Blumen pflücken und lächeln

Kapitel 216

The depth of her eyebrows, the way she raised her tray in the Red Chamber.

I silently read the poem, a warmth spreading through my heart. No matter what, Han Jue was a good friend. Just as I was about to put away the silk painting, I suddenly noticed a note tucked into the scroll. Surprised, I took it out and read it, and was immediately filled with a mixture of annoyance, anger, and amusement, speechless for a long time.

Yi Han snatched the note with a cold face and glanced at it. His expression froze. He looked at Han Fei with a pout, then at the wind chimes in Feng Yi's arms, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

Han Jue wrote the following on the note: "Lin Yu, consider this painting and this poem my belated wedding gift to you both. Do you still remember our betrothal from birth? Take a good look at your son-in-law; I wonder how far he is from the Zi Mo you envisioned."

I looked at Han Fei with a mix of amusement and exasperation: "You obediently braved the snow to deliver the painting, unaware that your father sold you out with just a piece of paper."

Han Fei remained unmoved and nodded, saying, "Before I left, my father told me that I had come to meet my future wife."

I almost fainted. Pointing at Feng Ling in Feng Yi's arms, I said irritably, "Lingling is only five years old, and you're only eight or nine. How would you know anything about wives? What on earth is Jingyuan thinking?"

When Fengling heard her name mentioned, she looked up in surprise and asked, "Lingling, what's wrong? Whose wife is Lingling going to be?"

I shook my head helplessly, about to speak, when I suddenly heard Feng Yi say coldly, "Lingling won't marry anyone!"

After saying that, he bent down, picked up the wind chime, glanced at Han Fei with a haughty and indifferent look, and was about to leave.

Seeing the obvious arrogance and subtle conceit in his eyes, I thought for a moment and blurted out, "Xu Nuo?!"

Feng Yi glanced at me, his lips pursed slightly, his face showing struggle, but he finally called out reluctantly, "Mom."

I suddenly stood up, took a few steps forward, and lifted his sleeve to take a look. Sure enough, the water chain had turned purple. I angrily said, "Didn't I tell you that this kind of soul intertwining is dangerous? What if you get trapped in the space-time rift? Who can save you? Who activated the water chain this time? Was it you or Feng Yi?"

Xu Nuo hugged the wind chime, lowered her head, and whispered, "It's me."

For some reason, four years after Feng Yi was born, both the five-year-old Feng Yi and the six-year-old Xu Nuo developed a string of transparent water chains on their hands. Wei Ye told me that the fluctuations of the water chains on Xu Nuo's hands were very stable, and Chi Fei also said that there was no danger, so I didn't pay any attention to them.

To my surprise, on two mornings a month later, Xu Nuo opened his eyes and grabbed my neck with his hand, while Feng Yi opened his eyes and asked me why the air conditioning wasn't turned up. I almost broke down at that moment.

I was so angry that I raised my hand, wanting to give Xu Nuo a good whack on the head, but Feng Ling beat me to it with a cheerful shout, hugged his neck, and kept calling out, "It's Brother Nuo! Oh! Feng Ling likes Brother Nuo the most!"

Xu Nuo gave a gentle yet smug smile: "I also love wind chimes the most."

"Hey! Hey!" I withdrew my hand weakly, feeling a headache coming on. "You two better not get involved in a forbidden romance!" Although they're not related by blood, they're still my children. The thought of them dating makes me shudder.

I turned around and saw Han Fei tilting his head and looking at me. His brown eyes held a faint light, a light that contained a clarity and purity that neither Han Jue nor Zi Mo could ever possess again. I couldn't help but feel a little moved. I reached out and touched his head, and said softly, "Are you hungry? Jingyuan is really something. In this cold weather, he actually made you, a child, walk so far."

Han Fei paused slightly, looking at me with a somewhat bewildered expression, as if reluctant to leave. He opened his mouth and said, "It is only right to obey Father's orders..."

"Alright." I pinched Han Fei's tender face, interrupting his self-suppressive words. Imagining that the person I was pinching was young Zi Mo, I suddenly felt a little excited. "You can go play chess with Yi Han, or you can go play with Feng Ling and the others. We'll be able to eat in a little while."

Han Fei bit his lip and looked up at me, a faint shimmer in his watery eyes. He wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Feng Ling's loud voice: "Brother Zimo, come on! Let's go to the snow. What's so fun about playing chess? You sit there all day like an old man."

I couldn't help but laugh inwardly at this girl. With a gentle push, Han Fei stumbled a few steps before Feng Ling grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. Instantly, bursts of cheerful laughter echoed into the house from the bright snowy night outside.

I went into the kitchen and put on a simple apron. Yihan was standing behind me at some point, holding two straps, gently tying them together, then reaching out and loosely encircling me.

As I heated the pastries and side dishes I had prepared in the pot, I rested my head on his shoulder, rubbing my cheek against the rough stubble on his chin, and chuckled.

I said with some emotion, "I wonder how Yunyan and Buying are doing now. Are they still traveling around? Or have they gone into seclusion in some beautiful place? Or perhaps, only after experiencing such a tumultuous life can one truly appreciate the beauty of a simple life. Yihan, don't you think so?"

Yi Han didn't speak, turned his face to the side, and his slightly cool lips gently brushed against my earlobe and cheek before finally covering my lips.

What does it matter whether it's a past life or a dream? All I need to know is who my heart beats for at this moment, and who brings me joy, isn't that enough?

When weary birds return, their fragrance lingers on my sleeves. In this life, across two worlds, I can finally live up to this life and this love.

In this ordinary yet warm kitchen, we embraced and kissed, our hearts overflowing with happiness. It was as if we were simply there to prove the saying: "The smoke from the kitchen rises, and life is peaceful and serene."

(over)