Go back and take a look
As the crescent moon waxed and waned, everyone outside the valley returned inside. The atmosphere was quiet yet lively, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching.
For the past three years, Meng Yan had spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with her relatives and friends in the valley. This time, with the mechanical kite, she could easily go out and return to the Lin family, but looking at her friends, she shook her head.
"My home is in the valley, and I'm going to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival here."
However, she can deliver the gifts herself this year. Before, she always had to trouble her senior brothers and sisters. Now, she can deliver the gifts for everyone and then leisurely fly back to lie in the courtyard to enjoy the moon and eat mooncakes.
Meng Yan hesitated a lot about what he should bring to the Lin family.
In previous years, she would send some handmade pastries, which were neither expensive nor heavy, as a token of her goodwill. Besides, at that time, apart from building half-finished machines, she relied on everyone's help for everything else, so sending mooncakes was a last resort.
But things are different now. The ice furnace has brought her a considerable amount of money, so she no longer needs to carefully count every copper coin in her hand as she used to. However, if she were to give the money away directly, the chances of it ending up in her mother's hands would be pitifully small.
Nevertheless, she refused the kind-hearted people in the kitchen's offer to make mooncakes, worried that if her mother ate their mooncakes, she would think that the auspicious days described in the letter were all an illusion.
After two days of careful consideration, she still chose to make some mooncakes with the flavors she usually ate, and even the packaging was exactly the same as before. She also asked her senior brother for a few rare flavors that would bring tears to anyone's eyes, and she tampered with the packaging by putting a few silver notes inside.
Besides food, Meng Yan specially bought and picked fruit, so that the journey wouldn't take too long and the fruit wouldn't rot along the way. She also bought several bolts of cloth from Chu Ming. Her mother was skillful and had a particular fondness for such things. Whether it was to pass the time or to tailor new clothes, it provided her with an extra free activity and saved her from the unreasonable grumbling from her relatives.
Three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the gifts sent by everyone in the valley were safely delivered.
After resting for a day, Meng Yan packed his large and small bags and disappeared into the scorching sun of Peace Valley on his mechanical kite.
.
Traditionally, the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for relatives to visit each other and exchange gifts, which is why Meng Yan chose this day to visit the Lin family.
Like a bird soaring through the sky, she avoided directly above the Lin family's house, circling around to observe the movements inside.
They still had those same sanctimonious faces, their smiles as bright as flowers. Meng Yan could guess what they were saying with his eyes closed. They were just repeating the same few phrases over and over again for more than a decade without ever changing.
Among the group of acquaintances, a face that resembled his own caught Meng Yan's attention.
Lin Yun was still staying in the Lin family. Based on her understanding of Lin Yu and his relatives, daughters were a money-losing proposition for them. They had raised this girl for over ten years and she should have been married off to make money long ago. Could it be that she came back to visit during the Mid-Autumn Festival?
There was no real hatred between her and Lin Yun. The two girls already struggled to survive in a large family full of mosquitoes, flies, rats, and cockroaches. With the comparisons and instigations from others since birth, it was inevitable that the two would develop a rift, but it was far from reaching the point of deep hatred.
Honestly, her feelings towards her sister were indeed complex. It was precisely because of her, a healthy person, that Meng Yan's status in the Lin family was trampled underfoot. Before this, people still considered Lin Yu's feelings and wouldn't easily belittle or insult him; most of the time, they would lament his bad luck and advise him not to worry about it. But ever since Lin Yun learned to speak, everything seemed to have been divided into two worlds by an invisible line. All that remained for her were vulgarities, while Lin Yun, standing silently to the side, still received praise and compliments.
Meng Yan knew that the source of this malice wasn't her, nor was it something a young girl like her could control. It was just that through repeated comparisons and silences, her relationship with her sister grew increasingly distant. Her innate normalcy granted her certain privileges in the family: access to education, friendships, and the freedom to converse with guests. Correspondingly, she herself became someone who couldn't be shown in public, hiding from people every day, even Lin Yun. Her father feared she would bring bad luck to them, and Lin Yun would only silently watch her from behind her father, remaining silent about his words and actions.
I can't quite put my finger on the hatred, but the resentment is hard to let go of.
Having been away for three years, Meng Yan wondered how Lin Yun was doing without him. Of course, Meng Yan had no interest in the answer.
She just wanted to see her mother.
The mechanical kite was left in a secluded spot by its owner, and the small figure climbed out of the kite in several attempts, appearing somewhat clumsy and awkward.
This dress was tailored by Chu Ming and had been sitting in the closet for a while. Wearing it without moving, she looked incredibly elegant and serene. The overall color scheme also matched the autumn scenery, giving off a leisurely and refreshing vibe. Leaning against the railing, she was like a painting, and when she walked, the surrounding scenery paled in comparison.
It was clearly made for some young lady.
Only when the clothes were handed to him did Meng Yan look bewildered. "This is... for me?"
"Sister Yan has quite a few dresses, but I always feel like I'm missing one like this. Even if I cut it out, you wouldn't wear it, but your wardrobe can't really be empty."
As Chu Ming spoke, she nodded with great certainty. What a fine piece of clothing, soon to gather dust along with her.
Unexpectedly, one day it actually saw the light of day again.
To make sure the dress wasn't wasted, Meng Yan suppressed the urge to jump over the railing and supported herself as she walked towards the Lin family's house, forcing herself not to run away quickly.
Looking up at the road, which seemed short, she walked until her back ached before finally catching a glimpse of the red door.
The moment I knocked on the door, my back pain and leg soreness disappeared, and I straightened my back and stepped inside amidst the welcoming gaze of the person who came to greet me.
Another panel had fallen off the door. She glanced at it and said goodbye to it in her heart. After all, it was something that had been with her since she was a child, and she probably wouldn't see it again next time.
"Who...who is this?" A shifty-eyed relative stared intently, nudging Lin Yu beside him with his elbow and whispering.
The person to his left couldn't stand it anymore and answered for Lin Yu: "Are you blind, Meng Jian? The eldest daughter of the Lin family."
"No, who? Wasn't that bad luck driven away three years ago?" As he spoke, he took a step forward and reached out to grab Meng Yan's sleeve.
Meng Yan stepped aside and looked at him, her gaze landing on Lin Yu's face.
Out of sheer disgust, she frowned and casually threw the fruit basket at him, landing squarely in Lin Yu's arms, causing him to stumble on the spot.
"you!"
The man raised his hand to curse, but Meng Yan pretended not to see or hear him, straightened his sleeves, and walked slowly toward his mother's room.
"Hey, don't rush. She's our cash cow. Her father hasn't said anything yet, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Does she even have a shred of respect for her elders? You weren't like this before. What, are you afraid of her because she's mute?"
"What are you talking about? If she hadn't definitely brought money back this time, she wouldn't even be able to get in the door."
The noise behind me was shut out by the sound of the door closing. The room was small and could be seen in a glance, but I couldn't find my mother.
With a creak, she left the room with a grim expression. The relatives who had been chattering all fell silent, staring at the square box in her hand with greedy yet disgusted eyes.
Knowing who she was looking for, Lin Yu put down the fruit basket, coughed, and pointed to the backyard, saying to her, "Your mother and sister are in the yard."
Meng Yan's expression softened somewhat. He took out a bag of mooncakes, left it on the table, and headed straight for the backyard.
The mooncake she left behind was a special flavor made by her senior brother. Based on her observations over the past two days, the few pieces wrapped inside the paper should have nothing to do with the food. Because of their demands on her, even though they knew this was intentional, her relatives certainly wouldn't dare to throw it away directly. In the end, it still ended up in her mother's hands.
My mother has been keeping the mooncake wrappers she sent in previous years. This was a small discovery she made when she came back a few months ago, and it was also the reason why she hid the banknotes in the interlayer.
The women in the backyard, dressed in their finest attire, strolled in three carriages, intently appreciating the flowers that had long since faded in autumn.
Hearing the commotion, several people turned around to look, but did not turn back. This aroused the curiosity of their companions, who also came to see.
"Mother," Lin Yun asked abruptly.
"What's wrong, Yun'er?"
Following Lin Yun's gaze, Meng's mother saw Meng Yan standing by the door. After quickly greeting her sisters, she got up and went to find Meng Yan.
After only a few months apart, my mother's white hair had suddenly increased, and the wrinkles around her eyes had also become more pronounced, turning her former beauty into a haggard appearance that made my heart ache.
She noticed Meng Yan's gaze, smiled slightly, took the heavy object from her hand, and stroked the calluses on her fingers. "Jian'er, why are you back this year?"
"You must be exhausted from carrying so much stuff. Let me heat up some porridge for you."
Meng Yan took her arm and kept her there. He took out a bag of carefully wrapped mooncakes from the upper box, ignored the relatives who were occupying the chairs at the table and refused to leave, and piled the things on the table all at once.
The bulky wooden box forced her relative to move her arm, and she pushed it a little harder, squeezing out the space left for her elbow as well. The empty corner of the new table was just enough to put the mooncakes.
The women gradually moved in this direction. The aunt who was reluctant to leave twitched her lips, and finally got up angrily and blended into the crowd.
She lost her balance, and the chair spun around, landing right in front of her mother. Meng Yan helped her up by the shoulder and invited her to sit down.
Others might not recognize it, but Mencius' mother was very familiar with the packaging. She had three identical ones in a box by her bedside, and this must be the fourth one.
"Since Jian'er isn't here, I can't tell you, but your mooncake-making skills are truly excellent, and we all love them."
As she spoke, she untied the thin thread on the paper, revealing a variety of mooncakes neatly arranged inside. The fragrance of flowers and fruits wafted out and filled everyone's noses.
"You've come at the perfect time. Shall we let everyone try your cooking?"
There was already more than enough left, and these were just small snacks. Since they were given to my mother, she could divide them however she wanted.
Meng Yan smiled and nodded. As everyone approached to take the mooncakes, he happened to open the bottom layer of the box. The smooth and soft satin surface reflected the light and shone brightly on the table.
Several hands turned and reached towards the wooden box, only to be caught by the lid that fell at just the right moment. The owner glared at Meng Yan fiercely and withdrew his hands in pain.
"And now... why did you bring back fabric? This kind of satin must be expensive, right?"
Yu Guangzhong's head, which had been scattered, suddenly snapped back to attention. Meng Yan raised a smile and continued scrolling down.
These bolts of cloth were specially selected by Chu Ming, and their quality and price were exactly what all the women present recognized.
Apart from the rustling sound of her lifting the fabric, even the passing wind seemed to stop, and everyone held their breath, staring intently at the unassuming wooden box.
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