Chapter 207

Chapter 207: It’s Great to Have You All Here

After Mei Youyuan and the three little ones had breakfast together, they casually strolled through the streets. As the Lantern Festival approached, not only were workers returning home, but some college students were also beginning their journeys back. Therefore, compared to a few days ago, the streets were noticeably quieter.

Mei Fang accompanied Xia Yuan and Lin You Xi to buy some small trinkets at San Fu精品 store and then prepared to go home and do homework.

On the way back, Mei Fang asked the two of them, “School starts on the seventeenth. When are you planning to head over?”

“We’re going together, right?”

Mei Fang explained, “I’m leaving tomorrow. I have to stay in Baizhou for a day first, and then my dad will drop me off early in the morning.”

“Then… You Xi, why don’t you and Aunt Liang—your mom and I go together? My dad can drive us to Jiangcheng.”

Lin You Xi smiled and shook her head, “There’s no rush. My mom isn’t so early yet.”

“You mean you’ll be going to Jiangcheng later?”

That means… Fang and I could stay at home alone, right?

“That’s not it,” Lin You Xi said, shaking her head again. “My mom still has things to take care of at home, so I need to go first and use your car.”

“Like this…”

“You sound disappointed, Yuan Yuan.”

Xia Yuan was immediately caught, “N-no, there’s nothing like that. You Xi, you’re too sensitive.”

“Look, your ears are red.”

Lin You Xi smiled, “After all these years, you still don’t know how to lie.”

“Mmm…”

Xia Yuan grumbled silently. Next to him, Mei Fang patted Xia Yuan’s head, “Let’s hurry back and finish our homework. Didn’t you say you haven’t done much?”

“Not really… What about you?”

“I haven’t started either,” Mei Fang smiled. “But I can just copy yours.”

“Do it yourself! Such a lazy bone.”

Lin You Xi watched Xia Yuan and Mei Fang banter and then suddenly interjected, “By the way, Fang, before you leave, would you like to come with me to visit the gravesite this afternoon? It’s been a long time since you last saw my mom, and Yuan Yuan hasn’t had the chance to go either.”

“I’ve never been there,” Xia Yuan nodded. “But is it appropriate to visit during the first month? I remember elders saying it might diminish the festive atmosphere… Of course, if you guys don’t mind, I’ll go too.”

“I don’t really care about that. Fang probably doesn’t either.”

“Of course not.”

Mei Fang smiled faintly, “It’s good to go once.”

“It’s about You Xi’s mom…”

Xia Yuan sighed deeply, “Indeed, we should pay our respects.”

The three of them did their homework at Xia Yuan’s house, had lunch at Mei Fang’s place, and then took a bus to the Paradise Cemetery after eating.

As Xia Yuan had mentioned, there weren’t many people visiting the gravesites in the first month, only a few passersby here and there.

They bought incense, yellow paper, paper flowers, and some offerings of fruit. Following Lin You Xi’s lead, they walked forward.

Xia Yuan ran up beside Mei Fang and asked him,

“Fang, have you ever visited the gravesite with You Xi before?”

Mei Fang nodded, “A couple of times.”

“I didn’t know…”

“It’s quite coincidental. Explaining it would be a bit—”

Just as Mei Fang was speaking, Lin You Xi ahead suddenly spoke loudly.

“The first time was when I was in fourth grade. I went with Fang to visit his grandmother in the hospital. Seeing an injured person from a car accident reminded me of what happened to my mom at that time.”

Lin You Xi turned around, walking backwards with her hands behind her back, smiling at Xia Yuan.

“At that time, I was very scared, but Fang didn’t come over. When he finally did, I kept hitting him and we had a big argument in the hospital.”

Mei Fang laughed and shook his head, “You remember so clearly.”

“What happened next?” Xia Yuan was anxious to know.

“Well…” Lin You Xi said gently, “Fang was almost ready to leave because of me, but he came back to comfort me, saying he’d go anywhere with me. So I cried and told him I wanted to see Mom.”

Xia Yuan’s eyes softened when he heard this, “So Fang took you to see her then…”

“Yes, it was his first time visiting my mom.”

Lin You Xi stopped at a fallen small lion statue, “Mom is here.”

Lin You Xi led Xia Yuan and Mei Fang to her mother’s grave.

Her late mother’s smile on the tombstone remained bright and cheerful, though the tombstone and photo looked somewhat old.

However, the fresh yellow paper and paper flowers placed on the tombstone showed that Lin You Xi had visited with her father during the New Year’s Eve.

“You Xi, you look a lot like your mom! Especially your eyes, but your aura is completely different…”

“But if I had to say, You Xi’s aura in elementary school was quite similar to her mom’s.”

Mei Fang lit the incense sticks and placed them in front of the tombstone, preparing to kneel down and pray. Lin You Xi stopped him, “Just bow a little. Don’t be so formal every time we come.”

Lin You Xi clapped her hands together and knelt in front of her mother’s grave, making a prayer gesture:

“Mom, I brought Fang and Yuan Yuan to see you.”

“You Fang, you’ve met before, so I won’t introduce you. This is Yuan Yuan…”

As Lin You Xi was speaking, Xia Yuan knelt beside her. She imitated Lin You Xi, clasping her hands together with a smile.

“Hello Auntie, I’m Xia Yuan… I’m sorry for coming so late to visit you. I’m You Xi’s childhood friend, we grew up together, we’re best friends…”

Xia Yuan paused, then smiled, “And the closest family.”

“You Yuan, you don’t need to say that.”

“Oh! You don’t need to say it? Why?”

Xia Yuan, who had just gotten into the sentimental mood, felt awkward now.

“I’ve always talked about you in front of my mom, she knows everything about you.”

Xia Yuan stuck out her tongue playfully, “So am I even more inappropriate for coming to see you now?”

“No, it’s fine… My mom wouldn’t mind. Yes, you can tell from her aura.”

Lin You Xi actually didn’t understand her own mother very well.

In her father Lin Guochuan’s memory, she was always a cheerful and warm-hearted wife.

Mei Fang waited until the two finished kneeling, then thought for a moment and knelt down to bow as well.

Both Mei Fang and Xia Yuan roughly understood Lin You Xi’s intention in specially coming to pay respects to her mother.

【Mom】was a part of Lin You Xi’s childhood memories that she had never truly touched.

Although Xiao Xia could provide her with some maternal care, and Liang Meijuan could make up for the lack of maternal love during her adolescence, Xia Yuan and Mei Fang both knew—

the missing maternal love in childhood could never be fully compensated, even with a lifetime.

Lin You Xi had cried herself to sleep countless times thinking of her mother, and the longing for her mother had become one of her most important spiritual supports.

This was the softest and most sacred part of her heart.

After Mei Fang finished bowing, Lin You Xi softly said,

“In fact… I used to hate very much when Meijuan Mom entered my family because I feared she would replace the mother I missed day and night. Just like what I said to Fang before, I was afraid that my mother would be forgotten by Dad, by me, by everyone, and enter true death.”

“But over these years, Meijuan Mom has not only treated me well, she treats me like her own daughter. Besides, she respects my mother very much.”

“Before, I always had reservations about her, thinking she was pretending to be nice… But I no longer think that way.”

Lin You Xi’s words were not only meant for Xia Yuan and Mei Fang, but also for her mother.

“I gradually realized that no one can replace anyone; it’s just an excuse for not loving someone.”

“Now I still visit Mom every year, six or seven times. The only difference is… now I have two mothers.”

“One, watching over me in heaven; one, accompanying me on earth.”

Xia Yuan, an extremely emotional person, couldn’t hold back her emotions upon hearing Lin You Xi’s words and tightly hugged her.

“You Xi, you said it beautifully.”

Xia Yuan choked up, “These words… You should also tell Aunt Liang. She would be very happy.”

“No… Maybe not?”

Lin You Xi patted Xia Yuan’s back, “That would be too embarrassing…”

“These are words that can only be said in front of you, keep it a secret.”

“Okay, okay…”

Lin You Xi’s willingness to move forward actively made Mei Fang feel that she was shining brightly.

Lin You Xi may not have been born great, and in her previous life, her growth was often accompanied by hardships.

She endured her mother’s passing, and the loss of a close friend. Mei Fang had no intersection with her life trajectory.

Even when all the light in her life dimmed, she still had to face studies, life, and the pressure from her uncle on the family.

But these hardships did not bring her down; they only made her stronger.

Whether or not Xia Yuan was by her side.

Whether or not Mei Fang extended a helping hand.

Ha…

Just as Mei Fang was thinking this, Lin You Xi hugged Xia Yuan and called Mei Fang over.

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to hug you both together,” Lin You Xi said gently, “Can I, Fang?”

“Sure, okay…”

Mei Fang slowly squatted down and moved closer. Lin You Xi opened her arms and tightly hugged Mei Fang. At first, Mei Fang was a bit uncomfortable, but seeing this, Xia Yuan moved her arm to hug Mei Fang, inadvertently smearing tears on his face.

The three of them hugged each other for a very long time.

“It’s great to have you all here.”

Lin You Xi’s voice carried infinite tenderness specifically for Mei Fang and Xia Yuan.

Another patron gave me a donation, sobbing… So tonight is 2+1.

End of Chapter