My Father's Diary Contains a Glimpse of Your Mother

There are hazelnuts in the mountains and lings in the sky.

Whose thoughts are these, the Western beauty?

That beautiful woman, a woman from the West.

<Bei Feng · Jian Xi> -- Humble love can only be gazed upon from afar.

Yan Qingcheng was very surprised to confirm that Liu Chang'an was Professor Liu Jianshe's son. Ever since she entered Xiangnan University, she had been looking for traces of Liu Jianshe at the Xiangnan University. However, she never expected that Professor Liu had disappeared from the world, and that Professor Liu's son would become her classmate.

What she didn't expect was that she knew Liu Jianshe, and Liu Chang'an actually knew Yan Huaye... This meant that for Liu Jianshe, Yan Huaye might not be a forgotten name, but might even be somewhat important, something he had engraved or mentioned in some way. Otherwise, how would Liu Chang'an know the name of Liu Jianshe, an ordinary student back then?

Yan Qingcheng took several steps back and stood on the edge of the field, looking at Liu Chang'an with a sense of helplessness. This encounter, which was a continuation of the previous generation, felt like a fateful bond. This, combined with her preconceived notions and attitudes towards Liu Chang'an, created a sense of disorientation and shock.

Liu Chang'an squatted in front of the field mouse hole, looking up at Yan Qingcheng, the girl in the class whose looks were second only to Zhu Juntang. She had a tall figure, and although her long legs were not as stunning as An Nuan's, they were still quite eye-catching. Her cheeks did not have a particularly fair and delicate appearance; her ordinary skin seemed to be just genetic. She lacked the delicate softness that comes from a pampered life. After looking closely, she did not have much resemblance to Yan Huaye in his memory.

Not every mother and daughter looks like sisters, just like Professor Liu and An Nuan.

My impression of Yan Huaye is that of a girl in an old photo found online—clean, fresh, and naturally beautiful. With just a little makeup, she could have been placed in a photo calendar from that era.

"Your mother is truly Yan Huaye." Liu Chang'an remarked with emotion. Although he was surrounded by descendants of deceased friends, those from more recent times naturally evoked a stronger sense of time and inspired a greater desire to care for them.

"Is your father really Liu Jianshe?" Yan Qingcheng seemed to be led by Liu Chang'an to ask again, carefully examining Liu Chang'an's appearance. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Liu Chang'an did look a bit like the Liu Jianshe she had seen in the photos... or rather, they were similar in temperament. It was an indescribable feeling that he was a person with gentle eyes and a dignified appearance.

Of course, this was just a first impression. Yan Qingcheng held an extremely strong opposition to Liu Chang'an's "upright character," and this opposition was not formed overnight.

"From now on, I'll protect you at Xiangtan University. If any school leaders, teachers, or students bully you, you can come to me... You can protect me in our class too." Liu Chang'an nodded, then sighed, "I was so naive. I even brought a snakeskin bag in my bag, wanting to take something back... I'll go see if there's a snake den."

"Liu Chang'an, lunch is served. Today the cafeteria is using vegetables from the agricultural and forestry base, which you can't usually get at school or in the city." Yan Qingcheng ignored Liu Chang'an's words about protecting her and then turned away as he walked towards the wall to catch a Liu Chang'an. She was speechless.

Normally, everyone should set aside everything else, show a surprised and re-evaluative smile, and talk about each other's parents, about what they know about their past... But this person? Turns around and goes to catch snakes.

"Let's eat first." In the ordinariness of life, nothing important can happen every day, so the most important thing every day is basically eating. Since we didn't catch the mouse, we might not be able to catch the snake either, so eating is still the most important thing.

"How do you know my mother's name?" Yan Qingcheng asked, following behind Liu Chang'an, wanting to know as much as possible.

"Your mom is good-looking, so of course she'll remember."

"Ah... you've seen my mother's picture?" It seemed that some of Yan Qingcheng's suspicions had been confirmed.

"My dad's diary says... um... it says..."

"What is it written? How is it written?"

"Don't rush me... My memories are like a diary. Turning to a page is easy, but to see the next page, you have to turn it again... It reads: September 3rd, Friday, I met a girl while jogging. Her surname was Yan, and she was really pretty. Her bangs were adorned with tiny dewdrops, so delicate and fresh. October 8th, I saw that girl surnamed Yan again and learned that her name was Yan Huaye. When I was collecting homework, I accidentally touched her hand, and she gave a slightly shy smile, which was quite adorable. October 15th, I met Yan Huaye again. The person jogging with her must be her boyfriend, right? A gentleman doesn't take what belongs to others. Best wishes." Liu Chang'an read Liu Jianshe's diary.

Yan Qingcheng listened with a faint smile. This was the kind of simple and beautiful campus romance that her parents' generation experienced. But why did Professor Liu assume her mother's boyfriend just because he saw her running with someone? Back then, there were often many activities on campus where men and women participated together... However, it at least confirmed some of her suspicions. These words indicated that Professor Liu had considerable feelings for her mother, and even intended to pursue her, which led to the later statement, "A gentleman does not take what belongs to another," and "Blessings."

"Anything else?" Yan Qingcheng quickly followed up with her question.

"I don't remember much," Liu Chang'an said after thinking for a moment, turning to look at Yan Qingcheng, who seemed a little too interested.

Yan Qingcheng was looking at Liu Chang'an's profile when she met his gaze, and she quickly and somewhat awkwardly turned her head away.

"Aren't you curious why I know about your father?" Yan Qingcheng asked, looking ahead.

"There's nothing to be curious about. Some people are like the sun and moon in the sky; you can't see them when you look down, but you'll never forget their existence," Liu Chang'an said matter-of-factly. "Liu Jianshe is a low-key person, but those who have met him will never forget him."

Liu Chang'an's unwavering confidence remained as always, but he used it not to describe himself, but to talk about others, even his father. Yan Qingcheng could accept this and didn't find him arrogant.

They had arrived at the restaurant as they were talking. Yan Qingcheng didn't press the matter further. She felt that Professor Liu's diary contained far more information about Yan Huaye than just this much. Liu Chang'an didn't need to deliberately memorize all the details related to Yan Huaye. The fact that he could casually recount some fragments was enough to demonstrate Liu Chang'an amazing memory. After all, he was a top student; like father, like son.

I wonder if Liu Chang'an would agree if I asked to borrow Professor Liu's diary... Making such a request so abruptly seems inappropriate, after all, a diary is such a private thing, and there might be some entries that are not suitable for outsiders to see, causing some unnecessary trouble.

Yan Qingcheng pondered for a moment, but couldn't find a reason to explain to Liu Chang'an why she was so interested in Professor Liu.

For the sake of her poor mother, she had to find out what had happened between her mother and Professor Liu, and whether her biological father was Professor Liu... What kind of relationship did she have with Liu Chang'an in front of her...? Yan Qingcheng glanced at Liu Chang'an's back and felt inexplicably nervous.

"Let's talk again when we have time." Just as he was thinking, Liu Chang'an suddenly turned around and said to Yan Qingcheng.

Yan Qingcheng nodded quickly, afraid that he would think she wasn't interested; she had to seize this opportunity.

Yan Qingcheng followed behind Liu Chang'an, watching him choose a sweet potato, an ear of corn, a boiled fish, and a mixed grain rice at the restaurant. He ate quite a lot.

Yan Qingcheng only ordered one serving of mixed grain rice and one serving of chicken broth with radish.

Seeing Liu Chang'an sit down, Yan Qingcheng was about to ask if she could sit opposite him when she sensed several gazes on her. She quickly sat down in the seat next to him in the aisle. She knew that the girls in the dormitory often talked about Liu Chang'an, and out of good intentions, Yan Qingcheng would often advise those girls who were overthinking or too interested not to pay too much attention to Liu Chang'an... But now she was acting like she wanted to get close to Liu Chang'an, so it was easy to imagine how many names the girls would call her behind her back, such as "green tea bitch" or "scheming bitch."

Zhu Juntang glanced at Yan Qingcheng, but didn't ask any questions. She simply sat down next to Liu Chang'an... Normally, ordinary classmates or even friends would sit opposite each other, but Zhu Juntang chose to sit directly next to Liu Chang'an in the four-person seating area.

No one looked at Zhu Juntang with strange eyes, which seemed to be taken for granted, because everyone could see that Zhu Juntang loved playing with Liu Chang'an, but there was no sense of ambiguity or flirtation between them.

"You're not eating, so what are you doing here?" Liu Chang'an glanced at Zhu Juntang, who was sitting there with an empty plate in her hand.

"Give me your sweet potato." Zhu Juntang held out her plate to Liu Chang'an.

"Call me grandpa and I'll give it to you."

"Grandpa," Zhu Juntang obediently.

Although her voice wasn't loud, Liu Chang'an hadn't expected that she could shout it out in a public place, surrounded by classmates.

So Liu Chang'an gave her the sweet potato.

Zhu Juntang examined the sweet potato carefully. It was steamed. She slowly peeled the skin off the whole sweet potato and then casually tossed it into Liu Chang'an's bowl.

Although he couldn't understand why she suddenly wanted to peel the sweet potato for him, Liu Chang'an didn't try to understand and started eating the sweet potato.

"I just saw Yan Qingcheng talking to you for a long time," Zhu Juntang whispered to Liu Chang'an, trying to avoid being overheard by Yan Qingcheng, who seemed to be spying on her.

Liu Chang'an pushed Zhu Juntang's face away with the back of his hand. Bad breath was something Liu Chang'an couldn't tolerate. Ordinary bad breath was one thing, but her breath smelled sweet and fragrant—did she think she was fruit?

"None of your business," Liu Chang'an replied.

"You actually used foul language!" Zhu Juntang exclaimed in shock. "You used foul language with your granddaughter! You rude grandfather!"

"Stop yelling at your mother!"

"Vulgar!" Although Liu Chang'an was the first to curse Zhu Juntang like that, Zhu Juntang still knew what it meant. She had learned it at home, but because she was a fairy, Zhu Juntang would not say it.

"Go away, I want to eat." It's so annoying to be disturbed while I'm eating, something I should be doing seriously.

"You didn't catch any mice, did you?" Zhu Juntang said smugly; he had actually intended to scare her like that.

"I caught the snake," Liu Chang'an said, pointing to his bag.

Zhu Juntang stood up in alarm and ran far away from Liu Chang'an. She didn't dare to check if there was a snake in Liu Chang'an's bag. She knew that when the Queen Mother of the West sent seven fairies to capture Bai Suzhen drowned all seven fairies. She was just a little fairy without any magic power, so she had to keep her distance from ordinary snakes.

Liu Chang'an watched Zhu Juntang's retreating figure and smiled. Compared to when they first met, Zhu Juntang seemed more resourceful and brave. But that's how people are... You get an impression at first, but after spending time with her, you're often amazed: Is this really the same person I knew?

He knew very well that he could handle the fairy, but in front of others, the fairy was definitely the type who was aloof and unapproachable.

After lunch, the activity continued with a visit to the laboratories at the agricultural and forestry base. Compared to the laboratories on campus, the equipment here was noticeably inferior, as it was essentially just a verification and testing facility.

The day's activities quickly came to an end. The sun shone brightly, birds chirped, and everyone, having casually relieved themselves, excitedly discussed the day's events. They expressed that they had broadened their horizons and resolved to contribute their share to future socialist construction. Some students said they wanted to become agricultural researchers, singing their youthful songs in the fields; others said they wanted to research agricultural mechanization equipment to improve production efficiency and reduce the burden on farmers. The students were overjoyed, and today's activities were a complete success.

The bus had already stopped at the drop-off point. The teacher in charge was about to instruct the class leaders to count the number of students before boarding when they saw seven or eight local idlers gathered together, looking at the students coming and going with unfriendly expressions. Next to one of the muscular, bald men was a young woman holding a child.

"Who is it? Which one is it?" the bald man shouted angrily at the young woman beside him.

"Didn't see him..." The young woman's gaze swept past Liu Chang'an. She had only casually remarked that college students these days were very flirtatious, even teasing older women like their own. She remembered his name; the "lactation consultant's" classmate called him Liu Chang'an.

Little did I expect that my husband had been drinking and, for some reason, was particularly irritable and determined to block me out here.

There are so many people on the other side, and they're all college students. If things really escalate, my husband will definitely be the one who suffers.

"Liu Chang'an, which one is Liu Chang'an!" the bald man shouted angrily, glaring at the people around him.

Although many people knew Liu Chang'an, none of them were fools. At this moment, some classmates couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him, but then immediately looked away.

Some people disliked Liu Chang'an and wanted to testify against Liu Chang'an, but Liu Chang'an was known for beating up classmates and student council members. If they testified against Liu Chang'an now, would they still be able to stay at school?

"That's me!" Liu Chang'an raised his hand as soon as he heard someone call his name.

"Are you crazy?!" Yan Qingcheng was startled and hurriedly tried to pull Liu Chang'an's hand down. Regardless of whether she had any other relationship with Liu Chang'an, she was the class monitor.

"Wait..." The teacher in charge stood behind Liu Chang'an, reaching out to stop Liu Chang'an while simultaneously blocking his way. "What's going on?"

"So you're Liu Chang'an, you little brat! So what if you're a college student? Harassing my wife, what are you going to do about it?" The bald man walked over, followed by a group of idlers. He addressed the surrounding students, "We're all civilized people. I'm only after him— Liu Chang'an —for harassing my wife! This is none of your business. Get on your cars, or disperse!"

"I didn't flirt with her." Liu Chang'an shook his head.

"You didn't harass her? You saw my wife breastfeeding, and you told her you were a lactation consultant? What were you doing? What were you doing?" The bald man glared angrily at Liu Chang'an.

Yan Qingcheng opened her mouth slightly, too embarrassed to stop Liu Chang'an. This guy was really... hopeless. It was one thing to be a playboy at school, but he even dared to flirt with the wife of a gangster.

"Liu Chang'an... you... is this true?" The teacher in charge stared at Liu Chang'an in disbelief; he had heard of this student before.

"Yes." Liu Chang'an nodded.

"You're speechless now, aren't you? I think we should just leave it at that. Since you're a lactation consultant, you can express some milk yourself, and we'll call it even." The bald man looked at Liu Chang'an expressionlessly. "Otherwise, I'll go to your school and see what you do then!"

"Your wife's eyes are bloodshot, her gaze is dull, her earlobes are swollen and red, her neck is thicker than normal, and the veins under her skin on her chest are bluish-purple with black undertones. Her entire breast shape is abnormal, which is clearly mastitis. If I'm not mistaken, she must sometimes have blood in her milk, and sometimes experience unbearable engorgement and pain, often waking up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Whether you use a breast pump or try to express milk yourself, it's difficult to get it flowing smoothly." Liu Chang'an looked at the young woman standing on the outside and explained.

"How did you know...?" The bald man paused, his cheeks flushing red, after all, this wasn't something to discuss in public.

"The key is that it's normal to have lumps at this stage, but I previously saw faint redness and swelling along the upper edge, which was a much more serious situation. You should take her to the hospital for a checkup as soon as possible... You're such an irresponsible husband. Do you know that when a woman's breasts are blocked, she feels like she wants to cut them off? It's similar to the pain you feel when someone kicks you in the groin all the time?" Liu Chang'an waved his hand and frowned. "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to take your wife to the hospital? You're such a wimp."

"Okay..." The bald man, intimidated by Liu Chang'an's imposing manner, hurriedly turned around and anxiously asked the young woman, "Is he right? Is he right?"

"It hurts so much... Your mother always says it's nothing, just bear with it, and she won't let me go to the hospital, saying that if I get an anti-inflammatory injection, I won't be able to breastfeed, and that it's bad for the baby..." The young woman said tearfully, feeling aggrieved.

"Someone's going to die! Don't listen to her, what does an illiterate woman like her know!"

The bald man quickly told his companions to leave, and then escorted the young woman into a van parked nearby.

Liu Chang'an waved goodbye.

The teachers and students around him looked at each other in disbelief, staring blankly at Liu Chang'an. They had thought that even if a fight didn't break out, Liu Chang'an would still be in deep trouble, but they never expected it to end like this.

Zhu Juntang was very impressed. As expected of her grandfather, he didn't even need to use the two elite members of the Bread Man team she had invited... In fact, no matter what, they definitely wouldn't have been needed, and Zhu Juntang knew that too.

Yan Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't tell whether Liu Chang'an had genuinely seen through the young woman's health issues or had simply fooled her. However, aside from inheriting Professor Liu's learning ability, this man's behavior and character were likely far inferior to his father's... It was hard to imagine that Professor Liu, who was once a campus idol, would even go so far as to flirt with the wife of a lazy bum.

"Liu Chang'an... I'll tell your counselor about this." The teacher in charge of the group had similar thoughts to Yan Qingcheng. What kind of lactation consultant could a freshman be? However, what he said sounded reasonable and convincing. In short, it was good that things hadn't escalated, otherwise it would have been troublesome for him as the teacher in charge.

Wei Xuanyi, Sun Shutong, Qin Zhiqiang, and the others knew that telling the counselor was tantamount to doing nothing; that brother-obsessed devil was no match for Liu Chang'an.

Yan Qingcheng, being a girl, thought a little differently... Liu Chang'an's intentions would surely benefit Teacher Qin greatly in the future. It is said that the larger the breasts, the greater the likelihood of this situation during breastfeeding. Yan Qingcheng couldn't help but imagine Teacher Qin's future situation. Liu Chang'an would definitely take matters into his own hands, unlike this bald idler. It's truly shameful, not only making his wife lose face but also causing her so much suffering.

Seeing that the group of people were still scattered and unhurried, seemingly not yet recovered from their fascination with the spectacle, Liu Chang'an got on the bus first. He was somewhat disappointed today; he hadn't caught either the field mouse or the snake. Luckily, he hadn't boasted to Zhou Dongdong beforehand, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have gone to the rice noodle shop after school and would have sat under the sycamore tree waiting to eat something delicious. And then he would have to face that blank look in her eyes, as if she had lost all happiness because she hadn't gotten anything good to eat—it was truly a headache.

Yan Qingcheng watched Zhu Juntang get into her own car and realized that Zhu Juntang had been calm all along. It seemed that Zhu Juntang had already guessed the ending. It seemed that she knew Liu Chang'an far better than the average person.

Yan Qingcheng was the last to board the bus. She originally thought that Liu Chang'an would be alone, but she saw a rather bold and outgoing girl sitting next to Liu Chang'an with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Liu Chang'an was still holding a book and leaning against the window, immersed in his own world, reverting to his detached and aloof demeanor, as if the guy who had been mingling with the idle men and women before boarding the bus was not him at all.

How can there be so many unpredictable and difficult-to-understand people?