The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

The autumn sun in the north is bright; it hangs blazing in the sky, but it offers little warmth. It's like a large light bulb—bright, yes, but utterly unwelcoming.

A cool autumn breeze blew through the old locust trees by the roadside, making a rustling sound, and casually plucked a few leaves.

Ye Shu pushed open the large iron gate of the courtyard, the paint of which had peeled off quite a bit. There were still stickers on it from when Ye Shu was a child, from when she ate bubble gum.

The iron gate is quite old; it creaks when you push it open.

He walked into the courtyard and passed a small vegetable garden, which was empty, with nothing planted except some weeds and soil basking in the sun.

Pulling open the somewhat heavy metal door, and then pushing open the painted wooden door inside, a familiar feeling washes over you.

That's the smell of sun-dried blankets, the faint aroma of food wafting from the kitchen, the smell of old furniture covered with cloth—it's the smell of home.

The furnishings in the room were exactly the same as when he was a child: an old-fashioned cabinet with a bunch of odds and ends and photos in the glass cabinet, a square table covered with a tablecloth, and a cross-stitch of "Harmony Brings Prosperity" hanging on the wall... Everything was old, but very clean.

Mom sat on the sofa, sunlight streaming in from the side window, casting a soft, fuzzy halo around her.

She was wearing that blue knitted vest that Ye Shu recognized so well, and she was knitting something with knitting needles in her hand. Was it a scarf? Or maybe woolen pants? It didn't matter…

Hearing the door open, she looked up, her face revealing the gentle, peaceful smile that Ye Shu had longed for countless evenings.

She didn't say anything, but simply freed one hand and beckoned him to come over and sit down beside her.

Ye Shu obediently walked over, took off her coat and casually draped it over the back of the sofa, then sat down next to her mother and naturally rested her head gently on her mother's shoulder.

His mother's shoulder was always so warm and comforting. He buried his face in his mother's shoulder, took a deep breath, and felt incredibly at ease in the scent of laundry detergent mixed with his mother's fragrance.

They leaned against each other in silence, the only sound in the room the clicking of the old-fashioned mechanical watch on the wall. Time seemed to have become a warm blanket, enveloping him completely.

Ye Shu closed his eyes. He thought, "Let's just keep leaning on her like this. I don't have to think about anything else."

All worries, stress, city noise, and complicated problems... were kept outside that wooden door.

He seemed to have turned back into that little boy, coming home from school, throwing off his schoolbag, and burying his head in his mother's arms, or like this, leaning against his mother and watching cartoons on TV.

cartoon……

Yes, it seems like that often happened when I was a kid. Back then, the TV show was called "Animation City," and I was really addicted to watching it. My homework would be left untouched on the table like it was laid out on a street stall.

At this time, his mother would poke his arm with her knitting needle to urge him on.

"Hurry up and do your homework."

Ye Shu clung to her mother's arm, acting spoiled and whining as she tried to bargain:

"Just five more minutes, Mom. Just five more minutes, this episode is almost over."

Mom usually agrees at this point:

"Okay, after you finish watching this episode, go and write it right away. Keep your word."

These distant everyday moments, left to gather dust in the corners of time, are now vividly presented before Ye Shu.

Ye Shu closed her eyes, a slight smile curving her lips, but then a sour feeling welled up in her nose and rushed to her eyes.

He didn't open his eyes, but buried his face deeper into his mother's shoulder. After a while, he spoke softly, his voice very calm.

"Mom, I'm in love."

His mother shifted slightly, but didn't interrupt him. She just listened quietly, her knitting needles having stopped sometime earlier.

"Your son is amazing. He dated four women at once. If this were in ancient times, wouldn't that be considered having three wives and four concubines?"

At this point, he chuckled twice, then, fearing a scolding, quickly explained:

"But don't worry, although it's said to be four people, it's actually... kind of one person. They... well, their situation is a bit special, they have multiple personalities. Don't worry, they're all fine, really. Your son is lucky, coincidentally... all four of them like me quite a bit."

He spoke a little incoherently, but he knew his mother would understand.

"Her family... is quite wealthy, a bit more so than ours. Her parents seem to be big bosses of some kind of company, but I don't know the specifics, and I haven't inquired further. I know you definitely don't want to hear this; you're probably afraid your handsome son will become someone's gigolo, living off her, right?"

At this point, he said jokingly:

"I still remember it to this day. When I was little, I told you that when I grew up I had to find a rich woman to take care of me. That guy made me so angry that I had to run away from home."

Ye Shu leaned on her mother's shoulder, closed her eyes, and spoke slowly.

From how she met An Suxue, their daily life, to finding a job, meeting Chen Xing, and how her relationships with the four of them started, to their parents meeting...

He basically spoke whatever came to mind, which sounded a bit chaotic and trivial. It was as if he wanted to say all the things he hadn't had a chance to say over the years, all the joys and sorrows he had accumulated, all at once.

Mom sat quietly beside him the whole time, listening without saying a word or interrupting. She simply used her presence, her shoulder, and the reassuring aura emanating from her to tell her son that she was listening and that she was listening attentively.

However, the more Ye Shu spoke, the more uncontrollably her voice trembled. Her feigned lighthearted jokes disappeared, and her steady voice became intermittent.

My nose was stuffy, my throat was blocked, and I had to swallow every few words.

Although his eyes were tightly closed, as if that could lock something away, tears still streamed down his cheeks, past his temples, and into his sideburns.

He didn't raise his hand to wipe it, and kept talking intermittently, as if his time with his mother would never end as long as he didn't stop.

In the end, he couldn't utter a single word. He finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, his tears flowing uncontrollably and quickly soaking his mother's blue vest.

He was sobbing uncontrollably, his whole body trembling, but even then he didn't forget to continue speaking:

"Mom... Sister Zhi Qiu... her cooking is terrible... I... I didn't even have the nerve to say anything..."

Just as he was about to burst into tears, a warm hand gently covered his clenched fist.

That hand, warm with familiar touch, gently grasped his.

Ye Shu grabbed that hand tightly with her other hand and cried even harder.

"Mom... I really miss you..."

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Shu's crying gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs. He kept his eyes closed, lingering in this warmth, wishing that time could stand still at this moment.

However, he felt his mother's shoulders move slightly, as if she was about to stand up.

Ye Shu raised her head, opened her eyes, which were filled with tears and blurred with vision, and looked at her mother:

"Mom, where are you going?"

Her mother turned slightly to the side, against the light from the window. Ye Shu's eyes were full of tears, and she couldn't see her mother's face clearly. She could only feel that her mother's gaze was still so gentle, falling on her face.

His mother looked at him for a few seconds, then slowly spoke, her voice still the familiar one he knew, sounding somewhat relieved:

"Mom is relieved."

Are you relieved? Relieved of what?

Are you reassured that he's taking good care of himself on his own? Are you reassured that he has someone who cares for him? Or...?

Before Ye Shu could ask, her mother had already turned and walked step by step toward the door. Her back looked somewhat thin in the sunlight, and her blue woolen vest swayed slightly with her steps.

Ye Shu sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face again, staring blankly as her mother walked away step by step.

He wanted to shout, but his mouth felt glued shut, and he couldn't open it at all. He wanted to chase after him, but his body felt like it was nailed to the sofa, too heavy to move.

He could only watch helplessly as the door he had just pushed open slowly closed behind his mother once again.

He was alone in the room again, and he sat on the sofa and cried loudly.

but……

Just as he was about to be swallowed up by this sorrow, he suddenly felt...

The warmth is still there in my hands.

Ye Shu jolted awake, as if she had been pulled out of the water, and suddenly opened her eyes.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, past my temples, and onto the pillow.

He was still having some difficulty breathing and was stuck in the sobbing stage.

He slowly turned his neck, and through his tears, he saw a face that was just as familiar to him.

Autumn is here.

She sat on the edge of the bed, not knowing how long she had been sitting there. Her face, which always held a gentle smile, now held only heartache.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her eyes seemed to hold a layer of moisture.

Ye Shu's hand was being gently held in hers.