Chapter 39

39.

Wen Lin also brought out some warmed Shaoxing wine and poured a small cup for everyone. He happily raised his cup and said, "Come, come, it's rare for Ling Jun to come back today, and it's also the Little New Year, so it's a double celebration. Let's all have a drink."

Everyone toasted each other with their glasses and drank. Cheng Lingjun has never liked drinking, but a little bit is fine. This wine must have been bought from a winery. It wasn't too strong, but it still made her feel warm inside. She didn't feel uncomfortable.

Wen Lin poured another glass for his family and said, "Eat your food, eat your food, don't let it get cold."

Cheng Lingjun put some food on Li Guang's plate. Since he was small and had difficulty picking up food, Cheng Lingjun helped him put some of his favorite dishes on his plate. When she looked back, she saw that she had also put quite a lot of food on her own plate.

Cheng Lingjun looked at Wen Lin sitting next to her, who smiled and said, "Dad knows you love this roast pigeon. You probably haven't had it in a long time, so Dad went out of his way to buy it."

It was still hot after being reheated. Cheng Lingjun tasted it and found it tasted the same as before. She smiled and said, "Is this Nanji roast pigeon? It's still so delicious."

With its crispy skin and tender meat, it's truly a rare delicacy to find in Dahuai Village. Even people from Guping Town have to queue up to buy it. Cheng Lingjun isn't picky about food, but it's normal for her to eat a few extra bites of something that's usually eaten in small quantities.

Wen Lin also put a pigeon leg on Li Guang's plate, saying, "Little Guang, try it too, and see if it's good."

Li Guang took a bite and chimed in, "It's delicious, thank you, Grandpa."

Wen Lin was overjoyed and kept urging Li Guang and Cheng Lingjun to eat more.

Luo Yun seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness from earlier, and spoke to Cheng Lingjun with a smile. He was quite talkative when he wanted to please people, and he took care of everyone at the table. Every word he said could make people laugh and keep the atmosphere from getting cold. Even his second sister, who was the least talkative, would say a few words. Cheng Lingjun and Li Guang were naturally the ones who received the most attention.

Cheng Lingjun knew that her brother-in-law could lose control of his temper when it flared up, but afterwards he would say things that people liked to hear. Her older sister was also a soft-hearted person and had been tormented by her brother-in-law for a long time. The family members did not dare to provoke her brother-in-law, for fear that he would become reckless if he got angry, so they mostly tolerated him.

When her brother-in-law is willing to take care of people, it's quite comforting. Although Cheng Lingjun isn't on the same wavelength as him, she can't help but dislike him.

During the meal, Cheng Lingjun glanced at Cheng Xiu, worried that she might suddenly say something she shouldn't. Fortunately, out of consideration for her brother-in-law and Wen Lin, or perhaps because her personality had changed, she managed to finish the meal peacefully.

After finishing their meal, the group discussed going to the temple fair. Wen Lin suggested that the town was definitely more lively than their remote village, and that they should stay and rest instead of going back.

In fact, Cheng Lingjun hadn't decided whether to stay at the Cheng family home. Today was the Little New Year, and the people of Dahuai Village had agreed to go back a little later, but they had to make it to the ancestral hall to set off fireworks. Some people wanted to stay in Guping Town and could go back the next day, but if someone wanted to take a horse-drawn carriage back to the village, they couldn't stay too late.

Like Cheng Lingjun, there are many people with relatives and friends in Guping Town. Naturally, some people will stay in the town to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Cheng Lingjun looked at Li Guang, who said softly that it doesn't matter where Dad is. Cheng Lingjun was somewhat tempted. Since Dad said so, and it's a festival, it would be good to stay for one night.

Just as she was about to agree, Cheng Xiu suddenly said, "Why go back? To continue embarrassing yourself in public? Everyone in your area should know you've been divorced, right?"

"Wife, mistress..." Wen Lin was stunned and reached out to grab Cheng Xiu's arm.

Everyone else was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment. Luo Yun, being quick-witted, immediately laughed it off and said, "Mother wants my little brother to come home to live. That's great! It'll be lively if we all live together, and we can take care of each other."

As soon as Cheng Xiu said it, she regretted it. It wasn't that she really thought she had said something wrong, but she had just said it so directly. It was because her son had disobeyed her. If he hadn't said those things or talked back to her, she would have been more tactful. Thinking of this, Cheng Xiu became self-righteous again.

Cheng Lingjun stared at her mother, confirming that she meant what she said, and then got up without hesitation, pulling Li Guang out.

"Where are you going?" Wen Lin immediately stood up and tried to catch up with his son.

Cheng Xiu also jumped up and shouted, "Cheng Lingjun, where are you going?!"

Cheng Lingjun turned around and said, "I'm going back to my own home. Since I'm no longer welcome here, I'll go back to where I belong."

Cheng Xiu's face flushed red with anger. "Just because of a few words I said? Did I say anything wrong?!"

“You are certainly not wrong, only the son is wrong,” Cheng Lingjun said, neither wanting to argue nor having the ability to argue. She simply uttered these words and then walked out.

"If you dare leave this house, don't ever come back!" Cheng Xiu's voice almost pierced through the doorway. "Anyone who dares to chase after him will get out too!"

Cheng Lingjun had already stepped out of the house and walked away without looking back. Behind her, she could hear the sound of dishes breaking and the voices of several people talking together.

However, none of this has anything to do with Cheng Lingjun anymore.

After walking out of Guazi Alley and keeping his head down for a while, Cheng Lingjun finally snapped out of his daze.

He quickly let go of Li Guang's hand, squatted down, and looked at him. "Did Dad hurt your hand? Does it hurt?"

Li Guang shook his head, then nodded, "Just...just a little."

Cheng Lingjun held Li Guang's hand in front of his eyes. A red ring had already appeared on Li Guang's wrist. Cheng Lingjun rubbed it tenderly and said, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have used so much force. I was too hasty..."

Li Guang raised his other hand and touched Cheng Lingjun's eye. "Dad, don't cry. Xiao Guang is alright."

Cheng Lingjun rubbed his eyes, speechless for a long time. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were burning; he looked terrible, and the child had seen it.

He should cheer up and not let Li Guang worry about him, but he couldn't do it.

Perhaps Mother is right, he doesn't deserve to be a father, and he makes Li Guang live this kind of life with him. Mother is telling the truth, but why did she say it in front of Li Guang? Isn't that embarrassing him?

Cheng Lingjun stood there in a daze for an unknown amount of time. The heat in his eyes gradually faded, and the heat in his heart also subsided. Looking at the liveliness of Guping Town, he felt out of place. Others were having their own fun, so what did it have to do with him?

He held Li Guang's hand, and the two silently walked to the outside of Guping Town to wait for someone to return to Dahuai Village. They then got into the car together.

The journey there didn't feel fast, but the return trip seemed to have gone by in an instant. Cheng Lingjun was in a daze when she realized that the carriage had stopped and they had already arrived at the village.

By this time, it was completely dark. Everyone in the car with Cheng Lingjun hurriedly got off, saying they wanted to see the fireworks, and ran towards the ancestral hall. Cheng Lingjun, however, was slow and was the last to get off the car.

The surrounding crowd quickly dispersed to one side. Cheng Lingjun glanced at the scene wearily, then forced a smile and said to Li Guang, "Xiao Guang, I'm sorry, Dad is a little tired and can't take you to see the fireworks."

Li Guang shook his head. "Xiao Guang doesn't like watching fireworks. Dad's tired, let's go home."

Going home—what a wonderful word! But where is his home? There's nowhere for him to go back to.

My life is like a floating duckweed; where can I find a place to settle down?

Cheng Lingjun dragged his tired body back to his rented room. When he reached the door, he paused and looked back at the house across the street. It was still as quiet as when he left, as if no one was inside.

Cheng Lingjun gave a self-deprecating laugh, unsure of what he was expecting. Li Guang looked at him with some confusion. Cheng Lingjun didn't say anything and pulled Li Guang inside.

After preparing and heating the water for Li Guang, Cheng Lingjun helped him wipe his body, tidied up some clothes, and coaxed him to sleep. Looking at Li Guang's sleeping face, Cheng Lingjun slowly closed the door.

Li Guang had been riding in a carriage all day. Not to mention such a young child, even Cheng Lingjun was finding it hard to keep up. The physical exhaustion was real, but the lack of sleepiness was also real.

There were no lights on in the room, but even though it was dark, starlight and moonlight streamed in through the windows, allowing Cheng Lingjun to see many things without needing any lamps.

Thanks to his usual diligence and Li Guang's obedience, the room was very clean and tidy, so even if he wanted to find something to do, there was nothing to do.

But if he does nothing, he will start to overthink. So Cheng Lingjun can only find something to do, such as moving things from the east to the west and things from the west to the south. In the midst of his busyness, he heard the sound of fireworks rising, far away but very bright.

It illuminated half the sky with dazzling light.

"Ding."

There was a sound of something falling.

Cheng Lingjun looked down and saw a small porcelain rabbit holding the moon ornament lying on the ground.

The light from the fireworks shone on it, and the porcelain trinket shimmered with a jade-like hue.

He carefully picked it up; thankfully it wasn't broken. He stared blankly at the ornament, realizing that with so many things happening today, he had almost forgotten he had bought it.

Cheng Lingjun took it and walked out, but stopped at the door.

What is he going to do now?

Cheng Lingjun's mind went blank. He was actually walking out on instinct, but after calming down, he didn't know why he had gone out.

At this hour, he's probably asleep, or perhaps he's gone to the ancestral hall to watch the fireworks; he certainly won't be coming back.

Cheng Lingjun told himself this, but his feet seemed to want to take a step against his will. While he hesitated, he actually opened the door.

The person standing at the door made Cheng Lingjun freeze in place.

"you……"

"You're back?"

Guan Yue stood in front of the door, one hand clenched into a fist as if about to knock, the other holding a bag of pastries, looking up at him from under the threshold.

“I just went to see the fireworks and tasted this sesame cake. It was delicious, so I thought I'd buy some for you… You guys try it. I was worried you weren't home yet, but thankfully you are.”