Chapter 28
When Yu Li returned home, Yu Xin had already gone to her room to sleep.
Lin Jiarong was still knitting in the living room, occasionally raising his hand to rub his eyes.
Hearing Yu Li's voice as she returned, she turned around, smiled, and said, "Li Zi is back."
Yu Li paused for a moment while changing her shoes.
He stared at Lin Jiarong's retreating figure for a long while before asking, "Mom, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
Lin Jiarong gestured to the yarn in his hand and said, "Tomorrow is a day off, so you can sleep in a little later. Take advantage of the time and knit the sweaters for you and Xin Xin as soon as possible."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head again and focused on tidying up the yarn in her hands.
Yu Li changed her shoes and sat down next to her.
He helped untie a knot and twist 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."
"The weather will get cold in a little over a month, so we need to hurry."
Yu Li couldn't refuse her, so she had no choice but to sit beside her and keep her company.
"Why did you suddenly decide to knit sweaters for me and Xin Xin?"
Lin Jiarong chuckled and said, "You forgot? When you and Xin Xin were little, I would knit sweaters for you almost every year. Later..."
Her movements suddenly stopped.
Yu Li also lowered her eyes and fell silent.
After his father passed away, his mother was immersed in grief and had to support the family, so she never had time to knit sweaters for them again.
The fact that she's knitting sweaters for them again, besides the reduced financial burden at home, might also indicate that Mom has moved on from her grief.
Yu Li pursed her lips and said, "I haven't forgotten."
He looked at Lin Jiarong, clutching the ball of yarn he had just finished tidying up.
He recalled the report Yan Shiting had shown him and tentatively said, "Mom, I saw a report in the local media today that said... that your factory caught fire a year ago."
He paused, then continued, "Why didn't you tell me and Xin Xin about something this big?"
Lin Jiarong twirled the thread in his hand and said, "I think it's all in the past. Telling you will only make you and Xin Xin worry."
Upon hearing this, Yu Li's face paled slightly: "Mom, were you injured? Is that why you didn't tell us?"
Lin Jiarong smiled reassuringly: "No, no, everyone who worked overtime that night is fine, it's just that some of the goods in the factory were burned."
She seemed to recall something, stopped what she was doing, and said with emotion, "The fire started very quickly, and everyone panicked when they saw it. My aunt Ping and I were in a corner, and we almost couldn't squeeze out."
"Several shelves in the workshop were accidentally knocked over... Fortunately, someone came and took us out quickly."
She spoke briefly, but Yu Li could sense that she had omitted something; the fire was definitely not as simple as she described.
He worked at Wenhua Garment Factory during the winter break and knew what the area around his mother's and her colleagues' workstations was like.
Those shelves are piled with materials and finished products; they will definitely burn if a fire breaks out.
Perhaps that's why my mother and the others couldn't squeeze out when the fire started.
Then... Wang Jianfeng evacuated the crowd and led them out.
Yu Li looked intently at Lin Jiarong.
The other person had a faint smile on their face and gentle eyes.
Yu Li had found the answer in her heart.
Perhaps it was because of that fire that Mom and Wang Jianfeng met.
Now it seems that Mom doesn't have no feelings for Wang Jianfeng either.
He put down the ball of yarn in his hand, breathed a long sigh of relief, and said, "Mom, if anything happens again in the future, no matter how big or small, good or bad, try to tell me and Xin Xin about it."
“We are family and can help you. If you don’t tell us, Xin Xin and I will be even more worried if we find out elsewhere.”
Lin Jiarong put down the needle in his hand and patted Yu Li's hair: "Okay, I understand. My Lizi has grown up and can handle things."
Yu Li smiled and nodded.
Soon, Lin Jiarong finished knitting the sleeves of the sweater in his hand.
Yu Li helped her tidy up the ball of yarn and went back to her room.
He lay in bed in a daze for a long time, until three in the morning, when he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Yu Li vomited for a long time in the toilet.
I don't know if it's because he hasn't been paying attention to his diet these past few days, and he also stayed up late last night, but his morning sickness is particularly severe today.
He lowered his voice so as not to disturb Lin Jiarong and Yu Xin.
After vomiting everything out of her stomach, Yu Li washed up and returned to her room to pack her luggage.
When they came out, Lin Jiarong was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and Yu Xin was helping him.
Yu Li, carrying her schoolbag, stood at the kitchen doorway and said goodbye to the two of them: "Mom, Xin Xin, I'm going back to school today."
He came back to see what kind of person that uncle was, and now that he has the answer, the matter between his uncle and mother is no longer his concern.
Yu Xin turned her head in surprise, "Brother, you're leaving already?"
Lin Jiarong wiped the water off his hands and said, "Brother has to go back to work."
She looked at Yu Li and said, "Why don't you have breakfast before you leave?"
Yu Li leaned against the door frame and shook her head. "No."
He really has no appetite right now.
He thought for a moment and said, "I won't be coming back for Chinese New Year this year. Mom, Xin Xin, please take good care of yourselves."
"Okay, we will. You take good care of yourself too. Call us often."
"Let's buy some bread on the way to the airport; we can't skip breakfast."
Yu Li nodded.
He pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something more.
But looking at the two people in front of him, he ultimately swallowed his words.
"Mom, Xin Xin, I'm leaving."
...
Yu Li felt a little lost.
He walked out of the residential area, got into Yan Shiting's car, and silently drove to the hotel.
After getting out of the car, Yan Shiting led him to a small private room in the hotel restaurant.
Yu Li came to her senses.
He frowned and said, "Brother Yan, I can't eat anything right now."
Yan Shiting glanced at him indifferently and said, "Sit down first."
Yu Li bit her lip, unable to refuse any longer, and sat down in the chair as he instructed.
A short while later, a waiter came in carrying two bowls of porridge and side dishes.
The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, your porridge is ready. Here are some side dishes from our chef. Please enjoy."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Shiting subconsciously frowned.
He didn't expect that the waiter would casually mention that the porridge he had cooked was served.
Yu Li was taken aback. She looked at the minced meat porridge in front of her, then looked up at Yan Shiting, and her eyes met Yan Shiting's.
The waiter placed the porridge and side dishes and then left, leaving the small private room in silence.
Yu Li looked down at the porridge again and murmured, "Did you make this?"
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you borrow their kitchen?"
Yan Shiting did not answer, but only said, "Eat."
Yu Li felt her hands trembling slightly.
He picked up the spoon, took a bite, and then froze.
The taste of this minced meat congee... is almost the same as that private chef's in Y City.
Most chefs make minced meat congee that highlights the flavor of the minced meat, adding some salt, resulting in a thick and creamy texture.
But the private chef in Y City made it with very mild minced meat, not much salt, and a small amount of minced ginger. The taste was light but not bland, which was perfect for Yu Li's current palate.
Yu Li took another sip of porridge and quietly glanced at Yan Shiting.
For some reason, I feel a little itchy inside.
It seems like something is beginning to sprout.
Yu Li looked away and gently bit the porcelain spoon.
-
After having breakfast and resting for a while, Yu Li went online to look up the tourist attraction in the county that had become popular.
It was a maple forest on the eastern mountain of the county town. The fiery red maple leaves, combined with a nearby temple, created a very picturesque scene.
It became a hit after being discovered by a travel blogger during the National Day holiday.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting arrived at Dongshan.
Today is the weekend, and with several tour groups from out of town arriving, Dongshan Mountain is extremely crowded, and there are no parking spaces available at the foot of the mountain.
Yu Li and Yan Shiting got out of the car and climbed the slope to the temple.
Standing at the temple gate, Yu Li was somewhat dazed.
He recalled that when he was a child, every year on the 19th day of the sixth lunar month—said to be the birthday of Guanyin—his parents would bring him and his sister to this temple to offer incense.
At that time, there were hardly any people in the temple, not even proper monks and nuns. There were only a few elderly people who believed in Buddhism and were managing the temple.
When they left the temple, he and his sister would tie a red cloth ribbon around their hands, which the elders said would ensure their safety.
Unlike the deserted temple in Yu Li's memory, this temple is now bustling with worshippers, with proper monks and smoke billowing from several large incense burners.
Yu Li was quite moved.
The smell in the temple was a bit pungent, and Yu Li couldn't help but sneeze.
Yan Shiting glanced at him sideways, then led his men away, heading towards the maple forest.
After walking a few steps, Yu Li caught a glimpse of three familiar faces out of the corner of her eye.
It was his mother, his sister, and Wang Jianfeng.
He paused, then subconsciously pulled Yan Shiting into a nearby shop selling incense and candles, looking at the three people.
His mother and younger sister walked ahead, while Wang Jianfeng followed silently two steps behind.
Yu Li carefully observed her younger sister's expression and found that she was just a little uncomfortable, not as resistant as she had been during the National Day holiday.
I wonder what happened at home after he left.
But it seems to be heading in a new direction.
Yu Li silently looked away.
He turned to look at Yan Shiting and said softly, "Let's go."
Yan Shiting looked intently at Yu Li.
But he didn't say anything. Instead, he took Yu Li's hand and pulled him away from the incense and candle shop.
The maple forest is very large, and there is a stream not far away.
Besides that, there's nothing else to see.
Yu Li was being careful not to be discovered by his mother and sister, so they didn't notice that he and Yan Shiting were holding hands.
We walked from the maple forest to the stream.
It suddenly started raining. Yan Shiting frowned and looked at the sky. He pulled Yu Li to the pavilion by the stream 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 let go of his hand and ran towards the convenience store.
Yu Li stared blankly at his back, then lowered her eyelashes and looked at her own hands.
He then remembered that he and Yan Shiting had just walked a long way hand in hand.
Yu Li stared blankly at her palm, her thoughts racing.
After a while, he saw Yan Shiting walking briskly toward the pavilion, holding an umbrella.
Yu Li also took two steps toward him, but unexpectedly, because of the rain, the nearby tourists all crowded into the pavilion.
The ground was slippery, and Yu Li was gradually squeezed into a corner by the crowd.
He stepped back a little, but accidentally stepped on the edge of the pavilion.
Three meters away, Yan Shiting frowned and struggled to walk towards Yu Li through the crowd.
However, as soon as he entered the pavilion, he suddenly heard a familiar, short, startled cry:
"ah--"
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