Chapter 217 Ten Years Later, Life and Death Are Separated by a Vast Distance

By the time the two had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already dark.

Lu Fan cut some grass and fed it to Big Horn and the others.

I also squeezed some goat milk from the sheep.

Then it was time to rest.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell on the floor like a thin layer of silver gauze.

Lu Fan and An Lan lay on their respective beds, the warm blankets making them drowsy.

But Lu Fan kept his eyes open, still thinking about tomorrow's plans.

...

"Xiao Fan? Xiao Fan?"

The gentle call pulled Lu Fan back from his daze.

The video on my phone was playing halfway through, and the screen was still flickering slightly.

He subconsciously looked up, and a familiar scene came into view.

The furniture inside the house was arranged just as it had always been, and their photos hung on the walls, every detail etched with the warmth of the past.

Lu Fan's gaze slowly swept across the room, finally settling on the dining table where his parents stood smiling.

The table was laden with steaming dishes, the rising steam carrying the aroma of home.

"Xiao Fan, stop playing on your phone and come eat." Mom's voice carried a hint of reproach, but was full of affection.

Lu Fan suddenly remembered that it was time to eat, and he still had to propose after dinner.

He quickly put down his phone and walked to the dining table to sit down.

Braised eggplant, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and fried dried anchovies are all his favorite dishes.

Of course, there's also Dad's favorite snack with drinks—fried peanuts.

Lu Fan couldn't wait to pick up a piece of stir-fried pork with chili peppers. The moment it entered his mouth, the familiar taste blossomed on his taste buds.

"Mom, your cooking is still so delicious. I've been craving it so much when I'm out." His voice was full of affection.

A happy smile bloomed on Mom's face, and even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes revealed her tenderness: "As long as you like it, Mom will make it for you every day."

Lu Fan smiled and turned to look at his father, who was leisurely drinking: "Dad, how about I have a drink with you?"

A slightly disdainful smile appeared on Dad's lips as he said irritably, "Come on, with your alcohol tolerance of one drink, you say you want to drink with me? Sigh, you didn't inherit even a fraction of my drinking capacity."

Mom gently patted Dad and scolded him, "Honestly, what's so good about drinking? Be careful you don't drink yourself into trouble. Xiao Fan, don't follow your dad's example. Mom prefers you not to drink."

Lu Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter, defending his father: "Mom, just let Dad have a little, it'll be fine. Otherwise, he'll be so hungry he won't be able to sleep."

"Hehe, I love hearing that from my son." Dad smiled, took a sip of wine, and then picked up a few peanuts and popped them into his mouth.

The family sat around the table, their laughter filling the air.

His mother kept putting food into Lu Fan's bowl, and the warm atmosphere was like a soft quilt, tightly wrapping Lu Fan and filling his heart with peace.

Looking at Lu Fan, his mother couldn't help but sigh, "I never thought our little Fan would be proposing so soon. Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, our child has grown up."

Dad also took a sip of his drink: "He's an adult now, don't always look at him like a child."

Mom rolled her eyes at Dad: "In my heart, Xiaofan will always be a child."

"Yeah, who knows, I might need you guys to help me take care of my kids in the future. I'm a kid myself, I can't handle it," Lu Fan said, taking a bite of rice without looking up.

"You brat, you should marry her first."

The dinner table was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

After dinner, Mom and Dad went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, as usual.

In the kitchen, the warm yellow light cast their shadows upon each other, creating an intimate and cozy atmosphere.

Lu Fan sat alone on the sofa, quietly immersing himself in this moment of tranquility, as if time itself had stopped for this beautiful moment.

This is fake.

The sudden appearance of a notification sound from Heaven shattered this peaceful moment.

Lu Fan's smile froze instantly, and the color drained from his face.

He slowly lowered his head, his hand unconsciously placing the phone aside, as if afraid that the light from the phone would disturb this fragile tranquility.

"...I know, of course I know..."

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible, as if he were talking to himself.

His body trembled slightly uncontrollably. He tried to hold back his tears, but the soreness in his nose, like a surging tide, almost completely overwhelmed his mental defenses.

At this moment, Mom came out of the kitchen and immediately noticed Lu Fan's strange expression.

She rushed over, her eyes filled with worry and concern: "Xiao Fan, what's wrong? Tell Mom what happened."

As she spoke, she reached out and gently stroked Lu Fan's head, trying to comfort him.

Lu Fan bit her lip, trying to suppress her sobs, but her body trembled even more violently.

Dad came over and gently patted Lu Fan's shoulder with his broad hand: "Son, don't be afraid. Tell Dad what's wrong. Our old house was demolished for development. We just received a large sum of compensation. Don't be afraid."

Hearing this, Lu Fan could no longer suppress his inner pain and choked out, "...I really, really miss you all, but, in this world I'm in now, without you...I'm an orphan again..."

Tears welled up in her eyes and fell to the ground, splashing out in sorrowful sprays.

His mother held Lu Fan tightly in her arms with heartache. In his mother's warm embrace, Lu Fan's tense emotions broke down instantly, and he could no longer hold back, bursting into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Mommy and Daddy are here."

His mother gently patted Lu Fan's back, her movements tender, just like when she used to lull him to sleep when he was a child.

Lu Fan slowly raised his head, and through his teary eyes, he saw his parents' figures gradually becoming illusory and weak.

He forced a smile, though it was filled with bitterness and reluctance: "I really, really miss you all... but you haven't come to see me even once..."

The gentle smiles on Mom and Dad's faces still lingered; they seemed to know that it was all an illusion, a dream.

With tears in her eyes, Mom said softly, "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad miss you every day. Even if you're in another world, even if we can't see you anymore, as long as Xiaofan is alive, Mom and Dad are happy. True family will always be in our hearts."

Dad smiled with satisfaction, his eyes filled with pride: "What you're doing now is a great thing that benefits the country and its people. Dad is proud of you."

Lu Fan was already in tears, his lips slightly parted, but he found that his throat was blocked, and he didn't know where to begin to say the thousand words he wanted to say.

Then, his parents' figures gradually faded away until they completely disappeared from his sight.

But the loving smiles on their faces as they left were deeply imprinted in Lu Fan's heart.

Lu Fan sat there blankly on the sofa, motionless, like a sculpture frozen in sorrow.

The clock on the wall ticked away, each tick a relentless reminder that it was all just a dream.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Fan slowly raised his head.

At this moment, he was wearing a black suit and standing alone in a quiet cemetery.

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a hint of chill.

He held a bouquet of flowers in his hands, the dew on the flowers like his undried tears.

He looked sadly at the tombstone in front of him. The girl's photo on the tombstone was smiling brightly. She looked so familiar yet so strange.

But now she can only stand on this cold stone tablet, separated from him by life and death.

Lu Fan slowly squatted down, his hand trembling as he reached out and gently stroked the photo on the tombstone, as if he could touch her warmth again.

He raised his hand, took off the gold ring from his ring finger, and placed it in front of the tombstone.

Those were their wedding rings, made by hand, carrying their most cherished memories.

"Ten years have passed since we were separated by life and death. I try not to think of you, but I can't forget you. Your lonely grave is a thousand miles away. There is no place to express my sorrow."

Lu Fan's voice was low and hoarse, each word seemed to be squeezed out from the deepest part of his heart, and his eyes revealed endless sorrow.

"I'm only now truly understanding this poem, but I can barely remember what you look like."

The only response he received was the howling wind, a sound that seemed like her whispers, or perhaps the endless sorrow echoing deep within his heart.

Lu Fan gently wiped the tombstone, a thousand guilts welling up in his heart, but when he tried to speak, he was choked by endless sorrow and could not get the words out.

Finally, Lu Fan slowly stood up, his back looking lonely and forlorn.

"Even in my dreams, you won't come to see me?" he murmured softly, his voice quickly carried away by the wind.

Suddenly, he noticed a shorter tombstone next to him that seemed familiar.

"Lu Fan!"

A hand slammed down on his shoulder.

...

Lu Fan slowly opened his eyes, but there was nothing in front of him.

He raised his hand to wipe away his tears, trying to calm himself down.

"It was a dream..."

Lu Fan turned over and saw An Lan on the opposite kang (a heated brick bed).

An Lan had her back to him, covered with a thick bearskin.

A complex expression appeared in Lu Fan's eyes; sometimes he didn't even know how to face her.

Every time he tried to get closer, a silhouette would appear in his mind, piercing his nerves.

He silently watched An Lan, and then quietly fell asleep.

But little did he know, he wasn't the only one who wasn't asleep.