Pursuing her (male protagonist's perspective)
A wise child is better than his mother.
"...What happened?" Yue Chunlan leaned closer.
......
Pan Yue forced a smile and said, "No."
"Pan Yue".
"Hmm." Pan Yue glanced at his mother, Yue Chunlan's eyes softened a little.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then spoke with certainty: "You're hiding something from us."
"Don't think your mother can't see it. Lately, you've been looking at your phone all the time, with a look of wanting to say something but holding back."
Pan Yue casually replied, "It's work-related."
“It can’t be work-related. I’ve never seen you like this before,” Yue Chunlan said with a smile, patting Pan Yue on the shoulder. “You can’t lie to your mother.”
"Dad is sick, and I'm in a bad mood."
"You just said it was about work."
Pan Yue: ......
He stopped talking.
After days of pent-up frustration, Pan Yue was reluctant to talk about it. Occasionally, he would talk to Lin Changren, but most of the time, he preferred to process his emotions alone.
In his view, there was no need to tell his parents about these things, as it wouldn't solve anything. These worries would eventually fade away with time, drifting away with wisps of smoke after the problems were resolved.
"You're doing this again, never saying a word, just like your father!" Yue Chunlan glared resentfully at Pan Zhenguo, then slapped Pan Yue. "What's wrong? Why don't you tell us? You just keep it from your parents. How can we help you if you don't tell us?"
“I didn’t hide anything,” Pan Yue said patiently, “it’s just that some things I need to process on my own.”
“I don’t think you’ve digested this either,” Yue Chunlan sighed, speaking earnestly. “You said you haven’t talked to anyone, and that it’s not a good match. I just don’t understand. You haven’t even talked to anyone, so how do you know it’s not a good match?”
The light was red, and Pan Yue stepped on the brake, taking a deep breath: "Mom."
"She's from Yuecheng, but she's studying in Jinrong. She'll be going back there eventually."
“We,” Pan Yue pursed his lips, “will not have a result.”
Pan Zhenguo nodded and gave an appropriate "hmm".
Yue Chunlan immediately clicked her tongue and shot a dagger at him.
Pan Zhenguo turned his head away and shut up.
“Well, that girl hasn’t graduated yet, so you can date her first. Long-distance relationships are a problem for you two in the future.” Since her son was showing signs of romantic feelings, Yue Chunlan only wanted to do her best to bring them together, and she couldn’t hear any other obstacles.
"If you already know the outcome, what's the point of doing it?" Pan Yue said, gripping the steering wheel, his eyes downcast, concealing his emotions. "It hurts others and yourself."
"You've studied fortune telling? And you know the outcome?" Yue Chunlan urged. "Why be so pessimistic from the start? When it comes to love, shouldn't you consider feelings and love first?"
"Reality is more than just feelings and love."
Yue Chunlan snorted: "Don't you like him enough?"
Pan Yue frowned and glanced at it.
Yue Chunlan was not afraid at all: "What, you're still not happy? If you like her, you should try to solve the problems between you, instead of giving up here and thinking about all sorts of things."
Pan Yue's heart skipped a beat, but in that instant, he calmed down again.
"She deserves better."
......
The issues between them are difficult to resolve, and whether they can be resolved at all is still unknown; however, it is known that Zhu Shiyi will be able to find a suitable match for her once she returns to Yuecheng, given her circumstances.
Yue Chunlan stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly shook her head: "My son, you are not an insecure person."
Pan Yue's heart softened.
Why do I feel bad about myself? What are my standards for good and bad?
Pan Yue opened his mouth, wanting to explain.
“Is it money?” Yue Chunlan spoke his mind first. “Of course it’s money, but it’s not just about money. Running a family together involves more than just money.”
“To be honest, in this family, your dad does more than I do,” Yue Chunlan turned around and glanced at the man in the back seat. “Your dad and I both go to work and earn money, but your dad still has to cook and do housework.”
"The food on the table doesn't magically appear, the grease on the bowl doesn't magically evaporate, and the garbage bag on the trash can doesn't magically grow on its own," Yue Chunlan said earnestly, patting Pan Yue's arm.
“Your father and I have been married for decades, and he does all the housework.” Yue Chunlan smiled.
Pan Yue looked up and glanced at his father in the mirror. Pan Zhenguo was facing the window, his eyes half-closed.
"Of course, my son can do it too, and I've seen it all."
He saw his father's lips twitch slightly.
Pan Yue did not lift his lips.
Many images of his father vaguely surfaced in his mind. His father cooked, washed dishes, and took him to the fields. He realized then that all the housework, big and small, was done by him and his father, the two men. Before this, he seemed to have gotten used to it and never cared about this labor, just feeling that it was something he should do.
"Your personality, your character, and your sense of responsibility are all equally important to a woman in a relationship. Everyone has different standards when looking for a partner. How do you know that someone else prefers someone rich rather than someone considerate? Who wants to spend their life with a grumpy person? Hmm..."
Yue Chunlan suddenly fell silent. She turned her head and carefully examined Pan Yue from head to toe, a satisfied sigh escaping her throat.
"And appearance is really important."
"Let me tell you, girls just like you because you're handsome! It's not some superficial thing. You might think she deserves someone richer, but what if that rich guy looks like a bastard? Imagine waking up to an ugly husband on one side and an ugly son on the other. If it were me, I'd never smile again!"
Pan Yue felt a little dizzy.
He coughed, a little uncomfortable: "...Is that so?"
"What's there to be shy about!" Yue Chunlan chuckled. "You're my son, and with a mother as beautiful as me, how could my son be ugly!"
“Of course,” Yue Chunlan glanced at the back seat, “we also have to thank your mother for her good taste in men; otherwise, you might have ended up looking ugly. Back then, your father was the most handsome man in the village, I saw him at first glance…”
“...Why talk about those things with a child?” Pan Zhenguo interrupted, his rough skin revealing a dark complexion.
Pan Yue turned his eyes away and smiled silently.
"You're not happy even when I praise you," Yue Chunlan said sarcastically. "What else is your mouth good for besides eating? Asking you to say a few words is like asking you to die. You can't even utter a sweet word. I regret not having had more romances when I was younger..."
Pan Zhenguo groaned, turned his head away, and remained silent.
“Look—” Yue Chunlan pointed to the back seat and said to Pan Yue, “I told you, your dad doesn’t understand love and romance at all. He’s so boring. You must not be like him.”
Pan Yue glanced at the rearview mirror. His father was sitting upright, and his expression was unreadable.
Pan Yue silently grumbled to himself, wondering why his mother was saying all this.
The green light at the intersection came on, Pan Yue shifted gears, started the car, and turned onto the newly paved road.
As the car accelerates, the motor generates airflow.
Perhaps she was thirsty, Yue Chunlan twisted open the thermos and took small sips of water. The carriage gradually fell silent, with only the rustling of the wind remaining.
Pan Yue's slightly swollen brain finally relaxed, and his mind went blank.
The atmosphere at home had always been like this. The mother was talkative and nagging; the father was silent and rarely smiled. Pan Yue took after his father, and he let his mother's endless nagging go in one ear and out the other.
But between the left and right ears, there is a beating heart.
“Over the decades,” Pan Zhenguo in the back seat suddenly spoke up, “I’ve had some savings, aside from the costs of previous medical treatments.”
As his thoughts gradually returned, Pan Yue's heart felt like a drum that had been struck with a stick, the echo deafening.
“Take some time to go and see for yourself. Buy a house in Jinrong,” Pan Zhenguo said, taking out his wallet from his pocket, handing out a card. “There’s not much money in the card, 620,000 yuan, enough for your down payment.”
Pan Yue's pupils contracted slightly, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily.
“You should add some more savings yourself. Mortgage interest rates are high. If you can pay in full, do so. If not, use your housing provident fund loan.” Pan Yue didn’t reach out to take the card; Pan Zhenguo handed it to Yue Chunlan in the passenger seat.
“Buy an apartment in the old central urban area of Jinrong, not in the new urban area where you work. If you look for a good location, you can buy an 80-square-meter apartment for a little over a million yuan. You can sell it later when you make more money and buy a bigger house.”
"...Your car is pretty good now. Only when you have a house and a car can other people's parents feel at ease."
Yue Chunlan was stunned for a moment after being handed the card. The next second, she rummaged through her bag and said, "Mom has some money here too. I lost money when I opened the beauty salon a few years ago, so I can't give you much. There's 200,000 in this card. Take it."
Pan Yue felt a jolt in his heart.
He didn't move, nor did he dare to look to the side.
“…If that girl insists on going back to Yuecheng, then you can go.” Pan Zhenguo waved his hand and looked away.
“…Hmm,” Pan Yue heard Yue Chunlan’s muffled soft voice. The next moment, her voice became cheerful, “Go ahead, give it a try. If you really can’t stand it, you can always go back to Hanshan.”
Even though the car's ventilation system was on with the external air circulation, Pan Yue still felt stuffy.
"Your mother and I both have social security, and we'll have pensions when we retire. You just need to take care of yourself."
The phone, which was propped up, suddenly lit up. The screen saver was a picture of her: at night, on the lawn, singing a song.
Child: [Sorry, I might have been a little offensive.]
The screen just went dark, then flickered on again.
Child: [I want to tell you something first.]
Child: [No matter what happens, I will be by your side.]
......
Yue Chunlan shrugged, her lips trembled, and her eyes reddened.
“Oh, I love this little girl. She’s such a kind person, and so pretty. She has small lips, double eyelids, and big eyes. Your future children will definitely be adorable…” The mother choked up slightly, her voice trembling slightly, but she smiled through her words.
"Why think so far ahead?" the father said awkwardly. "He can win over that girl first, then we can talk about other things."
......
The car came to a smooth stop.
Yue Chunlan held out her hand and handed over two bank cards.
Technology is truly advanced. Two people, half a lifetime, almost all their savings, hundreds of thousands of yuan, are stored in a small plastic card, light and weightless.
Pan Yue glanced at his mother for a second, then refused the two heavy cards without hesitation.
Yue Chunlan was slightly taken aback: "You..."
“Take it,” Pan Zhenguo said firmly. “Your mother is right. The girl is a good child. Don’t give up on her.”
Pan Yue looked up and met a pair of unfamiliar yet familiar eyes in the rearview mirror.
He looked at his taciturn father, his eyes calm, a glimmer of hope flashing in his slightly cloudy eyes.
Pan Yue lowered his eyes, his heart trembling slightly.
......
"I won't accept it." Pan Yue lifted his eyes to meet the gaze in the rearview mirror.
Pan Zhenguo frowned, opened his mouth, and was about to speak.
"I will make her happy myself." Pan Yue smiled slightly.
"However, I need to think about it some more before making a decision."
Yue Chunlan retorted, "How long are you going to think about it?"
"We'll see." Pan Yue got out of the car and opened the door for his father.
Yue Chunlan, unwilling to give up, got out of the car and pressed on, asking, "Approximately? How much longer?"
"Important things can't be rushed; it will take at least ten days to half a month."
"Ten days to half a month, is that considered a short time?"
"Um."
Pan Zhenguo: "Don't complain. With your son's personality, ten days or half a month is indeed not a long time."
Pan Yue smiled slightly, turned to the side to take the package the hospital had collected, slung it over his shoulder, and faced the door and the sunlight.
"Let's go home."
--
Twenty minutes later.
"I'm going to Jingci Town." Pan Yue, carrying a bag, hurried towards the door.
Yue Chunlan, who was watching TV with her legs crossed, looked puzzled. She quickly stood up and asked, "Why are you going there?"
Pan Zhenguo, who was scrolling through his phone on the sofa, also looked up when he heard the sound.
Pan Yue quickly tied his shoelaces, not even looking up: "Chasing girls."
......
"So fast!" Yue Chunlan hurried to the door, her steps trembling. "Wasn't it supposed to be ten days or half a month? Don't you want to reconsider?"
Think about it for a second!
Pan Yue chuckled: "No time to think about it."
There's a fire in the backyard; there's a thief.
*
Yue Chunlan opened her mouth, but remained silent.
She lowered her eyes slightly and pursed her lips: "...Go ahead, be careful on the road."
With a slight pang of pain in her heart, she waved her hand, severing a certain innate bond between mother and son.
"Be sincere with him, Mom believes in you, you two will build a new family, Mom is so happy..."
Suddenly, my body was enveloped in a warm sensation.
Her son, Pan Yue, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
Pan Yue was a reserved person. Her son hadn't held her in a very, very long time.
A warm feeling welled up inside her. For a moment, Yue Chunlan's breath hitched.
Pan Yue only hugged Yue Chunlan for two seconds before letting go.
“I will treat her well,” Pan Yue smiled gently. “I will come back often in the future.”
Pan Zhenguo stared straight at the doorway, his eyes unblinking.
“...Dad.” Pan Yue took a few steps to the sofa and stretched out his hand.
Pan Zhenguo was not used to it and subconsciously shrank back.
Pan Yue paused for a second, then laughed.
“…I’m going.” Pan Yue patted Pan Zhenguo on the shoulder, stared at his father for two seconds, then strode to the door, opened it, turned his head back, and walked away without stopping.
The door slammed shut, sending up a gust of wind.
Yue Chunlan's eyes welled up with tears.
The relationship between children and parents is always complex.
From kindergarten onwards, when children are separated from their parents for the first time, they will feel anxious, cry and make a fuss, refuse to go to school, and not want to be separated from their parents.
Gradually, they became accustomed to independence, communicating less and less with their parents. Though living in the same family, they no longer felt a connection.
Heart-to-heart communication;
Gradually, they reached the stage of marriage. The child formed his own new family and became the head of the household, while the original home became the "family of origin".
This time, the children won't cry or make a fuss. They will leave the family where they grew up with smiles, while the ones who want to cry and make a fuss will become their parents with gray hair.
This time, however, no one will cry or make a fuss.
......
That's good.
......
Yue Chunlan sent Pan Yue a message: "My son, thank you for hugging Mom. You've grown up; it's been a long time since you hugged Mom on your own initiative."
Yue Chunlan: [Although your dad doesn't say it, he's definitely happy.]
Pan Yue: [?]
Pan Yue: [You raised your hands, didn't you? Didn't you want me to hug you?]
Yue Chunlan: ......
She smiled.
Sure enough, my son is still the same clueless son.
He mistook a wave goodbye for a hug.
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