dessert
A few days after returning from town, Chen Bozhou keenly noticed a subtle shift in the atmosphere at home. His father, Village Chief Shen, was still stern and rarely spoke to him, but the tense atmosphere seemed to have eased a little.
The way his mother looked at him was filled with a bit of complex inquiry, and she occasionally seemed to be hesitant to speak.
That evening, Chen Bozhou helped Yunwu take the newly bought cloth to a familiar tailor to have it measured. When he returned home, it was almost dusk.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, he saw his mother coming out of the kitchen with a bamboo food box in her hand. The lid was tightly closed, but a faint sweet fragrance still emanated from it.
“Are you back?” Mother Shen looked at him, her tone normal, but her gaze paused on his face for a moment.
"Yeah," Chen Bozhou responded, his eyes fell on the food box, a little confused, "Mom, what is this?"
Mother Shen handed the food box to him. Her voice was not loud, but it reached his ears clearly: "I made some mung bean cakes and osmanthus sugar cakes this afternoon. They are still hot. You... take them to Grandma Yun and Yunwu to try."
Chen Bozhou was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard. He looked at his mother in disbelief, then at the food box, and didn't reach out to take it for a moment.
His mother took the initiative to make snacks for Yunwu and Grandma Yun? This was almost unimaginable after his fierce conflict with his father and his clear statement of his position.
Seeing him standing still, Mother Shen sighed softly and pushed the food box forward again: "Take it. Grandma Yun is old and has bad teeth. The mung bean cake is soft and should be edible. Yunwu, that child..." She paused, as if choosing her words, and finally just said, "She looks too thin."
The tone of these words was calm, and there wasn't much emotion in them, but the implication within them made Chen Bozhou's heart suddenly warm. He carefully took the still-warm food box, as if holding a fragile treasure, his throat tightening a little: "Mother... Thank you."
Mother Shen waved her hand, turned around and walked into the house, leaving only one sentence: "Go early and come back early, don't delay dinner."
Chen Bozhou stood there, watching his mother's back disappear into the door, then looked down at the food box in his hand. An indescribable warmth and excitement instantly rushed through his body.
He understood that this wasn't just a box of snacks. It was his mother's attitude, an extremely important signal from the most important family member in the Shen family besides his father: a tacit approval, a tentative acceptance, or at least a relaxation of vehement opposition.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, turned around and strode towards the Yun family courtyard.
Her steps were faster than usual, her heart burning with anxiety, and she couldn't wait to deliver this message and the box of snacks that carried her mother's love to that person.
Arriving at the Yun residence, the gate was ajar. He gently pushed it open and saw Yun Wu sitting on a stone bench beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, flipping through a tattered medical book in the last rays of daylight.
Hearing the noise, Yunwu raised his head and saw that it was him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. At this time, Chen Bozhou would usually be at home for dinner.
"Why are you here again?" Yunwu closed the book and stood up.
Chen Bozhou didn't answer immediately, but walked quickly to him and gently placed the food box on the stone table. He couldn't suppress a silly smile on his face and said, "My mother sent it to me."
Yunwu's gaze fell on the unfamiliar food box, and he was slightly startled. Then he looked at Chen Bozhou with questioning eyes.
"It's a snack," Chen Bozhou opened the lid of the food box, and a stronger fragrance of mung beans and sweet osmanthus filled the air. Inside were neatly placed tender yellow mung bean cakes and caramel-colored osmanthus sugar cakes, which looked very tempting. "My mother made it herself and said she would give it to grandma and you to try."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Yunwu looked at the box of exquisite snacks, then raised her eyes to Chen Bozhou's startlingly bright eyes, filled with joy and anticipation. For a moment, she didn't know how to react. Mother Chen...made these snacks herself? For him and Grandma?
It's not that he didn't understand what this meant. At this juncture, the meaning behind this box of snacks was far more profound and complex than the snacks themselves.
It was a silent recognition from Chen Bozhou's closest relatives, or in other words, the first step towards recognition.
"You..." Yun Wu opened her mouth, her voice a little dry, "How could your mother...?"
"I don't know either," Chen Bozhou scratched his head, his smile still bright, with a sense of relief. "Maybe she just thinks... you guys are fine." He paused, looking at Yunwu's somewhat dazed expression, his tone became particularly serious, "Yunwu, my mother... is very soft-hearted. She's... trying to accept it."
He spoke the last few words softly, yet they struck Yunwu's heart hard. Acceptance? The word was too unfamiliar, yet too precious, to him. He was accustomed to cold stares, rejection, and rumors, and had never expected to receive any form of acceptance from Chen Bozhou's family.
He looked at Chen Bozhou's undisguised joy and the box of snacks emitting warm and sweet fragrance on the stone table, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
There was surprise and uncertainty, but more importantly, there was a subtle, cautious warmth that was gradually dispelling the chill that had lingered in his heart for years.
"Is grandma asleep?" Chen Bozhou asked, breaking the silence. "The snacks are still hot, it's perfect to eat them now."
Yunwu came back to her senses and nodded: "She just fell asleep, I'll go call her."
"No," Chen Bozhou hurriedly stopped him, "Let grandma sleep. It's the same if she wakes up and eats later." He replaced the lid of the food box and pushed it in front of Yunwu, "Keep these for you to eat slowly."
Yunwu looked at the food box that was pushed in front of her, was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently brushed the bamboo lid with her fingertips. The movement was very light, but with a sense of cherishment.
"Thank you, auntie... for me." He raised his head and looked at Chen Bozhou. His voice was soft but very clear.
The moonlight just rose and fell into his clear eyes, reflecting a little light. In addition to the usual tranquility, there seemed to be something else, something similar to "hope".
"Yes!" Chen Bozhou nodded vigorously, his heart seemed to be filled with something, soft and swollen. He looked at the clouds and mist, and felt that at this moment, all the persistence and all the struggle were worth it. "I will."
The two stood in the yard as dusk deepened, speechless for a moment, but there was an indescribable warmth flowing quietly.
The evening breeze brings the fragrance of mugwort, which interweaves with the sweet aroma of snacks, exuding a peaceful atmosphere that belongs to "home".
"You..." Yunwu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you okay at home?"
He knew how much pressure Chen Bozhou had endured for him.
"I'm fine," Chen Bozhou replied immediately with a frank smile, "Really. As for Dad... take your time, there's no rush. As long as my mother can understand, I'll be more confident." He looked at Yunwu with a firm gaze, "Yunwu, look, everything is moving in the right direction, right?"
His optimism and determination, like sunshine, dispelled the last trace of haze in Yunwu's heart.
He nodded gently, and the corners of his lips rose slightly again. This time, his smile was less cold and more genuinely warm.
"Yes." He agreed softly.
Seeing his smile, Chen Bozhou felt even more satisfied than eating the sweetest sweet-scented osmanthus cake. He knew the road ahead might still be bumpy, but with the turnaround brought by his mother's box of snacks, and the glimmer in Yunwu's eyes, their confidence in continuing on hand in hand had never been stronger.
The night enveloped them softly, gently wrapping the two people who were smiling at each other.
The box of snacks carrying goodwill and turning points lay quietly on the stone table, like a silent witness, witnessing that two young hearts, after going through wind and rain, finally welcomed the first ray of warm sunshine penetrating the clouds.
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