patience
The Liancheng Orphanage was as quiet and desolate as ever. The car passed through the greenery and stopped under an ancient banyan tree. Cicadas had begun their work early, and the children behind the iron gate noticed the car approaching and curiously approached.
Jinnan took out a bag of milk candy and distributed it to everyone. Xu Zhiyuan parked the car and went to the gatehouse to register.
The first person who heard the noise and came out was someone Jin Nan was very familiar with.
Jin Nan never thought that she was still here. It was obvious that Teacher Li was transferred to another special school because of taking care of him. No matter how Jin Nan inquired later, he never got any news about her.
More than a decade had passed, and her ponytail was covered in white hair. Her eyes narrowed slightly behind her square lenses. When Jin Nan came up to her, she stared at him for a long time before exclaiming, "Jin Nan! You are Jin Nan!"
"Teacher Li!"
Jinnan didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and stood there blankly. It was Teacher Li who reached out first, hugged him, and patted his back heavily.
"You've grown up now, and are much taller than even the teacher. Back then you were so tiny, your arms and legs like bamboo sticks." Teacher Li's voice was almost choked with tears. "You've really grown up."
Jin Nan looked at Xu Zhiyuan helplessly and found that Xu Zhiyuan was not surprised at all by this scene, and even smiled at him encouragingly.
Xu Zhiyuan knew this a long time ago, or rather, all this was arranged by Xu Zhiyuan?
Jinnan was brought into the house by Teacher Li, who pulled his arm around him. While asking about his recent situation, he and Xu Zhiyuan were pressed onto the small stools that the children in the orphanage often sat on.
Jinnan only then noticed that most of the furniture and supplies visible to the naked eye had been replaced, and were very different from when he was there.
"Please sit down first. I'll get some water." Teacher Li wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, smiled brightly, and turned to another unfamiliar teacher who came in and said, "Teacher Lin, Mr. Xu is here. Please ask the children to come back first."
Jin Nan was puzzled and quietly touched Xu Zhiyuan with his hand: "Have you been here?"
Xu Zhiyuan didn't feel guilty at all: "I come here occasionally."
The female teacher surnamed Lin came up and greeted Xu Zhiyuan, clearly knowing him well: "Mr. Xu, you're here. The children were asking about this a few days ago. They all said they wanted to play with Uncle Xu."
Turning his gaze to Jin Nan, the young teacher blinked and revealed an expression of complete surprise: "Oh! You are Jin Nan, right? You are even more handsome in person than in the photo!"
Jin Nan was a little confused: "Have you seen me?"
"After the case was closed, Mr. Xu helped file the documents and showed us your photo." Teacher Lin pulled up a small stool and sat down familiarly. "Teacher Li learned about your current situation and was so moved that she cried for a long time. She talks to me about you and Mr. Xu every day. Your donations over the years have been put to good use at the orphanage. It will never be the same again."
Teacher Li, who had just returned from getting hot water, felt a little embarrassed when she heard this and whispered, "Teacher Lin, go get the kids in."
"Case closed?" Jinnan was confused, but Teacher Lin made a face at Teacher Li and went out to do his work.
Teacher Li poured each of them a cup of hot water and sat down to talk to Jinnan about the orphanage's recent developments.
Through Teacher Li's narration, Jinnan finally understood what was going on.
The information on Xu Zhiyuan's computer had already been turned over to the police, and the case was closed before Jinnan even knew about it. The former director of the orphanage, implicated in the money laundering case, was dismissed and imprisoned. Teacher Li returned to the Liancheng Orphanage and took over the subsequent care.
Teacher Li did not mention "Jin Licheng" on the list that Jin Nan was most concerned about, and it seemed that Daddy himself was not aware of it.
When everything was done, Xu Zhiyuan should be... 22 years old?
All the things Jinnan had worried about had already been resolved. Xu Zhiyuan had silently done everything for him, never taking credit for it. If Jinnan didn't look, everything would just disappear silently, as if it had never happened.
Even You Yi's father knew about the "rich businessman donating to Liancheng Orphanage". As a wealthy businessman, Xu Zhiyuan never showed up and was not seen in any reports. Only the teachers in the orphanage who had direct contact with him knew him.
"Mr. Xu has been sending people here so often in recent years that we're embarrassed. Mr. Xu refuses to accept any banners or letters of thanks, and he refuses to accept media interviews. It's really... we don't know how to thank you."
Xu Zhiyuan was polite and comforting, while Jinnan sat beside him, his thoughts flying far away.
One hand rested on the back of his hand, twisting and tightening it. The movement was covert so that no one could see it, but the force was quite strong.
Jinnan felt that he must be famous. He was pulled back to the present from the deep memories. He should feel guilty because he misunderstood Xu Zhiyuan. They pushed each other away and wasted many years.
But now, Jinnan is happy. He finally knows that the past he was favored by was not an illusion. The care and favoritism, without purpose, were not illusions.
"Xonan, Xiaonan?"
Jinnan came back to his senses during the call, and Teacher Li was looking at him with a smile in his eyes.
"Let's take a picture with the kids and hang it on the wall in the hall. You can see it whenever you come back."
Teacher Lin stood at the door and waved. The children's smiling faces poked their heads in cautiously, like mushrooms sprouting from the grass.
"OK."
Jinnan stood up, and Xu Zhiyuan walked behind him all the time.
*
It was dark when they left. The two helped with a lot of work in the afternoon. Jinnan took the initiative to take over the task of driving. He first pushed Xu Zhiyuan into the passenger seat, helped him fasten his seat belt, and then bent down to hold Xu Zhiyuan's right hand.
I got scratched while doing carpentry in the afternoon. The wound wasn't deep, but it was in a bad location and it started bleeding whenever I moved my thumb.
A small hole was wrapped into a rice dumpling by Jinnan.
Xu Zhiyuan let him play with him, his eyes lowered, all the deep meaning was hidden in his breathing, suppressed very quietly.
After Jin Nan finished taking care of him and confirmed that both his wounds and Xu Zhiyuan were fine, he finally got into the driver's seat. He was a little unfamiliar with the borrowed car, so it took him a while to start the engine.
He didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, he turned on the air conditioner, looked at the small star that appeared in the sky along with the moon, and asked Xu Zhiyuan: "Why didn't you tell me anything?"
Xu Zhiyuan did not answer.
Jinnan lowered his gaze, mustering up the courage to look at Xu Zhiyuan. Sure enough, Mr. Xu was staring at him, his eyes smiling, and a tenderness full of pity that he had hidden well.
"You know everything and have done everything." Jinnan's voice was choked with sobs, "You don't tell me anything."
Xu Zhiyuan said: "If you were me, you would do the same."
"Then why did you hide it from me?"
In fact, Jin Nan knew the answer to this question very well. He felt that his tone was not very good, and subconsciously defended himself: "I don't blame you, I just feel that I am not worthy..."
Then, his words were stopped, and a finger was raised in front of his lips, stopping him from talking nonsense.
“Why is it not worth it?”
Jinnan was speechless for a moment.
Xu Zhiyuan did not urge him, but just stretched out his hand and placed it on the back of Jinnan's slightly trembling hand.
Jinnan held his breath and drove on the road. There were no cars on the mountain road in the evening. Street lights shone one by one. The moonlight pouring down from the distant trees swayed slightly and fell on Jinnan's trembling eyelashes.
He drove slowly along the mountain road, occasionally glancing at Xu Zhiyuan from the corner of his eye. Mr. Xu was staring straight ahead, his posture dignified.
Jin Nan suddenly smiled: "You are always so patient."
"It's better to be safe than sorry," said Xu Zhiyuan.
"I..." Jinnan's voice choked. He took a deep breath and drove the car onto the ring road overpass.
Oncoming cars sped by, the flow of traffic seeming to swallow up his words once again. When everything quieted down, Jin Nan said again, "I don't have much to offer you. Do you want my shares? Or real estate? Cash might not be much, I..."
"Konan."
Xu Zhiyuan interrupted him.
"Hmm?" Jinnan didn't dare to look at her. He looked straight ahead and only glanced at the rearview mirror occasionally.
"Aren't we lovers?"
"Yeah." It started recently.
"I do things for you, and you help me, isn't that right? Do you want to draw a line between us?"
Jinnan immediately retorted: "Of course not."
He heard Xu Zhiyuan laugh, and said softly, "Xiao Nan, this isn't an exchange of interests between us. You don't want me to kiss you every day and then ask you for overtime pay, do you?"
Jinnan was a little amused by his words, with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.
"You help me, and I help you. That's how life works," Xu Zhiyuan said. "When you're old and can't even scratch your back, you'll still need me to scratch your back."
This time Jin Nan laughed completely. He took advantage of the red light to look at Xu Zhiyuan, with a slight redness on the tips of his ears.
At the age of seventy, Xu Zhiyuan's words sounded better than any promise.
"Then I'll help you too," Jinnan said. "I'll help you manage your property, and I can also help you solve problems. I'm very capable."
The light turned green, and the car continued on its way. Xu Zhiyuan opened the window a crack, and the night wind blew in, making him squint.
"Then I want you..." Xu Zhiyuan said, "no matter what happens in the future, trust me unconditionally."
Jinnan wiped his nose, but it was no use. He reached out to Xu Zhiyuan in a frustrated manner: "Tissue."
Xu Zhiyuan didn't give it directly. He held the paper in his hand and asked, "Is it okay?"
Jinnan sniffed: "You are using threats and inducements."
"Yeah." Xu Zhiyuan admitted generously, "Did you fall for it?"
Jinnan thought for a long time and held out his hand: "Give it to me."
Xu Zhiyuan smiled softly.
The driver, Xiao Jin, drove smoothly to the hotel next to the train station. This was the same hotel Xu Zhiyuan had stayed at when he took him back to Lido.
The decoration is ordinary and the price is moderate. Looking back at the cramped feeling when I first returned home, everything seems ordinary in Jinnan's eyes.
What is unusual is that after many years, the two rooms have become one.
After a good night's sleep, Jin Nanchen was in a deep dream and saw his childhood.
There was no brother, no family, no childhood for Xu Zhiyuan. When the pain was too much and he was dulled, someone would dig up the past one by one, iron it out, and let him no longer worry.
He felt doubly guilty and hugged Xu Zhiyuan even tighter. He could not see Xu Zhiyuan's meaningful gaze.
Some people finally fell asleep, while others stayed awake all night.
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