The Journey Home
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the end of the year was fast approaching. The traffic on the city streets was noticeably thinner, and many shops had already closed. Red paper signs on the shutters read "Closed for Spring Festival holiday, open again on the 8th day of the first lunar month." In addition to the chill, the air was filled with a sense of desolation and eagerness to return home.
The dark gray Lexus GX cruised smoothly on the highway leading out of the city. The V8 engine ran extremely smoothly, almost inaudibly, with only the low rustling of the tires on the road and the wind noise that even the excellent sound insulation couldn't completely block out. The interior was spacious and warm, with the scent of new leather mixed with the fresh fragrance of a small bag of citrus that Lü Yi had somehow found.
Lin Feng rested his hands on the steering wheel, looking ahead with a relaxed posture. The car felt even more stable to drive than he had expected; the steering wheel felt solid, and the chassis filtered out most of the minor bumps, like a large ship sailing smoothly. On the navigation screen, the destination pointed to the county where his hometown was located, still more than two hundred kilometers away.
In the passenger seat, Lü Yi acted like a hyperactive child. He first turned on the seat heating and ventilation, experiencing the contrast of hot and cold for a while. Then he marveled at the luxurious rear space, even trying to climb back up to "see how flat you can lie down." Only after Lin Feng stopped him with a look did he settle down and begin to study the Mark Levinson sound system.
"Boss, this sound system is awesome! Play something powerful!" Lü Yi fiddled with the center console screen, and soon, a deafening burst of heavy metal rock music, mixed with intense drumbeats and screams, filled the car.
Lin Feng didn't even flinch. He reached out and turned the volume knob on the center console almost half a turn to the left, instantly reducing the raging volume to an almost inaudible background noise. "Quiet down." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Oh." Lü Yi shrank his neck, but less than two minutes later, he started tapping his feet to the almost inaudible melody, tapping his fingers randomly on his legs, and humming completely off-key snippets, his eyes sometimes excited and sometimes wandering as he looked out the window at the rapidly receding scenery.
"Boss, look at those clouds, don't they look like torn-up cotton candy?"
"That big truck up ahead, it has a 'Beware of Bears' sign on its back, haha, it's the one that should be wary!"
"I'm hungry... How far is the service area? I want instant noodles, with a double portion of ham!"
Lin Feng mostly ignored his self-talk and sudden bursts of chatter, only responding with a "hmm" or "almost there" when necessary. Taking Lü Yi back to his hometown for the New Year was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but not entirely without consideration. Lawyer Zhou needed to handle some year-end cleanup and next year's planning, and Li Jun and others also had their own "channels" to maintain. Lü Yi, with his sensitive identity, unpredictable thinking, and morbid loyalty and dependence on him, might cause unforeseen trouble if left alone in the city. Having him by his side and keeping an eye on him would actually save him trouble. As for the reason that "orphans have nowhere to go," that was sufficient explanation from his parents' perspective.
The car pulled into a service area for a short rest. Sure enough, Lü Yi rushed in and bought two buckets of instant noodles, added four sausages, and ate them with loud slurping, attracting the attention of passersby. Lin Feng only drank a bottle of water, leaned against the car, and looked at the gloomy sky, which seemed like it was going to snow.
After resuming their journey, Lü Yi seemed to have become drowsy from eating, and the car finally became completely quiet. Only the occasional electronic female voice from the navigation system announcing "Road ahead is clear" could be heard.
Around 3 PM, the car exited the highway and turned onto the provincial road leading to the county town. The road conditions worsened, and the traffic became more mixed, with motorcycles, tricycles, and bicycles carrying New Year's goods everywhere. The buildings along the roadside gradually became shorter, and fields and barren slopes covered with withered grass became more frequent. The air seemed to carry a familiar smell from my memories, a mixture of earth and burning coal.
Lin Feng followed his memory and drove into an old community that had been built for more than ten years. The tiles on the surface of the building were peeling off, and the grass and trees in the green belt were withered, but almost every household had bacon and sausages hung on the balcony or windows, and the characters "Fu" or Spring Festival couplets were pasted on them. The strong smell of the New Year came to the face.
Finding his apartment building, Lin Feng saw several cars already parked in the open space downstairs. He found a slightly more spacious spot and parked the GX steadily. Its large size and unique matte dark gray color seemed somewhat out of place in this environment dominated by cheap domestic cars and old joint venture vehicles.
He turned off the engine and took out the Key. Lü Yi, who was next to him, woke up almost instantly, rubbed his eyes, and looked out the window. "We're here? Boss, is this it?" There was no disgust in his tone, only pure curiosity.
"Hmm." Lin Feng pushed open the car door and got out, and a cold air instantly enveloped him. He took out several bags full of New Year's goods from the trunk, and Lü Yi quickly jumped out of the car to help.
The two carried large bags and small packages as they walked up the somewhat dimly lit stairwell. The stairwell was filled with the smell of cooking oil and dust, and there were traces of children's graffiti on the walls. When they reached the third floor, in front of the familiar dark green security door, there was a brand new plastic couplet with gold foil stamping, featuring a chubby baby holding a carp.
Lin Feng raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Immediately, hurried footsteps came from inside, accompanied by Zhang Fen's familiar yet anxious voice. "Coming! Is that Xiao Feng?"
The door clicked open.
Warm yellow light and the rich aroma of home-cooked food wafted out. Mother Zhang Fen, wearing an apron, stood in the doorway, her face beaming with undisguised joy and anticipation. Her gaze immediately fell on Lin Feng, scrutinizing him from head to toe, as if to confirm if her son had lost weight and if he looked well. The fine wrinkles around her eyes deepened with her smile, and her temples seemed to have more gray hair than she remembered.
"Mom," Lin Feng called out, his voice slightly softer than usual.
"Hey! Come in, come in! It's cold outside!" Zhang Fen quickly stepped aside, habitually asking, "Why did it take you so long? Was there a traffic jam? Have you eaten yet? I've kept the food warm in the pot..." Her words suddenly stopped, and her gaze passed over Lin Feng, landing on the tall, burly stranger behind him, carrying a bunch of gift bags and peeking inside.
When Lü Yi saw Lin Feng's mother looking over, he immediately grinned and greeted her loudly and energetically, "Hello, Auntie! Happy New Year! I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!" His loud voice sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet corridor.
Zhang Fen's smile froze for a moment, a clear look of surprise and... wariness flashing in her eyes. She glanced at Lü Yi, then at her son, her lips moved, but she didn't immediately respond to Lü Yi's greeting. Instead, she quickly reached out, grabbed Lin Feng's wrist, and pulled him into the house without a word. At the same time, she stepped out herself, leaving the security door slightly ajar, temporarily keeping Lü Yi outside.
"Xiao Feng," Zhang Fen lowered her voice, pulling Lin Feng to a corner of the entryway. Her face was filled with undisguised tension and worry. She glanced at Lü Yi through the crack in the door, her voice extremely low and serious, "Tell Mom the truth... who is this man? Why... why did you bring a man home for the New Year?"
She sized up Lü Yi —tall, strong, wearing a rather shabby old jacket, with a red scarf that looked a bit odd, his eyes were excessively bright, and his voice and smile just now had an indescribable... naivety? He didn't look like any of her son's former quiet and well-behaved classmates at all.
A terrifying thought, gleaned from some of the short mobile dramas she'd recently become obsessed with, uncontrollably surfaced. Her face paled, and she gripped Lin Feng's wrist even tighter. "You... you in the city, did you... did you make some shady friends? Or... did you pick up some bad... habits?"
She couldn't quite bring herself to say the word, but the fear and worry in her eyes said it all. Her son had suddenly dropped out of school to work for Lawyer Zhou (which she believed), and now he'd brought home this strange man who didn't seem "normal" at all... She couldn't help but overthink it!
Lin Feng looked at the complex expression on his mother's face, a mixture of worry, fear, and "Has my son gone astray?" Especially when he heard the words "bad habits," even with his calm demeanor, his forehead twitched slightly, and a silent black line seemed to hang down from the top of his head.
"Mom," he said helplessly, his voice trying to remain steady, tinged with a barely perceptible weariness, "What are you thinking?"
He gestured towards the door. "His name is Lü Yi, he's my friend. He's an orphan, he grew up in an orphanage without parents. He had nowhere to go for the New Year, and it was lonely in the city, so I brought him back with me to liven things up."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fen's tense expression relaxed considerably, but the doubt in her eyes hadn't completely dissipated. "Friend... friend? Really a friend? Not... anything else?" She glanced furtively at the door again.
"A true friend." Lin Feng said confidently, then paused and added with a hint of teasing, "Mom, the most important thing for you right now is to uninstall all those random short drama apps from your phone. Stop watching that mindless stuff; it's making your imagination run wild."
Zhang Fen blushed slightly after her son's comment, feeling a little embarrassed. She realized she might have misunderstood; it was mainly because the drama she'd been watching lately, "The Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me: His Bodyguard is a Man," was having a strong aftereffect... Plus, the young man her son brought home didn't seem as "refined" as a typical friend.
Outside the door, Lü Yi was getting a little bored, but he didn't dare to move. So he just kept grinning and smiling at Zhang Fen, who could be vaguely seen through the crack in the door. His smile was a little stiff.
Zhang Fen finally breathed a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a warm smile again. She quickly opened the door wide and greeted Lü Yi outside, saying repeatedly, "Oh, look at me! Come in, come in! It's cold outside! Child, you're Xiao Feng's friend? Welcome, welcome! What's your name again? Lü Yi, right? Nice name! Put your things down quickly, you must be exhausted from the journey!"
She instantly switched back to her warm and hospitable mother mode, taking the heavy bags from Lü Yi's hands while inviting him into the house, muttering, "An orphan... oh, poor thing... it's good that you're here. Make yourself at home and have a good New Year here with Auntie!"
Lü Yi was a little taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm, but she still followed Zhang Fen's lead into the house, saying hurriedly, "Thank you, Auntie! You're so kind, Auntie! You look so young!"
Lin Feng watched his mother's sudden change of expression and Lü Yi's somewhat clumsy response, shook his head gently, took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack behind the door. The familiar warmth and atmosphere of the house enveloped him, the television was playing a lively Spring Festival special program, and the simmering sound of stewing meat came from the kitchen.
The year began with a little accident and misunderstanding.