Closeness or distance
This Spring Festival was very quiet for the Lin family.
Lin Yujin's matter had been resolved, but Lin Yaozong seemed dissatisfied with it.
That day, after Lin Tingyue returned home, his tone became somewhat strange.
At the dinner table, Lin Yaozong didn't say anything. But after the meal, he called Lin Tingyue upstairs alone.
Lin Tingyue stood there, somewhat at a loss.
"dad……"
Lin Yaozong frowned, his expression serious. "I know about your brother's situation, and you've put in a lot of effort, but he's still your own brother. Don't you think about him at all? Now that he's in jail, he'll have a stain on his record. What will he do when he gets out?"
Lin Tingyue lowered her eyes, her fingers curling slightly.
“Dad, I’ve already talked to you about this before. My brother did something wrong, and he should take responsibility for it. I’ve hired the lawyers I needed, and I’ve done everything I could. This is the best outcome we can hope for.”
"What best outcome!" Lin Yaozong turned around, his tone somewhat agitated. "So, you've gotten married and now you don't care about your family anymore, right? Apart from today, have you called home even once in the past few days? If it weren't for your family arranging this marriage, would you have been able to marry into the Lin family? You've only been married a short time, and you already don't want to contact your family anymore?"
Lin Tingyue's eyes reddened upon hearing this; she was even somewhat shocked by her father's words.
"Dad..." She tried her best to suppress the hoarseness in her voice and control her sobs.
"So... in your eyes, this is just who I am, is that right?"
She was in so much pain and so depressed a while ago, and she never told them about her emotional problems because she didn't want to cause trouble for her family. But now it seems that this was just a facade of her indifference. Not helping her brother is indifference, and not helping her family gain benefits from the Chi family is selfishness.
The room was silent, except for the ticking of the second hand.
Seeing her like this, Lin Yaozong lowered his voice, "But he is still your brother..."
"The Chi family has already covered the deficit, Dad, what more do you want?"
Lin Tingyue took a deep breath and looked at Lin Yaozong. "If you think my brother really shouldn't go to jail, how about this: when he gets out, I'll serve a year in his place. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not lying," Lin Tingyue said firmly. "Dad, you always say you're not biased, but I've felt you are from childhood to adulthood. My brother is always right, and I'm always wrong. Even when someone else takes the spot I earned at school through my own hard work, you just say 'never mind' when we get home, and you never think of standing up for me. Fine, my brother is a boy, and I understand why you think that way, and I don't argue with him about anything. But now that he's done something wrong, I've tried my best to clean up the mess for him, just letting him take responsibility for what he should be responsible for. Am I wrong to do that? What, in your eyes, am I just a tool?"
"Smack—"
Lin Yaozong slapped Lin Tingyue across the face, and was so angry that he jumped up and down.
Lin Tingyue remained unmoved and continued, "If he goes in now, he'll have a chance to start over later. If we cover this up for him this time, what about next time? What if something like this happens again and we can't cover it up anymore? Will my brother think that no matter how big the problem is, the family can handle it? Will he grow up? My brother has always been good to me, so I begged Chi Zhuo to cover up the hole. Dad, can you come up with that money for my brother? You say I don't care about my brother, but what have you considered for him? You just watch him make one mistake after another. Is that what you call caring for him?"
Lin Yaozong then looked up at Lin Tingyue, only to find her standing at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from him, yet out of his reach.
“Yueyue…” He wanted to take a step forward, but found that Lin Tingyue took a step back.
"I have done everything I should have said and done; I have done all that is right and proper."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Lin Yaozong called out to her from behind, "Yueyue, Daddy was too anxious just now, it was me..."
“Dad…” Lin Tingyue interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
"You should also learn how to be a good parent."
After saying that, she turned around and left without looking back.
-
On the way back, Chi Zhuo carefully covered her with a thin blanket.
Lin Tingyue murmured softly, "Why don't you ask me what happened?"
Chi Zhuo spoke softly, "If you wanted to tell me, you would definitely do so. If you don't want to, there must be a reason."
"You must be curious about the marks on my face. My dad hit me there."
Chi Zhuo's tone suddenly suppressed his anger as he asked in a deep voice, "Why?"
Lin Tingyue recounted what had happened that day, and finally sighed, "I originally thought my family was harmonious and peaceful, but now it seems I was wrong. It's all about interests."
Chi Zhuo gently put his arm around her shoulder. "No, listen to this. Besides being the daughter of the Lin family, you are also yourself. Moreover, as long as you believe what you've done is right, there's no need to feel guilty. I think you handled this matter very well. This isn't selfishness; it's your clear-headedness, you know?"
Lin Tingyue sighed softly, "It seems I won't be able to go home anymore."
Chi Zhuo smiled slightly, "Nonsense, you're always welcome in my home."
Two days later, Zhen Lan came to the apartment to find Lin Tingyue.
Looking at her daughter, she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Lin Tingyue had already seen through her thoughts and said calmly, "Mom, just say what you want to say."
Zhen Lan sighed, "Your dad told me that he hasn't slept well at all these days. He was extremely worried about your brother's accident, and on top of that..."
She glanced at Lin Tingyue and continued, "Besides, after you get married, it will just be the two of us at home, so it will inevitably feel lonely. Your father is, to put it bluntly, stubborn. He knows he's wrong, but if you really ask him to admit it, he's too old to swallow his pride. He cares about his image."
Lin Tingyue silently brewed tea without making a sound.
"Mom knows what you did about your brother, and you did the right thing."
At this point, Zhen Lan couldn't help but shed tears.
"It's also my fault for spoiling your brother. He's willful and willful in everything he does. Now I've accepted that fact. But, Yueyue, Mom hopes you won't blame your dad. That's just the kind of person he is. He actually loves you, but that's just how he thinks. He hasn't changed much in his life. So please don't hold a grudge against him, okay?"
Lin Tingyue pushed the brewed tea in front of Zhen Lan. "Mom, try this tea."
Zhen Lan glanced at it, took the tea, picked it up, took a sip, and then put it back.
Lin Tingyue's eyes were calm. "Mom, I'm not angry. I just suddenly saw many things clearly."
Zhen Lan held Lin Tingyue's hand, somewhat sadly, "Yueyue, Mom knows that your dad shouldn't have hit you, but he also told me that he was too impulsive and he regrets it."
"I know," Lin Tingyue said, lowering her eyes. "I need time."
Zhen Lan took out a photo frame from her bag. Inside was a watercolor painting with four people on it.
Six characters were neatly written in pencil next to it.
My home, Lin Tingyue.
Lin Tingyue remembers that she painted this picture in her sixth grade art class. Her teacher praised it, and she immediately took it home to show Lin Yaozong. Lin Yaozong was very happy and framed it for her, hanging it in the most conspicuous place in the living room.
"Yueyue, Mom didn't come here today to ask you to forgive your dad right away. I just wanted to say that your dad is just stubborn and opinionated. That's his flaw. You can choose to be angry or hate him, but don't stop coming home. Even if you get married, you'll still have a place at home. You'll always be my precious daughter."
"Mom, I understand."
Lin Tingyue could say nothing more.
That evening, Chi Zhuo returned home and noticed the photo frame on the bedside table, which surprised him.
"This is……"
"My mom brought it over."
Chi Zhuo walked over gently and asked softly, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Lin Tingyue shook her head, "Let's leave it at that for now. It's best not to do anything."
Days passed by peacefully, one after another.
Lin Tingyue stopped asking about the Lin family's affairs and stopped calling back. Before she knew it, the New Year was over, and she was busy with her studio again.
That day, she was checking a batch of factory orders when her phone rang.
The phone screen shows Dad.
She stared at the phone for a long time, until the ringing was about to end, before she tapped the screen.
"Yueyue..." Lin Yaozong's voice came from the other end of the phone, tinged with hesitation, "Are you busy?"
"Yes, at the studio." Her voice was calm and even.
"Oh, okay, okay... It's good to be busy." Lin Yaozong paused, as if he couldn't find the right words. "Your mom said your studio has been quite busy lately, do you need... do you need any help?"
"No need, everything has been arranged."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before the conversation finally got to the point: "I have an old friend, surnamed Zhou, whose daughter is getting married next month and wants to use one of your designs for the dress. What do you think..."
Lin Tingyue didn't show much emotion. "Uncle Zhou can just contact me directly."
"Okay, okay..." Mission accomplished, Lin Yaozong seemed reluctant to hang up. "Yueyue, how...have you been lately?"
"I'm fine." She paused, then finally added, "How about you and Mom?"
“We’re doing fine, it’s just that the house… feels a bit lonely.” His voice trailed off.
Lin Tingyue held her phone, not answering. The call ended after a few dry words of advice.
The awkward feeling in my heart finally disappeared after I hung up the phone.
It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, but rather that she couldn't find anything to say.
Even though the past is over, she still feels a thorn in her heart that keeps aching, making it impossible for her not to think about it.
As the ice and snow gradually melt, spring, full of life, arrives.
In early March, Lin Tingyue wanted to relax, so she planned to go out for a trip.
She first called Xia Xiaoran, but she was busy. She then called several other friends, but they were all working overtime and had no chance to go out.
When she approached Chi Zhuo, he seemed to have already anticipated her remarks.
"You decide where you want to go."
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