Chapter 236: Chapter 236: A Crush and a Pickup

He had a crush on Li Qiong, but he wasn’t planning on anything serious. He just couldn’t help but want to treat her well.

If this unspoken admiration brought trouble upon Li Qiong, Li Jianjun would feel incredibly guilty.

Seeing her son’s anxious expression, Li Guihua smiled and said, "Oh, honestly, what kind of person do you take me for? I’m not a shameless scoundrel like Wang Dadan or Li Siming. Since you have a crush on her, I’ll go ask around and try to play matchmaker. If it works out, it’s a happy ending for everyone. She’ll be my daughter-in-law, part of the family. If she’s not interested, we won’t have any regrets either, because at least we tried. Besides, you can’t force love—it never works out. These things have to be mutual. I know how to be tactful; I won’t pressure her."

Hearing his mother’s words, Li Jianjun finally relaxed. He looked at her and pleaded, "Mom, please don’t say anything for now. Let’s wait. I think it’s nice just getting to know her like this. I’m worried that if you make things obvious, I’ll be too embarrassed to even visit anymore."

Seeing him like this, Li Guihua nodded. "Alright. You two can get to know each other first. But you must not take advantage of her. Life is hard for everyone."

"I know, Mom," Li Jianjun replied. His heart fluttered with excitement. ’At least Mom doesn’t object. She even seems to like Li Qiong. This means I can still go to the Dragon King Temple.’

And so, Li Jianjun continued to visit Li Qiong often. However, whenever he came, he would drop off his things and then go talk to Yang Guanghui, careful not to appear overly eager toward Li Qiong.

Meanwhile, Li Qiong was slowly observing Li Jianjun. She was not indifferent to his gestures of concern.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and the village began distributing grain, money, and coupons.

Because Zhao Nuanyue had organized everyone to weave artisanal baskets, each family in Nianqiao Village had earned an average of three to four hundred yuan. This made everyone even more overjoyed and festive. With grain in their stores and money in their pockets, more and more families in the village began planning weddings and other celebrations.

Zhao Nuanyue organized her share of the provisions, stored them in the cellar, and began preparing for winter.

However, just as the first snow of the season was about to fall, a stranger arrived in Nianqiao Village. It was Tang Kai Xuan. He had come with official documents, completed the necessary procedures in the county seat, and then came personally to Nianqiao Village to pick up his junior sister.

When Tang Kai Xuan arrived, the village was empty. But after asking a villager for directions, he went straight to Miao Dahai’s house. He explained the situation, stating that he was there to escort Zhao Nuanyue and her two younger siblings away.

Miao Dahai was very cautious. He carefully examined all the documents, including the papers from the county seat. They were all genuine.

Thus, Miao Dahai had no choice but to take Tang Kai Xuan to the Dragon King Temple to get a final confirmation and ensure Zhao Nuanyue and her siblings would be safe.

Zhao Nuanyue was in the middle of stewing chicken soup when she heard a knock on the door. Little Red Carp jumped up and rushed to open it.

"Grandpa Village Chief, please come in," Little Red Carp said in her bright, clear voice. "Big Sister is cooking!"

A smile unknowingly spread across Miao Dahai’s face when he saw Little Red Carp. ’This child is just so endearing.’

"Ah, Little Red Carp, what a good girl," Miao Dahai said with a smile. "Someone is here to take you all back to Jincheng City. Go get your sister, quickly."

Miao Dahai had already led Tang Kai Xuan into the courtyard. Zhao Nuanyue hurried out of the kitchen and saw Tang Kai Xuan standing beside Miao Dahai.

"And you are...?" Zhao Nuanyue asked, looking at Tang Kai Xuan. The young man had handsome, refined features and a scholarly air about him.

"Hello, Junior Sister. I’m Tang Kai Xuan," he said, taking out a seashell. "Master gave me this. It’s the token to prove I’ve come to take you back. He said that once you saw it, you would trust me enough to leave with me."

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue examined the seashell closely. It was indeed the one she had given to Sun Haoran. Overjoyed, she asked, "How is Master? And Elder Gu? Right, and what about Hua Yusen?"

Seeing his junior sister so tense and anxious, Tang Kai Xuan offered a small smile. "Junior Sister, don’t worry. Master is doing very well, and Elder Gu is also slowly recovering. It’s just... it’s just that Hua Yusen was injured while saving Elder Gu. He’s in the hospital, unconscious. Now that the situation has stabilized, Elder Gu and Master sent me to bring you all back to Jincheng City."

Miao Dahai, who was standing to the side, was also stunned to hear this.

The moment she heard Hua Yusen was unconscious, all the color drained from Zhao Nuanyue’s face, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Ever since Hua Yusen had left, Zhao Nuanyue had missed him terribly. But with her younger brother, sister, and friends around, she never wanted anyone to see her vulnerability, so she never cried in front of others.

But the longing and worry in her heart had only grown more intense with each passing day.

This year’s Moon Festival had been especially difficult, reminding Zhao Nuanyue of the festival last year. Back then, Hua Yusen had been by her side, holding her tight.

_The moon is lovely, but you are lovelier!_

Those sweet words that had made her heart race still echoed in her ears, but the man who had said them was gone.

The bright moon had shone brilliantly in the sky. At that moment, Zhao Nuanyue had gazed up at it, her thoughts drifting far away. ’May the moon carry my longing across a thousand miles,’ she had prayed, hoping the pure, bright light could deliver her feelings to Hua Yusen.

But after receiving the gift she had sent him before the Moon Festival, Hua Yusen had fallen completely silent. She had written to him, but her letters went unanswered, making her worry even more.

’I can’t bear to think about it!’

’I was so afraid I’d see him in trouble in my dreams!’

And yet, it had happened anyway. Hua Yusen was in a coma.

"Okay, I’ll pack my things right now. We’ll go back as soon as possible," Zhao Nuanyue said, wiping away her tears. Her mind went blank; all she could think about was leaving immediately and getting back to Hua Yusen’s side.

Seeing her sister cry, Little Red Carp hugged her leg and said, "Don’t cry, don’t cry! That big jerk won’t die that easily."

Zhao Nuanyue had only been crying softly, but at Little Red Carp’s attempt at consolation, she broke down completely and started to wail.

Tang Kai Xuan was at a loss, unsure how to handle his junior sister’s sobbing. ’So she likes Hua Yusen!’ he finally realized.

Zhao Nuan Yang came out of the house and saw his sister crying. Assuming the strange man before him was the cause, he glared at him and demanded, "Who are you? Why are you making my sister cry?"

Tang Kai Xuan felt utterly wronged and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Hello, you must be Zhao Nuan Yang. I’m your sister’s senior brother, and I’ve come especially to take you all home. I didn’t make her cry! She’s upset because she just heard that Hua Yusen was injured."

Zhao Nuan Yang froze, finally understanding the situation.

"Nuanyang, pack your things. We’re leaving today," Zhao Nuanyue said. "Hurry!"

Miao Dahai looked at the sky. "Nuanyue, it’ll be dark soon. The roads aren’t safe at night, and there won’t be any trains anyway. I’ll take you to the station in the ox cart first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhao Nuanyue looked at the darkening sky. Despite her desperation, she had no choice but to accept Miao Dahai’s advice.

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.