When Lu Lin came to the door again, he was carrying two bottles of good wine in his hand.
He was clearly standing at the door of his own house that had remained unchanged for ten years, yet he seemed like a strange guest.
There were two knocks on the door, Father Lu walked over tremblingly leaning on the wall, bent down to open the door for him.
"You are here." He said awkwardly: "Your mother is not here, she will come back at night, come in and sit down."
Lu's mother's self-willed and extremely self-centered character, their father and son had already experienced it twenty years ago.
Later, Lu's father also became unreasonable, and she poured all kinds of obsessions and prejudices on Lu Lin, and became sick for a long time.
Eat from left to right. Vegetables should be divided into six parts and meat should be divided into two parts. You can only add half a bowl of rice. Half full is good for your health.
When sleeping, you must sleep on the right side or lie flat, sleeping on the left side will oppress the heart.
You must never read a book or look at your mobile phone while walking. You must bow and salute when you see your elders. You are not allowed to cross out a single word in your composition, and you can only redo it all.
When Lu Lin was not born, Lu's mother was virtuous and gentle in front of everyone, and was matched by two families to marry Lu's father who was well-matched.
The first year of married life was like stagnant water, but at that time everyone was conservative, it would be too embarrassing to talk about the divorce, and it would ruin the Lu family's reputation as a scholarly family.
In front of her mother-in-law, Lu's mother almost took care of her face to the extreme, and used an almost self-destructive way to retreat and humility, so that Lu's father could not find a reason for divorce at all.
The two eventually had a son.
The desire to control was further liberated and vented, and gradually Father Lu became obsessed with this atmosphere, and even went to check his sleeping position late at night, seeking to have almost no sense of existence.
Lu Lin escaped from this home as soon as he became an adult.
His career, his marriage, his eating habits, his manner of speaking, and everything connected with him were no longer subject to any restrictions.
Professor Lu had been married to this woman for 20 years at this time, and his parents died and his son severed the relationship. Instead, only Lu's mother was left as a relative who continued to give suppressed warmth.
In this life, I have survived in such a half-dream and half-awake state.
Now that he sees Lu Lin again, he doesn't have much strength to smile, and when he walks, his slippers drag on the ground, like a dash that can't be finished.
"Sit, come and sit."
Lu Lin watched his back silently, and suddenly wanted to reach out to help him.
When he was young, he was beaten on the palms of his hands, made to kneel on the washboard, and made to stand with ice cubes for an hour without reason.
But he hadn't seen his father for ten years.
Father Lu saw that Lu Lin was still standing, so he didn't try to persuade him much, and continued talking on his own.
"In the first three years before you left, your mother cried and quarreled with me every day. She asked me to rely on my relationship. Even if you dropped out of school, you had to find her back."
He clasped his hands together, the age spots like holes in dead leaves.
"I didn't do anything." The old man murmured, "The only thing I can do to help you is to do nothing."
Lu Lin raised his head and took a deep breath, finally sat opposite him.
"Later, she counted the days and thought it was time for you to work, so she asked her relatives to find out where your file was transferred."
"I stopped it."
Father Lu had to speak slowly after a while, and his breathing was not smooth.
"I always feel that you know me."
"Maybe not."
"I know." Lu Lin said calmly, "But I can't come back."
Once you go home, you will step into the mud again, be controlled by the binding of your hands, and finally fall into the endless abyss.
Father Lu lowered his head to look at the old photos pressed on the glass of the coffee table, and said after a while, "That's fine."
The living room was quiet for nearly three minutes, and no one spoke.
In fact, we haven't seen each other for many years, so there are many things that can be said.
Caring about your health, asking about work, or asking if you will be home for the Chinese New Year this year, whatever.
Lu Lin was still watching his father.
He used to think that this man was tall and indifferent, without any warmth when he spoke, and he never loved his son.
But now sitting here again, he could only see a short, crooked old man.
It seems that he is not the same person as the father who was in the prime of life in his childhood memory.
"You work hard and live well." Lu's father said dryly: "What happened before... your mother may not be willing to admit it."
"I admit it."
Lu Lin raised his head suddenly and clenched his palms subconsciously.
"I admit it." The old man's eyes were cloudy, and his voice was tired: "I am sorry for you, and made you suffer so much when you were young."
Lu Lin seemed to be nailed to the sofa, completely speechless.
"When I was teaching at school, a colleague mentioned you."
"They say you're a great teacher now... I was actually happy at the time, very happy."
The old man also felt rushed and embarrassed when he said these words, and he couldn't even exchange eyes with him.
Lu Lin responded in a low voice.
Father Lu paused for a long time, his voice trembling.
"Do you... really like men?"
"Does it have to be a man?"
Lu Lin looked into his eyes and shook his head slowly.
"No man, no woman."
"I only love Pei Zhuo, and I will never fall in love with anyone else."
The old man seemed to want to smile a little, but he was a little embarrassed.
He thought for a while, then nodded slowly: "That's it."
"That little Pei was taught by Teacher Huo."
"Also a very good child." Lu's father repeated, as if to hypnotize himself: "Very good, very good."
They didn't talk any more, and after sitting for a while they got up to say goodbye.
The moment Father Lu closed the door, he looked at him for a long time with some reluctance.
"I'm still your father's."
"If you are free in the future, come back and see me." He seldom gets emotional in his life, like the older generation who don't have much self.
So when he said these words, he felt restrained as if he was lying.
"... I'm really old. I want to see you again in the future."
"Everything else is up to you."
The elevator dinged and opened the door, releasing bright lights to illuminate the corridor.
Lu Lin stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly walked over and gave the old man a hug.
"Dad, I will."
Pei Zhuo was overwhelmed by the papers at home, so he simply put the office chair on his back and turned around in circles.
He was having a great time playing in the study like a child, and Amao followed suit wagging his tail.
The door of the study suddenly opened a crack, and a man's gentle voice came.
"I'm back."
"Where did you go? It's so early." Pei Zhuo was still holding his pen in his mouth at this moment, and hurriedly stopped the chair with his toes, trying to save his image.
Lu Lin had no intention of concealing this aspect, and explained the situation before and after.
Pei Zhuo didn't expect that he went to see his father, so he put down his pen and got up and said, "Are you feeling okay, are you sad?"
"It's okay." Lu Lin said seriously: "I just think that I still need to find a chance to see him in the future."
Pei Zhuo heaved a long sigh, and comforted him: "When you get older, you may be able to see a lot of things."
That paranoid mother may not be able to communicate much, but when Professor Lu met last time, he obviously cared about Lu Lin.
The man was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Aren't you angry?"
"angry?"
"They once said very serious things to you." Lu Lin held his hands, lowered his head and said, "I want to apologize for them."
"Hey." Pei Zhuo stretched out his hand to touch his face: "I'm an old couple, and I'm still struggling with this."
The two leaned against their foreheads quietly for a while, and suddenly laughed at the same time.
Lu Lin looked up into his eyes: "I haven't proposed yet."
"It's too early." Pei Zhuo refused: "I'm about to become a married person at such a young age, I'm not reconciled."
The atmosphere became warm and harmonious again, and there was no suspicion at all.
It is already August, and there are still more than ten days before school starts, and the communication between the school and the teachers has gradually become tighter.
The parents have not stopped asking questions in the past two months, and the various teaching groups have also begun to check the progress of the teachers' documents, discussing in the group how much to set for the start-of-term test.
After reading through more than a dozen messages in the WeChat list, Pei Zhuo suddenly felt a headache.
"I don't want to start school."
Lu Lin was writing the paper beside him. The writing with the pen was like a liquid flowing from the tip of the pen, as smooth and natural as a work of art.
"Why don't you want to start school?"
"I have to go to class every day at the beginning of school." Pei Zhuo looked at him with his cheeks propped up: "I don't want to go to class, I don't want to change my homework, I don't want to care about the students."
Lu Lin laughed, stopped writing and kissed his face: "Then what are you thinking?"
"I want to have a holiday every day and be with Teacher Lu."
The man smiled gently and satisfied, lowered his voice and said, "Actually, I am too."
The phone rang suddenly, it was Teacher Xiao Huang calling.
"Brother Lu, have you seen the notice from the grade group?"
"What notification?" Lu Lin turned on the speakerphone and explained, "I was doing a question just now, what do you think?"
"Go to the summer resort on August 14th! Let's all go!" Teacher Xiao Huang has brought a baby at home for a month and a half, and is dizzy from being harassed every day. , the location is in Changping, the boarding school includes other entertainment activities at your own expense, there is also a swimming pool and a sea of flowers and bamboo forests, do you want to go there!"
The two looked at each other and said tacitly: "Of course."
Before Xiao Huang finished speaking, another call came in.
It's Director Hu.
"Wait, Director Hu is calling."
"Then I'll hang up first, and I'll text you later."
Director Hu's phone call came in, and he was talking about the same thing: "You didn't reply to my message for a long time, I thought you were giving a tutoring class."
"I don't have time." Lu Lin smiled and said, "I just heard from Xiao Huang about the grade group activities. It just so happens that everyone in the senior year is busy, so we will meet again now."
"Okay, then it's settled. Let me tell you, we specially arranged for August this time. In July, many teachers are secretly teaching students, so I don't know." Director Hu chuckled a few times, I feel quite good about myself: "Nowadays there are not many good leaders who are reasonable and reasonable like me."
"You're right." Lu Lin was very cooperative.
"Hey, then who do you plan to live with? Xiao Huang?"
Pei Zhuo stared at him silently.
"Let's talk to Teacher Pei."
"Teacher Pei?" Director Hu said with a smile: "I didn't pay attention to it last semester, now I finally know about our teacher Pei?"
Lu Lin looked sideways at Pei Zhuo, and continued talking in front of him.
"Teacher Pei is humorous, knowledgeable and talented, and he is very good at dealing with people."
"I was not kind enough to him before, and I want to correct it."
"Okay, okay, you two have a good relationship, and it happens that the third year of high school is convenient for taking students together." Director Hu said happily: "Then I will leave you a big room with a good view!"
When the phone was hung up, Pei Zhuo covered his mouth and laughed wildly beside him.
The man leaned over to kiss his face, and couldn't help laughing too.