Ah Heng wanted to retort, "How can we not be close? I cook ribs for you and buy you milk every day. When others bully me, you get very angry, and then you still say I'm your family."
But in the end, she didn't say it. Because, at that time, how could she know that he harbored such a grand fantasy about her—to repay the debt he owed Winslow? And he, too, was unaware that she harbored such a man in her heart. How could two people who didn't know each other be considered close?
Shaking my head, forgetting the past, I smile wryly. Thankfully, the world didn't truly end in 2000. We still have the chance to become familiar with each other again.
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He often stared blankly at the drawing paper until she called him for dinner.
When he was a child, he was learning to draw. His teacher asked him to draw the shape of happiness. He looked at Lu Liu, took out a pencil, but Lu Liu was too busy to pay attention to this problem child. So the drawing was put on hold.
He smiled helplessly, put his paintbrush aside, washed his hands, and went to eat.
The food was still what he liked, but this person was becoming increasingly terrifying, gripping his stomach tightly.
Outside the window, the weigela trees were in full bloom, their bright colors making it seem like autumn leaves.
He held his chopsticks, stared at the food for a long time, and then buried his head in gnawing on the ribs.
He said, "What will I do when I get old and can't chew ribs anymore?"
Ah Heng laughed, "Maybe you'll develop a liking for other food alternatives."
The rich aroma of meat hadn't yet dissipated when he smiled, picking at the glistening, soft grains of rice. Indeed, it was true.
He likes to eat ribs because they are something he eats when he is extremely hungry.
When he was eight years old, he spent two days picking hawthorn berries on the mountain for his sick grandfather, but instead, his grandfather beat him severely and locked him in the study on the first floor. He didn't eat all day and felt very wronged. In the end, Lu Liu secretly brought him some food and tiptoed through the window to deliver it to him.
He remembered that the lunchbox, steaming hot enough to bury his tears, contained pork ribs.
Lu Liu leaned on the windowsill, his small, jade-like face serious and gentle. He sighed, "Yan hope, you're too young."
On a small scale, they always take exposing their weakness for granted.
Lu Liu was the same age as him, but when he was eight years old, he said such things.
He often wondered, "Why am I growing up so fast? I haven't been to enough amusement parks to see Saint Seiya or ride Transformers yet. I've heard that adults get laughed at for doing these things."
However, suddenly, as one grows up, the lines between them seem to become clear overnight.
In the instant the bar exploded, flames engulfed the sky, and he, covered in mud, even longed for a chance to grow up again.
He was admitted to the hospital and said, "Lu Liu, I will not hate you. I want to stand in front of you, even if I outlive you by a single day, I want you to see me live."
Lu Liu still had a gentle expression, like a jade-carved Bodhisattva, which was good.
He said, "No matter what others say, you must remember this: abandoning you was the best decision I ever made in my life."
The Yan hope I want is not that little kid who only knows how to whine, cry, and miss his mother.
He got up, walked out of the ward, leaving a sliver of light to spy on him. Without his deep and dark scheming, he actually took to the stage and put on a show, acting like the most disdainful child, and looking at the old man of the Lu family with fear and unease—Grandpa, is there any way to make sure I can never see Yan Xi again?
This move was extremely risky, as it cemented his status as an enemy and a source of hatred.
He thought that perhaps, when he really died, Lu Liu wouldn't shed a single tear.
He looked up at Aheng from his reverie and smiled softly—"Silly boy, there's rice on your lips."
In the evening, they watched TV together. Aheng sat on a small stool. It was a habit he had developed over the years. At first, he didn't want Yanxi to kick him off the sofa. Later, like a dog marking its territory, he always felt that the sofa was his and the stool was his, and that they each had their own.
I haven't watched Detective Conan in a long time, and Shinichi still hasn't changed. Fortunately, besides her earnest longing, Ran's life is mostly filled with trivialities and tomorrows. Aheng is quite relieved, even though the murder methods in the cases are still bizarre.
The disfigured "ghost" eldest son emerges from the shadows, and the case reaches a critical point. Yan Xi asks if you are scared. Aheng wants to say she is not scared, but he reaches out and pulls her onto his lap. Aheng freezes, but the man remains calm, his fingers tightly clasped around her waist, and says that he doesn't think this person is the murderer.
Ah Heng twisted and turned his head. Fortunately, he was just pretending to be calm, but his fair face turned bright red unintentionally.
Her heart softened, and she chuckled, "Yes, I also think it's not him."
Then, the two of them watched TV quietly. A summer night breeze blew, causing the weigela flowers, so vibrant red, to fall onto the windowsill.
She was in his arms, smelling the clean, faint scent of milk on him, and suddenly felt an inexplicable emotion.
At the end of the film, the murderer is the second son who seems the most like a good person. She turns her head and rests her forehead against his neck, which is warm, soft, and wet.
Yan hope was stunned. He stroked her hair with his long, slender hand. "What's wrong, baby?"
She remained silent, then raised her neck and gently whispered in his left ear, in a voice only they could hear.
Yan hope, I like you.
For the first time, she confessed her feelings to someone. Without his clever guess, she took the initiative to dispose of her armor.
I like you.
Wen Heng... likes... Yan hope.
It is because of her reserved nature that her affection can be interpreted as love that she will not give to others.
His eyes were blank, he smiled slightly, and asked softly, "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."
Her heart turned cold in an instant. She gently loosened his white T-shirt, turned her head, and chuckled softly.
It's getting late, get some rest.
Chapter 83
Chapter 83
During her summer vacation, Aheng only returned to the Wen family home three times. The first time was to visit relatives; her grandfather, mother, and brother were all very kind, and even Wen Sier was very nice. The second time, Siwan informed her that her cactus was about to wither and die, so she went home to save it. The third time, her mother was sick, and she gritted her teeth and said, "Come back and collect my body." She rushed back from the house next door; her mother had eaten too much the day before and was secretly chewing on digestive pills.
Ah Heng watched her finish taking her medicine, then made her a cup of milk and handed it to her. "Mom, I'm leaving now." As she walked to the entrance, she hesitated, then turned back with a helpless and reserved expression. "Mom, you could eat a little less meat next time."
Then, Mrs. Wen stared in disbelief as she left, unable to utter another word.
At a banquet, the ladies and young women of various families in the capital were gossiping and laughing. They said, "Hey Yunyi, do you know that Chief of Staff Zhang's son is obsessed with a little singer? He's never home and sent her a dress made of pearls. To our horror, he's asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Chief of Staff Zhang is furious."
Wen's mother smoothed her hair, smiling with an air of nobility and virtue, seemingly indifferent to the matter at hand. She wondered which minor celebrity Wen was; perhaps she was just too beautiful.
One of the ladies touched her chin; it seemed her surname was Yan, but she didn't have a given name. However, this surname was rare, as it was the same as our Commander Yan's, which is why I remembered it clearly.
Wen's mother's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and she gritted her teeth, thinking that she was probably a little vixen too.
Meanwhile, Yan hope sneezed. "Aheng, you put too much Sichuan peppercorn in your ribs."
Ah Heng peeked out from the kitchen and smiled faintly. "I watched an interview the other day and heard that rising star model Chen Wan makes excellent ribs."
Yan hope chuckled dryly. This pork rib, with Sichuan peppercorns, was spicy yet fragrant, tender yet flavorful—the seasoning was just right.
Feeling guilty, I lowered my head and obediently ate the ribs, my eyes watering from the spiciness. Good heavens, how much Sichuan peppercorn did they put in?
Ah Heng washed her hands, took off her apron, and returned to the dining table, only to find that the ribs had been eaten clean. She was stunned—how could they have eaten so fast?
Yan hope coughed until his face turned red. "Aheng, please don't add Sichuan peppercorns in the future. Although I can eat spicy food, I can't eat this much."
Ah Heng sighed, "Who told you to eat it all? There was still a non-spicy plate in the kitchen. I just..."
Yan hope smiled, her eyes crinkling like a child's. "Only lucky people can eat the ribs that Ah Heng makes."
Ah Heng kept repeating, "What's blocking my heart? You idiot, you idiot," but couldn't say anything else.
They were quite shocked to receive an invitation to their high school classmate's wedding, and they went to buy a gift together.
Ah Heng frowned, feeling that everything Ah Heng picked was careless and inappropriate. Yan hope suggested that they give red envelopes instead, and then they could buy whatever they wanted.
Ah Heng was both amused and exasperated. "Young master, this is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for everyone. You should at least take it seriously."
Yan hope stroked his chin and muttered, "Money is such a wonderful thing."
Ah Heng said, "We should give money, and we should also give a gift. The money is for the wedding banquet, but the gift is a token of our old classmate's goodwill."
Yan hope remained silent. The two strolled around for a long time and bought an antique-style screen. It was made of smooth, silky fabric and embroidered with beautiful mountains and rivers and a perfect couple. The female classmate who got married was a talented girl in high school and loved to recite ancient poems, so she must like it.
On the wedding day, Yanxi asked me what I should wear. Aheng stood on tiptoe to tie his tie and laughed, "Why are you so scared? It's not like I'm asking you to be the groom."
I can't even imagine being the groom.
Yan hope muttered to himself, putting on his blue suit jacket. Aheng gently looked up at him, squinting, "Oh dear, Yan hope, you seem to have gotten older again."
Yan hope pressed his forehead against hers, and then, did you still feel like a child?
Ah Heng chuckled, his thin lips pursed, his eyes full of pride. He was definitely younger than you.
Yan hope whispered in her ear, "Then you can't die before me."
You died, and every time I see your grave, I step on it.
Ah Heng = =, get lost, I haven't lived enough yet.
They walked hand in hand to the wedding, one in blue, one in white; one proud, one gentle—they looked so beautiful.
My old classmates laughed, "Two bachelors, haven't seen you for two years, and you're back to your old ways!"
Yan hope = =, actually... she's my girlfriend.
Ah Heng = =, actually... he's my boyfriend.
Everyone smiled and said, "Why are you being so dishonest, kid? So what if you don't have a partner? It's all the same, men and women are all the same. We've been brothers for so many years, and we've never laughed at you. Why are you so reserved?"
Aheng looked at Yanxi.
Yan hope said, "Well, we're really, really, more real than enoki mushrooms."
Everyone pretended not to hear, chatting and drinking tea, waiting for the proper bride and groom. In the Western-style wedding, the elderly foreign pastor dozed off in the sun.
Ah Heng was filled with grief and indignation. I consider myself a person of integrity, but it is clearly you who have a bad reputation and are not trustworthy at all.
Yan hope twitched. Why me?
Two people approached from not far away; they were Mary and Auntie.
Ah Heng laughed, "Finally caught you all! You haven't been seen at all during the whole holiday."
Da Yi hid behind Chen Juan, grabbing one of Chen Juan's arms. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and the big guy pretended to be weak, looking pitifully at Yan hope.
Ah Heng was puzzled. Had Da Yi offended Yan hope? When she turned around, Yan hope burst out laughing.
Look at your pathetic self, acting like a big boss.
Da Yi's voice was like the buzzing of a fly: "Brother Yanxi, I am guilty."
Cough! Ah Heng spat out a mouthful of tea.
Has it rained red? Da Yi actually called Yan Xi "brother," instead of calling her "beauty," he called her Yan Xi.