Together with My Husband

The next morning, they boarded a flight to London.

As the plane passed through the clouds, Xu An'an fell asleep against the window. Yan Heng asked a flight attendant for a blanket, gently covered her with it, and then stared at her peaceful sleeping face for a long time.

He really is going to England again.

Go see his mother.

Together with Xu An'an.

After landing, they rented a car and headed south.

Yan Heng remained silent throughout, gripping the steering wheel and following the navigation as they drove through field after field of green. Xu An'an sat in the passenger seat, her right hand clasped together with Yan Heng's left.

Their fingers are intertwined.

More than two hours later, the car entered a small town.

The town is small, with only one main street lined with old brick and stone houses, their walls covered in ivy. At the street corner is a bakery, its warm yellow light shining through the glass windows, the air filled with the aroma of baking butter and flour. A few steps further on, you'll see an old church with a greyish-white spire, its bell tower casting a long, slender shadow in the afternoon sun.

Across from the church, there is a small flower shop.

The shop is small, with several rows of wooden shelves at the entrance, densely packed with various potted plants.

Through the glass window, you can see the silhouette of a woman.

She was facing away from the street, bending over to arrange the flowers on the shelf, her movements unhurried. She was wearing a beige linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her slender forearm.

Her hair was loosely tied back with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears.

Yan Heng parked the car in a corner parking space and turned off the engine.

The two sat in the driver's seat, looking through the windshield at the figure inside the glass door in the distance.

After a long time, Xu An'an heard Yan Heng say, "She's gained a little weight compared to before."

Xu An'an turned to look at him. His gaze didn't leave that direction, and his expression seemed calm, but his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"I was too thin before," he said. "I'm fine like this now."

Xu An'an reached out and took his hand, which was resting on his knee.

His hands were cold.

"Do you want to go in?" she asked.

Yan Heng was silent for a few seconds, then gently shook his head.

Xu An'an nodded and opened the car door.

As she was about to get out of the car, Yan Heng pulled her hand tightly, causing Xu An'an to pause.

When she turned around and saw Yan Heng's expression, which was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, Xu An'an leaned down and touched Yan Heng's lips.

"Don't be nervous, I'm only going in to buy a bouquet of flowers today."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

The wind chimes rang once.

Hearing the noise, the woman turned around and said in a perfect British accent, "Welcome."

Xu An'an stood at the door, looking at the face in front of her that bore a resemblance to Yan Heng.

She is beautiful.

She wasn't wearing makeup, and she had the wrinkles that come with age, but she was still very beautiful.

Elegant and gentle.

She seemed to pause for a moment when she saw Xu An'an's face.

Xu An'an guessed that she probably hadn't seen any Chinese people in this small town for a long time, so she smiled and said:

"Hello, I'd like to buy a bouquet of flowers."

The woman then came to her senses and nodded: "Okay, take your time picking. I'll wrap up anything you like for you."

She stammered a little, as if she wasn't used to speaking Chinese.

Xu An'an walked to the flower stand, her gaze sweeping over the colorful flowers before finally settling on the white daisies in the corner.

"This one," she pointed.

"You have excellent taste." The woman walked over, picked out a few daisies, and asked, "Are you giving them away or arranging them yourself?"

Xu An'an thought for a moment and said, "Give it away."

The woman smiled, didn't ask any further questions, deftly wrapped the flowers for her, and handed them to her.

Xu An'an paid, accepted the flowers, thanked them, and turned to leave the flower shop.

For several days in a row, Xu An'an went to that flower shop.

On her second visit, she bought a bunch of lisianthus and casually remarked, "The flowers in the shop are so well-maintained." The woman smiled, fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes, and said, "They were all just cut from the greenhouse this morning."

On my third visit, I bought a bouquet of roses.

While arranging the flowers, the woman asked her, "Are you here on vacation?"

Xu An'an nodded: "Let's go for a walk to clear our heads."

"That's wonderful." The woman bent down to wrap the flowers for her, her movements gentle and practiced. "This place is perfect for relaxing. When I first came here, I couldn't stand it; I thought it was too quiet. But now I can't bear to leave."

On her fourth visit, the woman brewed her a cup of black tea and offered it to her.

"Did you come here by yourself?" The woman asked with a smile, handing her a teacup.

"No," Xu An'an took a sip of tea, "with my husband."

Her cheeks flushed slightly when she said "my husband".

Saying that name to herself still felt both strange and sweet. Although they weren't married yet, Xu An'an still wanted to address Yan Heng that way when facing Yan Heng's mother.

She couldn't explain the reason for it at the moment.

The woman noticed her shyness, and the smile in her eyes deepened: "You two... are very much in love, aren't you?"

"Yes," Xu An'an put down her cup, her fingers gently stroking the rim, "I love him very much."

"That's wonderful," the woman smiled gently, then murmured, "That's good."

"And you?" Xu An'an looked at her and casually asked, "Are your family members here too?"

The woman paused in her work. She lowered her head and continued trimming the flower branches, then spoke after a while: "I have a son."

Her voice was soft and trembling.

"He...is in China. I haven't seen him in a long time."

The woman remained silent for a moment, as if hesitating whether to continue speaking.

Xu An'an didn't press further, but simply waited quietly until the woman spoke again:

"I'm so sorry to that child."

She stopped scissors in her hand, her gaze falling on the flower in her hand, but not focusing on it.

"When he was little, I treated him very badly." Her voice was a little hoarse. "I did many cruel things... I know it wasn't his fault, but I couldn't control myself. He was so young, he didn't understand anything, yet he had to endure my torment."

She put down the scissors and gently traced the edge of a petal with her finger: "He's actually a very good child. Very well-behaved and sensible. When I play the piano, he sits quietly beside me and listens, never making a fuss. I thought he didn't understand, but actually he understands everything."

Xu An'an's nose felt a little sore.

"Later, he grew up and came to see me here. He stood in front of me, so tall, so handsome—but I still wasn't prepared. My first reaction upon seeing him was fear." The woman's eyes reddened.

I pushed him away again.

"I haven't seen him since then."

She looked up at the sparse pedestrians on the street. "He must hate me so much. I was like a devil back then, leaving him with so many bad memories."

Xu An'an put down her teacup and asked softly, "Then why don't you try going to find him?"

The woman shook her head.

"How could I possibly be worthy?" She lowered her head, her fingers gripping the edge of her apron tightly. "He's finally got his own life; why should I bother him? As long as I know he's doing well, that's enough."

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up, as if she had remembered something: "Oh, right, I have something to show you."

She went into the store, rummaged through a drawer under the counter, pulled out an old wallet, opened it, and carefully took out a photograph. The photograph was yellowed and creased at the edges, showing that it had been handled many times.

The photo shows a seven or eight-year-old boy wearing a blue school uniform, smiling at the camera and showing off his little white teeth.

His eyes were bright, like two black grapes soaking in water.

"This is my son when he was little." Looking at the photo, a slight smile finally appeared on the woman's lips. "He was handsome, wasn't he?"

Xu An'an took the photo and looked at the smiling little boy in it; she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

She blinked hard to suppress the soreness in her eyes, and said with a smile, "He's very handsome. He has beautiful eyes."

"He looks like his father," the woman said, then paused and added, "but he's better looking than his father."

Xu An'an smiled.

She returned the photo to the woman and glanced down at the time.

She had been out for almost an hour. Yan Heng was still waiting across the street, and she didn't want to keep him waiting too long.

"Thank you for the tea." Xu An'an stood up. "I'll come again tomorrow."

The woman called out to her, "Miss Xu,"

Xu An'an was stunned. She had never told her her name, so how did she know?

The woman smiled and said, "I recognized you the day you arrived. You and Yan Heng acted in a movie together."

Seeing the smile on the woman's face, Xu An'an quickly understood everything after a brief moment of surprise.

She heard the woman ask, "Excuse me, but is the gentleman you mentioned... Yan Heng?"

Xu An'an nodded. "Yes."

The woman seemed finally relieved and smiled. "That's good."

She looked at Xu An'an's face and said, "Yan Heng really likes you. I could tell from the movie." She smiled.

"This child is quite naive and doesn't have that kind of acting skill."

Xu An'an was amused by her words and suddenly realized how bright and lovely this elegant and beautiful woman in front of her had once been.

Seeing that she didn't mind the topic of Yan Heng, Xu An'an thought for a moment and said, "Do you want to see him? He's right here—"

"No, thank you," Fang Jingyi interrupted Xu An'an with a smile.

Xu An'an was stunned; she hadn't expected her to be so decisive.

Fang Jingyi smiled faintly, and beautiful lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm not a good mother, I owe him so much. But he's a good child. When he was little, I hurt him time and time again without any reason, helplessly venting all my pain and anger on a child... He would cower in fear, but when my emotions subsided, he would come over, reach out his little hands to hug me, and say, 'Mommy, don't be afraid'..."

At this point, Fang Jingyi paused for a long while, her voice choked with emotion.

Xu An'an couldn't help but shed tears.

She couldn't help but think of the scene Fang Jingyi described.

Little Yan Heng approached his mother time and time again, only to be pushed away each time. He trembled, bewildered, afraid, yet hopeful.

What was he thinking at that time?

He had no one by his side to protect him; how terrified he must have been...

Xu An'an was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe and needed to gasp for air to calm herself down.

The two remained silent for a long time before Fang Jingyi spoke again.

"Yan Heng is a kind child. If I'm not mistaken, he shouldn't have said anything to you about resentment towards me..."

Xu An'an nodded. "He knows you're sick, and he's always loved you very much."

"Silly child," Fang Jingyi said, tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them away with her hand. "A good mother, even if she's sick, shouldn't harm her child."

"That's why I don't see him. He'll surely understand and forgive me. But I don't deserve it. For so many years, I haven't fulfilled even the slightest responsibility of a mother, so why should I enjoy his unconditional love and forgiveness now? It's not fair."

Xu An'an understood what Fang Jingyi meant, but still disagreed. "But how do you know Yan Heng thinks the same way? Are you really going to let him lose his mother forever because of this? Isn't that selfish?"

Fang Jingyi trembled slightly, as if struck by those words.