Chapter 10: He and She Always Forget

An Yan was genuinely startled, but as soon as she saw who it was, the scream lodged in her throat. Lin You stood frozen for a moment, then quickly shut the door. “You can lock the door from inside,” he said.

An Yan blushed, changed into her pajamas, and walked out, seeing Lin You with his back to her. “I saw you hadn’t come back yet, so I wanted to take a shower,” she explained. Her gaze lingered over Lin You, taking in his well-shaped shoulders and back, unconsciously swallowing hard. Before she could recover, Lin You turned, and her eyes met his face directly.

Noticing the strange glimmer in her eyes, Lin You’s expression faltered, a hint of awkwardness surfacing. “I should be the one apologizing. I was too thoughtless,” he said.

An Yan quickly looked away, the blush on her cheeks deepening. “You don’t have to apologize. You already did last time. It was my fault for forgetting.”

“I’ll go change my clothes now,” Lin You said with a polite nod, not wanting to dwell on who was at fault. He walked straight into his room without another glance.

Once he shut the door, An Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the kitchen. Lin You, upon entering his room, was taken aback by the transformation. In just a single day, the place felt less empty, vibrant even, as if life had been breathed into it, lifting his spirits. He didn’t have to ask to know it was An Yan’s doing.

After changing, he heard the sounds of cooking from the kitchen. He took a quick look in the next room; the two boys were diligently doing their homework, while his youngest daughter had already fallen asleep.

He gently pushed open the door, bent down, and looked at Lin Nuannuan sleeping on the bed. He smoothed the hair from her forehead and placed a gentle kiss there.

The little girl stirred, clutching her plush rabbit even tighter, as if afraid someone might take it away.

At some point, Lin Hongzhe and his brother appeared at the doorway. “Dad,” they called.

“Shh!” Lin You hushed them as he finished tucking the blanket around his daughter. Then he stepped out and asked in a mild tone, “So you two finally decided to come home?”

Despite his handsome features, the air about Lin You carried an unspoken authority, impossible to ignore—a presence that inspired both respect and a little fear.

“Dad, you said half a month. I told my brother we’d give her half a month. If she treats our sister and me well in that time, I won’t try to drive her away anymore,” Lin Hongzhe said, forcing himself to look up and meet his father’s gaze.

Lin You didn’t scold him. His eyes, sharp as an eagle’s, remained fixed on the boy for a long moment, until An Yan emerged from the kitchen carrying dishes, breaking the intense standoff between father and son.

“Captain Lin, dinner’s hot. You should eat something,” she said.

Lin You withdrew his gaze from his son and turned to An Yan, who was wearing an apron. He nodded slightly and walked over. “Thank you for your hard work.”

An Yan shook her head. “Xiao Zhe, Xiao Zhuo, Auntie made steamed eggs for you. Come and eat.”

The three children were growing fast, and An Yan had noticed when feeding Nuannuan her egg custard at dinner, Lin Hongzhuo would sneak glances at her bowl.

Lin You, just seated, glanced at the brothers. Without a word, they set aside their usual defiance and came over quietly to eat.

An Yan joined them, her eyes watching the three of them. Lin You ate quickly, as if on a battlefield. Lin Hongzhuo matched his pace, and their bowls of egg custard were soon empty. Only the cool and composed Lin Hongzhe ate slowly and with manners.

Watching the three finish all the food, An Yan was quietly delighted. Who wouldn’t be pleased to see their cooking polished off so thoroughly?

“Captain Lin, are you full? If not, I can make you some more,” she offered.

“I’m very full. Did you always cook at home?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” An Yan replied as she stood to clear the table, seeing all three had put down their chopsticks.

“Sometimes? Then you’re naturally talented at cooking. It’s delicious…” Lin You said, his calm expression unwavering as he fixed his gaze on her.

The two brothers looked at him in surprise. Receiving Lin You’s praise was no small feat.

“The three children haven’t been any trouble, have they?” he asked.

“Not at all. They’re all very well-behaved, easy to look after—not the least bit of trouble.” An Yan didn’t try to hide anything. It was true; the two boys were at school during the day and, except for some hostility toward her in the evenings, caused her no real concern. As for Nuannuan, she adored her and was obedient to boot.

As for cooking, she had no complaints. In her previous life, whenever she had time off, she would explore new recipes. For the sake of healthy ingredients, she’d even rented her own vegetable plot.

Thinking of the plot, her mind wandered to the patch of land behind the yard. “Captain Lin…”

“Just call me by my name.”

An Yan hesitated, then asked, “Lin You, is the land behind our yard part of our property?”

Lin You nodded. “More or less. But if you want to use it, you’ll need to inform the unit. I’ll help you ask tomorrow.”

“Alright.” An Yan’s heart leapt with joy. She was never one to sit idle. She might have over seven hundred yuan in hand—a small fortune—but even that could be spent one day. She needed something to do, and if she could make a little money on the side, all the better.

The next morning, Lin You took the two boys out early, leaving An Yan at home with Nuannuan, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Remembering the clothes Lin You and the children had changed out of yesterday, she carried an enamel basin in one hand and held Nuannuan’s hand with the other, asking a neighbor where everyone did their laundry.

It was less than a five-minute walk east of the family compound to a small river flowing down from the mountains.

There were already several women crouched by the riverside, washing clothes. One of the figures was especially familiar.

An Yan walked over with her basin. “Aunt Wang.”

“Xiao An? You’re here to do laundry too?”

“Yes, these are the clothes Lin You and the kids changed out of yesterday. I had nothing else to do, so I thought I’d wash them.”

She spotted Er Dan stacking stones nearby. “Nuannuan, go play with Er Dan while Auntie does the laundry.”

The river water was melted snow from the mountains and icy cold. An Yan wasn’t used to the chill.

“It’s cold, isn’t it? You must not do this kind of work often, with such delicate fingers,” Aunt Wang remarked.

An Yan gave an awkward smile. It was true—she never washed clothes by hand, always relying on the washing machine.

“Watch me, I’ll teach you,” Aunt Wang said, noticing her inexperience. She demonstrated: first rubbing the clothes with soap powder, scrubbing a few times, then grabbing a stick and beating the fabric.

An Yan, who had never seen this method, watched curiously. So this was another way to wash clothes?