Chapter 9

“I remember that the factory has been arranging employee training at night recently, and the location is not at the factory, but at the vocational school near the factory. Our unit even sent engineers to provide guidance, so I know about it. Even if Ling Mo went, he wouldn’t see his uncle. Doesn’t his aunt know?” Mo Qing looked at Liang Ru.

“That’s even more infuriating! She’s doing it on purpose! She’s trying to intimidate Ling Mo! She must think that her son copied Ling Mo’s homework and got it wrong, and that Ling Mo bullied her son!” Liang Ru shook her head, “There are all kinds of birds in the forest! Her heart is truly trash!”

Ling Mo looked at the time, got up, and said, “Uncle Mo, Auntie Liang, it’s getting late, I have to go back. I have class tomorrow…”

“Why go back? Sleep here! Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you and Xiaobai to school!” Mo Qing’s face was not good.

How could Qu Yun miss this opportunity to get close to Ling Mo? Today he learned that his parents and Ling Mo’s father had such a relationship, it was like a super cheat code! It seems that he’s not far from completing the mission!

He had to make good use of this advantageous condition.

Qu Yun tugged on Ling Mo’s sleeve under the table and whispered, “Don’t leave… If you leave, my dad is going to settle the score with me for the 35 points on my math test!”

Liang Ru also patted Ling Mo’s shoulder and said, “Just sleep here. It’s already past ten, it’s the same wherever you sleep. I’ll call your aunt, don’t worry about her.”

At this time, Director Lin and Teacher Huang, the head teacher, who were sitting on the sofa, were looking increasingly uncomfortable.

“It’s so late, it’s past ten, why hasn’t Ling Mo come back? Something must have happened, right?” Director Lin looked at Chen Li.

Chen Li smiled and pretended, “Well, I’ll make a call and ask his uncle. Maybe his uncle thought it was too late and let Ling Mo sleep in the factory dormitory?”

Chen Li got up to make a call, and Teacher Huang leaned towards Director Lin and said, “Could it be that the child has been sleeping in his room all this time, and we don’t know? Or maybe he’s sick, and his aunt doesn’t want us to see him?”

Director Lin’s brows also furrowed.

“I think besides the master bedroom and the second bedroom, there’s only that door over there. I’ll go and knock to see?” Teacher Huang knew which room Ling Mo lived in, but she didn’t say it. She wanted Director Lin to see the room Ling Mo lived in with his own eyes.

“I’ll go with you.”

Director Lin also got up and walked towards the small room with Teacher Huang.

Just as Chen Li was holding the phone and preparing to act, Teacher Huang had already opened the door to the room.

A row of clothes hanging on a rope met Director Lin’s eyes, and the room had a damp smell.

Chen Li turned around and saw them rushing over, “Oh my, what’s wrong, teachers…”

Director Lin’s face immediately turned ugly, “You actually let a child live in a room like this?”

“This… this is not Ling Mo’s room, it’s our storage room. It’s been raining lately, and the clothes haven’t dried, so we’ve been hanging them here…”

“Storage room?” Teacher Huang’s voice rose, she pushed aside the clothes and went to a small desk, “Why is Ling Mo’s schoolbag here? How come this desk drawer has Ling Mo’s homework?”

“That… two children in the house, the space is a bit cramped, Ling Mo put his things here…” The more Chen Li explained, the faster her heart beat.

“Yeah, even his clothes are stored here?” Teacher Huang opened a cabinet, and it was full of Ling Mo’s clothes.

“If this isn’t Ling Mo’s room, then where is it? This house only has one master bedroom and one second bedroom. Your son lives in the second bedroom, I didn’t see a second bed, does Ling Mo sleep in the master bedroom with you?” Director Lin’s voice was very low, you could tell he was suppressing his anger.

At this time, the phone in the house suddenly rang.

Teacher Huang was already worried that Ling Mo hadn’t come back so late, and as soon as she heard the phone, she rushed over, “He must have called back!”

Chen Li was about to pick up the phone, but Director Lin said, “I’ll answer it! I want to hear the child say with my own ears where he’s been so late!”

Chen Li’s shoulders trembled, but Director Lin went forward with great momentum and picked up the receiver. On the other end of the phone, Mo Qing’s voice came through.

“Hello, this is Mo Qing, the father of Mo Xiaobai, Ling Mo’s classmate. Ling Mo is sleeping at our house tonight! I’ll take him to school tomorrow morning!”

Director Lin heard that there was news of the child, and immediately said, “Is this the child’s parent? I’m Lin Yuan, the director of the Academic Affairs Office. The head teacher and I came to do a home visit, but the child didn’t come back until ten o’clock. Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Chen Li was even more confused, Ling Mo is now at another student’s parent’s house?

On the other end of the phone, Mo Qing heard that it was the director of the Academic Affairs Office, and his expression immediately softened.

“Director Lin, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you on the other end of the phone!”

Liang Ru, who was listening to the phone, tugged on Mo Qing’s sleeve and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s the director of the Academic Affairs Office, they’re doing a home visit, they said they’ve been waiting for Ling Mo…”

Hearing this, Qu Yun finally understood why Ling Mo was still wandering around outside after clearly returning to the city with the thermos.

He must have known about the home visit today, so he deliberately made Director Lin wait for him at home!

Okay! This is all so clever!

Qu Yun looked at Ling Mo with a squint.

But Ling Mo didn’t look at Qu Yun, he was focusing on eating his noodles, looking indifferent to the world.

Liang Ru heard that it was the director of the Academic Affairs Office, her eyes lit up, and she said, “Director Lin! I’m so sorry! It’s like this! My husband, Mo Qing, just came back from out of town today. Around nine o’clock, he was driving past Dahong Machinery Factory and saw a boy wearing the same school uniform as my son walking on the road, so he asked him. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be my son’s classmate. It was so late, and the kid didn’t catch the last bus, and he wanted to walk back. My husband thought, how could that be, so he brought him back! When they got to the city, the child didn’t want to go home, and my husband thought it was strange. It turned out the child went to the machinery factory to deliver buns to his uncle, but that night, there was no one at the machinery factory, they all went to the vocational school to study.

The child didn’t deliver the buns and didn’t dare to go home! My husband thought, this won’t do, so he brought the child home. Director Lin, you see, it’s so late, it’s okay for us to let the child sleep here for one night, right?”

Liang Ru’s voice was both objective and respectful to the director of the Academic Affairs Office.

It’s just that what she said… wasn’t quite right, was it?

It was me, Qu Yun, who brought Ling Mo back, not his dad, Mo Qing!

“Oh, I see! Can I hear the child’s voice?” Director Lin was still quite cautious.

Liang Ru nodded, “Of course. Ling Mo, come over and report your safety to Director Lin from the Academic Affairs Office.”

As soon as she turned around, she saw her husband, Mo Qing, looking at her foolishly, and Qu Yun was also tilting his head, looking dazed.

Ling Mo put down his chopsticks and went to the phone, “Director Lin, I’m Ling Mo. I’m so sorry for making you wait at home for so long… I’m at my classmate Mo Xiaobai’s house now.”

“That’s good. Then Teacher Huang and I can rest assured. We’ll talk about it tomorrow if there’s anything, get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Thank you, Director Lin.”

“Okay, then Teacher Huang and I will go back first, it’s too late today, we’ll chat properly tomorrow.” Director Lin said.

After hanging up the phone, Ling Mo stood there.

Qu Yun pulled on Liang Ru’s sleeve and said, “Mom – when did Dad go to the factory near the factory to pick up Ling Mo?”

“Xiaoru… you’re lying, you’re setting a bad example for the child.” Mo Qing pushed up his glasses and said seriously.

“You’ve been doing engineering until your brain is broken!” Liang Ru poked Mo Qing’s head with her finger, “Where did I go wrong? Isn’t that what Chen Li thought?

 She thought that Ling Mo wouldn’t find anyone at the factory, and he wouldn’t have a ride back? Wandering outside all night, how heartbreaking for the child! It’s because Ling Mo is smart, he didn’t delay that long and came back directly. If it were your stupid son, Mo Xiaobai, think about it, he would definitely be crying on the side of the road!”

“Mom… Mom…” Qu Yun pulled on his excited mother and said seriously, “I won’t cry, I really won’t cry.”

“Then what will you do? Can you find your way home?”

“… I won’t cry anyway…” Qu Yun emphasized.

Mo Qing thought for a moment and said seriously, “You’re right… If you don’t say it like that, Director Lin won’t be able to understand Chen Li’s evil intentions.”

“Alright! It’s almost eleven o’clock! Ling Mo, go take a shower, Auntie will find you some pajamas to wear. Take off your school uniform too, I just touched it, it’s not dry. You can’t do this, moisture will get into your body and you’ll get sick! You’ll have arthritis when you’re older!”

“Auntie, it won’t dry if I wash it now.”

“There’s a dryer at home. Why do kids think so much? Go to bed, you won’t grow tall if you don’t get enough sleep!”

Liang Ru hurried the two children along, “Xiaobai, take Ling Mo to your room. Mom will go and get the blankets and pillows. Isn’t there a new blanket for the bed? Where did you put it…”

“Mom… I’m your real son…” Qu Yun looked at Liang Ru. He had always wanted to use that blanket.

“I know. Only a real son can get 35 on his math test and still stay at home to eat and drink!”

Qu Yun was like… a

Despite this, Qu Yun still had fireworks in his heart.

Oh yeah! He can sleep with Ling Mo! He can chat about life with him!