After Qin Hongwen finished a bowl of dumplings, he actually asked for another one, completely ignoring the displeased gaze from across the table.
“Xiao Tian, what about you? Do you want more?”
Tang Xiuxia took the bowl handed over by Qin Hongwen, stood up, and asked her son.
Qin Tian shook his head and said meaningfully, “No need. I’m not like someone else who shamelessly freeloads without any self-awareness.”
Qin Hongwen’s old face flushed. He glanced at the advertisement program on the television, pretending not to hear.
He also knew very well that to mend his family and compensate for his shortcomings over the years, he had to be a bit thick-skinned.
Tang Xiuxia gave her son a blaming look and walked out of the room.
Qin Tian quickly finished the remaining two dumplings and took a big gulp of soup from his bowl. He put down the bowl, grabbed two tissues to wipe his mouth, and then looked at Xia Nuannuan beside him, saying, “I’m full, Nuannuan. Let’s go, I’ll take you back.”
“Ah?”
Xia Nuannuan was taken aback.
“We’ve said all that needs to be said. Let’s go. I hope when I come back, I won’t see people I don’t want to see anymore,” Qin Tian said as he stood up.
Xia Nuannuan could only stand up as well and politely bid farewell to Qin Hongwen.
“Uncle, I’m going back now.”
“Oh, oh, okay, take care!”
Qin Hongwen nodded with a gentle smile. He had a very good impression of this future daughter-in-law, even though it was his first time meeting her.
“We’re leaving!”
Qin Tian directly grabbed Xia Nuannuan’s wrist and led her out of the room.
“Auntie, I’m going back now.”
Xia Nuannuan shouted towards the back room.
“Ah? Going back so early?”
“Mm!”
“Mom, I’m taking her back first!”
“Alright, then drive safely.”
“Got it!”
…
…
On the way to send Xia Nuannuan back, the atmosphere in the car was a bit too quiet. Qin Tian seemed lost in thought. Xia Nuannuan, in the passenger seat, would steal glances at Qin Tian from time to time, hesitating to speak multiple times.
“Nuannuan, if you have something to say, just say it!”
Qin Tian had actually noticed her actions. Seeing her look at him again, he broke the silence.
Xia Nuannuan was stunned for a moment, then gathered her courage and said, “I just wanted to ask, brother, what are your thoughts?”
“What thoughts?”
Qin Tian asked knowingly.
“Okay, brother, you know I’m definitely on your side.”
Xia Nuannuan prefaced her statement. Qin Tian nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
“But I also hope that you and Aunt Tang can be happy. You must have noticed that Aunt Tang still loves Uncle Qin,” Xia Nuannuan said cautiously, changing the subject.
Qin Tian remained silent, unable to refute her. How could he not know? In fact, he had known for a long time. If she hadn’t still cared about this man, there would have been many good men who pursued his mother over the years, but his mother had never been moved. Moreover, although his mother had never mentioned anything about this man in front of him over the years, her occasional unconscious actions revealed her longing for him. For example, he would sometimes see his mother spacing out on the sofa, as if recalling something beautiful, and a radiant smile of happiness would appear on her face. Or once, when his mother was too tired from work, Qin Tian returned home from school to find her asleep on the sofa. She had murmured something vaguely in her sleep and shed tears. Qin Tian was young then and thought his mother had dreamt of something bad, so he woke her up. It was only when he grew older that he understood his mother might have been dreaming of that man.
“Actually, after hearing what happened just now, I think while Uncle Qin was also at fault for what happened back then, you can’t blame him entirely. He had a difficult time too.”
Seeing that he remained silent, Xia Nuannuan continued to share her thoughts.
“How can his difficulties be greater than my mother’s? My mother was bullied by those two women. She left the capital while pregnant with me and was pointed at and gossiped about in the countryside. If my mother hadn’t been so strong, and had been weaker-willed, who knows what would have happened? Perhaps I wouldn’t even be in this world.”
Qin Tian said indignantly.
“You can’t say it like that.”
Xia Nuannuan looked troubled. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Let me put it this way, try to put yourself in his shoes. If Aunt Tang were also a stubborn mother who absolutely didn’t approve of me, and was also ill and couldn’t get too angry, wouldn’t it be difficult for you caught in the middle?”
“I…”
Qin Tian was momentarily speechless and frowned. “That’s not the same thing. There’s no ‘if’.”
“See, you’ve actually understood Uncle Qin’s predicament at that time.”
Xia Nuannuan spread her hands.
“Then, as a grown man, if he couldn’t handle his family and his own feelings, knowing that his stubborn mother likely wouldn’t approve of my mom, why did he start it in the first place?”
Qin Tian still harbored resentment.
“I think Uncle Qin was carrying too much at the time. In his world, perhaps only love was free, something he wanted to choose for himself.”
Xia Nuannuan paused here, her expression filled with sadness. “It’s just that Uncle Qin didn’t expect that the first time he insisted on his freedom, the difficulty and the cost would be so great.”
Qin Tian fell silent.
By the time the car drove into the residential area and parked, Xia Nuannuan had nothing more to say.
“I’ll walk you up!”
Qin Tian turned off the car.
“No need, I can go up by myself.”
Xia Nuannuan politely declined, unbuckled her seatbelt, and leaned over to wrap her arms around him, saying in a gentle voice near his ear, “Brother, you’re not someone who is controlled by resentment. Look forward. I just hope you can be happy!”
“With you by my side, I’m already happy enough,” Qin Tian whispered.
“That’s not enough. Parental love, happiness from family, I hope you can have that too.”
Xia Nuannuan kissed his cheek.
“Alright, I won’t say anymore. I’m leaving.”
“Mm!”
Qin Tian nodded blankly. Xia Nuannuan opened the car door, got out, and closed the door. She stood outside and waved goodbye to him. Qin Tian also smiled and waved back. Xia Nuannuan walked towards her apartment building. After walking a short distance, she suddenly turned back. She raised her arms above her head, then slowly bent them, placing the tips of her fingers on her head with her backs of hands together. With a sweet smile, she made a large heart shape towards him. Seeing this, Qin Tian in the car couldn’t help but smile happily and honked the horn twice.
“Beep! Beep!”
Xia Nuannuan knew this was him urging her to go back. She blew him a kiss across the distance, then turned and ran into the building.
“Where did this girl learn all this? She’s like a little angel, so cute!”
Qin Tian shook his head, unable to contain his amusement. He started the car, turned it around, and drove home in a cheerful mood.