Chapter 15 Excuses, all excuses

When I said goodbye to Lin Feier in the evening breeze, the street lights were already emitting a warm yellow glow.

After wandering around for the whole day, especially after revealing the secret hidden in his heart to Lin Feier, the stone weighing on his heart seemed to have been chiseled open, and a little light came through.

Su Nian opened the door and found that Ms. Su Hong was not there - at this time, she was probably going to the community square to meet up with her "dance partners".

Su Nian took a deep breath and made up her mind: when her mother comes back, she will tell her everything clearly.

She turned on the TV, but the laughter on the screen seemed to be separated by a layer of frosted glass and could not penetrate her heart.

Instead, my mind played out a movie, replaying the possible scenarios over and over again: the light in my mother's eyes dimming, or her voice suddenly rising in disappointment, or even a long silence, so long that the air felt stiff...

The clock on the wall ticked, and every tick felt like a knock on my heart.

It wasn't until she heard a familiar sound of footsteps in the corridor, coming closer and closer, that Su Nian's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly turned off the TV, her palms sweating, and her fingers unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes.

The door opened, and Ms. Su Hong walked in with a worldly air. The smile on her face was brighter than the street light, and she was holding a bag of bright yellow oranges in her hand.

"Niannian is back?" she asked, her tone still full of the joy of having just finished dancing, as she changed her shoes. "The square was so lively today. Aunt Li stared at the new steps I learned and praised me so much that I almost felt embarrassed!"

"Mom," Su Nian suppressed her emotions and deliberately joked, "Are there any uncles who are secretly looking at you while praising your dance steps?"

"You little girl, have you learned to make fun of your mother?" Ms. Su Hong raised her hand as if to hit, but a smile was in her eyes. "You're itching again, aren't you?"

"I'm serious." Su Nian dropped the joke and said seriously, "I'm already old enough. You shouldn't always be around me. It's time for you to have your own life."

"Don't worry, Mom knows what's going on." Su Hong picked up her pajamas and walked briskly to the bathroom. "I don't like most people. If there's someone I really like, I'll naturally consider him." As she pushed the door open, she turned back and added, "I'm going to take a shower first. It's too hot, and I'm sweating from dancing."

Listening to the sound of water in the bathroom, Su Nian looked at the ceiling and sighed softly.

My mother's mood tonight is like a flower in full bloom in the spring breeze. She really doesn't want to pour a basin of cold water on it at this moment, so she decides to wait a little longer.

Su Nian had just finished taking a shower and lay down on the bed when her cell phone vibrated. The three words "Lin Fei'er" jumped on the screen with extreme urgency.

"Have you confessed?" The voice on the other end of the phone was like a little rabbit, revealing uncontrollable nervousness.

"No." Su Nian's voice was faint. "Ms. Su Hong is in a good mood today, and I don't want to spoil her fun."

"Excuses, all excuses! Even if Aunt Su is in a bad mood, are you going to say that you don't want to make things worse?" Lin Feier pointed out.

"Niannian, putting it off is more exhausting! Believe me, some things are like thorns stuck in your hand, the sooner you pull them out, the better."

"Yeah, I know." Su Nian responded, her fingertips unconsciously sliding across the bed sheets.

"Okay, think about it carefully and don't get stuck on it." Lin Fei'er's voice softened. "Remember, I'll help you if the sky falls. Feel free to come to me if you need anything."

After hanging up the phone, silence returned to the room.

Perhaps the most gentle thing about life is that no matter how much anxiety you hide, there are always lights on for you and there is always someone behind you to give you warmth.

Su Nian slowly placed her hand on her lower abdomen. In the warmth under her palm, there was a secret that was quietly sprouting.

That night, Su Nian had her first good sleep in days. In her dream, she saw vast fields of sunflowers chasing the sun, resembling the truest form of life.

Little did he know that Si Yan's life was like an overturned palette, and his original appearance could no longer be recognized.

The moment he saw Su Nian in the coffee shop, he really just wanted to give his aunt an excuse on a whim.

Yes, but also not right!

Ask yourself, if it was someone else at the time, would he have hired someone else to act?

The answer is no.

Some choices may seem accidental, but they are actually foreshadowings laid by fate, just waiting for the right time to turn the page.

Since the afternoon, my phone has been ringing non-stop as if it had been pressed on a loop button.

Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom... everyone's voice was filled with unconcealable anticipation and curiosity.

Especially the grandparents, they can’t wait to take people back tomorrow.

And my aunt would send a voice message from time to time. If she wasn't afraid of disturbing her nephew's date, I'm afraid she would join the phone bombing.

Si Yan looked at the darkening sky outside the window and suddenly realized something: lies are like snowballs, they get bigger and bigger and will eventually suffocate him.

He stared at the screen of his phone, which contained a message from his aunt: "Ayan, your grandfather said that we'll have a family dinner this weekend, so you must bring Su Nian back! The whole family is waiting to meet her."

——This play can no longer be performed.

Either that, or...it becomes real.

When I woke up the next day, the house was quiet. There was a note on the dining table: Mom went to the store, breakfast is in the pot, remember to eat it.

Su Nian ate breakfast slowly and then went to the sewing shop.

Ms. Su Hong, Aunt Fen, and Qiuyan in the store have been busy for a long time.

"Good morning, everyone!" She walked in with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. "If you need anything, just give me a call."

"The dimensions are written down in that notebook. Take the fabric and cut it according to the requirements." Ms. Su Hong said without raising her head, moving the scissors in her hand straight along the chalk line.

"Okay!" Su Nian responded straightforwardly, but stood still. She looked at her mother's profile and suddenly found that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had deepened.

"Qiuyan, put down what you are doing and go watch her and help her check on it." Ms. Su Hong said after thinking for a while.

"Okay." Qiuyan nodded gratefully.

She understood Aunt Su's intentions - just like when building a nest for a little bird, the big bird would always deliberately leave a few branches so that the little bird could learn to complete the final steps.

Two young girls cut cloth together, their scissors gleaming silver in the sunlight.

They asked and answered questions, discussed and negotiated, like two little birds that had just learned to build a nest, clumsily but seriously weaving dreams for the future.

Whenever they encounter something they don’t understand, Ms. Su Hong will come over and teach them step by step.

Those skills that cannot be learned in school are passed down stitch by stitch.

The four of them had lunch and dinner in the shop. Half of the three shops were separated to serve as a kitchen and tea room. Although it was simple, it was full of the atmosphere of life.

The clashing of pots and pans, the aroma of food, and the laughter that comes one after another constitute the most ordinary yet warmest daily scene.