Chapter 27: Xia Yan, I Am a Normal Man

Xia Yan froze completely, her emotions shifting with each passing second—one moment anxious, the next utterly stunned. This was... just too much. Last night, she had actually suspected Lin You; looking back now, it seemed almost laughable. How could anything have been more normal than this?

Lin You was equally motionless, not daring to move an inch. He would rather face a dozen enemies than deal with Xia Yan at this very moment. It was simply... unbearable.

"Ahem, I suddenly need to use the bathroom. You should sleep a bit more," Xia Yan found an excuse, carefully moving her leg away. The friction as she shifted made Lin You suck in a sharp breath, and the pained sound startled Xia Yan. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you just now?"

She reached to lift the quilt to check, but Lin You froze in place. Seeing her about to uncover him, he quickly sat up and pressed the quilt back down, "I'm fine, really. Go to the bathroom."

"Are you sure?" Xia Yan looked at him with such genuine concern that Lin You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I'm fine."

It suddenly dawned on Xia Yan—what on earth had she just done? Did he now see her as some kind of indecent girl? Lin You recalled the trace of disappointment in her eyes the night before, and after a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "Xia Yan, I am a normal man."

Xia Yan was speechless. What was he trying to say? Was she being too obvious? The more she thought about it, the hotter her face grew, as if it might burst into flames.

***

When Xia Yan stepped out of the room, she found her parents and elder brother's family already up and chatting. Clearly, they’d finished breakfast.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Yan Yan, why didn't you sleep a bit longer? Are you not used to it here?" Lin Auntie asked, holding the younger child in her arms.

"No, Mom. I slept very well last night."

In fact, she’d slept so well that she hadn’t even noticed anything happening.

"That's good. Breakfast is still warm in the pot. I'll bring it for you," her mother said.

"Mom, there's no need. I'll brush my teeth first and get it myself in a bit."

Back in the bedroom, Lin You had taken nearly ten minutes to calm himself down before getting dressed and greeting everyone. After breakfast, the two prepared to head to Lin You’s family home. Lin You had only taken eight days’ leave from the army, and the round trip alone would take nearly five days. With two children at home—though Wang Guilan was helping out—leaving for too long would be inconvenient.

Xia Guoliang and his wife were reluctant to see them go, but couldn't ask them to stay longer. After a few words of parting, Lin Auntie watched Xia Yan’s departing figure, tears streaming down her face as she called out, "Yan Yan, come home whenever you can. Your father and I will always be waiting for you."

Xia Yan turned back, forcing a smile and waving goodbye, but as she turned away, tears rolled down uncontrollably. In just one day together, she had felt the warmth of parental love that she had missed for so long. Looking at her parents—half their hair already white—she realized that living so far away in the northwest, she would not have many chances to see them. Each farewell was like water drawn from a bowl; with each sip, there was less left, until eventually, nothing remained.

How she wished she had a mobile phone, so even if she couldn’t be by their side, at least she could speak to them and see them every day.

"If you ever want to come back, I can choose to retire from the army and return here," Lin You said quietly.

"I don’t want to affect your future. As long as you can come back with me to visit during holidays, that’s enough," Xia Yan shook her head, then added softly, "Lin You, for the rest of my life... I’ll be counting on you."

Lin You stopped walking and gripped her hand tightly. "For the rest of our lives... I will never let you down."

In that moment, their hearts were truly united.

The walk from the Xia family to the Lin family took over half an hour. When they arrived, Lin You's parents were already sitting by the door, as if waiting for them.

"Brother, you’re back!" Lin You’s younger sister, Lin Ling, was the first to run over.

"It’s been a long time. You’ve grown taller. Nuannuan, say hello to your aunt," Lin You affectionately patted the little girl’s head.

"Auntie," Nuannuan piped up.

Lin Ling scooped her up and showered her with kisses, making the little one giggle with delight. After setting Nuannuan down, Lin Ling turned to Lin You with a smile, "Brother, this must be sister-in-law. She’s so beautiful."

The Lin family had already learned yesterday that Lin You would be bringing Xia Yan back to the village. Expecting them to return that day, the parents had stayed home, waiting for their son and daughter-in-law.

"My sister, Lin Ling," Lin You introduced her.

Xia Yan looked at Lin Ling. Though she was called "little sister," she was actually a year older than Xia Yan herself.

"Hello, Lin Ling. I’m Xia Yan."

"Sister-in-law, I heard yesterday that you’d arrived, and I wanted to come find you at the Xia house, but our parents wouldn’t let me," Lin Ling said cheerfully.

At that moment, Father and Mother Lin also approached. Xia Yan greeted them politely as "Uncle" and "Aunt." They were not as talkative as Xia Guoliang and his wife; especially Mother Lin, who mostly sat quietly to the side, smiling as Lin Ling chatted away.

"Brother, I’m going to join the army too," Lin Ling announced with a grin during the meal.

"You? Join the army?" Lin You looked up at his sister.

"Yes, I’ll also be going to the northwest. Not your base, but the garrison at the foot of the mountain."

Lin You’s brow furrowed as he listened. At first, he thought Lin Ling was joking, but she had already been assigned to the Northwest Military District. His expression darkened immediately. "Nonsense. Why didn’t you write to me and discuss this? If you go to the northwest, what about our parents at home?"

Lin You’s raised voice made everyone stop eating. Tears welled up in Lin Ling’s eyes. "Why are you being so fierce? I’ve looked up to you since I was little. Is it wrong for me to want to be a soldier?"

"You—" Lin You was about to scold her again but was stopped by Xia Yan.

"What’s with your temper? You’re scaring her. If your sister wants to be a soldier, that’s her dream."

"But someone needs to stay and care for our parents. If our second brother were still here, I’d never stop her from enlisting, but now..." At the mention of Lin Zuo, the atmosphere shifted, and Mother Lin choked up.

At last, Father Lin, who had been silent, spoke. "You, Lin You, your mother and I support Lin Ling joining the army. In fact, I’m the one who told her to go to the northwest. That way, she’ll be closer to you. Your mother and I can manage on our own, don’t worry."

"But, Dad..." Lin You started to protest, but Father Lin cut him off. "The matter is settled. Lin Ling can’t stay with us forever, just as we didn’t hold you back when you joined the army. We wanted you all to have better futures, not spend your lives in the countryside like we did."

Lin You was silent for a while before finally asking, "When do you leave for the army?"

"In half a month."

Hearing this, Lin You realized there was nothing more he could do. He could only sigh...