Chapter 19 Reunion, Why Aren't You Speaking?

Chapter 19

Lu Baozhu sat on a park bench and stared blankly at the cotton candy stall in the distance.

A pink cotton candy was handed to Lu Baozhu, who blinked at the familiar yet unfamiliar man.

Xu Xing'an: Aren't you going to eat?

Lu Baozhu took a bite of the cotton candy, then smiled and handed it to Xu Xing'an.

Is it sweet?

"sweet."

Lu Baozhu was going home, and Xu Xing'an escorted her downstairs. Lu Baozhu kept her head down and didn't say anything.

Xu Xing'an: "Let's go back."

Lu Baozhu knew without asking that Xu Xing'an's career must be going very well and that he must be doing very well now.

Lu Baozhu wasn't surprised that Xu Xingan would come to see her; before she returned, Xu Xingan had already said he would come.

Lu Baozhu took a few steps forward, and Xu Xing'an called out to her. Lu Baozhu turned around and saw Xu Xing'an's tall and slender figure under the moonlight.

Xu Xing'an: "Get some rest."

When Lu Baozhu returned home, Lu Yu came to see her mysteriously and asked in a low voice, "Is Xu Xing'an here?"

Lu Baozhu: "How did you know?"

Lu Yu: "I've seen him before."

Lu Baozhu was surprised. How could Lu Yu have met Xu Xing'an? The two of them had never met.

On the day Lu Baozhu was to go home with Lu Yu, she got up early in the morning. Before that, she had told Xu Xing'an that she didn't need him to take her home; she and Lu Yu would go home together, and Lu Yu would wait for her downstairs.

Lu Yu: "The day you went back, he stood downstairs in the building watching you for a long time. I was wondering if he was your childhood fiancé. Today, when I saw you standing with him upstairs, I knew that he was Xu Xing'an."

Lu Baozhu couldn't sleep at night.

That day, Lu Baozhu said in a serious tone, "You don't need to see me off. The train ticket is for very early in the morning, too early."

Xu Xing'an: "Is it a sleeper berth?"

Lu Baozhu smiled and said, "It's a sleeper berth, so you don't need to worry."

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Baozhu felt sleepy and fell asleep with her head on the pillow.

Xu Xing'an arrived at the Lu family early in the morning. Lu's father and mother were taken aback when they saw him, but they were not too surprised. They had met Xu Xing'an's father before, and it was not surprising that such a person had a son like Xu Xing'an.

Xu Xing'an also brought many gifts, and each one was not perfunctory. It was clear that Xu Xing'an was very sincere. Mr. and Mrs. Lu exchanged a glance and knew what Xu Xing'an meant.

Xu Xing'an: "I'm sorry for arriving so late."

Xu Xing'an used the money he earned to buy an apartment—an apartment with an elevator that Lu Baozhu wanted to live in, so she wouldn't have to climb stairs—along with a car and a betrothal gift for Lu Baozhu.

Xu Xing'an: "Perhaps I should have come earlier, but I was short of money at the time."

Such frankness made Lu's father somewhat ashamed. After a long time, he said, "The matter of the betrothal was something your father and I discussed back then. But things are different now than before. Everyone talks about free love. If Baozhu is willing, I have no objection."

Xu Xing'an: "Thank you, Uncle."

Lu Baozhu had lunch with Xu Xing'an. They sat together, and Xu Xing'an served Lu Baozhu food. After Lu Baozhu finished eating, she also served Xu Xing'an food.

Lu Baozhu: "His taste is rather light."

There were relatively few light dishes on the table.

Xu Xing'an: "My tastes have changed a lot recently."

Lu Baozhu was surprised. Xu Xing'an, a man who could eat plain water, had actually changed his tastes so much? She just took it as an excuse from Xu Xing'an.

Lu Yu didn't know if Xu Xing'an's tastes had changed a lot, but he knew that Lu Baozhu's tastes had changed a lot and become much lighter.

Remembering what Lu Baozhu said about Xu Xing'an's preference for bland food, Lu Yu's expression became somewhat strange.

Xu Xing'an stayed at a hotel, and Lu Baozhu escorted him back.

On the way, Xu Xing'an and Lu Baozhu talked about Chen Yu.

Chen Yu and Sun Meng got married, and Xu Xing'an attended the wedding.

Lu Baozhu: Really? That's wonderful!

Sun Meng really likes Chen Yu. The Sun family is quite wealthy in the area, and they own a house in an urban village, which generates a lot of rent each month.

Sun Meng had told Lu Baozhu about her troubles. She was also upset that Chen Yu was treated coldly when he went to the Sun family. The Sun family even advised Sun Meng to break up with Chen Yu.

Xu Xing'an: "At the wedding, Sun Meng's bouquet landed right in my lap."

Lu Baozhu opened her mouth and looked up at Xu Xing'an.

Xu Xing'an: "I've arrived at the hotel. I'm going back now. See you tomorrow."

That day, the bouquet landed in Xu Xing'an's arms. Sun Meng held the microphone and said to Xu Xing'an, "What should we do? Baozhu didn't come today. But since this bouquet landed in your arms, it probably means that you and Baozhu are about to have a happy marriage. I wish you a long and happy life together in advance."

Xu Xing'an, holding the bouquet, said to Chen Yu and Sun Meng, "Thank you."

...

Mr. Lu advised, "Baozhu, we didn't directly reject him. We told him that if he was willing, we would agree to you being together. But Baozhu, you know we don't want you to be with him."

Lu's mother said, "Firstly, it's because of his grandfather and father's personalities, and secondly, it's because we want you to stay with us. We don't want you to marry someone from Shenzhen."

Lu Baozhu asked, "Why don't you just talk to him directly?"

When this was mentioned, both Lu's mother and father fell silent; Xu Xing'an was being far too sincere.

After Lu Baozhu returned, he waited until he had earned money before coming to find her. One can imagine that he had suffered a lot during that time. He came with such sincerity, and he and Lu Baozhu were also engaged. Lu's parents were really at a loss for words.

They had their own considerations. They rejected Xu Xing'an, but Xu Xing'an and Lu Baozhu would persuade them to agree.

They also hoped that Lu Baozhu could harden her heart and reject Xu Xing'an.

Mr. Lu remembered what Xu Xing'an's father and his wife had said before, and suppressed his guilt, realizing that it was all for Lu Baozhu's good.

Their family is too extreme.

Father Lu: "Baozhu, your parents have always been good to you since you were little, right? Now all we hope is that you don't marry Xu Xing'an."

Lu Baozhu looked out the window from her room, wondering if Xu Xing'an had done it on purpose, since the hotel he was staying at wasn't far from Lu Baozhu's apartment complex.

Lu Baozhu could see the hotel where Xu Xing'an was staying in the distance.

Early in the morning, Lu Baozhu and Lu Yu went downstairs together, and Lu Yu took Lu Baozhu to work.

Lu Yu: "Sis, do you really like Xu Xing'an?"

Lu Yu: "Sis, why aren't you saying anything?"

Lu Baozhu: "........."

Xu Xing'an stood there tall and straight, while Lu Baozhu gently kicked Lu Yu.

Lu Yu: "Sis, why did you kick me?"

Lu Baozhu: "........."

The next moment, Lu Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Xu Xing'an!"

Lu Baozhu turned her head away from Lu Yu, and he heard Xu Xing'an chuckle softly.

Xu Xing'an escorted Lu Baozhu to work, just like when they used to go for a stroll together.

When Lu Baozhu arrived at the cotton factory where she worked, she was still thinking, "How come it happened so quickly?"

Xu Xing'an: "Any good places to eat nearby?"

Lu Baozhu: "There's a xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) place that you'd probably like to try."

Xu Xing'an: "What do you like to eat?"

Lu Baozhu: "That xiaolongbao shop is pretty good."

Xu Xingan: "Okay."

Inside the office, Lu Baozhu suddenly realized that she had just made a lunch appointment with Xu Xing'an.

Lu Baozhu was distracted at work all morning. When she went out after get off work, she saw Xu Xing'an from afar.

Lu Baozhu led Xu Xing'an to the xiaolongbao shop she had mentioned, and the two walked forward together.

Lu Baozhu: "What did you do this morning?"

Xu Xing'an: "I wandered around the neighborhood."

Lu Baozhu: "That's the store. Did you visit it this morning?"

Xu Xing'an: "We've arrived."

After dinner, Xu Xing'an drove Lu Baozhu home, saying, "I'll pick you up after you get off work."

Lu Baozhu blinked, and Xu Xing'an reached out and touched her hair.

Xu Xing'an: "I'll wait for you."

In the afternoon, Lu Baozhu was even less inclined to go to work, but fortunately, her work partner helped her out.

"The man you were with today was really handsome!"

Are you two together?

Is he your boyfriend?

Lu Baozhu: "My childhood betrothed."

"A fiancé I was betrothed to since childhood, I wish I had a fiancé like that!"

When she got off work, Lu Baozhu felt a little more expectant than usual. When she got downstairs and saw Xu Xing'an, she slowed down.

Lu Baozhu thought Xu Xing'an wanted to have dinner with her, but Xu Xing'an escorted her downstairs.

Xu Xing'an: "I'm going back."

Lu Baozhu: "Wait a minute."

Lu Baozhu stopped Xu Xing'an, pursed her lips tightly, and asked, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

After waiting for a long time, Lu Baozhu heard Xu Xing'an ask her, "Will I wait for you tomorrow morning and take you to work?"

...

When the weekend came, Lu Baozhu and Xu Xing'an went shopping together.

When Lu Baozhu got up early in the morning, she saw her father and mother. She lowered her head and walked past them without saying a word.

After a long silence, Mr. Lu said, "Don't you think their styles of doing things are the same?"

Lu Fu was referring to Xu Xing'an and his father.

Lu's mother remained silent for a long time.

Mother Lu: "They are different. Baozhu probably likes him."

Lu Baozhu took Xu Xing'an shopping, and she introduced the place to him. She felt that Xu Xing'an seemed to know the place very well.

When Xu Xing'an was waiting for her to get off work, he would stroll around the area near her workplace. After he finished strolling around, did he also explore the city?

Lu Baozhu: "I remember there's a candied hawthorn shop nearby, where is it now?"

Xu Xing'an: "Is it that one?"

Lu Baozhu: "You've been to all of them."

Xu Xing'an smiled and said, "Yes, I've been there. I'd like to see the city you live in."

Lu Baozhu lowered her head and stared silently at her toes. Xu Xing'an asked, "Do you like candied hawthorns?"

Lu Baozhu: "Eat!"

Xu Xing'an returned with candied hawthorns and handed one to Lu Baozhu. Lu Baozhu casually took a bite and said, "This is delicious."

Xu Xing'an ate the half of the candied hawthorn that Lu Baozhu hadn't finished, and he looked at Lu Baozhu with a smile as he ate it.

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Author's Note: [Let me see]