Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Jin Man closed the car door, snowflakes...
Jin Man closed the car door, snowflakes fell, and he looked up at the lights on in the rental house.
He didn't know how to empathize with other people's sadness, nor did he know how to comfort others. People like them had encountered a lot of bad luck and were able to digest the grief on their own.
When I was a child, funerals were always noisy. The sounds of drums and cymbals were so loud that people were panicked. So many people gathered together, and no matter they were filial sons and grandsons or people who came from far away to attend the funeral, there was not much sadness on their faces.
He was used to such farewells and didn't know how to comfort others.
It seems that he and Lu Yanlin are not friends either.
After a summer and autumn away, the long winter comes again.
Those seemingly false touches and accidental intersections all seemed like a joke. It was surprising to think about it. Even if Lu Yanlin needed healing, he shouldn't have come here.
Jin Man walked a few steps, then turned back, opened the car door, and gently brushed off the snow particles floating on the paper flowers.
never mind.
He pursed his lips and walked into the snow, with snow falling on his shoulders and head.
The supermarket has already hung up red lanterns for the New Year. Jin Man picked out a pair of warm cotton slippers and bought some food. He prefers spicy food, which is perfect for hot pot in winter.
When he went back, the snow was falling even harder. He saw that the car under the street light had disappeared, leaving behind a row of snow-covered tire tracks.
Many times in the past, people left Jinman without any warning. They might just turn around and disappear in the crowd.
Jin Man is not a smart child. It seems that you can often meet people like him who are everywhere and have no special features. So even if he is abandoned, he will not be sad because it is not worth it for him.
He lowered his head and walked up the stairs slowly. He picked up the bag and took out the key to open the door, but the door creaked and opened from the inside.
The orange light of a small sun shone through the door. Lu Yanlin's face was wet, as if he had just washed it. His fair complexion reflected the warm light, and seemed to have suddenly become much gentler.
"Snow."
He pointed at Jin Man's hair. Jin Man reached out to pat it, and the snowflakes fell on his neck, making him shiver.
Lu Yanlin turned around and went to the bathroom, picking out a towel for him.
Jin Man walked in, wiping his hair. The warm feeling neutralized the dampness and coldness brought by the snow. He put the things he bought in the kitchen and found that there was snow on his coat, so he went to the balcony to hang it up.
Lu Yanlin received a phone call, but Jin Man didn't pay attention. When he was preparing to cook, Lu Yanlin came in and said apologetically that he was leaving.
Jin Man: "Your car..."
Lu Yanlin: "I asked someone to drive away, and someone will come to pick me up soon."
Jin Man nodded and continued peeling the radish. After a while, a shadow fell in front of him.
Just as he was about to turn around, he was gently hugged by someone. He was startled. The arms around him were long and strong, and exuded warm body temperature. The sweater was too thin to block out the warmth of another person.
There is a hint of floral scent in the cold air.
"Today, thank you."
Lu Yanlin's words were still brief, his tone was light, and the hug was also very short, without any unnecessary movements.
"Can I come tomorrow?"
Jin Man peeled the radish slowly, and the water washed over his fingers.
Lu Yanlin patiently asked again: "I saw that you bought my slippers, so, can I come over tomorrow?"
Jin Man didn't answer. After a while, he put the radish on the chopping board and cut it into several pieces. He bent down to take the slippers out of the bag and handed them to Lu Yanlin: "I won't be home tomorrow, and I won't be home for the next few days."
Lu Yanlin lowered his eyes, and slowly raised the corners of his mouth. He was very elegant and polite, without any sign of displeasure: "Is that so."
Jin Man nodded, not feeling anything was wrong, but looking at Lu Yanlin's expression, he felt that his mood, which had just improved, had faded a lot.
He couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it: "I have to go back to Liuhe Town tomorrow. I have a relative at home. I'm going back to spend the New Year with him. I probably won't be back until the fourth day of the New Year."
He walked into the house and found a large, thick scarf and a black down jacket from his cupboard, as well as a bag of nuts he had bought for the New Year. He stuffed them all into Lu Yanlin's hands and said, "Take them and eat them. It's too cold outside. Put on some clothes before you leave."
Jin Man’s down jacket had no hood, so he found a pair of gloves and a woolen hat on the sofa. Finally, he rummaged through his pockets and found a key with a red string hanging on it.
He couldn't afford anything good, but those cheap down jackets and towels seemed warm enough.
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. If you don't have anywhere to go, the sheets and quilts here are all washed in the cupboard. There are also dumplings in the refrigerator that I wrapped and froze."
Lu Yanlin seemed to smile, and her long eyelashes drooped, covering the emotions in her eyes.
He took the key that Jin Man handed over and held it together with Jin Man's hand.
Jin Man uttered an "eh," and Lu Yanjin politely let go of his hand. He still looked calm and indifferent, and said to him in a strange tone: "Don't be so nice to everyone."
Lu Yanlin took all those things away.
The next day, Jin Man was preparing to go home. When he was carrying his things downstairs, he found a black car parked at the stairs. It was the car he saw yesterday.
A man in a suit and tie was waiting by the car. When he saw Jin Man, he immediately came over to take the suitcase from his hand. This action scared Jin Man, but he didn't let go: "What are you doing?"
The phone rang simultaneously, and the man smiled and let go of his hand, indicating that he should answer the phone first.
Jin Man sat on the suitcase cautiously, keeping his distance. Seeing a familiar number on his phone, he picked it up. The male voice on the other end was clear and gentle: "Are you going home?"
Jin Man said: "I have already bought the bus ticket."
Lu Yanlin hummed and explained: "The bus is too slow, someone will take you back, so you can get home earlier."
The driver took his luggage respectfully and said with a bright smile: "Don't worry, I will definitely take you to Liuhe Town before 12 noon."
When they arrived at Liuhe Town, the driver took out a lot of New Year's goods from the trunk. If Jin Man had not refused sternly, he would have made him a New Year's Eve dinner.
Jin Man carried bags of New Year's goods to his relatives' house, and then returned to his old house alone.
That year passed just like any other, but there were more firecrackers and fireworks on New Year's Eve than usual, and it seemed there was even an extra fireworks show.
My relative's health has been getting worse in recent years. He coughs and curses when he sees fireworks. The town has money to set off fireworks, but no money to repair the old road up the mountain. From now on, transporting the coffin up the mountain will have to rely on people carrying it. He is really bloated because he has eaten too much.
Jin Man just watched. The fireworks were incredibly beautiful. He didn't go to the town square to set them off, but chose a somewhat remote village. He lived in a place where he could see them clearly.
He took a photo, and in the black night sky, golden fireworks bloomed.
He kept that photo for many years.
The fireworks show lasted for three days, until the fourth day of the New Year when Jin Man returned to Bincheng.
When he opened the door, he was still thinking that Lu Yanlin was not at home. The house was very clean and it didn't feel like anyone lived there. He returned to the kitchen with the vegetables and fruits he had brought back, went downstairs to the supermarket to buy things, and unexpectedly ran into her again.
The coincidence seems intentional.
Lu Yanlin was wearing a black coat and standing next to the shelf. There were a few people next to him and they seemed to be talking.
Jin Man took a look and pushed his cart around the nearby shelves. While he was picking something up, he suddenly ran into an acquaintance. The other person was extremely happy: "Hey, Jin Man, didn't you go back home for the New Year? Why are you back so early? When will you start working? Can you help me find a job?"
Jin Man felt a gaze sweeping over him from behind. He hurriedly dealt with the acquaintance and turned around.
Lu Yanlin stood behind him with a calm expression. After not seeing him for just a few days, he felt that his aura had become more profound, his eyebrows and eyes were handsome and calm, but there was a chill in his eyes.
"Long time no see," he took a box of juice from the shelf, smiled and said, "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
The weather was nice that day, and Lu Yanlin sat in Jin Man's rental house for a few hours. They basked in the sun on the balcony, and Lu Yanlin gave Jin Man a scarf.
"I forgot to bring my clothes. I will bring them next time."
The scarf was very warm, and Jin Man didn't plan to take the clothes, but Lu Yanlin insisted, so they made an appointment to meet next time.
The cold winter that shrouded Bincheng did not seem to stay long. Spring soon arrived, the peach trees on the roadside blossomed, and then the whole city was immersed in a vigorous and vibrant fragrance.
The two people gradually resumed contact.
There were also new changes in the coffee shop where Jin Man worked. Bai Ning quit his job. After he broke up with his boyfriend, he always looked haggard and had a lot on his mind.
The store manager told me that his parents, who worked at Yan's Real Estate, lost their jobs because of a turmoil that spread to the entire group.
Yan's chairman was detained, the stock price plummeted, many media outlets took advantage of the situation, there were almost no positive reports, and it was almost impossible to get a pension.
Bai Ning was worried about his parents' situation and fell seriously ill.
Jin Man found out about this later. He was taking his relatives for a physical examination. When he passed by the ward, he saw Beta lying alone on the bed, curled up in the bed.
He had lost a lot of weight, but his belly was round, as if he was pregnant. Facing Jin Man's surprised gaze, he subconsciously hid under the quilt.
Jin Man did not go to see him. He took his relatives for a check-up, and the results were not good. Although medical insurance could cover part of the cost, the huge amount of money required for cancer chemotherapy was beyond his ability to afford.
Medical expenses were very expensive. After thinking about it for a day, Jin Man quit his easier job at the coffee shop and went to work as a long-term worker at a construction site, hoping to earn the money faster.
But he was so far away from that goal, so far that even if he sold himself he would not be able to reach it, and the speed at which he saved money was far from enough to cover the hospital expenses.
He didn't tell Lu Yanlin about these things. He was so tired that he fell asleep in the hospital. When he woke up after hearing the alarm on his cell phone, he found himself lying on the hospital bed. Lu Yanlin was sitting beside the bed, watching the nurse apply medicine to his scarred hands.
Jin Man was at a loss for a moment, and his first reaction was to get out of bed with his hands: "...I have something else to do."
He found a lot of jobs, and as he kept doing them, there would always be more hope.
Lu Yanlin watched him stand up and suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Jin Man, marry me."
Jin Man was stunned and didn't react. Lu Yanlin was calm and indifferent. As if discussing the weather, he repeated: "Marry me and all your problems will be solved."
Now Jin Man doesn’t understand what Lu Yanlin was thinking at that time.
Why would he propose marriage, and even after being rejected, he proposed a second time with the same indifference.
He didn't give Jin Man too much time to think about it. The next morning, they got their marriage certificate together, adopted a newborn baby, named Lu Zhi, and formed a new family.
The two had been married for five years, but Lu Yanlin had never said that she loved him.
Jin Man had worked hard for others many times before, and for the first time, when he couldn't hold on any longer, someone shared his burden. But he couldn't distinguish between sympathy and love, and the misunderstanding lasted for a long time.
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