Chapter 48
Finally, it was Lin Qinhe who paid the bill. After sending Tao Xi back to school, he returned to the villa and saw Luo Zhengyin sitting dejectedly on the sofa, holding a string of red peace knots in his hand.
After Luo Zhengyin sent Yang Duole back, she wanted to have a good talk with Yang Duole, but not only did she fail, Yang Duole also quarreled with her, and finally untied the peace knot he had been wearing and locked himself in the room.
Lin Qinhe poured a glass of warm water, walked to Luo Zhengyin and sat down, handing the water to Luo Zhengyin.
Luo Zhengyin said "thank you", took the cup, took only a sip, and said apologetically: "Qinhe, please apologize to Tao Xi for me. I wanted to invite you to sit together to eat and chat tonight, but..."
Lin Qinhe said: "It's okay, I was planning to take him out to eat something."
Luo Zhengyin thought of the slightly strange atmosphere between Lin Qinhe and Tao Xi tonight. She didn't say anything, but just looked at the peace knot in her hand, her eyebrows full of fatigue, and confided to her son:
"Le Le has been acting really strange lately. His grandfather asked him to go back to the Fang family but he refused to go. He had taken a few days off from school before, but he finally went to school recently. However, he locks himself in his room every day after returning home and refuses to come out. When I asked him, he refused to tell me what happened. He even threw a tantrum when he came back tonight. I'm worried that something is wrong with his health."
Lin Qinhe also tried to communicate with Yang Duole some time ago, but Yang Duole remained silent. He thought about it and said to Luo Zhengyin: "You can hire a psychologist to see him."
Luo Zhengyin couldn't understand why Yang Duole had psychological problems. Thinking that Yang Duole seemed to have been more stimulated in the western restaurant tonight, she hesitated for a while and tentatively asked Lin Qinhe:
"Does Lele have any conflicts with that kid Taoxi at school? I feel like Lele doesn't like him very much."
Lin Qinhe looked a little unhappy when he heard this, and said in a deep voice: "Tao Xi and him don't have much in common."
Luo Zhengyin could tell that Lin Qinhe was defending Tao Xi, so he sighed and said, "I'm just asking because I heard you guys mentioned him when you were arguing last time. I don't mean to blame Tao Xi."
She had originally thought of inviting Tao Xi to come over when she held a birthday party for Yang Duole this year. After all, Lin Qinhe and Tao Xi seemed to have a good relationship, and she liked this child very much. But now she thought it was not appropriate for Tao Xi to come over.
"Did Aunt Fang make this peace knot?"
Luo Zhengyin was stunned for a moment, lowered his eyes and looked at the old peace knot, his tone was a little sad:
"Yes, Uncle Fang told me that Ah Sui personally wove it for Lele when she was pregnant with Lele in Qingshui County. It symbolizes peace and happiness. It's a pity that she didn't get to put it on Lele herself."
After Luo Zhengyin finished speaking, he saw Lin Qinhe frowning and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qinhe shook his head and continued to ask: "Do you know where Aunt Fang lived in Qingshui County at that time?"
Luo Zhengyin looked at Lin Qinhe in surprise and asked, "Why are you asking this question?"
She knew that Lin Qinhe never mentioned Fang Sui on his own initiative, and was even a little shy about it.
Lin Qinhe seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Lele asked this too?"
Luo Zhengyin nodded and recalled, "It was when Lele came back from leave last time that he suddenly asked me this question. But I didn't go to Qingshui County at that time and didn't know. I only knew that Ah Sui was staying at a farmer's house at that time, but Uncle Fang refused to tell me where exactly."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Lin Qinhe, but saw that Lin Qinhe looked solemn. After a few seconds of silence, he asked her again:
"The painting of peach blossoms in the mountains hanging in the studio, was it painted by Aunt Fang when she was in Qingshui County?"
Luo Zhengyin was stunned for a moment, but soon realized which painting Lin Qinhe was referring to. It was her favorite one. Peach blossoms were as dense as brocade beside the clear stream in the valley, and smoke was rising from a farmhouse with black tiles and white walls halfway up the mountain. There was a calm and tranquil feeling of a paradise.
"Yes, she painted a lot of landscape paintings when she lived there, and later Uncle Fang brought them back. I have a few of them here too."
After Lin Qinhe asked so many questions about Fang Sui, Luo Zhengyin naturally sensed something was wrong, but she saw that Lin Qinhe's brows were furrowed, his expression became heavier, and there was a hint of panic between his brows.
Luo Zhengyin asked suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly asking about Ah Sui?"
"I just remembered something." Lin Qinhe stood up from the sofa, looked down at Luo Zhengyin, and asked,
"Can I come to your studio and see it?"
Luo Zhengyin also stood up and nodded, "Of course."
"Thank you." Lin Qinhe said to her and turned to walk towards the stairs.
Luo Zhengyin smiled bitterly. This was clearly Lin Qinhe's home, but Lin Qinhe was always so polite. She looked at Lin Qinhe's back and suddenly thought of something. She said:
"Qin He, I thought about what you told me last time for a long time, but I still can't agree with it."
Lin Qinhe paused, turned around and looked at her without saying a word.
Luo Zhengyin took a few steps closer, looked up at his son who was already much taller than him, and said in a tone of persuasion and pleading:
"Qin He, have you ever thought that Lele will be very sad if you do this? He is in a bad mood now. We should spend more time with him."
Lin Qinhe looked at her silently.
Luo Zhengyin thought for a moment and asked, "Did your grandfather tell you something?"
Lin Qinhe said calmly, "Grandpa did ask me to move to the old house many times before, but I never agreed and told him that I wanted to continue living here."
Luo Zhengyin frowned. Lin Qinhe was sent to her by Lin Zeshi from his brother's home when he was five years old. The old man of the Lin family was initially opposed to leaving his grandson with her. She reluctantly persuaded the old man on the grounds that two children of the same age would grow up together and have a companion.
Lin Qinhe looked at his mother, smiled, and said calmly:
"You may not know that the reason I stayed in this house was never Lele, but you."
Luo Zhengyin's eyes suddenly trembled. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but saw that Lin Qinhe had turned and left.
Tao Xi returned to his empty dormitory on the weekend, washed up and sat in front of the easel to paint. He followed Qiao Henian's advice and decided to participate in an art competition called CAC. This competition is very prestigious and has a certain influence internationally. If he can win a prize, it will be of great benefit to his application for school.
The deadline for submission was approaching and Tao Xi had almost finished the painting, but he stared at the painting and thought for a while, then suddenly took the painting off the easel and replaced it with a new blank piece of drawing paper.
After drawing the first draft for nearly half an hour, Tao Xi put down his paintbrush, covered the easel with a white cloth, went to wash his hands, then turned off the light, climbed onto the bed, got under the quilt, and stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.
He knew he was on edge.
He had already made the decision to tell the truth after Lin Qinhe's competition, but he couldn't help feeling timid about the unknown that would happen next.
Perhaps this is called homesickness. Nearly seventeen years have passed between him and his relatives. Even with the blood ties, he does not dare to believe that those relatives will accept him quickly.
Even if he accepts himself, how can he gain a foothold in this completely unfamiliar family?
Yang Duole will definitely not be willing to return to his original family, and those who have raised Yang Duole for more than ten years will definitely not abandon him easily. In the end, he may have to play the role of brotherly love and respect with Yang Duole under the same roof.
This is the most likely outcome, but can he fit into such a family?
Tao Xi took a deep breath, turned on the screen of his mobile phone in the dark, clicked on the WeChat box with Lin Qinhe, and wanted to send a message to Lin Qinhe, but found that the time had passed twelve o'clock.
Tao Xi finally turned off the screen of her mobile phone, covered herself with the quilt, wrapped herself tightly, closed her eyes and went to sleep in the dark.
He said to himself, if he couldn't fit in, then he might as well not fit in. Hadn't he managed to get through the past ten years just fine?
Even without relatives, he can still live well alone.
What's more, he also has Lin Qinhe.
Tao Xi convinced herself and finally settled down and fell asleep, but she dreamed the whole night.
He dreamed that when he was ten years old, Tao Le was at his grandmother's house and forgot to turn off the tap, flooding his grandmother's cellar filled with sweet potatoes. When Guo Ping found out, she chased him and beat him with a bamboo stick without asking any questions.
He was in so much pain that he cried out, "Mom, it's not me, it's not me."
He ran to his grandmother and begged her to testify for him, but his grandmother just hugged Tao Le in silence.
He dreamed again of that night in the hospital. He quietly hid outside the ward door and saw his grandparents sitting in front of the bed, holding Yang Duole's hand, crying with heartache, and calling "good grandson" softly over and over again.
He wanted to run into the ward, but he couldn't get in. He could only shout to them outside the door.
It’s me, look at me, look at me.
But my grandparents could neither see him nor hear his voice.
When Tao Xi woke up, he found that he had kicked the quilt into a mess without knowing when. His throat was sore and he seemed to have no strength in his body. He struggled on the bed for a while, but finally got up before the bell rang, quickly got dressed, washed up, and went out to practice English.
After a night of partying, many people in the class felt a little depressed the next Monday and lay down as soon as the get out of class was over.
Tao Xi was also very sleepy and had a headache, but she forced herself to stay awake.
After enduring a whole morning and afternoon, Tao Xi felt that his head seemed to hurt even more. He lowered his head to organize the notes from the previous class in his notebook, when he suddenly felt a hand touching his forehead, and the touch was a little cold.
Tao Xi looked aside, Lin Qinhe took back his hand, frowned at him and said, "You have a fever."
Tao Xi reached out and touched his forehead, not feeling feverish, so he joked to Lin Qinhe, "Maybe your hands are too cold, how about I warm them for you?"
Lin Qinhe still looked serious. He stood up and walked to the podium. He said something to Zhou Qiang who had just come in to prepare for class. Then he walked to Tao Xi, held his wrist, and pulled him up from his seat.
"?"
Tao Xi looked at Lin Qinhe with wide eyes. He didn't want to skip the math class.
"Go to the infirmary." Lin Qinhe's tone brooked no disobedience.
Tao Xi was still dragged to the infirmary by Lin Qinhe. The cold wave has been severe recently, and there are many patients in the infirmary, and the sounds of sneezing and coughing are endless.
"Did you not cover yourself with the quilt properly at night?" the female school doctor asked as if she was not surprised. She had treated Tao Xi's wound before and was familiar with Lin Qinhe.
Tao Xi sat on a stool, holding a thermometer, and nodded listlessly.
"You're such a grown-up kid, yet you're still kicking the quilt." The school doctor made a kindly joke.
Tao Xi looked a little embarrassed and glanced at Lin Qinhe, only to hear Lin Qinhe ask him seriously, "Didn't you turn on the air conditioner in the dormitory?"
He shook his head and said, "I don't like turning on the air conditioner. It's too dry." In fact, he felt that it was too energy-consuming for one person to turn on the air conditioner.
After a while, the school doctor looked at the thermometer and said to Lin Qinhe who was standing beside him, "37.8 degrees, fortunately, the fever is not high. I will prescribe some medicine for him."
"Do you need to ask for leave to go back and rest?" Lin Qinhe raised his hand and touched Tao Xi's forehead, and asked the school doctor.
"No, no!" Tao Xi answered quickly. He didn't want to skip class.
The school doctor thought that the two boys had a good relationship, but Lin Qinhe was a little too nervous. She said jokingly, "Do you want to take a leave to go home? No need. Take the medicine, have a good rest, and keep warm. You should be well soon."
Tao Xi raised his chin towards Lin Qinhe and agreed, "Right, I'm in good health. I never took medicine when I caught a cold before, and I recovered quickly."
The children there are brought up roughly. If they have a headache or fever, their families won't take it seriously. At most, they will go to the old Chinese doctor in the village to buy some herbal medicine to drink. But he ignored the fact that when he was twelve years old, he had a fever for three days and his nose was full of blood. He fell asleep in class and was only saved by his teacher when he was sent to the county hospital.
The school doctor said to Tao Xi in a reproachful manner: "This is not right. If you are sick, you should take medicine if necessary. Don't underestimate a cold or fever. If you delay it for too long, it may turn into a serious illness."
Tao Xi was exposed by the truth and said "hmm" guiltily. He quietly looked at Lin Qinhe beside him, but saw that Lin Qinhe was looking at him with a frown, and his eyes were ambiguous.
He lowered his head unhappily and continued to listen to what Lin Qinhe and the school doctor were saying without interrupting them.
Finally, Lin Qinhe got the medicine from the school doctor. Tao Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up and said, "Let's go back to class."
Lin Qinhe didn't say anything. He raised his hand to wrap his scarf, leaving only half of his face exposed, and then led him outside, in silence all the way.
Tao Xi felt that something was wrong with Lin Qinhe. It seemed that he was not angry, but rather had a heavy mood.
He didn't know what was wrong with Lin Qinhe, so he pestered her for a few words. After walking for a while, he found that Lin Qinhe was not walking towards the classroom, but took him to the downstairs of the dormitory building.
Tao Xi looked at Lin Qinhe in a daze: "What are you going to the dormitory for?"
"You need to get a good night's sleep." Lin Qinhe said.
Tao Xi didn't really want to, but she didn't dare to refute Lin Qinhe, so she had to take Lin Qinhe upstairs and thought for a while with her groggy head whether she had cleaned the dormitory in the morning.
After opening the dormitory door, Tao Xi turned on the light, hurriedly moved the easel to the side, and was about to pour water for Lin Qinhe, but Lin Qinhe held his arm, led him to the chair, pressed his shoulder and asked him to sit down.
"Sit here and don't move."
Tao Xi sat still obediently, following Lin Qinhe with his eyes, staring at him intently.
Lin Qinhe glanced at the dormitory. It was very clean. He recognized Tao Xi's bed at a glance because there was a pink bear on the bedside, which they had grabbed from the claw machine together.
He suddenly thought, why did he take Taoxi to catch dolls at the crab restaurant that night?
Lin Qinhe picked up the air conditioner remote control from the table, turned on the air conditioner and adjusted the temperature. Then he took Taoxi's water cup and went to the water dispenser outside to get a cup of hot water, added some boiled water, and when he came back he found Taoxi lying on the table, asleep with his eyes closed.
Lin Qinhe gently pinched Tao Xi's cheek and said softly, "Drink the medicine and then go to sleep."
Tao Xi struggled to open her eyes, her eyelids drooped, she hugged Lin Qinhe's waist, rested her forehead on him and continued to doze off. Lin Qinhe rubbed the back of Tao Xi's head lightly, and looked around the dormitory again, thinking that this dormitory was too small and the bed was also small.
Tao Xi fell asleep again leaning against Lin Qinhe, but was finally woken up by Lin Qinhe. He took the cup of water from Lin Qinhe, drank it sip by sip, and felt his dry throat better.
Lin Qinhe opened the medicine he had just bought, took out a few pills as the school doctor had instructed, and placed them in Tao Xi's palm.
Tao Xi had a bitter face. He didn't like taking medicine at all, but Lin Qinhe was staring at him, so he drank the medicine obediently anyway.
Lin Qinhe watched Tao Xi finish taking the medicine, closed the balcony door, and said to Tao Xi: "Go to bed and sleep."
Tao Xi sat there without moving, her fair cheeks were tinged with a bit of redness from the burn, her eyes were misty, and she tilted her head back and looked straight at Lin Qinhe, as if she was burned silly.
Lin Qinhe thought about it, raised his hand and rubbed Tao Xi's hair, and whispered: "I won't leave."
Tao Xi then slowly stood up from the chair, took off his outer clothes and shoes, climbed onto the bed, and wrapped himself in the quilt like a cocoon.
But he did not close his eyes and go to sleep immediately. Instead, he twisted his body to the edge of the bed, craned his neck to look at Lin Qinhe, and a pair of dark eyes appeared from under the quilt.
Lin Qinhe was somewhat helpless. He knew what Tao Xi was thinking. He glanced at Tao Xi's desk and asked, "Are there any books in the dormitory?"
Tao Xi said in a muffled voice: "It's in the drawer."
Lin Qinhe opened the drawer, took out a book at random, raised his hand to show it to Tao Xi, and said, "I'll read here, you can sleep peacefully."
Tao Xi hummed, as if she was finally relieved. She lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in a short while.
Lin Qinhe did not read the book, but lowered his head and looked at the business card in the drawer that he had accidentally brought out.
He picked up the pale gold business card, which had obviously been carefully preserved and still looked brand new. There were only three words in the middle: Yang Zhengming.
Lin Qinhe put the business card back into the drawer, then put Tao Xi's coat on the quilt that Tao Xi was covering. He was tall and could see Tao Xi even when he stood by the bed.
Perhaps Tao Xi was used to sleeping on her side, with a slightly red face facing him, her breathing was heavy, her eyes were closed, and only her eyelashes trembled occasionally.
After looking for a while, Lin Qinhe placed the pink teddy bear on the bedside next to Tao Xi's head. He reached out and gently touched Tao Xi's head, then touched the teddy bear's head, letting it accompany Tao Xi to sleep on this small bed.
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