And so, the two were separated for three years after the birth of their child, and neither Duan Ye nor Luo Qingyuan returned to the capital.
Including the year Luo Qingyuan left, it has been almost four years since they parted ways. Members of the Luo family have taken turns visiting Alice and spending time with Luo Qingyuan, but no one has mentioned Duan Ye to her since.
So she always thought that the person she loved was far away in the capital.
Time marches on every day, and the eldest son, Duan Chen, and the second daughter, Duan Luo, are already three years old.
In the fourth winter in Ellis, Luo Shuyang and Chen Manhua brought their five-year-old daughter, Manman, to Luo Qingyuan's place.
The children all went to play, leaving Luo Qingyuan and two others alone in the room.
Luo Shuyang cut to the chase: "Both children are of kindergarten age now, are you still planning to stay at Alice?"
“It’s been four years since you came here, Qingyuan. No matter what the adults’ feelings were like before, we can’t ignore the child’s future.”
"Do you really want your child to stay at Ellis and attend classes with these foreign kids?"
"It's time to think about the children."
Luo Qingyuan was very stubborn: "You can go to kindergarten in Ellis too."
Luo Shuyang glared at her with exasperation, then left, saying, "Think about it yourself."
Luo Qingyuan then looked at Chen Manhua and asked, "Sister-in-law, what would you like to eat today?"
Chen Manhua, however, gave an irrelevant answer: "Do you know that not long after you left the capital, Duan Ye also left?"
Luo Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"
Chen Manhua: "The winter you left, he was sent abroad for work. We don't know what he did, and we can't find out. You were gone for four years, and he was gone for three."
Luo Qingyuan stood there, stunned.
Seeing her so distraught, Chen Manhua couldn't help but feel sorry for her and earnestly advised, "Qingyuan, you both had your own difficulties back then. Whether you want to punish yourself or him, so many years have passed, that's enough."
Besides, isn't Alice's little courtyard also full of crabapple trees?
Furthermore, the character 琛 (chēn) implies precious treasure.
Duan Luo, isn't that a homophone for Duan Luo?
He clearly loves his child so much and misses him so much, so why does he have to stay like this?
Chen Manhua sighed: "We don't know when Duan Ye will come back. Sister-in-law, let me ask you something, Qingyuan, are you really not going to come back to China forever?"
Of course, Chen Manhua didn't get an answer either.
After a few days of fun, Chen Manhua and Luo Shuyang were about to return home.
Luo Qingyuan brought Duan Chen and Duan Luo to see them off.
Duan Chen asked in a childish voice, "Uncle, Aunt, will you come to see us again?"
Duan Luo stretched out her little hands, her large, slightly brown eyes looking at Luo Shuyang with wide eyes: "Uncle...hug me..."
Luo Shuyang squatted down and picked up Duan Luo. The little girl's hair was curly, just like Luo Qingyuan's, and the hair color was dark brown. However, Luo Qingyuan had already straightened her hair, and her brown eyes were even more pronounced than his and Luo Qingyuan's.
Luo Shuyang thought that this might be what the old man meant by intergenerational inheritance.
The older brother, Duan Chen, has features that resemble Duan Ye more. His eyes are light brown, and you can't tell unless you look closely. His hair is only slightly curly and is pure black.
Both babies have very beautiful eyes, inheriting their parents' good genes.
"Luo Luo, be good. Your uncle will come to see you and your brother again. Be a good boy and listen to Mommy with your brother, okay?"
Duan Luo blinked her big, watery eyes and nodded, speaking in a soft, sweet voice, "Luo Luo will... be good..."
Luo Shuyang stuffed a bulging purse into each of the two children's hands before letting the nanny take them away.
Luo Qingyuan: "Brother, sister-in-law, please be careful on your journey."
Luo Shuyang sighed: "Since you are already divorced, and it's possible that Duan Ye won't be back for ten years due to his job, you can just go back to Beijing and live your own life. Don't punish yourself for the mistakes you made back then."
"Little sister, there's never a better place than your own country. Come home, Mom and Dad miss you terribly, and..."
"You should go back and visit your grandmother."
After a brief exchange, Luo Shuyang left with Chen Manhua.
Luo Qingyuan stood there for a long time until Duan Chen ran out and asked, "Mommy, why aren't you home yet?"
Luo Qingyuan then came to her senses, bent down and picked up little Duan Chen: "Mommy is going home now."
"Why is Xiao Chen out alone? Where's your sister?"
"Aunt Sui Sui has gone to put her little sister to sleep."
"Why isn't Chenchen asleep?"
"Chenchen wants to sleep with Mommy..."
Hearing this, Luo Qingyuan's heart softened, especially when she saw Duan Chen's face, which was so similar to Duan Ye's, she became even more dazed.
Back in the bedroom, Luo Qingyuan personally helped Duan Chen wash up and then carried him to bed.
Little Duan Chen lay in Luo Qingyuan's arms and asked softly, "Mommy, do my sister and I not have a daddy?"
That one sentence struck Luo Qingyuan like a knife, and she gently patted Duan Chen's back, trying to figure out how to respond...
Before she could come up with a reason, she heard Duan Chen breathing evenly in her arms.
Luo Qingyuan felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Over the past few years, Duan Chen and Duan Luo had been incredibly intelligent and sensible. Even though they had never had a father before, and had never asked about him, this was the first time...
And that person's name hasn't been mentioned in front of her for a long time.
Even though she doesn't think about it, her entire life revolves around that person, so how could she not think about him?
My brother said he left the capital three years ago, so... where did you go?
With that thought in mind, Luo Qingyuan closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, in a desert area abroad, Duan Ye and his teammates were on their way back after completing a reconnaissance mission.
Their team consisted of four members, including only one female member who had been recently assigned to the mission. She was said to be very talented and had been specially approved to come. She was a graduate student from Kyoto University who had just graduated this year, and her name was Bai Tang.
Because he graduated from the same school as Duan Ye, Duan Ye was directly assigned to be Bai Tang's mentor.
Duan Ye had refused before, saying he wasn't qualified enough, but his superiors shut him up by saying he had worked for so many years.
At this moment, Bai Tang, carrying her military green backpack, followed Duan Ye with some difficulty: "Master, I heard from them that you've been here for more than three years. Why don't you go back?"
Duan Ye didn't even turn his head: "The experiment isn't over yet, how can we go back?"
Luo An laughed and said, "Your master doesn't want to go back. Over the years, which of us hasn't gone home for the New Year? Only your master has stayed here all these years."
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