Chapter 34 Until Yu Pan became impatient
Chapter 34
In the end, Tan Bai was the first to spot the person standing at the door. He stiffened instantly as if pricked by a needle, his face showing the embarrassment of being caught red-handed. "What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen someone write before!"
Tan Ming snorted irritably, walked over and glanced at the still appalling guarantee, "Writing a guarantee is like it's going to kill you, and you still have the nerve to say that? Hurry up and write yours!"
Yu Pan also noticed Shen Yanzhou standing at the door and silently straightened up.
Shen Yanzhou remained calm, as if he were just passing by. He glanced at Yu Pan and Tan Bai, then said to Tan Ming, "Let him concentrate on writing for now. Shall we talk outside?"
"Okay." Tan Ming glanced at his younger brother, said "You continue writing," and then walked back to the courtyard with Shen Yanzhou.
At noon, Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou stayed at Tan Ming's house for a meal. The table was set with a few simple home-style stir-fries, unlike the lavish feast the night before, and there was no alcohol.
Tan Bai ate very quickly, almost constantly burying his head in his rice, barely touching any of the other dishes. After finishing, he put down his bowl and slipped back to his room, not daring to look Yu Pan in the eye the entire time.
After dinner, they sat and drank a few more cups of tea, chatting about the general situation in Lanzhou. Seeing that it was almost time, Shen Yanzhou got up and said he was going back.
Tan Ming saw them to the courtyard gate, his expression much more serious than before. "About that matter you mentioned, I'll discuss it with my brother tonight. Whether it works out or not, I'll give you a definite answer first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"
“Okay,” Shen Yanzhou nodded, “No rush.”
"When...do you plan to return to Lanzhou?" Tan Ming asked again.
"I'm leaving tomorrow at noon," Shen Yanzhou replied.
"Leaving tomorrow at noon? So soon?" Tan Ming was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll definitely come to see you tomorrow morning."
"good."
On the way back, Yu Pan sat on the back of the bicycle, holding onto Shen Yanzhou's waist. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are Brother Tan and the others also going to Lanzhou?"
"It's hard to say, it depends on their own decision," Shen Yanzhou said.
-
Since they were leaving at noon, the old lady started working in the kitchen shortly after breakfast the next morning.
There was soup simmering on the stove and vegetables stir-frying in the pot, so they could have lunch before leaving.
"You've been on such a long journey, and there's not much to eat along the way, so you should eat something to tide you over," the old lady said, deftly plucking the feathers from the scalded chicken.
She had originally planned to kill a few chickens, cook them, and pack several large jars of homemade pickles for Yu Pan and the others to take with them.
Shen Yanzhou had to persuade them quite a bit before they finally stopped, saying that these things weren't allowed on the plane, and that the weather was hot now, so these things wouldn't be fresh if kept out for too long, and it would be a waste if they couldn't be eaten.
The old lady then gave up, but still insisted on having a good meal she had cooked before they left.
This is probably a common problem among elders everywhere: they always want to give the best food to their children who are about to embark on a long journey.
As Yu Pan watched the old lady's busy figure, she suddenly remembered that when Shen Yanzhou was in high school and lived at school, the two meals he ate every Friday when he went home and Sunday when he returned to school were always exceptionally sumptuous.
It's not that he and his uncle and aunt didn't eat well when Shen Yanzhou wasn't home, but rather that those two meals were especially delicious, with lots of dishes and snacks.
Back then, Aunt Shen not only knew how to stir-fry meat, but she would also go out of her way to buy fried dough sticks. The sticky, oily piles seemed to make up for the lack of oil and fat that Shen Yanzhou had missed during the week at school.
At first, Yu Pan was quite sad because Shen Yanzhou was going to board at high school, but after a few weeks, he didn't seem to be so upset anymore.
Instead, I started looking forward to Fridays and Sundays, anticipating the delicious food my family would buy on those days. I even imagined that when I went to high school, Uncle and Aunt Shen would cook like this for me when I came home...
But none of that is possible now.
Yu Pan's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly cheered up again, moved a small stool and sat down next to the old lady, "Grandma, I'll pluck the feathers too."
"Oh, good child," the old lady replied with a smile.
Tan Ming arrived early in the morning as promised to find Shen Yanzhou.
"It's all settled." Tan Ming got straight to the point. "We'll go to Lanzhou, but I need to finish these orders first, and then take care of things at home. I estimate I'll go to Lanzhou to see you around the 3rd or 5th of next month."
“Okay.” Shen Yanzhou nodded, turned and went upstairs to get paper and pen. He wrote down their address and office phone number in Lanzhou and handed them to Tan Ming. “When you get there, find them at this address, or call ahead.”
Tan Ming carefully put away the slip of paper with the address and phone number written on it. "Okay, I'll definitely have to trouble you a lot later."
"It's not a hassle at all." Shen Yanzhou patted his shoulder. "It's good that you're here."
Just then, a head popped out of an upstairs window, and Yu Pan called down, "Dinner's ready!"
Shen Yanzhou looked at Tan Ming, "Want to eat something together?"
"No, no," Tan Ming quickly waved his hand, a hint of helplessness on his face. "I really have a short-distance fare I can't refuse today, so I have to go right away. Well then... have a safe trip!"
Shen Yanzhou smiled and said, "Okay."
The farewell lunch was exceptionally heartwarming, with the old lady constantly serving them food and offering countless reminders about various aspects of life.
After dinner, Shen Yanzhou went upstairs to pack his luggage, while Yu Pan stayed downstairs to keep the old man and woman at the bookstore company ...
At noon, the familiar gray sedan pulled up in front of the bookstore right on time.
This time it really is time to leave.
The old lady held Yu Pan's hand, then looked at Shen Yanzhou who was putting the luggage into the trunk. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she still forced a smile: "Take good care of yourself over there... Xiao Pan, don't keep yourself too quiet. Xiao Zhou, take good care of him, and take good care of yourselves too..."
She knew in her heart that Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou's departure this time was different from their last trip to Lanzhou for medical treatment. They had established themselves in Lanzhou, built careers and families, and from now on, the journey would be long and arduous, making it difficult for them to return.
"Grandma, don't worry," Shen Yanzhou replied in a deep voice. "Panpan and I will write back often. You and Grandpa must take good care of yourselves."
Yu Pan nodded emphatically, her throat felt like it was choked by something, and she couldn't say anything she wanted to say. She could only hold the old lady's hand tightly.
No matter how reluctant I am, I have to leave.
Zhang Yingqun stood by the roadside, watching the car turn the corner and disappear from sight completely before letting out a soft sigh, slowly turning around and going upstairs.
Back inside, looking at the food covered by a bamboo basket on the table, I felt a pang of sadness again.
Looking down, she noticed a sturdy cloth bag that had appeared by the foot of the table. She opened it and found several boxes of beautifully packaged nutritional supplements inside.
Without a doubt, Yu Pan and Shen Yanzhou must have left it secretly. Zhang Yingqun felt both warm and bittersweet, thinking to put it away carefully so it wouldn't get damp and go to waste.
But when she picked up a box of nutritional supplements, she felt something heavy at the bottom of the bag. When she took it out, she was surprised to find a thick red seal!
Zhang Yingqun opened the envelope and saw a stack of ten-yuan notes inside. Clutching the red envelope, she was about to go downstairs to chase after them.
How much money must that cost! It must be so hard for those two kids to work so hard away from home!
She had just hurriedly reached the stairwell when she bumped into Yang Yongfu, who was also going upstairs.
Both of them were stunned.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Yongfu was also holding a similarly thick red envelope in his hand.
Their eyes met, and looking at the red envelope in each other's hands, they instantly understood everything.
Zhang Yingqun's eyes reddened, and she laughed and scolded, "These two kids... really..."
Before she could finish speaking, her voice choked with emotion.
-
Inside the car, Yu Pan stared blankly at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window.
"Brother..." Yu Pan suddenly spoke up, "Do you think Grandpa and Grandma found that red envelope? Will they be angry?"
Shen Yanzhou turned his head, not answering directly, but simply reaching out to rub Yu Pan's head.
To avoid a rushed and tiring trip, Shen Yanzhou allocated a day and a half for the return journey.
This time they no longer needed to detour to Xishan Village, which greatly shortened their journey.
We spent most of the night in an unfamiliar city on the road, and then drove all morning the next day to reach the airport in the provincial capital.
Flying again, Yu Pan no longer felt the initial excitement and nervousness. Perhaps it was the lingering sadness of parting, coupled with the fact that he had spent almost the entire past two days in the car, that left him exhausted.
Not long after boarding the plane and fastening her seatbelt, her head gradually tilted towards Shen Yanzhou, and she fell asleep before takeoff.
He slept almost the entire way, from the plane to the car after arriving in Lanzhou, where Shen Yanzhou carried him upstairs and into the house, where he finally opened his eyes groggily.
"Am I home yet..." he mumbled, snuggled into his pillow, and fell asleep again the next second.
Shen Yanzhou stood by the bed, looking at the person sleeping soundly on the bed. Although Yu Pan had been sleeping the whole way, he was obviously not sleeping well. Even after sleeping for so long, there were still faint dark circles under his eyes.
After boiling water, Shen Yanzhou wrung out a hot towel, wiped Yu Pan's face and hands, changed her into her pajamas, and then quietly went to wash up.
…
Yu Pan slept very soundly and didn't wake up naturally until noon the next day.
He opened his eyes and found himself wrapped in Shen Yanzhou's arms with all four limbs.
Shen Yanzhou seemed to have been awake for a while, and was looking down at him. "Awake?"
"Mmm..." Yu Pan had just woken up, her voice soft and nasal. Instead of letting go of Chen Yanzhou, who was clinging to her tightly, she snuggled even closer into his arms.
Shen Yanzhou chuckled softly, tightened his grip, and nuzzled his chin against the top of Shen Yanzhou's head.
Their bodies were pressed together under the blanket, and they could clearly feel each other.
Yu Pan's face flushed slightly, but she didn't look away. Instead, she raised her head and looked at Shen Yanzhou.
Shen Yanzhou took a deep breath, lowered his head and kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose, and finally Yu Pan's lips.
It was a slow and deep kiss, not one of eager praise, but rather one of tenderness and affection.
Yu Pan responded obediently, wrapping her arms around Shen Yanzhou's neck.
When the kiss ended, both of them were a little breathless. Shen Yanzhou's thumb caressed Yu Pan's glistening lips, his voice low and husky: "Are you still tired?"
Yu Pan shook her head and buried her face in his neck. "I'm not tired anymore."
"Shall we get up and eat? What would you like to eat?"
"Hmm..." Yu Pan dragged out his words, his expression serious as if he were pondering an extremely important question, but in reality he was stalling for time; he didn't want to get up so soon.
Yu Pan lingered for a while before finally saying, "I want to eat noodle soup, stir-fried green beans with minced meat, and fried eggs."
"Okay." Shen Yanzhou replied, but did not get up immediately. He played with the person nestled in his arms for a while until Yu Pan impatiently chased him off the bed before changing his clothes and going downstairs to buy groceries.
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Author's Note: Panpan is very fierce [calico cat head].
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