Chapter 30 I'm such a lucky person!
Chapter 30
The airport's loudspeaker blared through the empty hall, clearly and distinctly reminding passengers to prepare for boarding.
Yu Pan was a little nervous and subconsciously gripped Shen Yanzhou's hand tightly.
"Don't be afraid, just follow me." Shen Yanzhou squeezed his palm, pulling his suitcase with one hand and holding Yu Pan's hand with the other, as they walked with the flow of people toward the boarding gate.
Stepping into the cabin, Yu Pan's eyes widened with curiosity; the interior was completely different from the "big iron bird's belly" he had imagined.
Bright and clean, with seats arranged neatly and uniformed flight attendants standing smiling to the side.
After finding a seat and sitting down, Yu Pan felt even more curious. He touched the armrest of the seat and then pressed the back of the seat in front of him.
Shen Yanzhou turned to the side, helped him fasten his seatbelt, and then showed him how to unbuckle it. "Come on, try it yourself?"
After Yu Pan clumsily but successfully completed the operation once, he instructed, "Tie it up, keep it on while flying."
Yu Pan nodded obediently, nervously clutching at the hem of Chen Yanzhou's clothes.
…
The plane began to taxi slowly, and the roar of the engines gradually intensified. Yu Pan's heart beat faster and faster. As the plane accelerated on the runway, the strong push-back feeling pressed him tightly against the back of his seat.
He couldn't help but close his eyes and take a breath, while his other hand gripped Shen Yanzhou's forearm.
"Panpan, look outside, it's flying." Shen Yanzhou's voice rang in Yu Pan's ears.
Yu Pan tried to suppress her panic, slowly opened her eyes, and looked out the small porthole.
"Wow..." Yu Pan instantly forgot his fear. He had never imagined that the sky would look like this.
"Is it pretty?" Shen Yanzhou asked him softly.
Yu Pan nodded vigorously, her eyes fixed on the clouds outside, struggling to find the words: "So...beautiful! Like...cotton candy! So bright! So white!"
He was so excited that he was almost incoherent; his initial nervousness and discomfort had long been replaced by novelty and awe.
Yu Pan twisted her body and leaned against the window, excitedly pulling on Chen Yanzhou's hand every now and then, pointing to a particularly fluffy or oddly shaped cloud, wanting to share her discovery with him.
After a while, the flight attendants pushed the food cart and began distributing drinks and simple meals. Yu Pan looked at the meal box and the orange juice in the cup handed to her, and felt a sense of novelty again.
Unlike on a train, there's food available without needing to buy meal tickets... Yu Pan sipped his juice and ate some cookies. He was eating in the sky... How amazing!
After the flight stabilized, Yu Pan's initial excitement gradually subsided. He hadn't slept much the night before after finding out he was going to fly, and he got up early to take a car to the airport. After eating and drinking his fill, drowsiness gradually crept in, and his head started to feel sleepy.
Shen Yanzhou pressed his head against his shoulder, adjusting his position to make him more comfortable. "Sleep for a while."
Yu Pan gave a muffled "hmm" and quickly fell asleep enveloped by Shen Yanzhou's presence, even having a dream.
He dreamt that he and Shen Yanzhou were holding hands, rolling around on the clouds, and when they got tired, they lay down on them and ate cotton candy.
Yu Pan slept until the plane began its descent, when she felt a slight sense of weightlessness and tinnitus, at which point she groggily opened her eyes.
With a slight turbulence, the plane landed smoothly on the runway and began to decelerate and taxi.
"We've arrived," Shen Yanzhou said.
Yu Pan let out a long sigh of relief, still feeling a sense of unreality and disorientation.
They really flew up into the sky and then came down from the sky!
As Yu Pan followed Shen Yanzhou out of the cabin, she couldn't help but look back at the massive "mechanical iron bird".
He excitedly shook Chen Yanzhou's hand, "Brother, we're done flying! We're out of the bird's belly!"
Shen Yanzhou was amused by his thought process again, and put his arm around his shoulder to walk outside. "Yeah, we're out, let's go."
-
Shen Yanzhou was always thorough in his work, and he had arranged everything before returning. Upon exiting the airport, a gray sedan was waiting by the roadside. After confirming their information, the driver took their luggage, put it in the trunk, and opened the car door for them.
That evening, the car arrived in Yunxi Town, and they found a hotel to stay in and rest. The long drive had left them exhausted, so they ate something simple and went to bed early.
The next morning, Yu Pan went to the market with Shen Yanzhou to buy items for the worship ceremony.
"Buy more of these mung bean cakes, Aunt Shen loves them the most," Yu Pan stopped in front of a pastry stall, pointing to the light yellow, square-shaped cakes, and asked Shen Yanzhou to take more, while muttering, "Also buy Uncle Shen's favorite bayberry wine, incense, candles, and paper money..."
"Okay, I'll buy them all." Shen Yanzhou agreed, and asked the shopkeeper to pick out two large bags of mung bean cakes, and then went to choose the wine and other offerings.
Afterwards, they went to a farmer's house and bought a cleaned chicken. By the time the chicken was cooked and everything was ready, it was already noon.
It was almost one o'clock when they arrived at Xishan Village. The sun was blazing. Shen Yanzhou put a large straw hat on Yu Pan and handed him a bottle of water. After watching him drink a couple of sips, he took the bottle and put it in his bag. Carrying the large and small bags of offerings and tools, he set off on the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar mountain road.
For the past two years, no one has taken care of the grave, and weeds have grown all around it, some even taller than Yu Pan's head.
Shen Yanzhou put down his things and took out the sickle and shovel he had brought. Before starting, he carefully patted the dense grass with the shovel to drive away any small animals that might be hiding there. Then he took out the cotton gloves he had prepared and put them on Yu Pan.
"Be careful not to cut your hand," Shen Yanzhou whispered.
This is a job that requires patience and physical strength.
Shen Yanzhou was strong and chose to clear the thickest, most difficult-to-clear grass, leaving the relatively easier areas for Yu Pan.
This kind of work was nothing new to them. Sweat streamed down their faces, and their backs were quickly soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to their skin.
They didn't speak, but silently buried themselves in their work. The air was filled with the fresh scent of cut grass, tinged with a slightly bitter aroma.
After nearly three hours of hard work, a somewhat irregular but neat patch of yellow mud was finally cleared around the grave, revealing its original appearance. Both of them were exhausted and sat on a rock to drink water.
Yu Pan arranged the offerings she brought one by one, added tea and wine, while Chen Yanzhou lit incense and candles, and the smoke rose, carrying the unique sandalwood fragrance of incense and candles.
They don't have the custom of erecting tombstones here; the long coffins are buried underground, leaving only two adjacent round mounds on the ground.
Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou stood side by side in front of the grave, quietly gazing at the two mounds of earth that held countless memories for them.
"Dad, Mom," Shen Yanzhou said first, "we've come back to see you."
Yu Pan stood beside Shen Yanzhou, his expression serious and solemn. He took a deep breath and spoke, each word clearer and slower than usual, "Uncle Shen, Aunt Shen, I... I can speak now! Listen to my voice, Shen Yanzhou said it sounds very nice..."
Compared to Shen Yanzhou's concise words, Yu Pan had so much to say. He carefully went through his memories, slowly and earnestly recounting the details and his feelings at the time, telling them how much he missed them.
He paused at the end, then said, "We... are doing very well now, so don't worry."
They stayed at the grave for a long time, talking a lot, until the setting sun dyed the horizon orange-red before they began to pack up.
But there was nothing to pack; they didn't take any of the food, they just extinguished the incense and candles.
Before leaving, they made a special detour back to the small courtyard in Xishan Village that held countless memories for them.
The courtyard wall was already mottled, and the dense weeds in the yard climbed over the top of the wall. Yu Pan stood outside the tightly closed courtyard gate and watched quietly for a long time.
Due to time constraints, it wasn't realistic to completely tidy up the place and move in. Shen Yanzhou's gaze swept over every familiar outline, eventually turning into a barely audible sigh.
Perhaps the tomb sweeping during the day stirred up too many memories, because Yu Pan had another dream that night.
In his dream, he was still in that familiar little courtyard. He sat on a small stool, watching Aunt Chen cook by the stove, his mouth watering.
At the kitchen doorway, Uncle Shen and Shen Yanzhou each sat on a small stool, weaving bamboo baskets with bamboo strips in their hands.
Seeing him staring longingly at the pot, Aunt Chen smiled and picked up a fragrant piece of meat to tease him: "Panpan, come on, open your mouth—"
Yu Pan immediately obediently opened her mouth wide, as if afraid it wouldn't be big enough to hold it all.
As a result, Uncle Shen, who was sitting by the door, heard this and, like a child, shouted, "Me too, ah—"
Aunt Shen immediately laughed and scolded, "Why are you arguing with the child? Can't you just wait for the food to be served?"
Despite saying that, she still picked up a piece of meat, went over and stuffed it into his mouth, and when she came back, she casually asked Shen Yanzhou if he wanted some.
The young man, Shen Yanzhou, shook his head, his face serious: "Eat when we're eating."
"..." Aunt Shen turned around and put another piece of meat into her spoon, handed it to Yu Pan, and gestured towards Shen Yanzhou: "Go, let your brother have a taste."
Yu Pan nodded, carefully holding the spoon, and with her short legs, she went to pester Chen Yanzhou to eat.
Shen Yanzhou smiled helplessly yet indulgently, taking only a small bite and giving the other half to Yu Pan.
But Yu Pan didn't eat it. Instead, she held up the remaining half of the meat like a precious treasure and went back to the stove. She stood on tiptoe and stretched out her hand to Aunt Chen, meaning that she should eat it.
Aunt Chen would then smile, pat his head, and praise him, "Panpan is such a good boy!" Then she couldn't help but put an even bigger piece of meat on his plate...
The dream was so warm and beautiful that when Shen Yanzhou woke him up the next morning, Yu Pan unusually threw a tantrum.
"I haven't dreamed about Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen for so long!" Yu Pan pouted, her eyes still sleepy, and pushed against Shen Yanzhou's chest, her brows furrowed, her face full of grievance and reluctance.
Shen Yanzhou quickly pulled him, blanket and all, into his arms, coaxing him gently, "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I'm sorry Panpan, I promise I won't bother you next time..."
Perhaps because she was tired from being on the mountain yesterday, and also because she was lost in a dream, Yu Pan was unusually grumpy when she woke up this time. She grumbled and twisted her body, not letting Shen Yanzhou touch her, and kicked the blankets a couple of times in displeasure.
Shen Yanzhou soothed him in a low voice again and again, gently patting his back until the person in his arms slowly relaxed and habitually rubbed against his neck, and that little bit of temper gradually dissipated.
They didn't linger in Yunxi Town. After getting up and washing up, they had a simple breakfast at a small shop next to the inn, and then got back into the gray sedan and set off for Baixi Town.
The journey was long and arduous, nearly ten hours long. Yu Pan spent most of the time watching the scenery rushing by outside the window, occasionally leaning on Shen Yanzhou's shoulder for a short rest.
When the car finally entered Baixi Town, Yu Pan almost didn't recognize it.
This small town, once ravaged by floods and filled with mud, has now regained its former vitality and tranquility.
The car finally came to a smooth stop in front of the familiar bookstore. Yu Pan could see the familiar figure sitting in the old rattan chair at the door, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.
He couldn't even wait for Shen Yanzhou; he eagerly pushed open the car door and ran over excitedly.
Shen Yanzhou smiled helplessly as he watched his retreating figure. He first confirmed the pick-up time with the driver again before leisurely getting out of the car and following him.
The bookstore owner, Yang Yongfu, was squinting and fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan to shoo away the flying mosquitoes when he noticed an unfamiliar gray car parked by the roadside, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
He had just waved his fan twice when a young man got out of the car and ran straight toward him, calling out in a clear voice, "Grandpa."
Yang Yongfu muttered to himself, "Who's your grandfather?"
Upon closer inspection, wasn't that Xiao Pan running towards them?!
"Grandpa!" Yu Pan ran up to him in one breath, carrying a backpack, squatted down next to him, looked up at him with her eyes fixed on him.
Yang Yongfu gasped in surprise, his squinted eyes widening as he scrutinized the increasingly fair and handsome face before him. He asked uncertainly, "Xiao...Xiao Pan?"
"It's me!" Yu Pan nodded vigorously, her smile wide and her eyes almost disappearing. "Grandpa, I'm back!"
Before Yang Yongfu could recover from the shock of "Xiao Pan can talk", he saw a tall, broad-shouldered, long-legged young man walk over with a calm demeanor. Who else could it be but Shen Yanzhou?
Shen Yanzhou walked closer and smiled at Yang Yongfu, who was still in a daze, "Grandpa."
"We've come back to see you and Grandma!" Yu Pan said eagerly, his joy barely concealed. He stood up impatiently. "Is Grandma upstairs? I'm going to find her!"
After saying that, he skillfully pushed open the innermost door of the bookstore and ran upstairs.
Yang Yongfu looked at the two young men in front of him. He opened his mouth, but before he could ask the question that was on his mind, he realized that they had cured his inability to speak as well.
"Hey! You kid, slow down!" Yang Yongfu finally came to his senses and called out to Yu Pan's back. His face was a mixture of surprise and joy. In his excitement, he tried to stand up by holding onto the armrest of the rattan chair, but he lost his balance and swayed.
Shen Yanzhou, who had been watching him closely, stepped forward and steadily supported the old man's arm. "Grandpa, please take it easy. Let me help you up."
"Okay, okay..." Yang Yongfu used his strength to steady himself, looked at the empty stairwell, then looked at Chen Yanzhou, and breathed a sigh of relief, "This is really... great."
"Mm," Shen Yanzhou replied, helping Yang Yongfu upstairs.
Yu Pan's loud and urgent cry of "Grandma!" could be heard from upstairs.
Hearing the commotion upstairs, Yang Yongfu's wrinkles crinkled into a smile. He patted Chen Yanzhou's hand, which was supporting him, and murmured, "Good, everything's alright now..."
As Shen Yanzhou helped Yang Yongfu up the last step, they saw Yu Pan squatting in front of the old lady, speaking excitedly, while the old lady held his hand, laughing and wiping away tears.
Hearing footsteps, both of them looked over.
Zhang Yingqun also saw the old man being helped up by Shen Yanzhou, and said with a nasal tone, "Old man Yang, listen to this, listen to Panpan's voice, how loud and beautiful it is!"
"Hey, I heard it a long time ago. As soon as Xiao Pan got out of the car, she called me Grandpa." Yang Yongfu sat down on the chair by the door frame.
Shen Yanzhou stood behind Yu Pan and put his hand on his shoulder.
The light in the small room was dim. Yu Pan glanced at Grandpa Yang from the bookstore, and then at Grandma Zhang, the landlady.
They are people who are not related by blood at all, and even more than a year ago, they were complete strangers.
Now, however, I am genuinely happy for him because he can hear and speak again.
Yu Pan finally looked up at Shen Yanzhou, who was standing behind him the whole time. Shen Yanzhou was also looking down at him with a calm and gentle gaze.
My heart was filled with a swollen, bittersweet emotion, almost overflowing.
I am such a lucky person, Yu Panxiang thought.
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Author's Note: This is Panpan surrounded by happiness~ [Cat emoji][Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
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