First Marriage Then Love 《先婚厚爱》Chapter 28 Translation

028. Flying birds collection


By the time An Ran and Su Yi Cheng arrived, Lin Xiao Fen and Gu Heng Wen were still bustling about in the living room. At the door, Lin Xiao Fen orders Gu Heng Wen to bring Su Yi Cheng in for a seat, while An Ran offers to lend a hand to her mother in the kitchen. Of course, the mother and daughter exchange small chat while they were busy with the kitchen work.

Seeing that Gu Heng Wen and Su Yi Cheng were chatting about something on the sofa, Lin Xiao Fen closes the kitchen door, pulls her daughter aside and asks in a low voice, “An Ran, is he good to you?” As a mother, the greatest concern isn’t how a daughter marries, but how the son-in-law treats her daughter. It’s only that he treats her well, that this lifetime can be considered to be married to the right person. Otherwise, even if the situation at home is the best, if the husband doesn’t cherish you, how could you be happy?

An Ran nods, “He treats me really well.” She isn’t just saying that to relieve her mother either. Their interaction these past few short days, the way that Su Yi Cheng has been to her doesn’t need any discussion.

“Then that’s good, then that’s good.” Hearing that, Lin Xiao Fen nods her head in gratification. Seeing her daughter get deeply wounded by Mo Fei that year, she feared that her daughter was repeating her fate. However Heng Wen was right, she was able to meet a man like Gu Heng Wen, so An Ran would also be able to meet man that would understand her and treasure her.

“Mom, what kind of soup are you making right now, it smells so nice.” An Ran wanted to lift up the lid to take a look, but Lin Xiao Fen slaps her hand away.

“It’s not done yet, you can’t open it. It’s yam chicken, your favourite soup.” As she was saying that, Lin Xiao Fen pushes her aside. “Go, there’s a lot of smoke in here, and there isn’t much for you to help here. Go keep Yi Cheng company.”

An Ran sticks her tongue out and says, “Let him be with dad. It’s man-talk, women can’t participate in it.” Actually, even if she was the host she doesn’t know what they can talk about if she went out there. Even though they were husband and wife, but after all, they aren’t that close.

“Then go take a look at your room. I’ve packed up all your stuff, go see if I’ve left anything out.” Lin Xiao Fen lifts the lid up and inspects the soup. Looking at the colour of it, it still needs to be boiled for about 10 more minutes.

An Ran hugs her mother from behind, putting on a spoiled child act and rests her chin on her mother’s shoulder. She pouts and says into her mother’s ears, “Mom, I don’t wanna move.”

Lin Xiao Fen lightly slaps her daughter’s hand in reproach, scolding her playfully, “You’re so old yet you still act like a child. You’ve already married and you still don’t want to move, then when would you move!”

“I don’t wanna move, why don’t you let me live here forever.” An Ran said shamelessly.

“Go go go, you’ve stayed in this house for 28 years isn’t that enough.”

“Nope, have to stay here all my life.”

“Even if you’re not sick of this place, when I look at you I see something bothersome, you should’ve been eager to marry out a long time ago.” Lin Xiao Fen laughs. “Stop acting like a spoiled child, hurry and go take a look, see if there’s anything I’ve left out while you wait for dinner to finish.”

An Ran nods. She retreats from the kitchen.

Su Yi Cheng and Gu Heng Wen were chatting in the living room. Right when Gu Heng Wen found out that Su Yi Cheng had also learned calligraphy, he pulled him into the study room, saying that he wants to see his characters.

He couldn’t refuse, and Su Yi Cheng didn’t want to evade. With the pen brush, he writes down “Ran” onto the blank paper, his control of the brush was very precise.

“Yi Cheng, how long have you been learning calligraphy?” Gu Heng Wen, looking at the character on the table, couldn’t help but nod appreciatively. Su Yi Cheng’s writing skill is truly superb. Even though he has been practicing for over 30 years, he wouldn’t dare to say that he was that much better.

“I’ve been humbled by father. I have started calligraphy since primary school, so it’s been that long yet I haven’t seen much progress.” Su Yi Cheng says modestly.

“No no no, your writing is very good. Bold and vigorous, each and every stroke is very precise.” Gu Heng Wen praises. Regarding this son-in-law, he quickly feels very satisfied.

Lin Xiao Fen pushes the door open, laughing and looking at the two of them, “Come out and eat, after you’ve finished eating you can continue your study of words.”

“Right, right, right. Let’s go and eat, let’s go and eat.” Gu Heng Wen says laughing.

The three come out from the study room. An Ran looked like she was still in her room. Lin Xiao Fen raises her voice and directs it to An Ran’s room, “An Ran, come out and eat.”

After the three had taken a seat, An Ran still hasn’t come out.

“What is this child doing in the room. It’s already time to eat and she doesn’t come out.” Saying that, Lin Xiao Fen stands up to go call on An Ran, but was held back by Su Yi Cheng.

“Mother, I’ll go.”

Lin Xiao Fen and Gu Heng Wen exchange glances, nodding their heads with a smile on their face, "Okay, you can go. An Ran’s room is the first one on the left.”

Su Yi Cheng nods in reply, and rises as he heads towards An Ran’s room. Standing in front of her door he knocks. There was no response in the room, so he pushes the door open and enters, only to see An Ran sitting on her bedside in a daze, a notebook in her hands. Not looking at anything in particular, but she was already lost in thought. She didn’t even sense Su Yi Cheng coming in.

Su Yi Cheng stepped in until he was facing An Ran, and picks up the book in her hands. It was Tagore’s ‘Flying birds’ collection.

When she felt the book in her hands get pulled out by someone, An Ran finally came back to earth. She sees Su Yi Cheng standing in front of her, not knowing when he had come in.

Su Yi Cheng looks over the book, and says, “I’ve read this anthology back in high school. It’s been so many years since I’ve put my hands on this. It’s probably lost somewhere in my old man’s study room.”

An Ran stands up and takes back the anthology from Su Yi Cheng, not answering him, but asking, “Why’d you come in.”

Su Yi Cheng laughs, turning his head and inspecting An Ran’s room. The room was arranged very simply and generously. Plain white wallpaper, matching with her small armoire of the same colour. A light pink bedsheet covered her bed. There wasn’t the usual vanity table. A small desk is positioned to face the balcony. Arranged atop of it is some books on construction, and sketching paper and tape measure. On the bedside cabinet there is a smiling face lamp, in addition to a few photo frames. The An Ran in the photographs had long hair, wore a bachelor’s graduation gown, her smile is sweet and beautiful.

Su Yi Cheng bends down to pick up that frame, looks at the An Ran in the picture and says, “You should smile more. You’re very pretty when you smile.”

An Ran turns red, and snatches the photo frame from his hands. She's had a cold appearance since she was a kid, unable to stand praises and unable to stand smiling.

Su Yi Cheng, smiling, takes the book in her hands and the photo frame and puts it on top of the beside cabinet, pulls her hand to head out.

They overheard, “Food’s ready. Mom let me come in to tell you that.”

Lin Xiao Fen and Gu Heng Wen look at them holding hands as they appeared. An Ran’s face was still red. The two of them then look at each other, and smile ambiguously.


---END OF CHAPTER---

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