Chapter 57

57.

Cheng Lingjun understood from his mother's reaction that it was impossible for them to come, and he had no expectations. He just waited for his mother to finish speaking so he could get up and leave. He would go to pick up Guan Yue's goods and then go back to the village to tell Guan Yue that the matter was hopeless and she didn't need to come to the Cheng family anymore.

Cheng Lingjun ignored Cheng Xiu's words, but at that moment, he heard a very familiar name that shouldn't have been heard by him.

“Li… Guifang?” Cheng Lingjun asked, stunned.

Cheng Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "I met the young master of the Li family a few days ago. She... asked about you, implying that if you and Li Guang wanted to go back, you could still do so."

Cheng Lingjun felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head; she felt absurd and yet also found it laughable.

"Then shouldn't I be grateful for her great kindness?"

Cheng Xiu turned her head away, not daring to look her son in the eye. "These are just her words. If you feel it's inappropriate, then..."

"What do you mean 'inappropriate'?! Mother, you shouldn't have brought these words to my face at all!" Cheng Lingjun almost roared hoarsely, "Have you forgotten how she treated your son? Just because she's Guan Yue, are you willing to let that woman who hurt me and Li Guang marry me? Is she really that good? That you would value her so much?!"

"I know, I know, I didn't say you had to go back..." Cheng Xiu replied hastily, not daring to look at Cheng Lingjun's piercing gaze.

She felt a pang of regret, but she hadn't expected Cheng Lingjun to react so strongly even after all this time. If only she had known…

She didn't know what she had known all along. In fact, when she heard Li Guifang's words, she was indeed tempted, especially when Cheng Lingjun was willing to go against her wishes and go back to Dahuai Village to stay with that hooligan. She was furious. But when Cheng Lingjun insisted on divorcing Li Guifang, he also said that Li Guifang was wrong.

He said he ignored the grievances Li Guang suffered in the Li family, and that Li Guifang had actually been keeping someone else outside the family, and that person was pregnant with her child. If Lao He and Qu Niang hadn't found out and told him, he might still have been kept in the dark until the child was born.

When he told his parents these things, they advised him that all women are like this, and besides, he had given birth to a boy. The Li family is large and wealthy, so it's normal for them to want a daughter to carry on the family line. After all, she is also a member of the Li family. At worst, he could take that kept man as a concubine, which would show his magnanimity as the legal husband and also do something for the Li family. They would definitely thank him and treat Li Guang well.

When Cheng Lingjun first learned about this, he was completely lost and did as his parents told him, but it was no use. It only plunged him into a deep abyss of pain. His parents taught him to be more patient and to try to win back his wife's heart. They gave him many advice, but they still wouldn't let him leave. In the end, Cheng Lingjun couldn't bear it any longer and divorced his wife without telling his parents.

Cheng Lingjun never went to see the man she was keeping outside the marriage. After their divorce, she didn't want to get involved in anything related to the Li family. Whether the Li family was doing well or not, or whether they had married that man, was none of her business. However, she never expected to hear about the Li family again from her own mother.

It's still such an absurd demand.

Cheng Lingjun was unwilling to stay at home for another moment. It seemed that his parents could not accept Guan Yue, let alone his engagement with Guan Yue. No matter what he said, it would be a waste of breath. Now he was just glad that Guan Yue did not come, but he came to the Cheng family first.

Cheng Lingjun's face, which had been flushed with anger, gradually calmed down. His expression made Cheng Xiu uneasy. She wanted to say something more, but Cheng Lingjun no longer wanted to listen or stay there. He simply nodded and said, "I understand."

He turned and left, as if he had no more regrets.

Cheng Lingjun walked straight away, exiting Guazi Alley, when she heard footsteps approaching behind her.

“Ling Jun”.

It was his second sister's voice. Cheng Lingjun turned around and saw Cheng Yajun standing behind him, giving him a slight smile.

Cheng Yajun had assumed her younger brother would treat her coldly as well—and indeed he had; she clearly saw his icy expression before he turned away.

But when she turned around and saw that it was her, Cheng Lingjun's expression softened, and she called out, "Second Sister."

Cheng Yajun raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would ignore me too."

Cheng Lingjun smiled slightly, "I know my second sister is on my side. She must have done a lot for me and Guan Yue, right? I'm really grateful to you."

"Oh," Cheng Yajun exclaimed with a slightly exaggerated expression of surprise. She was not surprised that Cheng Lingjun had discovered her tricks. In fact, it would be foolish of her younger brother not to have noticed. He was indeed her brother.

Cheng Yajun said, "I came to comfort you. I will come on the day of the engagement. It would be too inappropriate if none of the groom's family members showed up. We can make up an excuse that our parents can't make it. You don't need to be too sad. Mother... she is indeed a bit too concerned about saving face."

Although Cheng Yajun disliked her mother's quirk, she still had to say some good things about her mother to comfort Cheng Lingjun. However, as siblings, how could they not understand their parents' temperaments? Cheng Yajun was comforting him, and Cheng Lingjun knew she was comforting him too. They smiled at each other and stopped talking about it.

Cheng Lingjun said, "I still want to thank you, Second Sister. I'll have to trouble you to keep it a secret from Father and Mother and not let them find out that you went to Dahuai Village, so that they won't scold you."

Cheng Yajun smiled gently: "Am I afraid of their blame? It's you who should not think too much. Just live your lives peacefully with Guan Yue. I think Guan Yue is a good person. She is the one you decided to spend your life with. Cherish the person in front of you."

Cheng Lingjun never expected that his second sister, who was usually indifferent to such matters, would one day tell him these things. When the family had given up on him, his second sister would support him and confide in him. It was an unexpected gain.

Cheng Lingjun nodded and said seriously, "I understand."

After saying goodbye, Cheng Yajun went back, and Cheng Lingjun was also going to pick up Guan Yue's goods. However, he went to Qu Niang's shop first and told them about his engagement. Qu Niang and Lao He were very surprised and happy and gave him a lot of things. Cheng Lingjun wanted to refuse, but he couldn't resist their enthusiasm and took what he could.

Qu Niang and Lao He promised him that they would attend his special day, so Cheng Lingjun changed course and went to Wanmin Goods Shop.

Wanmin General Store wasn't big, but it had a wide variety of goods at reasonable prices. Cheng Lingjun explained her purpose, and the owner immediately took out the goods she had already ordered from the store.

Once everything was placed in front of Cheng Lingjun, she understood why Guan Yue had said she needed to hire a vehicle to pick up the goods.

Actually, there weren't many items to take, just a few pieces, but they were all large and well-packaged. Just by looking at them, Cheng Lingjun could guess what they were.

The shopkeeper looked at him, his eyes crinkling into slits with laughter, "Why is it you, sir, who's here to pick up the goods? Where's Lady Guan?"

When Cheng Lingjun was in Guping Town, he rarely came to this shop, so it was normal that the owner didn't recognize him. The people who came here to buy and sell goods were either merchants or people who wanted to buy things at a cheap price. People like Guan Yue, who weren't in a hurry to pick up their goods, would come here because it was cheaper than buying the goods they needed directly.

Guan Yue found her way here, naturally thanks to the introductions from Cheng Lingjun and Village Chief Rui.

It's likely that Guan Yue has visited this shop several times, and the owner recognizes her. Moreover, the owner is a shrewd person; judging from the appearance and age of the young man picking up the goods for Guan Yue, he roughly guessed their relationship, which is why he smiled ambiguously.

Cheng Lingjun didn't try to hide anything, only saying, "She couldn't come because of something, boss. Did she order all of these?"

“Of course, she has already paid a deposit. Young master, please check again to see if there is anything missing?”

Cheng Lingjun looked at the list and, sure enough, the items listed were: a dressing mirror, a dressing table, a carved bed, an eight-immortal table, and six chairs.

These are all new, and only couples who are about to get married would buy all this new furniture at once. The shop owner has seen many people come to her shop to buy these things, and without exception, they are all about to get married. Usually, it's the bride or her family who come. Today is really rare; it's a young man. Judging from his tone of voice, he is indeed related to Miss Guan who placed the order.

The shop owner was delighted with the good news and enthusiastically introduced her products, saying that there was nothing better than hers in the surrounding area. She even wanted to recommend more products to Cheng Lingjun, but Cheng Lingjun didn't know how much Guan Yue had bought, and was worried that he might buy too much or duplicate items, so she politely declined.

After finally managing to get rid of the enthusiastic boss, the latter happily took the remaining money and told his assistant to help Cheng Lingjun get a carriage, and then load the goods onto the carriage one by one.

Cheng Lingjun stood to the side, watching them work. He naturally didn't need to help. As he watched the furniture being loaded onto the carriage piece by piece, a feeling welled up inside him... indescribable, sweet, and lingering, like drinking a glass of fine vintage wine, leaving him feeling slightly dizzy.

These things seemed to already be his own. He even felt sorry for the shop assistant when he was clumsy and accidentally bumped into something. He would remind them to be careful. He hadn't been moved by the goods that had nothing to do with him before, but now his heart had become soft and sensitive.

The items were almost packed when a group of people rushed into the store. The owner went to attend to them, but Cheng Lingjun didn't pay attention. She was just staring at her car, wondering if the furniture would be damaged by the bumps on the road.

A familiar yet so unfamiliar voice rang in my ears.

"Ling Jun...is that Ling Jun? What are you doing here?"

Cheng Lingjun turned around in astonishment. The person was none other than his ex-wife, Li Guifang!