Spring is the Plan of Life

Chapter 39 – Acknowledging One’s Actions

Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)

Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Yao Jinxi placed a piece of fish belly in Wu Yang’s bowl and asked seriously, “Do you think she’ll feel that you ended up liking men because of her? For example, she’ll think you no longer trust women?”

Wu Yang rubbed his temple and said, “Spare me, please.”

This was the first time Yao Jinxi had seen Wu Yang at a loss for words. He was in a great mood and said, “Well.. But on the other hand, will my actions cause you trouble?”

In front of Wu Yang, he often acted without restraint. Just a moment ago, he found it interesting. But now he was a bit worried. Homosexuality is not widely accepted in this society. Although Wu Yang had already left his job, you never know when it might affect him.

“Stop overthinking,” Wu Yang said with a smile. “I don’t care about this kind of thing.”

Yao Jinxi felt an indescribable warmth in his heart because Wu Yang could handle their relationship with such dignity. Sometimes he truly felt that Wu Yang was incredibly carefree. Or should he say, too persistent? He could divert his attention from everything else except his goals.

As they enjoyed a delicious hot and sour fish soup, the two of them discussed renovation matters. They were planning to go back to City L to visit Yao Hong this weekend. So they naturally couldn’t schedule anything else. Fortunately, their schedules were quite flexible so they could do this whenever they wanted. They couldn’t rush something as important as their ‘home’.

When the weekend arrived, Yao Jinchen decided to go back with them. He sat quietly in the back seat. Wu Yang and Yao Jinxi were chatting in the front.

“If we’re going for a minimalist style, let’s go with black and white. It will never go out of fashion,” Wu Yang suggested.

Yao Jinxi was flipping through a home improvement magazine he had brought with him. “Black and white is too cold. I think this could work. Don’t turn your head. Focus on the road,” he said.

Wu Yang asked, “How about warm colours, like red?”

Yao Jinxi looked at the magazine and said, “It’s going to be too hot in the summer with those warm colours. Let’s go with something like this green decor. It looks quite elegant.”

Wu Yang nodded, saying, “We’ll have the renovation company provide some professional opinions when the time comes.”

Yao Jinchen, sitting in the back, became increasingly anxious as he listened to the discussion between the two. Did he just hear that his brother and this man were planning to live together?

He grasped the passenger seat and leaned forward hastily, “Brother! Didn’t you say you had nothing going on with this person?”

Wu Yang raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly,” Yao Jinxi glanced at Yao Jinchen with a puzzled expression. “There was nothing going on at the time. But it’s all in the past.”

Yao Jinchen widened his eyes, “Then what’s your relationship now?!”

Yao Jinchen’s question was more of a deliberate inquiry, as he was clearly unwilling to believe it. Yao Jinxi didn’t respond. He just closed the magazine and tossed it into a drawer. He then crossed his arms, closing his eyes to relax.

Yao Jinchen, in the back, had a deep sense of fear and loss that gradually gripped his heart. After a moment, he nervously said, “Mom won’t approve of this. You’ve just recently reconciled with her. And now you’re going to upset her again?”

Yao Jinxi opened his eyes.

“You don’t need to worry,” Wu Yang said with a smile. “Auntie already knows about me and Jinxi.”

This time, Yao Jinchen was completely stunned. How had all of this changed so dramatically before he even knew about it?

There was silence in the car as they made the rest of their way to Yao Hong’s home in City L. They arrived earlier than Yao Hong expected. She was about to leave to go grocery shopping when Yao Jinxi and the others knocked on her door.

Her younger son’s pale face startled her, making it seem as if he had been kidnapped and brought back. She was still in doubt about what happened to him when Wu Yang held out some gifts for her, saying, “Should I put this on the living room table for you?”

“Why bring so many things with you when you come?” Yao Hong asked. When she saw the high-end women’s products, she continued, “I don’t usually like using these things. It’s a waste to buy them.”

Wu Yang smiled and didn’t argue as he placed the gifts in the living room next to the kitchen table.

Seeing Yao Hong’s preparations to go out, Yao Jinxi realised she was getting ready to leave and quickly put his shoes back on, saying, “Mom, are you going grocery shopping? I’ll come with you.”

Yao Hong hesitated and then nodded, “Sure, come with me. We have a lot to buy.”

She also remembered that Wu Yang, despite being somewhat of an unwelcome guest, was still present. With some reluctance, she instructed, “There are apples on the dining table. You can help yourself.”

Wu Yang responded, “Sure.”

As the door opened and closed, the room was now only occupied by Wu Yang and Yao Jinchen. Wu Yang paid no attention to Yao Jinchen’s thoughts and went straight to the dining table, which was located under the window with good lighting even through the curtains.

On the fruit platter, there were several red apples with a fruit knife placed nearby. Wu Yang absentmindedly picked one up but didn’t eat it. It was as though he was holding something to occupy his hands while deep in thought.

Yao Jinchen sat down opposite him and asked, “What gives you the right?”

Wu Yang didn’t even look at him and began to peel the apple with the fruit knife.

Yao Jinchen clenched his fists and slammed them on the table, exclaiming, “Why do you think you can take my brother away from me?! Who do you think you are? How long have you known my brother?!”

Wu Yang calmly continued to peel the apple. His pace was slow. But his peeling was meticulous, producing thin and delicate peels. He then asked, “I have a question for you: If Jinxi agrees to be with you, how do you plan to arrange your future together?”

This question hit the mark, leaving Yao Jinchen momentarily speechless. He gritted his teeth and said, “What’s it to you?”

Wu Yang continued to work carefully with the apple, not even looking at Yao Jinchen. He spoke in a calm tone, “Have you not thought about it yet? All that matters is that Jinxi goes along with your wishes and helps you out with your troubles. That’s what ‘what gives you the right’ means.”

Yao Jinchen let out a sigh and covered his face with his hands, saying, “You don’t understand… He’s my brother. But I love him. And he loves me too. Just because we’re brothers, should I not be with him?”

“You can’t be with him not because you’re brothers,” Wu Yang said as he finished peeling the apple. The peeled skin formed a neat coil on the table.

He looked up at Yao Jinchen and continued, “It’s because you don’t cherish him.”

After these words, Wu Yang glanced at Yao Jinchen, whose face had turned pale. He gave a faint smile and asked, “Would you like to have an apple?”

Meanwhile, Yao Jinxi, concerned about Yao Hong’s mood, did his best to accompany his mother at the market. Suddenly, a middle-aged lady struck up a conversation with Yao Hong, saying, “Are you here to shop for groceries too? Is this your son? Has he finished college?”

Yao Hong realised that she had confused Yao Jinxi with Yao Jinchen and corrected her, saying, “This is my elder son. He has been working outside the city.”

The middle-aged lady commented, “He looks quite energetic. If he’s been away for a while, it’s time to come back and spend more time with your mother.”

She then examined Yao Jinxi and remarked, “Oh, you’ve bought quite a lot.”

It’s not surprising that the lady was surprised. Yao Jinxi had a variety of chicken, duck, and fish in his hands. Yao Hong politely replied, “Yes, the products today look very fresh.”

The middle-aged lady carefully observed Yao Jinxi once again and with a hint of approval in her eyes, asked, “Has your son found a girlfriend yet? I have a relative with a daughter who just graduated from college. She’s quite pretty. Perhaps the two of them could meet?”

Being brought up in this conversation in front of Yao Hong made Yao Jinxi feel a bit uncomfortable.

Yao Hong replied, “He already has a partner.”

The middle-aged lady, seemingly accustomed to making such matchmaking attempts, didn’t take the rejection to heart. She simply gestured ahead and said, “Alright, I’ll go do some shopping. See you later.”

Yao Hong smiled and nodded, “Sure, take your time.”

Turning to Yao Jinxi, she continued as if nothing had happened, “Let’s go buy some shrimp. What does Wu Yang like to eat?”

Yao Jinxi replied conservatively, “He’s not a picky eater. He eats whatever.”

Yao Hong decided to drop the topic and headed towards the seafood section. Yao Jinxi noticed the change in her mood and carefully stayed by her side. He understood that accepting Wu Yang, or rather, preparing to accept him, had been a challenging step for his mother. He didn’t want to say anything that might upset her further.

Yao Hong felt uneasy in her heart. With two men being together, how would their roles be defined? Who would be the wife and who would be the husband? Her mind was tangled with these thoughts she couldn’t quite resolve.

During their trip, mother and son both were lost in their own thoughts. They didn’t discuss anything else. Their conversation revolved around the selection of groceries. When they returned home, Yao Jinxi followed Yao Hong directly into the kitchen.

Yao Jinchen and Wu Yang were still sitting at the dining table. When they saw the others return, Wu Yang followed them into the kitchen and stood by the door. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Yao Hong poured the shrimp from the bag into a bowl and replied in a neither warm nor cold tone, “No need. You can go to the living room and chat with Jinchen.”

Wu Yang smiled, thinking to himself that if he continued talking with her son, he might end up in tears.

“Alright, this kitchen is not very spacious. If you squeeze in here, you won’t be able to move,” Yao Jinxi insisted on helping in the kitchen. With so many groceries, Yao Hong would definitely need assistance. While putting on an apron, he greeted Wu Yang, “You can go to the living room. Is Jinchen watching TV?”

In a reflective mood, Wu Yang replied, “He’s eating an apple.”

“Ah,” Yao Jinxi, having tied his apron, couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. He thought that Yao Jinchen seemed to be more well-behaved since they returned home.

With the collaboration of the two skilled cooks in the Yao family, the lunch spread was almost extravagantly lavish. Yao Jinxi, realising that both of the young masters waiting weren’t fans of peeling shrimp, he patiently peeled the shells off all the shrimp to prepare a dish of scrambled eggs with shrimp for them.

Yao Hong watched her two sons and couldn’t help but feel excited. When was the last time their family had gathered together like this? She interlaced her hands in her lap, calming herself down before she looked up and said, “It’s rare for our family to come together. In the future, both of you brothers will be in City C. You take care of each other.”

She then turned her gaze to Wu Yang, struggling for words before finally saying, “Thank you for today. You drove them here early in the morning.”

Wu Yang smiled and said, “No problem. I also wanted to come and see you.”

Upon hearing this, Yao Jinchen almost broke his chopsticks. He gave Wu Yang a hostile look while blurting out, “Mom! Do you know what he’s thinking about?!”

The previously pleasant atmosphere at the dining table suddenly turned tense.

Yao Hong, who had reached for her chopsticks, put them back down. She looked at Yao Jinchen with a serious expression. She asked, “What do you mean?”

Yao Jinchen gritted his teeth, not daring to cause a big scene. But he was genuinely unhappy. He turned his head away in frustration.

Yao Hong remained silent for a while and then said, “If you’re asking about your brother and Wu Yang’s relationship, I am aware of it.”

Although Yao Jinchen had known about this matter for some time, hearing it from the very person involved felt like another blow to him.

With Yao Hong’s approval, he felt like there was no hope left for him.

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*Author’s Note: Mother will eventually realise the real deal. It’s a bit forced for now, but give her some time. It’ll be okay. =w= -YXF

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Next update: 2023.11.19

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