At the dinner table, Da Guo once again displayed his gift of gab, talking nonstop with spittle flying as he shared all sorts of health and wellness tips.
Mom listened attentively while eating, smiling frequently, and the awkward atmosphere eased considerably.
After lunch, Da Guo cleared the table and washed all the dishes and utensils.
I have to admit, I really couldn't handle these simple chores—Mom never let me do them.
After finishing up, Da Guo hopped on his bike and rode off somewhere. Mom lay back down on the bed to rest.
Mom's heatstroke was largely due to her exhaustion from staying up late.
Before long, Da Guo returned, drenched in sweat.
"Auntie, take one whenever you feel unwell, especially on hot days. This stuff tastes awful though..." Da Guo came back carrying a plastic bag filled with various medicines. He pulled out a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and said.
"Also, when you're working in the warehouse, remember to keep the door open. Don't shut it all the time—that traps heat and makes heatstroke more likely..." Da Guo placed the medicine by Mom's bedside.
"How much is this? And you paid for the shot earlier too, right?" Mom took her clothes, pulled out some cash, and asked.
"No need. It's not much. I can cover it..." Da Guo waved his hands quickly in refusal.
"No, you can't. You don't have much pocket money. When you start earning your own income someday, Auntie won't be so polite..." Mother pulled out two hundred-yuan bills and handed them to Da Guo.
"Really, it's not necessary..." Da Guo protested, but his mother firmly pressed the bills into his hand. They tugged back and forth, their hands touching without either noticing. In the end, Da Guo relented and took the money at his mother's insistence.
Mom was a woman of principle, especially since Da Guo was still a child. She couldn't let him spend his own money.
"This is too much! One note is enough..." Unable to refuse, Da Guo pulled out one hundred-yuan note and handed it back to Mom.
"Use the extra to buy yourself something to eat. Think of it as Auntie's treat for you..." Mom said with a smile, but her tone brooked no argument.
"Well... thank you, Auntie. I'll just be thick-skinned and take it then..." Da Guo knew when to back down. He didn't argue with Mom any further and instead generously accepted the money.
Just then, the female delivery person returned. Da Guo filled out the shipping label with the address Mom had provided, then handed the package to her.
Mom lay on the bed, watching Daguo bustle about, and couldn't help but smile.
Meanwhile, I was studying in my bedroom.
I'd overheard Mom and Daguo's entire conversation. My heart had just calmed down—it had truly scared me half to death.
What if Mom had gotten heatstroke while I was at school?
No one would have known. Mom would have died for sure.
It had been ages since anyone had talked to Mom. I rarely communicated with her at home either. She was always busy with her microbusiness, and even when chatting with clients on WeChat, it was all work-related. Now that Da Guo was there to talk with her, Mom was genuinely happy.
After what just happened, Mom and Da Guo had suddenly grown much closer. Especially since Da Guo had seen Mom's body and even touched her.
Recalling how Da Guo held Mom now, it looked so effortless. He's tall and sturdy, and when he carried her princess-style, the scene felt completely natural.
I stopped overthinking and focused on my studies. After all, I was home, and Da Guo and Mom wouldn't do anything unexpected. Their conversation sounded perfectly normal.
"Click..." After an unknown amount of time, I heard the bedroom door open. Snapping out of my studies, I stretched lazily.
Turning around, I saw Da Guo walk in, immediately gesturing for silence.
"Mom fell asleep. She's exhausted..." He pulled up a chair beside me, then sighed.
"Thanks. If it weren't for you, my mom might have..." No impure thoughts crossed my mind then. I genuinely appreciated Daguo. Had I been alone, I'd have been flustered and lost.
Besides, when he tended to my mom, there wasn't a trace of lechery in his eyes—just genuine concern. I saw it clearly.
Had he shown any lecherous looks or thoughts back then, had he been unable to control his gaze, I would have seriously considered ending our arrangement.
"What are you saying? She's your mom, and my aunt too... No matter what, I should do everything I can..." Da Guo patted my shoulder.
"I told Auntie she can't lock the warehouse door anymore, needs to keep it ventilated, and shouldn't stay up late or overwork herself..." Da Guo was now giving me advice too.
"Is she okay now?" I still felt uneasy. What if something like this happened again?
"She's fine now, but you never know... I added Auntie on WeChat, and we exchanged phone numbers too. She can call me anytime—after all, there are things I know better than you..." Da Guo couldn't help but pull out his phone and show off. Beyond academics, there really wasn't much he didn't know better than me.
Back then, Da Guo was just a classmate. When he visited our home, Mom greeted him with the polite formality of an elder—no WeChat or phone numbers exchanged. Now he'd officially added her.
Perhaps because Mom was fine, that thought surged back into my mind.
The WeChat account Da Guo showed me wasn't Mom's work account—it was her real personal one.
"Did my mom mention..." I whispered, glancing toward the storage room. I trusted Da Guo would understand my meaning.
"She did," he replied with a faint smile. "She told me never to tell anyone. I promised. I also shared what you told me with Auntie. She was very relieved..."
Originally, Da Guo had urged me to confess about the adult products to Mom myself. I never imagined that a small accident would spare me from having to say anything, and even bring Mom and Da Guo closer together.
Regardless, Da Guo saved Mom, and he saw her naked body. As a normal person, Mom's impression of him would inevitably change. While it wouldn't reach the level of admiration found in novels, their relationship was definitely closer than before.
Da Guo waited until evening, until Mom could walk again and her headache had subsided, before leaving.
Before departing, he cooked dinner and ate at our house. When he left, Mom even walked out to see him off. Whether out of gratitude or politeness, her actions were entirely understandable.
Only now did I truly grasp how difficult it must have been for Mom to raise me alone, and how much she sacrificed.
If Mom hadn't passed away, would having a man in the house have prevented so many troubles?
That evening, Mom didn't go to the storage room to work. Instead, she stayed in her bedroom. When I went out to use the bathroom, I saw her lying in bed chatting on WeChat. Three phones lay on the bed. Because WeChat accounts had login limits, Mom always kept three phones ready, and she had multiple WeChat accounts for her microbusiness.
Tomorrow was Monday, and classes would resume. Weekend time was so fleeting.
Lying in bed, I tried to calm my mind. Partly it was the shock of the day, partly the developments between Da Guo and Mom. The thought of Da Guo holding Mom, undressing her, and wiping her body sent a wave of stimulation through me—though it felt rather inappropriate.
After darkness fell, I couldn't help but open QQ. I was bored and couldn't sleep anyway.
The moment I logged in, Guodao's profile picture started flashing. I opened the chat window to find several videos he'd sent, along with a message.
"Tit for tat. This is my payback to you. But man, it wasn't easy. I risked getting caught by my mom. If she'd found out, I'd be dead meat. But heaven rewards the determined, and I managed to film it..." Reading that made my breath catch. Was this Da Guo sending me videos of his mom?
Was it Teacher An's?
Even without opening the video, just the cover alone sent shivers down my spine. A hazy scene showed a pale, naked woman standing there...
-----------------------------------------------------------
To read Ahead go to my patreon
patreon.com/Satya69
This book has 50 chapters in my patreon and many other stories for you to enjoy.