Chapter 206: Chapter 204: This Matter of Loving You (The Grand Finale)

Time flies, and the years pass like a song.

The wind and sand of the Northwest tempered their youth and bore witness to their most sincere emotions.

After her two-year teaching commitment ended, Lu Chenghuan, filled with a sense of accomplishment and a reluctance to leave the children, returned to Beijing with Huo Dongzhou.

Huo Dongzhou’s outstanding performance in the technical support project hadn’t hindered his career. On the contrary, he earned even higher praise for solving practical problems.

Not long after their return, on a crisp, clear autumn day, Lu Chenghuan and Huo Dongzhou held their wedding.

The wedding wasn’t particularly grand, but it was brimming with warmth.

Lu Cheng’an personally took his sister’s hand and gave her away to Huo Dongzhou, who stood tall in a sharp suit, his gaze firm and resolute.

Although his eyes were slightly red, his face held a smile of relief and blessing.

The parents from the Huo family and the Lu Family sat at the main table, their faces filled with gratification as they watched the well-matched couple.

Su Tang’s and Lu Xiao’s parents, though advanced in years, were still in robust health. They were also brought over, creating a joyous gathering of four generations under one roof.

Lu Cheng’an had gotten married two years prior. His wife was a translator at a research institute.

She was a young woman from Xinjiang, exquisitely beautiful, and Su Tang was incredibly fond of her.

Their son, a sturdy and endearing little boy, insisted on being the ring bearer for his aunt, adding endless joy to the occasion.

After their marriage, Huo Dongzhou’s career progressed steadily. He became a technical lead at his workplace and later moved into a management position, all while consistently supporting Chenghuan’s career.

Lu Chenghuan returned to a school in the city. She applied the teaching experience and insights she had gained in the Northwest, bringing them to more students and becoming the beloved Teacher Lu.

They had an adorable daughter whose eyes and brows were the spitting image of Chenghuan, but whose personality had Huo Dongzhou’s calm steadiness.

Lu Cheng’an also achieved considerable success at the research institute. He had a happy family and a devoted wife.

His son was mischievous but bright, and he often brought his wife and child over to "mooch" a meal, keeping the house lively and bustling.

Even though their children had started their own families, it felt as if they had never truly left. For Su Tang and Lu Xiao, this was the greatest fulfillment.

...

Another tranquil afternoon. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, spilling onto a small round table covered with a white crocheted tablecloth.

Su Tang, her temples long since gray, carried two cups of freshly brewed jasmine tea out to the balcony.

Lu Xiao was sitting in a rocking chair, wearing reading glasses as he perused the newspaper.

"Take a break. Have some tea."

Su Tang handed him the cup and sat down in the wicker chair beside him.

Lu Xiao set down his newspaper and took the cup, its wafting steam carrying the delicate fragrance of jasmine.

He gazed at the ginkgo tree in the yard, which had grown quite tall. Its leaves were a brilliant, dazzling gold.

"Time really flies."

Lu Xiao sighed softly, his gaze distant. "In the blink of an eye, Cheng’an’s boy is almost in middle school, and our Huanhuan’s girl has blossomed into a young woman."

Su Tang followed his gaze, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Yes, it does. I still remember when Huanhuan insisted on running off to the Northwest. You were so angry, but you couldn’t bring yourself to scold her."

Lu Xiao let out a hum of feigned displeasure, but his eyes were full of amusement.

"Wasn’t that because that boy Huo Dongzhou spoiled her? He supported everything she said. But... that kid really didn’t disappoint."

His tone was one of complete approval and satisfaction.

"That’s right. Dongzhou is a good kid. Our Huanhuan is lucky."

Su Tang nodded, then thought of her son. "Cheng’an is doing well now, too. He’s much more mature, looks like a proper father."

The two of them chattered on about the trivial matters of their children and grandchildren. They talked about how the old couple from the Huo family had spent the winter in Hainan the year before last and had come back even healthier.

They talked about how Su Tang’s mother’s memory was failing, but she still always managed to pull out a piece of candy whenever she saw her great-granddaughter.

They talked about how Lu Xiao’s father still listened to the radio every day without fail, only now it was a fancier one that Huo Dongzhou had bought for him...

The afterglow of the sunset painted the sky a warm orange, and the light and shadows in the yard grew long and tranquil.

Lu Xiao suddenly stopped talking, turned his head, and looked deeply at Su Tang.

Time had left its marks on her face, but it had never changed the love in her eyes.

"Tangtang."

Lu Xiao’s voice was a little low and raspy, but exceptionally earnest.

"This whole life, through all the storms, we’ve walked it together. When I was young and in the army, I couldn’t take care of our home. You were the one who managed everything, inside and out, took care of the elders, and raised the children..."

"Later, when life got better, I was always busy. You were still the one who worried about all the big and small matters at home."

He reached out, his hand dotted with age spots, and gently covered the back of Su Tang’s hand as it rested on the table. "It’s been hard on you."

Su Tang was momentarily taken aback, then turned her hand to clasp his large, warm, and calloused one. Her eyes warmed as she smiled. "We’re an old married couple. Why are you saying all this?"

"It needs to be said."

Lu Xiao tightened his grip on her hand, his gaze deep and unwavering.

"In this life, marrying you was the greatest fortune of my, Lu Xiao’s, life. If we meet again in the next life, let’s be husband and wife again."

There were no flowery words, only the most simple and unadorned true feelings.

The golden glow of the sunset enveloped them, stretching their intertwined silhouettes long, as if they had walked hand in hand through the long years and would continue on into a distant future.

In the yard, ginkgo leaves drifted down silently, a quiet and beautiful sight.

From inside the house came the tinkling notes of their granddaughter practicing the piano, mixed with the laughter of Lu Cheng’an’s boy running around.

Su Tang turned her head to look into the distance. ’I never used to think that a lifetime could pass so quickly.’

’If only it were possible, I wish time could stop, just so I could savor all the love of this lifetime.’

...

Many, many more years passed. Su Tang and Lu Xiao had become a truly old man and an old woman.

Lu Xiao made a decision. He wanted to take Su Tang to the Northwest.

Although Cheng’an and Chenghuan were very worried about their parents’ health, they didn’t try to stop them.

The two children specifically took time off work to take them to the Northwest for a visit.

Unexpectedly, they encountered many old acquaintances in the Northwest.

Only, they had all become trees in the Northwest, watching over passing friends year after year.

Looking at the familiar place, Su Tang couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

"Old man, I don’t want to go back to Beijing."

These were their roots. They just wanted to stay here.

"Whatever you say."

After a lifetime together, Lu Xiao had still never learned to argue with Su Tang. It was always the same three words: "Whatever you say."

Chenghuan wanted to persuade her parents, arguing their health wasn’t good enough to stay there, but her brother stopped her.

"It’s their last wish. It’ll be okay."

Perhaps he had a premonition, but for once, Cheng’an respected his parents’ decision.

He had heard his mother talk about the things they experienced in the Northwest back then.

’This is where they can find their sense of belonging,’ he thought. ’Let them stay here.’

The children promised to visit once a month from then on.

Lu Xiao and Su Tang returned to the courtyard house they once had in the Northwest.

Every tranquil afternoon, the two of them would sit in their rocking chairs, reminiscing about the old days.

One would say something, the other would add a word, and then they would look at each other and smile.

"Tangtang, what is your world like?"

Lu Xiao asked, holding Su Tang’s hand. Su Tang smiled and replied, "It’s an era of towering skyscrapers and convenient living."

"If there’s a chance, I’d really like to see your world."

’He wanted to see how his Tangtang lived, what kind of life she had there.’

’He wanted,’ he thought, ’to get to know her all over again.’

"There will definitely be a chance."

Su Tang squeezed his hand, saying no more.

In this lifetime, he had rarely spoken the word "love."

But he had always proven his love for her through his actions.

"Lu Xiao, I love you."

Clutching his hands, which were gradually growing cold, Su Tang spoke these words through her tears.

The man would never respond to her again, but his hand never loosened its grip on hers.

It was as if he had already answered her countless times: ’I love you.’

-

(End of Novel)