windy city rainy season

When Chang Zheng pulled his younger brother away from behind, Tao Yu sensitively smelled a strange smell, which was very faint.He almost blurted out, but when he heard the "brother", he swallowed back the words that rushed to his lips.

Chang Zheng also noticed it, and leaned over to sniff it, his expression changed instantly.

"You smoke weed?!"

"Can you still smell it?" Brother Chang lowered his head and sniffed, "I changed my clothes before going out, brother, your nose has caught up with a police dog."

Chang Zheng grabbed his collar and lifted him up, angrily said: "What are you thinking in your mind?! Are you trying to piss off your parents!"

"Easy, easy." Brother Chang smiled and said to those who looked around, "Nevermind. Thisismybro."

If it weren't for the crowds in Central Park, Chang Zheng really wanted to beat this kid up, and he grabbed the other man's skirt without saying a word and planned to go home to clean up.

Brother Chang was dragged forward, but he still turned his head to say hello to Tao Yu with a playful smile: "Hi, I'm Chang Yao, and you are my brother's boyfriend? What's your name?"

Chang Zheng pushed back his brother's head: "You don't have a big novel to try!"

Chang Yao didn't take it seriously, and put his nose on his brother's shoulder. Seeing from behind, they were really a good couple.Tao Yu walked behind them, wondering how this shameless bastard managed to live so long under the eyes of the serious Chang father.

Back at Chang’s house, Tao Yu didn’t intend to observe how Chang Zheng educated the bear children. He followed the route he remembered to find Chang Zheng’s room—this house was huge but it made him feel depressed, only that room could make him feel a little bit uncomfortable. Relax.

It's a pity that he went astray halfway, and didn't find Chang Zheng's room, but at the end of the corridor, he saw a door painted pink. On the door hung a wooden sign in the shape of a little mermaid, with the words "Chloe ".

It's Chang Zheng's sister's room.

About this name, most of what Tao Yu heard was the fund established because of her. As for the girl with this name, he only knew that she was a patient with Williams disease and died of heart disease and kidney failure at the age of five.

Curiosity made Tao Yu want to push the door to have a look, but he felt it was inappropriate, and just as he was about to leave, the door opened—Chang's father came out of the room and saw him stop.

"...Uncle." Tao Yu hurriedly greeted and explained, "I went the wrong way, I was looking for..."

"Turn left from Chang Zheng's room." Chang's father raised his finger and pointed to the corridor not far away.

Tao Yu thanked him, and when he saw that the other party was about to close the door, he said in a strange way: "Chang Zheng told me about his sister, is this her room?"

Chang's father looked at him, pushed open the door that was supposed to be closed, and said, "Yes, Chloe used to live here, and later her mother changed it into a memorial room... Do you want to come in and take a look?"

Tao Yu nodded, and walked in behind Chang's father.Compared to other rooms in the house, this room is a bit small, but it is enough for a little girl.The walls of the room are pink, with white gauze curtains, and the walls are decorated with stickers of Disney princesses—some with faded bright colors, some still new, supposedly put on by family members after Chloe passed away.

There is an entire wall in the room covered with photos, recording the trajectory of a girl from birth to departure.The appearance of Chloe in the photo is similar to those children Tao Yu saw in the church, with typical features of Williams syndrome.

"Her hair is blond?" Tao Yu asked in surprise.

Father Chang explained: "Chang Zheng's maternal grandfather was a Polish immigrant, and their mother had blond hair when she was a child, and it gradually turned brown as an adult."

The photos on the wall have different backgrounds, at home, in the hospital, on the road, in the supermarket, in the museum, on the beach... and the protagonists in the photos are always smiling, wearing various princess dresses, and wearing neat and beautiful braids .

"We knew from the beginning that she might not live to be an adult, so we wanted to leave memories everywhere she went." Father Chang looked at his daughter in the photo and said, "She is always happy. In theory, this has nothing to do with her nervousness. Phylodysplasia, but we'd rather believe that's what she was."

Looking at the photos all over the wall, Tao Yu couldn't imagine how hopeless and nostalgic the person who took the photos was. He knew clearly that his daughter would die soon, and knew that these photos were the only way to miss her in the future.

Tao Yu was attracted by an enlarged color photo of a girl lying on her stomach next to a cradle, leaning forward and carefully kissing a sleeping baby in the cradle.

"Is that a constant sign?" Tao Yu asked.

Father Chang looked in the direction of his finger, nodded and said, "Yes, that was taken two days after he was born, when we just returned home from the hospital."

Tao Yu felt that the siblings under the camera were very cute, and said with emotion: "Chloe seems to like her brother very much."

Father Chang seemed to remember something interesting, and said with a smile, "She treats her brother like a big toy, and she takes it with her wherever she goes. At that time, she was three years old, and she couldn't call her mother, but acted like a little mother."

Tao Yu saw that when Father Chang talked about his daughter, his usual serious expression softened.

"...We spent a long time looking for the source of the heart, and everyone around us advised us not to be attached, because her body was not just a defect in the heart. But her mother and I could not pass up any chance, even if she was not perfect, she The birth of still allows us to experience the joy of being a parent and brings a family closer together."

Tao Yu was shocked when these words came out of Chang's father's mouth. It is the deepest love of parents, and they can't let go of every child, no matter what kind of flaws she has.

He vaguely felt that he had glimpsed the ties between family members that were difficult for outsiders to touch, and even this house, which made him feel depressed, seemed to have some warmth.

"I am very grateful to you and Auntie for understanding us." Standing outside Chloe's room, Tao Yu mustered up the courage to say to Chang's father, "I know you are worried about my identity, and I am afraid that if it is not resolved, it will affect our relationship. influential."

Chang's father said: "My worries are not unfounded. This country's attitude towards homosexuals has not yet opened up to that extent. Chang Zheng's character is serious in everything he does. If he has any hesitation in his heart, he will not tell us, It is even more impossible to bring it home. I am worried that his expectations are too high, and in the end he will not get good results due to objective reasons."

Tao Yu said: "My current guarantee is not convincing, but just like your thoughts on Chloe, we will not give up any opportunities. You may see that we are still young, and there are still many uncertain factors in the future, but With Chang Zheng, I think we can solve these problems."

On the return plane, Chang Zheng still felt unbelievable: "Why are you drinking with my dad?"

Tao Yu flipped through the magazine and said, "This matter is a bit complicated to explain, but it is generally caused by the advanced nature of socialism."

Chang Zheng pulled out his magazine, rolled it up, tapped it, and said, "Please explain it with the theory of capitalism."

"Explain what? Why are you talking so much when I have a drink with my father-in-law!"

"What does old man mean?" Dr. Chang asked seriously.

"Go home and go to Google!" Tao Yu changed the subject with a guilty conscience, "How is your brother's education work going?"

When mentioning his younger brother, Chang Zheng sighed, and didn't care about his father-in-law anymore.

"Tao Yu..."

"Ok?"

"I want to discuss something with you...Chang Ling will go to the University of Chicago to participate in an exchange training program when the semester starts in August."

Tao Yu felt his liver tremble inexplicably, and asked, "How long?"

"Three months."

"Where do you live?"

"The living room...for the time being, let him look for a short-term rental near the University of Chicago after he settles down."

Tao Yu suddenly started to get airsick, and lived under the same roof with that ancestor for three months, and he didn't even want to kill him!But if people really want to look for a house near the University of Chicago, it might cost little brother Chang his own life.

Damn it, Tao Yu thought to himself, the summer vacation is coming to an end, why is the brat here!