Yan Yuan looked at Jiang Chengzhou, who had once again shown up uninvited, and felt a headache coming on.
Every time he managed to suppress his feelings and planned to sort them out before seeing Linlin again, thinking that perhaps his state of mind would have changed by then, Jiang Chengzhou would inevitably come to him and chatter about Linlin. He firmly believed that Yan Yuan was the only one who could truly understand him.
Hearing that Linlin wanted to date someone, Yan Yuan felt a dull pressure in his chest.
Yet he had no position from which to say anything.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her to go ahead and date—that would be a lie.
But he couldn’t tell her not to date, either. He didn’t even know what right he would have to say that.
Was he speaking as her older brother, or as a despicable man nursing an unrequited love?
When Yan Yuan examined his own heart, he feared the latter made up the greater part of it.
Seeing that he wasn’t saying anything, Jiang Chengzhou frowned. “Yan Yuan? What’s wrong with you lately? Has something happened?”
Yan Yuan took a deep breath. “Nothing. I’ve just been busy with the start of the new school term. I’ll be fine after a while.”
Jiang Chengzhou patted him on the shoulder. “That’s my fault. I shouldn’t have bothered you with all this.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “But you need to take care of yourself too. If something really is wrong, don’t keep it all bottled up. Even if I can’t help, I can at least listen to you complain.”
Jiang Chengzhou was always coming to Yan Yuan’s place partly because of Linlin, and partly because Yan Yuan was his good friend.
When Yan Yuan’s grandfather passed away, Jiang Chengzhou hadn’t been home. Yan Yuan was now living alone, and Jiang Chengzhou worried that he might feel lonely. His uncle and aunt had also told him to visit Yan Yuan more often whenever he had the time and keep him company.
At the thought of this, Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “Seriously, you’re not getting any younger. How come you still haven’t found a girlfriend?”
Not getting any younger…
Yan Yuan rubbed his forehead and tossed the question back at him. “Why haven’t you found a girlfriend?”
“Me?” Jiang Chengzhou gave an awkward laugh and rubbed his nose. “I’ll graduate next year, and I don’t even know where I’ll be assigned. I can’t exactly expect some girl to follow me wherever I go, can I?”
Yan Yuan was silent for a moment before suddenly looking up. “What kind of man do you hope Linlin will find?”
Jiang Chengzhou froze, then irritably scratched his head. “I’ll be honest with you. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone. The kid’s too innocent. I’m afraid she’ll be deceived or taken advantage of.”
He had watched his little sister grow up. In his eyes, she would always be a child.
The students attending military training—including Lu Zeyu, who had shown up today—were all immature little boys as far as he was concerned. None of them was good enough for his sister.
As for what kind of man he hoped she would find, Jiang Chengzhou wasn’t sure himself.
Still, his uncle was right. If Linlin truly liked someone, there was nothing they could do even if they disapproved.
“She should choose someone she likes. I can’t make the decision for her. All I can do is keep an eye on the person and make sure he’s good enough.” Jiang Chengzhou chose to face reality.
“Is that so…” Yan Yuan murmured thoughtfully.
Jiang Chengzhou had never once thought of pairing Yan Yuan and Linlin together, nor had the idea ever crossed his mind. He only assumed that Yan Yuan cared about Linlin in the same way he did. He punched Yan Yuan lightly on the shoulder and said, “I’ll only be able to keep an eye on things for another year. Once I graduate next year, you’ll have to look after Linlin for me.”
The fist resting on Yan Yuan’s knee tightened. “I will.”
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang returned to the island with Su Li and immediately contacted Jiang Chengzhou.
When they learned that Jiang Chengzhou had become Linlin’s military-training instructor, Su Lang secretly praised him for being a clever boy.
Jiang Chengzhou also told his uncle and aunt that someone was pursuing Linlin. Su Lang’s face turned dark at once, while Lin Zhilan became very interested and asked about the boy.
But the moment she learned that Linlin didn’t like him, her interest in the boy vanished.
They arranged a time, and when Linlin’s military training ended that afternoon, Jiang Chengzhou took her to the school’s telephone office to make a call.
The instant Linlin heard her mother’s voice, her eyes reddened, and a nasal quality entered her voice.
Lin Zhilan’s heart ached when she heard it. “Are you homesick?”
“Mm.”
“There are only a few months left until the New Year. Then you can come home, and your father, mother, and little brother will all be waiting for you.”
“Mm.” Linlin didn’t want to waste their time crying, so she sniffed and began sharing all the interesting things that had happened since she started school with her parents.
Su Li was jumping anxiously beside the telephone. “I want to talk to Sis too.”
Lin Zhilan comforted her daughter for a few more moments before handing the receiver to Su Li.
“Sis…”
The moment Su Li spoke, his nose began to sting.
Jiang Chengzhou and Linlin had already been old enough to understand things by the time their little brother was born.
From the day Su Li came into the world, he had always had an older brother and sister at home.
At first, his older brother had left for school, but he still had his sister at home. Now that his sister had gone away to school as well, he was the only child left in the house.
Sometimes he wanted to have their parents’ attention all to himself. But now that his sister really was gone, Su Li found himself unhappy instead.
The siblings exchanged a few words before bursting into tears over the phone.
On one end, Lin Zhilan and Su Lang tried to comfort Su Li. On the other, Jiang Chengzhou soothed Linlin.
It wasn’t until their allotted time was up that Linlin reluctantly hung up.
The school telephone office was the only place where students could make long-distance calls, and many people were waiting in line to call home.
Seeing how upset Linlin was, some even told her not to worry about the time and said she could keep talking for a while longer.
Linlin didn’t do so, but somehow word still spread. The next day, she gained another nickname at school: Weeping Beauty.
Back on the island, Lin Zhilan hung up the phone and saw Su Li wiping his face carelessly with his sleeve.
She handed him a handkerchief and smiled helplessly. “I never noticed you being this attached to your sister before. Now that she’s not home, you’re crying over how much you miss her.”
Su Li prided himself on being a real man who would rather shed blood than tears. Having broken that rule today, he felt a little embarrassed. He took the handkerchief, blew his nose into it, and mumbled, “Mom didn’t cry. That means you don’t miss Sis as much as I do.”
He was even turning it into a competition.
Su Lang ruffled his hair, walked over, crouched down, and patted his own back. “All right, climb on. Dad will carry you home.”
Su Li froze for a moment, then waved him off. “Forget it. You’re getting old. You should spare your back.”
Su Lang’s movement stopped.
He stood up and turned to Lin Zhilan. Rolling up his sleeves, he said, “Zhilan, don’t stop me today. I need to teach this brat a proper lesson.”
Lin Zhilan replied, “Oh.”
Su Lang paused. “You’re really not going to stop me?”
“No. Go ahead and hit him.”
“You really are my own mother!” Su Li exclaimed. At once, he spun around and ran as if the soles of his feet had been greased.
Su Lang let out a low chuckle, walked over to Lin Zhilan, and slipped an arm around hers. Together, they strolled slowly toward home.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground, merging them into one.
Su Lang turned his head and glanced at his wife’s lowered lashes and delicate profile. He asked softly, “Missing our daughter?”
“Mm…”
Su Lang chuckled and pulled her closer. “I got a letter of introduction from my work unit and applied to have a telephone installed at home. It’s already been approved. Once the phone line is connected, you’ll be able to call our daughter every day.”
