After sorting through the cause and effect, Yan Heqing understood what Mother Lin meant.
He overheard Lin Fengzhi's words on the top floor and learned that Lin Fengzhi had deliberately hidden himself to give up the adoption opportunity.
Mother Lin forced a smile. "You remember everything. Even when we went out for dinner during the Spring Festival, you covered for him."
Yan Heqing explained, "I didn't cover for him; it was indeed my own decision at the time."
He recounted the situation at that time.
After a family tragedy, no relatives were willing to adopt them, so he and Lin Fengzhi were sent to an orphanage. A few days later, Lin Fengzhi came to him crying, "Brother, I'm so scared... I want to go home. When can we go home?"
Lin Fengzhi's little face was red from crying, and he burrowed tightly into his arms. "A brother told me that the family that adopted him was very mean and would beat him, so he ran away and came back. Waaah, brother, I'm afraid of getting hurt..."
Yan Heqing was only five years old at the time. He knew that someone would come to adopt them. The only solution he could think of was to send his younger brother to a good family where he wouldn't be beaten and would be loved and cared for.
Mother Lin closed her eyes bitterly. Once a rift formed, she would uncontrollably think that Lin Fengzhi's words had ulterior motives.
"I love my mom the most in the whole world!"
"Mom is the most beautiful mom in the whole universe!"
"No one is allowed to bully my mom, not even my dad!"
"Mom, you can't get sick, if you get sick I'll get sick too!"
"Mother..."
"Mother!"
The innocent and naive words, once sweet as honey to Mother Lin's heart, have now turned into sharp blades, cutting her painfully.
These are all lies.
In Lin Fengzhi's mind, she was a bargaining chip that could be used to exchange for Lu Lin; Lin Fengzhi didn't care about her and didn't value her.
Mother Lin's heart started clenching again, and she gripped the bedsheets with her nails in agony. Yan Heqing noticed and quickly pressed the red call button on the bedside table.
The doctors and nurses arrived. She was alright; it was just emotional turmoil. The doctor gave Mother Lin a sedative injection, and before falling asleep, she only said one thing, "I don't want to see Lin Fengzhi right now."
Mother Lin finally fell asleep, and Yan Heqing left the ward. Father Lin, Lin Fengxian, and Lin Fengyi went in.
As they passed each other, Lin Fengyi glanced at Yan Heqing and nodded slightly.
Lin Fengxian's fiancée wasn't there, so Lu Lin explained, "She took Lin Fengzhi with her."
In this situation, only she can still rationally talk to Lin Fengzhi.
Lu Lin didn't say anything more, and took Yan Heqing's hand, "Let's go home."
The corridor was quiet, and even the lights seemed colder than elsewhere. Yan Heqing nodded and tightened his grip on Lu Lin's hand.
*
The return journey wasn't to his apartment in the city center, nor to the small house Yan Heqing rented, but Yan Heqing didn't ask anything. He turned off his phone and gazed at the receding neon lights outside the window.
Suddenly, the melody of " Slow, Slow Song " began to play inside the car.
Lu Lin asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry." Yan Heqing lowered his forehead, pressing it against the cold window. He closed his eyes and whispered, "That building used to be my home."
His voice had a faint, ethereal quality. "I remember there was a very beautiful pomegranate tree in the yard, with huge fruits. My mother was very tall, and she could always pick the biggest and reddest fruits for us."
"I knew it as soon as my dad got to the alley entrance; the smell of the fried cake got home before he did."
"Want some?" Lu Lin asked. "Fried cake."
Yan Heqing opened his eyes; the street scene outside the window had changed. He turned back, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I won't eat anymore. Some things are better left in memories."
Lu Lin wasn't sure if he was referring to fried cake or Lin Fengzhi, but it didn't matter anymore.
It's all in the past now.
It was almost midnight when Lu Lin drove onto a wide, long road. There were no houses on either side, and tall, lush trees blocked out the night sky, making the night dark. Only after Lu Lin stopped the car and got out, and Yan Heqing opened the car door, did she smell the fragrance in the air.
It is delicate yet not cloying, fragrant yet not vulgar – that is the fragrance of the paulownia flower.
The courtyard gate was just an ordinary iron gate. Lu Lin pushed open the side door next to it, nodded slightly with his chin, and said, "Come in. I've lived here for 18 years."
Yan Heqing walked in, and the orange light illuminated a cobblestone path. In front of him was a two-story Western-style building with warm lights. The garden was unusually large and could not be seen clearly at night, but the sound of flowing water could be faintly heard. It was unclear whether a stream had been dug or a lotus pond had been built.
As they approached the Western-style building, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes. Before Yan Heqing could react, a black figure leaped out of the flowers and pounced on his feet.
It wasn't light. Yan Heqing took a step back and looked down. He saw a German Shepherd puppy sitting on the ground, looking up at him with its round, black bean-like eyes full of curiosity.
Yan Heqing's breathing quickened for a few seconds. He squatted down and tentatively reached out to stroke the German Shepherd's head. The puppy was docile and didn't move. When his palm landed, it even stuck out its tongue and carefully licked his palm. The wet, warm, and sticky feeling wasn't very pleasant, but Yan Heqing liked it.
He liked the dog. He turned to look at Lu Lin, "Where did this come from?"
Lu Lin squatted down as well, and with a slight beckoning, the German Shepherd released Yan Heqing, wagging its tail happily and running to Lu Lin. Lu Lin rubbed its head, "Ours is called 51 Hertz."
Yan Heqing was stunned. " 51 Hertz?"
"There's already a 52 Hertz one, so this one can only be called 51 Hertz." Lu Lin picked up 51 Hertz with one hand and held it to his chest, his gaze fixed on Yan Heqing with a teasing smile. "When yours comes home, it can only be called 50 Hertz."
Yan Heqing finally smiled. He looked at Lu Lin, and gradually, the corners of his mouth widened. The two of them and a dog stood like that at the door for a long time.
" A-Lin?" After a while, the door of the Western-style building opened, and an old man with gray hair came out. His eyesight was poor, and he stared at him for a long time before recognizing Lu Lin.
Lu Lin responded and explained, "He's my maternal grandfather's butler; he's 90 years old this year."
Yan Heqing nodded politely and raised his voice, "Hello, my name is Yan Heqing."
The old butler was still in good spirits, only his eyesight and hearing had deteriorated. Fortunately, Yan Heqing's voice was loud enough that he heard clearly the first time. He smiled broadly, "Oh, it's A-Lin's lover."