The wind blows through the street, and sunlight streams through the rustling leaves, creating a dappled play of light and shadow.
Jiang Xia and Lin Yanwan each held Lin Xiaoman's hand, just like when they used to go shopping together.
"I'm sorry, after seeing you before, I wasn't sure if you felt the same way as me, so..." Lin Yanwan pursed her lips, looked away, and said softly, "So, I didn't dare to contact you."
"I know, and didn't we already agree to get a divorce? It's fine as it is now." Jiang Xia was surprisingly calm about the matter; not disturbing each other was the best course of action.
"Hmm..." Lin Yanwan responded softly, but hearing Jiang Xia say it made her feel a little empty inside.
"To be honest, I was very happy to know that you were also reborn."
She glanced at Jiang Xia's slightly immature profile out of the corner of her eye and quietly added in her heart: Thank you for rushing to save me without hesitation during the earthquake.
Some feelings cannot be simply severed by rebirth or divorce; they may remain in one's heart for a lifetime.
"Me too."
"Um... Dad... Mom, are they alright?" Lin Yanwan's face flushed slightly.
In any case, after marrying Jiangxia, her parents-in-law treated her very well. Even though they hadn't had children for several years after their marriage, they never treated her harshly, openly or secretly.
As for divorce, that's a matter between the two of them. After the divorce, they should still address each other as they normally would. Perhaps, if their parents-in-law hadn't passed away one after another, the two of them wouldn't have gradually reached the point of divorce.
"Sister, Mom and Dad are in good health~" Lin Xiaoman hopped and skipped around, playing with the light and shadow, her voice soft and cute.
Jiang Xia smiled helplessly: "It's alright, you'll be fine in the future..."
He paused, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "You don't have to call me that anymore."
A failed marriage is a failed marriage. Keeping those terms of address around will only add to the awkwardness. Besides, the two of them have started anew, and only by being free of attachments can they have a fresh future.
After a moment of silence, Lin Yanwan nodded gently: "Okay, you too."
In this world, there is no longer any trace of the two people being married. Let that memory remain in your heart as a beautiful thought.
"By the way, Dad... Uncle and Aunt... you must be careful," she reminded him.
"I will not let this tragedy happen again," Jiang Xia said firmly and resolutely.
"Okay, that's good."
He turned his head to look at Lin Yanwan's beautiful and delicate face, and suddenly said, "I wonder if you have noticed that this world is very different from the original one."
"Yes, I know. In this era of opportunity, there are opportunities everywhere." Lin Yanwan looked at him, her eyes crinkling into a smile, and asked, "Can it fly?"
Jiang Xia smiled too, her hair fluttering, her face radiating the spiritedness of a high school student.
Does "soaring into the sky count?"
"I'll wait and see."
Jiang Xia knelt down at the intersection and patted Lin Xiaoman's head: "Xiaoman, be a good girl and come home with your sister, okay?"
Lin Xiaoman looked up in surprise: "Didn't my sister say she was going to take me to the amusement park?"
"How about I take you next time? Xiaoman, you should listen to the doctor. Go home now, take a shower, change into some clean clothes, and rest so your hands won't hurt anymore."
"oh."
She nodded emphatically, then gripped Jiang Xia's sleeve tightly again: "Brother, aren't you coming home with me?"
"Xiaoman, your brother still has to go to school, be good~" Lin Yanwan said softly.
"But..." The sister-in-law looked around fearfully, "What if another big black dog runs over and bites Xiaoman? Xiaoman is scared."
"Xiaoman, don't be afraid. Actually, many dogs are quite cute. That naughty dog was just an exception, you know?" Jiang Xia smiled.
"I...I...Xiaoman, don't be afraid! Xiaoman likes good dogs, not bad dogs!" she said, mustering her courage. "Xiaoman, go home and take a shower first, then we'll go out to play next time."
"So sensible!"
Jiang Xia patted his sister-in-law's head again, stood up, looked at his ex-wife, slowly extended his hand, and smiled broadly.
Happy breakup.
Lin Yanwan paused for a moment, then extended her hand and smiled, saying, "I wish you happiness."
Their hands slowly clasped together, and they both saw a sense of relief in each other's eyes, as if they had completely let go.
Then, Jiang Xia turned around gracefully and disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yanwan stared blankly at his departing figure, a single tear suddenly and uncontrollably welling up in the corner of her eye.
Even if you signed a divorce agreement in your past life, you still had to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to officially complete the divorce procedures, but now...
Eight years of marriage, just a simple sentence, and the two seemed to have no connection anymore.
Two lines that had just begun to intersect were growing further and further apart as they stretched out indefinitely.
Lin Xiaoman glanced at her departing brother, then looked up at her sister and asked innocently, "Sister, why are you crying?"
"Nonsense, my sister didn't cry. She just... got some sand in her eyes."
She silently wiped away her tears, then pulled her sister to the roadside and flagged down a taxi to go home.
In the car, Lin Yanwan gazed out the window, lost in thought.
She silently chanted "Happy Breakup" over and over in her heart. If she weren't already old at heart, she might have cried her heart out like a little girl to commemorate her lost love.
Seemingly sensing that her sister was feeling down, Lin Xiaoman hugged her sister's arm and rubbed against her.
"Sister, is it because you and brother got divorced that he won't come home with us? Sister, please don't divorce him, okay?"
Lin Yanwan felt a slight pang in her heart, but unexpectedly, she didn't refute it. Her complicated emotions eventually turned into a deep sigh.
"Sister, if you're unhappy because brother left, how about Xiaoman goes and finds him back? If sister is unhappy, Xiaoman will be unhappy too." Lin Xiaoman crossed her arms and pouted, looking sullen.
Lin Yanwan gently held her little hand: "Xiaoman, don't worry, I'm fine now."
"Um!"
"Sister, you and brother are divorced. Will I ever see brother again?" The sister-in-law looked up, her big, watery eyes filled with hope.
“It should be fine…” Lin Yanwan continued, “Xiaoman, my brother and I are just classmates, not husband and wife.”
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror upon hearing the noise. The girl was wearing the uniform of a nearby high school. Why was she talking about divorce and marriage all the time? Are high school students these days so promiscuous?
"Sister is lying!"
Her breath hitched; she hadn't expected a child to be so sensitive.
"Anyway, you can't just say anything when you get home, you know that?"
Outside the window, the scenery rushed past, just like the eight years of marriage we shared, now buried deep within my heart.
Saying goodbye to the past, she suddenly remembered that lyric and couldn't help but sing it softly.
"You swear you'll live with a smile."
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