Chapter 33

"Samson Nan, did your dad tell you?"

"What?"

"We're going to visit the graves tomorrow!"

"Oh, is that so?"

Samson Nan sat in front of his computer, absentmindedly scrolling through web pages.

"I'm talking to you!"

His mother raised her voice.

"I'm listening," he replied, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen. He could guess what his mother was going to say.

"Are you going to go with me or your father tomorrow?"

Tomorrow was the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. According to the Nan family's tradition, it was the day for ancestral worship and the reunion of the souls of the deceased with their families. Everyone in the family would go to the graves.

The reason why his mother asked this question was that their in-laws also had the same tradition. Therefore, the difficult decision was whether to go to the father's ancestral graveyard or the mother's ancestral graveyard. The older generation seemed to attach great importance to this, and it was a hard decision. His parents even had a fight over this issue last year.

"Well…"

"What's there to hesitate about? Last year, you went to your grandfather's grave, so this year it's your turn to visit your maternal grandfather's, right?"

His mother was straightforward and never beat around the bush.

"Oh," Samson Nan nodded. It was all about paying respect, and it didn't matter where they did it.

"Wait a minute," his father, who was reading the newspaper next to him, suddenly spoke up.

"Samson Nan is all grown up now. He can make his own decisions. You can't always do what you say, can you?"

"Okay then! Nan Yueming, why are you being so unreasonable?"

His mother stood up suddenly and glared at him.

"What did I do?"

"You did what you did last year, and you want to make things worse this year? I can't even take the children to see their maternal grandfather?!"

"I'm not going to explain to you…"

His father muttered under his breath, raised his arm to cover his face with the newspaper.

"You explain it then. Aren't you good at talking?"

"Mom, can you stop arguing on such a big day? It's not that big of a deal…"

Raina Nan, who was sitting on the couch watching TV, finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Raina Nan! I see you're in cahoots with him, right? You two are teaming up to make me mad!"

"I…"

"What's the use of raising a daughter? In the end, she still opposes me at every turn!"

Her mother looked very frustrated, and her mouth was like a machine gun firing a long string of words.

"I didn't…"

Raina Nan didn't know what to say. She regretted getting involved in this. She looked helplessly at Samson Nan, who was still playing with his computer.

He didn't want to interrupt, but her intense gaze made him feel uncomfortable. Finally, he sighed and turned around.

"We went to my grandfather's grave last year, so let's go to our maternal grandfather's grave tomorrow."

He thought for a moment and said softly.

"But Samson Nan, I already talked to your uncle about this…"

His father became emotional, putting down his tea cup and looking at him.

"Dad,…"

Samson Nan walked behind the couch, bent down, and whispered something in his father's ear, occasionally showing a cunning smile.

His father coughed twice and picked up his teacup.

"Well, then, let's do what Samson Nan says. Yeah, that's it…"

Raina Nan and her mother were surprised, looking at Samson Nan curiously. Who knows what tricks he had used to make their old-fashioned dad change his mind so quickly?

The next day, they drove to the countryside.

After getting out of the car at the foot of the hill, several families from the maternal side had already arrived. Their grandfather's grave was halfway up the mountain, so they had to climb up slowly.

"Give it to me. It's pretty heavy~"

Samson Nan reached out his hand.

"No need."

Raina Nan coldly rebuffed him, clutching a bag full of liturgical paper. Their quarrel from last time over Gu Zihang was not yet over.

"Hehe, okay~"

Samson Nan smiled and walked to her side.

"If you can't unscrew it, don't ask me to do it~"

"Who's asking you?"She gave him a fierce glare and stormed ahead, determined to show him who's boss.

"Phew," he sighed quietly, following behind her.

...

It had been raining for several days since the new year, but today, the sun suddenly broke through the clouds, bathing the vegetation with its warm rays and filling the air with the faint scent of earth.

The green mountain path seemed to cleanse the soul, making even Samson Nan, who usually liked to wear headphones everywhere he went, take them off to listen to the birds and insects chirping. All of this was something that the noisy cities could never offer.

"Hey, can you hurry up?"

"I can't!"

Raina Nan raised her head, beads of sweat already forming on her forehead as she panted heavily while lugging a heavy bag up the mountain. It was her first time doing something like this.

"Rai, look at how skinny your arms are like sticks. Let me take the bag."

"Ugh…”

She was still holding on, but her hands were so sore and they had already fallen behind, unable to see her mother and uncle up ahead anymore.

"Just give it to me."

Samson Nan smiled and reached out his hand. If she refused again, they would never make it to the top.

"Whatever."

She turned her head, afraid of being laughed at.

"It's slippery here, be careful."

He took the bag with one hand and took her hand with the other, speaking calmly and naturally.

"..."

She didn't resist, just lowered her head and walked silently behind him. Time seemed to slow down and she could feel the pulse of his big hand on hers. She felt a bit happy but didn't dare to laugh, afraid he would turn around suddenly.

"Wow, brother is holding sister's hand!"

"Really?!"

Two children ran up to them, startling Raina Nan.

They were the children of her second and third uncles. The younger one, Wannian, was only seven years old, and the older one, Dou Dou, was only ten.

"So shy, holding hands~"

"Hahaha, so shy, holding hands~"

The children teased the two of them for holding hands.

It must be said that children nowadays are becoming more and more precocious...

"What's so funny..."

Raina Nan was stunned, her face blushing like something shameful had been discovered. She instinctively wanted to break free from Samson Nan's hand.

"What do you know, you two? Go play by yourselves."

Samson Nan did not panic, he smiled and gently squeezed little Wannian's cheek.

"We're not little kids!"

"Yeah, why can't we know?"

Dou Dou pouted, unwilling to accept defeat.

"Oh, really? Then tell me, what do you guys know?"

Samson Nan looked at him, amused. He knew his little brother was always playful.

"My dad said, men only hold the hands of the women they like!"

"... "

Samson Nan was stunned.

"Dad also said that holding pinkies is puppy love, holding index fingers is passionate love, and interlocking fingers means you're going to get married! You guys are interlocking fingers, you're getting married!"

Dou Dou said it all in one breath, puffed up his chest, and looked proud.

"Wow, so smart~"

Wannian's eyes were shining as she admired Samson Nan.

Raina Nan had turned the color of a boiled egg, completely oblivious to the fact that their fingers were interlocked.

"Hmm..."

Samson Nan rubbed his chin and said, "Well, he's not wrong."

"Huh?!"

Raina Nan gasped and looked at him in surprise.

He just winked at her with a smile as if to say, "Relax, don't overthink it."

After sending the children away, Raina Nan finally turned back to him.

"Why did you say that? If they go back and spread it around..."

"Rai, you're so uptight."

Samson Nan still wore a carefree smile."The words spoken by children, perhaps only you would take them seriously, right?~"

"I..."

She snapped out of it, her mind suddenly blank.

Was it the gratitude of surviving a disaster? Or the emptiness after a shattered illusion?

...

"Brother."

She suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

Samson Nan continued walking ahead, holding her hand without looking back at her.

"..."

But then she suddenly stopped in her tracks, and he felt the strength in her hand, turning around.

"I like you, brother."

Her voice was soft, echoing through the empty forest.

She lifted her head and looked at Samson Nan, who remained stunned in place. There was no racing heart, no rising blood pressure. Everything seemed so calm, even she couldn't believe it.

...

After a moment's silence.

"Say... say something..."

Samson Nan forced a smile at the corner of his mouth, his eyeballs constantly moving.

"Are... are you an idiot..."

"And you, brother?"

"Me... what's wrong with me..."

"Do you like me, brother?"

Samson Nan hesitated for a moment, appearing even more confused. He avoided her gaze, pinching his nose, his lips trembling slightly:

"I... I need to think..."

"Are you unsure?"

"No, why would I be unsure...?"

"Hmm."

"Heh..."

He took a long breath and then looked at her:

"Ask again."

"Do you like..."

"I like the person who likes me."

He spoke quickly, but she heard clearly enough.

...

A brief silence.

"Heh..."

She suddenly let out a light laugh:

"Brother, you're so cunning."

"See, I have no hesitation at all. In fact, I can be even faster by a few milliseconds."

Click

Samson Nan's voice was interrupted by Raina Nan, who suddenly leaned into his embrace.

The sudden weight made him step back, until he regained his balance and gently put one arm around her back.

Raina Nan leaned her body, tightly gripping his waist, her face quietly pressed against his chest.

She slightly lifted her head, wanting to look into his eyes, only to realize that embracing was such a strange thing. They were so close, yet unable to see each other's faces.