Chapter 332: The Return Journey
A little over a week had passed, and everyone had pretty much had their fill of fun. During this time, Lan Ranyan had taken them to many places, seen many beautiful sights, and of course, had treated them to a lot of food. Everyone had had a great time and was about ready to head back.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for a few more days?” Lan Ranyan asked.
“Mmm, I feel like I don’t want to trouble you too much. It’s about time, and I should get back to work.”
“You can stay as long as you want.”
“That’s what you say, but I still have to go home.”
This morning, Lan Ranyan and Yu Linna, who had woken up for a morning run again, were chatting about this topic. Linna said they should be heading back soon. Lan Ranyan tried to get them to stay for a few more days, but Yu Linna said she wouldn’t be staying for too long, probably leaving tomorrow or the day after.
“Ranyan, have you spoken to your father?”
“Not yet.”
“It’s better to say it sooner. Family members still need to communicate.”
“Okay.”
After that, the two of them fell silent.
Lan Ranyan had thought carefully about what Yu Linna had said. To communicate with her father, she had never really thought about it before. But she did have a point, even though her words weren’t that pleasant to hear. But Lan Ranyan wanted to give it a try.
Putting herself in her shoes, Lan Ranyan was actually much happier than Yu Linna. At least her parents were alive and well, and she had never had to worry about food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Thinking like this, she felt that the conflict with her father could actually be resolved.
“Ranyan, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?”
“No, I don’t have any other arrangements after graduation. If it were before, I might have listened to my dad and joined the army. But I don’t want to.”
“Then are you planning to be a scriptwriter? Or do you want to write stage plays?”
“I haven’t really thought about that. Maybe I won’t do a job related to my major.”
Lan Ranyan was still quite lost about her future. She didn’t know what she should do, what she wanted to do. She was just going with the flow.
After her dream of studying abroad was shattered, she had chosen to take things as they came. As for the future, she really didn’t know what to do, nor did she know what she could do.
She was not like the others in the dorm, who all had dreams and things they wanted to do. She had nothing. More than that, she was lost, not firm.
“Then what about before? Did you think of what you wanted to do?”
“Let me think… in the past, I think I wanted to be a teacher or a doctor. But I don’t think it’s very reliable. First of all, if I really did that, my old dad would kill me.”
Yes, now, for the time being, she didn’t know what to do.
In the past, she might have had some ideas. That’s right, she had even thought of being a big star before. Don’t laugh, she really had. At that time, she was beautiful and had a bit of narcissism, thinking if she would become a big star in the future. Later, with her father’s whip, and the devilish training, this idea had long since disappeared.
“Isn’t this Ranyan? Are you running again?”
Suddenly, a female voice came to her ear. Lan Ranyan stopped and looked towards the source of the voice.
The two girls she had met while running last time, they had come again. What a coincidence. But thinking about it, Lan Ranyan’s running route was fixed every day. Anyone who knew her a little would know her habits. It wasn’t hard to find her.
Yu Linna then sat down on a park bench to rest, leaving enough time for Lan Ranyan and the other two to talk. Those two girls had specially found her at this time. They must have had something they wanted to say.
“Ranyan, what we said last time, if you’re not happy, we apologize. You seemed quite angry before.”
“It’s fine. It was just for a moment. You came all this way just for this.”
“What else did you think?”
Hearing this, Lan Ranyan smiled faintly. These two, really. I don’t even know what to say.
But she didn’t hate it. In fact, she quite liked it.
After a few more words, the two of them said their goodbyes, agreeing to hang out in a few days. After bidding them farewell, Lan Ranyan and Yu Linna ran back. Later, they, as they had in the past few days, looked for suitable places to play, took photos for memories, and made summer vacation memories together.
Two days later, they had bought their plane tickets and were preparing to go back. Lan Ranyan drove them to the airport and gave each of them a hug before parting.
“Ranran, I’ll miss you. Don’t forget me.”
“We’ll see each other when school starts. What are you doing?”
“Wuwuwu, I still don’t want to go back. You should just take me back with you.”
“That’s no problem. Do you want to get in the car then?”
“Just kidding. If I don’t go back soon, my mom will beat me.”
After tapping Xiao Yanhan on the head and ignoring her whining, Lan Ranyan looked at Yu Linna, wanting to say something, but she wanted to wait for Yu Linna to speak first.
Yu Linna knew what she meant. She smiled and hugged her.
“You have to talk to your dad properly, you know?”
“Mmm.”
“By the way, although you haven’t found what you want to do yet, when you do, tell us.”
“Okay.”
“Big sister, next time if you’re in Guangnan for a longer time, do you want to try my cooking?”
“I’ll wait for that opportunity.”
Lan Ranyan smiled.
After talking with Yu Linna, her mentality had improved a lot. Compared to Yu Linna’s situation, she felt that she was still relatively happy. Thinking like this, she suddenly felt that this child was too unfortunate.
It seemed that she, the big sister, still had to take more care of her.
“You, you two… you two separate quickly! What are you doing so close!!”
Seeing the two of them so close, Xiao Yanhan’s jealousy flared up. She forcefully pulled them apart and glared at Lan Ranyan fiercely. Lan Ranyan just shrugged at this.
Everyone knew that Xiao Yanhan liked Yu Linna, but whether Yu Linna liked her was another matter.
After sending Yu Linna and the others off, Lan Ranyan drove home. She looked at the car. The once crowded car now only had her in it. She felt a wave of emptiness and missed everyone a little. When she was studying at Guangnan University, she had originally thought it was just a process, to be a little further from home, to experience university life. In the end, she had never thought of making friends with everyone, just going with the flow. And she had come from Beijing. She didn’t know if the southerners could accept her.
But now, she really liked everyone in her dorm, really liked the university. Perhaps life is like this. In the midst of it all, something seems to be destined. Although she couldn’t go to her ideal university, coming here seemed to be not bad. Most importantly, she was very happy to have met these people.
Everyone has a goal, an idea. Influenced by them, she now felt that it was also time for her to find a goal.
…
After driving home and parking the car, she took her keys and entered the house, only to find her old dad sitting in the living room. Her father was usually in the army. When he was at home, he would be exercising in the courtyard, or going somewhere to visit, to see his comrades-in-arms. His vacation was very short, never more than two weeks, because she was a soldier.
“Not going out, Dad?” she asked casually, pouring herself a glass of water to quench her thirst. Her father hadn’t turned on the TV, nor was he looking at his phone, just drinking tea alone.
Lan Ranyan sat down opposite him, thinking that maybe she should take this opportunity to talk.
“Ranyan.”
Lan Guozhong still decided to speak first.
“Mmm?”
“Do you think, Dad, I’m very annoying?”
“…Why are you asking me that?”
“I’ve thought about it, Ranyan. My decision, did it make you very unhappy?”
“It’s not just as simple as being unhappy.”
Lan Ranyan sighed.
If it were just being unhappy, then it would be fine. Then she wouldn’t have so many troubles.
But at that time, she was very angry, very furious. When her dad had torn up her application, she was very angry. She felt that her thoughts were not respected by him, that she couldn’t decide where she wanted to go, and had to obediently follow his arrangements. She had had enough, so she decided to rebel for once. Her old dad was so angry that he had said that he would absolutely not support her through university. Lan Ranyan had even retorted with, “I don’t need you to support me.”
She was really young and impetuous at that time. Now that she had calmed down, she felt that she had been really impulsive.
After the father and daughter had argued, their relationship had been cold for nearly a year. Her mother had even gotten angry at her father for it.
“Ranyan, I just wanted to think for you. I felt you had more possibilities. I hoped you would suffer a little, so that you would have enough ability in the future, to have more choices. That’s what I originally thought.”
“Mmm.”
“But your mother scolded me. She said I was imposing my own ideas on you. Now that I think about it, that is indeed the case. I shouldn’t have done that. Ranyan, you probably won’t forgive me, right?”
“…No matter what, you are my dad. There is no forgiving or not forgiving. You are always my dad.”
If it were before, Lan Ranyan might have retorted with a couple of sentences, saying, “What’s the use of you knowing now? I’ve already passed my best years.” But now, after talking with Yu Linna, she felt that they, father and daughter, needed to communicate. In the end, the reason they argued was because of a lack of communication.
“Ranyan, are you forgiving me?”
“Mmm, although I really was very angry. But, compared to being angry, I hope you can value me more. You’ve always treated me like a child. I’m an adult now. I hope you can understand me. I’m no longer a child who needs her parents’ protection.”
Lan Guozhong was at a loss for words for a moment. He had only then realized that his daughter had grown up so much. It was as if she were just that small yesterday. In the blink of an eye, she had grown up.
Children are like this. They always grow up faster than you imagine.
He smiled wryly.
“Mmm.”
He just nodded like that. The communication between the father and daughter was just that simple.
…
When the plane returned to Guangnan, Xiao Yanhan was clinging to Yu Linna, warmly inviting her to be a guest at her home, saying that her mother would prepare delicious food to entertain her, and that she could stay if she was willing.
“That’s about enough, you. Give me back my suitcase. I have to go back to work!”
“No! Linna, if you promise to come home with me, I’ll give it back to you.”
“You stinky girl, how can you use such a despicable method? So shameless.”
“Come home with me.”
Fang Jiangning was just watching the show on the side, silently showing an auntie’s smile. Ah, watching the two of them play seems to be quite nice. Fang Jiangning had awakened to a remarkable attribute.
Yu Linna, seeing that this was a public place, with so many people at the airport, had to compromise.
“Alright, I’ll go. But let me say this first: Jiangning is going too. We’ll just have one dinner, and then you’ll let us go.”
