"Li Zhiyuan, you’ve really become even more disgusting now."
At this moment, Li Weihan, Cui Guiying, a group of Li family’s brothers and sisters, along with Aunt Zhang and a few villagers who had come to the small store to buy things in the evening, all stared at Li Zhiyuan with smiling, curious faces.
Everyone was very quiet, and everyone was also very eager.
The simple longing for beautiful things is human nature.
Nothing is more touching and comforting to onlookers than a mother and child separated by a long distance being able to hear each other’s hearts.
Li Zhiyuan still clutched the microphone tightly in his hands, the shy expression on his face not only didn’t fade, but became even thicker. He shifted his body a little, as if trying to avoid everyone’s gaze, but to everyone, it seemed more like a child’s coy refusal.
Everyone found this scene adorable, their smiles grew even brighter, all with their mouths slightly open, waiting for the following conversation.
Although they couldn’t hear the voice from the other end of the phone, they could infer from the child’s response what his mother might have said or asked.
"Mom, I am doing very well at home, I’m being very good."
"You shouldn’t be angry, shouldn’t you angrily hang up the phone, shouldn’t you cry or make a fuss, shouldn’t you question me, your mother?
Oh, right, you won’t.
they’re circled around you, watching you, aren’t they?"
"Mom, I don’t really miss home, I’m very happy here."
"Li Zhiyuan, you’ve only met them for the first time, and it’s also their first time seeing you since you were born, so, do you really need to keep performing in front of them?"
"Grandpa and grandma are very nice to me, Panzi, Leizi, Yingzi, Shitou, Hu Zi, and all the brothers and sisters are good to me, they all play with me."
"Li Zhiyuan, you really are hypocritical, deep down you look down on them, thinking they’re ignorant and stupid, yet you still try to cultivate your image in front of them."
"The village is fun; there are fields, ditches, you can catch fish, catch frogs, grandma’s homemade sauce is so delicious, grandma said you loved to eat it when you were little too."
"Don’t you feel tired, my son, why do you tirelessly enjoy this game?"
"I also went over to Aunt Xiang Hou’s house, Aunt Xiang Hou told me a lot about things mom did in the past, many people still remember you."
"I’m really amazing, having given birth to a son that disgusts me."
"Mom, are you busy with work, grandpa and grandma hope you take care of your health, to eat on time, not to overwork yourself."
Li Zhiyuan said while looking toward Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, the elderly couple nodded vigorously, signaling Li Zhiyuan to continue speaking.
"I originally thought I could control it, but your birth was like a mirror, reflecting the version of myself I hate the most, Li Zhiyuan, do you know, every time I see you these past few years, I have to restrain myself from wanting to strangle you.
Every time you call out ’mom’ to me, it sounds like a devil’s whisper in my ears."
Li Zhiyuan nodded as he listened, in everyone’s eyes, it seemed like he was heeding his mom’s loving instructions, they might guess that on the phone, mom was teaching him all kinds of things to watch out for, to be good, to be obedient, not to be naughty.
"I understand, mom, I know, I get it."
"I try to sew and patch up this skin every day, every morning when I wake up, I have to look in the mirror and repeatedly convince and affirm myself.
But you, you always seem to want to tear this skin off again.
You are me, and I am you.
are both monsters wrapped in human skin."
"I understand, don’t worry mom, I’ll be obedient."
Li Zhiyuan listened with his ear pressed to the receiver, gently rocking his body, like a child slightly impatient and embarrassed by his parents’ nagging, yet also feeling sweetly content.
"Your dad, Zeng, helped me control my condition, marriage gave me certain support, I should have gotten back on track, until, I gave birth to you.
Your birth destroyed all my years of effort.
you are a mistake that should never have happened."
"Mom, could you send over some more snacks, those cookies, we all like to eat them. And also some stationery, everyone loves my pencil box, and I promised them I’d give it to them."
Shitou and Hu Zi heard this and excitedly hugged each other.
"I shouldn’t have tried to find a cure for you after discovering your true nature, the repeated treatment failures on you seemed to witness my own repeated defeats.
My life, was already dim, it’s you, who completely blocked my last bit of light.
why don’t you just go die?"
"If you had died early on your own accord, it might have stirred my maternal instincts, right?"
"I’m going to participate in a secret project, the project is very dangerous, I don’t know if I can make it back alive."
"Mom, you have to take care of yourself, I’ll worry about you."
"Telling you these things is because I don’t want if I die, these heartfelt words are hidden in my heart, and I haven’t had the chance to tell you, I think, we need such a moment of honesty between us.
Actually, you’ve always understood, as much as I can see through you, you can see through me too, right?"
"Mm, I’m listening, I’ll remember, mom."