Chapter 138: Chapter 135: A Smile Too Warm

Lin Lan nodded. “Yes. She got sick as a child, and it probably damaged her vocal cords. She hasn’t been able to speak since then.”

The woman looked at Lin Yuezhen sympathetically and said, “You should take her to the provincial hospital if you get the chance. If it hasn’t been too long, there might be a cure.”

After hearing this, Lin Yuezhen shook her head and gestured, ’It’s been twenty or thirty years since I lost my voice. I’ve given up hope.’

When she first lost her voice, her parents took her to the city hospital, but the doctors all said her throat was ruined and couldn’t be fixed. Her parents didn’t give up. They asked around for folk remedies and even hired masters to perform exorcisms. They tried everything, not only spending all the family’s money but also ending up deep in debt.

Even if a trip to the provincial capital could cure her, it would cost a fortune. She was already an expense for Little Lan here; she couldn’t be another burden on the mother and son.

After Lin Lan explained this to the woman, she also shook her head and said that too much time had passed, and the chances were slim.

Lin Yuezhen had long known this would be the outcome, so she wasn’t disappointed. Instead, she gestured to comfort Lin Lan, telling her not to worry about it.

Lin Lan thought about writing a letter to Old Chen when she got back to ask him to look into it. ’Is there still any hope of a cure for Lin Yuezhen’s condition?’

As everyone bustled about, a cold wind began to rise. The air grew damp, and the sky above the forest turned gloomy.

Lin Lan glanced at the sky and said to Lin Yuezhen, “Sis, it’s going to rain. You should hurry back, grab an umbrella, and go get Little Douzi. I’ll watch the stall for a little longer, then pack up and head home.”

Lin Yuezhen nodded and left, carrying an empty basket.

About half an hour later, Lin Lan noticed the dark clouds above the forest were growing thicker, and a few scattered raindrops began to fall.

Lin Lan said to Yang Liying, “Third Sister, let’s pack up. It’s starting to rain.”

Yang Liying looked up at the sky. “But I still have half a bucket of tofu pudding and about ten blocks of tofu left to sell!”

“Pack it up! Looks like it’s going to pour,” Zhao Dehai said as he started to pack his things.

Lin Lan quickly put the unsold orchid beans and pastries into her pannier, covered it with an oilcloth, and tucked the property deed from her pocket inside as well. Then she pushed her bicycle over and hung the pannier on the rear rack.

Turning to see that Zhao Dehai and Yang Liying had already packed up, she called out, “Third Sister, I’m leaving now!”

Yang Liying reminded her, “The road is slippery, be careful.”

“Got it!” Lin Lan pushed her bike and ran towards the edge of the Eucalyptus Forest.

Before she even made it out of the Eucalyptus Forest, the sky opened up. Icy raindrops pelted her body, sending a chill straight to her bones. A curtain of rain and mist blotted out the sky, blurring her vision and obscuring the path ahead.

Thinking that Lin Yuezhen had only left a short while ago, she worried that her sister hadn’t reached Little Douzi yet, and that Little Douzi would get sick from the rain. Lin Lan’s heart burned with anxiety. She got on her bike and wobbled forward against the wind and rain, hurrying back home.

Just as she reached the three-way intersection, a black car blared its horn repeatedly, forcing her to a stop.

Lin Lan was about to yell at the driver when she saw Li Xiangyang open the car door and walk towards her through the downpour.

Seeing his warm smile, Lin Lan froze. Her nose tingled. “What are you doing here?”

“Give me the bike. You get in the car, Mr. Wang will take you home.” Li Xiangyang stepped forward, parked the bicycle, and put an arm around the stunned Lin Lan. He led her to the car, helped her inside, and said to Mr. Wang, “Sorry to trouble you.”

Wang Chuan smiled, nodded, and started the car.

Lin Lan turned and looked through the rear window at the man riding steadily forward on her bike, and a tear suddenly streamed down her face.

Wang Chuan glanced at the tearful Lin Lan in the rearview mirror and chuckled. “Miss, you’re a lucky woman. Once you marry Xiangyang, you’ll have a good life ahead of you.”

They had just come from looking at a house on Limin Street and were eating at a restaurant when they heard an employee shout about the rain and bringing things inside. Xiangyang couldn’t sit still after that. He threw down some money and dragged him along to pick her up.

Lin Lan’s mind was in turmoil. ’How could it ever work between us?’ She was afraid of wagging tongues and rumors as sharp as knives. More than that, she had given up on love and felt her current life was good enough.

She had originally planned to wait until Little Douzi was grown. By then, it would be the 21st century.

By then, she would be alone. If she got sick, she’d take medicine. If it was hot, she’d use an umbrella. If it was cold, she’d put on more clothes. She would eat whatever she wanted, travel whenever she felt like it, and when she was bored, she’d binge-watch dramas and read web novels.

She could block and delete people she didn’t like. She wouldn’t have to deal with nosy relatives, and she’d never have to go through it again—that feeling of being the only one in the world kept in the dark, while everyone else knew he had cheated. She would never again suffer that heart-wrenching pain of betrayal…

But here in the wind and rain, his arrival was too sudden, his smile too warm. He had thrown her heart into chaos.

“Miss, are we at your place yet?”

Wang Chuan glanced back and saw Lin Lan sitting there with her head down. ’That’s strange,’ he thought. ’Judging by her reaction, are she and Xiangyang not a couple yet?’

Lin Lan snapped back to reality. Peeking through the misty rain, she saw they were almost there and quickly said, “Mr. Wang, could you please stop just up ahead?”

“Alright!” Wang Chuan pulled over.

Lin Lan said politely, “Mr. Wang, why don’t you come in for a bit?”

“No, thank you. I have to go home and get some things in order. Xiangyang and I are going to the housing authority tomorrow to file the paperwork.” Wang Chuan hesitated for a moment, then added, “Miss, take some advice from an old-timer. Xiangyang is a really good man. Don’t let him get away.”

“Thank you! Drive safe!”

After thanking him, Lin Lan opened the car door and ran toward her front gate. Seeing it was ajar, she felt a wave of relief. She looked back down the road she’d come from but saw only the thick, misty rain, with no one in sight.

She pushed open the courtyard gate. Wangcai stood on the steps, wagging his tail nonstop. Two big geese and a flock of chickens were huddled together at the entrance of the woodshed, shivering.

Lin Yuezhen ran out holding a long-sleeved shirt. When she saw Lin Lan was back, she smiled and went back inside to help Little Douzi get dressed.

Lin Lan entered the room and saw Little Douzi putting on long johns. She smiled and patted his head. “Good, Mommy was worried you’d get caught in the rain and catch a cold.”

“Mr. Wang and Teacher Zheng walked us to the bridge with an umbrella, and then Auntie came. My shoes got wet.”

“That’s okay!” Lin Lan picked up an umbrella. “I’ll make some ginger tea in a bit. We can soak our feet to warm up.”

Lin Yuezhen nodded. Seeing that Lin Lan was leaving without even changing her clothes, she quickly finished putting Little Douzi’s coat on and hurried out after her.

Lin Lan reached the courtyard gate with the umbrella just as Li Xiangyang rode up on the bike. She didn’t know how to face him and felt a sudden urge to run away.

When Li Xiangyang saw her standing at the gate with an umbrella, waiting for him, a smile quickly spread across his face. He grinned, revealing a full set of white teeth. “It’s cold out here. You should go back inside.”

Lin Lan shook her head, took a deep breath, and held out the umbrella. “You’re soaked. Hurry over to grand-uncle and grand-aunt’s place and find some of Ding Bang’s clothes to change into.”

Seeing how uneasy she looked made Li Xiangyang’s heart ache a little. He wiped the rain from his face. “I’ll help you put your things away first, then I’ll go.”

Lin Lan had no choice but to follow him inside.

Little Douzi came running out, his shoes shuffling on his feet. Seeing Li Xiangyang, he said happily, “Uncle Xiangyang, you brought Mommy’s things back for her!”

Li Xiangyang looked at the happy boy and smiled, nodding. “I did! Did you get rained on?”

“No, my teachers walked us to the bridge, and then Auntie came,” Little Douzi said, beaming at him. “You’re all wet.”

“This uncle isn’t afraid of a little rain.” Li Xiangyang lifted the bike onto the porch steps, and Lin Lan hurried forward to take the pannier off.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep