After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

The moment Lan Yujuan saw her ex-husband, her body reacted instinctively, and she immediately took her daughter's hand and retreated around the corner.

"Mom, what's wrong?" the little one asked, looking up in confusion.

"Mom, I need to go to the toilet, I can't hold it in any longer."

Lan Yujuan took a deep breath, squatted down, and whispered:

"Just now, Mom saw someone she didn't recognize in the yard."

"Xiaoman, be good. Let's walk quietly down the corridor without saying a word, okay?"

The little one nodded, seemingly understanding, "Okay!"

Then, Lan Yujuan stood up, took her daughter's hand, and walked quickly through the corridor in the yard without looking to the side.

Fortunately, Liu Zhiyuan was sitting with his back to the corridor they were passing through, so he didn't notice.

"Brother Zhiyuan, here's the menu. Take a look and see what you'd like to eat. Order whatever you like!"

"You're away from home most of the year, so you probably rarely have the chance to eat such authentic and genuine hometown flavors, right?"

Liu Zhiyuan curled the corners of his mouth and reached out to take the menu.

"Yes, after wandering around for so many years, I really miss the taste of home."

Just as Liu Zhiyuan was looking down at the menu, a man sitting opposite him happened to be looking up at the small courtyard.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the backs of Lan Yujuan and her daughter as they turned the corner in the corridor.

The man raised his hand and patted Liu Zhiyuan, half-jokingly saying:

"Zhiyuan, isn't that a coincidence?"

"I just saw a woman leading a child down the hallway, and her back view looked just like your wife!"

Liu Zhiyuan froze, the veins on his hand gripping the menu bulging, then slowly turned around, his eyes searching around.

"Where are they? Which direction did they go?"

As he spoke, Liu Zhiyuan was about to put down the menu and get up to look for it.

The man was startled, not expecting Liu Zhiyuan to react so strongly. He quickly grabbed him and explained guiltily:

"Zhiyuan, don't take it to heart, I was just joking!"

"I was just looking at the back of the figure and thought it looked pretty much like someone, but I didn't see what it looked like at all."

The group of students were high school classmates. They all got into the county's top high school based on their own merit from the surrounding villages, and their families were all relatively poor.

So, we've had a pretty good relationship since we met in high school.

After graduating from university, apart from Liu Zhiyuan who stayed in Beijing, the other friends at the table basically all returned to their county towns and got stable jobs.

Among these friends, there is both pride in each other and a deep-seated mutual envy.

Although Liu Zhiyuan doesn't go back to his hometown often, he usually has a simple get-together every time he does.

Liu Zhiyuan's love story was once a sensation, spreading throughout social media.

Later, Lan Yujuan took her daughter back to her parents' home, and all her close friends knew about it.

They assumed that Liu Zhiyuan had long since lost feelings for his ex-wife.

I never expected that Liu Zhiyuan would react so strongly to the mention of his ex-wife.

"So, which direction did you see them go?" Liu Zhiyuan turned around and asked nervously.

The man was startled and quickly explained, "No, no, I must have seen wrong!"

"Didn't you say that Lan Yujuan took her daughter back to her parents' home, and didn't even come back when your father died?"

"How could she possibly come all this way back, and bring the child here for a late-night snack?"

"Moreover, the more I think about that figure from behind, the more something seems off."

"Your wife is rather thin, while the woman who just walked by with the child was noticeably much rounder."

After hearing this, the others chimed in, "That's right, it's impossible."

"Zhiyuan, now that it's all in the past, you should let it go."

"Don't worry about it. It's rare for us all to get together like this, so let's relax and enjoy the meal."

Liu Zhiyuan remained standing stiffly, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

"She's back."

"Today at the shopping mall in the county, people from our village ran into her and Ye... and my daughter."

"My mother's health is... not good anymore. The doctor wants us to take her home and prepare for her passing."

"She brought the child back, probably to go home and see my mother one last time!"

"They're definitely staying in the county town tonight! So, it's not impossible for her to be here!"

After Liu Zhiyuan finished speaking, he was about to leave the table to search, even if it was aimless.

The person who had just seen his back finally couldn't help but speak up to remind him:

"Zhiyuan, you're going the wrong way! I just saw them heading towards the restroom!"

The conversation was so loud that Lan Yujuan, holding her daughter's hand, heard it as soon as she stepped out of the restroom.

She immediately guessed that someone else must have seen her when she passed by, which aroused Liu Zhiyuan's suspicion.

So she bent down, picked up her daughter, decisively changed direction, turned into the small passageway leading to the kitchen, and circled back to the private room.

Before even reaching the private room, they could see Chen Mo standing at the door waiting from afar.

Before she could call out, Chen Mo seemed to sense it and looked up.

"Why did it take you so long?"

Chen Mo came over, bent down to pick up his daughter, and then reached out to gently scrape her little nose.

The little one wrapped his arms around his father's neck and whispered something in his ear.

"I just ran into someone my mom dislikes in the yard."

"So, after we finished using the toilet, we walked around the kitchen."

Chen Mo reacted quickly, turning to look at Lan Yujuan the next second, "It's him?"

Lan Yujuan nodded gently, "Mm."

"He and a few friends were having a meal together in the courtyard outside. They must have just arrived today."

Chen Mo took her hand and walked straight into the private room. "Never mind him, let's eat."

As the food was served, Lan Yujuan, who had been a little depressed, instantly forgot all her troubles.

"Mmm! It really tastes delicious, so fragrant!"

Lan Yujuan really didn't expect that the grilled lamb skewers here would be so delicious.

We ordered a table full of dishes, and almost none of them were bad; each had its own unique characteristics!

As Chen Mo poured her water, he smiled and introduced her:

"I just heard the waiter say that the lamb here is all air-freighted from the grasslands."

"All the spices and ingredients are carefully selected, and the processing techniques are very sophisticated."

Lan Yujuan nodded as she ate, "Mmm! I love lamb skewers the most."

"The last time we went out for late-night barbecue was probably when we graduated from university, when a few of us from the dorm had a get-together."

"The lamb at that restaurant was so-so, and the wine was so-so too, but we ate very well."

In fact, to be precise, she cried very well that time!

The six sisters who shared a dormitory in college have gone their separate ways since graduation and have never reunited.

Several years have passed in the blink of an eye. I wonder where they are now and how they are doing?

Recalling the past, Lan Yujuan held the kebabs, lost in thought.

As if sensing something, Chen Mo picked up his wine glass and gently touched her water glass.

"If you have the chance, you can try to arrange a meeting with them."

"I know a farmhouse restaurant in southern Hunan that serves roasted whole lamb; it's really good!"

"Next time you want to treat your friends and would like to eat roast lamb, I can go with you!"

Lan Yujuan was amused by the teasing, her eyes sparkling, her heart warm and tender.

She picked up her water glass and gently touched Chen Mo's wine glass to hers. "Okay, it's settled then!"