Slow to mature after marriage

"Two weeks later," Zhou Yu'an said, "My mother said she'll come over once the house is settled."

Shen Ruoqing and Zhou Shuyan were determined to move from Haicheng to Beijing. In fact, they had already bought the house next to Muyan Garden.

"That's good." The old lady nodded, her fingers gently stroking the delicate lace on the hem of her skirt, carefully adjusting it.

After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Zhou Yu'an, her eyes filled with a softness that was unique to the elderly and had been tempered by the long years.

"An'an, there's something I want to tell you."

Zhou Yu'an nodded seriously, "Please go ahead."

The old lady lowered her skirt, held onto the sofa armrest, and slowly sat down. Bo Ning sensed that something was wrong, put away her phone, and obediently sat down to the side.

"This old woman wants to apologize to you on behalf of Xiaoyan," the old lady said softly. "Regarding the three principles he mentioned to you before you got married."

Zhou Yu'an's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"I just found out from the old man."

"No talk of feelings, no interference in each other's lives, and mutual respect." The old lady read out the three rules word by word, and after finishing, she shook her head, "What a scoundrel, I don't know who he took after."

She paused for a moment, then slowly recalled.

"But I think I can understand what he was thinking when he married you."

"An'an, Xiao Yan... it's not that he's unwilling to talk about relationships. He probably thinks it's a better choice for both of them."

"When Ayan's father passed away, he was only ten years old. It was a business rival who did it; he died before he could even get to the hospital. His mother—" The old lady paused, her voice trembling slightly, "Jingyan, that child, was always a sensitive person. After her husband passed away, she completely collapsed. She couldn't hold on for more than six months and committed suicide."

"Ayan was only ten years old then, and Bo Ning was even younger, they didn't understand anything." The old lady's eyes reddened, but she didn't let the tears fall. "On the day of the accident, Jingyan locked herself in her room. Ayan was playing hide-and-seek with her younger sister in the living room. The children didn't understand, so they hid in the closet, waiting for their mother to come and find them."

"The wardrobe door was closed, and it was pitch black inside. He was afraid his sister would cry, so he kept covering Bo Ning's mouth and telling her, 'Shh, don't make a sound, Mom will find us soon.'"

"Later, he accidentally fell asleep in the closet with his sister."

The old lady dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her voice.

"Ayan has always felt guilty about this. He feels that if he hadn't hidden in the closet, if he had noticed something was wrong with his mother sooner, maybe things wouldn't have happened—" She shook her head, not finishing her sentence.

"He probably never understood why love could transcend life and death, why his mother couldn't persevere because of them, and ultimately chose to go with his father."

"Perhaps he blamed it all on his mother loving his father too much, more than they did, so that even after the other person left, he didn't have the courage to live alone."

"An'an, I know that you two children have had a tough time growing up." The old lady looked up at Zhou Yu'an, her eyes filled with heartache, pity, and a kind of wisdom that comes from years of experience. "Each of you has your own struggles and wounds. Perhaps expressing love is very difficult for you."

She reached out and placed her hand on the back of Zhou Yu'an's hand.

"But Grandma still wishes you two true love."

"Love is a beautiful thing, An'an."

-

By the time we returned to Muyan Garden, it was almost dark.

Zhou Yu'an changed her clothes, sat on the sofa, and picked up her phone. She wanted to call Bo Yan.

She wanted to hear his voice.

The phone rang a few times and then was hung up.

The screen went dark and then lit up again. Bo Yan sent a message.

[Sweetie, I'm a bit busy today, so I might not be able to video chat with you.]

Go to sleep early, I love you.

Zhou Yu'an stared at the line of text and frowned.

Neither of them likes texting much; they usually video call instead. When they're busy, they'll talk before bed, even if it's just for a few minutes. Even during their busiest days, Bo Yan managed to find half an hour to video chat with her.

Yesterday he said the matter was almost resolved and he would be able to return to China in a couple of days.

Why am I so busy today that I can't even answer the phone?

Zhou Yu'an stared at his phone for a moment, then pulled out his contacts and dialed another number.

-

Los Angeles. Hospital.

The fluorescent lights in the corridor were blindingly bright, and the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant. Wang Jin stood at the ward door, clutching his phone, his knuckles white. The phone vibrated once in his palm, then again, and the name that popped up on the screen made his brow furrow.

Mrs. Bo.

He glanced at the closed ward door, then at his phone. Before entering the operating room, President Bo had specifically instructed him—"Don't tell her, don't let her worry. She's all alone in Beijing, so far away. Even if she knew, she couldn't help; she'd just be worrying for nothing." Wang Jin nodded immediately.

The phone is ringing now.

He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Mrs."

"Assistant Wang," Zhou Yu'an's voice came from the other end of the phone, "What's Bo Yan busy with?"

Wang Jin's mind raced. "President Bo is in a meeting, a meeting at the US branch—Madam, there's been a bit of a situation here, President Bo really can't get away these past few days—"

"Assistant Wang," Zhou Yu'an interrupted him.

Wang Jin's voice was stuck in his throat.

"Every time you lie, your speech speed unconsciously increases," Zhou Yu'an said calmly. "The second half of that sentence was 15 percent faster than your normal speaking speed."

Wang Jin opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

"What's wrong with my husband? Please tell me the truth."

Someone pushed a cart through the corridor, the wheels making a soft sound as they rolled over the paving stones. Wang Jin held his phone, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Madam, Mr. Bo... he suddenly developed acute pancreatitis this morning and is currently undergoing surgery. He didn't want me to tell you, afraid you would worry."

There was silence on the other end for about a minute.

Wang Jin tentatively called out, "...Madam?"

"Okay." The woman's voice remained calm. "I just booked a flight to Los Angeles for two hours from now. Could you please send me the hospital address?"

Wang Jin hurriedly replied, "Okay."

"Before I arrive in Los Angeles—" Zhou Yu'an paused for a moment, "please take good care of my husband."

"Of course, it's what I should do," Wang Jin said.

-

In Muyan Garden, Zhou Yu'an went upstairs, opened his suitcase, took the relevant documents, his mind went blank, and he casually stuffed his clothes inside.

After going downstairs, Aunt Chen poked her head out from the kitchen and saw her carrying a suitcase. She paused for a moment and said, "Madam, what's going on—"

"Aunt Chen, could you please take good care of Grace for me?" Zhou Yu'an hurriedly changed his shoes. "I'm going to Los Angeles."

Boarding. Takeoff. Outside the window, the night was thick and impenetrable.

The plane broke through the clouds, the cabin lights dimmed, some people were snoring, some were watching a movie, the screen flickering on and off. Zhou Yu'an sat there, eyes open, staring at the small, off-light overhead, without blinking for a long time.