Lan Lan was completely unaware of this. Hearing Liang Yufeng speak like this, her feelings became even more complicated. In their past relationship, Liang Yufeng had been much more invested than she had been. When they broke up, he must have been truly hurt by her.
Lan Lan was never one to reflect on herself in emotional matters. Many men had been broken up with by her, and quite a few had resorted to manipulative tactics, but she truly felt no sympathy for men. If she didn't like them anymore, she didn't like them. Once she decided to break up, she wouldn't turn back.
Her life's motto was "never go back to the same old pasture." Yet, she had ultimately stumbled with Liang Yufeng. Although their relationship had been forced by Liang Yufeng, she had indeed gone back, and not only that, she now felt a sense of "guilt" towards this old pasture.
When they returned home, Liang Yufeng personally cooked dinner again: stewed beef with tomatoes.
Lan Lan came out after her shower, smelling the rich aroma. The scent of tomato and beef stew mingled with the fragrance of rice, making her mouth water and her appetite keen. "Are you ready? I'm so hungry."
"Almost," Liang Yufeng turned off the stove. "If you're hungry, have some fruit first. I'll stir-fry some eggs and vegetables."
Lan Lan went to the refrigerator and took out the durian and strawberries they had bought earlier. She washed the strawberries and brought them to the table, also placing the qingtuan into a dish.
Eating qingtuan during the Qingming Festival was a unique custom in the Runcheng area. Lan Lan had never eaten very authentic ones in Nanjiang. Tasting them today, they were indeed as delicious as the supermarket aunt had said.
Each qingtuan was not large, with only one bite per flavor in a box. After taking a bite, Lan Lan went to offer some to Liang Yufeng. "Try this, the red bean and shredded pork one is delicious."
Although Lan Lan had bitten into the qingtuan, Liang Yufeng didn't mind and ate the remaining half. Lan Lan then had a bean paste one, which she also shared with Liang Yufeng.
Normally, Liang Yufeng often ate her leftovers, and Lan Lan had long been accustomed to it, not finding anything wrong with the behavior.
After a satisfying dinner, exhausted from the day's activities, Lan Lan fell asleep before eleven. Liang Yufeng, after showering in the bathroom outside, returned to the bedroom and saw Lan Lan already fast asleep.
He moved quietly to the bedside and turned off the bedroom light, leaving only the bedside lamp on. Liang Yufeng sat down beside Lan Lan, looking at her face in the dim light. When she was asleep, she was most relaxed, free from her usual sense of urgency, possessing a calm serenity of time.
This was an image Liang Yufeng had fantasized about countless times. In college, he had imagined that after they got married, he could see her sleeping face countless times under the warm yellow light of the night.
After gazing for a long time, Liang Yufeng turned off the bedside lamp and lay down.
The next morning, they had to go to the cemetery for ancestral worship. Lan Lan had set an alarm, so she woke up without Liang Yufeng needing to call her. However, Liang Yufeng had woken up even earlier. When Lan Lan finished getting ready and went downstairs, Liang Yufeng had already prepared breakfast. Since they had to travel, Liang Yufeng made sandwiches and coffee for Lan Lan to eat on the way.
The items for ancestral worship were all prepared by Liang Yufeng, including fresh flowers and some traditional small pastries. After collecting the items, the two headed towards the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
There were many people paying respects, and the area near the cemetery was filled with cars. They circled around and finally found a parking spot.
After getting out of the car, Lan Lan held the flowers and followed behind Liang Yufeng to his grandmother and grandfather's tombstone.
The couple was buried together. There were photos in front of the tombstone, and the two elderly people looked very kind. Liang Yufeng squatted down and began to clear the weeds by the side with his bare hands.
In the new spring, everything was reviving, and many weeds had grown nearby. He was wearing a suit, and doing such a task seemed somewhat out of place.
Lan Lan instinctively moved to squat down and help him, but before she could, he stopped her. "Don't move around."
Lan Lan ignored him, rolled up her sleeves, and helped him pull weeds. Liang Yufeng's lips tightened into a straight line, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Lan Lan didn't notice Liang Yufeng's gaze and focused on pulling weeds. After they finished, Liang Yufeng took her to a nearby water pipe to wash their hands before they returned to pay their respects.
Liang Yufeng knelt down. Lan Lan did not kneel but bowed from the side. Liang Yufeng did not ask her to do anything, but Lan Lan helped to place the flowers to the side.
"You two talk for a bit, I'll step away?" Lan Lan asked.
"No need." Liang Yufeng didn't seem inclined to speak. Lan Lan knew his taciturn nature; he missed them dearly but wouldn't say anything.
Therefore, she began to "meddle." She squatted down and spoke to the tombstone, "Please rest assured, elders. Your grandson is very capable now, successful in his career, and no one dares to bully him anymore."
"He's also become more handsome than before, and very likable." Lan Lan "reported" Liang Yufeng's recent situation to the elders, covering all the questions that elders would most care about, but skipping the topic of "marriage." It wouldn't have mattered to mention Zhou Bing, but for some reason, she inexplicably resisted, unwilling to utter that name again.
Liang Yufeng naturally noticed that she hadn't mentioned marriage. As for the reason, he knew it well. Liang Yufeng gazed at the photo in front of the tombstone and silently said, "This is the person I've loved for many years. I've brought her to see you."
"My mother said she's more beautiful in person than in her photos. What do you think?"
"I don't know when I'll be able to marry her. Does making wishes to you help?"
Liang Yufeng spoke many words silently, his gaze never leaving the photo. Seeing his focused expression, Lan Lan knew he must be speaking to himself in his heart, which was consistent with his usual personality.
After paying their respects, the two were to leave for the nursing home to pick up Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan's birthday was to be celebrated with them. The nursing home said that Jiang Wan's condition had been stable recently and she could be taken out for a few days.
On the way to the nursing home, Lan Lan couldn't help but say to Liang Yufeng, "I think you should learn from me."
"Learn what?" Liang Yufeng asked curiously.
"Learn my mouth," Lan Lan said. "Say what you think in your heart directly. Don't bottle it up, don't think it's cheesy. Life sometimes needs cheesiness."
The topic came rather suddenly, and Liang Yufeng asked her, "Why are you suddenly saying this?"
Lan Lan answered a question with a non-sequitur, "You probably haven't expressed your feelings to Aunt Jiang much, have you?"
She hit the nail on the head, and Liang Yufeng had no way to refute her. Lan Lan said to him, "So for this birthday, I'll give you a task. Say a few words of 'I love you' to her, express yourself."
Liang Yufeng frowned upon hearing this.
As Lan Lan said, he was indeed not good at expressing his feelings, especially verbally. From childhood to adulthood, he had never expressed his love to Jiang Wan.
It was also difficult for him to say those three words himself.
But Lan Lan was different from him. From childhood, she often said "I love you."
Liang Yufeng recalled the two times he had dinner with her family; he had heard Lan Lan say "I love you" to her parents, so casually and passionately.