Chapter 28
When Yu Li returned home, Yu Xin had already gone back to her room and fallen asleep.
Lin Jiarong was still in the living room knitting a sweater, occasionally raising her hand to rub her eyes.
Hearing the sound of Yu Li’s return, she turned her head and smiled, saying, “Lizi is back.”
Yu Li’s movement in taking off his shoes paused.
He looked at Lin Jiarong’s back for a while, then asked, “Mom, you’re not sleeping yet?”
Lin Jiarong gestured to the yarn in her hand and said, “It’s the weekend tomorrow, so I can sleep later. While I have the time, I’ll try to finish knitting the sweaters for you and Xin Xin as soon as possible.”
She lowered her head again, focused on tidying up the yarn in her hands.
Yu Li changed his shoes and went to sit down next to her.
He helped untangle a knot, winding the loose yarn into a ball. “Go to sleep early, Mom, don’t work too hard.”
Lin Jiarong nodded, “This sleeve is almost finished, I’ll go to sleep after I’m done with it.”
“The weather will get cold in just over a month, we need to hurry.”
Yu Li couldn’t persuade her, so he just sat by her side.
“Why did you suddenly decide to knit sweaters for me and Xin Xin?”
Lin Jiarong smiled wryly, “Have you forgotten? When you and Xin Xin were little, I would knit you sweaters almost every year. After that…”
Her movements suddenly paused.
Yu Li also lowered his gaze, falling silent.
After his father passed away, his mother was immersed in grief and had to support the family, so she no longer had time to knit sweaters for them.
Now that she was knitting sweaters for them again, in addition to the reduced pressure on the family, it might also indicate that his mother had come out of her grief.
Yu Li pursed his lips and said, “I haven’t forgotten.”
He looked at Lin Jiarong and tightened his grip on the ball of yarn he had just tidied up.
He recalled the report Yan Shiting had shown him, and tentatively asked, “Mom, I saw a report from the local media today, saying… that there was a fire at your factory a year ago.”
He paused, then continued, “It was such a big thing, why didn’t you tell me and Xin Xin?”
Lin Jiarong wrapped the yarn in her hand, saying, “I thought it was in the past, telling you and Xin Xin would only make you worry.”
Yu Li’s face turned a little pale, “Mom, were you injured, that’s why you didn’t tell us?”
Lin Jiarong smiled reassuringly, “No, no, the people who were working overtime that night were all fine, it was just that some of the factory’s goods were burned.”
She seemed to be reminiscing about something, her hands pausing, and sighed, “The fire started so quickly back then, everyone was in a panic when they saw the fire, my position and your Auntie Ping’s were in the corner, we almost couldn’t get out.”
“A few shelves in the workshop were accidentally knocked over… luckily someone came to lead us out soon.”
She briefly recounted the incident, but Yu Li could feel that she had omitted something. That fire incident was definitely not as simple as she made it sound.
He had done part-time work at the Wen Hua Clothing Factory during winter break, so he knew what the surroundings of his mother’s workstation were like.
Those shelves were stacked with materials and finished products, which would have been burned if the fire broke out.
Perhaps it was because of this that his mother and the others couldn’t get out easily.
And then… It was Wang Jianfeng who evacuated the people and led them out.
Yu Li looked deeply at Lin Jiarong.
She had a faint smile on her face, her gaze gentle.
Yu Li had the answer in his heart.
Maybe it was because of that fire incident that his mother and Wang Jianfeng got to know each other.
And now it seems that his mother doesn’t seem to be indifferent to Wang Jianfeng.
He put down the ball of yarn in his hand, letting out a long sigh, and said, “Mom, in the future, no matter what happens, big or small, good or bad, please try to tell me and Xin Xin about it.”
“We’re a family, we can share the burden. If you don’t say anything, and we find out somewhere else, we’ll worry even more.”
Lin Jiarong put down the needles in her hand and patted Yu Li’s head, “Okay, I understand. My son Yu Li has grown up and can take on responsibility.”
Yu Li smiled and nodded.
Soon, the sleeve of the sweater in Lin Jiarong’s hands was finished.
Yu Li helped her tidy up the yarn balls and went back to his room.
He lay on the bed, lost in thought for a long time, until 3 a.m. that night, before gradually falling asleep.
The next morning, Yu Li vomited for a while in the bathroom.
He didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t paid much attention to his diet these past few days, combined with staying up late last night, but his morning sickness was particularly severe today.
He lowered his voice, not wanting to wake up Lin Jiarong and Yu Xin.
After emptying his stomach, Yu Li washed up and went back to his room to pack his luggage.
When he came out, Lin Jiarong was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and Yu Xin was helping.
Yu Li stood at the kitchen door with his backpack on, saying goodbye to the two of them, “Mom, Xin Xin, I’m going back to school today.”
He had come back just to see how that uncle was doing, and now that he had the answer, the matter between his mother and that uncle was not something he should interfere with.
Yu Xin turned around in surprise, “Brother, are you leaving so soon?”
Lin Jiarong wiped the water off her hands and said, “Your brother needs to go back to work.”
She looked at Yu Li and said, “Have breakfast before you go, okay?”
Yu Li leaned against the doorframe and shook his head, “No need.”
He thought for a moment and said, “I’m not coming back for Chinese New Year this year, Mom, Xin Xin, take care of yourselves.”
“Okay, we will. You take care of yourself too. Call us often.”
“Buy some bread on the way to the airport to eat, you can’t skip breakfast.”
Yu Li nodded.
He pressed his lips together, wanting to say something else.
But looking at the two of them, he ultimately swallowed the words back into his stomach.
“Mom, Xin Xin, I’m leaving.”
Yu Li felt a little melancholy.
He walked out of the community and got into Yan Shiting’s car, remaining silent all the way to the hotel.
After getting off the car, Yan Shiting took him to a small private room in the hotel restaurant.
Yu Li came back to his senses.
He frowned and said, “Older Brother Yan, I can’t eat anything right now.”
Yan Shiting looked at him coolly and said, “Sit down.”
Yu Li bit his lip, not daring to refuse again, and sat down as he was told.
Soon, a waitress came in carrying two bowls of porridge and some side dishes.
The waitress smiled and said, “Sir, the porridge you cooked is ready. These are the small dishes our chef sent over. Please enjoy.”
As she spoke, Yan Shiting involuntarily furrowed his brows.
He hadn’t expected the waitress to casually mention that the porridge was cooked by him.
Yu Li was startled, looking at the minced meat porridge in front of him, then looking up at Yan Shiting, their gazes meeting.
The waitress put down the porridge and side dishes and left. The private room was silent.
Yu Li lowered his head and looked at the porridge again, murmuring, “This is… you made it?”
He thought for a moment, then asked, “Did you borrow their kitchen?”
Yan Shiting didn’t answer, just said, “Eat.”
Yu Li felt his hands trembling a bit.
He picked up the spoon and took a sip. Immediately, he was stunned.
The taste of this minced meat porridge… is very similar to the one made by the private chef in Y City.
Most chefs’ minced meat porridge will highlight the flavor of the minced meat, seasoned with a bit of salt, producing a thick and creamy porridge.
But the one made by the private chef in Y City, the taste of the minced meat was very light, with little salt, and a small amount of ginger added, making the texture light and delicate, very suitable for Yu Li’s current appetite.
Yu Li took another sip of the porridge, discreetly glancing up at Yan Shiting.
He couldn’t help but feel that something was starting to sprout in his heart.
Yu Li lowered his gaze and gently bit on the porcelain spoon.
–
After breakfast and resting for a while, Yu Li went online to look up the tourist attraction that had caught fire in the county.
It was a maple forest on the east mountain in the county. The fiery red maple leaves, combined with the nearby temple, created a very poetic atmosphere.
After being discovered by a travel blogger during the National Day holiday, it had become a hotspot.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting went to the East Mountain.
Today was the weekend, and several tour groups had come from out of town, so the East Mountain was very crowded, and there were no more parking spots at the foot of the mountain.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting got out of the car and climbed up to the temple.
Standing at the main gate of the temple, Yu Li was a little lost in thought.
He recalled that when he was little, every year on the 19th of the 6th lunar month – supposedly Guanyin’s birthday, his parents would take him and his sister to this temple to burn incense.
At that time, the temple was not very crowded, and there were not even any formal monks or nuns, just a few old people who believed in Buddhism and took care of the temple.
When leaving the temple, he and his sister would each be given a red cloth strap, which the elders said could bring good luck and safety.
Now, the temple that Yu Li remembered as being cold and empty was different. The temple was bustling with worshippers, there were formal monks, and several large incense burners were shrouded in swirling smoke.
Yu Li felt somewhat nostalgic.
The smell in the temple was a bit pungent, and Yu Li couldn’t help but sneeze.
Yan Shiting glanced at him sideways, leading the way towards the maple forest.
After a few steps, Yu Li’s peripheral vision caught sight of three familiar people.
It was his mother, sister, and Wang Jianfeng.
He paused in his steps, instinctively pulling Yan Shiting into a nearby shop selling incense and candles, watching the three of them.
His mother and sister were walking in front, and Wang Jianfeng was silently following a few steps behind.
Yu Li carefully observed his sister’s expression, and found that she only seemed a bit uncomfortable, not as rejecting as she was during the National Day holiday.
He didn’t know what had happened at home after he left.
But from the looks of it, it seems they were heading in a new direction.
Yu Li silently withdrew his gaze.
He turned to look at Yan Shiting and softly said, “Let’s go.”
Yan Shiting looked deeply at Yu Li.
But he didn’t say anything, just reaching out and taking Yu Li’s hand, leading him out of the incense shop.
The maple forest was vast, and there was a small stream not far away.
Apart from that, there wasn’t much else to see.
Yu Li was very careful, not wanting his mother and sister to discover him, so he didn’t even notice that he and Yan Shiting were holding hands.
They walked from the maple forest to the stream pavilion.
Suddenly, it started raining. Yan Shiting frowned at the sky and said, “I’ll go to the convenience store over there to buy an umbrella, wait for me here.”
Before Yu Li could react, Yan Shiting released his hand and ran towards the convenience store.
Yu Li stared dumbly at his retreating back, then lowered his eyelashes and looked at his own hand.
That’s when he realized that just now, he and Yan Shiting had held hands and walked a long distance together.
Yu Li looked at his palm, his gaze blank, his thoughts in turmoil.
After a while, he saw Yan Shiting striding back towards the pavilion with an umbrella.
Yu Li took a few steps towards him, but as it was raining, the tourists were all crowding into the pavilion.
The ground was slippery, and Yu Li was gradually pushed into the corner by the crowd.
He backed up a little, but accidentally stepped on the edge of the pavilion.
About three meters away, Yan Shiting frowned and tried to make his way through the crowd towards Yu Li.
However, as soon as he entered the pavilion, he suddenly heard a familiar short cry:
“Ah—”
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