His family had a south-facing pavilion, which served as the study for young boys. Throughout his life, except for marrying and caring for his parents, he rarely left it. His grandmother was delighted that this young man had entered officialdom, his official position shining brightly; his loving mother would often knock on the door at night, asking if he was cold or hungry, her concern unwavering; the pavilion was a beautiful sight throughout the year, with green willows providing shade and the moon casting slanting shadows. Later, he came of age, married, and his young wife often traced his handwriting, laughing and asking, "Husband, my little sister asked me, 'What is this pavilion?'"
What is a pavilion? The young man was speechless...
What is a pavilion? He was born and raised here, wasting half his life, confined within this pavilion, standing in this mountain, how could he know... how could he know what a pavilion is...
"There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, which my wife planted in the year she died. Now it stands tall and spreading like a canopy." Ah Heng read aloud, closing her eyes slightly. The words in the book seemed to have been etched into her mind, each word carefully considered.
So the loquat tree withered and turned green again, then withered and turned green again. His young wife, who had planted the tree with her own hands, was long buried deep in the yellow earth. In the afterlife, he still did not know the answer.
When I opened my eyes again, Si'er, with a bright smile, was standing beside me, just three steps away.
"Aheng, what are you daydreaming about?" she asked with a smile, tilting her head. But her voice sounded cold and sarcastic in the night wind.
Ah Heng looked up, stood up, and spoke gently, “Er’er, it’s chilly at night. You’re weak, so don’t stand in the wind.”
He turned around, walked to the window, and closed it.
Outside the window, the moon shines through the branches, casting dappled shadows that move slowly and silently across the windowpane.
Si'er turned away indifferently, her tone mocking—"You know what I'm like, no need to pretend to be so polite. Today, I'm only giving you a piece of advice because your surname is Wen: stop daydreaming."
Ah Heng lowered her brows – “Thank you.”
Calm as still water, with a gentle and polite demeanor.
Si'er closed the door and sneered, "I really don't know what you and Siwan are up to. The two of you are like two peas in a pod."
Yes, I don't know for whom. And I don't know why this "who" has two faces, one in public and one in private.
Ah Heng smiled faintly as she watched the girl leave.
She was woken up by a phone call in the middle of the night. Fortunately, at that time she didn't care about anything but studying. If she had watched The Ghost, that would have been terrible.
"Who is it?" he asked, half-asleep, his voice heavy with nasal congestion.
"Siwan? You, transfer the call to Aheng's room!" came the domineering voice.
Ah Heng stared at the microphone for a long time before hesitatingly speaking, "Yan hope, it's me, Wen Heng."
"Huh, did I hear wrong? It's you!" Yan hope said quickly.
Ah Heng was a little confused—"Huh?"
"Hey, Ah Heng, I have a question for you. Answer honestly, and don't lie, okay?"
oh.
Aheng nodded.
"My grandfather and Aunt Li are going to America. Would you like to move in with us?" The boy's voice sounded somewhat awkward and uncomfortable.
Everyone's gone, so should we ask her to be the gatekeeper?
Where you live doesn't matter...
"Okay." She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she answered, but she misunderstood the boy's meaning.
"Old man, old man, did you hear that? You don't need to worry. After you leave, I'll still have food to eat. Hehe, Ah Heng's cooking skills are amazing!" The other person was overjoyed.
*Click*, the phone hung up.
Ah Heng felt like he was sleepwalking, and in the darkness, he closed his eyes and groped his way back to bed.
I woke up in the morning and muttered to myself, “I had a strange dream yesterday. Yanxi actually asked me to be his doorman and I actually agreed.” I blushed, coughed twice, and lowered my head to drink my rice porridge.
Looking up, Siwan looked to be in good spirits, her complexion rosy and healthy. Her dimples had been on her face since she woke up, and she looked refreshed.
Unlike usual, the boy deliberately avoided her gaze, instead looking at her with a beaming smile, his expression utterly benevolent.
Ah Heng shivered slightly, looked away, and sipped her fragrant white rice porridge.
"Aheng, when are you packing your things? I'll help you." Siwan's tone was gentle and kind.
My hand trembled, and the porridge stuck in my neck, scalding me and bringing tears to my eyes.
Could it be that I'm going to be returned and kicked out?
"Why?" Aheng stammered.
"What do you mean 'why'? Didn't you agree to move into Yanxi's house yesterday? Didn't Grandpa Yan compromise too?" Siwan smiled at her, her smile brighter than the morning sun.
Old Wen pondered for a moment, then spoke up, “Aheng, your Grandpa Yan told me about this. Yan hope really doesn’t want to leave, but there’s no one to cook at home. We’re worried that the child will be picky if we hire a nanny. Luckily, he’s used to your cooking, so you can go and Yan Shuai won’t worry. I see that you two have a good relationship, and our two families are like siblings. So why don’t we just leave it at that? If he doesn’t like it, he can come back.”
Stunned. Was yesterday not a dream?
But why did Grandpa's attitude change so quickly? Yesterday, his tone was as if he couldn't wait for Yan hope to leave, but today, how did he change so suddenly?
This time, it was Wen's mother who frowned and said, "No, Aheng is a girl, it's inconvenient for her to be with Axi!"
Old Wen silently watched Aheng for a while before speaking, "Yunyi, this matter was told to me personally by your Uncle Yan."
“Dad, I know, but Anguo told me before he left that he doesn’t agree…” Wen’s mother said anxiously.
Old Master Wen interrupted his wife, his expression turning serious—"A few years ago, if it weren't for Yan Shuai's strong recommendation, our whole family would have been caught up in that scandal. Without Yan Shuai, the Wen family wouldn't be where we are today!"
“But…” Wen’s mother glanced at Si’er, then hesitated.
"Besides, back then, when I was trapped in the encirclement, it was Commander Yan who disregarded military orders and led his men to rescue me! Which of these two incidents isn't enough for the Wen family to repay for a lifetime?" Old Master Wen's voice was quite calm and resolute.
"Grandpa, I'll go." Ah Heng remained silent. Was such a small matter really worth escalating to the point of national ruin and personal loss?
Of course, as it turned out, she was just being naive...
On the day that Lieutenant Li left the country, she left him and his belongings at the Yan family home.
"Yanxi, we're entrusting our Ahheng to you now. Please go easy on her..." Siwan said, carrying her luggage bag, but hesitated to finish her sentence.
Yan hope took the luggage and kicked it hard—"The luggage is here, the person is here, you can get out!"
Then, with a bang, the door slammed shut.
"Tch! You think I'm a sadist?" Yan hope glared at Aheng with his big, ferocious eyes, gritted his teeth, and turned to smile brightly.
Ah Heng shook her face and took a step back—"Yan hope, just keep a normal expression."
Yan hope pouted – “Young Master, am I really that unpopular? When I was little, I was the cutest baby in the whole hospital…”
Ah Heng was speechless. When I was a child, everyone praised a mimosa plant.
"Let's go, let's take a look at your room." Yan hope put his hands in his pockets, revealing his small red gums—"I've been preparing for quite some time, and had some furniture bought."
It was still a room some distance from the corridor, two guest rooms away from Yan Xi's. However, because the Yan family and the Wen family were located in different places, the room Yan hope chose for Aheng was always sunny.
"Aheng, you like sunshine." He pushed open the door, his fair and beautiful fingers releasing golden light that filled the room, his tone full of certainty.
Ah Heng was stunned. She thought everyone believed she liked darkness.
Because, at the Wen family's house, she chose the room with the most abundant tree shadows.
Of course, she thought she was being perfectly discreet, but someone inadvertently remembered her fear of the darkness in the wine cellar.
“You like cool colors like black and white, and dislike warm colors like pink and red, which is exactly the opposite of me.” Yan hope narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled as if listing her favorite things.
Black bookshelves, white wardrobes, milk-colored walls, furniture exuding a faint woody scent—a gentle yet sophisticated color scheme.
Ah Heng looked up and stared at a series of eye-catching graffiti on the white wall.
Yan hope followed her gaze, coughed lightly, and muttered softly, "Sorry, it's just a personal quirk. I couldn't resist. Please bear with it."
The bunny-eared figure, with its casual style matching his room, had thin arms, thin legs, and big eyes that took up half its face—it looked remarkably like…
Ah Heng smiled, stared at Yan hope, and wrinkled her nose—"Beautiful."
Yan hope chuckled and patted Aheng's head—"Silly child, all you ever say is 'it looks good'."
After pondering for a long time, Ah Heng solemnly said, "Thank you."
Yan hope covered her lips with the back of her hand, her big eyes blinking as she chuckled, her voice childlike as she said, "I thought you'd be angry that I took you from Wen Jiaqiang."
"You're Yan hope, who dares to challenge you?"
Ah Heng answered sweetly.
"That's really unfair. Can't you just not tell the truth..."
Yan hope raised an eyebrow and gently blocked the sunlight from the window with his arm.
After a while, the boy smiled and teased, "I'm thinking about this."
Sigh, since you are Aheng, how could you lie?
Chapter 30
Chapter 30
The night before his departure, Elder Yan chatted with Ah Heng for a long time. When they came out, both of them looked a little strange.
The next day, when Yan hope and the Wen family saw him off at the airport, Lieutenant Li pulled Yan hope aside and talked for a long time, his eyes reddening, as if he was afraid that his precious grandson would not take good care of himself. On the other hand, the grandfather in formal attire did not seem to care about his beloved grandson. He just looked at Aheng and hesitated to speak.
Ah Heng's lips twitched as she stepped forward and whispered softly, "Grandpa Yan, don't worry."
The old man's eyes lit up instantly, and he smiled broadly. He waved and boarded the plane with Lieutenant Li and left.
"Aheng, what did you do behind my back and the old man's back?" Yan hope felt a chill run down her spine.
Ah Heng remained silent for a long time, then lowered her head—"It's a secret, I can't tell you."
These words piqued the boy's interest even more, and he kept asking him questions all the way, but Ah Heng just pretended to be asleep and acted as if he hadn't heard.
Siwan smiled at Yan hope and patted the boy's shoulder—"Don't waste your energy."
The people in the car watched him with great interest, but Yan hope immediately lost interest in asking any more questions and turned his gaze to the window.
Suddenly, he became excited and shook Ah Heng vigorously.
"Aheng, the entrance to National Highway GH, you saw it when you came to Beijing, right? It was just built, the sign is very nice, and the paint is very well matched."
Ah Heng gazed out the window at the rapidly passing green trees. Ahead, at the fork in the road, was a clear national highway sign. The only route from Wushui to Beijing.
She couldn't say whether it was pretty or not; it just felt unfamiliar.
"I don't remember," Ah Heng shook her head.
The memories swirling in her mind are easily washed away because she wants to live a clean and simple life. Extreme joy and sorrow are most likely to hurt people.