Chapter 37
37.
Although Guan Yue's self-awareness was somewhat problematic, the outcome was in the direction she believed it to be.
Cheng Lingjun started talking to her more, though less than during their best times, but more than during their worst.
Guan Yue also knew that Cheng Lingjun was going back to Guping Town to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and she was very happy.
“This is a good thing. Your family must feel that they have wronged you, leaving you and your child to wander outside. They want to make it up to you.”
Cheng Lingjun was taken aback. "You think so?"
"Isn't that right?" Guan Yue was also stunned. Cheng Lingjun had told her in a simpler way. She already knew that Cheng Lingjun's father had been meeting with him. So it was only natural to ask him to come home for the New Year. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
Cheng Lingjun paused, but did not answer the question. She simply said, "Maybe I will move back home in the future."
“…Yes, really?” Guan Yue felt her hands trembling slightly, but she still forced a smile. “Isn’t this a good thing?”
The two fell silent for a moment, neither of them speaking.
Guan Yue's thoughts drifted aimlessly. He was going back, but would he come back? Probably. He hadn't said he wanted to stay in Guping Town, but that was his home. Going back was only natural. Could she stop him from going home?
What right does she have to stop her?
Besides, Cheng Lingjun was forced to leave Guping Town in the first place. Now that he has the opportunity to go back, why shouldn't he go back? His family, his friends, and everything he knows are there. Isn't that more comfortable than this poor, remote place?
Even if Guan Yue had the choice, she would probably choose to go home. Wasn't she also forced to stay in this world?
Guan Yue moved her lips several times, wanting to say something, but hesitated. As the outsider, neighbor, and friend who knew Cheng Lingjun best, she should be happy for him, but in her heart she was unwilling. She felt that Cheng Lingjun should stay in Dahuai Village, or rather, he should live across from her house, so that she could see him every day.
Guan Yue had long known that she was somewhat dependent on Cheng Lingjun, but she didn't feel it that much. Now, the thought of Cheng Lingjun not coming back made Guan Yue so sad that she almost cried.
Hang in there, hang in there. She's not a fledgling bird that's just left the nest. She can't keep having these thoughts. It's putting too much pressure on Cheng Lingjun. If he knew what she was thinking, he would be so scared that he would go home immediately. No matter what, she should hide these dark thoughts and bless him as a good friend.
Containing her fragile emotions, Guan Yue managed her expression and looked at Cheng Lingjun with a sunny and positive look, "It's okay, go back then. Your family must miss you a lot. You won't have to suffer anymore when you're home, and you won't have to pay rent, hahaha. Just come back and visit more often when you have time..."
Guan Yue tried her best to hide the trembling little pearl in her eyes. Oh no, if she kept talking, she would definitely lose her composure. If Cheng Lingjun saw this, who knows what he would think? It was better not to embarrass herself in public.
After Guan Yue finished speaking hastily, she immediately said, "Well, I have something to do, so I'll head back now. We can talk again when we have time."
Before Cheng Lingjun could react, she turned and ran.
Waaah, this is so embarrassing! I hope Cheng Lingjun didn't see her in this awkward situation.
Before Cheng Lingjun could say a word, Guan Yue had already disappeared, and he could only slowly lower his hand that was raised in mid-air.
He didn't say he would definitely go home to live.
However, if my parents insist, going back seems to be a certainty.
Cheng Lingjun couldn't quite tell what he was feeling. Going back didn't seem as urgent as he had thought; instead, he felt a deep sense of reluctance to leave this place.
Is it because you've been here so long that you're finding it hard to get used to leaving?
But he wasn't this conflicted and hesitant about leaving Guping Town, where he had lived since childhood.
Perhaps it was because of the kind-hearted village chief, perhaps because of Li Guang's teacher, Lady Liu, perhaps because he had arranged the place he lived in to his liking, perhaps because...
Cheng Lingjun looked up at the house opposite his, and thought, "Maybe, who knows..."
Cheng Lingjun gave a self-deprecating laugh, then turned and went back.
Days pass by like flowing water in the mundane routine of life, leaving no trace.
By the time you realize it, the day you've been waiting for is already just around the corner.
Cheng Lingjun took Li Guang back to the Cheng family home.
Dahuai Village was already bustling with activity. Before Cheng Lingjun left, he had already smelled the aroma of rice cakes and fermented rice wine wafting from the stove, seen the wisps of smoke rising from the village, and heard the clanging and clattering sounds of people coming and going.
Cheng Lingjun also cleaned the house, washed her and Li Guang's faces, and took the colorful embroidered paintings and some meat and vegetables that she had prepared in advance—actually, there should be some at home, but it wouldn't be good to go back empty-handed.
Many people visit Guping Town, mostly to join in the festivities and then return at night to worship ancestors and watch fireworks. To celebrate, fireworks are set off at the ancestral hall, and during the Lunar New Year, there are also traditional operas and dragon and lion dances to watch.
However, all of this requires money. Every year, Dahuai Village will pool its resources with people from several surrounding villages to hold a grand and lively event.
After lunch, Cheng Lingjun and the others took an oxcart or horse-drawn carriage to the town. He had been busy all day, but he hadn't seen Guan Yue and didn't know what she was doing.
Cheng Lingjun had thought she could see her again before leaving, not to say anything, but just to exchange greetings. Unfortunately, she didn't see her. With a hint of disappointment, Cheng Lingjun and Li Guang left in an oxcart.
Knowing that he was going back to Guping Town, Li Guang's face was tense the whole way. It was a great day, but he looked like he was going to war. Cheng Lingjun guessed that he might have some trauma from Guping Town, so she comforted him by saying that he was not going back to his original home, but to his maternal grandparents' home.
But Li Guang didn't calm down much after hearing this. He just pursed his lips and nodded. Cheng Lingjun felt a little sorry for his sensible nature. Li Guang didn't actually spend much time with the Cheng family. He didn't have much memory of when he was too young. When he got a little older, he became less talkative. In addition, Cheng Lingjun's eldest sister's husband had a daughter as his first child. The family revolved around that girl, so Li Guang naturally didn't win the favor of the Cheng family.
Cheng Lingjun gently embraced Li Guang, feeling his son's body slowly relax. He thought that no matter what, he would never let Li Guang fall into that helpless and closed-off state of mind again. Even if he didn't have a daughter and could never have another child, Li Guang was still his child, his only and most precious treasure.
The oxcart swayed and bumped its way to Guping Town.
As you step onto the bluestone bricks of the market, you are greeted by a sea of people.
Today, Guping Town is bustling with activity, a sight rarely seen in the quiet Dahuai Village. The West Market is almost overflowing with people from all sorts of places, some watching the spectacle, others doing business. As you walk by, you seem to be enveloped in the warmth of the air, having forgotten the chill of the journey.
Seeing the excitement, Li Guang couldn't resist taking a walk. Cheng Lingjun noticed his curious expression and decided to take him along to join in the fun. Since it was still early, they could wander around and buy some souvenirs to take home.
Li Guang was naturally more than willing. Holding Cheng Lingjun's hand, he acted like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the city, stopping to look at everything. Sometimes, when Cheng Lingjun saw that he liked something and was about to take out money to buy it, Li Guang would quickly shake his head, pull him away, and say that he didn't like it and was just looking at it.
Cheng Lingjun naturally noticed that he was afraid of spending money, so she only bought some snacks from the roadside. They were inexpensive and not something he usually ate. Li Guang was very happy and didn't say he didn't want them. He ate them with great relish. Cheng Lingjun also picked out some hot pastries to take back to the Cheng family.
Cheng Lingjun stopped at a stall selling porcelain dolls and stared blankly at a porcelain rabbit ornament.
The pendant wasn't particularly exquisite, and the rabbit was rather clumsy, not looking very clever. But the most ingenious part was that the rabbit was holding a full moon in its arms. It was this combination of the moon and the rabbit that made Cheng Lingjun buy it as if by some strange impulse.
Even before Li Guang turned around, he had already put the ornament into his sleeve. Li Guang vaguely saw something disappear into his father's sleeve, but he couldn't see what it was at all.
Just as Li Guang opened his mouth to ask, Cheng Lingjun pointed ahead and said, "There are window decorations for sale over there. Let's go take a look."
Li Guang's attention was quickly diverted as he followed Cheng Lingjun to buy window decorations. They bought a little bit here and a little bit there, and by the time they reached the Cheng family's door, it was almost time for dinner.
Walking down that familiar alley and in front of that familiar door, Cheng Lingjun found himself feeling a little afraid. He didn't really know whether he had spent so much time in the market to satisfy Li Guang or because of some fear in his heart that made him hesitate to step into this place that was clearly his home.
The Cheng family was still the same Cheng family, located in a deep alley on West Street. It was inhabited by very old people, and the place was neither very clean nor very spacious. The houses were also very close together, so water splashed by one house could easily spill onto the other, and smoke blown by the other would drift into the other's house. Naturally, there were many arguments, which Cheng Lingjun had been used to since childhood.
His house was the same as Cheng Lingjun's house, with a small courtyard and a small well. It was the largest house in the alley, but even though it was the largest, it wasn't actually that big. More and more people lived there. The alley they lived in was called Guazi Alley. His mother used to say that they would move out of this dilapidated alley, which was the size of a melon seed, sooner or later, but they never did.
The flowers he planted in front of the door when he left home have withered, and no one has thought to move them out. If he were still at home, he would have taken care of them. Now, I'm afraid no one has even thought of them.
Cheng Lingjun took a deep breath and walked forward with Li Guang. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard crying coming from inside, followed by the noise of several people arguing.
Before Cheng Lingjun could react, the door was pushed open by a short figure who rushed straight into his arms, almost causing Cheng Lingjun to fall over.
Everything inside was open to Cheng Lingjun's eyes. His eldest brother-in-law was holding a thin stick, which seemed to be firewood, and his eldest sister was nervously holding his hand. His second sister was sitting casually on a wooden stool fanning the fire. His mother, Cheng Xiu, was glaring and slamming her fist on the table, and his father, Wen Lin, had chased after them.
The surrounding sounds suddenly subsided, leaving only the loud crying from Cheng Lingjun's arms. His long-awaited reunion with his family happened in such an unexpected way.
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