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"Why hasn't that kid An Shaojie come back this year?" Liu Jiawei, despite having changed a lot, couldn't shake off his straightforward Aries nature. He asked Qinglan directly, not holding back at all, still referring to An Shaojie as "that kid."
"Brother, can you stop calling him 'that kid'? You're a college student now!" Qinglan didn't answer but instead reproached Liu Jiawei.
As for the question Liu Jiawei raised, Qinglan had already lowered her head. She tried to use her aggressive reprimand of Liu Jiawei to force herself to look up and mask her own unease from being questioned countless times like this. But just when her gaze steadied, her own weakness defeated her again, and her eyes fell back on the large pot where Liu Xiuzhen was cooking. She watched the vegetables sizzling in the hot pot, mirroring the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind.
Liu Jiawei grabbed a damp cloth from the counter and threw it down hard. "That kid really doesn't have any sincerity; he must have dumped you."
With that, he turned and walked into the living room, sitting down on a chair in frustration.
The lively atmosphere in the kitchen instantly froze after Liu Jiawei's outburst.
"Weren't you against Lanlan being with him before? Isn't it better now? If you're not satisfied, why get angry?" Liu Xiuzhen shouted towards Liu Jiawei in the living room.
Qing Shusheng had been standing at the kitchen door smoking quietly but looked serious.
"Now that he dumped Lanlan, it's not like Lanlan liked him anyway," Liu Jiawei yelled from the living room. "What right does he have to dump our Lanlan? If it weren't for Father and Father helping his family back then, who even knew where he was!"
"Is it your place to say that? Your Father told us to take care of the villagers when he left!" Qing Shusheng finally raised his voice after a long silence.
"We should take care of the villagers, but not his family," Liu Jiawei retorted stubbornly.
"We help whoever is in need," Qing Shusheng replied, taking a puff of smoke.
Liu Jiawei had nothing more to say but still sat angrily on the chair, staring outside at the yard. Sunlight occasionally broke through the clouds, casting a faint orange glow in the yard, reminiscent of a spring day nearing dusk. Yet the biting cold wind served as a reminder that winter was still very much present.
Liu Jiawei, unable to suppress his frustration, went into the back room after a moment of sulking and began to chop some old wood with a loud clatter.
"What are you doing with that stuff at this time?" Liu Xiuzhen asked as she passed through the main room. "Dinner is almost ready," she added.
The only sliver of sunlight had retreated behind the clouds, and dusk began to slowly descend, enveloping the surroundings in darkness.
After dinner, having consumed a large bowl of fish soup, Qinglan found beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Qing Shusheng entered the backyard, preparing to set up firewood for a fire, with the brazier placed on the right side near the door of the main room.
Qinglan did not want to warm herself by the fire; she was already feeling hot!
As she stepped outside the yard, she heard Liu Jiawei's voice behind her, "See? Lanlan is definitely going to find out about that guy again. She's really lost her mind."
"Watch your words. You're also someone who studies and works outside now," Qing Shusheng admonished Liu Jiawei while adding charcoal to the brazier. "What do you mean by 'that guy'? Even if you don't like him, calling him by his name isn't going to hurt your pride."
"Lanlan, come back," Qing Shusheng called out as well.
"What?" Qinglan reluctantly turned around and asked, "Is it not okay for me to go for a walk? Can't I check if Sister Shaomin has returned?"
Qing Shusheng was momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, he said, "Well... it's very cold outside. You should wear a scarf and gloves when you go out."
Feeling a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding her father's intentions, Qinglan obediently went back inside to wrap herself in a scarf and put on her gloves.
In the dark of night, a small black figure was indeed heading towards Bai Cuifen's home.
Seeing Qinglan's sudden visit, Bai Cuifen was a bit flustered.
She and An Shaomin were sitting at the dining table eating, with bowls and chopsticks still in their hands.
"Lanlan, why are you back?" She put down her bowl and chopsticks, looking at Qinglan in surprise.
Qinglan took off her scarf and said, "School is on break, so of course I have to come back."
"What about An Shaojie? Is he not coming back? I thought..." Bai Cuifen's words trailed off.
Qinglan lowered her head in thought. It seemed that when An Shaojie decided not to come back, Bai Cuifen assumed that both he and Qinglan would not return.
"Is Brother Shaojie not coming back?" Qinglan asked as she sat down at the dining table.
"He called me a while ago and said he wouldn't be coming home for the New Year this time. He’s staying at school to attend some English training class or something," Shaw Min replied.
"Did he... not tell you?" Bai Cuifen cautiously asked Qinglan.
Qinglan shook her head and asked Shaw Min, "When did he tell you he wasn't coming back?"
An Shaomin thought for a moment. "It was a few weeks before the break, probably during the review phase after your classes ended. I remember asking him what he was doing, and he said he was reviewing for his final exams. I also asked about you, and he said you were reviewing too. I thought you two had decided together not to go home."
Qinglan lowered her head and recalled that it must have been shortly after their argument. This suggests that he had decided not to return home long ago, rather than making a last-minute decision before the holiday.
It seems that An Shaojie had been planning not to come home for a while. What else was he scheming?
Breaking up with her!
Reaching this point, it was clear that breaking up was the first step in his plan.
After leaving Bai Cuifen's house, Qinglan walked while thinking.
She had no idea what An Shaomin and Bai Cuifen had said to her afterward. She didn't hear a word; her mind was solely focused on recalling every detail of her time with An Shaojie. In the end, Qinglan could only arrive at a profoundly sorrowful conclusion: from beginning to end, An Shaojie had never truly liked her.
For a couple in love, Qinglan couldn't find any mistake that would suddenly lead An Shaojie to make this decision.
Even the argument that night could only be considered a moment of jealousy between lovers; it hardly warranted such a drastic decision.
Qinglan didn't remember how she walked home. The short distance of just a few dozen meters seemed to take her an eternity.
When she got home, Qing Shusheng and Liu Xiuzhen were still by the stove warming themselves.
Liu Xiuzhen asked where she had been. She remained silent, looking somewhat dazed, and walked straight to her room. Noticing something was off with her expression, Liu Xiuzhen followed her to the door and asked, "Lanlan, what's wrong?"
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