Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
At Shanghai TV.
When they were approaching, Lin Fan realized that the mute uncle was starting tense up. He could not help grabbing on to his old and broken bag tightly.
Lin Fan stopped the car at the side and said, “What is the mute uncle’s daughter’s name?”
Zhao Ming Qing replied, “He Xiao Li.”
“Oh,” Lin Fan normally did not pay too much attention to the news and naturally did not know if Shanghai TV had a host called He Xiao Li.
At this moment, the radio in the car broadcasted a female’s voice.
“Greetings, my friends in the audience, I am the host He Xiao Li…”
“Oh, oh,” the originally anxious mute uncle suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the sound of the broadcast. He then pointed at himself and let out a smile of pure happiness.
The smile on the old man’s face looked very benevolent.
Zhao Ming Qing said, “Teacher, looks like whoever is speaking is the mute uncle’s daughter.”
At that moment, the mute uncle carefully exhaled. Then, he moved his ear closer to the radio broadcast and quietly listened to it. The smile on his face became brighter and brighter.
Lin Fan did not say much. He and Zhao Ming Qing just quietly sat in the car and waited for the broadcast to end.
Zhao Ming Qing felt very suspicious inside. He also had the premonition of something bad. It was like he felt that something bad was going to happen, but he did not know what to say.
At that moment, the mute uncle was quietly listening. He did not want to disturb him so he just waited for the broadcast to end before discussing it with his teacher.
After awhile, the broadcast ended.
The look on the mute uncle’s face showed he was reluctant to part with her voice.
Lin Fan pointed in the opposite direction and said, “Mute uncle, your daughter works here.”
The mute uncle looked at the tall building and you could see from his face that he was proud and gratified. But almost immediately after, he looked nervous and a little afraid as well.
Zhao Ming Qing whispered into Lin Fan’s ear, “Teacher, I feel that there is something amiss about this situation. According to the villagers, when the mute uncle’s daughter left, she would still come back and visit during the first 1 or 2 years. However, the following 4 or 5 years, she did not come back and they only talked over the phone. After that, they did not even talk on the phone. I’m afraid that…”
After saying that, Zhao Ming Qing stopped talking. He realized that the mute uncle might have heard them and then shook his head as he looked at them and waved them off.
It was as if he was trying to say that his daughter was not that type of person. She would not be like that. She probably lost her phone and then forgot her home’s phone number.
At this moment, the door to Shanghai TV opened. Two young ladies walked out the door.
When one of the ladies just walked out, a man who was driving a sports car, came out with flowers in his hand.
The mute uncle looked at one of the ladies and could not help but got excited. He grabbed on to Zhao Ming Qing and pointed into the distance, “Oh… oh…”
“That’s your daughter?” Lin Fan asked.
“Ah, ah,” The mute uncle nodded. Then he rushed to open the car door. Then he looked at Zhao Ming Qing and Lin Fan and anxiously nodded. Although he could not talk, his gestures and expression said it all.
They watched the mute uncle run towards her.
Zhao Ming Qing was a little worried as he asked, “Teacher, I feel like this situation isn’t that simple.”
Lin Fan replied, “Looks like it. We better stay here first and see how this situation turns out.”
It wasn’t only Zhao Ming Qing that could see it. Lin Fan himself could also see that there was something fishy about this situation.
…
“Xiao Li, I really like you. Please be my girlfriend,” the man said as he held the flowers and went to He Xiao Li’s side.
He Xiao Li really loved this sort of situation. She loved the feeling of being surrounded by men.
The man in front of her was only one of her many suitors. As for who she was going to choose, she had not thought carefully about it yet.
At this moment, He Xiao Li saw the mute uncle, who wasn’t too far away. Her expression suddenly changed. She looked a little afraid as if she did not want to see him.
“Xiao Li, what happened?” the man saw that Xiao Li’s expression was a little weird and he had no idea what happened. When he followed Xiao Li’s line of sight, he could not help but feel a little suspicious.
Who was this old man?
Why did Xiao Li give such a weird expression after seeing this old man?
At this moment, the mute uncle was right in front of Xiao Li. Since he had not seen her for many years, his eyes were completely red. He was making some noise with his mouth whilst gesturing with his hands.
“Why have you come here?” He Xiao Li said. When she saw the mute uncle, she panicked a little inside and she felt a little embarrassed. Her tone was not very friendly when she asked him that.
“Ah, ah,” The mute uncle did not change his emotions and his face was still filled with a smile. Then, he pointed at his bag. Although he could not talk, his care and love were all thoroughly expressed.
At that moment, the mute uncle extended his black and wrinkled hands. He wanted to give his daughter a hug just like in the past when his daughter would spontaneously give him a hug.
He Xiao Li looked at his hand and actually took a step back. She looked like she was a little afraid.
*Slap!*
Suddenly, the man next to He Xiao Li slapped the mute uncle’s hand aside. His tone was very fierce, “Old man, what are you trying to do?”
The mute uncle started to panic. He didn’t know why things would turn out like this. However, he maintained his smile and then opened his bag.
He took out a few smaller bags.
These bags were filled with melon seed kernels that were already peeled. They were the wild melon seeds from the mountains.
To the mute uncle, when his daughter was angry at him in the past, he would use these to coax her. He thought that now that his daughter was ignoring him, she definitely must blame him for not coming to find her.
The mute uncle held the bags in his hands and handed it to her. He opened his mouth and said, “Ah… Ah.”
“There must be something wrong with you old man,” the man said. He immediately slapped the bag out of the mute uncle’s hands and sent it flying. Then he pointed at the mute uncle and said, “Hurry up and leave. Where did you even come from you madman?”
In the car.
Zhao Ming Qing was furious. He said, “This disgraceful young man. I’ll go teach him a lesson.”
Lin Fan stopped him and said, “Wait a moment. Let’s see how this situation unfolds.”
Outside.
The mute uncle saw that the ground was sprinkled with melon seed kernels and he stood on the spot, at a loss of what to do. He immediately bent down and then started picking up the melon seed kernels. He was picking up the kernels and gesturing to He Xiao Li at the same time.
“Ah… Ah… Ah…”
Even his eyes had the expression that he was panicking and was at a loss at what to do.
He really wanted to speak to her. He was afraid that his daughter did not understand his intentions. But when he opened his mouth, all that came out were sounds that no one could understand.
He was so worried that he was going to cry.
He Xiao Li took her wallet out of her satchel and even asked for money from her colleague.
Then she stepped forward and supported the mute uncle up.
“Take this money and go back. Don’t come back here again,” He Xiao Li put the sum of money in the mute uncle’s hands and then looked at her colleague and the man and said, “You guys can wait for me over there. I want to talk to him for awhile.”
Her colleague and the man nodded. The man started to stare at the mute uncle even more.
“You better behave.”
He Xiao Li saw that they had left and then she looked at the mute uncle and said, “How did you get here?”
“Forget it. I don’t care about how you got here. Take this money and go back. I’ve been doing pretty well staying here by myself, I don’t need anyone’s concern. Also, I don’t want people to know about my past.”
“I’m a host now. So if people find out that I have a foster father like you, they will laugh at me. I don’t want to lose everything that I have right now. Can you please go back? Don’t come back again. Just act like you never came to find me.”
The mute uncle’s hands gradually started to tremble. It was like he did not dare to believe all of this.
But, he still smiled and nodded. It was like he wanted his daughter to be relieved and did not want her to worry.
At the same time, he returned the sum of money into He Xiao Li’s hands. Then, he reached into his shirt pocket and took out a few very old ten dollar notes and put them in He Xiao Li’s hands.
Then he pointed at his mouth and then pointed at his stomach, making an eating gesture.
“Ah… ah.”
He Xiao Li nodded and said, “I know, I’ll eat well. You don’t have to worry about me. You should go back home. I’ll visit you next time.”
When the mute uncle heard this, his eyes lit up. He nodded and then waved. He wanted to see his daughter leave but in the end, he left also.
He Xiao Li did not say anything and just turned around and walked towards the lobby of the Shanghai TV building.
…