Chapter 129 - 129 Father's Past
129 Father’s Past
That night, Ai Tingya stayed at Ai Zhaojiang’s house. The two of them prepared a large table of dishes.
What made Ai Zhaojiang even happier was that Luo Feng wasn’t here.
Ai Zhaojiang was very satisfied with the day other than the courtyard house next door was too noisy with cleaning the house and moving new furniture in the afternoon.
He had been chatting with Ai Tingya and could finally ask her about her life openly.
“Dean Du of the orphanage is also very good to me. The children are also very cute. And Xiao Fei. You know that she’s my best friend in the orphanage.” Ai Tingya chatted about her previous life with a faint smile on her face. “Xiao Fei comforts me every time I’m unhappy.”
She was smiling, but there was always a faint sadness in her voice.
The fatigue and hardship in the past seemed to have become precious memories. Ai Tingya actually missed them when she thought about it.
However, the bitterness was greater than the relief when these words fell into Ai Zhaojiang’s ears.
If not for the fact that he was afraid that Ai Tingya would be sad, he might have cried immediately.
“It’s alright, Professor Ai.” Ai Tingya comforted Ai Zhaojiang instead. “It’s all in the past. I feel that I’m very good now. I got into an ideal university and have a career that I can fight for my entire life. I still have Luo Feng and you… It’s really very good.”
“Good child, it’ll get better and better.” Ai Zhaojiang choked.
If Ai Tingya had grown up by his side, he would never have let her suffer so much. This regret could only be made up for in the future.
“By the way, didn’t you say you wanted to show me Dad’s photo?” Ai Tingya remembered the purpose of this trip.
“I’ll get it immediately.”
Ai Zhaojiang walked into the room and took out an old photo album.
The cover of the photo album had turned white and faded because it had been flipped through too many times. Every photo inside was well protected. One side of the plastic wrap had been reapplied.
Ai Zhaojiang took out a photo and handed it to Ai Tingya. “This is a photo of your father’s adulting birthday. He was a few years younger than you now.”
The photo was of a child-like face wearing a very popular military green outfit back then. His body was standing upright, and his eyes were wide open. He looked very spirited.
Ai Tingya rubbed the face in the photo. This was the first time she knew what her father looked like.
“I look so similar to Dad,” Ai Tingya said with a sobbing tone.
“That’s right.” Ai Zhaojiang couldn’t help but wipe the corners of her eyes. “Your father was a famous handsome young man nearby back then. Many girls had written him love letters.”
Ai Zhaojiang continued to flip through the pages. Every time she looked at a photo, he could accurately tell the time and place of the photoshoot. He would also tell Ai Tingya what interesting things had happened that day.
He could use these scattered memories at will. He had relied on these memories to support himself for the past ten years after all.
Ai Tingya flipped through the entire photo album. Her father was only 22 years old.
She did not ask what conflict had happened between her father and Ai Zhaojiang back then, nor did she ask about her mother. This was because she knew that now was not the time.
After looking at the photo, Ai Zhaojiang took the initiative to say, “It’s getting late. You should sleep. I’ll bring you to your room.”
Ai Tingya nodded and stood up to walk to the room beside his room.
As soon as he opened the door, there was a faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers. The pink bed and mosquito nets, and the lacy pillow, were as fluffy as the clouds. It was similar to the princess bed on television.
There was a row of teddy bears by the bed and a photo of Ai Tingya and Luo Feng on the bedside table.
Ai Tingya noticed the photo at first glance and realized that it was a photo taken when promoting the milk tea shop.
Ai Zhaojiang sighed and forgot to remove the photo. Wasn’t he giving his silent approval that Luo Feng was family if he placed it at home like this?
Even though Luo Feng had indeed helped this time, Ai Zhaojiang only did not object to the two of them falling in love, he did not agree to them getting married!
“This photo… I don’t mean that… I just feel that your room… Hmm… Do you like this room?” Ai Zhaojiang, a professor, actually had times when he was at a loss for words. He could only change the topic stiffly.
Ai Tingya put down the photo and chuckled. With her back facing Ai Zhaojiang, she said, “I’m still missing a family photo and I would like it even more.”
She turned around and smiled. “Let’s take a photo together next time.”
Ai Zhaojiang was stunned on the spot for a moment before agreeing heavily. Her nose felt sore and she had the urge to cry.
“Sleep early. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be next door.” Ai Zhaojiang quickly closed the door.
He held on to the principle of not making a fool of himself in front of his granddaughter and held back his tears.
After leaving Ai Tingya’s room, he looked at the osmanthus tree under the moon and finally stopped feeling bitter.
…
At night, Ai Tingya lay on the bed, so soft that she was about to sink in.
She could not sleep no matter what. She opened her eyes and counted the flowers on the mosquito net.
Buzz!
At this moment, her phone rang with a text notification.
She picked it up and saw that it was a message from Luo Feng. “Tingya, I can’t sleep at night because I miss you. I wonder if you’re the same? Are you thinking about me?”
“Of course I miss you. I really want you to be by my side now.” Ai Tingya replied to the text message with a cute emoji.
Even though Ai Tingya wanted to cry when they talked about her father’s past tonight, she was actually happy. Her only regret was that Luo Feng was not by her side and no one to share it with.
Buzz!
The reply to Luo Feng’s message was very fast. “I’ll listen to all of Tingya’s dreams in person. Come to the courtyard.”
Ai Tingya was at a loss. It was already so late. Luo Feng couldn’t possibly run out of school, right?
She shuffled out into the courtyard in her slippers.
The autumn moonlight was bright and cold, casting black and white shadows. Ai Tingya looked at the door and realized that there was nothing abnormal. She was attracted by the shadow on the ground. Why was there something by the wall?
Looking up at the wall, Luo Feng was lying on the wall with his chin propped up on his arm, smiling at Ai Tingya.
Ai Tingya was shocked and hurriedly ran to the wall. She saw that it was indeed Luo Feng. “Why did you run into someone else’s courtyard? Come over quickly!”
Luo Feng smiled and said, “This is already our courtyard. You should come over.”
Ai Tingya was stunned for a moment and instantly understood what Luo Feng meant.
“You bought it?”
“I bought it.”
“Why?”
“To be closer to you.”
The self-righteous Luo Feng made Ai Tingya cool down.
She smiled helplessly. “Wait, I’ll be right there.”
There was a folding ladder in the corner of the courtyard wall. Ai Tingya moved it over and placed it beside Luo Feng. She climbed up step by step until she told him the same thing as Luo Feng. Ai Tingya glared at him angrily.
“Recklessly spending money again!” Ai Tingya reprimanded.
“It’s worth it for you.” Luo Feng spread his arms. “Climb over. I’ll catch you.”