The bus arrived, the doors opened, Yan Heqing boarded while talking on the phone, dropping in two coins with a crisp sound. "I'm on."
"..." Lin Fengzhi seemed to turn over, his voice soft and ethereal, "Suit yourself, I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep, bye..."
The phone call wasn't disconnected; the sound of even breathing could be heard intermittently.
Yan Heqing arrived at the Lin Family villa, Lin Fengzhi was still asleep.
Mother Lin opened the door herself, and when she saw Yan Heqing, her eyes lit up. She rushed forward and hugged him, " Xiao Yan, you've finally come!"
Then I saw the plastic bag that Yan Heqing was carrying.
She sighed softly, "You're just a student with no income, and you always bring things when you come. You're being too polite."
Yan Heqing smiled and opened the bag. "It's a few flower seedlings, bought from a roadside vendor, a great deal."
Mother Lin smiled immediately upon seeing the seedling, took it and examined it. "Is it a hydrangea?" she exclaimed with delight. "I've been wanting to plant it for so long! Have you had breakfast? I'll make you some dumplings; I just made them last night, with all sorts of fillings. After we eat, we'll go to the backyard and plant the seedling."
"Yes, it's a hydrangea." Yan Heqing didn't refuse. "Do you have cabbage and pork filling?"
"Yes!" Mother Lin carefully placed the flower seedling next to the shoe cabinet, then turned to Lin Fengxian and said, "Eldest son, you take care of Xiao Yan, I'll go make dumplings."
Lin Fengxian was behind.
The first time he met Yan Heqing, he was struck by his clean-cut and polite demeanor, and he took a liking to him. With a smile, he handed over the gift he had prepared, saying, "Nice to meet you. I am Lin Fengxian, Fengzhi's older brother. This is a small gift I brought back from a business trip, please accept it as a token of our meeting."
It is a fountain pen.
The price is reasonable, and it's suitable for students.
Lin Fengxian had heard his Mother Lin mention that Yan Heqing was Beijing University.
His smile widened. " Beijing University has always been my dream, but unfortunately I was about ten points short back then."
Yan Heqing accepted the pen. "Thank you." He then added, "I'm sorry, I came in a hurry and didn't have time to buy a suitable gift. Next time—"
"Don't buy me anything next time either. I'm a minimalist and hate receiving gifts." Lin Fengxian smiled and invited him inside. "Playing a few more games of chess with me is the real deal. You've played with my dad before, and his chess skills are simply appalling. I've never played a complete game with him at home."
As they spoke, the two entered the living room.
Mother Lin cooked the dumplings and brought them out. Lin Fengxian stared at the chessboard, already deep in thought.
Mother Lin shook her head with a smile, put down her bowl, and called to Yan Heqing, " Xiao Yan, come and eat first. Your older brother will be playing chess for at least half an hour."
As expected, Lin Fengxian hadn't made a move even after Yan Heqing finished eating the dumplings. Father Lin also joined the game, sitting to the side and directing. Lin Fengxian glanced at him, "Dad, a true gentleman observes the game without speaking."
Father Lin laughed, "Like father, like son. Neither you nor I can beat Xiao Yan. Only a strong alliance can give us a chance, right, Xiao Yan?"
Lin Fengxian was extremely disgusted and called out to his Mother Lin, "Mom, quickly take my dad to plant flowers!"
Mother Lin changed into loose clothes, completely ignoring him, and called out to Yan Heqing with a smile, "Don't pay attention to those two defeated opponents, Xiao Yan, come with me to plant flowers. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this game of chess; they won't be able to solve it by noon."
Just then, Lin Fengyi came downstairs, still sleepy-eyed. He suddenly caught sight of Yan Heqing and stopped abruptly. What was he doing here?!
Looking down at his loose collar, Lin Fengyi's expression shifted slightly before he turned and went back inside to change.
"Go ahead, Xiao Yan," Father Lin agreed wholeheartedly. "You played a brilliant move this time; I need to study it carefully."
Lin Fengxian had already fallen into deep thought.
Seeing this, Yan Heqing went with Mother Lin to the garden to plant flowers.
Mother Lin was overjoyed. Yan Heqing planted the flowers carefully and patiently, and even explained things to her in real time. Mother Lin's face beamed with joy.
Laughter pierced through the glass, and Lin Fengzhi, somewhat dazed, rubbed his hair as he went downstairs. He saw the father and son studying a chessboard early in the morning and asked curiously, "Dad, where's Mom?"
Father Lin casually replied, "Your brother is here; the two of them are planting flowers in the garden."
"My brother?" Lin Fengzhi repeated, his pupils suddenly widening.
Yan Heqing has arrived!
He ran outside quickly.
Yan Heqing was drinking water when he caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance. He looked away, put down his water bottle, squatted down to continue transplanting seedlings, and said casually, "Thank you for adopting Fengzhi and letting him grow up happily."
"Speaking of this, it was all by accident," Mother Lin said, pressing down the soil around the flower seedlings. "Back then, I actually wanted to adopt a girl."
"After having my first child, I got pregnant with my second, hoping for a girl, but I didn't expect to have another one. Childbirth is especially taxing on a woman's body, so I absolutely dare not have a third child."
"But I like girls too much. In a few years, when I'm feeling better, I'll talk to your Uncle Lin about adopting a little girl."
Mentioning the past, Mother Lin suddenly turned her head, her face beaming, "But when we went to the orphanage, we saw you first. You have no idea how adorable you were when you were little. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you and immediately changed my mind and decided to adopt you."
She still laments, "It's a pity I made a deal with the dean, but now I can't find you anymore."
"I thought maybe you didn't like me as your new mother, and that's why you were hiding from us. I was so upset then, and just when I was about to leave, fate brought me to Fengzhi."
"You brothers looked much more alike when you were kids than you do now..."
Around the corner not far away, Lin Fengzhi's blood froze.
A buzzing sound filled my ears.
He heard each word clearly, but he couldn't piece them together completely.
Mom means...
Is he a thief?
He stole... his brother's things?
Chapter 49
It seemed that Mother Lin was looking this way, Lin Fengzhi subconsciously hid behind the wall, his trembling body pressed tightly against the wall.
The conversation continued not far away.
Mother Lin asked curiously, " Xiao Yan, do you still remember that time? What exactly happened? Did you really dislike me and hide away?"
Lin Fengzhi's heart pounded so hard it was deafening. He gripped the wall, his smooth, glossy nails digging heavily into it.
Is it hidden?
Will it?