Mr. Guan held Guan Xuchen's hand as they walked slowly forward.
"Xuchen, did you bring your homework notebook?" Mr. Guan asked with a smile.
"Dad, I did." Guan Xuchen looked up at his father. His father's face looked somewhat blurred in the sunlight, but his deep voice was always as warm as sunshine.
"When we get to the factory, finish your summer homework first. Don't just play with the other kids, and don't run around everywhere. Understand?" His father instructed him patiently.
"Oh, I understand," Guan Xuchen nodded, not fully comprehending.
On their way, the father and son passed a basketball court and saw an older boy teaching a younger one around Guan Xuchen's age how to play basketball.
The older boy bounced the ball and said patiently to the little one, "Xinglang, your posture was wrong just now. Do it like this—bounce the ball with your fingertips."
The little boy nodded as if he understood, took the ball, and started practicing again.
"Xuchen, when I'm free, I'll teach you how to play basketball, okay?" Mr. Guan lowered his head and asked with a smile.
"No way! Basketball isn't fun at all!" Guan Xuchen glanced at the little boy not far away and replied in a coquettish tone.
Mr. Guan smiled helplessly and continued walking forward, holding his son's hand.
When they arrived at the factory, Mr. Guan took his son to the workshop break room and found him a seat. After his father left for work, Guan Xuchen took out his Second-Grade Summer Workbook from his schoolbag and started doing his homework.
Before long, three more little boys came into the break room. They started messing around as soon as their parents left, which annoyed Guan Xuchen greatly. Later, they said they were going to climb a tree to pick peaches and invited Guan Xuchen to join them. Guan Xuchen shook his head and kept doing his homework. The three naughty boys, having been rebuffed, left Guan Xuchen alone in the break room and went off noisily.
Guan Xuchen immediately felt much more peaceful and continued focusing on his homework. After a while, he finished his homework, stood up, stretched, walked around the break room, and picked up the newspapers and magazines from the rack to flip through casually. But he found the articles too difficult and uninteresting.
Feeling bored, Guan Xuchen walked out of the break room, trying to look for his father at the workshop. Halfway there, he saw his father from a distance, standing in a corner with another man in his early thirties, smoking and chatting. The man was strongly built, wearing a shirt and bell-bottom pants. Compared with Mr. Guan in his work uniform, the man looked much more fashionable.
Mr. Guan was speaking to the man with a flattering smile, "Brother Qing, I'd really appreciate your help with the job transfer."
"No problem. I'll mention it to my dad when I get the chance." The man called Brother Qing replied smugly, then added, "You're such a skilled mechanic. If I get any other side gigs later, I'll definitely call you."
"Thank you, Brother Qing." Mr. Guan replied respectfully, "Actually, if there's ever anything wrong with your car, just come to me. I'd never charge you for it."
"Well, I'd have to pay someone to fix it anyway if I take it outside." Brother Qing said casually, "Besides, some of my friends need their cars fixed at times too. It's the market economy—I can't just ask you to work for free."
Just then, Brother Qing noticed Guan Xuchen standing nearby and asked with a smile, "Little one, what are you doing here? Where's your dad?"
Guan Xuchen ran to his father, clung to his hand, but didn't answer.
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
General FictionIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
