218: Chapter 217 Ten Years Later, Life and Death Are Separated by a Vast Distance

By the time the two of them had eaten their fill, the sky had already darkened.

Lu Fan cut some forage and fed it to Big Horn and the others.

While he was at it, he milked some goat milk from Baa Baa.

Then it was time to rest again.

Moonlight streamed through the window and spilled onto the floor, like a thin layer of silver gauze.

Lu Fan and An Lan lay down on their respective beds, and the warm blankets made them drowsy.

But Lu Fan kept his eyes open, his mind still occupied with the plans for tomorrow... "Xiao Fan? Xiao Fan?"

A gentle call pulled Lu Fan back from his daze.

The video on his phone was halfway through, the screen still flickering slightly.

He subconsciously raised his eyes, and a familiar scene entered his view.

The furniture arrangement in the room was the same as always; their joint photos hung on the walls, and every detail was etched with the warmth of the past.

Lu Fan's gaze slowly swept across the room, finally stopping at the dining table where his mother and father stood smiling brightly.

The table was laden with steaming hot dishes, and the curling heat carried the scent of home.

"Xiao Fan, stop playing with your phone and come eat." His mother's voice held a hint of reproach, but was full of doting affection.

Only then did Lu Fan suddenly remember that it was time to eat, and after dinner, he still had to propose.

He hurriedly put down his phone and quickly walked to the dining table to sit down.

Braised Eggplant, Stir-fried Meat with Chili Pepper, and Fried Small Dried Fish were all his favorites.

And, of course, there was his father's favorite bar snack—Fried Peanuts.

Lu Fan eagerly picked up a piece of Stir-fried Meat with Chili Pepper with his chopsticks, and the familiar taste blossomed on his taste buds the moment it entered his mouth.

"Mom, your cooking is still so delicious. I've been craving it so much outside." His voice was full of attachment.

A happy smile bloomed on his mother's face, and the fine lines around her eyes exuded tenderness: "As long as you love to eat it, Mom will cook it for you every day."

Lu Fan smiled and turned his head to look at his father, who was leisurely drinking: "Dad, how about I join you for a drink?"

His father's lips curled into a slightly disdainful smile, and he grumbled: "Forget it. With your one-cup tolerance, you think you can drink with me? Sigh, you really didn't inherit any of my drinking capacity."

His mother lightly slapped his father and scolded playfully: "Honestly, what's so good about drinking? Be careful you don't drink yourself into trouble. Xiao Fan, don't follow your father; Mom likes that you don't drink."

Lu Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter, defending his father: "Mom, just let Dad have a little, it's fine. Otherwise, he'll be too tempted to sleep."

"Hehe, I like hearing that, Son." His father smiled, took a sip of wine, and picked up a few peanuts to toss into his mouth.

The family sat together, filled with continuous laughter and cheer.

His mother constantly put food into Lu Fan's bowl. The warm atmosphere was like a soft cotton quilt, wrapping Lu Fan tightly and filling his heart with peace.

Looking at Lu Fan, his mother couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I didn't expect our Xiao Fan to be proposing soon. Time flies so fast; in the blink of an eye, the child has grown up."

His father also took a sip of wine: "He's an adult now. You shouldn't always look at him through the eyes of a child."

His mother gave his father a look: "In my heart, Xiao Fan will always be a child."

"Exactly! Maybe you'll even have to help me raise my kids later. I'm a kid myself; I can't manage it," Lu Fan said without lifting his head as he ate a mouthful of rice.

"You brat, you should marry her first before talking about that."

For a time, the dining table was full of laughter and cheer.

After dinner, his mother and father walked into the kitchen to wash the dishes, as usual.

In the kitchen, the light was warm yellow, and their figures intertwined in the light and shadow, affectionate and cozy.

Lu Fan sat alone on the sofa, quietly immersed in this moment of tranquility, as if time had paused for this beautiful scene.

[This is fake]

The heavenly dao prompt sound abruptly popped up, shattering this beautiful moment.

Lu Fan's smile instantly froze, and the color rapidly drained from his face.

He slowly lowered his head and instinctively put his phone aside, as if afraid the light from the phone would disturb this fragile peace.

"...I know, of course I know..."

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible, like he was muttering to himself.

His body trembled slightly uncontrollably. He fought back tears, but the sourness rising in his nose was like a surging tide, threatening to completely breach his psychological defenses.

Just then, his mother walked out of the kitchen and immediately noticed Lu Fan's strange expression.

She quickly rushed over, her eyes full of worry and concern: "What's wrong, Xiao Fan? Tell Mom what happened."

As she spoke, she reached out tenderly and gently stroked Lu Fan's head, trying to comfort him.

Lu Fan bit his lip, struggling to suppress his sobs, but his body trembled even more violently.

His father also walked over, his broad hand gently patting Lu Fan's shoulder: "Son, don't be afraid. Tell Dad what's going on. The house back home was demolished for development; we just got a huge compensation payment, so don't worry about anything."

Hearing this, Lu Fan could no longer suppress the pain in his heart and choked out: "...I truly, truly miss you so much, but, in the world I'm in now, you aren't there... I'm an orphan again..."

Tears streamed out of his eyes, dropping onto the floor and splashing with sorrow.

His mother lovingly hugged Lu Fan tightly. In his mother's warm embrace, Lu Fan's tightly strained emotions instantly broke the dam, and he could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobs.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Mom and Dad are both here."

His mother gently patted Lu Fan's back, her movements soft, just like when she used to lull him to sleep when he was little.

Lu Fan slowly raised his head. Through his tear-filled eyes, he saw his parents' figures gradually becoming illusory and faint.

He tried hard to force a smile, although it was filled with bitterness and reluctance: "I really, really miss you... But you never came to see me, not even once..."

His parents still wore gentle smiles. They seemed to know that they were illusory, merely a dream.

Tears welled up in his mother's eyes, and she said softly: "I'm sorry. Mom and Dad miss you every day. Even if you are in another world, even if we can't see each other, as long as Xiao Fan is still alive, Mom and Dad are happy. True family is always in the heart."

His father also showed a relieved smile, his gaze full of pride: "What you are doing now is a great deed that benefits the country and the people. Dad is proud of you."

Lu Fan was already weeping profusely. His lips parted slightly, but he found his throat seemed blocked. With a thousand words to say, he didn't know where to start.

Subsequently, his parents' figures gradually faded until they completely vanished before his eyes.

But the loving smiles on their faces as they left were deeply imprinted in Lu Fan's heart.

Lu Fan sat there blankly on the sofa, motionless, like a sculpture solidified by sorrow.

The clock on the wall ticked and tocked, each sound mercilessly reminding him that all this was merely an illusory dream.

After an unknown period, Lu Fan slowly raised his head.

At this moment, he was dressed in a black suit, standing alone in a silent cemetery.

The wind gently brushed past, carrying a hint of chill.

He held a bouquet of fresh flowers; the dew on the petals resembled his unshed tears.

He looked sorrowfully at the tombstone before him. The girl's photo on the stone smiled radiantly, looking both familiar and strange.

But now, on this cold stone tablet, she was separated from him by life and death.

Lu Fan slowly squatted down, extending a trembling hand to gently stroke the photo on the tombstone, as if this way he could touch her warmth again.

He raised his hand, took off the gold ring on his ring finger, and placed it in front of the tombstone.

That was the wedding ring they had made together, carrying their most beautiful memories.

"Ten years, life and death separated, no need to think, unforgettable. A thousand miles of lonely graves, nowhere to speak of sorrow."

Lu Fan's voice was low and hoarse; every word seemed to be squeezed from the depths of his heart, and his eyes revealed endless grief.

"Only now do I truly understand this poem, but... I'm almost forgetting what you look like."

The only response was the whistling wind, which sounded like her whisper, or perhaps the echo of the endless sorrow deep within his heart.

Lu Fan gently wiped the tombstone, a flood of guilt surging in his heart, but when the words reached his mouth, they were caught by endless grief, making them impossible to utter.

Finally, Lu Fan slowly stood up, his figure lonely and desolate.

"Even in a dream, you wouldn't come to see me?" he murmured softly, his voice quickly scattered by the wind.

Suddenly, he noticed a shorter tombstone nearby, which felt very familiar.

"Lu Fan!"

A hand slapped heavily onto his shoulder... Lu Fan slowly opened his eyes, and there was nothing in front of him.

He raised a hand to wipe away his tears, trying hard to calm his emotions.

"It was a dream..."

Lu Fan turned over, and what met his eyes was An Lan on the opposite kang bed.

An Lan had her back to him, covered by a thick bear skin.

A complex expression emerged in Lu Fan's eyes. Sometimes he didn't even know how to face her.

Every time he wanted to get closer, a certain figure's back always appeared in his mind, sharply stinging his nerves.

He silently watched An Lan like this, and then silently fell asleep again.

But little did he know, he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.