Chapter 80 [V] Physiological Liking
Previously, when she heard her rambling on like this, Xue Yi's reaction was the same as hers: he simply remained silent.
It's normal for an elderly person to mutter a few words; as long as there's no response, she'll stop muttering after a few words.
But this time, Xue Yi actually struck up a conversation with the old lady.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xue became even more enthusiastic: "As parents, we naturally hope that you are all doing well. Now that you are husband and wife and your relationship is quite good, we naturally want you to have many children and live a happy and harmonious life together." The old lady spoke earnestly, but her tone was urgent.
Seeing his mother's anxiety, Xue Yi lifted his robe, bent down, and sat down in the armchair next to her, comforting her, "We understand what you're saying. You can urge us once or twice; urging us too much will only backfire. Besides, Yan Niang and I are still young and in good health. Are you worried that we won't have children in the future?"
When Xue Yi said this, he glanced at Li Yan out of the corner of his eye.
He accurately captured the surprise on her face, though that surprise was fleeting, quickly replaced by a composed smile.
Madam Xue wanted to say more, but then she thought carefully about what her son had said. She couldn't help but feel that there was some truth to it.
Both of these children are very independent-minded. If the time is right, they will naturally grow up and have children without her prompting. But if the time is not yet right, they won't listen to her no matter how much she urges them.
Perhaps, they might even get annoyed from hearing it so much, and what could have been a good development could have backfired.
Thinking of this, Madam Xue realized that her son was hinting at something and giving her a warning.
So she quickly changed her attitude and said cheerfully, "I just want you to take advantage of your youth and while I still have some energy, so I can help you take care of them. I'm just afraid that in another year or two, I won't be able to do it anymore, and when you want me to take care of them, I won't be able to."
Xue Yi reached out and gently took his mother's hand: "Don't say that. You're not old, only fifty. You must keep a good attitude and live to be eighty or ninety. You'll be fine."
One sentence made Old Madam Xue laugh. She laughed and said, "Eighty or ninety? Wouldn't that make you an old turtle?" Then she stopped laughing and said seriously, "I don't want to live that long. If I can live another ten or eight years, that will be enough." As long as she can see Erlang and his wife have a good relationship and have another child, and the whole family is happy and harmonious, she will have no regrets.
"Just ten or eight years?" Xue Yi looked at Xu Ge'er. "Don't you still have to wait for your eldest grandson to get married and have a granddaughter-in-law, and then watch your great-grandson be born?"
After her son said that, Madam Xue suddenly realized that it made sense.
She was even happier and laughed even more heartily.
Xu Ge'er, standing to the side, blushed deeply upon hearing his uncle's words. He decided not to stay any longer, rose, bowed, and ran off.
Seeing Xu Ge'er like this, Li Yan was also amused.
Suddenly, he remembered a year ago, when he was still living in the countryside, a wild boy who didn't even have shoes and only knew how to run barefoot in the mountains, and he was full of hostility towards her. But only a year has passed, and now he is a well-mannered student at Honghu Academy in Jiangning Prefecture.
Not only did he become much more restrained in his temperament, but he also grew taller.
It seems like only a blink of an eye, and he has grown from a little kid into a young teenager.
Although Xu Ge'er's current success is not solely due to her, she still deserves some credit for it, and she feels quite proud of it.
After Xu Ge'er left, Yue Jie'er also said that she had to do her homework, so only Mao Ge'er was left beside Madam Xue.
Xue Yi looked at Mao Ge'er and saw that he was very cute. He couldn't help but imagine the future in his mind.
After leaving Madam Xue's Pear Blossom Courtyard, Xue Yi took the initiative to invite Li Yan to walk towards a secluded garden.
"You should understand what the old lady means, right?" Xue Yi was a frank person, and he wanted to take his relationship with Li Shi further. Therefore, he wanted to directly confront her and express his attitude.
If she feels that their relationship can continue, then they can slowly cultivate their feelings for each other.
If she directly states her attitude, that she doesn't want to live with him, then he can give up on that idea as soon as possible.
Xue Yi dislikes dragging things out; once he's made up his mind, he wants an explanation and a result.
When he asked to go for a walk alone, Li Yan knew that he must have something to say.
When he started talking about the old lady, Li Yan immediately guessed that he wanted to talk about their relationship.
"Yes, I understand." Li Yan wasn't one to mince words; knowing what he was going to say, she cooperated by addressing it directly. "She just wants you and me to live a good life."
Her temperament suited Xue Yi's taste perfectly. She was intelligent and quick to understand. Moreover, she wasn't weak-willed or like dough.
Talking to someone like that is so refreshing.
"So what are you thinking?" Xue Yi asked again, going a step further.
The two walked side by side, their steps slow. When Xue Yi asked her a question, he turned to look at her, while Li Yan kept her eyes fixed on her feet and the road ahead.
"So what do you think?" She didn't answer his question, but instead threw it back at him.
He wanted to know what she was thinking, and she wanted to know what he was thinking too.
If there's no direct rejection, then there's hope.
Xue Yi smiled and said, "It's fate that we can become husband and wife. After spending time together, I think you are a good woman... so I want to live a good life with you."
These words were undeniably straightforward.
The bluntness of the statement caused Li Yan to gasp in shock.
It seems... she has no other choice but to face it head-on.
However, Li Yan was not annoyed by Xue Yi's "interrogation".
She had thought that if it were someone else, she would definitely feel annoyed. But when Xue Yi said those words, she felt no disgust or desire to avoid him at all.
So she knew that, deep down, this person who was obsessed with good looks harbored some affection for Xue Erlang.
Right now, my liking for him is just superficial—I like his face and his physique. But that doesn't mean it can't develop further.
Actually, she was quite lonely coming to this era all alone. Here, she had no relatives, no friends, and no lover.
Although she has earned some money in her career and is currently financially secure, her inner world is somewhat lacking.
If I could find a man, have a romance, and embark on a spiritual journey... that would be nice.
Besides, she did have some feelings for this man.
So, Li Yan smiled and said, "You want to live a good life, and so do I. But not all lives are the same. Whether you can live a wonderful and fulfilling life is another matter."
Xue Yi listened intently, but frowned when he heard her say that.
He was a little confused: "What do you mean?" He asked when he didn't understand. Once he understood, he would do anything he could.
Li Yan said, "I have to make my wife happy." As she said this, she stopped and looked up at him seriously.
When Xue Yi heard her say that, he smiled knowingly.
"Of course." If it's truly a mutual consenting relationship, and they become a real couple, he would be more than willing to coax and indulge her.
Seeing that the atmosphere was relatively relaxed and fun, Li Yan took the opportunity to say, "Your kindness to me can't just be shown in words; it has to be shown in actions." What's the use of just talking? She wanted concrete actions.
“No problem.” These requests were nothing to Xue Yi. So without even thinking, he agreed to them all.
Even more so, he felt he could do better.
"That's all?" Even Xue Yi was surprised. Was that all she asked of him?
Isn't what she said the most basic requirement for a husband to be good to his wife?
Li Yan's demands on him certainly went beyond these, but everything must be done step by step.
"That's all for now," Li Yan said cautiously. "Let's see how you perform first."
In late summer and early autumn, she stood under the lush greenery, her face radiant and glowing with sunshine... At that moment, Xue Yi felt his heart pounding wildly.
He felt that this scene would be etched into his mind for the rest of his life.
At this moment, the reason why the Li family of the past life was so different from the person in front of him seemed to be less important.
Thinking this, Xue Yi slowly reached out his hand to her.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Yan still placed her hand in his palm.
When that warm hand gently grasped hers, and the warmth emanated from its thick palm, Li Yan felt her heart pounding wildly.
Li Yan knew that their attraction to each other was purely physical.
"Let's go," Xue Yi said.
.
For the next few days, Xue Yi went home every day after work. Each time he returned home, he would bring her a gift.
Sometimes it's a box of pastries, sometimes it's a beautiful object, or a piece of jewelry.
Li Yan felt that this kind of purposeful interaction and communication was quite good.
On this day, when it was time for him to finish his shift, he did not return for a long time, and Li Yan had a bad feeling.
Autumn has arrived, and the weather is gradually getting colder. In the late afternoon, the sun is just beginning to set in the west, and before long, it is completely submerged again.
Soon, the sky darkened.
Li Yan was really restless and was about to go forward when she saw Wang'er, the servant who usually served Xue Yi, suddenly running towards the backyard.
"Wang'er." Upon seeing him, Li Yan called out to him and quickened her pace as she walked towards him.
When Wang'er saw Li Yan, he quickly bowed and said, "The general knew that the lady would be anxious, so he sent me back first to tell her that everything is alright."
Hearing him say "peaceful" made Li Yan breathe a slight sigh of relief.
But they knew something must have happened; otherwise, there would be no need to send Wang'er back to report that everything was alright.
"What happened?" Li Yan asked quickly.
Wang'er ran back, panting heavily. But after catching his breath, he hurriedly said, "It's not about the general, it's...it's..." He looked around as if afraid someone would hear, then lowered his voice and said to Li Yan, "It's that Scholar Xu who got into trouble."
Upon first hearing that it wasn't about Xue Yi, Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Then, hearing that it was about Xu Xiucai, Li Yan couldn't help but ask curiously, "What happened to him?"
Wang'er had rested enough, and now she spoke without panting, saying in one breath, "Someone beat up Scholar Xu, and the general happened to see it. So, the general took the man directly to the prefectural government office."
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