Gu Mai did not return to China directly; instead, he went back to the farm in the suburbs that he had visited before.
The harvest season was long over, but the farm was still in the final stages of clearing out, so the family of three still lived there.
However, the once vibrant Land seemed somewhat uninterested, sitting in a chair.
They were completely different from last time when they were arguing and clamoring to go fly kites.
The farmer's wife knelt down in front of him to comfort him, stroking his soft, smooth hair.
But he was a little awkward and refused to speak.
When they looked away, their eyes met those of Gu Mai, who was looking in their direction, and their eyes lit up slightly.
The farmer's wife noticed it too and followed Land's gaze.
Land was led away to his own direction. He originally only intended to take a look from afar, but unexpectedly, he was spotted by the sharp-eyed Land.
Land excitedly jumped into his arms.
The farmer's wife looked at Land in his arms with some joy, "Mr. Gu, what brings you here?"
Gu Mai casually made up a lie: "I came here to inspect the company and happened to pass by the farm, so I thought I'd stop by and take a look."
The three of them walked together into the manor.
The farmer's wife found it somewhat intriguing and said, "Land doesn't usually like to interact with strangers, but I didn't expect that he would like you so much after only meeting Mr. Gu once."
"Really?" He glanced at the child in his arms, a hint of pleasure in his eyes.
Just as they reached the wooden house, harvesting workers came up to the farm owner.
So the farmer's wife had no choice but to speak up, "Mr. Gu, it might take up some of your time to look after the land for me. It's liquidation time now, and the farm will be handed over soon, so there are still some liquidation matters to be handled. It's quite busy right now. My husband has also gone to the estate to help out. If it's inconvenient for you, you can let him play by himself in the cabin."
She glanced at Land, who had just been sulking, with some unease.
The next second, upon hearing that Gu Mai had agreed to help, he was very grateful and told Land not to cause Gu Mai any trouble before leaving with peace of mind.
When only the two of them were left staring at each other, Land felt a little shy and struggled to get off him.
Gu Mai: "What's wrong? I saw you sulking at the door just now."
Land's face turned even redder after he pointed it out so bluntly. She let out a soft hum, then turned her back to him, muttering to herself, "I wasn't being difficult."
Instead of offering gentle comfort like the farmer's wife, Gu Mai directly turned his body towards her: "So you don't want to talk to me?"
Gu Mai's gaze was excessively sharp; perhaps in an environment like Si Ge's, he couldn't bring himself to give such a tender look and expression.
The slightly serious tone made Land hesitate, "...Well, I'll tell you, but this is our secret, you can't tell Mom."
He blinked at Gu Mai, trying to see a promise in his eyes.
"Okay, I won't tell them."
Land's voice carried a hint of disappointment, "Mom said that after the harvest season this year, we'll be moving back to the West, and I won't be able to go to school with Rose anymore."
His little head drooped, like a puppy that had just been scolded. Gu Mai seemed a little surprised, but still listened to him finish speaking.
"Mom said that the farm has been bought by someone, and I can't live here anymore. Then I won't be able to see my friends anymore..."
Thinking back to the doll keychain he gave me in exchange, it seems he mentioned this child named Rose back then.
Soothing a child was indeed beyond Gu Mai's scope of development and learning, but he still took out the pendant from his chest pocket.
Land's eyes lit up again when he saw how well Land cherished his things.
"Ah! It's it!"
Gu Mai shoved the thing into Land's hand. "Didn't you say you wanted to give this to Rose? You can use this to say goodbye to her properly, and you can also make a promise to meet her again in the future and go fly kites together, okay?"
Hearing his words, Land perked up and immediately distracted himself, but his hands were still hesitant: "But this is something we exchanged to keep a secret. If you give it back to me, then I'm breaking my word."
They wanted to return it, but their hands were still reluctant to part with it.
Gu Mai noticed his hesitation. "I will still keep it a secret for you. Besides, it accompanied me when my uncle went abroad recently."
"Really?! He must have flown on an airplane before?!" Land exclaimed excitedly. "I want to fly too, but I'm too young. My mom said I had a very serious illness before, so I have to wait until I'm better before I can fly!"
A hint of regret appeared on her small face, along with an undisguised struggle, as she looked at the thing in her hand.
Gu Mai certainly knew what illness he was talking about. The farm owner and his wife took good care of him, and there was no sign of any aftereffects.
At that moment, Land seemed to remember something, and suddenly ran into the room, shouting to Gumai behind him, "Wait for me!"
He rushed back in a hurry, slightly out of breath and sweating from running, carrying a piece of white paper and a pen in his arms.
Gu Mai couldn't understand what he was doing. He saw him lying on the ground, writing something neatly on a piece of paper. However, the little head was too close to his eyes, so he couldn't see clearly. But because of the cold weather, he reached out to pull him away.
After he finished writing, he even took the lady of the house's lipstick, applied it to his finger, and pressed his fingerprint on it.
"Hey, Uncle, this is an IOU! In the future... in the future you can use it to make a wish with me, and I will definitely grant it."
The way he made the promise, like a little expert, was so convincing that Gu Mai was both amused and exasperated, but he still took the note from him.
The words written neatly above read: "Land owes Uncle Gu a wish because he lent me his doll keychain."
Land felt like he had done something big, just like the buyers who usually came to his parents, writing a note that could be used as a bill of lading.
This gave him a great sense of accomplishment, and he unconsciously raised his head, as if this would make him like an adult!
Gu Mai stared at the two lines of text, lost in thought. Not wanting to spoil his mood, she formally made a pinky promise with him, just like last time, her thumb stained with the pink lipstick on his hand.
As if afraid he would think he was lying, Land repeatedly urged, "You must come back to me! I can definitely make your wish come true."
The bittersweet feeling in Gu Mai's heart made him feel unfamiliar. For a moment, he felt a pang of reluctance, but it was too short, and he didn't even have time to remind himself of it.
The farmer's wife then returned with her team.
As darkness fell, unlike the last time I came, the ground was covered with felled branches waiting to be transported, making it look somewhat desolate. The chill brought by the setting sun invaded this vast plain.
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