“You mean… Aunt Lin got married and is living with Uncle Sheng?”
On the bus, Xiao Shitou sat next to Lin Heyu, his eyes wide open in astonishment.
Lin Heyu nodded and, seeing Xiao Shitou so shocked, asked, “You don’t seem too pleased?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shitou quickly shook his head, “No, it’s not that I’m displeased. I just thought… you wouldn’t agree.”
“Why wouldn’t I agree?”
Xiao Shitou started to list the times Lin Heyu had shown his disdain for Sheng Guoning. He had seen with his own eyes how Lin Heyu was genuinely unwilling to accept him as a brother-in-law, so how did they end up married in the blink of an eye?
Lin Heyu sighed. At first, he indeed didn’t want to agree and hoped his sister would marry someone with a safer job. But wasn’t it Yi Shi who came to him later, explaining what had happened over the past twenty years, that made him change his mind?
In the end, Xiao Shitou, the matchmaker, did a great job. He tested Sheng Guoning since they were young and, when they grew older, persuaded Lin Heyu. It’s fair to say that he played an indispensable role in their successful marriage.
Changlong Huayuan was Sheng Guoning’s marital home. After marrying Lin Zhizhi, the two lived there for twenty years and raised two children to adulthood. The country progressed, and people’s living standards improved. Having enough food and clothing had become the most basic need. The variety of goods, homes, and services continually evolved. The once popular comfortable three-bedroom apartments had been overtaken by new designs, with four-bedroom and even five-bedroom homes for generations now being the norm, leaving people dazzled.
Sheng Guoning had thought about moving, but Lin Zhizhi was nostalgic and didn’t want to leave. Sheng, as usual, gave in to his wife and planned to live out his retirement in Changlong Huayuan. Even when he looked at new properties, it was only to prepare for when their two sons would start their own families.
Lin Heyu learned about this address from Yi Shi. As he walked through the neighborhood, he observed it closely. Back in the day, Changlong Huayuan was considered an upper-middle-class community. The property management company was responsible and kept everything well-organized. Despite the absence of pedestrian-vehicle separation, there were no issues with vehicles being parked haphazardly, and the residential buildings had recently undergone a renovation. The 20-year-old complex looked as good as new and wasn’t at all inferior to the newly developed ones around it.
“This place looks great. There’s even such a large square and park in the neighborhood,” Xiao Shitou marveled, “I’ve only ever seen this kind of community on flyers picked up by the roadside.”
“Do you want to live here?”
Xiao Shitou glanced at Lin Heyu and cautiously replied, “If you live here, then I want to. If not, then forget it.”
Lin Heyu smiled but said nothing, patting Xiao Shitou on his black hair. Whether or not he was there, Xiao Shitou would still live here with Lin Zhizhi and the others—that wasn’t going to change.
As night fell, lights began to glow throughout the neighborhood. Sheng Guoning’s home was a corner unit, and the soft light from the living room stretched out onto the balcony floor, indicating that someone was home. Xiao Shitou, holding onto Lin Heyu’s hand, looked up at the window and asked, “Is Aunt Lin home right now?”
“Do you want to see her?”
Xiao Shitou nodded vigorously, “Yeah, I want to see what she looks like now! Didn’t you also say she has kids? Are the babies cute?”
Lin Heyu couldn’t help but laugh. There were no babies—both kids were already grown. It was his fault for not clearly explaining that this was twenty years later, worried it might scare the little rascal.
He placed a baseball cap he’d bought from a street vendor onto Xiao Shitou’s head. “Even though you really want to see Aunt Lin, I’m afraid it’s not possible yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because it would scare her. Think about it—she’s already married with children, and you’re still this size. What do you think she would feel if she saw you?”
Xiao Shitou tapped his chin with his index finger. He couldn’t very well say he came from another world, could he? Aunt Lin was so sentimental; she’d definitely cry out of fright.
Thinking of this, Xiao Shitou lowered his head, “…Alright, then I won’t see her.”
“Just make sure she doesn’t recognize you.” Lin Heyu pointed at the window. “In a moment, when you knock on the door, if Aunt Lin opens it, say you got the wrong door. Don’t let her see your face. If Uncle Sheng opens the door, knock three times on the wall. Got it?”
At this time, Sheng Yu’an was still at school, Yi Shi usually didn’t come home, and Sheng Guoning, who had climbed to a leadership position in the provincial office, had an unpredictable schedule. Thus, Lin Heyu wasn’t sure who was home at this moment.
Xiao Shitou made an “OK” gesture, tidied his clothes, pulled the cap down lower, adjusted his mask, and walked into the building with Lin Heyu.
Lin Heyu hid around the stairwell corner, listening as the doorbell rang about three times. Then, the security door opened from the inside, and Xiao Shitou knocked three times on the wall.
“Uncle Sheng! How did you get so old?”
The person who opened the door was Sheng Guoning, wearing reading glasses and clearly not yet processing what was happening. “Young man, who are you…?”
“It’s me,” Xiao Shitou pulled down his mask. “Do you still recognize me?”
Sheng Guoning pushed up his reading glasses and stared at him for quite a while, a storm of emotions surging in his eyes.
Then, something even more surprising happened—a man appeared from the corner of the hallway. His figure was incredibly familiar, and he walked toward Sheng Guoning step by step.
When the man got close enough, Sheng Guoning was no longer just surprised. He stumbled back a step, thinking he was hallucinating. He quickly took off his reading glasses, wiped the lenses repeatedly, and put them back on. Lin Heyu’s sharply defined face was clearly imprinted on his retina, and Sheng Guoning’s fingers trembled slightly. “You—it’s you?!”
Lin Heyu smiled, “Yes, it’s me. Is Zhizhi home?”
Sheng Guoning, still in a daze, shook his head. As it happened, Lin Zhizhi had gone out of town today and wouldn’t return until tomorrow.
Lin Heyu was relieved. He patted Sheng Guoning on the shoulder. “I need to talk to you. Is now a good time?”
It took Sheng Guoning a full half-minute to snap out of his shock and bewilderment. His hand instinctively pulled open the door. “…Come in.”
———
Lin Heyu had never thought he’d get the chance to step into Lin Zhizhi’s life twenty years later. He had always been a realist, living in the present, disliking fantasizing about distant, unrealistic futures. He only cared about what he could see and experience in the moment. As for his sister, he hadn’t even imagined her marriage, let alone that she had lived so many years immersed in the daily routines of life, tied to mundane things like food and chores.
The house was clean and refreshing, with the living room open from north to south, and windows in both the balcony and kitchen letting in fresh air. The interior design, the furniture’s colors, and the little thoughtful decorations scattered everywhere were all clearly Lin Zhizhi’s touch. Every detail matched the designs she’d once sketched for her dream home.
“Everything was done according to Zhizhi’s preferences. She made all the decisions,” Sheng Guoning said as he removed the dust cover from the tea tray, pulling out a set of teaware to brew tea. “She had planned it all out while still in college, what kind of home she wanted in the future. I handed her the keys, and the wedding house we’d set up earlier was remodeled to her design.”
Sheng Guoning’s tone was indulgent, and there wasn’t a trace of complaint on his face. Boiling water poured into the teapot, unfurling the deep brown tea leaves like a waterfall, and the fragrance quickly spread throughout the living room. Xiao Shitou twitched his nose, “It smells so good. What kind of tea is this?”
“Rougui,” Sheng Guoning replied.
Xiao Shitou swung his legs, having never heard of such tea, and wondered why it had the same name as meat. Lin Heyu picked up a teacup. “You like rock tea too?”
“Yes, after drinking it often, I came to like it,” Sheng Guoning said with a smile. “At first, we only had green tea at home, but Zhizhi remembered that you liked rock tea, so she bought some every year. The stash at home kept growing, so I switched to drinking it too. Otherwise, it would have gone bad.”
As expected, he catered to Lin Zhizhi’s every whim. She truly was his precious treasure, cherished to the point that he would even change his own preferences for her. Lin Heyu sipped his tea. “Zhizhi went on a trip?”
“No, she went back to Haijing,” Sheng Guoning glanced at Lin Heyu, “…to visit you.”
Lin Heyu wasn’t shy about the fact that his sister helped “visit his grave.” Instead, he laughed, “It’s such a long way. Next time, don’t let her go. Did you sell the house in Haijing?”
“No, that was your house. Zhizhi couldn’t bear to sell it. We just finished paying off the mortgage last year. Now that you’re back, do you want to move in?”
Lin Heyu looked at the dark tea in his cup and said quietly, “Let’s talk about it later.”
On the TV cabinet was a family photo—the very one Yi Shi had shown him. The background was this sofa and the wall behind it. Everywhere his gaze landed, he could feel the warmth and happiness of this little home, as if simply sitting here was enough to soak up its comforting atmosphere.
“It seems that Zhizhi marrying you was the right choice,” Lin Heyu’s tone carried no regret.
Aside from Lin Heyu, Xiao Shitou was also incredibly curious about the place, especially since he noticed Yi Shi in the family photo. His small head was suddenly filled with big questions: Yi Shi is Aunt Lin’s son? Then that would make him and Lin Heyu nephew and uncle? But why… why does it feel so…
Xiao Shitou bit his lip. The intimacy between Yi Shi and Lin Heyu didn’t seem like it came from a family relationship. Lin Heyu’s attitude toward Yi Shi—wasn’t that far from how you’d treat a blood relative?
But the family photo hung clearly on the wall, and Yi Shi himself had mentioned the complex relationship between him, Lin Heyu, and Lin Zhizhi. So Xiao Shitou became even more confused, finding Yi Shi harder to figure out.
Taking advantage of an opportunity to go to the restroom, Xiao Shitou explored Lin Zhizhi’s home. The master bedroom and the bedroom on the right were open, but the door to the room on the left was shut. He stood at the door when suddenly a hand reached out from behind, grasped the doorknob, and pushed it down. “If you want to go in, go ahead.”
Xiao Shitou turned around, and Sheng Guoning was standing behind him, patting his head with a kind smile. “Come on, there are lots of toys inside.”
“I don’t like toys.”
“Hehe, don’t be so quick to shake your head. You’ll be pleased.”
Xiao Shitou followed Sheng Guoning inside. The furnishings in this room were noticeably simpler than the others: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a bookshelf were all the furniture there was. The bed’s blanket was folded neatly, military-style, and books were neatly arranged on the desk, with nothing extra around. It was a stark contrast to the bedroom on the right, where the walls were covered with posters, the bookshelf was filled with figurines, and aside from the pillow on the bed, there were life-size anime character pillows, handheld game consoles, and cartridges scattered on the desk, giving off a strong vibe of youthful energy.
There was only one photo in the entire room, placed in an 8-inch frame on the cabinet. The person in the photo had strikingly delicate features, with such a flawless combination of facial details that it was breathtaking. Unfortunately, his eyes were too cold, and with the cool-toned blue background and white shirt, it made him appear even more aloof and proud.
“This is your brother Yi Shi’s photo, taken right after he started working. The girls at the police station all said he’s the only one who can make an ID photo look like an art piece.”
“Oh,” Xiao Shitou responded softly, glancing around the room. “This is his room?”
Sheng Guoning nodded, noticing something off. “You’re not happy? Do you not like Yi Shi?”
Xiao Shitou shook his head. He neither liked nor disliked Yi Shi; after all, they weren’t that close. If he had to dig deeper, the feeling he had might be more akin to “jealousy.” Jealousy of Yi Shi’s happy family, jealousy of the special attention he received from Lin Heyu. It seemed like everything good belonged to him.
To cheer the little one up, Sheng Guoning pulled open a drawer at the bottom of the bookshelf, dragged out a large cardboard box, and took out an old box from inside, handing it to Xiao Shitou. Xiao Shitou took it; it was a puzzle with a thousand pieces, the very same one that Lin Zhizhi had bought for him!
“Aunt Lin kept it all this time?” Xiao Shitou’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes, she’s been keeping it, waiting for you to finish it.”
Xiao Shitou nodded vigorously and eagerly took the box over to the desk and sat down. Sheng Guoning smiled, “You take your time playing here. All the books in the bookshelf are yours to read. You can do whatever you like in this room, don’t feel restrained.”
He gently closed the door behind him, as he still had serious matters to discuss with Lin Heyu, matters that weren’t suitable for Xiao Shitou to know about yet. Lin Heyu refilled his tea, and when Sheng returned, he asked, “Is he playing inside?”
“Yeah, he’s working on a puzzle in there,” Sheng Guoning sat down beside Lin Heyu. “That puzzle was a gift from Zhizhi for him. He’s been working on it since he was little, never growing tired of it. By the way, do you think Xiao Shitou misunderstood something? He seems to have an issue with Yi Shi.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hey, I may have stepped down from the front line, but I’m still an old detective. Do you think I can’t read the look in a kid’s eyes?”
Lin Heyu put down his teacup. “Some things are better left for him to figure out on his own. You didn’t let anything slip, did you?”
Sheng Guoning was a bit anxious, even taking off his reading glasses. “What are you saying, brother-in-law? Do I seem like such an unreliable person?”
The moment he said “brother-in-law,” the gap of time between them seemed to vanish. Lin Heyu and Sheng Guoning exchanged glances for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
“Surprised to see us?”
“Of course! If my heart wasn’t strong, I’d have had to call 911 by now.” Sheng Guoning sized up Lin Heyu and marveled, “I just don’t get it. It’s been twenty years, and you haven’t changed a bit.”
Hearing this, Lin Heyu’s smile faded. “Do you believe in time travel?”
Sheng Guoning replied confidently that he hadn’t believed in it at all before, but now he couldn’t deny it. The reappearance of Lin Heyu after so many years, and with young Xiao Shitou in tow, defied all scientific explanations. Apart from thinking about things like wormholes, parallel worlds, or time rifts, Sheng Guoning couldn’t find any other reasonable explanation.
But thankfully, Lin Heyu had come back after all.
