My Husband Came to Yunnan

"Little one, come out and eat some fruit."

Li Jiaxin called out from outside.

Zhao Yuheng slipped on his slippers and went out. He picked up a strawberry from the coffee table, pinched the bright red stem between his fingers, and took two bites, the sweet juice spreading on his tongue.

Li Jiaxin was sitting on the sofa watching a show when her gaze suddenly swept over and she said:

"By the way, little one, is something on your mind? You've been looking listless since you came back, unlike before."

Zhao Yuheng paused, his cheeks still puffed out, and quickly shook his head in denial: "No."

Li Jiaxin couldn't help but laugh and put down the remote control: "Son, if you're in a relationship, just tell Mom. Your dad and I aren't old-fashioned. No matter what the other person's conditions are, as long as you like them and they have good character, Mom will accept them."

Zhao Yuheng looked at his mother, whose face was open and enlightened.

A mischievous thought suddenly popped into his head. He took two steps closer, draped his arm over the back of the sofa, and asked, "Any conditions are fine?"

Seeing the cunning look in her son's eyes, Li Jiaxin vaguely sensed something was wrong, but still forced a smile and replied, "Of course, Mom doesn't keep her word, does she?"

"So he's not quite what you imagined?"

Zhao Yuheng raised his eyebrows, smiling but saying nothing.

Li Jiaxin: "..."

"A man?"

Unexpectedly, his mother hit the nail on the head, and Zhao Yuheng's smile instantly froze.

Li Jiaxin's eyes widened, and her voice rose: "What the hell! Kid, are you really gay?"

"How is that possible?"

Zhao Yuheng recovered his senses and casually made a remark, but then added at the end, "But perhaps it's not far off."

Li Jiaxin, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, tensed up again instantly, frowning with worry: "Ah! If your dad finds out, won't he break your legs?"

It wasn't that she disliked her son for liking boys; she herself had read several novels with two male protagonists and was quite accepting of this kind of thing.

She was just afraid that her traditional, rigid, and chauvinistic husband wouldn't be able to change his ways at all.

Seeing that his mother was so worried about him, Zhao Yuheng's heart stirred.

I finally blurted out what I'd been holding back for so long: "Mom, actually... there's someone I feel really comfortable with."

"He's a good guy, a little silly, soft-hearted, and incredibly kind to me, except..."

"What is it?" Li Jiaxin immediately sat up straight, her expression becoming serious.

"It's just that he likes me, but I... can't get over my own conscience." Zhao Yuheng lowered his eyes, his tone unusually blank.

Seeing her son's unusual hesitation, Li Jiaxin asked softly, "Tell me first, do you think you've fallen for him?"

Zhao Yuheng thought about it seriously for a long time, and then said truthfully:

"I don't know what liking someone means. It's just that I subconsciously want to be with him. It feels reassuring, and I don't have any other complicated thoughts."

"After you found out he liked you, did you experience physical nausea?" This was her biggest worry, as her son had suffered from this ailment for several years after his injury.

"He only committed the crime once," Zhao Yuheng said, his tone turning somber, "but he wasn't thinking about him; he was thinking about that villain from before."

"If he wanted to do things with you that go beyond friendship, like holding hands or hugging, could you accept that? Would you be disgusted?"

Zhao Yuheng remained silent.

He had thought about this question countless times in his mind.

After a long silence, he uttered two words in a low voice: "No."

Now it was Li Jiaxin's turn to be shocked, her eyes filled with disbelief: her son's problem, which had plagued her for years and even doctors couldn't solve, had actually been eased by a boy?

She wondered just how good the boy must be to make her mentally challenged son care so much about him.

Another reason why she accepted it so easily was that when she was with Lao Zhao, her parents disapproved because his family was too poor to afford a bride price and tried every means to stop them. She knew all too well the feeling of wanting something but not being able to have it.

People who have been caught in the rain always want to hold an umbrella for their son.

"Son, I have an idea for you," Li Jiaxin patted his shoulder. "I'm not sure if you're really in love, but since you don't want to lose him, go find him and ask him directly."

"Could we go back to how we used to get along and take it slow? If he doesn't mind, you can continue and let time prove everything."

"What if he minds?" Zhao Yuheng pressed, a barely perceptible hint of panic in his voice.

"If you mind, then say goodbye properly. The person you praise so much must be a good kid. Don't wrong them, and don't wrong yourself either."

After listening to his mother's words, Zhao Yuheng suddenly understood.

He had been forcing himself to accept Jinbao's feelings.

I'm also afraid that one day my irritable nausea will relapse and hurt Jinbao'er again.

His mother's words gave him both a way out and courage.

"Thank you, Mom!"

He hugged his mother tightly, kissed her on the forehead, grinned foolishly, and then rushed back to his room.

Li Jiaxin watched as her son instantly reverted to his carefree self.

He shook his head helplessly and chuckled: When will this silly boy ever mature?

Back in his room, Zhao Yuheng grabbed his shoulder bag and gently stroked the amulet on it with his fingertips.

With unwavering determination in his eyes, he immediately picked up his phone and booked the earliest flight to Yunnan, packing his luggage overnight.

……

The next day, when the family was having breakfast, they found that Zhao Yuheng had not gotten up. They called him several times but there was no response, and no one answered when they knocked on the door.

When I opened the door, the room was neatly tidied, the luggage was nowhere to be seen, and the person was long gone.

"Zhao Yuheng! Where have you been? Why aren't you home this early in the morning!" Li Jiaxin immediately made a phone call.

"Mom, I'm going to Yunnan." The airport announcement could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone, the tone light and cheerful.

"What are you going to Yunnan for?" Li Jiaxin was taken aback.

"To meet someone important." Zhao Yuheng's voice was filled with barely concealed anticipation.

Li Jiaxin: "..."

So, all those words she said last night directly "pushed" her son into pursuing someone?

They finally got to go home, but then ran away as soon as they arrived.

"Okay, I'll keep it from your father for now. Once you're sure, I'll help you persuade him slowly."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. I'm getting on the plane now."

"When you get to their place, be sweet-talking, be helpful, don't act like a spoiled young master, and do more chores for them, understand?"

His mother understands his bad habits best.

Zhao Yuheng hung up the phone with a smile, clutching the plane ticket in his hand.

Looking at the words "destination," a gentle smile appeared on her lips, and she murmured softly:

"Jinbao'er, your husband is here."

……

On the other side, Jin Bao'er was still picking pears in the field, under the scorching sun, his face to the yellow earth and his back to the sky.

Skillfully, they tiptoed to pick the ripe yellow pears from the branches and put them into a bamboo basket.

Having done farm work for so many years, he had long been used to the hardship.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, then unscrewed his own enamel water cup and took two sips of cold water.

Just as I was about to reach out and pick more pears, my phone suddenly rang in my pocket.

He rubbed the mud off his face with the back of his hand, took out his phone, and saw two words flashing on the screen: "Brother Heng".

It almost made him drop his phone; his fingertips went numb.

They haven't been in touch for several months.

During his time at home, he worked tirelessly, trying to force himself to forget about that person.

But seeing the name now still makes my heart pound uncontrollably.

After hesitating for a full ten seconds, he took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

His voice was slightly hoarse from recent work, with a hint of barely perceptible panic: "Feed."

"Hey, Jinbao'er, I'm in your hometown, come pick me up."

The voice on the other end of the phone was still as domineering and forceful as ever.

It carried an unquestionable command, yet it sounded strangely pleasant.

Jin Bao'er froze for three seconds, her mind blank, and subconsciously asked, "What?"

"I'm at the bus station in your county. I sent you my location on WeChat. Come pick me up quickly, I can't find my way to your house."

Zhao Yuheng spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then hung up the phone.

A WeChat message popped up immediately, clearly showing the location.

Jin Bao'er stood under the pear tree, clutching her phone.

The wind blew through the branches, and a few pear leaves fell onto his shoulder.