Half a day later, Shufen sent another message.
"Can I see Lin Nian?"
"Are you going back to the village?" Lin Tiegang asked, taking a deep breath.
“I want to see him with my own eyes,” Shufen said.
Lin Tiegang struggled for a long time before replying to her.
"I... I'll inquire about Lin Nian's opinion."
"Okay, ask him. If he's willing, I'll go back to the village. If he's not, I can understand."
"I've been away from him all these years, and I'm sorry for what I did," Shufen said, her voice choked with emotion.
"good."
Lin Tiegang closed his phone, his eyes glazed over, while Grandpa Lin Nian remained silent on the side.
"She's a good daughter-in-law, let's ask Xiaonian what he thinks."
"At least this way, he has a mother." Grandpa Lin tapped his pipe and said.
"Let me ask him, but Lin Nian... I'm afraid he won't be able to accept this news." Lin Tiegang sighed.
"The mistakes of that year, and the bitter consequences that followed, have all been borne by Xiao Nian. It was our fault." Grandpa Lin Nian shook his head, feeling somewhat heartbroken.
Lin Tiegang remained silent, only keeping his head down.
When Lin Nian returned in the evening, he still had an uncontrollable smile on his face.
This was the first time he had held hands with Xiao Ma, and his heart was pounding with excitement. It was also the first time he had ever realized that a girl's hand could be so soft.
"What are you two doing? Why aren't you asleep yet?" Lin Nian plopped down in a chair and asked the father and son sitting at the dining table.
"Have you eaten?" Lin Tiegang looked up awkwardly at the question.
"Didn't we eat at home tonight? I'm not hungry." Lin Nian thought he was worried that she would be hungry, so she said with a smile.
"Well, as long as I'm not hungry... I have something to tell you." Lin Tiegang composed himself before speaking.
"What is it?" Lin Nian took out a cigarette and put it on the table.
"If... I mean if, your mother wanted to come back to see you, would you see her?" Lin Tiegang asked, carefully observing Lin Nian's expression.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian's happy expression vanished instantly. He was somewhat stunned, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Lin Nian reached out and lit a cigarette, staring at the ashtray before finally uttering a single sentence.
"not see."
Hearing this answer, Lin Tiegang and Lin Nian's grandfather were immediately at a loss. Over the years, they had witnessed Lin Nian's journey from crying for his mother to finally remaining silent and even avoiding the question altogether.
This answer was something they had expected.
"Xiao Nian, actually, your mother hasn't had it easy all these years," Grandpa Lin Nian said tentatively, lighting his pipe.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian's expression visibly changed, his face slowly turning red with endless resentment and anger.
He had a lot to say, but in the end, it all came down to just a few words.
"She had it tough, but I had it tough?"
Lin Tiegang pursed his lips; he really didn't know how to persuade Lin Nian.
"All these years, it's the same whether she's here or not. Why didn't she come back when I was young? Now that she sees I'm doing well, she knows to come back, but it's too late."
"I won't see them, no matter who says so!"
"Are you two alright? If not, I'm going to sleep. I have to go to work tomorrow." Lin Nian said, a cigarette dangling from his hand, as he stood up, his eyes reddening.
"You...you should go back to sleep first, we can talk about it tomorrow, there's no rush." That was all Grandpa Lin could say when he saw the situation.
Lin Nian's emotions are extremely unstable right now, and trying to persuade him will only have the opposite effect.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian turned around and went back to his room, slamming the door shut. Lin Tiegang and Lin Nian's grandfather both shook their heads at the sight.
"It's understandable that he can't accept it right away. Let's try to persuade him slowly," Grandpa Lin said helplessly.
Lin Tiegang remained silent, feeling extremely distressed.
Lin Nian returned to the house and sat down on the floor. He looked at the night outside the window, tears streaming down his face, and he burst into tears.
No one knows how he survived all these years without a mother, or how much bullying and abuse he endured.
When he needed her most, his mother abandoned him without a second thought, but now that he's made a lot of money, bought a house and a car, he wants to come back.
Why? Why?!
I will not see myself, nor will I see anyone else!
The next day, Lin Nian went to work as usual, but he was somewhat absent-minded. He even overturned the wheelbarrow while pushing it, scattering ore all over the ground. He then found a shovel and carefully collected the ore.
Chen Jianguo noticed Lin Nian's unusual behavior and came over to help him pack, asking, "Xiao Nian, what's wrong today? You don't seem happy. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, Uncle, sorry, I was distracted." Lin Nian shook his head expressionlessly and continued to collect the ore from the ground.
When Chen Jianguo saw this scene, he knew something must have happened; he had never acted like this before.
"If you're not feeling well, go home first. It's alright, take a day off," Chen Jianguo said.
"No need, Uncle, I'm fine." Lin Nian pushed the cart and was about to leave.
“Xiao Nian, listen to your uncle. It’s not safe for you to work like this, and it’s not good for others either. Take a day off, listen to me,” Chen Jianguo said, stopping Lin Nian.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian nodded.
"I'm sorry, Uncle, I'll head back now. Please deduct today's wages," Lin Nian said, head bowed.
"We'll talk about salary later. Go back and get some rest first." Chen Jianguo patted him on the shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian took off his gloves and slowly walked back.
Watching Lin Nian's retreating figure, Chen Jianguo made a phone call to Chen Feng.
"Xiaofeng, Lin Nian is acting a bit strange today. Why don't you ask him what's wrong?"
"Huh, what's going on?" Chen Feng was leaning back in his chair drinking tea when he heard this and immediately sat up.
"He's not focused on his work, and he's acting really strange. Take a look and see what's wrong."
"Okay, I'll ask him then." Chen Feng hung up the phone, somewhat puzzled.
How come it was fine yesterday, but suddenly turned out like this today?
"What's going on? Did he break up with his girlfriend?" Xia Yingying couldn't help but wonder.
"You broke up so quickly? Weren't you getting along really well before? How could it end so suddenly?" Chen Feng was a little confused, so he took out his phone and called Lin Nian.
"Lin Nian, what are you doing?"
"Brother, I just finished work and am walking home," Lin Nian replied.
"Since you came to visit, I just happened to get some new tea," Chen Feng said.
"No, brother, I don't want to drink right now. Let's wait until tonight. I want to go home and lie down for a while," Lin Nian said, shaking his head.
"Stop messing with me, I can lie down here. Come over here, I'm waiting for you." Chen Feng hung up the phone before giving him a chance to refuse.
"Damn it, this kid is really in trouble. This is the first time he's refused me, saying he doesn't want to come and wants to stay home and lie down for a while." Chen Feng shrugged, sensing that things were getting serious.
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