Pastoral Daily Life

After Wang Shuxiu spoke, neither Lu Lingxi nor Xiao Feng wanted to violate her wishes. Lu Lingxi hesitatingly followed Xiao Feng out of the door, glanced back at the next door, and quickly sent Yan Yue a text message.

He was naive but not stupid. The atmosphere at home in the morning was a bit off, especially when he tried to go to Yan Yue after breakfast and Wang Shuxiu’s tone immediately sounded unhappy. He vaguely sensed Wang Shuxiu’s rejection of Yan Yue and couldn’t say what he felt in his heart. The road from the community to Tiny Garden was familiar to Lu Lingxi. He didn’t say much when he got into the car, thinking about Wang Shuxiu’s reaction.

If he didn’t speak, Xiao Feng didn’t speak either, and there was silence in the car. In fact, Xiao Feng was driving and thinking about what to say to Lu Lingxi about Wang Shuxiu’s attitude so that Lu Lingxi could be mentally prepared. Actually, Xiao Feng was one of the first people to know about Lu Lingxi and Yan Yue. Even before he fell in love with Xiaohua, Yan Yue had snared Lu Lingxi quietly. Xiao Feng saw that but didn’t care about it until later when he started courting Wang Shuxiu and Lu Lingxi was likely to become his son. Only then did he start to be concerned about the matter.

Xiao Feng had been in society for many years and had seen so many different kinds of people and lifestyles and he didn’t mind two men being together. He was open-minded and had always felt that life was like drinking water, it could be warm or cold, as long as you enjoyed it, the opinions of others were bullshit. Before, he insisted on being single regardless of Xiao Hong’s attempts to persuade him and later he married Wang Shuxiu regardless of everyone’s gazes, proving this point of view. Personally, Xiao Feng felt that who Lu Lingxi was with was his own business, not to mention that even he couldn’t find anything wrong with Yan Yue’s intentions towards Lu Lingxi. He could see that Lu Lingxi was also quite happy with Yan Yue.

But even though he thought that, he also understood Wang Shuxiu’s feelings. He knew that Wang Shuxiu and Lu Lingxi had been depending on each other for many years, and since Lu Yishui was unreliable, Xiaohua’s whole heart was on Lu Lingxi. The only thing that a mother hopes for is that her son will have a good life and live in peace. The society now seemed to be open-minded, but the acceptance of two men being together was not as high as it seemed. When Lu Lingxi and Yan Yue got together, they could expect to encounter a lot of problems. These were problems that Lu Lingxi wouldn’t have to face if he changed his lifestyle, and from Xiaohua’s point of view it was natural to choose an easier path for Lu Lingxi.

With these thoughts spinning in his head, Xiao Feng was about to open his mouth, only for Lu Lingxi to ask first, “Is Mom angry?”

He was direct in his question, so Xiao Feng told the truth. “Xiaohua is indeed a little upset.” Without waiting for Lu Lingxi to ask anything further, Xiao Feng spoke up with deliberation, “Xiaohua thinks that Xiao Xi’s relationship with Yan Yue is a bit too close and she is a bit worried.”

Xiao Feng didn’t need to say what she was worried about; Lu Lingxi understood. His relationship with Yan Yue was no secret to Xiao Feng. Lu Lingxi paused and asked, “Does Mom disagree with me and Big Brother Yan being together?”

Although Wang Shuxiu was still unsure of Lu Lingxi and Yan Yue’s relationship, the attitude she displayed was clearly one of disapproval. Xiao Feng didn’t directly admit it, but politely explained Wang Shuxiu’s feelings, “Xiaohua is worried about you. Xiao Xi, you know that this society is not yet very accepting of two men being together, and it is inevitable that some people will look at you with prejudice. Your mom is also worried that under such discrimination, you will be in stress. Besides, Xiaohua thinks you are still young and don’t know what you really want. What if you regret it later when you are older?”

Lu Lingxi listened to Xiao Feng’s words and could understand his mother’s worry, but he didn’t understand what social discrimination had to do with him being in stress.

“Why will I be stressed? It’s not like irrelevant people have anything to do with my life.”

He said it matter-of-factly and Xiao Feng was taken aback and quickly laughed. “Okay, that’s my son!”

s

Originally, Lu Lingxi’s life was very simple, and Tiny Garden, home, and plant nursery formed all of his life. His mind was clear and pure, and things from the outside world couldn’t affect him at all. Xiao Feng was still a little worried about Lu Lingxi, but it seemed that he was overthinking. He patted Lu Lingxi with confidence and said, “Xiao Xi, just make your own decision. Whether it’s your mom or me, we are just giving you a suggestion. It’s up to you to decide how to go in the future.”

Lu Lingxi nodded vigorously at his words.

Xiao Feng didn’t leave immediately after dropping Lu Lingxi off at Tiny Garden but waited for Yan Yue to arrive. Yan Yue appeared not long after they arrived. As soon as he received Lu Lingxi’s text message, Yan Yue guessed what was going on. It was obvious that Wang Shuxiu was beginning to suspect his relationship with Lu Lingxi.

“Xiao Xi.” Yan Yue looked for Lu Lingxi as soon as entered the door.

Lu Lingxi was watering the plants in the shop and smiled at Yan Yue with his eyes curved when he looked up. Seeing that his expression looked okay, Yan Yue somewhat relaxed. He glanced at Xiao Feng standing aside and the two of them went out of Tiny Garden without a word and chatted at the entrance of Tiny Garden.

Lu Lingxi looked at the two men’s backs, thinking what Xiao Feng would say to Yan Yue; probably it was about the morning’s events.

In no time, the two seemed to have finished. Xiao Feng didn’t stay much longer at Tiny Garden; Wang Shuxiu was still waiting for him at home. Lu Lingxi watched with bated breath as Yan Yue entered the shop, wanting to know exactly what Xiao Feng had said.

Yan Yue smiled at his expression and raised his eyebrows slightly but didn’t keep him in suspense. “Brother Feng said that your mom already suspects our relationship.”

This wasn’t really a secret anymore; Lu Lingxi felt that he knew before Yan Yue did. Although he didn’t say anything, the expression on his face clearly said what he was thinking. The corners of Yan Yue’s lips curled up and a smile poured out of his eyes as he continued, “Brother Feng said he was on our side and would find a way to convince your mom.”

Lu Lingxi’s eyes lit up, “But…” Yan Yue’s tone changed, “Brother Feng wants us to refrain from seeing each other for the next two months first. Your mom is not well and he is worried about her getting irritated.”

This was exactly what Yan Yue was concerned about. Wang Shuxiu was expecting a child, and while Yan Yue was pleased that the child could divert Wang Shuxiu’s attention, he had to be concerned about Wang Shuxiu’s health. He knew the status of Wang Shuxiu in Lu Lingxi’s heart, so he weighed the pros and cons and had to agree to Xiao Feng’s suggestion. But the good thing was that Xiao Feng meant that after the first three months, when Wang Shuxiu’s health was stable, they would find the right opportunity to confess.

“Big Brother Yan…”

Yan Yue knew what Lu Lingxi was going to ask and said in a soft voice, “I agreed.”

This was the answer Lu Lingxi had expected, and while he was relieved, he felt a little sorry for Yan Yue. If only his mother hadn’t objected to him and Big Brother Yan being together, it would be so much better.

s

That evening, Wang Shuxiu once again brought up the matter of moving, and Lu Lingxi learned his lesson this time and hurriedly made a statement that he was willing to move. The whole evening Lu Lingxi didn’t mention a word about Yan Yue, and after dinner he also went to his room obediently. Wang Shuxiu looked at Lu Lingxi’s back suspiciously, not very happy in her heart.

“What’s wrong with Xiaohua again?” Xiao Feng noticed Wang Shuxiu’s expression and asked.

Wang Shuxiu hesitated for a few seconds and looked at Xiao Feng uneasily, “Do you feel that Xiao Xi is a bit odd tonight?”

Xiao Feng was stunned, “Where is he odd?”

Wang Shuxiu frowned, “Xiao Xi usually mentions Yan Yue a hundred times a night, but tonight he didn’t mention him even once, what isn’t odd about it?”

Xiao Feng was astonished, “Don’t you dislike Xiao Xi mentioning Yan Yue? Why are you still thinking about it when he doesn’t mention him anymore?”

Wang Shuxiu glared at him, “I don’t like it, but don’t you think it’s strange that Xiao Xi is like this? Could it be that he and Yan Yue had a fight, or…” She wanted to say that maybe Lu Lingxi had seen her point and deliberately distanced himself from Yan Yue. This was what she had hoped for, but when she thought that Lu Lingxi had really done it, she guessed she wasn’t happy either and began to worry about Lu Lingxi again.

Xiao Feng looked at her helplessly and felt that a woman’s heart was a needle in the sea (difficult to understand), and that Xiaohua’s nature had become more and more inscrutable since she became pregnant. He shook his head and said nothing.

Although Wang Shuxiu wanted to move, she was used to living in the community and couldn’t move to Xiao Feng’s place right away. Besides, Xiao Hong and Zhou Xiaoman were living there, so they needed to pack to move to this side. The move was delayed for a few days.

In the next few days, Lu Lingxi went to work alone and went home after work, either to stay with Wang Shuxiu or to read a book in his room, without mentioning Yan Yue’s name at home. Wang Shuxiu saw it and guessed that Lu Lingxi was doing it on purpose. Although she didn’t know if Xiao Feng had “tipped him off” or if the little bastard himself had seen what she meant, no matter what, as long as Lu Lingxi and Yan Yue were separated, it was good.

Wang Shuxiu was slightly relieved, but Yan Yue was having a hard time these days. He knew that Wang Shuxiu was keeping an eye on Lu Lingxi, and as he was busy with An Jie, he didn’t go to Tiny Garden during the day. There were times in the past when he was too busy to go to the shop but Lu Lingxi would always be by his side at night. Nowadays, although they are only separated by a wall, they could only contact each other by text messages. The occasional evening phone call or video call had to be made in secret, for fear of being discovered by Wang Shuxiu.

Yan Yue realised that he hadn’t actually seen Lu Lingxi for two days and couldn’t resist the urge to see him.

“Xiao Xi, are you there?” Yan Yue sent a text message.

Lu Lingxi was watching TV with Wang Shuxiu when his phone rang and he suddenly tensed up. He pretended to reply to a text message as if nothing was wrong and quickly put the phone away.

“Who is it?” Wang Shuxiu asked casually.

Lu Lingxi faintly froze and said extremely quickly, “It’s Officer Fang, talking about Dahei.”

It had been almost a week since Dahei had followed Fang Lei. Not to mention Lu Lingxi, even Wang Shuxiu missed him a little. When Dahei was at home, she didn’t pay much attention to him, but when Dahei wasn’t there, Wang Shuxiu always felt that something was missing.

“Is Dahei obedient over there?”

Speaking of Dahei, Lu Lingxi immediately got energised. He nodded vigorously and spoke excitedly, “Dahei is very good. Officer Fang has a lot of stray dogs over there, and they all listen to Dahei.”

He looked like a different person from the listless boy who was watching TV with Wang Shuxiu just now. Wang Shuxiu glared at him and waved her hand, “Come on, go to your room and stay there. This TV series is probably not interesting for you to watch.”

Lu Lingxi smiled ingratiatingly as he hugged Wang Shuxiu’s arm, knowing that Wang Shuxiu could see his boredom. But he couldn’t be blamed for this, the plot of a TV drama like ‘Chinese Style Mother-in-law’ was really boring. He remembered that Wang Shuxiu used to dislike watching it too, and had even told him that the plot was illogical. But since she got pregnant, Wang Shuxiu had changed her previous preferences and actually watched it with relish and liked to grab people and tell them about the plot. Xiao Feng would hide just in time, and it was Lu Lingxi who was caught every time.

With these words from Wang Shuxiu, Lu Lingxi ran back to his room in a flash. While Wang Shuxiu was watching TV, he made a quick phone call to Yan Yue.

The two of them had not seen each other for two days. Although there had been occasions before when Yan Yue wasn’t around, this was the first time that they had not seen each other for two days while being just separated by a wall like this. Not only did Yan Yue miss Lu Lingxi, but Lu Lingxi also missed Yan Yue. After the two of them talked on the phone for a while, Yan Yue thought about waiting until Wang Shuxiu was asleep to see Lu Lingxi.

“En.” Lu Lingxi nodded and agreed, thinking that there should be no problem if they waited for his mother to fall asleep.

After making an appointment to meet, the two hung up the phone and Lu Lingxi took a book and read it, but couldn’t focus. He glanced at the time every few minutes, hoping that it would be nine o’clock quickly, the time when Wang Shuxiu would go to bed.

At five minutes to nine, Wang Shuxiu came over and knocked on the door. “Xiao Xi, I’m going to bed, you go to bed early too.”

Lu Lingxi pulled the door open and tried to behave as usual, “Good night, Mom.”

As he spoke, his heart thudded, practically threatening to jump out of his chest. He was a little afraid that Wang Shuxiu would notice something and couldn’t help but get nervous. Luckily, Wang Shuxiu didn’t notice his abnormality and only instructed him to go to sleep and left. Lu Lingxi breathed a silent sigh of relief and closed the door to wait for Wang Shuxiu to fall asleep.

“Is your mom asleep?”

“Probably asleep.” Lu Lingxi wasn’t sure, “Shall we wait a little longer?”

“Okay, is Xiao Xi sleepy?”

“No.” Although it was already his usual bedtime, Lu Lingxi didn’t feel sleepy at all, but rather unusually excited. Apart from desperately wanting to see Yan Yue, Lu Lingxi’s heart was filled with pleasure and anticipation, as well as the fear of being discovered by his mother, which mixed together to form an unspeakable excitement.

It wasn’t until ten o’clock that Lu Lingxi gingerly left the house. He had just pulled open the balcony door when he saw Yan Yue waiting for him in the backyard. The early spring night was still a few degrees below zero, and Yan Yue was holding a heavy down jacket, quickly wrapping it around Lu Lingxi in his arms.

“Xiao Xi, I miss you so much.”

Lu Lingxi curved his eyes and seriously said he missed Yan Yue too. The 15th day of the first lunar month was approaching, with a full moon hanging in the sky, the moonlight spilling down like water. Lu Lingxi’s eyelashes fluttered, as if the moonlight was dancing on them.

As if under compulsion, Yan Yue couldn’t help but lower his head and gently kissed Lu Lingxi’s eyes.

Lu Lingxi blinked his eyes and wanted to say something, when on the balcony, Wang Shuxiu pulled the door open calmly.