That was why Tuan Tuan had insisted on waiting for Lin Nuan despite being very tired! He had to comfort Lin Nuan well!
The little one didn"t know how to go about comforting someone, but he knew that, in the past, when they were in America and his papa"s friends would come over and visit him, they would stroke his little face then laugh happily. Hence, the little one pulled Lin Nuan"s hand downwards, making her bend over…
He then rubbed his chubby little face against Lin Nuan"s palms, which were made warm by Fu Huai"an"s touch.
Lin Nuan"s eyes turned even more watery. Having been mother and son with Tuan Tuan for so long, she knew that this was Tuan Tuan comforting her, which caused her heart to be overwhelmed with emotions in an instant…
Lin Nuan pulled the soft Tuan Tuan into her arms, sniffing the faint milky scent on his body, unable to restrain her tears.
The little one hugged Lin Nuan"s neck, trying his best to stand on his tiptoes so that Lin Nuan could lean against his chest. He supported Lin Nuan"s head like an adult. "Mama be good… Mama don"t cry! Tuan Tuan is here!"
That was what Lin Nuan usually said to comfort Tuan Tuan. Lin Nuan"s heart warmed up, her tears flowing down uncontrollably as she hugged Tuan Tuan tighter.
Liang Mulan, who had been watching from the side, couldn"t hold back her tears either, smiling as she raised a hand to rub away the tears.
Liang Mulan bent over and stroked Tuan Tuan"s head, but before she could say anything, she saw that Old Madam Lin and Old Master Lin had walked to the entryway. Liang Mulan straightened her back and addressed Old Madam Lin and Old Master Lin. "Mom, Dad…"
Lin Nuan looked up and saw Old Master Lin, who was wearing a white s.h.i.+rt and light-camel colored cashmere sweater and standing with both hands behind his back. She also saw Old Madam Lin, who had a light gray shawl wrapped around her.
She had just stood up with Tuan Tuan in her arms when Fu Huai"an carried Tuan Tuan into his arms.
"Grandma, Grandpa…"
Old Madam Lin looked like she always did. She had a head full of silver hair that didn"t have any trace of ever having been dyed before, the facial features of her slim face looked solemn, and she was standing with perfect posture, appearing elegant and intimidating!
Even though Old Madam Lin had wrinkles all over her face at her age, one could tell from her well-defined features that she must have been a beauty in her younger days.
Unexpectedly, Old Madam Lin, who had always given off an imposing and solemn aura, gently pulled Lin Nuan into her arms and caressed her back. "You still have another Mom, another home!"
Hearing this, Lin Nuan could no longer hold back her tears, nodding her head vigorously.
Old Madam Lin had taught Lin Nuan since she was young, so they had an extraordinary relations.h.i.+p.
Lin Ran, whom Old Madam Lin had been comparing against Lin Nuan, hadn"t expected that Old Madam Lin would hug her as well. This made Lin Ran feel both flattered and surprised. It was the first time she could sense Old Madam Lin"s warmth.
The meal went by very harmoniously. Old Madam Lin asked Fu Huai"an some questions, and she also nodded satisfactorily when she saw Fu Huai"an putting food into Lin Nuan"s bowl from time to time.
It was still snowing outside. Knowing that Lin Nuan was going to Morocco to shoot a film next week, Old Madam Lin couldn"t resist asking, "Will you be able to make it back before Chinese New Year?"
With Chinese New Year approaching, people were moving back home, whereas Lin Nuan was going overseas.
Lin Nuan nodded. "I"ll come back before that!"
Red lanterns were hung up in the Lin house"s yard. It gave off a very festive feeling that reminded one of Chinese New Year, especially at night, when the lanterns were lit up, with the redness contrasting the white snowy ground in the yard.
Originally, with Ji Yun not around, Old Madam Lin had planned to remove the red lanterns. But after hesitating about it, Liang Mulan discussed it with Old Madam Lin. It was indeed upsetting that Ji Yun pa.s.sed away right before the Chinese New Year!
But if they were to remove all decorations at home, it would feel like a cold place, making Lin Nuan and Lin Ran more upset. Hence, she suggested decorating the house to give it a more lively ambiance.
Liang Mulan understood her two daughters. She knew that Lin Nuan and Lin Ran weren"t as particular as Old Madam Lin. She didn"t wish to see her daughters get reminded of Ji Yun"s departure when they saw the cold ambiance of an undecorated house. That was why she hoped to decorate it to give it a more lively ambiance, wanting it to have the effect of lifting up the spirits of the two kids.
Old Madam Lin thought about it, then decided to do as Liang Mulan suggested.
Just as Liang Mulan had said, when Lin Nuan and Lin Ran saw the snowy ground that was illuminated a shade of red by the red lanterns, they sensed the festive feeling and were indeed in a better mood than when they were sending off Ji Yun at the cemetery.
Before they left, Tuan Tuan had already fallen asleep, slumped on Fu Huai"an"s shoulder. Old Madam Lin was afraid that the kid would catch a cold, so before they went out the door, she removed her shawl and covered the child with it, a doting look in her eyes. "Stay here tonight. The servants have been keeping your room clean and tidy! Since the child is asleep, don"t go through the trouble of traveling home…"
It was the first time that Lin Nuan had heard Old Madam Lin say something in a relenting manner.
Perhaps Lin Nuan was a person who was greedy for such warmth. Under Lin Ran"s sincere invitation for her to stay, she decided to stay for the night…
She gazed at Fu Huai"an. Although it was just a gaze, Fu Huai"an understood Lin Nuan"s intention. He nodded. "Then let"s stay for the night!"
"Auntie Six, bring another quilt to Nuan Nuan"s room!" The elated Liang Mulan instructed Auntie Six in a lowered voice, careful not to wake Tuan Tuan.
"Aye aye aye!" Auntie Six nodded her head hurriedly before getting to work immediately.
The Lin house had become lively because of Lin Nuan"s decision to stay.
Lin Nuan"s room was well-preserved. It was in the exact same state as when Lin Nuan left, with the furniture not having been moved at all.
Fu Huai"an placed Tuan Tuan on Lin Nuan"s soft and large bed, then straightened his body and sized up Lin Nuan"s "maiden room" from before she got married.
There were plenty of books on the bookshelves. Seeing that Tuan Tuan was soundly asleep, Fu Huai"an walked to the bookshelves…
Other than Lin Nuan"s supplementary texts from her high school days, there were also cla.s.sic novels, as well as test questions of various subjects.
On one wall, there was a bookshelf with two gla.s.s doors. Inside were Lin Nuan"s trophies and photos, which were taken when she received the awards. All sorts of certificates filled the bookshelf. It was obvious with one look that Lin Nuan used to be a good kid who was excellent in both studies and conduct.
Fu Huai"an accidentally saw a photo on Lin Nuan"s desk. It was a photo of Lin Nuan, Lin Chen, and Wen Moshen.
At that time, Lin Nuan was at the wonderful age of sixteen or seventeen. Standing between the two guys, she had a shy smile on her face, her facial features looking youthful and full of life.
Fu Huai"an half narrowed his eyes, setting down the photo frame on the desk. He then pulled out the drawer on Lin Nuan"s desk…
Inside were all sorts of little trinkets that Lin Nuan used to collect when she was young, and underneath that was a photo alb.u.m.
Fu Huai"an hesitated, not knowing if he would find photos of Lin Nuan with Wen Moshen or Lin Chen inside.
Although he was a mature man, Fu Huai"an would get jealous just like anyone else when it came to relations.h.i.+ps, suspicious that Lin Nuan had two men who were up to no good standing next to her as big brother figures in her more tender years.
Fu Huai"an himself knew that it didn"t make sense for him to be jealous of something like that.
Pulling out a chair, Fu Huai"an sat on Lin Nuan"s chair with his legs crossed. As he took out the photo alb.u.m, he turned on the table light, flipping open the photo alb.u.m under the cool lighting…