I Only Want You chapter 55
On the day of moving, after confirming multiple times that nothing was left behind, Yan Lan, holding Tiantian, Yang Xiaole, and the aunt, followed the moving company to their new home.
It was Yang Xiaole’s first visit, and he was immediately drawn to the much larger courtyard than before.
“What a fantastic yard! Have you considered getting a dog?”
Yan Lan: Yun Zhi is allergic to dog hair, and he keeps sneezing. We can’t have a dog.
“I see.”
The moving company staff were unloading the luggage from the truck into the house. Only a small portion belonged to Xie Yun Zhi; the rest was all Tiantian’s toys.
Two rooms were set aside in the new house for Tiantian as a playroom. The boxes filled with toys resembled a mountain, and Yan Lan felt a bit dizzy looking at them. However, the professionals did their job efficiently, arranging and placing everything neatly.
After not much time, the new house was cleaned up. All items were placed where they should be.
After seeing off the moving company staff, Yan Lan took Yang Xiaole to see the remaining two rooms. One of them even had a small balcony, offering a view of the distant Liuxian Lake Park.
Yan Lan: If you like it here, this room will be yours in the future. You are welcome to stay at any time.
Yang Xiaole was excited and ran to the small balcony. “Great! Now I won’t have to be separated from you.”
Yan Lan asked him: Will you stay overnight tonight?
Yang Xiaole shook his head, “Bian Xianyang is coming home tonight.”
Bian Xianyang had gone abroad two days ago for the MV shooting of the new album. Although he was returning today, he had another schedule to go out of town for a program recording the next day. During this time, Yang Xiaole rarely saw him.
Yan Lan: How about staying after dinner?
“No, I’m going to the supermarket later. I found a simple and easy-to-learn tutorial video for making cabbage and beef rolls. I want to try making it for him.”
Hearing this, Yan Lan didn’t insist on keeping him. Not long after, Yang Xiaole left.
In the evening, Xie Yun Zhi returned home from work. Upon entering, he only saw the aunt in the living room. Yan Lan and Tiantian were nowhere to be seen.
Seeing that Xie Yun Zhi was still in the hallway, but his gaze kept looking towards the stairs, the aunt explained with a smile, “Teacher Yan and Tiantian are in the art studio. They’ve been in there since after dinner.”
“Really? I’ll go and check on them.”
The new home’s art studio was next to Xie Yun Zhi’s study, and next to it was Tiantian’s little study.
Xie Yun Zhi twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, seeing the two of them focused on painting in front of a canvas.
As soon as Yan Lan saw he was back, he looked surprised, glancing at the clock on the wall. Apparently, he didn’t realize the passage of time.
“I didn’t see you downstairs when I came back. Auntie said you two were in the art studio, so I came to see what you were doing,” Xie Yun Zhi said, closing the door behind him and walking towards them, observing the oil painting on the canvas.
Professional oil painting supplies were placed on the side of the board, and there was even an instant photo of their new home.
Yan Lan explained: Tiantian wanted to paint the new home to commemorate it.
“Not bad,” Xie Yun Zhi said, with his arm around Yan Lan’s shoulder, lowering his head to kiss him. “Thanks to his uncle’s good teaching.”
Yan Lan didn’t expect him to kiss him in front of Tiantian. He turned his head to check Tiantian’s reaction, only to find that the child was completely focused on painting, not paying any attention to them. Yan Lan felt a bit relieved but still pinched Xie Yun Zhi’s thigh as a warning to be mindful of the situation.
“I haven’t had dinner yet. Will you join me?”
Yan Lan nodded, and followed him downstairs.
The aunt had kept their dinner warm in the kitchen, and when she saw both of them coming down together, she stood up to go and get it. However, Xie Yun Zhi stopped her.
“Auntie, we can handle it ourselves. You can go and rest in your room.”
The aunt understood that Xie Yun Zhi wanted to be alone with Yan Lan and smiled, nodding as she went back to her room on the first floor.
Yan Lan entered the kitchen first to serve soup and rice, while Xie Yun Zhi followed and brought the hot dishes from the pot.
“Want to eat more?”
Yan Lan shook his head, took a glass of water, and sat across from him. He watched Xie Yun Zhi eat and listened to him talk about his busy day.
Yan Lan knew very little about Xie Yun Zhi’s work, especially the more professional aspects. However, he enjoyed Xie Yun Zhi sharing these things with him. He even liked hearing about trivial matters.
After finishing a slightly late dinner, the two returned to the master bedroom on the second floor. Xie Yun Zhi glanced at Yan Lan’s luggage in the corner of the room. “Haven’t unpacked yet?”
Yan Lan nodded slowly.
Xie Yun Zhi helped him unpack as he picked up a sweater that had become a bit loose after years of use. “This is a bit old.”
Yan Lan said it was still wearable.
Xie Yun Zhi could only fold it neatly and put it in the wardrobe. He dreamed of throwing away all of Yan Lan’s old clothes and replacing them with new ones. However, he knew that if he really did that, Yan Lan would definitely be angry.
Yan Lan was used to being thrifty, and even if Xie Yun Zhi couldn’t match his frugality, he would choose to respect his wishes. Moreover, even if he didn’t throw away the old clothes, he could find a way to make Yan Lan wear new ones.
“I bought a few thicker coats for you according to your size, and they will be delivered tomorrow.”
Yan Lan tilted his head slightly in confusion.
“When I finish my busy schedule, we’ll be going to a very far place. You might feel cold there, so wear something thicker.”
Yan Lan pointed to the wardrobe.
“I know you have them, but it’s not warm enough. The temperature there is minus ten or even thirty degrees. The snow piles up thick, and you have to cover your nose to avoid exposing it.”
Yan Lan had never been to such a cold place before, and he was a bit frightened by Xie Yun Zhi’s description.
Xie Yun Zhi, afraid that he wouldn’t believe it, searched the internet for pictures. “Look, I’m not lying to you. If you don’t listen to me, your nose will freeze off.”
Yan Lan had no choice but to accept his arrangement.
Midway through January, Xie Yun Zhi, who had been busy for a long time, finally began his long-awaited holiday just before New Year’s Eve.
The aunt, due to her daughter’s rare visit from abroad for the New Year, was also granted time off by Xie Yun Zhi to reunite with her daughter and grandson.
As soon as aunt left, Yan Lan was practically “facing a formidable enemy.” Before New Year’s Eve arrived, he was already studying how to make noodles, how to prepare dumpling fillings, and how to wrap dumplings.
Xie Yun Zhi told him not to be nervous; he had booked a hotel for the New Year’s Eve dinner, and they would go out to eat on that day.
Yan Lan: We have to make the dumplings ourselves.
Xie Yun Zhi thought about it and agreed. He however suggested watching a tutorial video together.
The dumpling-making tutorial video was sent by Yang Xiaole, who spent this New Year’s Eve at Bian Xianyang’s place. It was said that Bian Xianyang didn’t plan to go home for the New Year, so the two of them stayed together, not going anywhere.
Yan Lan’s learning ability and understanding of cooking were far inferior to Yang Xiaole’s. Although both of them started learning almost at the same time, Yang Xiaole had already moved on to rolling out dumpling skins while Yan Lan was still stuck at adding water.
Seeing that Yan Lan was about to get completely absorbed in the kitchen, Xie Yun Zhi quickly suggested, “We can buy ready-made dumpling wrappers. They’re just as delicious.”
At first, Yan Lan didn’t accept the idea, but after several consecutive failures and more and more flour being wasted, he couldn’t persist in rolling out the wrappers himself. He reluctantly agreed to buy ready-made dumpling wrappers.
Two adults and a child silently made dumplings around the dining table, taking an hour and a half to finish a large plate of dumplings of different sizes and shapes.
Xie Yun Zhi comforted Yan Lan, who was not very satisfied with the dumplings. “It’s okay. Once they’re in your stomach, they’re all the same.”
Fortunately, although the dumplings were wrapped unattractively, they didn’t fall apart when boiled. Each one came out intact, barely comforting Yan Lan.
After spending New Year’s Eve at home, the three packed their bags and set off for Changbai Mountain the next day.
This was Tiantian’s first trip away in the past two years and was bundled up by Yan Lan.
Tiantian’s luggage was packed by Yan Lan, and Yan Lan’s suitcase was packed by Xie Yun Zhi.
The winter in Changbai Mountain was truly a world of ice and snow. It was genuinely cold, and from hats to masks, gloves, and scarves, Yan Lan didn’t dare to take any of them off when outdoors.
Compared to him, Tiantian was much more adaptable. When they arrived at the Changbai Mountain resort, he immediately pulled Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi to go out and play. He could play winter sports for two hours without getting tired.
Yan Lan found an unused ice bicycle to sit and rest. Watching the energetic Tiantian, Xie Yun Zhi finally caught him, pointed to Yan Lan, who was wearing a white down jacket and looking like a lethargic snowball: “Your uncle is going to be exhausted by you.”
Only then did Tiantian, still filled with joy, return to the hotel with them to rest and plan to go skiing the next day.
In the evening, Yan Lan lay on the hotel bed motionless. Xie Yun Zhi massaged his sore muscles, “With so little exercise, what will you do if we really go skiing tomorrow?”
Yan Lan shook his head.
Xie Yun Zhi grabbed his hand, pulled it to his lips, and kissed it, “If that doesn’t work, let’s go to the children’s area to ride snowboards with Tiantian. After all, we have to watch over him, so it won’t be embarrassing.”
Yan Lan laughed at his suggestion.
Unexpectedly, the next day, when they went to the ski resort, Xie Yun Zhi really rented children’s snowboards, and even asked the staff if adults could use them.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Xie Yun Zhi rented two—one for Tiantian and one for Yan Lan. He led the two, dragging them with a rope that could be tied to the snowboard.
In the ski resort, it was common to see adults accompanying children, however Yan Lan was the only adult sitting on the board in the children’s area.
Feeling embarrassed, he didn’t dare to show his face, pulling down his knitted hat to cover his eyes, while listening to Xie Yun Zhi laughing in front.
The two-hour experience at the ski resort ended with Yan Lan throwing a snowball at Xie Yun Zhi. Tiantian was already grown up and cared about his image. After the New Year, he wouldn’t be a nine-year-old anymore. At ten, he felt that these two adults were a bit childish and pretended not to know them.
That night, Xie Yun Zhi held Yan Lan in his arms and slept on the hotel bed, surrounded by his warmth and scent.
The deep and high-quality sleep led him to a dream that seemed both real and fake. In the dream, Yan Lan was much younger, with a face as beautiful as ever, youthful but stubborn, as if he wouldn’t listen to anything.
The dream was filled with beautiful light and sound. Many voices could be heard, and a butterfly flew by leisurely.
Xie Yun Zhi slowly opened his eyes. The person who slept facing away from him before bedtime had unknowingly turned to face him. The fair face was exquisite in every aspect, lacking the youthfulness and stubbornness compared to the dream.
Xie Yun Zhi stared at the still-sleeping Yan Lan for a long time, silent, not even breathing loudly.
It wasn’t until he suddenly leaned over and kissed Yan Lan’s lips, that he whispered.
“You’ve grown up.”
【End】