Chapter 81 Part 1

Yan Hang really wasn’t someone who cried often. Compared to himself, who would get teary over anything, Chu Yi always thought that Yan Hang was truly strong. Uncle Yan was a calm and collected old fox, while Yan Hang was a particularly resilient young fox.

It was only during those rare moments when Yan Hang lost control of his emotions and cried that Chu Yi realized Yan Hang wasn’t as strong as he appeared.

He was just really good at hiding and masking it.

Chu Yi squatted in front of the tombstone. It was very quiet around them, with the occasional sound of birds and a few chirps from unknown insects.

Aside from those, there were no other sounds, not even Yan Hang’s sobbing.

But the hand Chu Yi placed on Yan Hang’s back could feel it—Yan Hang was indeed crying.

Without a sound.

He just sat there on the ground, hugging his knees, his face buried in his arms.

Chu Yi couldn’t understand what Yan Hang was feeling right now, he could only guess.

After all, he didn’t have that deep of a bond with his own father. When he found out his dad had been arrested, he did feel a bit emotional, but more than anything, he wanted to know why.

Yan Hang was different. He had always been with Uncle Yan. Although they had no permanent home or a traditional sense of family, like Yan Hang had once said, a home wasn’t just a name, it was about people and feelings. Being with Uncle Yan was his home.

After Uncle Yan disappeared, Yan Hang seemed to be doing fine, other than his usual insomnia. He hadn’t shown any additional negative signs.

But now, standing here, seeing these traces of Uncle Yan’s presence...

Perhaps that feeling of loss suddenly surged again.

Uncle Yan had been missing for so long, but then they suddenly discovered he had a recent photo of Yan Hang.

Chu Yi didn’t know if Yan Hang was feeling wronged, relieved, angry, or just missing him.

Chu Yi didn’t say anything to comfort him. He simply kept his hand on Yan Hang’s back.

He couldn’t think of anything comforting to say, and he didn’t believe Yan Hang needed comforting right now.

Crying was a good thing. When you feel like crying, you should cry. Why would anyone try to stop him?

Chu Yi quietly put the small items he had found in the rice back where they belonged. Before, he had just thought Uncle Yan was an interesting person, but now, seeing these things, he also felt that Uncle Yan was a very gentle person.

He must already know that Chu Jianxin had been arrested and released, and that the police had figured out the truth about what had happened. So why hadn’t he shown up?

Chu Yi sighed softly.

Yan Hang didn’t cry for long, at least not as long as Chu Yi would have.

But Yan Hang kept his face buried in his arms, and Chu Yi knew why. Yan Hang was meticulous and good at hiding himself. Of course, he wouldn’t lift his head until his eyes were no longer red.

When the shadow of the nearby pine tree moved from Yan Hang onto Chu Yi’s arm, Yan Hang finally sighed softly, lifted his head, and glanced at him.

Sure enough, his eyes weren’t red anymore, nor was his nose. Aside from a faint mark on his forehead from resting against his clothes, there was no sign in his expression that he had just been crying.

“Let’s go,” Yan Hang slowly stood up, propping himself up on his knees, then straightened and stretched lazily. “We’ll get back just in time for dinner.”

“Mm,” Chu Yi nodded. “Do you want to leave something for Uncle Yan to know you were here…”

“No need,” Yan Hang glanced at the incense burner. “He’ll know someone was here as soon as he touches it. You can’t put everything back exactly the way it was.”

“Will he really remember something like that?” Chu Yi was a bit surprised.

“Not sure,” Yan Hang smiled, “But he’s surprised me plenty of times before.”

After leaving the cemetery, watching as the road gradually became busier, Yan Hang felt his emotions gradually settle, distracted by the changing scenery.

The fact that Dad had a recent photo of him was something Cui Yi probably didn’t know. Otherwise, Cui Yi wouldn’t have sent him here, and knowing Dad, if he decided to hide, he wouldn’t let anyone know easily.

"What do you want to eat?" Chu Yi asked beside me.

"Some restaurant Uncle Chu recommended. Picked the one closest by," Yan Hang said. "Couldn't find the name on navigation, could only search by street name. Have to go take a look. Uncle hasn't been back in decades. It could be long gone by now."

"You're reminiscing on his behalf." Chu Yi smiled.

"Yeah," Yan Hang made a turn following navigation prompts. "In a decade or two when you go back home, you can reminisce too. The supermarket, the wet market, the 3-for-10 underwear..."

"They have 5-for-10 too," Chu Yi said. "I've worn them before."

“Didn’t stain your little buddy red, did it?” Yan Hang clicked his tongue.

“Not too bad,” Chu Yi laughed, “I once wore a pair, that kept bleeding color, washed it till there were holes, and it was still fading. I wondered, if it was just made of dye, no actual fabric.”

Yan Hang laughed for a while. “Hey, you grew up in a big city, and your quality of life is worse than kids from the countryside.”

“It’s better now,” Chu Yi said, “All my underwear is striped now.”

“That’s mine,” Yan Hang said. “Have you ever bought any for yourself, you cheapskate?”

“If you’re upset, you can wear mine,” Chu Yi said. “Ten bucks for three pairs, and they don’t fade.”

"Get lost," Yan Hang looked out the window. "Keep an eye out for a restaurant called 'Brothers'."

"Okay." Chu Yi stuck his head out the window looking around.

After driving down a street, there was no "Brothers" restaurant. But there was a grocery store called "Brothers". Quite a big one too. The entrance was filled with all kinds of kids' swimwear and floaties, and slippers and sandals, covering up the signboard. Chu Yi could barely make out the character "Bro" because of his good eyesight.

"Let's go ask," Yan Hang parked the car at roadside.

The two got out of the car and walked to the grocery store entrance. There were no lights inside, quite dim, couldn't see clearly if anyone was inside.

"Ah!" Chu Yi called out.

Yan Hang looked at him puzzled: "You think they have motion sensor lights here?"

"Buying anything?" An old man walked out from inside.

"Someone's here." Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang was quite impressed by his way of greeting people.

"Hello, uncle," Yan Hang greeted the old man. "I'd like to ask..."

The old man kept staring at him, making him feel a bit embarrassed, almost unable to continue speaking: "Has your shop always been here?"

"Yeah," the old man was still looking at him, "for decades."

"Then do you know there used to be a restaurant called Brothers here?" Yan Hang asked.

"This is my place," the old man pointed down at his feet, "Brothers Restaurant. I couldn't keep up with the work as I got older, so I closed it down."

"Oh," Yan Hang was stunned for a moment, "The restaurant was yours too? You turned it into a shop now?"

"That's right," the old man looked at him and hesitantly asked, "Your surname is Yan, right?"

Chu Yi suddenly turned to look at Yan Hang, who was also stunned: "Yes."

"You look just like your dad, I recognized you at first glance," the old man said, "Spitting image."

"My dad used to come here to eat a lot?" Yan Hang immediately asked.

"He'd come around every few days," the old man nodded proudly, "My spare ribs and duck in sauce were absolutely unforgettable after trying them once."

"Did he come with friends or..." Yan Hang asked with some difficulty, "with my mom?" The word "mom" felt rather unfamiliar to him.

"Your mom probably only came once or twice," the old man recalled, "Later she stopped coming. Your dad often came here with friends, little Cui I remember."

"Now he's old Cui," Yan Hang said, "He's the one who gave me your address."

"What a pity you came too late," the old man smiled, "Can't eat anymore."

"Yeah," Yan Hang sighed, somewhat regretfully.

"Are your parents and little Cui all doing well? It's been over ten years, I still see other regulars frequently, just haven't seen them again," the old man said.