Chapter 3 "Do I look that old?"...

Chapter Three: "Do I look that old?"

Although reluctant, Li Yue, along with her aunt and uncle who had come to meet her, went to get a refund for their tickets.

The ticket was originally non-refundable, but the police officer intervened and it was refunded.

At the police station, the police officer educated you: "Refusing to get married is your right, but leaving without saying a word is not advisable."

Li Yue obediently admitted her mistake, and her aunt promised not to force her to get married, so the three of them left the police station.

As soon as Gu Yanmei saw them in the family compound, she ran over from a distance.

Gu Yanmei said, "That's great, Li Yue, I'm so glad you're alright."

Li Yue looked at her helplessly, her eyes conveying everything. Gu Yanmei apologized, "I'm sorry, but I really can't watch you go to the south alone, it's too dangerous."

Li Yue: "What danger is there?"

My aunt urged, "Alright, alright, hurry home. It's already afternoon, and you haven't had lunch yet."

There are never any secrets in the family compound; the neighbors who love to watch the drama are all asking questions and striking up conversations.

You're back?

"Yueyue, you have to be sensible."

"Fengxia, don't scold the child."

"..."

Aunt Tan Fengxia dealt with the situation with a grim expression, while Li Yue walked forward without saying a word, following her uncle and aunt back home.

My cousin is 16 years old and doesn't go to school yet. She cooked porridge at home, and when the three of them came back, she steamed the leftover steamed buns from the morning until they were soft.

Li Yue was mentally prepared to be scolded again when she got home, but her aunt seemed too tired to scold her anymore and just said, "Give me the things."

Li Yue took off her waist bag and gave it to her aunt the money she had kept there, as well as the grain coupons she had secretly saved. There were still a few things left inside, including a pair of silver bracelets she had worn when she was a child, and a dozen yuan that she had saved up over the years through frugality.

This is all her possessions.

After putting it away, the aunt asked her biological daughter, "Qingqing, did Aunt Zhang leave a message?"

My cousin Du Qinglan said, "She told you to go find her after you come back."

Aunt Zhang was the neighbor who acted as matchmaker. After hearing this, Li Yue looked up and said, "Just tell Aunt Zhang that I don't agree."

My aunt took a deep breath and said, "You come with me to talk to him."

...

The three of them were starving, so they made do with what they had.

After dinner, we went to Aunt Zhang's house, where Aunt Zhang took the opportunity to give Li Yue a good scolding.

He talked about how he found the letter she left, rushed to find her, said that Li Yue's uncle had also stopped going to work, first went to report the case, then went to the train station, and then talked about how Li Yue disappointed and saddened him... He rambled on and on.

Aunt Zhang sighed, "The deputy factory director's family is really well-off, so it's normal that they have high standards. Otherwise, I could easily arrange this marriage for so many eligible girls in our compound, and so many people would want to marry into that family. But he only has his eye on you, Yueyue. I've watched you grow up since you were little. You were so obedient and sensible when you were young. How come you've become so temperamental now that you're older, causing your aunt so much worry?"

My aunt said, "Now look what's happened. I've become the biggest laughing stock in the whole neighborhood, and I have nowhere to hide my face."

Li Yue made up her mind not to refute or speak, letting them treat her as the master of the house.

This state continued until evening.

When they went to sleep, Li Yue shared a bed with her cousin. Her cousin asked, "Sister, you really don't want to get married?"

"I'm only 18 years old, why am I in such a hurry to get married?"

“But if you don’t get married and can’t find a job, then our family will have to support you indefinitely.”

My cousin is a very straightforward person. Li Yue said, "The money my parents left to your parents was enough to support me for many years. It was your family who spent all of it."

My cousin fell silent for a moment, then asked, "So what will you do in the future?"

"I don't know, we'll just take it one step at a time."

Soon, the educated youth were sent to the countryside. Li Yue sighed. Since she couldn't go, she had no choice but to go to the countryside.

The winters in the Great Northern Wilderness are so cold, and the southwest is a tropical rainforest with snakes, insects, and rodents. Or there's the Tianshan Gobi Desert... She didn't want to go anywhere.

If all else fails, she will choose the Great Northern Wilderness.

At least it's closer to Beijing, so the journey by car won't take so long.

In the end, it's all that old lady's fault on the sidewalk. She was like a martial arts expert, hitting so hard.

After a long day, Li Yue was exhausted and fell asleep without realizing it.

The next day was no different from any other day, and Li Yue had nothing to do. Her uncle, aunt, and cousin all had to work, and her younger cousin was at school, so Li Yue stayed home with her younger cousin to wind yarn and knit sweaters.

Gu Yanmei also came over, and the three of them chatted for a while.

These were all familiar topics. Gu Yanmei asked her, "This Sunday is Rongrong's wedding banquet. Are you going to attend? She and Dongping have both invited you."

Li Yue said, "I don't know, let's talk about it later."

It was around 4 p.m., the time when students were leaving school, when someone suddenly called out at the door, "Sister Yueyue."

Her cousin's house was on the first floor. When Li Yue walked to the door, a little girl told her, "Someone is looking for you at the front gate."

"Who is it?" Li Yue asked, puzzled.

"An uncle."

Uncle? Or police officer?

She only realized upon reaching the door that it was Ling Jianwei, the man who had saved her the day before. At that moment, the tall man leaned against the car door, a cigarette between his fingers, exhaling a puff of grayish-blue smoke.

Li Yue was surprised and walked over: "Why did you come here?"

Ling Jianwei's eyes were clear and bright, and she smiled: "I came to see if you were crippled and unable to leave the house."

This guy is quite funny. Li Yue smiled and said, "It's not that serious."

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"generally."

"Shall we go get something to eat?"

Li Yue said, "Okay, I'll treat you to this as a token of my gratitude."

"You're quite good at handling things. Get in the car first." He opened the passenger door.

Li Yue sat in the car, glancing at him occasionally and smiling.

Ling Jianwei gripped the steering wheel, his eyes scanning the road ahead, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

He couldn't explain why he came to find her.

He missed his blind date yesterday and got a scolding when he got home. This afternoon, the matchmaker's elder came over and also criticized him, saying that they would meet again at a later time.

Even without their introduction, he knew that the other party was perfect in every way. She was pretty, had a good job, and came from a good family... But as he listened to their conversation, a vivid and unforgettable face kept appearing in his mind.

It seems that her marriage was arranged by her cousins, but what about her own parents?

She looks young, but she's quite opinionated; she'd rather run away from the wedding than agree to it.

Running away from her arranged marriage to the south takes real courage.

...

"What would you like to eat?" he asked.

Li Yue said, "How about dumplings?"

It's neither too early nor too late; it's the perfect time to have a bowl of dumplings.

He parked his car at a state-run restaurant and ordered two servings of mutton dumplings.

Li Yue rushed to pay the bill, but Ling Jianwei didn't argue with her about paying. She just said, "If I eat this meal with you, I won't treat you next time, or people will laugh at me."

"No need, it's my treat. You saved me yesterday, it's what I should do," she replied readily.

"Tell me, why are you running away from the wedding?" He seemed quite interested.

Li Yue said very frankly, "It's nothing much. Of course, I can't marry someone I don't like. If I marry someone I don't like, I'll live a very painful life. I don't want to live like that."

Ling Jianwei smiled gently: "But most people just make do."

Li Yue said, "Of course, I did say that. It's all a personal choice. Some people can live with someone they have no feelings for for a lifetime for many reasons, such as survival, family, or career, but I won't bow down to those things. I don't have a family, nor a job or career, so I think about things in a simpler way."

Ling Jianwei: "Where are your family members?"

Li Yue raised her head and looked at him with clear eyes. Although she had only met him yesterday, she saw that he was upright and had a lot of feelings for her. So she said, "My parents went to America when I was six months old and left me behind. I was raised by my uncle's family."

Ling Jianwei's face showed understanding: "So that's how it is."

The waiter brought over two bowls of dumplings, and Ling Jianwei said, "Let's eat first."

Li Yue buried her head in eating dumplings. These past two days, because of this incident, her aunt's face had been pale, and the family was only eating steamed buns and porridge. Li Yue wasn't picky; as long as there was something to eat, she was fine.

However, meat is definitely the tastiest thing when it comes to meat.

Li Yue added a little vinegar and quickly ate a bowl of steaming dumplings. She also drank all the soup, and immediately felt warm all over, and her face regained its color.

Ling Jianwei looked at her fair and rosy cheeks, smiled, and suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

"eighteen."

He raised an eyebrow: "So small."

"How old are you?"

"Much older than you."

"How big is that?"

He didn't reply, only saying, "It's very big."

Is age a secret? Li Yue didn't ask any further, and instead said, "We've finished eating, let's go home."

The two got back into the car. He didn't start immediately, but leaned back in his seat, looking ahead as if he was thinking about something.

Li Yue asked, "Aren't you leaving yet?"

"Take a break, are you in such a hurry to go home?"

Li Yue shook her head: "No rush."

Anyway, going home is just dealing with all sorts of trivial matters.

But since we're sitting here, we have to talk about something, right? Li Yue hummed in agreement.

Ling Jianwei looked over.

Li Yue asked, "So how old are you exactly?"

Ling Jianwei smiled and finally said, "I'm seven years older than you."

"You're only twenty-five, that's not that old," Li Yue said. "I thought you were thirty."

"Thirty..." He looked over, "Do I look that old?"

“You’re the one who said it was big,” Li Yue snorted at him.

Looking more closely at his face, regardless of age, it is truly handsome. The contours and features are like a sculpture. When he suppresses his expression, his jaw is taut, making the lines of his profile even clearer and smoother.

Furthermore, his eyes were dark and bright, like the brightest stars in the night sky...

When Li Yue realized this, she saw him looking back at her with a smile in his eyes. They exchanged a glance, and Li Yue quickly looked away, her cheeks beginning to flush slightly. She glanced shyly out the car window.

I heard a soft laugh beside me, and he said, "I'll take you home."

...