Chapter 201 Full of Heart
The car drove smoothly on the way home. Si Zhui leaned against the car window, his fingers unconsciously twisting the peach wood beads on Lin Yan's wrist. Suddenly, he remembered something and his eyes lit up: "Brother Lin, Jingyi and Jin Ling said they would give us an engagement gift. Should we prepare a return gift for them?"
Lin Yan paused his hand on the steering wheel, glanced at him sideways, a smile in his eyes: "What do you want to prepare for them?"
"Let me think..." Si Zhui held his chin up and thought seriously, "Jing Yi likes to play basketball, so we can buy him a new set of basketball equipment; Jin Ling likes to play with the camera, how about buying him some lens accessories?"
"Okay." Lin Yan nodded in agreement. "Let's go pick some together this weekend. We can also prepare some things for Uncle Xie Lian and Uncle Hua Cheng. They will definitely come to the engagement ceremony."
"Yeah!" Si Zhui nodded vigorously, and had already started thinking about what gifts to choose for the elders - Uncle Xie Lian liked simple and elegant tea sets, and Uncle Hua Cheng preferred handmade leather goods, he remembered all of this clearly.
The car drove into a familiar alley and stopped at the door of Lin Yan's villa. As soon as Si Zhui got out of the car, he saw a large cardboard box in the courtyard and asked curiously, "Brother Lin, what is this?"
"You'll know when you open it." Lin Yan handed her the key with a smile.
Si Zhui took the key and ran over to open the cardboard box. Inside was a complete set of wood carving tools and several pieces of wood of different materials. On the top was a note that read "For practice. When you carve out a satisfactory piece, we will put them together in our new house."
Si Zhui picked up the wood, his fingertips touching the warm wood grain, and his eyes instantly reddened. He knew that Lin Yan had always remembered his love of wood carving, and even remembered his last mention of wanting to try carving a set of "Four Seasons" themed ornaments.
"Brother Lin..." Si Zhui turned around, his voice choked with sobs, but his smile was particularly bright.
Lin Yan walked over, gently put his arm around his shoulders, and said softly, "Do you like it? In the future, our new house will be filled with wood carvings carved by you, so that I can see your love wherever I go."
"I like it!" Si Zhui leaned in his arms and nodded vigorously, "I will definitely carve the most beautiful ornaments to make our new house warm and cozy."
The two of them walked into the house, carrying their woodcarving tools. Si Zhui eagerly placed them on the wooden table in the study, meticulously wiping each knife as if it were a treasure. Lin Yan stood by, watching him busy at work, a gentle smile on her lips. She turned and walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The sounds of chopping and cooking soon emanated from the kitchen. Si Zhui put down his carving knife, walked to the kitchen door, and leaned against the doorframe, watching Lin Yan's skilled back as he did so, his heart filled with warmth. The setting sun streamed in through the window, stretching the two figures out, creating a warm, frozen scene.
During dinner, Si Zhui ate the sweet and sour fish made by Lin Yan while chatting with him about his plan to go gift-picking on the weekend. He also rambled on about interesting things at school - for example, when the teacher asked a question in class today, Lan Jingyi was distracted and was called on, and he made a fool of himself by answering the wrong question; Jin Ling's photos were selected for the school photography exhibition, and he was proud of it the whole afternoon.
Lin Yan listened quietly, occasionally putting a piece of food into his bowl with his chopsticks, occasionally responding with a few words, his eyes full of doting. He loved listening to Si Zhui share these trivial daily lives, and loved seeing his face beaming with joy. These ordinary moments made up the entire future he wanted.
After dinner, Sizhui offered to wash the dishes. Lin Yan didn't stop him, but simply stood at the kitchen door and watched him. The boy tiptoed to reach for the dishes in the cupboard, his movements a little clumsy but incredibly serious. Lin Yan pulled out his phone and quietly took a picture of the scene. In the photo, Sizhui was wearing loose home clothes, his profile soft and cute under the light. He couldn't help but set it as his phone wallpaper.
After washing the dishes, the two sat in the living room watching TV. Si Zhui leaned in Lin Yan's arms, slowly polishing a small piece of wood. Lin Yan, on the other hand, continued to refine the engagement ceremony plan with a tablet, occasionally lowering his head to discuss the details of the venue layout with Si Zhui.
"Brother Lin, can we have more white gentian flowers at our engagement ceremony?" Si Zhui raised his head, his eyes sparkling. "I think they look very clean, like stars falling on flowers."
"Of course." Lin Yan smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'll do as you say."
As the night deepened, Si Zhui fell asleep in Lin Yan's arms, clutching the half-polished piece of wood. Lin Yan carefully carried him back to his room and tucked him in. Then he went back to the living room and revised the floral arrangement plan on his tablet before tiptoeing back to the bedroom and lying down beside Si Zhui.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on the two of them, and also on the ring on Sizhui's ring finger. Lin Yan looked at the young man sleeping beside him, reached out and gently held his hand, stroking the ring with his fingertips, his heart filled with peace.
He knew that this engagement ceremony was not only a promise to Sizhui, but also a promise for their future. For the rest of their lives, he would hold Sizhui's hand, through spring, summer, autumn and winter, through rain or shine, making every ordinary day the way they most desired.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
