Yu Qiu thought he might lose control of his emotions, but as the plane landed, he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar city, and all that was left in his heart was an inexplicable impulse.
Xuan Yun squeezed his hand and said, “Qiu-ge.”
“I’m fine,” Yu Qiu held his hand and disembarked the plane. “Are you nervous?”
“Yes,” Xuan Yun said, “But when I think that Qiu-ge is with me, I’m not that afraid.”
Nearly two hours on the plane.
Three hours on the bus.
The golden light outside the window gradually faded, replaced by the twilight glow. By the time they arrived, it was already nighttime. Yu Qiu stood at the door of a small house, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.
After a while, hurried footsteps came from inside.
The door was pulled open, revealing the face of a woman.
With a trembling voice, Yu Qiu said, “Mom, I’m back.”
From age eighteen to twenty-two.
He struggled for a long time, experienced brilliance and darkness, fought alone. Now, this long-lost familial bond easily peeled away his protective shell, exposing his vulnerable human side – he almost forgot that he was once protected too.
Yu Qiu’s mother seemed to have aged a lot. She held Yu Qiu’s hand for a long time before managing to say anything. From inside the house, a man’s voice came, “Qiu-ge is back?”
“Hey, Dad!” Yu Qiu said, “I’m back!”
The meal was already prepared, and the table was filled with dishes. After exchanging greetings with his parents, during the meal, Yu Qiu expected his parents to bombard him with questions, but surprisingly, it was Xuan Yun who did the questioning.
Xuan Yun was extremely nervous, but his answers were honest and sweet. He addressed Yu Qiu’s parents as “Mom” and “Dad,” which made them laugh.
Seeing that his parents still liked him, Yu Qiu felt relieved.
His sexual orientation was not a big deal for his family. They didn’t explicitly support or oppose it. When he was sixteen and they found out about his relationship with a boy, Yu Qiu’s mother talked to him for a long time and finally said, “You’re sixteen now, not a kid anymore. Be responsible for your own actions. I won’t say much about other matters; you understand, right?”
“I understand.”
After dinner, Xuan Yun sat on the side, listening to Yu Qiu chatting with his parents.
When Yu Qiu spoke in the local dialect, Xuan Yun felt grounded, pretending to watch TV while listening attentively. Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand some of the words.
With not many rooms available, Xuan Yun had to share a room with Yu Qiu. They turned off the lights, and Yu Qiu got under the covers, asking, “How was today?”
“How did I do?” Xuan Yun said, “Will your parents dislike me?”
“They won’t,” Yu Qiu caressed his head, “My little friend did great.”
“My mom asked me if I’m sure about you,” Yu Qiu chuckled, “I said, yes, I’m sure about him.”
Xuan Yun hugged him tightly.
“I feel like my parents have aged,” Yu Qiu kissed his forehead, “I haven’t spent enough time with them… They gave me the chance to continue fulfilling my duties as their son, and I’m content with that.”
The next day, Yu Qiu went with Xuan Yun to meet his parents.
They didn’t spend the Spring Festival together; each celebrated with their own families.
Yu Qiu asked, “What do your parents do?”
“My dad is a university lecturer, and my mom is a veterinarian,” Xuan Yun said, “My dad is quite funny, pretending to be serious. My mom loves animals and is open-minded. They will definitely like you, so don’t worry.”
A university lecturer.
Yu Qiu didn’t burst Xuan Yun’s bubble. He leaned his chin on his hand, gazing out of the window at the clouds, and sighed almost imperceptibly.
Xuan Yun’s home was in the suburbs, a villa with a beautiful environment, even in winter, there were evergreen pines and cypresses. Xuan Yun confidently walked in, directly taking the keys to open the door, shouting, “I’m back!”
The man and woman in the living room were startled. Xuan’s mother jumped off the couch, “Xuan Yun is back!”
Yu Qiu stood by his side, tightly holding his hand, and smiled calmly, “Hello, Auntie.”
“You…” The woman walked closer, and Yu Qiu saw her more clearly. She was a little plump but well-groomed, with smile lines at the corners of her eyes. “You must be Yu Qiu, right?”
“Auntie knows me?”
“How could I not know,” the woman smiled, “Come in—I’ve read the book you wrote.”
Yu Qiu smiled bashfully.
The man sitting on the couch spoke up, “Xiao Xuan, when you come back home, don’t you know how to greet your dad?”
“Hey, Dad!” Xuan Yun leaned over, “Your son and his boyfriend wish you an early Happy New Year!”
“Yu Qiu, right?” Xuan’s father said, “Come here, sit next to me.”
Yu Qiu moved over and smiled, “Uncle, hello. I apologize for coming to disturb you, I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s my first time seeing Xuan bring a boyfriend home,” Xuan’s father smiled faintly, “How old are you?”
“Twenty-three,” Yu Qiu said.
“I’m only two years older than Yu Qiu, no generation gap!” Xuan Yun chimed in, “We’re a perfect match!”
Xuan’s mother pulled him over, “Your dad is chatting with Yu Qiu, why are you joining in? Come and help me with cooking!”
Xuan Yun had to follow her.
“You’re twenty-three, just graduated from university last year? Did you take the postgraduate entrance exam?”
“I didn’t go to college,” Yu Qiu said, “When I was young and arrogant, after the college entrance exam, I started writing instead of continuing my studies.”
“Why didn’t you go to college?” Xuan’s father’s eyes widened slightly, “Did your family not support it?”
“… ” Yu Qiu hesitated, “They didn’t support it. When I was eighteen, I left home and went to another city.”
He had a million lies, but he didn’t want to say any of them. Once he uttered one lie, there would be another, and endless lies to cover up the previous ones would be the biggest lie of all.
“Then what are you doing now?” Xuan’s father’s expression wasn’t great, as he asked.
“I’m writing,” Yu Qiu said, “Novels.”
“Is it your main job?” Xuan’s father said, “Forgive me for being blunt, but I think writing should be a hobby at best. If it’s your main job, it might be too unstable.”
Yu Qiu didn’t comment.
It would be too demanding to expect everyone’s values to be the same.
“Regarding the relationship between you and Xuan Yun – Xuan Yun is still young, and he hasn’t seen much of the world. He might feel comfortable being with you now, but no one can predict the future. Although I don’t think going to college is absolutely necessary, I believe university is an important place that influences one’s values. In the future, you two may separate due to differing values.”
“Uncle, I won’t comment on your view,” Yu Qiu said, “I might have seen a bit more of the world than he has. I saw the ugliness that he hasn’t seen yet. I can tell him how to avoid the mistakes he will make, and I can guide him at every stage of his life. If you think not going to college might lead to a difference in values, I can’t argue with practical evidence. I can only say, please watch and see – I will treat Xuan Yun well, for the rest of our lives.”
Epilogue – The End.
