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Chapter 269: Chapter 269: What Kind of Shitty Fate is This?
"Let’s go!"
Si Chen didn’t respond to the man’s words. He took Tong Yao’s hand and left, bypassing the man.
Thinking Si Chen hadn’t heard his question, the man caught up and asked again, "Excuse me, where are you two from?"
Tong Yao remained silent, looking to Si Chen. The man’s wife caught up and, although she too found her husband’s actions strange, she chuckled and explained, "He’s from Li City; perhaps he thought your accents were familiar and was curious if you were fellow townspeople."
At these words, Si Chen’s frown deepened. In a low voice, he answered, "Kyoto."
Once he finished speaking, he took Tong Yao’s hand and quickly walked away.
The man wore a mixed expression of disappointment and relief upon hearing ’Kyoto,’ his look becoming increasingly complex and hard to read.
The woman looked back at the retreating figures of Si Chen and Tong Yao, muttering to herself, "Strange, they seemed okay when our kid was apologizing earlier. How come they turned cold as soon as they saw you?"
Pulled out of his thoughts by his wife’s comment, the man looked down at his kid beside him and sternly lectured, "There are plenty of people around on the streets. Don’t go running around. The lady just now was good-tempered enough to not fuss about it. You won’t always be this lucky."
"I got it, Dad." The little boy seemed honestly afraid of his father and lowered his head to admit his mistake graciously.
The woman glanced at her wristwatch and softly urged, "Okay, Weimin, stop focusing only on lecturing the kid and go buy our stuff! Mom and Dad are still waiting for us to have dinner at home."
At her words, Si Weimin took the kid’s hand and entered the liquor and tobacco shop. As he left, he stole another complicated glance in the direction Si Chen and Tong Yao had taken. But the two had long been out of sight.
Noticing his expression, Yuan Caizhen commented, "If you’re feeling homesick, let’s find time to go back for a visit. Your nieces and nephews should be around the same age as that young man earlier, right?"
Her husband had once mentioned having a widowed sister-in-law back in his hometown, who raised two nephews and a niece alone with no other relatives. After their marriage, her husband had remained in Kyoto without returning to see his sister-in-law and rarely spoke of his hometown. She had assumed that he had no feelings for it.
But from what she was seeing now, it seemed that she had been wrong. If he really was homesick, she wouldn’t mind accompanying him back for a visit. After all, it was only natural for him to have feelings for the place that raised him. "Remember your roots, no matter how high you grow," as the saying went.
Her husband had no relatives here. It would be nice if he could contact his nephews and nieces and visit them every year.
Despite her good intentions, Si Weimin’s expression turned serious at the words ’return to the hometown.’ "So many years have passed. My sister-in-law may have remarried and moved on with the children. Why should I go back now, when I wasn’t there for them during their toughest times?"
Yuan Caizhen didn’t agree, "It’s not exactly like that. Weren’t you also having a tough time during those initial years after you left?"
Had Si Weimin not rescued her back then, and had they not developed feelings for each other, and her father helped Si Weimin settle down in Kyoto, he might still be living a vagabond life of scarcity in Kyoto.
Thinking of this, she added, "If your nieces and nephews are doing well now, that’s great. But if they’re not, we could help them, in whatever little way we can. You’ve said before, your hometown is a rural area and can’t compare to here. Maybe they are still struggling."
"We’ll talk about it later!" Si Weimin did not wish to continue the conversation.
*
As the Lunar New Year was approaching, most people from other regions had gone back to their hometowns, leaving the bus stops somewhat deserted. Tong Yao was waiting with Si Chen at the bus stop. Seeing Si Chen still wearing a grim expression, she couldn’t help asking.
"Did you know that man earlier?"
Si Chen pressed his lips together, giving a clear, definitive answer: "No."
Tong Yao:...
Did he not know him?
Why did she feel like that man looked familiar?
Like he resembled someone from the Si family?
Had the world become smaller?
Si Chen didn’t want to say, and Tong Yao didn’t want to press him. She playfully pinched his tense jawline, cooing, "If you don’t know him, just forget it. It’s almost the New Year; stop wearing such a stern expression. If Mom and Dad see it, they might think we’ve had a fight."
At her words, Si Chen’s face softened slightly. He slid his hand around Tong Yao’s waist, concernedly asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Tong Yao nodded, murmuring gently, "A little. We’ll apply some medicinal liquor when we get home. You have to help me rub it." The collision had been heavy, and although it hadn’t injured her bones, she was sure it had bruised.
Looking at Tong Yao’s cute face, Si Chen’s lingering frustration dissipated like clouds, his eyes revealing an affectionate yet helpless indulgence. He helped Tong Yao onto the bus – it wasn’t crowded, and they both sat in the row by the left door. Just as the bus door was about to close and start, it was stopped and opened again, and a family of three got on.
"Thank you, sir," Si Weimin thanked the bus driver, but upon turning his head and seeing Si Chen and Tong Yao, he paused and watched Si Chen intently.
"Isn’t it a coincidence that we meet again?" Yuan Caizhen expressed her surprise. What kind of fate was needed for them to meet again on a bus?
Tong Yao, on instinct, glanced at Si Chen. As expected, his face showed a cold expression again. Out of politeness, she gave Yuan Caizhen a sweet smile, "Yeah! It’s indeed quite a coincidence."
At this point, Si Weimin had also snapped out of his thoughts. He took a seat behind Tong Yao with his wife and child. Since sitting down, his gaze had not left Si Chen’s back. Seeing this, Yuan Caizhen began chatting with Tong Yao.
"Where are you getting off?"
Tong Yao smiled and said, "Nazar Road."
"What a coincidence? We’re also getting off at Nazar Road." Yuan Caizhen looked surprised. "You’re not living in Prosperity Garden, are you?"
Tong Yao:...
What kind of murky connections were these?
Taking a secret peek at Si Chen’s expressionless face, she laughed it off, "That’s really quite a coincidence. We are indeed going there."
The more Yuan Caizhen spoke, the more she felt their destinies were connected. She even specifically asked Tong Yao’s house number. To her surprise, their houses in the community were only separated by three to four households. They had even met as children in the community, and Yuan Caizhen even knew Tong Yao’s parents. However, Tong Yao was too young at the time and didn’t remember any of this.
Through Yuan Caizhen’s introduction, Tong Yao also learned Si Weimin’s name and became more sure of something. However, she purposefully did not tell Yuan Caizhen Si Chen’s name.
They all got off the bus together, with Tong Yao talking to Yuan Caizhen the entire journey. Neither Si Chen nor Si Weimin spoke until they reached Tong Yao’s house front where she said goodbye to Yuan Caizhen.
Once inside, Si Chen was called to the study by Tong Yaohui for a chat. While Tong Yao was helping Wen Yun in the kitchen, she used the opportunity to inquire about Si Weimin.
"Mom, do you remember Yuan Caizhen from our community? I met her just now. Her husband also seems to be from Li City. Coincidentally, he shares the same surname as Ahchen."
