Chapter 217 - Small Courtyard

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ding Rong was Huo Tian’s biological mother. Although most people who had interacted with this mother-daughter pair would say that their personalities were completely different, there were indeed parts of their personalities that were the same.

Like Huo Tian, Ding Rong was not good at lying. This was especially so when facing people who were close to them. They would be especially bad at going against their true thoughts.

Hence, facing Xi Cheng’s gaze that was filled with expectations, Ding Rong could not say things like “I don’t want to stay with you”. She slowly nodded and let Xi Cheng take her hand and led her to leave the narrow tailor shop.

Huo Tian waved at Xi Cheng. “Dad, take good care of Mom. Don’t let her cry anymore.”

Xi Cheng nodded solemnly. “This will be the goal I’ll work hard for for the rest of my life.”

Ding Rong’s cheeks flushed red. At this moment, she really felt that she had indulged Huo Tian too much in the past, which was why she had developed such a rude personality.

However, Ding Rong could not educate her daughter in front of Xi Cheng and could only glare at her a few times in secret. However, the way her cheeks were flushed red did not have much lethality. Huo Tian was not afraid at all and giggled as she winked at Ding Rong.

“Mom, I won’t disturb you and Dad from sharing your heartfelt feelings.”

Ding Rong’s mind was in a mess from her daughter’s teasing and the affectionate gaze of the man next to her. She was led by Xi Cheng to the backyard in a daze.

Xi Cheng looked around the small but clean courtyard. Images flashed through his mind and he could not help but say, “I feel that this place is very familiar. It seems like it hasn’t changed…”

He frowned tightly as if he was trying hard to remember something. Ding Rong sighed and said, “It’s been so many years, so how can there be no changes?”

She also looked around the small courtyard and said with a sigh, “In the past, the courtyard was covered in red bricks. As time passed, moss would grow on the bricks in the corners. Children can fall easily because of that, so the floor has been changed to cement flooring. For the plants that were grown back then, some of them died due to improper care. The two orange trees have grown, but even the largest flower pot can’t contain the roots anymore. They were given to the farmers in the suburbs…”

For Ding Rong, every minute change in the courtyard formed the long time that Xi Cheng had been absent. However, for Xi Cheng, those were just the background of his dream. In many of his dreams, what remained unchanged was this sunny courtyard and the slender woman in the courtyard.

He walked to the side of the stone table and gently stroked the small hole on the edge. “I’ve had many dreams. You would be sitting here and doing needlework while it was bright. Sometimes you were sewing clothes or buttons for me, sometimes you were making baby clothes, sometimes you were knitting a scarf… It’s just that I can only see your back view. Every time I make a sound or when I want to quietly walk around to see your face clearly, I’d wake up from the dream the next second.”

Ding Rong looked at Xi Cheng and realized that the man who had always been strong in her memories now had an expression that showed his helplessness toward fate.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Later on, I started to humbly beg God, or any god, to let me take a look at your appearance. As long as I can take a single look, I’d be able to find you. Unfortunately, the gods also don’t like a sinful bastard like me and have never bothered with me… Although this small courtyard doesn’t have the same flooring and plants have changed too, it’s the thing that I remember the most deeply other than you.”

Ding Rong could not empathize with Xi Cheng, who had lost his memories, but her heart still ached for him instinctively.

She said gently, “You’ve already found us. You can slowly remember the past..”