Loneliness

Chapter25-Extra2

Yuan Yuan burned with anger and was about to open his mouth when he heard Mother Yuan speaking unhurriedly.
"Every child is different. There's our Yuan Yuan who caused worry and there's Dong Dong who's so obedient." Mother Yuan smiled and patted Yuan Yuan, who was beside her. "This boy has been causing trouble since he was a child. He was flippant and bursting with self-confidence, so I can't praise more him now even if I wanted to. We had to implement repressive education, if not, there would be unruly behaviour almost every day. On the other hand, children like Dong Dong are modest and self-aware. Even if he were to receive three hundred praises a day, he would remain grounded. If such a good boy were to become as flippant as Yuan Yuan, and liked to cause trouble, I wouldn't be able to stand it. Moreover, Dong Dong gets along with us quite well and he's especially able to converse with his Dad. Look at this dish and that one as well. Dong Dong had learned how to prepare them from his Dad. Oh, it's getting better and better. Try it quickly. What's good about liquor? Eat, eat. It's an authentic, Chinese meal. Such delicious food would be hard to find when eating out."
Mother Yuan finished speaking and stood up enthusiastically to refill Mother Chen and Uncle Xu's bowl with food. Although Mother Chen smiled and said thank you, her expression was visibly stiff.
Mother Yuan had used "Dong Dong" and "his Dad" when speaking. It was obvious that the relationship between Chen Dong Lan and the two elders had already become close. If he called Father Yuan "Dad", it implied that he called Mother Yuan "Mom"
Mother Chen's face was pale as if she had suffered a blow.
Yuan Yuan gave Mother Yuan a look and secretly stuck a thumb up.
Mother Yuan calmly picked up her glass and slowly sipped it.
After the meal, they sat together again to watch the Chinese New Year gala. The programme was extremely boring. The few elders were either not paying attention or nodding off repeatedly. Hence, Yuan Yuan suggested sending Mother Chen and Uncle Xu back to the hotel.

Yuan Yuan held the steering wheel while stepping on the accelerator and felt that he was absolutely adorable. Yuan Yuan had previously thought that Chen Dong Lan was someone who would never learn about romance, but after Chen Dong Lan got together with him, he spent a lot of time learning how to date.
Regardless, due to his lack of romantic cells, what he did often seemed clumsy or untimely. Just like now, he bought a bouquet of unsophisticated flowers and didn't think to hide it in the boot, choosing this moment to give it to Yuan Yuan who was driving on a road that they couldn't stop on.
"Why did you buy eleven flowers?" Yuan Yuan simply couldn't contain his laugh.
Chen Dong Lan said sincerely, "Because the boss said eleven flowers signified forever."
Even for a simple romantic line such as "forever", he had said it so stiffly.
This was surely someone who was very unromantic. How could someone like that manage to understand something like a secret love?
To Yuan Yuan, Chen Dong Lan silently loving him for so many years, was the biggest romantic gesture that Chen Dong Lan could give to him.
Yuan Yuan couldn't help but tease him. "Does my Dong Dong love me so much?"
After a pause, Chen Dong Lan's ears were both red. He pretended to fiddle with the flower bouquet, then responded, "Yes."
They gave the flowers to Mother Yuan when they got home. Mother Yuan didn't say anything but Yuan Yuan and Father Yuan could see that she was very happy.
When it was time to send Father and Mother Yuan back to their hotel, Chen Dong Lan wanted to drive. But Yuan Yuan saw that it was late and felt that he would drive too slowly, possibly causing them only arrive home after midnight. Regardless of what he said, he wasn't allowed to drive and instead was sent to the backseat to sit with Mother Yuan.
During the journey, the family started by criticising the Chinese New Year gala. Following that, Mother Yuan remembered what Mother Chen said that day and asked Chen Dong Lan, "Does your mother always nag you that way?"
Chen Dong Lan didn't understand. "Nag me in what way?"
Mother Yuan admonished him, "She said you're bad and you just went with it? You have to argue with her. There are some things that she's wrong about, not that you have done wrong. How can you just accept everything?"
Chen Dong Lan thought for a while but still felt at fault. "Yes, there are some things that aren't like what she thinks, but it's because she doesn't understand. I have never explained it to her either."

Recalling what happened that night, Mother Yuan felt a little angry.
"Correct, the two of you don't interact much. She should have just let it go after speaking and listening."
Chen Dong Lan nodded in agreement.
Mother Yuan let out an exasperated laugh. "I said that you shouldn't pay attention to your mother's words, and you nod?"
Chen Dong Lan was slightly taken aback and didn't know how to respond.
After holding back for a while, he said shyly, "Because she doesn't understand me, there are some things I shouldn't listen to. But, Mom, I'll definitely listen to your words."
Mother Yuan loved putting on airs, her method of raising her son was with an iron fist. When it came to Chen Dong Lan, she managed to find some tenderness.
"Yes, you're a good boy." She reached out to pat Chen Dong Lan on the back of his hand.
The hotel that Father and Mother Yuan were staying at was slightly far.
With Yuan Yuan's steady driving and the slight vibrations of the car, Chen Dong Lan chatted with Mother Yuan while resting against the car window and fell asleep. He had been tense for the entire day about receiving Mother Chen and Uncle Xu. Now that he had sent them off, he should be tired.
Since they were only sending people off, Chen Dong Lan didn't wear thick outerwear when they left the house. There was sufficient heat in the car, but his body tended to be cooler. In his sleep, he subconsciously hugged himself and curled up his body slightly.
At a red light, Yuan Yuan looked in the rearview mirror and saw Mother Yuan separate a cushion to become a thin blanket, carefully covering Chen Dong Lan.
"Sigh, how could anyone bear to..."
Mother Yuan looked at Chen Dong Lan while muttering to herself. She lifted her head to see Yuan Yuan and Father Yuan peeking at her from the front, with smiles on their faces.
Unable to stop herself, Mother Yuan shot daggers at the father-son pair.