The next day, Lin Nian sat at the table, pursed his lips, and said, "If she wants to come, then let her come."
Hearing that Lin Nian had finally relented, Lin Tiegang and his son were overjoyed and praised him for being sensible. Lin Tiegang took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Shufen.
"Xiao Nian has agreed to let you come to see him. When do you come? I'll pick you up."
Upon hearing this voice message, Shufen, on the other end of the phone, finally felt relieved and was moved to tears.
"I'll pack my things and head over tomorrow morning."
"good."
After hanging up the phone, Shufen stood up and paced around the room, unsure of what to do first.
"Let's go buy something for Lin Nian first. Yes, let's go buy something first." Shu Fen put on her coat, picked up the worn-out bag, and went to the supermarket.
She didn't know what Lin Nian liked to eat; she just bought whatever the child liked.
Some of the snacks were priced at a level she wouldn't normally dare to even look at, but this time she didn't hesitate at all.
Walking into the toy section, she saw a toy gun; boys probably all like toy guns.
The gun isn't cheap; it costs ninety-eight.
Shufen hesitated for a moment, but still picked it up.
When she arrived at the checkout counter, the price of nearly three hundred yuan left Shufen feeling short of money.
She emptied the money in her phone, then pulled out a bunch of crumpled banknotes before paying the bill.
Carrying the gifts she had prepared for Lin Nian, she returned to her home.
This house is very dilapidated. Although it is an apartment building, it is in an old building area. The stairwell is full of cardboard boxes collected by other elderly women, and there is a sour smell.
The house is decorated like it was 20 years ago, with cement floors and a kitchen sink with loose tiles.
She went to her wardrobe and rummaged through her few clothes.
She wanted to find something new, as she wanted to make a good impression on Lin Nian since it was their first meeting.
But she didn't have any new clothes; she could only find one that didn't look too old.
Having made these preparations, Shufen sat on the bed, feeling somewhat uneasy.
She knew that she had let Lin Nian down, and Lin Nian might not be able to agree to her request.
Especially at this critical juncture, I really am being unreasonable.
But she really had nowhere else to turn.
Let Lin Nian do whatever he wants, whether he wants to hit or scold him...
The next day, Shufen, carrying large and small bags, boarded the bus to the village. She picked up her phone, whose screen was cracked, and sent a message to Lin Tiegang.
"I'm almost at the village. Are you still staying in the same place?"
"No, just get off at the village entrance, I'll come pick you up." Lin Tiegang put down his phone and prepared to go pick up Shufen.
Grandpa Lin also stood up, ready to go pick up Shufen together.
"Lin Nian, aren't you going?" Lin Tiegang asked.
Lin Nian sat at the table and shook his head.
“Okay, you don’t have to go. Just wait at home, we’ll be right back.” Lin Tiegang said, and then went out with Grandpa Lin Nian.
The two arrived at the village entrance and saw the bus slowly stop. A middle-aged woman dressed in outdated clothes got off, carrying several bags of things.
"Shufen, over here." Lin Tiegang stepped forward to greet her.
"Iron Steel".
Upon seeing Lin Tiegang again, Shufen felt a mix of emotions.
"Shufen, it must have been twenty years since we last met," Grandpa Lin Nian said with a sigh as he stepped forward.
"I've got it." Shufen nodded, pursing her lips.
"Let's go home first," Grandpa Lin said, and the three of them walked home.
"Lin Nian is home," Shufen asked.
"Yes, I'm waiting for you," Grandpa Lin said with a smile.
"Does he... harbor a lot of resentment towards me?" Shufen asked, her eyes lowered.
"Yes, there is. You should talk to him properly. I don't think he would be so heartless. After all, you are his biological mother."
Grandpa Lin Nian spoke.
"Sigh." Shufen walked into Lin Nian's courtyard, took a deep breath, and put on a smile.
Several people pushed the door open and went in. Lin Nian heard the sound and turned around, and saw the middle-aged woman who looked very weathered.
He knew that this was his mother, who had long since disappeared from his memory.
The two looked at each other, both momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.
It was Grandpa Lin who smoothed things over.
"Lin Nian, come here. This is your mother. She came all the way here to see you."
"Shufen, this is Lin Nian. Look how tall he is," Lin Nian's grandfather said with a smile.
"Wow, that's amazing! I can't believe how big the kids have grown up." Shufen smiled as she looked at Lin Nian who had stood up, then handed him the bag.
"I... I don't know what you like to eat, so I went to the supermarket and bought some things, but I don't know if you'll like them."
"And this toy, I still treat you like a child, tell me." Shufen herself became embarrassed as she spoke.
Looking at the several large bags of things, a strange emotion welled up in Lin Nian's heart.
Perhaps... that's what you call motherly love?
"Please have a seat, I'll get you some water."
Lin Nian ran to the kitchen as she spoke, sounding somewhat evasive.
You can't expect him to call her "Mom" now; you can't expect him to talk to Shufen naturally either.
Seeing Lin Nian escape, Lin Tiegang gave Shufen a meaningful look, telling her not to worry.
Children always need time to adjust.
Shufen sat in the chair and nodded. She knew it was unrealistic to expect Lin Nian to accept her so quickly.
She smoothed her disheveled hair from her forehead; her black hair was streaked with gray.
You can tell she's suffered a lot over the years.
Lin Nian waited until the water boiled before bringing the kettle over and pouring tea for them.
"Stop fussing, child. Sit down and let me see you," Shufen said, looking at Lin Nian.
Upon hearing this, Lin Nian sat down, his eyes somewhat evasive.
As Shufen looked at the now grown-up Lin Nian, her eyes reddened once again.
"Where do you work now? I heard from your dad that it's at the mine?" Shufen asked.
“Yes, at the mine, the mine that Brother Feng owns,” Lin Nian nodded in reply.
"Is there any danger at the mine?" Shufen asked.
“No, it’s not a deep mine, it’s a flat mine, there’s no danger.” Lin Nian shook his head.
“That mine was opened by his friend, so he asked him to help out. His friend is so good to him. If it weren’t for his friend, would we have been able to build this new house?” Grandpa Lin said with a smile.
"That's great, it's so nice to have a friend like that." Shufen nodded, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Where have you been all these years...?" Lin Nian couldn't help but ask.
Upon hearing this question, Shufen lowered her head, bit her lip, and finally spoke, choosing to be honest.
"I live in the city and work as a dishwasher at a small restaurant."
Hearing this answer, Lin Nian was somewhat incredulous, and his heart ached even more.
She lived in the city, only a hundred or two kilometers away from him, but in all these years, she had never come to see him even once.
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