Chapter 1021 - I'm Back
Chapter 1021: I’m Back
“Our Tuan Tuan is so well-behaved!” Lin Nuan planted a kiss on Tuan Tuan’s forehead. She promised to bring him delicious cake when she came back before the child waved goodbye to her with tears in his eyes, pouting his lips and trying to hold back his tears.
When Lin Nuan opened the door to the front passenger seat, Cen Mo opened the door to the rear passenger seat for her and said, “You sit in the back. It’s safer behind the driver’s seat!”
Lin Nuan looked toward Cen Mo and nodded, smiling, not ignoring his kind intentions. “Alright!”
Lin Nuan turned and waved goodbye to the crying child before entering the car.
Cen Mo closed the door for Lin Nuan and turned to see the fair and tender child trying to put up a strong front despite his eyes being filled with tears. He smiled, feeling that Tuan Tuan was so adorable that his heart was going to melt.
The drive from the Fu residence to the cemetery took about 40 minutes, but Cen Mo drove very slowly and steadily, taking one hour to arrive.
Lin Nuan looked at the street outside that was slowly moving in reverse. Chinese New Year was arriving soon, and the streets were filled with a strong celebratory atmosphere.
Lin Nuan’s phone vibrated, so she took a glance at it. It was Lin Ran’s WeChat message.
‘Lin Ran: You’re pregnant?’
Lin Nuan’s lips curled up, and she typed to reply…
‘Lin Nuan: How did you know?’
‘Lin Ran: I know one of the actresses in your team. She told me about it secretly! You aren’t planning to make it known to the public?’
‘Lin Nuan: I’m going to keep it a secret for now. I’m only planning to make it known to the public after informing family members.’
‘Lin Ran: Then I’ll help you keep it a secret, leaving you to tell Mom and Dad.’
Lin Nuan’s tender and clean fingertips stroked the phone screen, and she raised her head to look at Cen Mo. “Do you want to know about Mom and Dad?”
Cen Mo’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly…
“It’s just that I’m not too clear about the matters regarding Mom and Dad. Lin Ran is clearer about these things. If you wish to know… I’ll see if she has time to meet up.”
Lin Ran was Lin Chen’s sister by birth. Back then, their parents had switched Lin Nuan and Lin Ran’s identities, so during those years, Lin Ran had been the one by their parents’ side.
It was as Lin Nuan had said. If he wanted to know about their parents when they were still alive, no one would know better than Lin Ran.
Cen Mo wanted to know. He really wanted to know…
What kind of life did his parents lead after losing him back then?
“Alright, I’ll trouble you then!” Cen Mo said.
Lin Nuan was slightly stunned, but she immediately smiled at Cen Mo. “We’re family. There’s no need for you to stand on ceremony.”
When Cen Mo heard Lin Nuan’s words, the corners of his lips curled up, and he replied, “En. We’re a family, so there shouldn’t be a need to stand on ceremony with each other.”
Hearing Cen Mo’s deep voice that had a hint of a smile to it, Lin Nuan thought of what Cen Mo had experienced in the past…
She had no idea if it was because she was pregnant that her emotions were easily swayed, or because she was connected to Cen Mo by blood and could understand what he was feeling. For some reason, Lin Nuan felt a little moved when she heard Cen Mo saying this.
Cen Mo really did have a strong yearning toward kinship, just like Song Yao had said. So much so that he treated it with great care.
Lin Nuan lowered her head and sent a message to Lin Ran.
‘Lin Nuan: I’m on the way to bring Brother to pay his respects to Mom and Dad. Brother wishes to find out about them, and I’m not very clear about these things. If you’re free, can we meet up?’
Lin Nuan had no idea if Lin Ran was busy, but she didn’t reply to the message.
It was only when Cen Mo had reached the cemetery’s entrance that Lin Nuan received Lin Ran’s reply.
‘Lin Ran: Are you guys going now? I just finished what I was doing. I’ll rush over to the cemetery now.’
‘Lin Nuan: It’ll take over an hour for you to rush over from the city. Let’s meet up somewhere closer to you. We’ll head over after paying our respects to Mom and Dad.’
Lin Ran soon sent over an address.
As Lin Nuan was pregnant, Cen Mo didn’t let her walk up with him. He called for a buggy, and the two of them took a ride up.
Standing before his parents’ grave, Cen Mo’s eyes turned red.
The ones buried there were his birth parents. They were the parents who had almost given all they had to look for him after he had gone missing!
Cen Mo saw Lin Nuan squatting down, placing the joss paper into the joss paper burning bucket one piece at a time. It was only then that his stiffened body reacted. He quickly squatted down and helped Lin Nuan split apart the paper.
In the past, when Cen Mo went to the cemetery to pay his respects to his grandfather, grandmother, parents, and Lu Xiangsi from the Lu family, he would only bring along a bouquet of flowers. He hadn’t burned joss paper before. Right now, he just followed Lin Nuan’s actions.
“Did you bring a lighter?” Lin Nuan asked Cen Mo.
Cen Mo took the piece of fire starter paper and said, “Let me do it!”
Very soon, the flames in the bucket shot up very high. Cen Mo shielded Lin Nuan and backed off one step, fearing that the sparks would get onto her clothes.
Lin Nuan looked at the tombstones across the wavering sparks. She grabbed onto Cen Mo’s big hand and said in her gentle voice, “Dad, Mom… I’ve found Brother. The two of you can rest in peace.”
When Cen Mo felt Lin Nuan grabbing onto his hand and calling him “Brother,” his body stiffened up.
His eyes were instantly struck by a sore wave, and his vision blurred as he looked at his parents’ tombstones.
His parents had been waiting for him all their lives!
He grabbed onto Lin Nuan’s small hand forcefully. The siblings… were standing right in front of their birth parents, but their parents could no longer see them.
Their family had been separated when their parents were alive and only reunited after their parents had died.
Their family had never lived together before.
Cen Mo couldn’t hold back his tears, no matter how hard he tried.
“Brother is living very well now. He’s married, and his wife is one of my friends who took very good care of me back in my university days. She’s a kind and righteous lady. Sis-in-law is already pregnant with Brother’s child, and I’m pregnant as well. When the children are born, the two of you must come back to visit them!” Lin Nuan’s face was filled with a smile that was warmer than the sunlight.
Cen Mo bit down on his lip so hard that his masseter muscle was tensed up. He held onto Lin Nuan’s hand, not daring to exert too much force. He was so careful that a layer of sweat had already formed on his palm.
“Brother, greet our parents! I think… they’ve always been waiting.” Lin Nuan turned and looked toward the tall Cen Mo, who had a great disposition.
Cen Mo pursed his lips tightly together, and his body was trembling slightly.
Lin Nuan didn’t rush him, waiting quietly…
After a very long time, Cen Mo let go of Lin Nuan’s hand and knelt down before their parents’ tombstones. His voice choked as he kowtowed heavily, saying, “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I’m back.”
When saying the last two words, Cen Mo’s voice was choking very hard…
I’m sorry that I’ve only come back now!
I’m sorry to let the two of you search for me for so long!
I’m sorry I didn’t make it to see you guys for the last time!
I’m sorry that the family was broken up because I went missing!
Cen Mo’s hands were placed on his legs, clutching tightly onto his pants as he lowered his head…
Cen Mo, who had never shed a single tear over all these years except when he heard of Lu Xiangsi’s death, couldn’t hold back his tears at all as he knelt before his parents’ graves.
Lin Nuan stood next to Cen Mo, listening quietly with reddened eyes. The corners of her lips curled up into a smile, and it was as if she could see her parents holding hands and standing before them!
Lin Nuan felt that there was probably nothing that could make their parents happier than to see the siblings standing together in front of them!