Chapter 98: Choosing the Hardest Path
Zhou Xubai got out of the car and took the luggage from Su's father without saying a word.
Father Su looked at his son and explained, "I asked Xiaobai to come and help. It was Xiaobai who helped find the house. He came to help, so why are you talking like that?"
Su Yumian choked and didn't know how to refute.
The situation between him and Zhou Xubai was very awkward.
They said they were friends, but something like that happened yesterday.
Even if it's not the case, ten years of friendship cannot be easily erased.
"Get in the car first, and we'll talk slowly when we get there." Father Su urged.
Helplessly, Su Yumian had to help his mother get into the car.
Zhou Xubai sat in the passenger seat. After telling the driver the address, the group headed towards their destination.
But no one noticed that there was a black sedan following their car from a distance.
As the car gradually drove away from the town, they came to a rural area with a strong sense of fireworks and corn planted everywhere.
Zhou Xubai pointed to a small bungalow ahead and said to the driver, "Master, just stop here."
"good."
Zhou Xubai quickly got out of the car to open the door for Su Yumian and reached out to help Su Yumian down.
Su Yumian looked at his outstretched hand in silence for a few seconds, then pushed it away, "No need."
Then he helped Su's mother down the driveway, "Mom, slow down."
Zhou Xubai curled his lips in a self-deprecating smile, then took out the key to open the door.
"Uncle and aunt, come in, this house belongs to my uncle. His family moved to another city, and it just happened to be useful right now."
As soon as the door opened, thick dust hit me in the face.
"The house hasn't been lived in for a long time, so don't mind if it's a little dirty."
The house is not big, with a total of four rooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a walled yard.
Upon hearing this, Father Su hurriedly said, "Uncle also has to thank you for providing a place to stay. It can be lived in after cleaning up. Go and have a good sleep. Why don't you thank Xiaobai quickly?"
Su Yumian glanced at Zhou Xubai, then turned his head and said softly, "Thank you."
To be honest, he didn't know what kind of mentality he should have when facing Zhou Xubai.
Father Su saw this and shook his head helplessly, "This child is making a fuss."
A smile appeared on Zhou Xubai's face as he helped Su's father pack up. "It's okay, you can just stay here without worry."
After all, this was where his parents were going to live, so Su Yumian also helped to clean up.
Strength lies in numbers, and the house was cleaned inside and out in less than an hour.
It’s just that the house is a bit empty and many daily necessities are not prepared.
Su Yumian found his father and said, "Dad, please see if there is anything else you need so I can go buy it. I have to go back after I settle you down."
When Father Su heard this, a trace of panic flashed across his face, and he subconsciously glanced at Zhou Xubai.
He hurriedly said, "You stay with your mother, Xiaobai and I will go out to buy it."
Su Yumian didn't think much about it and nodded, "...Okay."
Seeing the two of them leave, Su Yumian went into the house to talk to Su's mother.
Mother Su felt as if a needle was stabbing her heart as she watched her son becoming increasingly thin.
While waiting for her son to return home, she forced Su's father to tell her the truth.
When she heard that her son was not living well in the city, she couldn't help crying.
She raised her hand to touch her son's cheek, her eyes sore and astringent, and gestured with one hand:
"Mianmian, it's all my fault for causing you trouble. It must have been very hard for you recently, right?"
Su Yumian's breathing stagnated, and his chest felt like it was blocked by cotton. He gestured while holding back his tears.
"It's not hard. As long as we're together as a family, it's not hard at all."
Su's mother saw it all and felt pain in her heart. How could she not be suffering?
When she heard Su's father say that her son was dating a man, and an emotionally unstable man at that, she knew the sadness and pain involved, which was not something that ordinary people could bear.
Her hand caressed Su Yumian's cheek gently and slowly, as if she wanted to imprint Su Yumian's appearance deeply in her mind.
As she touched him, tears began to fall from her eyes. Mother Su gestured, "Son, of the thousands of paths you could take, you chose the most difficult. How could it not be hard? I feel so bad for you."
Su's mother pounded her heart and cried silently.
Su Yumian understood her mother's sign language and knew what she meant by the most difficult road.
Suddenly, my nose felt sore, my eyes became hot, and the moisture made my vision blurry.
He hugged Su's mother and sobbed softly on her shoulder. Because Su's mother couldn't hear him, even if he cried out loud, Su's mother wouldn't notice.
But he forgot that as a mother, how could he not know with his sixth sense?
Su's mother gently patted Su Yumian's back, making a slow and regular rhythm with her palms, just like when she coaxed him to sleep when he was a child.
One, two, three times...
This is a "ballad" she created herself, with no sound, only vibration.
Su Yumian's sobbing gradually subsided. He closed his eyes, and in the warmth of Su's mother's palm, he seemed to be back to the night when he was sick with a fever when he was a child.
Just like now, she used silent pats to tell him: "Don't be afraid, Mom is here."
At this time, Su's father and Zhou Xubai came back after shopping.
As soon as Father Su stepped into the yard, he saw the mother and son hugging each other, with Su Yumian lying on his mother's shoulder and gradually falling asleep.
"Uncle, why..."
"Shh-"
Father Su made a gesture to keep quiet.
Zhou Xubai was stunned and looked up.
It happened that at this moment a ray of warm sunlight hit Su Yumian's face. This warm and romantic scene instantly warmed his gradually dark and cold heart.
He unconsciously raised the corners of his lips. If possible, he really wanted to preserve this moment forever.
Father Su gestured for him to put down his things first, and then pulled Zhou Xubai out of the yard.
The two of them arrived at an open space. Father Su looked at the lush green cornfield, exhaled, and said from the bottom of his heart: "Xiaobai, I'm really grateful to Mianmian for having a friend like you."
Zhou Xubai was stunned when he heard this, and a look of surprise flashed across his face. Seeing Su's father's sincere expression, his chest suddenly ached and he lowered his head in shame.
If Su's father knew that he actually had selfish motives and wanted to take Su Yumian for himself, he might not be grateful to him.
Father Su glanced at him, and seeing that he remained silent, he put his hand on his shoulder and said, "I can see that you had a fight with Mianmian, right?"
Although Father Su didn't talk much, he still noticed some details.
Su Yumian deliberately kept a distance from Zhou Xubai and even refused his touch. Her attitude was completely different from what she had seen the previous times.
“…Well, I did something wrong and he is angry with me.” A look of self-blame appeared on Zhou Xubai’s face.
Father Su withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.
"Actually, I figured out the relationship between Mianmian and that guy surnamed Fu on New Year's Day, but I didn't expect..."
Father Su suddenly stopped talking and turned to look at Zhou Xubai instead of continuing.
After a pause, Father Su continued, "If Mianmian really likes men, I hope that person is you."
Hearing this, Zhou Xubai raised his head abruptly and looked at Father Su in disbelief, "Uncle, you don't reject it?"
Hearing this, Father Su chuckled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. "What era is this? Uncle was young once too."
"It's just that Mianmian chose a difficult path. If your aunt and I are gone, it will only become more difficult for him to walk on."
Father Su paused and looked at Zhou Xubai with a pleading tone, as if he was entrusting his son to someone before his death.
"If... that day really comes, can you help us take care of him?"
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