As planned, we had lunch at my home. At the table, Mom brought up the matter of Guangyu shares.
“Did your father ever mention the Guangyu shares to you afterward?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“That’s certainly Chairman Nie’s style.” Mom let out a derisive laugh. “In a few days, go tell your father that I’ll help you buy the Guangyu shares.”
“Huh?” I was surprised.
Lin Yusen’s gaze flickered.
“What’s there to be surprised about?” Mom picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, saying casually, “If I’m going to work there, I’ll make something of it. I don’t want people saying later that I took advantage of him.”
In that instant, Mom’s aura seemed completely different, returning to her decisive demeanor from before the divorce with Dad. When I was young, I was used to it and didn’t think much of it, even feeling somewhat distant at times. But now, seeing her like this again after several years, my heart filled with excitement.
I suddenly realized with perfect clarity that I was going to work with Mom, and this thrilled me more than working with Lin Yusen.
“How much will it cost?” I asked her.
Mom must have been in a good mood, as her expression turned somewhat playful: “That depends on how much he has the nerve to ask for.”
I immediately understood and suppressed a smile: “Got it, General Manager Jiang.”
Lin Yusen shook his head with a smile beside me and placed a spare rib in my bowl.
Mom noticed the spare rib in my bowl and glanced at Lin Yusen. After eating for a while longer, she asked casually: “Little Lin, Xiguang says you’re going back to medicine. That’s in Shanghai? Long-distance relationships aren’t easy.”
“Yes, it’s in Shanghai, but we won’t be long-distance,” Lin Yusen answered politely. “The neurosurgery research center where I’ll work is in Songjiang, only about an hour from Suzhou. We can easily live in Suzhou.”
Mom gently stirred the soup in front of her: “Commuting between Suzhou and Shanghai every day – won’t you find it tiring? Isn’t it too much of a sacrifice?”
Lin Yusen didn’t take the opportunity to play for sympathy, instead answering matter-of-factly: “During rush hour, getting from Songjiang to Lujiazui might take longer than getting to Suzhou. It’s not a sacrifice.”
Mom’s face showed appreciation and satisfaction, and she dropped the topic. However, when everyone got up from the table after eating, she suddenly said: “After dinner at your grandparents’ tonight, don’t rush back to Suzhou. Stay here for the night – traveling back and forth in one day is too tiring. The guest room is ready.”
The last sentence was directed at Lin Yusen.
Before I could react, Lin Yusen had already graciously accepted: “Thank you, Auntie.”
So, Lin Yusen had already won my mother’s favor so quickly?
Then it was understandable that my simple-hearted grandparents were beaming with joy after being charmed by him in less than half an hour…
At my grandparents’ house, after chatting with them for over an hour, I quickly dragged Lin Yusen out to explore the streets. If we’d stayed any longer, Grandpa would have spilled all my childhood embarrassing stories.
Jingqiao Village, where my grandparents lived, was quite large, with a main street, elementary school, and farmers’ market. When I was young, people from surrounding villages would come here on market days.
On the street, I first took Lin Yusen to buy from the pancake shop I’d bragged about.
We were lucky – a fresh batch of pancakes had just come out of the oven when we arrived. The owner recognized me and was delighted to see me back, insisting on giving us two free pancakes, so Lin Yusen and I each took one without spending a penny.
After waving goodbye to the owner, I couldn’t wait to take a bite after walking just a few steps, while reminding Lin Yusen: “You don’t need to worry about appearances here, just eat directly.”
Lin Yusen took a more refined bite, and I eagerly asked: “How is it?”
Lin Yusen said: “Can we get these to go? Should we order some to take back to Suzhou?”
I laughed heartily, “We can’t – they won’t taste as good reheated.”
We walked around the street eating our pancakes. There weren’t many people on the village street, making it seem a bit quiet since many young people had gone to work in the city now. However, we occasionally saw groups of elderly people sitting and chatting by their doors, adding a gentle, peaceful atmosphere to the afternoon village.
Passing by the elementary school, Lin Yusen asked me: “You went to elementary school in Wuxi, right?”
“Yes, not here. Mom took me back to Wuxi for elementary school, but Grandma was worried and came to the city to take care of me for several years.”
That’s why Mom has always been grateful to my grandparents. Even after divorcing Dad, she maintained contact with them. For this visit to the countryside with Lin Yusen, she had prepared many skincare products for me to bring.
We quickly finished exploring the short street, and Lin Yusen said thoughtfully: “So this is the small place where our Xiguang grew up.”
“I was small then too, and thought this place was huge.” I finished the remaining pancake and dusted off my hands. “Come on, I’ll show you Jingqiao Village’s bridge.”
The small Jingqiao Village actually had its own famous landmark – a well-preserved Ming Dynasty three-arch stone bridge still in use.
The stone bridge was on the other side of the village, simply called Jing Bridge. Unlike the obviously modern buildings on the street, the area around the stone bridge still retained its original appearance. Holding Lin Yusen’s hand, I walked along the ancient bluestone path, counting the steps as we ran up to the highest point of the stone bridge.
Catching my breath, I pointed to the distant, misty green mountains and the green willows and white walls along the riverbanks. “Look, isn’t the scenery beautiful here?”
Lin Yusen looked where I was pointing and was immediately captivated by the view. “This is the Jiangnan that Wu Guanzhong painted.”
I nodded: “The master might have visited here.”
We were quiet for a while after that, both immersed in the pleasant scenery. I leaned on the stone bridge railing, with Lin Yusen standing beside me. A gentle breeze brought the calls of water birds, and I softly hummed an unnamed cheerful tune. Lin Yusen listened for a while, then turned to look at me.
“You’re so happy being back here?”
“I was happy on the way here too.”
“Why are you so happy?”
“I don’t know!” I answered him willfully. “You look very happy too.”
“Me?” Lin Yusen’s handsome eyebrows raised slightly. “I’m not happy, I’m pleased with myself.”
“Pleased?” I was curious. “Pleased about what?”
“Pleased that I found the right person, arranged my life properly, and will soon have everything I want again. So I’m pleased with life, full of spirit.” He answered quickly.
I gazed at him, feeling a surge of warmth about to burst forth in my heart, but instead burst out laughing. “When others are pleased with life they drink wine, but our CEO Lin eats pancakes.”
Lin Yusen looked even more pleased: “Well, mine is more nutritious.”
Found the right person…
I remembered Grandma praising Lin Yusen in her halting Mandarin – I knew my granddaughter would bring her boyfriend home, but I didn’t know she’d bring such a handsome and bright one.
Not just handsome and bright…
So I found the right person too, what’s so impressive about that?
My heart was brimming with happiness, and driven by some emotion, I asked the question that had been buried in my heart recently: “Lin Yusen, why do you never ask about my university days? Don’t you want to know?”
“Of course, I want to know.” He looked at me, his voice as gentle as the breeze on the bridge. “But I thought that when you suddenly asked me if I wanted to know, that would be the best time.”
I stared at him unblinkingly, thinking this person before me was incredibly handsome and wise: “Then let me think where to begin.”
And so, that afternoon, in this place where I grew up, I slowly told him about the things that happened in university.