Chapter 27: Returning to the Maiden Home (2)

It is strange to say, but every time Bai Shuruo returned home in the past, she knew it was her own home and would subconsciously want to return to her room. Yet this time, returning with Han Yangting, her mindset had changed; this home had become both familiar and strange, truly giving her the feeling of a "maiden home."

Just as people on the internet say, after marriage, returning to one's maiden home makes one an outsider.

Then came the meal. Bai Shuhua actually took the initiative to go to the kitchen to help, and no matter how Lin Wanfen tried to persuade him to leave, he insisted on helping. Lin Wanfen then guessed that he must be afraid of his brother-in-law and wanted to make a good impression in front of him.

In that case, had her son actually improved after a trip to Han Yangting's house?

……

After the meal, Bai Shuruo could see that Han Yangting was already very exhausted.

Having been through the wringer for two days, it was impossible for Han Yangting not to be tired.

She was just about to ask Han Yangting if he wanted to go back now, but Lin Wanfen called out to her in the dining room: "Ruoruo, come over here for a moment. Aunt Fen wants to discuss something with you."

As soon as Bai Shuruo walked over, Lin Wanfen took her hand and sighed: "Ruoruo, seeing that you have married such a good husband, Aunt Fen is sincerely happy for you. If your father in the netherworld could see Mr. Han, he would certainly be happy too."

Bai Shuruo smiled. She could not tell Lin Wanfen that Han Yangting was gay, and that they had not shared a bed to this day.

These things, she would not tell her sister either.

"Aunt Fen, is there something else you want to tell me?" Bai Shuruo asked.

Having lived together for a long time, she could always discern Lin Wanfen's inner thoughts from the expression and tone of voice when Lin Wanfen spoke.

Lin Wanfen then said: "Then I will be direct. Now that you and your sister have moved out, the rooms upstairs are empty. I was thinking of renting out a few of them. You know that I am raising Shuhua alone, the business at my shop is not good, and Shuhua's schooling costs money..."

Bai Shuruo understood.

Her father's dying wish was for the two sisters not to fight Lin Wanfen for the house. Since she had already moved out, this house was now for Lin Wanfen to decide; if Lin Wanfen wanted to rent it out, she could, and if she wanted to sell it, she could.

But this was, after all, the home where Bai Shuruo and Bai Shunan had lived since childhood, so she said: "I will call my sister to discuss it."

……

Bai Shunan's phone was answered easily, and her tone sounded very cheerful: "Ruoruo, do you miss your sister?"

Bai Shuruo lowered her voice and said: "Sister, Aunt Fen said she wants to rent out our rooms."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then Bai Shunan said readily: "That's fine. I'm not going back to live there anyway, and you are married now, so she can dispose of it however she likes."

Bai Shunan was always so straightforward and generous, and she asked Bai Shuruo: "Ruoruo, are you reluctant to part with your little room? Sister tells you, girls must leave home when they grow up. Now that you have a new home, don't pine for the old one. Live your life well with your Mr. Han, you know?"

Bai Shuruo glanced at the old house; she was indeed a little reluctant.

"Aunt Fen, I still have some things upstairs. I'll go tidy them up," Bai Shuruo said.

After saying this, she glanced at Han Yangting on the sofa and found that he had already fallen asleep.

She might as well let him sleep a little longer.

……

Bai Shuruo went upstairs and returned to the room she had lived in since she was a child.

She had left in a hurry last time, bringing only some necessities and daily items. Returning again, she found the room full of memories.

On the wall were photos of her with her father and sister. She was still young then, and her father was still healthy. They had gone to Dali together and eaten barbecue on the balcony of a hotel at Erhai.

In her memory, her father was very good to the sisters; when he was happy, he would carry her on his back and take her to eat french fries and ice cream.

There was also a photo of her and her mother. Her mother had passed away from illness when she was two years old, so her impression of her mother was very vague.

Of course, there were also photos of her, her father, Aunt Fen, her sister, and Shuhua celebrating Christmas together.

Aunt Fen used to be a subordinate at her father's company, young, beautiful, and generous. She had thought she had latched onto a powerful backer, but she never expected that within a few years of entering the family, her father would go bankrupt and suffer a stroke.

Perhaps it was during those days, having to raise a child while caring for her father, that she slowly changed from a young, beautiful woman into someone worldly and mercenary.

Her sister had said that women should not make things difficult for other women; if Aunt Fen wanted the house, then give it to her.

As Bai Shuruo looked, her eyes grew moist.

Not until she felt a sound behind her did she hurriedly turn around, seeing Han Yangting standing behind her, not knowing when he had arrived.

She hurriedly said in embarrassment: "Mr. Han, I... I'm sorry."

Han Yangting walked straight up to her and reached out to pull her into his arms.

Bai Shuruo stiffened.

At that moment, she was completely stunned.

Was he hugging her because he couldn't bear to see a girl shed tears?

But his embrace was so warm. Elementary school essays often wrote that "a mother's embrace is a warm harbor." She no longer remembered what a mother's embrace felt like, but Han Yangting's embrace was exactly that warm harbor.

After a long while, he released her and looked at her with a pair of burning eyes.

She retreated a few steps in a panic, her waist hitting the table behind her, and something on it fell off, making a "bang" sound.

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up.

It was a ceramic pen holder with various ballpoint pen doodles on it. Strangely, Bai Shuruo had no impression of this pen holder; she didn't know if she had used it in middle school or high school.

She put the pen holder back on the table and then nervously said to Han Yangting: "Brother Han, I came up to tidy up some things. I will go back with you in a moment."

"I'll help you." He leaned closer to her again, his breath spraying onto her face.

"No need, I'll be very quick." She was afraid of being embarrassed again.

Han Yangting did not insist; he sat on the edge of the bed and watched her tidy up.

Bai Shuruo took a large woven bag out of the closet and threw the things she wanted to take away into the bag all at once.

The photos on the wall, the student yearbooks from her school days, her diaries, and so on.

Under the bed was a box of trinkets—music boxes, lucky stars, wind chimes—all likely left over from her "chuunibyou" teenage years. She didn't remember when these things were from, so she pushed them back under the bed.

In the end, she had only packed half a woven bag of things in total.

When she went downstairs with Han Yangting, she said to Lin Wanfen: "Aunt Fen, I have finished taking my things. You can help me clear out the rest when you have time."

Han Yangting paused.

Lin Wanfen and Bai Shuhua came out to see them off.

Before getting into the car, Bai Shuhua suddenly came up to Han Yangting and said: "Brother-in-law, I have something I want to tell you."

Han Yangting raised an eyebrow: "There's no need for words of gratitude; I am your brother-in-law, so it is only right that I treat you well."

Bai Shuhua leaned in close to him and whispered: "Brother-in-law, you and my second sister are actually sleeping in separate rooms. Are you not capable? You need to work harder, oh."

Han Yangting: "..."

Bai Shuhua immediately ran back into the room.

She had finally avenged the abuse she had suffered over the past two days.