Chapter 19: The Unconvincing Lie

  Endless green lotus flowers, the lake's surface at night, clear or emerald green. All making it hard to discern colors. Only a hint of moonlight shines brightly on the water's surface. A small flat boat is hidden among the lotus flowers. Li Xiaoteng stands on the boat. Beside him, a beauty in a cool outfit, wearing a red sleeveless top. Her slender waist seems about to snap, her hot pants provocative. Exuding the allure of a young girl. Unfortunately, she's facing Li Xiaoteng, making it impossible to see her face clearly. Her long hair is like a big pear flower, with subtle golden highlights. Accentuating her delicate, pale neck and figure that speaks volumes of elegance. Leaving people with endless fantasies.

  The screen turned, and the beauty took the initiative to unbutton Li Xiaoteng's shirt. The beauty's smooth and delicate face was buried in Li Xiaoteng's crotch, with her hair covering her moving face. Her cherry-like mouth, tongue licking and sucking, made Li Xiaoteng's soul disappear! He was dying of desire. Underneath, the lotus leaf boat was also floating up and down, creating a ripple that sparked endless imagination.

  Li Xiaoteng's breathing became increasingly urgent, and as he manipulated her lips and tongue, his legs gradually straightened and his toes curled up! At this moment, Li Xiaoteng felt like he was in a dream. As if he were floating on clouds, the sky suddenly appeared before him, and it seemed that even Li Xiaoteng didn't want to get up and pay homage! The dazed Li Xiaoteng grabbed the beauty's head, exerted force from his waist, and thrust forward. Just as they were about to erupt...

  "Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip... Drip, drip, drip, drip..." The unique Nokia alarm sound rang in his ears. The vibration of the phone was transmitted directly to Li Xiaoteng's nerve endings through the quilt.

  Reluctant Li Xiaoteng, helplessly opened his eyes. Feeling the bit of beauty from his dream just now, he looked at his own hands holding the five dragons and his erect lower body. He let out a helpless sigh!

  "Why does this beautiful dream always end in an explosion just as it's about to happen!" The resentment accumulated in her heart lingered on her face for a long time, unable to dissipate.

  Took the phone, looked at the time and found it was originally his working hours, now just seven o'clock. Didn't sleep until 2 am yesterday morning, just slept for less than five hours. Silently scolding myself for being stupid, didn't even change the ringtone! Was thinking of making up for lost sleep, see if I can find back that beautiful dream from earlier.

  Just then, someone knocked on the door and shouted: "Li Xiaoteng! Are you awake? Get up for breakfast!" It was Li Xiaoteng's father knocking on the door. Immediately after, his mother's voice came from outside the door: "Why are you calling him so early? Can't you wait until tonight to talk to him? Let your son sleep a bit more!" Mr. Li said unhappily: "I won't be able to find him tonight. As soon as I get off work, he'll start being busy again!"

  Li Xiaoteng, who had let out a sigh, responded obediently: "Dad and Mom, I'm up! I'll get up right away!" He immediately got up, put on his clothes, washed his face, and sat down properly at the dinner table, waiting for his father and mother to lecture him.

  Looking at his busy mother in the kitchen and his washing father, Li Xiaoteng actually had a premonition. He must be looking for himself to talk, it's about his own cold dish stall. The result is estimated to be two, one is success, and the other is failure. In fact, Li Xiaoteng himself originally hoped that his parents could take out some money to support him. But he also understands his parents' personality. As parents who were deeply influenced by the old generation of proletarian revolutionaries, their greater wish was still for their son to find a stable job. Steadily going to work and coming home from work. Still keeping the idea that it's enough to have a wife, give birth to a grandson for his parents! The more money, the better, just enough is good! Without his parents saying it, Li Xiaoteng actually understood it in his heart!

  Mr. Li sat down at the head of the table, waiting for breakfast to be served. He asked Li Xiaoteng with a puzzled expression, "You want to take over the cold dish business of Dongxing Restaurant? How confident are you?" Just as he was speaking, Mrs. Li brought out the milk and bread sausage she had prepared and sat down, saying, "Xiaoteng, you know that your father and I aren't wealthy, and we don't have much money at home either. Three hundred thousand yuan is no small sum!"

  Li Xiaoteng looked at his parents' gaze, feeling a pang of guilt and regret for asking them for money. He had some regrets about wanting to borrow from his parents. But thinking about the credit card not being approved, this move was also unavoidable. It was an opportunity to borrow some money from his parents. If he won the bet, the profit would be at least 30,000 yuan. That is to say, borrowing 30,000 yuan and adding his own 10,000 yuan, totaling 40,000 yuan. When he wins, he will return with 40,000 yuan, which can cover the 30,000 yuan hole for his parents. The cold dish stall was in his hands, and it was definitely not a problem to make a profit... His current spicy hot pot business was booming...

  Looking at his father's inquiring gaze, Li Xiaoteng said somewhat helplessly: "Dad, the cold dish stall, under my spicy hot pot's boost, has started to gradually improve! Originally, Dongxing Restaurant didn't have any business, but now, as you saw yesterday, it's fully booked! It's all because of me! I don't even need to come up with new varieties, and I'll definitely make money. Plus, their thinking is flawed, they're making things that customers don't like to eat. I think, at worst, I can break even. As for how much profit, I'm not sure yet, but I believe the money you lent me will absolutely not be lost!"

  Li Xiaoteng's father sighed, looking at his now grown-up son and secretly feeling that he had already aged. Without saying anything, he stood up and went back to the bedroom drawer to retrieve a bank card, which he placed on the table. Sitting down, he asked Li Xiaoteng: "Why is your hot pot so popular? You who never cooked before can now make such a trendy hot pot? Where did you learn it?"

  Li Xiaoteng was impulsive and almost told his parents that he had traveled back in time, but the words got stuck on the tip of his tongue and he didn't dare say it out loud. He was afraid that if he said it, his parents would think he was crazy and send him to a mental hospital for treatment. At that point, everything would be over!

  "All I can say is: 'Dad, you might not even believe it! I was selling mobile phones at Yangqiao, and on my way home after work, an old man with an old lady asked me for directions. At that time, I stopped and kindly asked the old man, "Where are you going?" The old man didn't say where he was going, but instead said he was from a rural area in Henan Province, looking for his grandson because they couldn't make ends meet at home. They were so poor that they had no choice but to come to Beijing to find their grandson. I heard the grandson was around Zhao Gong Kou, so they came to look for him!"

  At this time, the old lady next to me said: "We two people have not eaten anything for a day and a half, but we are hungry!" It was really heartbreaking! Immediately after that, the old man said to me: "Young man, can you lend us some money? I'll kowtow to you!" He knelt down on the ground. Many people around were watching me, so I quickly helped them up. At that time, I asked, Grandpa, Grandma! Do you have your grandson's specific address? The two shook their heads and said: "We only know a general location, but we don't know exactly where it is! We thought Zhao Gong Kou was just a village, not a big place, who knew it would be so hard to find someone around here with all these tall buildings! Young man, please lend us some money!"

  Li Xiaoteng said, pausing for a moment, looking at his parents. His mother's eyes turned red as she heard this and asked, "Why didn't you tell us about this? What happened afterwards?" Li Xiaoteng took a sip of milk and continued, "Later on, I suggested taking them to the Zhao Gongkou neighborhood committee to help them investigate, but they refused, saying they were hungry and would send me the money as soon as they got back. At that time, I softened up and gave them the only 100 yuan I had on me. Actually, I didn't want that 100 yuan, but the old man kept insisting he'd give it back to me. He wrote his address on a torn piece of paper and forced it into my hands, saying he would definitely send it back. He even asked for our home address and postal code. At the time, I thought it was just an act of kindness, so I didn't give him ours."

  Li Xiaoteng finished speaking, took a sip of milk, and stole a glance at his parents. Looking at his expressionless father and his mother with slightly red eyes, he continued: "Mom, guess what?"

  "Mom Li immediately responded: "What's going on?" Li Xiaoteng said loudly: "The back of the note with the old man's address is actually a recipe for spicy hot pot! The other day, wasn't it going to make spicy hot pot with Zhao Baozi? So I tried using this recipe and made some! Oh my god! It was incredibly delicious, after eating once, I wanted to eat again. And then, our spicy hot pot stall became popular!"

  Li Xiaoteng's mother muttered to herself: "Good deeds will be rewarded after all!"

  Li Xiaoteng was about to sympathize with his mother when he saw Li's father heavily put the milk cup on the table. "Bang"! Li's father sighed and said, "Do you think I and your mom are fools? Do you want to sell the car or do you want to sell crutches?"

  Li Xiaoteng looked at his father with a dark face. Suddenly, he felt that the golden armor and iron face he had been practicing for a long time were emitting waves of burning sensation!

  Mr. Li let out a long sigh and said, "There's 30,000 yuan in the card, originally meant to be saved for your wedding! Take it away! The password is your birthday. And another thing! I'm not your mother! If you want to sell the car, sell it; if you want to sell the crutches, sell them!" After finishing speaking, he stood up, put on his shoes and went out the door.

  Li Xiaoteng's mother took a look at Li Xiaoteng, picked up the bread and started eating. Li Xiaoteng sat on the chair feeling very embarrassed. He couldn't eat or not eat. So he held the milk cup in his hand, lowered his head as if thinking, hoping that his mother would finish eating quickly so she could go to work.

  Li Xiaoteng lowered his head, listening to the ticking of the wall clock. He had never felt time pass so slowly before. After Li's mother finished eating, she was about to clear the table. Li Xiaoteng hastily took the plate from her hand and said: "You're going to work, I'll clean up, I'll clean up..."

  Mrs. Li sighed, wiped her hands and sat down on the chair to change her shoes. She said casually, "Next time you make up a story, it must be true and believable. I'm cooperating with you like this, but your dad doesn't even believe it, what does that mean?" Li Xiaoteng was a bit slow to react, then responded with a sentence: "What does it mean?" Mrs. Li sighed again and said, "Your story is too fake! Even an idiot wouldn't believe it! Do you think your dad would believe it?" After finishing speaking, she turned around and went out the door as well.

  Li Xiaoteng sat in front of the dinner table, muttering to himself: "I think this story is quite well-written! Why didn't I believe it?! Ah~~~~"

  In the inpatient department of People's Hospital, the pungent smell of disinfectant wafts through the air, accompanied by gusts of cold wind. They say that hospitals are places with a gloomy atmosphere, filled with the scent of death, despair, sorrow and fear. But when it welcomes a new life, everything becomes so touching.

  A long-haired beauty wearing a light blue shirt and black trousers stood in the ninth-floor nephrology ward, looking at her mother who had just finished dialysis. Forcing a smile, she said: "Mom, do you feel better today?"

  A pale middle-aged woman lay on the hospital bed, looking at her daughter with a weak tone and said: "My high blood pressure and diabetes are old diseases, I didn't expect that after listening to Zhang Dama's words and eating folk remedies, it turned out to be kidney failure! Alas ~ Xiaoyan ah! Our family has limited economic ability, don't treat me anymore!"

  "Mom, since Dad left, you've been the one who has been working hard to raise me! Now that you're sick, it's my turn to take care of you!" The middle-aged woman's pale face had no blood color at all. She coughed twice and said: "You also know our family's financial situation, where is there any money for me to get treated? Your university tuition fees, I still owe them now, and just when you started working, I was counting on us saving up to pay off the debt first, but... Ah!"

  "Mom, don't worry about the money, just focus on getting better first. Do you remember the notes Dad left behind? I found the secret recipe he used to make me roasted lamb skewers when I was a kid! I've already made contact with someone and after work, I'll go sell them at the night market. One skewer can earn 40-50 cents!" Just as she finished speaking, the nurse whispered, "Keep your voice down, the patient needs plenty of rest..."