Little Bean shook his head thoughtfully. “Mommy, I’m not tired. You don’t need to carry me.”
Feeling sorry for him, Han Muzi squatted down and hugged his little head. “Do you want to lean on me for a while? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that this would happen.”
She blamed herself a little, for she felt that Little Bean was always suffering because of her.
Although this kind of situation was not a big deal for Han Muzi, she felt distressed whenever she thought of Little Bean. Perhaps the reason she was too sensitive was because she didn’t have a complete family growing up.
“It’s okay, Mommy. I am not tired. Besides, there are so many people here; it’s very lively.”
Han Muzi didn’t speak anymore. Instead, she buried her head in Little Bean’s neck and closed her eyes.
She knew that Little Bean had always been very sensible and considerate. Most of the time, not only would he not throw tantrums at her, but he always found the fun even in hardships. On many occasions, he was the one who consoled her rather than the other way round. The more Han Muzi thought about this, the more upset she became.
Yan looked down at the two of them and squatted too. “It’s nothing serious. The police already said that it’s alright. We can continue our journey when it’s over, or we can take a detour. By the way, I’m a little hungry now. I think we have some food in the car so let me go get it for you, okay?”
Han Muzi returned to her senses and said softly, “I don’t need it. Just give it to Little Bean.”
“Little Bean, wait for a minute. I’ll be back soon with some snacks.”
“Thank you, Aunt Yan.”
Yan went to ask for the car key from Mr. Nan and went back to the car to get something to eat. After grabbing some snacks and drinks, she turned back and saw everyone looking at the other side of the road, so she followed suit out of curiosity.
Then, she saw a tall figure looming on the other side of the road.
The man’s figure was barely visible in the dark, but from the proportion of his shadowy body outline, he seemed to be in good shape.
However, since his back was facing them, no one could see his face.
Suddenly, the man turned around; his handsome side-profile looked especially prominent in the night.
But soon, the man turned back again.
However, Yan was taken aback upon catching a glimpse of that face.
The face of an old acquaintance popped up in her mind, but she shook her head.
“No way. How is it possible? It’s been such a long time since we last saw him, and it is impossible for him to be here now,” Yan whispered to herself before rummaging her own hair.
But after that thought flashed through her mind, Yan couldn’t help looking in the direction of the man again before she walked back to Han Muzi, feeling a little hesitant.
If it was really him, would they run into him later? What if Muzi saw him?
Thinking of this, Yan began to get anxious.
“Aunt Yan, you are back.” Little Bean brought Yan back to her senses.
Yan regained her composure and found that she had already walked up to Han Muzi and Little Bean. Upon seeing her absent-minded look, Han Muzi looked at her concernedly. “What’s wrong?”
Yan was stunned for a moment before shaking her head. “Nothing.”
Then, she stood forward, directly blocking Han Muzi’s sight as she said with a tensed smile, “I brought you some water.”
With that, Yan gave Han Muzi a bottle of water, then handed another bottle to Mr. Nan, who smiled at her and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Aaand this is yours!” Yan gave the rest of the food to Little Bean and proceeded to stand still for a while.
“Aunt Yan, why are you blocking mommy?” Little Bean asked curiously.
That brought Han Muzi’s attention to her too. “You have been standing here since you came back. Is something wrong?”
Yan’s expression changed. “Of course not! It’s just that I think the air is better here; it’s windier. There are too many people there. And… I’m worried that Little Bean might catch a cold after standing in the chilly wind at night, which is why I’m standing here deliberately to protect him from the wind. You little rascal, show some appreciation.”
After that, Yan stretched out her hand to pinch Little Bean’s cheek.
Since Yan would always do weird stuff for no apparent reason, Han Muzi didn’t think much about it.
A moment later, Yan turned to look at the direction just now and found that the man was still standing there. When she looked at his back again, she found it extremely unfamiliar. Perhaps he was not the man she remembered at all.
Thinking of this, Yan finally heaved a sigh of relief.
The world was so big, so it was quite impossible for them to run into him as soon as they returned. Yan was relieved.
After a while, everyone waited for a long time. Some people felt that it was safe enough so they went back to their cars to wait for the update.
Some were still worried, so they kept waiting on the side of the road. In the end, some of them sat down by the road, and some even started playing some card games. The scene was getting more and more lively.
Some even brought self-heating hotpot and ate on the spot.
All sorts of smells began to saturate the air, and people with better civic-sense reminded them, “This is a highway. Remember to clean up after you finish eating. Don’t litter.”
“Of course, we will clean up after ourselves.”
Little Bean was a child after all; he became a little tired as time went by, so he leaned on Han Muzi.
Seeing his sleepiness, Han Muzi hugged him in her arms and said, “Are you sleepy? I will take you back to the car to sleep.”
“Okay.” Little Bean did not refuse this time as he was indeed sleepy now.
Han Muzi squatted down and let him lie on her back. Obediently, he climbed onto her and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Mommy, be careful.”
She then returned to the car with him, and Mr. Nan followed them.
Yan watched them precautiously. “You guys go ahead. I’ll stay here to keep an eye on the situation first, and I will meet you later.”
“Ok.”
Mr. Nan nodded and followed Han Muzi back to the car.
After they left, Yan couldn’t help but look in the direction of the man just now. Although his back didn’t resemble the man, she was concerned about his side-profile.
In fact, Yan was quite worried. What should I do if we really encountered him here?
No, what should Han Muzi do?
Yan broke out in a cold sweat. She slowly walked forward, hiding behind the cars as she inched closer to the man.
It was pretty serene on his side of the road, but when everyone saw Yan going to him, several girls thought she was going to hit on him, so they became restless and followed her.
“Hey, are you going to ask for his phone number? Join us. That way, everyone stands a chance!”
Hearing that, Yan was speechless for a moment. “No.”
“No? So what are you doing here? Come on, even if you admit it, we won’t drive you away. We will share good things together! Besides, it’s up to each of us to see if we have a chance to woo him successfully.”
