After noon, the heat still lingered relentlessly. Fine dust danced chaotically in the beams of sunlight, drifting with the breeze. At the station, Lin Aiyun and Zhang Wenyue stood under the shade of a tree, anxiously watching the entrance, scanning carefully for the people they were there to meet.
“Why aren’t they here yet? It’s past the time already.” Zhang Wenyue wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, growing impatient.
Lin Aiyun tried to reassure her: “The bus must be running late. Let’s wait a little longer.”
There was nothing else to do but wait. Fortunately, before long, two familiar figures appeared at the entrance.
“Sis!” Before Lin Aiyun could say a word, Zhang Wenyue shot out like a bolt of lightning and threw herself into the arms of the newcomer. The bags in the other woman’s hands nearly tumbled to the ground.
“Yue’er.” Zhang Wenyue blinked in surprise, then hugged her sister back tightly. The two sisters hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and the reunion stirred up waves of longing, their eyes reddening slightly.
“Sis!” Another voice rang out.
Lin Wenkang rushed toward Lin Aiyun with two bulging bags, nearly knocking her over. Fortunately, she was quick on her feet and dodged just in time—otherwise they’d both have ended up on the ground.
“Kangzi, what’s with all the rushing?” Zhang Wenhua scolded at the sight.
“Hehe, I was just excited.” Lin Wenkang wrinkled his nose sheepishly and let out an embarrassed chuckle.
Lin Aiyun patted his shoulder and looked him over: “You’ve gotten a bit darker.”
“Of course I have! Dad’s been dragging me out to the fields every day to weed and plant rice. No wonder I’m dark.” Once he started talking about that, he couldn’t stop, his mouth running a mile a minute.
The two siblings chatted away, and finally Lin Aiyun said gently: “Hard work. Why didn’t Dad come this time?”
“Someone has to stay and mind the house—I told him not to come.” Zhang Wenhua answered first, looking at her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen in months. Her eyes lit up.
She thought Aiyun looked even prettier than before—and that new dress suited her perfectly. She looked like a city girl through and through.
The beige dress made her skin look like snow, with delicate flower-shaped buttons at the chest. Her black hair was pinned up, revealing her small, oval face. Her eyes were bright as water, her brows curved with a smile, her thick, lovely eyes creasing into crescent moons. Dimples dotted her cheeks, making her red lips and white teeth stand out even more. The vitality radiating from her was infectious.
“Mother.” Lin Aiyun stepped forward and took Zhang Wenhua’s hand, her voice soft.
“You’ve been doing well—finally put on some weight.” Zhang Wenhua teased, giving her a once-over, then turned to Zhang Wenyue. “Thank you so much, Yue’er.”
“Don’t mention it—we’re family. Let’s walk and talk. I’ve got some mung bean soup cooling at home—perfect for beating the heat.” Zhang Wenyue’s lips curved up as she ushered everyone along.
“Sis, the shoes you bought me are so comfortable—hehe.” Lin Wenkang showed off by sticking out one leg, revealing a pair of black leather shoes. Simple and understated, but in the village, where some kids still wore straw sandals, his shoes had drawn quite a crowd.
Watching him show off, Zhang Wenhua laughed: “He polishes them morning and night like they’re a family heirloom.”
Everyone burst out laughing. Lin Wenkang’s face reddened, but thanks to his dark skin, no one could tell—otherwise, he’d have been teased mercilessly.
Chatting and laughing, they arrived at the Ding household. First, they each had a bowl of mung bean soup to cool down, then sat down to catch up. Zhang Wenhua had brought several bundles of homegrown vegetables, a chicken and a duck she’d raised, and two fish Lin Wenkang had caught from the river.
“Last time Aiyun came, she brought so much, and now you’ve brought even more—you’re going to make my stomach burst.” Zhang Wenyue sighed dramatically, shooting her sister a playful glance.
Zhang Wenhua knew her sister was chiding her for being too formal, but…
“It’s just a small gesture.”
“I know.” Zhang Wenyue understood perfectly—it wasn’t about being formal with her, but with the Ding family.
“Aiyun, tell us about your new job. Your letters were so vague—you really are my daughter, becoming a teacher and all.” Zhang Wenhua changed the subject at just the right moment. Unfortunately, that subject hit right at the heart of the matter.
Lin Aiyun sat to Zhang Wenhua’s left, with Zhang Wenyue on her right. The two exchanged a glance—their carefully rehearsed plan had been thrown off by the sudden question. For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Zhang Wenhua immediately sensed something was off. Her brows furrowed: “What’s wrong?”
Even Lin Wenkang, who’d been obliviously downing his second bowl of mung bean soup, felt the shift in the air. He quickly set down his bowl: “Did someone bully my sister?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m doing fine there.” Lin Aiyun waved her hands in denial.
Hearing that, both mother and son let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Are you busy? Is it tiring? Being a teacher isn’t easy—if your student doesn’t listen, it can be a real headache.” Zhang Wenhua held Lin Aiyun’s hand with concern.
“Not too busy. My student listens well.” Lin Aiyun couldn’t help thinking of Xiao Cheng. Though he’d been sharp-tongued at first, lately he’d been as well-behaved as a big dog.
But how was she going to tell her mother about him…
Just thinking about it made her temples throb.
“That’s good, that’s good.” Zhang Wenhua nodded, then after a moment’s thought, asked: “Is this job something you can keep doing long-term?”
Lin Aiyun curled her fingers and tested the waters: “I think so.”
Zhang Wenhua looked surprised: “Surely the boss doesn’t need a calligraphy teacher for life?”
Just as Lin Aiyun was at a loss for how to respond, Zhang Wenyue stepped in: “Sis, actually, there’s something we haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
“What is it?” Zhang Wenhua instinctively tensed up. Seeing Zhang Wenyue’s serious expression, she knew this wasn’t going to be simple.
“That thing with the Xu family’s son fell through, right?”
Zhang Wenhua nodded. At the mention of it, she couldn’t help feeling it was a pity—such a good family. But her daughter hadn’t been interested, or they’d probably be discussing wedding dates and dowries by now.
“But she found someone new. And this one worked out—from what I can tell, his family’s even better off than the Xu family’s.” Zhang Wenyue cleared her throat, careful not to reveal that Lin Aiyun had found him on her own. She planned to let them meet first before slowly coming clean. If she blurted it out now, Zhang Wenhua would definitely lose it.
Imagine: you find out your innocent daughter has been whisked away by some rascal without any elder’s approval, with no idea what kind of man he really is. Getting angry would be the least of it—you might even force them to break up.
“What!”
“What!”
Two startled cries went up in unison. Lin Wenkang spilled some of his mung bean soup, dripping onto his hand.
Just over a week ago, in their last letter, there’d been no hint of this. Had it all happened in the past few days? That fast? Or had they been hiding it on purpose?
Zhang Wenhua’s expression shifted several times before she managed to keep it calm. Her eyes—so like Lin Aiyun’s—fixed on her daughter, as if seeking confirmation.
Lin Aiyun dug her nails into her palm, looked away guiltily, and nodded.
“How long have you been together?”
“Not long—less than a month.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Zhang Wenhua felt the world spin. But then she latched onto another key point from Zhang Wenyue’s words: “Even better off than the Xu family?”
“I was going to tell you this week, but since you came here, I thought it’d be better to tell you in person.” Lin Aiyun hurriedly explained, but Zhang Wenhua wasn’t interested in that now. Seeing her daughter avoiding the question, she turned to Zhang Wenyue: “Yue’er, tell me—I’m dying of curiosity!”
“He’s tall, handsome, and wealthy—a businessman. Lives in a villa, drives a car.” Zhang Wenyue nodded, highlighting the details she thought were pluses.
Zhang Wenhua trusted her sister’s judgment. Hearing such high praise, her eyes lit up. She asked again: “How old is he? Not too old, I hope.”
“Only two years older than Aiyun. But…” Zhang Wenyue hesitated, unsure how to break the most important news.
“But what? Tell me!” Zhang Wenhua was practically jumping with impatience. Lin Wenkang, too, leaned in, eager to catch every detail about his future brother-in-law.
“His hometown is far from here. If they marry, he’ll take his wife back there to live.”
“Oh, is that all? Distance is no issue—as long as you can get there by car.” Zhang Wenhua was still fixated on tall, handsome, villa, car. Her first reaction was just like Zhang Wenyue’s: how comfortable life would be for Aiyun once she married.
Even if it was far, as long as her daughter was happy.
Besides, even marrying close by wouldn’t mean visiting every day. As long as they came back for the holidays, the parents would be content.
Then Lin Aiyun added quietly: “He’s from the capital.”
A train ride alone would take over ten hours, let alone a car.
“The capital? Is that in our province? Where is it…” Zhang Wenhua’s voice trailed off as realization dawned. She shot to her feet, eyes wide, and rejected it without a second thought: “No. Absolutely not.”
“Mother, calm down.” Lin Aiyun had known this would happen and stood up to match her.
“The capital—isn’t that where the old emperor used to live?” Lin Wenkang frowned too.
“Yue’er, Aiyun may be young and foolish, but you’re not. How could you help them? This won’t do—she needs to cut ties now before her reputation is ruined. Our daughter cannot marry that far away.” Zhang Wenhua laid down the law, her expression brooking no argument.
Lin Aiyun grabbed her mother’s hand pitifully, shooting a desperate look at Zhang Wenyue.
“Mother, please don’t decide yet. At least meet him first before you make up your mind, alright?”
“What’s there to meet? In times like these, so far away—if he takes you there, it’ll be hard for us to see each other again. Aiyun, if you go to the capital, do you really want to leave your parents and your brother behind?”
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