Encounter the Ice Age

Two people talking, very simple and plain daily.

Mrs. Connor turned on the oven and quickly put on gloves to bring out the pan with the beef patties.

Mrs. Connor: "What can I do at home by myself?"

Zhaoqing: "Didn't you fall in love with playing bridge? Mrs. Smith hasn't called you lately?"

"Oh! I don't know how to count cards at all! It's all just for fun. If the weather is like this, we old bones should not go out. If we slip and fall, wouldn't we find something for my dear son to do."

"It's very good that you have this awareness!" Zhaoqing hugged Mrs. Connor, bowed her head and kissed her wrinkled cheek.He is used to foreign-style communication, and he can accept these extroverted emotions by embracing them face to face, and can express them at any time.Of course only for his adoptive mother, Mrs. Connor.

The two of the family sat around the dining table, Mrs. Connor was eating tortillas, Zhaoqing was eating rice.Zhaoqing deeply loves Chinese food and is used to eating rice.

"Little..."

"Mother, that's your name again."

Xiaoxiao is the name given to Zhaoqing by Sister Nawen. Mrs. Connor liked the name when she found out about it when she was adopted.Xiaoxiao and Zhaoqing are often called out in their home, and outsiders often call him Hubert or Qing.

Zhaoqing is not used to the name Xiaoxiao. In two lifetimes, his age has almost caught up with his mother. The name Xiaoxiao makes him feel too infantile.But he likes Mrs. Connor turning a corner and calling his Chinese name in a soft tone, like the first ray of sunshine after snow, clear and warm.

"My son, I can call him whatever I like." Mrs. Connor put the beans into Zhaoqing's plate, and said, "Xiao Xiao, it's not my mother nagging. You should really think about your personal problems. You can't live a single life all the time, you are 26 years old, what am I going to tell your heavenly father in the future. Do I have to tell him that our son is still a magician? Oh, my God! You must Don't be an ascetic, be kind to yourself."

This is a common question, ever since Zhao Qing didn't invite anyone to the prom.

Seeing that Zhaoqing didn't answer, Mrs. Connor pushed Zhaoqing's arm with a smile, and asked in a low voice: "Chen has been chasing you for so long, you should respond anyway, is it okay? Or not?"

Zhaoqing ate something and said vaguely: "Mother, I... know it well!" He left some bad memories in his previous life, which made his attitude towards relationships quite vague, even slightly repulsive.

The memory of the infancy of the "previous life" is shallow and faint, Zhaoqing doesn't have a deep impression, but just vaguely remembers that he seems to have an older sister, and his parents died when he was young.He grew up being pushed and shoved in a chaotic and intense marriage relationship between his uncle's domestic violence and his aunt's.

The initial impression became an irresistible curse. No matter how good the relationship between Connor and his wife was, he could not let him let go of his guard against love and distrust of marriage.

Furthermore, Zhao Qing is a natural homosexual.

In 1970, homosexuality in Huaxia was hardly understood and tolerated by anyone. In Zhaoqing's "last life" when she was a teenager, she got emotional results that could not be described.

But Zhao Qing was naturally timid, and he didn't take the initiative to do anything in his "last life". He just accidentally said that he liked him when he mistakenly thought that the other party was interested.Unexpectedly, the other party was betting with someone else, and after he was really confessed, he pushed Zhaoqing into the toilet cubicle saying disgusting, and made all the male students in the same class spit on him.

At that time, Zhao Qing in the "previous life" was small and fair, and she was called a sissy all the year round, otherwise no one would bet on it.After this incident, bad words such as pervert, second chair, and selling ass were added to the words scolding him.

The most vicious words are said by the young people who don't understand what they mean.The incident was not too big or small, but the parents of all parties knew about it. Zhaoqing was sent to a boarding school far away after being beaten up by her uncle.So far, he has not been in love until he was 35 years old, until he died in an accident.

This is why in this life Zhaoqing drinks milk on time every morning, runs hard and plays basketball.He didn't want to be called a sissy anymore, and he didn't want to be so painful when he was beaten. He wanted more muscle defense.

I don't know whether it's sad or respectable, Zhaoqing never thought of revenge or rebelling against anyone in two lifetimes, he silently accepted all the experiences that weighed on him.In the words of the Internet, it is an attribute beginning with the word holy. He will be afraid and hide, but he has never hated anyone in his life, nor has he spoken ill of anyone.

What is more tragic than Zhaoqing's few emotional experiences is his first family environment, but the second time was very happy, so he rarely recalls it.

Zhaoqing's mentality is not bad, and he always thinks that God's keeping him alive is already a blessing for him.Living is enough. After all, in the 'last life', when I was a child, I knew what it was like to be hungry, and that was even more unbearable than being called a sissy.

Everything in the "previous life" seemed to disappear with death, but there were still inexhaustible traces left on Zhaoqing's body.He gets flustered when he is a little hungry, and he always has chocolate or peanut candy that Mrs. Connor put away in his pocket.

Zhaoqing likes all edible food, especially sweet and sour food.

It seems that he was hungry for a long time in the first 20 years of his "previous life". Whether he made money to eat and drink later, or was carefully fed after rebirth, it was difficult for him to gain weight and he was always thin.

Because of his natural body size, the orientals already look thin in an Anglo-American environment. His current height of 1.7 meters [-] is not short among Chinese people, but it is not enough to look good here.

Zhao Qing once wanted to learn martial arts, but his body was as unbalanced and uncoordinated as in his previous life. Sometimes he couldn't distinguish left and right, and he had to take the driver's license test four times before he got it.

The number of times Zhao Qing drives can be counted on dozens of fingers, his talent is single, and learning martial arts has become a dream in his mind.He can only insist on jogging every morning, and he can do sit-ups and pull-ups before going to bed, and finally changed himself from a weak chicken in his previous life to a slightly stronger weak chicken...

Zhaoqing cherishes life very much and wants to live very much.

Everything is better in America.

In the long life, some things cannot be concealed, and the Connor couple saw Zhaoqing's sexuality.

When Zhao Qing watched TV, he didn't even glance at the girl in the bikini, but he would stop for a moment when he saw the handsome guy.Coupled with the fact that he didn't find a girlfriend at the age when he was most sexually impulsive, Lin Lin always subconsciously leaked too many clues.

Mrs. Connor asked tentatively once, and Zhaoqing confessed everything and directly stepped out of the cabinet. Mr. Connor was still alive at that time.

Zhao Qing thought he would get a furious response, but the two old men just kept silent for a few days, and then began to urge him to find a boyfriend.Mrs. Conner always said: 16 years old is the age to feel love, don't waste your great youth.

Mrs. Connor and Mr. Connor fell in love at the age of 16 until now.

"What numbers do you have?" Mrs. Connor looked at her son who was incapable of feeling, and said, "What's wrong with Chen? He's tall and strong, and he's a police officer. The point is, he's also very handsome." A few years ago, you always prevaricated me by saying that you like Chinese people. How many Chinese people are there in this neighborhood? It just so happens that such a good guy likes you, chasing after your ass for two or three years. That means I am old, or I I'm all moved."

"Mother!" Zhaoqing pleaded in his tone.

Mrs. Connor: "Acting like a baby won't solve your problems! You are always afraid of this and that, and you will miss a lot like this!"

"Mother, I'm not acting like a baby." Zhaoqing thinks that she is not acting like a baby, but in the eyes of her parents, no matter what she says or does, the child is the most delicate child.

Mrs. Connor: "Xiao Xiao, the greatest meaning of life is to try, and the result is not important. You are just too shy!"

"Understood, mother." Zhaoqing catered.Mrs. Connor was right, he simply didn’t dare to procrastinate. In the early years, Mrs. Connor urged him to say that he liked the possibility of Chinese prevaricating to get affection.

This excuse dragged on for a while. Three years ago, the police station in the neighborhood assigned a new recruit from the Marine Corps. He was a rare Chinese and fell in love with Zhaoqing at first sight. His name was Chen Yang.

Chen Yang has been relentlessly pursuing Zhaoqing, even if he didn't send flowers, set off fireworks or publicly confess his love, the whole street still knows about it.

It would be a lie to say that Zhaoqing has no affection for Chen Yang at all.In Zhaoqing's eyes, Chen Yang is like the sunshine in spring, which is not dazzling but full of power.

There are not so many life and death matters in real life. Chen Yang has rescued many cats and dogs. He runs around on weekdays either to help unlock the locks or to solve the problem of quarrel between husband and wife.

Chen Yang is strong and handsome, with a height of 1.9 meters [-] and a body with tight muscles after years of training, he stands out among the blond foreigners.

In Zhaoqing's eyes, Chen Yang is strong, fearless, sunny and enthusiastic. Although Chen Yang occasionally appears impatient, and when he is serious, he is intimidating, but it is what a man should be in Zhaoqing's concept, and it is what he wants to be. look.

The police calendars in their neighborhood are the best sellers, everyone likes Chen Yang and Chen Yang likes Zhao Qing.

This makes Zhao Qing even more afraid, he is like a hermit crab, the more radiant the other party is, the more he dare not reveal a little bit of the pliers, wishing to carry his little house and hide far away.

Zhaoqing is not a monk, so of course he has desires. When he was in close contact with Mr. Thumb one day, Chen Yang's face suddenly popped up in his mind.

Zhaoqing's desire is relatively slow, and she does very little to comfort herself, but after meeting Chen Yang, there is Chen Yang's shadow in her dreams.He was explaining himself in embarrassment, but so far he fully understood that he should like Chen Yang.

Once this matter was confirmed, Zhaoqing became even more frightened. He was once bitten by a snake for ten years and was afraid of well ropes.The ridiculous thing is that he has never really loved anyone, but was suppressed when he was ignorant.In the experience of many people, this is not worth mentioning, but it has become an insurmountable gap in his vitality.

Mrs. Connor was right in saying that Zhaoqing is a very thin-skinned person, very shy and very slow-moving. He basically doesn't talk to strangers, and many of his classmates only say a few words when they have been classmates for a year or two.

Today, the number of friends who can be counted can be counted with one hand, so when Zhaoqing decided to become a teacher, Mrs. Connor was very happy, and finally determined that her son should not have autism.

Even though Zhaoqing tried hard to adjust in this life, when Chen Yang confessed her whole body was like a boiled shrimp, she ran away quickly.

Sometimes Zhaoqing wishes to be more open.He always asked himself: What are you afraid of?His family agrees with his sexuality, and his body has needs.

Just comforting herself to relieve her restlessness, Zhaoqing no longer thinks so.He began to fantasize, afraid of Chen Yang's excellence, afraid of being too sweet together, and then...what if we broke up?What should I do if I am not as good as Chen Yang thought?

The sweetness of being pursued can't cover Zhaoqing's fear and desolation of feelings in two lifetimes. He thinks that he is not as good as Chen Yang said.

Zhaoqing went to university with a reputation of being a genius, and received scholarships every year, but this did not give him the slightest sense of self-confidence.Because he knows better than anyone else that his wisdom comes only from the memory of 35 more years of life experience.His low self-esteem is like a shadow, like a dark cloud of uncivilized, always on top of his head.

Zhao Qing didn't know if he was qualified to accept Chen Yang, he felt like a liar with the memory of two lifetimes, although he didn't know who he had lied to.

Besides, Zhaoqing still dare not tell anyone the secret about the 'small world', he is afraid of... being dissected and studied.At night, I would dream of the white house seen in science fiction films, and I would be frightened into a cold sweat by my own imagination, tossing and turning and having trouble falling asleep.

After dinner, Zhaoqing watched soap operas with Mrs. Connor for a while, and waited for the sleepy Mrs. Connor to go to bed before returning to her room to prepare for rest.

Zhaoqing adjusted the electric bell next to her bed, and the other end of the bell was connected to Mrs. Connor's room.

Mrs. Connor, as she got older, forgot things occasionally, and seemed to be following in her husband's footsteps, as her heart became weaker and weaker.They installed the bell over a year ago.

Now Zhaoqing takes Mrs. Connor for a medical check-up every month, but the situation is not optimistic.The doctor said that Mrs. Connor was too old to be stented, and the chance of death was the same with or without the stent, and maybe it would worsen after the chest surgery.

Mrs. Connor herself refused to have a stent.

Mrs. Connor and Zhaoqing talked for a long time about life and death. Zhaoqing once half-kneeled beside Mrs. Connor's bed to pray for his only relative to prolong his life. They had money, and he hoped Mrs. Connor would have an operation.

Mrs. Connor looked at the adult Zhaoqing and said: She has no fear of death, and death is a kind thing for her, because her husband is waiting for her at the end of death.

Mrs. Connor said: She has made her lover wait for more than ten years. She loves Zhaoqing so she will not take the initiative to seek death, but she will never prolong life in any other way.She didn't care about money, it was her wish, and she asked Zhaoqing to respect her own wishes.If you have to do something, then go on a trip and take her to see more scenery.

Zhaoqing had nothing to say, he didn't participate in any activities during the winter and summer vacations in the past two years, he listened to Mrs. Connor's advice and took Mrs. Connor out for a trip, just like the Connor couple brought him back to China every year when he was young. Take a lot of pictures and show the most smiles.

Zhaoqing took Mrs. Connor to all the places that could be visited without flying, and they traveled around half of the United States.They also specially went to Las Vegas. He watched Mrs. Connor smiling and participated in several card games and won once.

Zhaoqing is a very good Zhaoqing, everyone says so, but Zhaoqing doesn't know it.

Zhaoqing thought about Chen Yang before going to bed, he couldn't think of anything about the future so he closed his eyes.He thought: It's perfectly fine to be a magician or something, maybe after thirty he can really be included by Horowitz as an exception.

Now Zhaoqing has only one wish, that Paradise College will be more gentle when admitting his mother, Mrs. Connor.