Chapter 35

35.

No matter how much Li Guang complained, Cheng Lingjun didn't take him to Guan Yue's house.

He found that he could no longer face Guan Yue.

In the past, he always felt that he was helping Guan Yue. Guan Yue had lost her memory and no one else was willing to help her. She seemed to be like a fledgling bird, seeing him as her lifeline. He felt that he didn't have much ability, but he could help as much as he could.

But now, how can he help her anymore? On the contrary, Guan Yue has done more for him, yet she only keeps saying she wants to repay him.

If we really want to repay this debt, it should be enough.

Cheng Lingjun felt that if things continued like this, some unpredictable consequences would occur.

So he started avoiding Guan Yue. Guan Yue knew when he left home, so he left earlier and came back later. But since they lived across the street from each other, it was obviously impossible to completely avoid her.

Several times he saw Guan Yue rushing out of her house, as if she wanted to say something to him, but he could only pretend not to see her. If he did meet her face to face, he would just nod and lower his head to talk to Li Guang before she could speak, so that Guan Yue could not interrupt.

Every time he did this, he could feel Guan Yue's dim and disappointed gaze, and he would just grit his teeth and force himself not to look back.

But the bucket of water and vegetables that Guan Yue left at the door still moved him deeply.

Guan Yue probably knew he was avoiding her, so she gradually appeared in front of him less often. However, the things she would leave at his door every two or three days served as reminders of her presence.

Ever since he first guided Guan Yue and she gave him all her water, she has been carrying water for him in his house. At that time, he thought Guan Yue was eager to repay him, so he accepted it, thinking that she would stop carrying water for him after a while. But a while passed and then another while passed, and to this day, she is still carrying water for him.

Since the two lived across the hall from each other, it was difficult for them to hide anything from each other. Guan Yue even knew better than Cheng Lingjun when Cheng Lingjun's water ran out. The water seemed to be sent from the sky as if it were a divine intervention, so Cheng Lingjun didn't need to worry about it at all. All he had to do was carry the water in, pour it into his own water tank, and then put the empty bucket outside the door.

This has always been their unspoken understanding.

But now, Cheng Lingjun finds this tacit understanding extremely irritating, and not only that, it feels like a thorn has pierced her heart.

Should he refuse her? He shouldn't have let her keep bringing him water. He had asked her several times, but Guan Yue always waved her hand dismissively, saying that carrying water was simple. She carried water several times a day, not only for her own drinking but also for growing vegetables and raising chickens. Helping him carry water was just a side thing.

Cheng Lingjun was also swayed by her words, but now that he thought about it, he had still troubled others. Others might not care, but he couldn't help but care.

He had just spent too much time with Guan Yue and had forgotten his boundaries. He really shouldn't have gotten any more involved.

Cheng Lingjun closed the door, trying to pretend he hadn't seen these things, but when he turned around, he saw Li Guang looking at him in surprise again.

"Dad, what's wrong..." Li Guang asked, puzzled, "Did you have a fight with Aunt Guan?"

Li Guang didn't know what had happened to the adults. He only knew that things were fine a few days ago. His father would take him to Guan Yue's house to see the rabbits and sit in the yard chatting and laughing with Guan Yue. Li Guang also saw his father taking Guan Yue's clothes home to mend them. At that time, he remembered his father being so nervous that he stammered and said that he had taken on Guan Yue's job to mend them.

Li Guang knew that her father could earn money by doing embroidery, but why was her father so nervous when he had only taken on Aunt Guan's work? Was her work more difficult? Li Guang didn't understand, so he just nodded and ran to play in the yard.

Cheng Lingjun shook her head.

Li Guang then asked, "Is it because Guan Yue refused to pay?"

Cheng Lingjun almost burst out laughing and asked in return, "If she really doesn't give you the money, will Dad break off all ties with her?"

Li Guang really pondered for a while. Cheng Lingjun didn't urge him, but instead hoped to hear something from Li Guang... something? He didn't know either.

After thinking hard with his little brain, Li Guang said, "Then she's a bit wicked. But maybe she doesn't have the money. Let's just say she owes Dad. Let's see if she'll pay him back. If she doesn't, Dad won't sew clothes for her anymore. As for breaking off the friendship... Guan Yue has helped us a lot, hasn't she? If we break off the friendship with her like this, Guan Yue will be too pitiful."

After listening to him say so much, Cheng Lingjun suppressed the increasingly wide smile on his lips. It seemed that Li Guang was really sensible. He hadn't taught Li Guang in vain, and Liu Niangzi's private school hadn't been a waste of time either. At such a young age, he could already distinguish right from wrong. But he actually said that Guan Yue was too pitiful. Why did he feel that she was too pitiful?

Cheng Lingjun said, "She paid Dad his wages, Xiao Guang, don't worry, she doesn't owe him anything. But Dad doesn't understand, why is she so pitiful just because we broke off our friendship? She doesn't need our help anymore. She has her own vegetable garden and her own chicken coop, and she might even be quite wealthy. Where does Xiao Guang see her as pitiful?"

Li Guang was stunned. "But, but she's all alone, and I still have my father. What will happen to her if we break off our friendship?"

Cheng Lingjun was stunned. He hadn't expected Li Guang to think that way. Yes, he was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he had completely forgotten about the other person. Guan Yue had done nothing wrong to him or Li Guang and had always felt that she owed him a lot of kindness. She was just repaying him, but he treated her like this, which was too cold-hearted.

Li Guang looked up at his father, shook Cheng Lingjun's slightly cool fingertips, and asked, "Father, what's wrong?"

"No, nothing," Cheng Lingjun stared blankly into the distance, "I just feel like whatever I do is wrong. Xiao Guang, what do you say..."

"Hmm?" Li Guang waited for his father to continue.

Cheng Lingjun didn't speak, but stared blankly into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Guang felt that his father was acting strangely, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was still as good to him as ever—except that he wouldn't take him to Guan Yue's house to see the little rabbits. But Li Guang didn't insist on going anymore because his father said that it was getting cold and the little rabbits had all gone back to their nests to sleep. He couldn't just go and play with them, or they would freeze to death. Li Guang didn't want the little rabbits to freeze to death, so even though he did, he didn't pester his father to go see them anymore.

I thought Dad and Guan Yue had quarreled and Dad was ignoring Guan Yue. But after Dad asked him that day, he started talking to Guan Yue again. When the two met, Dad would take the initiative to greet Guan Yue, ask her a few questions, and then take her away. He would also accept the water and vegetables that Guan Yue left outside the door.

But Li Guang always felt that his father's attitude towards Guan Yue was different. Before, he would talk happily for a long time, but now he would only talk for a short while before making an excuse to go home because he was busy at home. When he got home, he didn't see his father busy with anything. Sometimes he would sit in the yard in a daze for a long time.

Li Guang was a little worried, so he could only help his father with more things so that his father wouldn't be too busy. However, he was small and not very strong, so he couldn't do much work. Once, he almost burned his eyebrows on the fire in the stove.

Cheng Lingjun quickly tugged at Li Guang away from the stove, exclaiming, "Why are you rushing forward like that?!"

Startled and scolded, Li Guang said with tears in his eyes, "Father says he's busy every day, so I... I just wanted to help you..."

Cheng Lingjun was stunned. He slowly hugged Li Guang and said, "Father is not in a hurry, Father is just..."

Li Guang sobbed, "Father, what?"

Cheng Lingjun lowered her eyelashes. "Father just... doesn't want to talk to her anymore."

"Why?" Li Guang didn't understand. There hadn't been an argument, and nothing had happened. "Does Dad dislike Aunt Guan?"

Cheng Lingjun asked, "Does Xiaoguang dislike her?"

“I used to hate it, but now I don’t hate it as much,” Li Guang said proudly.

Cheng Lingjun smiled. "Why don't you hate it now?"

Li Guang said somewhat awkwardly, "She doesn't talk as annoyingly as before now, and she can do a lot of things. She's not a scoundrel anymore, and she even shows Li Guang her little rabbit."

"The last thing is what truly won you over, isn't it?" Cheng Lingjun laughed.

"No, no, that's not it!" Li Guang said urgently. "I mean she's different now. The teacher said that a good child is one who can admit their mistakes and correct them. I... I don't think she's a bad person..."

Li Guang spoke softer and softer, as if he was ashamed to admit that he thought Guan Yue was a good person. He felt that his father must have asked him on purpose. He had said Guan Yue was a rogue and hooligan before, but now he said Guan Yue was a good person. His father must be making fun of him on purpose.

But Li Guang waited and waited, and didn't hear his father laughing at him. He looked up and saw his father looking at him with a smile, saying, "Yes, she is indeed not the Guan Yue she used to be..."

He could hardly remember the rogue Guan Yue from before. He only remembered that she was now diligent, hardworking, and even a little shy. Now, when he thought of the things she did before she lost her memory, it was as if the past was a dream that had been forgotten.

In fact, his initial relationship with Guan Yue was similar to his relationship with Qu Niang and Uncle He. They met by chance, and he got involved with them because of his soft heart and meddling. However, Qu Niang and the others were only by his side for a moment before they parted ways and went their separate ways to live their own lives. But he gradually integrated into Guan Yue's life, and gradually, their relationship was no longer one of giving and receiving favors.

He was by her side and felt something he had never felt before. He was no longer someone's son or husband, but Cheng Lingjun himself. He could laugh freely and confide the secrets he was most unwilling to reveal. And when he did, he was not met with thunder and rain, but with gentle warmth that he had never expected.

He admitted that he was touched at that moment. He thought that he was just dissecting himself, and even if he didn't make a fool of himself, he would still make people shake their heads and slam their fists on the table. But the other party didn't care about these things. They were only worried about his health. To be honest, when his parents first heard that he was getting a divorce, they didn't ask him why he was getting a divorce or whether the Li family was at fault. Instead, they were furious and scolded him for being impulsive and thoughtless. They almost chased him to the Li family to apologize.

On one side are his family members who have been with him since childhood, and on the other side are strangers he has only known for less than half a year. He is like a bird wading through boundless waters, finally finding a piece of land where he can roost, but feeling that he is not worthy to stay and lingering.