The next morning, after Lin An had breakfast, he sent a message to Yin Xiaoxiao. She didn't say much to Lin An and only sent her home address as he had requested.
Lin An didn't ride his bike this time. He hailed a taxi and arrived at her house with his breakfast.
As expected, it was an old residential building with mottled outer walls and a somewhat dirty environment.
After getting out of the taxi, Lin An gave the driver a thousand dollars and said," Wait until I get out. I'll rent a car today."
The driver calculated for a moment and asked if he was going somewhere far away. After Lin An told him that he would only make a few trips in the county, he happily accepted the money and sat in the car to smoke.
One thousand yuan. How could he earn so much in a day in the county?
Lin An climbed up the stairs, but it was only the sixth floor.
It was an old anti-theft door, and the Spring Festival couplets that were changed every year were meticulously pasted on it, without any askew.
He knocked on the door and soon, Yin Xiaoxiao's voice came from inside.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
With a click, Yin Xiaoxiao opened the door and whispered,""Come in and have a seat. I went to buy new slippers this morning.”
Lin An lowered his head and saw a brand new pair of men's slippers at the door. He smiled and said,""Thank you."
Yin Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, but a voice came from the room.|"Who is it?"”
"Me, my friend." Yin Xiaoxiao shot a glance at Lin An and gave him the identity of a friend.
Lin An changed into his slippers and raised his voice.""Hello, Auntie."
As he spoke, he looked around Yin Xiaoxiao's house. The furniture and decoration were all in the old style of the last century. A family portrait was hanging on the wall, and a man and a woman were smiling happily. Yin Xiaoxiao was just a little girl in the photo frame.| A lively little girl of seven or eight years old with a sunny smile.
Other than that, even though the house was filled with many things that Lin An could throw away, it still looked very tidy.
Lin An looked at the slightly uneasy Yin Xiaoxiao and made a gesture to her.| He put on a reassuring expression and then took the initiative to enter the bedroom.
In the bedroom, there was a| It was a middle-aged woman who looked haggard and skinny.
She was wearing glasses,| Her eyes were filled with a gentle color.
There were a few books on the table, and Lin An could tell at a glance that these books had been flipped through many times.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm Lin An, Xiaoxiao's friend.”Lin An had a smile on his face, and he appeared very friendly and easy-going.
Yin Xiaoxiao followed behind him. She was pleasantly surprised by his performance, but she couldn't help it.| She muttered,"Why can't you be gentler to me?"
Yin Xiaoxiao's mother was also very easy-going.
"My surname is Fang, Fang Lan. Just call me Auntie Fang.”Fang Lan looked at Lin An carefully. After looking at him up and down a few times, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
She looked at Yin Xiaoxiao standing behind Lin An with a guilty conscience and a submissive look on her face. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly before saying,""Xiao Xiao, go and pour a glass of water for the guest.”
"Oh, okay." Yin Xiaoxiao looked at Lin An with a worried expression, only to see that he had a serious expression on his face. The cynical look he had on his face earlier had completely disappeared.
Feeling relieved, she went out to boil some water.
After she left, Fang Lan said softly," Are you Xiaoxiao's friend?"
Lin An was slightly taken aback when he heard this. Then, he saw the seriousness in her eyes.
This experienced woman had already determined that Lin An wasn't Yin Xiaoxiao's friend.
Or rather, they were not just friends.
" You can say that." Lin An smiled." Xiaoxiao and I haven't known each other for long."”
"Did this child borrow money from you?" Fang Lan sighed and took off her glasses in disappointment.
" Yes." Lin An nodded." Money is a small matter. To me, money is meaningless."”
Fang Lan couldn't bear to hear those words.| She looked at him again and chuckled."It seems that Xiaoxiao has found an amazing friend.”
Fang Lan glanced outside the door. After confirming that Yin Xiaoxiao was not there, she was silent for a moment before she said softly,""Do you like Xiaoxiao?"
"A little. She's such a cute girl. Who doesn't like her?”Lin An didn't deny that he had a good impression of Yin Xiaoxiao.
Fang Lan was silent for a while before saying,""Xiaoxiao has a soft personality. Although she can be considered soft on the outside but tough on the inside, she has suffered a lot since she was young, so her requirements for happiness have become lower.”
"Perhaps she said something to you, or perhaps you have some agreement between you. I can't control it, nor do I have the ability to do so. However, I still want to ask you for a favor.”
Lin An nodded silently.
"Don't bully her." Fang Lan looked into Lin An's eyes carefully, trying to find any trace of guilt or uneasiness.
But Lin An's pair| However, his eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water, and there was not the slightest fluctuation in his emotions.
The youngsters nowadays were really amazing.
Fang Lan sighed in her heart. How could that little idiot Yin Xiaoxiao deal with such a powerful kid? Wasn't he going to be eaten alive so easily?
"She's in my shoes| What a disappointing mother. I've already lived a pitiful life. Up until now, I've only been| A wish."
"I want her to be happy."
"Forget about being rich and noble, we're not worthy of that. It was simple. She just needed someone to love her.”
"She's very obedient. If you bully her, she won't even dare to cry.| Someone cried secretly."
"So, can you promise Auntie not to bully her?”
Lin An listened to Fang Lan's words, and it was as if she was desperate and was desperately trying to find a cure.
Perhaps if she had more time, Fang Lan would have spent more time examining Lin An's character and personality.
Fang Lan looked at Lin An's serious nod and sighed. She leaned back and said in a low voice,""Auntie knows very well that her body is getting worse by the day.”
"Xiaoxiao has never brought a friend to our house before. You're the first.| One."
"From this aspect, at least Xiaoxiao should be quite satisfied with you." Fang Lan muttered to herself.”
"At least, I don't think you're a bad person. So, don't let her down. Don't disappoint her.”
" I'll do my best to take care of her," Lin An said.”
Since Fang Lan looked like she was entrusting her funeral to him, he naturally had to respond.
" I can't guarantee that I'll be able to do a good job," Lin An said seriously." After all, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future." But I can promise you that I will do my best to protect her.”
Fang Lan looked at his expression. After a while, she smiled gently."Auntie believes you."
Lin An knew that she might still have a lot of uneasiness in her heart.
However, Lin An couldn't prove anything, so he could only say in a serious tone,""Whether it's as a friend or something else, since I've said it, I'll definitely do it.”
"Xiaoxiao is very important to me no matter what.”
Although Lin An's words were a little underhanded, they were also what he truly thought. If the apocalypse really came, Yin Xiaoxiao's abilities were simply too miraculous. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was extremely important to his survival.
Putting aside the issue of ability, if it was possible, he was willing to protect this poor girl for as long as possible. It would be best if it was for a lifetime.
If he could protect Yin Xiaoxiao for the rest of her life, wouldn't it mean that he had finally defeated the apocalypse?
"Yes." Fang Lan hummed in agreement and smiled.""That's good, that's good."
She forced herself to sit up and looked at Lin An.""Xiaoxiao wants to take me to the hospital. I'm willing to go for a check-up, even if it's just for her peace of mind.”
"But it's true that she's going to be hospitalized. Forget it.”As she spoke, the pain and powerlessness on her face, as well as her dejected expression, made Lin An realize that she was really relying on her willpower to hold on.
Fang Lan looked at her small house and sized up every part of the old decoration in the room. Her eyes were filled with memories of the past. She said softly,"Even if I have to die, I want to die here, in my home.”
"I don't want to treat him anymore. I don't want to treat him anymore.”She said softly, her expression somewhat relieved as she spoke tiredly.
Lin An was silent for a moment before nodding.”
He could tell that Fang Lan was determined to die. Perhaps today or tomorrow, she would let her illness take her away and die peacefully.
And this might be because of him.
Fang Lan did not want Yin Xiaoxiao to be burdened and become a burden. She did not want to become a 'handle' and let Yin Xiaoxiao casually entrust her to someone because of her dying mother, treating her happiness as a child's play.
Motherly love.
What a simple yet complicated phrase.
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