chapter 5 Wait for now

In the wind and rain, I took a taxi back to the dilapidated community where I had lived for 2 years. When I got out of the car, I subconsciously looked to see if Penelope's Audi Q7 was parked downstairs. Fortunately, the car was not there, and even more fortunately: I had not returned the key to the house to Penelope. I thought optimistically: Anyway, Father Ban is staying for one night. If she doesn't come back tonight, everything will be in jeopardy. Is the risk settled? I ran back to the house as fast as possible, put my luggage back to its original place in the shortest time, made the bed, and then stood at the bus stop with an umbrella, waiting for Father Ban to arrive. About a quarter of an hour later, a bus from the long-distance bus station came slowly. I raised my neck and looked around, and sure enough I saw the Father Ban in hand. I waved to him and shouted, "Father Ban, this way." The Father Ban came to me unexpectedly and asked, "Didn't you go to dinner with your colleagues?" "Eating is a small matter, but your coming is a big deal. I can distinguish the importance." I said, taking the briefcase from the Father Ban hand and carrying it for him. The Father Ban was silent and followed me towards the community. I complained: "Father Ban, you are on a business trip at official expense. Next time you come to my place, can you just take a taxi? It won't be reimbursed." "Public expenses are also money, and saving a little is worth a little."Father Ban words were serious. "Our government has trillions of foreign exchange reserves stored in the United States, which is worth your taxi fare." The Father Ban has no words and is obviously unwilling to argue with me about values. He has always been like this. As long as he thinks something is right, he is never willing to explain it. It is as if he is an independent world by himself, and then he does what he does in this independent world. I have been the deputy section chief for 15 years. Back in the house, the Father Ban took out a stainless steel lunch box from another bag besides his briefcase and said to me: "This is the wild crucian carp I caught last week. Your mother cooked it and brought it to me." You eat it, just heat it up when you want to eat it, or not heat it up." "Let's just eat it tonight." The Father Ban looked at me doubtfully and asked: "Didn't you eat with your colleagues?" "Aren't you here? You came back after eating half of it." After saying that, he quickly interrupted: "By the way , Father Ban, did you bring the glutinous rice wine made by my mother this time?" The Father Ban nodded and took out a bottle that originally contained orange juice from his bag. It was filled with the glutinous rice wine I like to drink. Father Ban and I each poured a glass of glutinous rice wine, ate the cooked crucian carp and peanuts, and waited for the white rice porridge simmering in the rice cooker, chatting without a word. I was a little absent-minded, worried that Penelope would come back suddenly and scare her. It didn't matter. If I exposed my secret in front of Father Ban, I could die. I had just finished a glass of glutinous rice wine when I heard footsteps outside the door, and then I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole. I panicked a little, glanced at Father Ban, and then looked at the door that was close at hand. . The door was opened, and it was Penelope who walked in. The sight in front of her made her freeze on the spot, but Father Ban didn't react much. He only regarded Penelope as someone who shared my apartment with me, or as a girlfriend. Before Penelope could speak, I held her arm and asked with concern: "Have you been drinking? Don't thank me when I help you into the house. We all live together. This is what I should do." I said it politely, but at an angle that my Father Ban couldn't see, I raised my hand to cover Penelope's mouth, and pushed her into her room in a few steps. "Scum, let me go,"Penelope struggled and said vaguely. "Don't scream," I said in a low voice. Penelope struggled to take out her cell phone from her pocket again. Even a fool knew that she wanted to ask the police to deal with me. What I did was indeed a crime of breaking into a private house. I grabbed the phone from her hand, pushed her down on the bed, and straddled her to prevent her from continuing to struggle. I didn't care what a rogue position it was. I lowered my voice and said nervously: "Stop screaming, if my dad hears me, I will die." Penelope ignored me at all, her expression was horrified, and she instinctively raised her hand to grab my hair. I was in so much pain that I was about to collapse. I bared my teeth but did not dare to say a word: "Please be gentle, your head is about to be ripped off." "Scum!"Penelope yelled incomprehensibly as I covered her mouth. I said angrily: "I am a scumbag" Then he whispered: "But in my dad's eyes, it's not that he has high blood pressure. If he knew that I was penniless and didn't even have a place to live, and I had to make him angry, sister, you would think you were pitiful." I'll deal with you all night. He's on a business trip and will leave tomorrow morning. I promise I will never bother you again." Penelope finally stopped struggling and let go of my hair, but her beautiful eyes still stared at me with hatred and disgust. I carefully released my hand covering Penelope's mouth, and this time she finally stopped shouting. I breathed a long sigh of relief, and it took me a moment to realize that I was still riding on Penelope. Just as I was about to get up with an apology, Penelope twisted her body and pushed me hard. I fell straight off the bed with a "thud". Go down. "Maxwell, what are you doing in there?"Father Ban asked after hearing the movement. I endured the pain and said, "I hit the cabinet." Father Ban didn’t ask any more questions, and Penelope finally looked at me with an expression that looked like a smile but anger after revenge. "I'm warning you not to talk nonsense. My dad really has high blood pressure and can't withstand the blow. You stay in the room and don't go out." Penelope neither agreed nor denied. I made a please gesture again, but she still didn't say anything. I could only comfort myself as she acquiesced, and looked at her pleadingly, then closed the door and walked out of the house. When we came to the living room, the Father Ban had already gone to the kitchen to fill 3 bowls of rice porridge and said to me: "Maxwell, go and give that girl a bowl of porridge. You need to eat something after drinking. You can't bear to be hungry." "Just let her rest." As soon as I finished speaking, Penelope walked out of the room carrying her handbag. Based on my past evil deeds, Penelope wouldn't go too far even if he cut me in pieces. Exposing me in front of Father Ban at this time is exactly my retribution. Just when I was so nervous that my legs were weak, Penelope walked towards the door without looking away. It seemed that she planned to leave this room to me tonight. Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Father Ban, who had always been dull, said to Penelope who had not yet walked out of the door: "Girl, I put a bowl of porridge for you, drink it while it's hot." I wanted Penelope to leave quickly, and winked at her repeatedly, but I didn't want Penelope to look at me, and then nodded to Father Ban and said, "Thank you, uncle." The two people who had been fighting for their lives just now sat at the same table and drank porridge by accident. I always looked like a suspect who had done something wrong, saying nothing, but always on guard against what Penelope said he shouldn't say. if. I glanced at Penelope from the corner of my eye from time to time, but I didn't know what kind of medicine she was selling in her gourd. However, she didn't seem to have any intention of reporting me to Father Ban, and she just sipped the porridge in small sips. The Father Ban has always been dull and doesn't like to talk, and he pays more attention to eating than others, so he finished the porridge in the bowl first, stood up, picked up his handbag, and said to me: "There is someone staying here, I will stay in a hotel." .” I looked at Penelope and said to Father Ban: "Father Ban, don't leave. Just sleep with me later." "You've been snoring a lot lately. You have to go to work tomorrow, so it shouldn't affect your sleep."The Father Ban shook his head and took out the sweater from the bag and handed it to me: "This is the sweater your mother knitted for you." I took it and looked at it, and asked with some confusion: "Why did you knit two pieces?" "When you find a partner in the future, let your partner wear thick sweaters knitted at home." I was a little helpless. I knew that Father Ban and my mother were reminding me in this subtle way to find a girlfriend quickly. I looked at Penelope, who was still drinking rice porridge, and teased: "It's getting cold, I'll give you a sweater later." Penelope glared at me. After all, she didn't get angry in front of Father Ban, but I felt secretly happy. Before leaving, the Father Ban counted another 3,000 yuan from his wallet and handed it to me and said, "Take it." I smiled nonchalantly and said, "Why are you giving me money? I'm not short of money." The Father Ban pushed the money into my hand: "I gave birth to you. I know your characteristics very well. I have told you many times that you must plan your money and take time to pay the water and electricity bills." After that, He looked at the utility bill that had been dropped a few days ago on the floor. My nose suddenly felt a little sore. I really wasn't a son who made my parents worry. I put the money back into Father Ban's hand: "I really don't need it. My mother is not in good health. You can keep it and buy her some." I’ll get paid next week.” The Father Ban didn't say much, put the money on the table, looked at Penelope again, and walked out the door alone. I caught up with Father Ban and sent him downstairs. He remained silent and said to me, "That girl just now is pretty good." I grabbed Father Ban, looked at the Q7 parked next to me and said, "Father Ban, put your fantasy away quickly, she is either my pick, did you see that car, or her car." The Father Ban followed my gaze and looked at the red Q7 with a puzzled look on his face. I think he was also surprised why Penelope drove such a car but lived in such an old place. In the end, the Father Ban chose to remain silent out of habit. He was helpless at my terrible current situation. In fact, whether we want to admit it or not, we are truly in an era where we need to use money to prove love, so I asked him to put it away. Fantasy, I don’t even want to fantasize myself That night, Father Ban left me with the last words "work hard" and held an umbrella in the rain. Looking at his old back in the rain, I read his expectations in this sentence. He expected me to work well, marry a girl well, and let him have a grandson. But Father Ban, I am living in my own helplessness and In the struggle, living in the heaviness and pull of reality, there are many things to be realized, so why not wait for now: