Chapter 53 Love
There was a moment of silence on the other end, but the call wasn't disconnected. "I saw in the weather forecast that it's going to get colder in the north of the city again. Remember to dress Xiao Tie warmly in the morning."
Si Yuming replied, "Okay, you too, don't catch a cold."
Lin Ke initiated the conversation: "Didn't we enroll her in a painting class last time? How was it? Did she like it?"
"She likes it, and her drawings are pretty good, but she can't sit still. She thinks she's in English class and keeps talking. Her teacher has complained to me twice."
Lin Ke couldn't help but laugh: "Then let's enroll her in a crosstalk class or a speech class."
"We'll see." The atmosphere eased a bit, and Si Yuming asked softly, "Are you coming back this month?"
They made a voice call, unable to see each other, and Lin Ke replied in a low voice, "Yes, I've bought the plane ticket."
"Xiao Tie and I will come to pick you up."
"Um."
Si Xiaotie successfully found her Stegosaurus Baby storybook and climbed onto the bed with her short legs. Seeing her father still holding his watch, she asked in confusion, "Huh, is Mom still here?" Then she leaned closer and said, "Mom! I want to tell Dad a story!"
Lin Ke asked from the other end, "Why are you telling Dad a story?"
The little girl spoke quickly: "Because Daddy is in a bad mood, I need to comfort him."
"..." Si Yuming was a little awkward, and hurriedly said, "Okay, you should rest now, good night."
Goodnight, Mom!
"good evening."
Si Xiaotie lay back down in his warm bed, flipped open the book with his little hand, pointed to the pictures in the book, and then turned his head and instructed, "Dad, close your eyes, I'm about to begin."
Si Yuming closed his eyes.
"The baby Stegosaurus lived in the Jurassic period. It ate grass, and its tail had spikes that it could use to fight bad guys..."
The little girl, with her extensive knowledge of dinosaurs, told stories in a gentle voice. Her words seemed to have a hypnotic power, and the man, who hadn't slept for several nights, finally felt sleepy.
...
Si Yun noticed her younger brother's recent unusual behavior. Since returning from Moscow, he had been working overtime like a workaholic every day. He had a sour face at work, and no one dared to say much to him. He only smiled when he was with his daughter.
That evening, after dinner, she followed her master into the study.
"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Lin Ke?"
Si Yuming looked up, paused for a moment, and then said, "Mm."
"Have you talked it out? Have you explained it?" Si Yun earnestly reminded him, "Don't give each other the silent treatment. It's a very hurtful and ineffective way."
"There's no cold war, she just needs some time."
On the other hand, this is not a bad thing. I made her suffer a lot of grievances in those two years, but she rarely mentioned it, let alone exploded like that night. She suppressed all her emotions.
So he would rather she argue with him, hate him, or resent him than pretend nothing happened and bear everything on her own.
Si Yun leaned against the desk, crossed her arms, and said, "Lin Ke is clear-headed, but also dull. Look at her, she gets married when her father tells her to, she signs agreements when I tell her to, and she gets divorced when I tell her to. I used to think she was weak, but she's very opinionated and I haven't seen any of that yet."
"I'm not saying anything bad," Si Yun added, "I just wanted to tell you that your wife doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve, so you need to be more attentive to her."
Si Yuming nodded: "I know."
Si Yun walked towards the door, took two steps and turned back, her voice becoming more serious, "If there are conflicts, resolve them, don't let them escalate to the point of divorce."
"Know."
Si Yuming sat quietly in the study until it was time for Si Xiaotie to go to bed, then went upstairs.
Lin Ke will be back at the end of the month, and will stay for five days.
Si Yuming finished work early and picked up Si Xiaotie to pick up his mother.
The little girl was overjoyed. She hugged the sunflower she had specially bought for her mother and spun around in the arrival hall. After spinning around, she stared intently at the exit.
I waited and waited, and finally that familiar figure appeared.
Si Xiaotie dashed to his mother's arms with lightning speed, leaving the sunflower behind. "Mommy!"
Lin Ke squatted down and hugged her: "Hey."
I miss you so much.
"Mom misses you too."
After exchanging a few sweet nothings, Lin Ke picked up the now much heavier baby and looked at the man who had come up to her.
Two or three weeks had passed since the last incident, and they had only communicated by phone and video during that time. Now that she saw her again, she felt a little awkward, looked away, and walked out with her daughter in her arms.
Si Yuming picked up the flowers, took the suitcase, and followed behind the mother and daughter.
When they arrived home, the aunt had already prepared the meal, and Si Mancheng was waiting at the door. As soon as she saw them, she obediently greeted them, "Auntie."
Lin Ke went abroad at the end of July, and now it's the end of November. After four months apart, Lin Ke gave Si Mancheng a big hug.
The woman on the living room sofa looked over, and when their eyes met, Si Yun smiled and said, "Welcome home."
Lin Ke responded with a smile.
Aunt Chen poked her head out of the kitchen, delighted: "Oh my, you're here so quickly! There's only one last dish left. Wash your hands and we'll eat!"
Si Xiaotie shouted, "Grandma Chen, have you made Mom's favorite sweet fish and sweet pork ribs?"
"Okay, okay, Xiao Tie, go wash your hands too."
"Okay!" the little girl said, pulling her mother's hand. "Mommy, wash your hands!"
Lin Ke was being led away, her eyes feeling a little hot.
For the past four months, apart from when they came over, her home was always quiet and deserted when she got off work. No one talked to her, and she cooked and ate alone. Si Xiaotie's voice only existed in her phone.
It's been a long time since it's been this lively.
In the first-floor restroom, Si Yuming followed and said to the girl who was washing her hands, "Xiao Tie, go help Grandma Chen get some rice."
"Um!"
Si Xiaotie was sent away, leaving only the couple in the cramped space.
Seeing her red eyes, Si Yuming stepped forward and hugged her.
Lin Ke remained frozen, so he wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered in her ear, "Welcome home."
The person in his arms responded with a muffled sound.
He loosened his grip slightly and gently wiped away the tears that had involuntarily slipped from the corners of her eyes. "Would you like to eat later?"
"......Need not."
"Then wash your face."
"good."
Before I'd even finished washing, someone outside was already shouting, "Mom!"
Si Yuming replied, "I'm here."
Six dishes and a soup, all of which were Lin Ke's favorites.
Si Xiaotie, who was sitting next to his mother, stood up to serve her food, muttering, "Sweet fish, sweet meat, fragrant shrimp... all for Mom..."
Before Lin Ke could stop her, Si Yun across from her laughed out loud: "Si Xiaotie, do you want to stuff your mother to death?"
"Mommy wants to eat lots of food!"
Lin Ke smiled and said, "Okay, baby, Mommy will take her time."
"Oh well."
After taking a couple of bites, Si Yun asked, "Is Moscow fun?"
A four-year-old girl chimed in, "It's fun! There are so many pretty houses and pretty older sisters there!"
"I didn't ask you, I asked your mom."
"oh."
Lin Ke smiled and said, "It's alright. The architecture there is very distinctive, and it also has a rich cultural and historical background. If you have time, you can take Manman there."
Si Mancheng's eyes lit up as he looked at his mother. Seeing her son's expectant gaze, Si Yun promised him, "I'll take you when I have time."
A little girl, who was happily eating, blurted out, "I want to go too!" with her chopsticks held high.
Si Mancheng was overjoyed, "Okay, let's go together, Xiao Tie."
"Yay!"
Si Yun then asked, "How's work? Is it going smoothly?"
"It's good. There's a lot of work, but it's not difficult."
"Is Meng Jing with you too?"
"Yes, Meng Jing is in charge of reception work, but his term ends at the end of this year, and I think he won't be stationed abroad anymore."
Si Yun smiled knowingly: "Getting married really changes things; you've settled your heart in."
"may be."
The two started chatting, and Si Yuming didn't interrupt, but poured her a glass of warm water and placed it beside her.
"But how do you manage to avoid being stationed abroad?"
"One is that the rank is high enough, and the other is that the length of time spent overseas reaches a certain number of years. It seems that Brother Meng Jing meets both criteria."
"So, if you can become a department deputy or the head, you don't need to be stationed abroad?"
Lin Ke paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It'll probably be a bit difficult."
"What's so difficult about that? Just try your best."
"Um."
Lin Ke had almost finished the food Si Xiaotie had given her, and was about to reach for her chopsticks when someone brought in a shrimp ball.
She glanced at it sideways, looked for a few seconds, and then looked away.
This meal took a long time; we finished around nine o'clock.
Lin Ke accompanied the little girl to take a bath, and then slept with her after the bath.
Si Xiaotie lay on the bed, his eyes filled with the starlight shining in from the lamplight. "Mom, Dad said that when I have winter vacation, I can come to see you, and then I won't come back. We'll spend the New Year together~"
They hadn't discussed their plans for the New Year yet, and Lin Ke was slightly surprised to hear this, but it sounded like a good idea. "Okay, then Mom will wait for you."
"I asked Teacher Bai yesterday, and she said there's only a little over a month until the holiday, so the baby will be able to see Mommy again in a little over a month!"
"That's right."
With new expectations in mind, Si Xiaotie's eyes were full of excitement, and he passionately declared, "Mom, I love you so much!"
Lin Ke smiled, "Baby, do you know what love is?"
Si Xiaotie hugged his mother's arm tightly, "Love is love! All children love their parents, and Dad loves Mom. Mom loves Dad too. Anyway, Xiaotie loves Mom the most in the whole world, I love Mom number one, I love Mom so much!"
Lin Ke lowered her head and kissed her, her eyes filled with a deep smile, "Mom loves Xiao Tie the most too."
As the mother and daughter were talking, Si Yuming pushed the door open and came in, carrying a glass of milk. "Xiao Tie, have some milk."
"Thank you, Dad!"
He glanced at the person on the bed, then turned and left.
I didn't urge Si Xiaotie to go to sleep.
Lin Ke followed the door until it closed, then looked away and continued telling Si Xiaotie the story.
At ten o'clock, the little girl was fast asleep. She quietly withdrew her hand, covered her with a blanket, and went out.
The couple's room was right next door. She walked to the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob, and hesitated for a while before pressing the button.
The person inside wasn't asleep; they were leaning against the headboard looking at their computer, probably working.
He was surprised to see her, as if he hadn't expected her to come back.
Lin Ke awkwardly looked away.
She took a shower, went straight over, lifted the covers, and got into bed.
The blankets were warm, and the smell and feel were still familiar.
She gripped the edge of the blanket and squeezed it tightly.
The computer behind him closed, and the lights went out.
The momentary blindness made her instinctively close her eyes.
The man pulled her close, the scent of milk lingering on her neck, and said in a low voice, "I thought you would sleep with Xiao Tie."
Lin Ke shifted to a more comfortable position and spoke softly, "Si Yuming, I have something to tell you."
"Um."
That day, she lost control of her emotions and said a lot of things. When she came to her senses the next day, she felt a little "embarrassed." She is not usually like this, so she didn't know how to face him.
But the effect was obvious, as if the heavy stone pressing on my heart had been crushed and ground into powder as I spoke, leaving me feeling completely relaxed.
He became cautious, never daring to say much on the phone, always gentle and compliant, as if afraid of getting angry again.
After calming down for so many days, this matter still needs to be resolved. She can no longer mention divorce, but she also can't live a life of mutual respect with him forever, especially since they had agreed to communicate.
He was careful not to bring it up because of her feelings, so she had to say it herself. Words on the phone were inadequate, so they waited until today.
First ask: "Si Yuming, do you still love me?"
"like."
What do you love about me?
He said, "Lin Ke, it would be superficial to try to piece this question together with words. It could be a feeling, a scene, a memory of a moment, or just because of you."
"For example, when I see you playing with Xiaotie and putting him to sleep, or when your image flashes through my mind during a meeting, I wonder what you're doing, whether you've eaten, or when I see you sitting at the translation desk giving a speech, or when I'm holding you right now..."
"I admire you, I like you, I hate it when other people get close to you, I long to hug and kiss you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Does that count?"
“The feelings from childhood are faint. Back then, I thought you were cute, cheerful and optimistic, with a pair of eyes that always had a bright smile. But the smile wasn’t for me, and I felt uncomfortable. Later, when your mother passed away and your father led you away from the compound, I felt very sad when you looked back at me.”
"Later, my grandfather asked me what I thought of the Lin family's little girl. I was surprised and a little expectant, so I didn't refuse."
"So we got married, and this 'love' took root and sprouted day by day. Quietly, it grew into a towering tree one day."
Lin Ke didn't expect him to say so much at once, and she became more and more silent as she listened.
After a moment of silence, he pursed his lips and said, "I didn't ask you to write a paper."
"This isn't a thesis, it's... a research project? A lifelong research project."
Lin Ke smiled and began to say what she wanted to say, "Si Yuming, I used to think you knew, so I never explicitly said it, which made you feel insecure."
"You mentioned that when we got married, in this era, marriage is a matter of personal freedom. No one could really force me to marry you. My choice to marry you was my own independent and personal wish. I feel sad and disappointed because of the separation and estrangement because I had expectations for our relationship."
“I was preparing to divorce you then, but you came back and said we should start over. I mustered up a lot of courage and did a lot of mental preparation before I made up my mind. I’m not giving you a chance, I’m giving myself a chance.”
"I'm not good at expressing myself. I crush myself in front of you and then put myself back together. If I had to do it again, I would die completely."
"Si Yuming, what I want to say is that I also admire you, like you, hate it when others get close to you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"I love you."
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