Black Lotus - Chap 74
“What’s with your expression? Don’t you want to see me? How can you show such a disappointed expression as soon as you see me.”
Zhou Yuanfeng was carrying his computer and a few file bags, he put them on the table aside, and looked at Gu Yansheng.
7
After a long time, an impatient tone could be heard: “No.”
“Do you think I’m blind? You can’t hide the disappointment in his eyes, who do you think I was?”
“I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
Zhou Yuanfeng saw the answer in his eyes, he turned his head to ask Xu Shu’s side, asking: “Uncle Xu, is Niannan at home?”
When Gu Yansheng heard him ask for Wen Niannan, with panicked eyes, he suddenly turned his head staring straight at Zhou Yuanfeng.
“Sir went out at noon, he hasn’t returned yet.”
Zhou Yuanfeng looked at Gu Yansheng’s eyes with some implying, that made the other person want to hit someone.
“Where is Auntie?”
“Waiting for you upstairs, in the study.”
“Good, then I’ll go up to hand her the documents.”
Gu Yansheng went to the door to look outside, he turned to the living room and saw Uncle Xu walking to the basement with something in his hands.
“What’s that?”
“The old lady asked me to prepare the soil on the flowerbed under the window sill to plant some flowers. The sir likes to grow small plants, so he’ll be very happy once he sees it.”
“Oh, go.”
When Gu Yansheng turned to go upstairs, Uncle Xu suddenly asked: “Master, would you like to come?”
“I don’t like the smell of soil, it’s too dirty.”
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When he saw the husband’s reluctance, he went to the flower bed with his tools.
Gu Yansheng stopped, turning his head, he looked at the flowerbed outside.
In the first year of marriage, Wen Niannan used to raise a lot of plants on the balcony. He would go to the balcony to water them every day. Once he was out from the balcony, he would have a small smile on his face.
At one point, when Gu Yansheng went to the balcony to smoke, he never saw a plant anymore.
1
That day the wind was a little strong, a gust of wind blew over, a pot fell hitting Gu Yansheng’s shoulder, the plants were just watered, and the sticky soil fell directly on his chest, his shirt and suit were covered with mud.
Gu Yansheng was stunned for a while, when he lowered his head, he saw that his body was full of dirty and smelly mud, his face instantly turned dark.
Wen Niannan just came down from the stairs, and the expression on his face froze after seeing the mud on his clothes.
Gu Yansheng forgot what he said at the time, but since that day there hadn’t been a pot of plants in the house anymore.
4
“What are you thinking?”
The voice of Zhou Yuanfeng came from upstairs. He looked over.
Zhou Yuan Feng walked down gently, but his eyes kept staring at him.
“I heard my mother said that neither Niannan or you want to go to the concert?”
“I’m too lazy to accompany him.”
“Why would Niannan refuse? Are you lazy to accompany him? It seems that you’re disgusted by Niannan.
Clenching his hands slightly and full of impatience, he said: “Does it have anything to do with you?”
Zhou Yuanfeng suddenly pulled out the two tickets, deliberately putting them in front of Gu Yansheng’s eyes and waving them.
“Are you sure you really don’t want it? This is what I’m trying to do for you. ”
“I said, I don’t want them.”
“This ticket has a VIP pass to meet the piano master backstage, I remember Niannan has liked this piano master since before, he must have wanted to go.”
Zhou Yuanfeng glanced at his hesitant friend, a glint flashed in his eyes, he deliberately said: “Since you don’t want them, then I will go and meet him.”
Immediately he turned around pretending to leave, out of a sudden, the ticket in his hand was snatched away.
1
Turning around, he stared at Gu Yansheng with questioning eyes.
Gu Yansheng looked at the ticket in his hand, a little surprised, not knowing what to do when he saw Zhou Yuanfeng leaving, he quickly grabbed them.
“Didn’t you say that you don’t want them?”
“Why not, it will be a waste to go for someone like you who doesn’t understand music.” He said turning around going quickly upstairs.
Wen Niannan was a little puzzled when he left the hospital. Dr. Li said that the night before someone went to the hospital to ask about him.
Who could it be… What do you want to know from me…
1
Wen Niannan raised his head looking at the shining sun, he pressed his still painful head, while walking to the car.
What nobody noticed was that from the corner behind him was someone staring at him.
As soon as he walked to the parking lot, Wen Niannan felt that someone was following him. After a pause, he fastly walked to the car, he opened the car hoping in.
Just about to close the car door, suddenly a hand stretched out puling the door, avoiding it to be closed. A little bit of panic flashed in Wen Niannan’s eyes, he was about to kick them, but the face of the owner of that hand showed.
“Don’t hit me, Niannan, it’s me.” A familiar voice came from outside the door.
“Tang Shuo?”
“It’s me, it’s me.” Tang Shuo then showed his face looking at him with a smile.
Wen Niannan saw that Tang Shuo was a little stunned, a realization hit him, his expression stiffened, lowering his head.
“You… how did you know that I would be here?”
Turns out Tang Shuo was the person who asked about him…
“I saw your name on the bag when you came back from the hospital, so I wanted to come and have a look. I didn’t expect to meet you, such a coincidence. Haha, don’t you come at noon every day?”
Clearly, it was the same joke tone as before, but Tang Shuo’s eyes weren’t showing any smile.
Looking at the face that couldn’t hide anything more, Wen Niannan knew that Tang Shuo knew everything.
“Do you already know…”
“Niannan.” Tang Shuo suddenly interrupted Wen Niannan’s words, staring straight at him.
“It’s all right… it’s all right, no need of an explanation.”
Listening to Tang Shuo’s soft comforting words, Wen Niannan opened his mouth but didn’t speak, lowered his head, and squeezed the steering wheel, holding the emotion in his eyes.
Suddenly his body trembled, Wen Niannan raised his head, looking to the right blankly. Tang Shuo suddenly hopped in taking the seat of the co-pilot.
“You are…”
“I came here without a car. Niannan, will you drive me back? Would you bear to let me go back such a long way?” Tang Shuo blinked his eyes with a suffering expression.
Wen Niannan looked at this expression, there was nothing he could do with him, he sighed lightly: “Okay.”
When Tang Shuo heard him agree, his eyes curled with instant laughter, revealing two small dimples, he fastened his seat belt as fast as he could for fear that Wen Niannan would regret it.
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On the way, Tang Shuo kept talking about the food incidents he had encountered in the school, his eyes were curved and his tears came out because of the laughter.
“Once I was waiting for you in the school library, but a long time passed, and you didn’t come. I fell asleep directly in the corner of the locker. When I woke up, I found myself locked inside. I’ve had been wanting to go to the toilet, haha don’t mention I was also hungry.”
“Wait for me?”
“At that time, I heard from your tablemate that you were going to the library to read books at noon every day, I wanted to see you a few more times.”
Wen Niannan felt uncomfortable when he heard those words, his lips tightened.
Tang Shuo saw that Wen Niannan stopped talking, he turned his head, asking in confusion: “Because of what?”
“Because…Gu Yansheng, because he would go to the library at noon.”
“Really? It turned out to be like that, then…that’s all right, haha.” There were disappointment and complaint in his voice.
Neither spoke again, and the car fell into silence.
When they arrived at Leqing Street, he drove the car to the side of the studio and turned off, looking towards Tang Shuo.
“We’re here.”
“Well, good.” Tang Shuo opened the door, getting out of the car, but he didn’t release the holding on the door handle.
“Niannan, can I ask you out next time to go to the library together?”
Wen Niannan, looking back at Tang Shuo, said: “Yes, you can.”
After hearing the answer, Tang Shuo revealed a dimple, he released the door handle. Wen Niannan watched him walk into the studio step by step, then he waved to him, sighing, he started the car to leave.
As soon as Wen Niannan parked the car and got off, he saw traces of loose soil on the flowerbed in front of the yard, and wet soil beside it falling outside the flowerbed.
“Uncle Xu, is this flower bed that Aunt Lan wants to grow vegetables?”
Uncle Xu came up with a shovel in his hand and laughed: “The old lady asked us to prepare the soil of the empty flower bed and plant some flowers.”
As soon as Wen Niannan heard that he was about to plant flowers, he walked over, glancing at the balcony upstairs, he hesitatingly said: “Does Yansheng know? Is he agree?”
“Just now, your husband was watching when we were preparing the soil, and your husband didn’t say anything, he also asked what kind of flowers to grow.”
Seeing that Gu Yansheng actually agreed, and didn’t say no, although he was a little surprised, he was delighted. He had always liked plants, but for some reasons, he could no longer raise them, but now he could finally see them.
“So…can I help? I want to do it with you.”
“Of course, sir. You use my tools now, I’ll get a few more.”
Wen Niannan skillfully put on his gloves and picked up a small shovel to loosen the soil on the flowerbed. Thinking of the flowerbed that had been bare for many years, but now, it would be full of beautiful flowers and green plants, and the corners of his mouth raised unconsciously.
Wen Niannan poured some water digging the mud around his feet, his hands and feet were stained with mud, but he didn’t feel dirty at all, his eyes were full of excitement.
5
He raised his hand to wipe some mud stains on his face, but because his arm was also stained with mud, there was a bigger mud stain on his face after trying to wipe it, but he didn’t notice.
Gu Yansheng saw that scene from the balcony upstairs. He raised his hand to light a cigarette, he took a puff, while tapping his fingers rhythmically against the fence, looking at him. He still couldn’t understand how that guy could be so happy just because he’s planting some flowers.
6
Uncle Xu took the tools, loosening the soil on the other end of the flower bed. He kept talking about the flowers that will be planting: “Sir, did you used to plant flowers at home?”
Wen Niannan was stunned, the smile at the corners of his mouth gradually faded, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, he was silent for a while before speaking.
“My mother liked flowers very much. She liked lilies. She grew a lot of lilies at home. My mother and my father often watered the flowers together, the flowers grew beautifully.”
His father didn’t know how to take care of flowers and plants, but he tried to learn for a long time for the happiness of his mother. Perhaps that was the purest love between two people…
