of the dishes to form a white translucent film, sealing in the color and aroma.

……

When Jian Xi drove over, he saw Nan Xiang sitting on the suitcase without caring about her goddess style. She deliberately lifted her long legs a little so that they could swing.

From this perspective, he doesn't look like he's in a bad mood at all.

"Drip!"

The horn sounded, and Nan Xiang, who was playing with her phone with her head down, was startled and almost dropped her phone to the ground.

When she was about to curse subconsciously, she turned around and saw Jian Xi, the person she had just called, in the rolled down car window.

"Boss, are you really here?"

Nan Xiang's sad face suddenly turned into a wry smile, and her tone became a little unnatural.

She regretted it right after she finished talking to Jian Xi on the phone. If she wanted to go to the company, she could just go directly there. Even if she couldn't go, she could just go back to the rented house in Pudong. Why did she tell Jian Xi that she had had a fight with her mother?
This makes it seem like you are pretending to be pitiful and begging for shelter from the other person. It is really a bad impression to tell your bad things to someone you care about.

I was so confused at the time that I called him before I could calm down.

“Am I the kind of person who stands people up?”

After Jian Xi finished speaking, he shook his head and said, "What are you standing there for? Are you waiting for me to put your luggage away for you?"

"No, no, I can do it myself."

Nan Xiang quickly put the suitcase into the trunk and then got on the passenger seat.

After the car started, Nan Xiang glanced at Jian Xi beside her and said something else: "Boss, you left home so early too?"

"Ah."

After a brief response, Nan Xiang nodded and didn't know what to say. She couldn't ask the other party why he left so early because there was discord at home.

Although she had been honest with the other party many times, she was always in a weaker position in the relationship. Moreover, Nan Xiang always felt that Jian Xi's attitude towards her was still a little cold. It was okay when they were in Gu Li's villa, but once they left that door, Nan Xiang subconsciously put herself in a lower position.

The car was driving quietly and Jian Xi did not ask about Nan Xiang's family affairs.

Nan Xiang became increasingly restless. After hesitating for a long time, she spoke again, "Boss, are we going back to the company now?"

"Don't you want to work overtime during the New Year? I'll take you to the company and go back to where I live over there."

Hearing Jian Xi's answer, Nan Xiang was stunned for a moment and said, "Aren't you going to the company?"

"No, I have to go on a business trip these days."

"Oh."

The topic ended again and the car fell silent again. Looking at the buildings flashing outside the car window, it meant that they were getting farther and farther away from the place where they would celebrate the New Year. Nan Xiang thought of the scene at home just now, and then she unconsciously thought of the situation when she was with Jian Xi at the company, and her expression began to change.

Jian Xi, who was driving, saw this and smiled, "If you want to cry, just cry before you get to the company. If you want to work overtime in the office... I'm in a good mood during the New Year, so you can consider it."

"..."

As soon as the bastard finished speaking, Nan Xiang's face turned red. It was New Year's Day, and why did he mention things in the office as soon as they met? Was it so obvious on her face?

"You have to release your pent-up emotions, otherwise you'll get yourself hurt. I don't think you can go to work like this. Do you want me to take you to the company or back to where you live in Pudong?"

After a pause, Jian Xi lowered her voice and said, "You can also finish crying in the car first."

"..."

Nan Xiang pursed her lips when she heard this, her expression somewhat complicated, her hands on her legs kept stirring, after a long time she seemed to have gathered enough courage, and suddenly spoke:

"Boss, can you make love to me?"

(End of this chapter)