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Only Ye Shiyu remained silent throughout, so Yan Huan proactively said to her,
"Compared to us, Sister Shiyu is really amazing, not scared at all..."
"..."
Receiving no response, Ye Lan smiled and filled in the gap,
"My sister is the most considerate of me, unlike Xiao Huan."
"Shiyu is just used to it now. She used to feel dizzy from sitting too."
"..."
Still no response, and with that, the meal ended amidst their intermittent conversations.
"Aunt Chen, let me help you."
This time, Yan Huan was the first to stand up and help Aunt Chen clean up the table, while Ye Lan, with her chin in her hands, smiled at his retreating figure.
After a short pause, she turned and headed towards a cabinet in the living room, searching for something.
That cabinet was full of various photo albums.
Observing this, Ye Shiyu realized in her heart.
Surely, that moment would come soon.
Those albums contained many old photos, including those of Yan Huan's parents.
Yan Huan had mentioned he would stay over the weekend that Friday, and now the atmosphere was pleasant, with him almost completely blending in with the family.
All his mother needed to do was talk about the past, and he would naturally stay here...
"Mom, I'm going upstairs to work on some clothes."
Thinking of this, Ye Shiyu stood up expressionlessly and said so.
"Okay, off you go."
Ye Lan was still rummaging through the albums, while Ye Shiyu, with a shadow cast over her, turned and went upstairs.
"...Found it."
Ye Lan quickly found an album and sat back down on the living room sofa with it.
Yan Huan had been busy in the kitchen for a while and finally came out, cleansed hands carrying two bowls of the double-skin milk pudding he had just made.
Seeing only Ye Lan sitting in the living room, he asked,
"Auntie, where's Sister Shiyu? I made dessert for after dinner for you both..."
"She's gone upstairs to make clothes..."
Ye Lan said with a smile and then gestured him over,
"Come here, Xiao Huan, I've got something to show you."
"Sure, Auntie."
After placing the double-skin milk on the coffee table, Yan Huan sat next to Ye Lan and watched as she opened the hefty album to reveal the photos inside.
Her finger moved, pausing on a photo of two young women.
In the photo, a short-haired, slightly awkward-smiling Ye Lan stood beside a long-haired woman with a sunny, radiant smile, who was nonchalantly giving a 'yea' sign to the camera.
Just looking at the beautiful girl standing next to Ye Lan, Yan Huan's eyes moved imperceptibly.
He sensed a strong resemblance between the girl and himself, especially when she smiled.
Thus, her identity dawned on Yan Huan.
"Look, Xiao Huan, this is your mother, Wang Yulu, my college classmate."
Ye Lan smiled faintly, her finger moving across each photo as she continued to speak to the stunned Yan Huan beside her,
"When we first started university, my family business was struggling, conditions were tough. Don't look at me now, all glitz and glam—twenty-some years ago, your Aunt Ye could barely get by at university..."
In the photos, some of Ye Lan's clothing was clearly oversized for her, making it appear too big.
"Young people can't be satisfied just burying their heads in their books; they need entertainment, to go out and socialize.
"But I had no money for clothes; what I brought to university belonged to my elder sister and was a size too large. Not to mention what others thought, even I felt insecure just by looking at myself.
"Clothes were like this, not to mention other things—makeup, snacks, electronics—I had none..."
In each photo, the girl beside Ye Lan was always smiling, either gesturing at the camera or striking some playful pose.
Even from the photos alone, it was apparent she was a very sunny person.
"At that time, your mother was my roommate.
"When she saw I had no clothes to wear out, she would lend me hers that were about the right size; if I had a date, an interview, and needed makeup, she would let me use hers; she taught me skincare, took me out for exercise, studied together with me, introduced me to more friends...
"Your dad and mom met back then. Look, this is your father. Your parents were the fairytale couple of the literature faculty back then."
In one photo, Ye Lan, Wang Yulu, and another handsome man wearing glasses were all looking at the camera, seemingly at a dining table with some other classmates in the background.
"Your mother was a very kind and sincere person. Without her, who knows what mental issues Auntie would've faced across those six years of undergrad and graduate studies.
"She was my very best friend, up until she and your father chose to develop their careers in Lin Gate after grad school. They traveled all over the world, often outside of cell service areas; and I, because of a failed marriage and the family business, was too busy to do anything else.
"For all these years, I occasionally sent texts to ask how they were but never got a reply. I thought they were just too busy, who would've known..."
As she spoke, Ye Lan's eyes began to redden.
She turned the album to a new page but no longer dared to look as if she feared shedding tears with another glimpse of Yan Huan's mother's face.
Yan Huan, considerately, handed her a tissue.
And on the album, a photo of Wang Yulu, with a full smile, leaning over a baby crib caught Yan Huan's attention.
In the crib, he saw a baby Ye Shiyu stretching out her tiny hand to grasp Wang Yulu's Little Thumb, while Wang Yulu had a face full of smiles and surprise.
Below the photo was written,
"Shiyu and her godmother's first meeting."
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